(2.) As our Judge, God has a tribunal as well as a throne in the public ordinances, to reward or punish his worshippers according to their works. This has made the blood of fome to be mingled with their facrifices, as in the cafe of Nadab and Abihu, Lev. x. 3. God is jealous of his honour. A curious look into the ark coft the Bethfhemites dear; and a wrong touch of it coft Uzzah his life. And we would make the fame use of that that David did, 1 Chron. xv. 12. 13. Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Ifrael, unto the place that I have appointed for it. For becaufe ye did it not at first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we fought him not after the due order. It is true, the gofpel-difpenfation is more fpiritual and therefore fpiritual plagues are more ufual now; but thefe ordinances cure the worst of plagues. ali

(3.) As our Lawgiver, If. xxxiii. 22. We are his creatures, and therefore his will muft be our law. We are his upon many accounts; we know notyour duty. He has fet up the miniftry in his church to declare to people what is their duty, Mal. ii. 7. But alas! many, by their defpifing the meffengers of the Lord and their meffage, fay, as Pfal. xii. 4. Who is lord over us? But God will lord it over fuch in spite of their hearts, Hof. xiii. 10. I will be thy King. But the heralds muft proclaim the fubjects duty, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbearn

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(4.) As the Lord and Mafter of the family, who has provided liberally for all of his houfer Minifters are the ftewards of the houfe, but he is the Mafter, that has made the provifion in the gofpel, lf. xxv. 6. He fends out his fervants, faying, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled, Prov. ix. 5. Look then how obedient children will stand and wait for supply of their neceffities from an affectionate parent; fo ought we to ftand and wait on in ordinances for the fupply of our fpiritual wants from our heavenly Father.

(5.) Lafly, As our God, which, fhould ftrike us with reverence, Pfal. lxxxix. 7. God is greatly to be feared in the affembly of the faints and to be bad in reverence of all them that are about him. Pfal. xcv. 6. O Q •cone, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. And this challenges the most ferious difpofition of our hearts to worship him,

III. I proceed to confider the difpofition of foul wherewith people fhould come to the public ordinances. It is with a spirit ready to hear all things commanded minifters of God. It implies the following things.

1. What minifters are to preach nothing to the people but what is the mind and will of God, Lawyers muft not fpeak without authority of the law; and minifters muft not fpeak but with a Thus faith the Lord; otherwife they go beyond their commiffion. The · fcriptures contain what is to be believed and practifed by us. To coin new articles of faith is the work of Antichrift, not of the minifters of Chrift. To impose and teach fignificant rites and ceremonies in the worfhip of God, is a piece of Popifh dregs in the church of England; concerning which our Lord fays, In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, Matth. xv. 9.

That it is the duty of minifters to labour to know the mind of God, as to particular meffages which they are to carry to their people. Minifters are not oto preach hand over head whatever truths they can get tolfay to spend a half-hour in a fermon to the people, A word in feafon is very precious, Prov. xxv. 11. and xv. 23. And minifters had need of the tongue of the learned..

3. Whatever meffage the Lord gives them to a people, they are to deliver it impartially, All things commanded them. It was Paul's comfort that he had done fo, Acts xx. 20. I kept back nething that was profitable unto you, fays he to the elders of Ephefus.

4. Lastly, People ought to receive thefe meffages from minifters as from the mouth of the Lord, and comply with them; for it is not bare hearing, but hearing with obedience that is the hearing pointed at in the text. And with this difpofition of foul fhould people come to ordinances.

Now this hearing of the word has these properties. (1.) We fhould hear reverentially. God fpeaks by minifters mouths; and feeing God fpeaks at all, we must hear fo, Pfal. lxxxix. 7. forecited. See how Eglon behaved, when he was accofted by Ehud, Judg. iii. 20. 21. I have a message from God unto thee, faid Ehud. It is added, And he [Eglon] arofe out of his feat; denoting the reverence with which he was to receive the meflage. And so should we. Jon La

(2.) Diligently and attentively, If. lv. 2. Hearken diligently unto me, fays the Lord. God fends no mef fage to us but what is of great concernment to us to hear; he does not take up our time with trifles; and when God fpeaks, it becomes us to be atten tive.

(3.) Understandingly, fo as to know the mind of God in what is preached, Matth. xiii. 11. We must endeavour to fee heavenly things in their divine luftre, and to understand the things as well as the words. We fhould look into the perfect law of liberty, and continue therein, being not forgetful hearers, but doers of the word. And were this the way of hearing, minifters would get more foul-cafes to refolve than they do.

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(4.) Believingly, John ix. 27. He that hears as out of the mouth of God, muft needs believe what is faid. If the word be not believed, it is all one as if it were not heard, Heb. iv. 2. The foul rightly difpofed to hear, is ready to yield itself the captive of divine revelation, and receive the kingdom of God as a little child, to hear with application. The Lord's word is compared to rain, Amos vii. 16. and the foul hould be as the dry and gaping ground, ready to

drink it in, Pfal. exliii. 6. though alas! moft are like the rock, upon which the rain makes no impreflion. Minifters make the plaifter, but faith of application makes it flick.

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5. Lastly, So as to practife what we hear. Though the ear hear, if the feet be not fet on God's way, it is not acceptable to God, Jam. i. 22. That hearing that fills the head with knowledge, but not the heart with holiness, will ferve only to let people fee the way to hell more clearly.

I come now to the improvement of this doctrine. USE I. for reproof. It reproves,

1. Those who abfent themselves from ordinances, and will not come to hear what is commanded us of God. A very fmall matter will prevail with many to fit at home and loiter away the Lord's day in many places. When minifters are at pains to feek fomething that might edify their fouls, they will not be at the pains to hear. O, what contempt is poured on the gofpel at this day by the pride of fome, and the lazinefs of others! Whatever temptations any of you may have this way, I advife fuch, when they meet any thing that may feem to hinder them from the public ordinances, that they do in the first place weigh the matter before the Lord, and fee if it will bear weight there. If it do, they may look to God for the upmaking of their lofs; if not, they cannot. For it is a most deceitful principle of fome, that they can spend the fabbath day as well at home. It reflects on the wifdom of God in appointing public ordinances, and is moft unlike the practice of the faints, to whom it was a great burden to be deprived of them. As for those who separate from our communion, I wish they would confider that Chrift keeps communion with us, as many of the children of God can testify; and then fay, as Zech. viii. 23. We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you.

2. It reproves thofe who come to ordinances, but

hear not the word as becomes thofe who are to hear what is commanded of God. Such are,

(1.) Irreverent hearers. Many behave fo as it appears there is no fear of God before their eyes. Some are fleeping, others gazing hither and thither, altogether carelefs and inattentive, to whom the word is as the feeed presently picked up by the fowls. Their bodies are prefent, but their hearts are gone; they are the idols that have eyes, but fee not; that have ears, 'but hear not.

(2.) Supercilious nice hearers, who fit as judges of the word, and not as they that are to be judged by it. Hence fuch will be ready to commend the preacher, not to loath themselves; or elfe to reproach the preacher, and endeavour to expofe him: like the riddle that lets through the good grain, and keeps the chaff; or like flies that faften on feftering fores.

(3) Ignorant and ftupid hearers who hear the word, but neither know nor endeavour to know God's mind in it. A good voice and good word please them. These are not concerned to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Unbelief is a

(4.) Unbelieving hearers, If. liii. 1. defence against the power of the word, Mat. xiii. 58.; and an unbelieving heart is a proud heart, ready to form at the word, like Ahab. And if the word hit them, their paffion arifeth, the minister meant them, and wanted to expose them, and so they are filled with prejudice.

5. Lastly, Such as make no application of the word to themselves, but are ready to give it away to others. It is the weakness of godly fouls fometimes to give ear to nothing but what may tend to their difcouragement; and it is the neckbreak of others to give away threats from themselves.

3. It reproves thofe who do not fet themselves to hear what God commands minifters to preach, but will command minifters to preach fo and fo. Thus bands have been laid on the gofpel in our land in the late