3ttl~ JLorns ~upptt. Chap.• 2. Sea+ ----------------~------------------- 266 Prov. 4' 2~ Heb,2 .1 2Tim4,1S Luh 2. 19 P[al, 119 •97 l'{al. 119-1'2 Vc1ct u ..SJ19 Alfs17o11,12 lfJ{we indeed ha11e conJTnu– nion with nues jli/1and I can finde little Jlrtngth ? Why you mull: not look for a power of compbt viCtory, but for a power of confliCt; God fets thefoul at an everlaiting dilhnce with his fin, never to be reconciled agam. Surely m th1s cafe there is an cverlatfing power gone forth, SE _c 1'. 4· The Dmiureq~tired afttr Huring. THe Duties required aftcr·he~ring the VVord, arc thefc.-- 1. That wc;~refully remember, and keep that which we have heard : My Jon, let thine heart rettt']J my words,--ksep th<mm the mtdjl of thme heart, As a n,an that hath a Jewel will be careful to lock it up in his fafelt Che/1, fv 010uld we keep the word in our hearts, in fhe midfl: of our hearts. Many hear the Word dcfiroufly but (as we fay) it goes in at one ear,and out at. the other; it !lays not for any aftcr-ufe,but a little prefent·admiration: others hear, and the Word finites them a little on their Confciences,and wounds them,and one would think fomc good thing would be wrought on them, but they go away, and the motion dyes; like unt" mettals which arc foft and plyable, whilcfl: they are in the fire, but fhort!y after they become harder then before, Taks earnejl heed to the things which we have heard, lejl at any time :ve Jho!tld let themflip· or let them mn out as dhakjng vejfel: for fo the Original bears it. ' 2 That we meditate, and ferioufiy think of that we have heard : Meditate "P"' thefe things (faid Paul toTimothy.) G'tve thyJe!fwholly to them, that thy profiting mayap– ptttr to all: Thus Mary pondered the word,. of the· A ngel in her he~rl,and David medit4ted all the day on Gods law: Meditation is as the bellows of the foul , that cloth kindle and inflame holy affeCtions: Meditativn is of a fcparating and fetling nature, it feparate9 heavenly thoughts from·carthly, for it often goes over with thotJghts, and at lafl: fet• ties the heart on fuch thO'ughts as thefe, O, this is the Word <[God, this is the law, the proclamauon ofthe great Kmg, whereby I muj/ be judged : T J<Ju may be the lafl Sermoit thtrt ever I }hall hear whiles I live, flteh agale of Gods Spirit may never be affc;·ed to me againe: I wilt be wifo therefore, andgive way to the Spirit ofGod, ilvill ?lot beat it back. again, but yield to the blejfed motions of Gods Spirit, that this" day have kren made. 3· That we rereat what we have heard, and confer of it,and examine the Scrip!ures about the truth o it: My tongue (faith David) jhall fpeak.,of thy word,for all thy Com– mandcments are nghteoufnefs: and, You jludt lay up thefe my w.rds inyour hearts_(faith God) andyou Jhalt teach themyour children, Jpeakjng ofthem whm thoufimjfin thy ho1tje. This is it for which the noble BerMns are commendcd to us, TheyJcarched the Scrip– tures daily, concerning the things that were delivered by Paul : A man that comes into a pleafant garden, will not content himfelf with the prefent fcent onely, but will carry fome of the flowers away with him: So after we have been in the Garden offpices,and have felt the favour of Chofts oynrments ln Church-AII'emblics, let us take !ome ofthe flowers *away with us, and fmell of them again and again. Repeating, cunferrin~, e.<·. amining, the word, is as the pounding of fpices, that will make them fmt!l more, " Cbri/l in hearing the word, we {1JaU go away wilb an urclinance..tin8ure, a Go[pel·impreffion 11pon our ffirits, Dr. Hill, Chrifi: our fircogdJ. James 1. 22 4· That we put in praCtice whatfoever we hear: Bey< doersafthCirord, andnot hearers onely, deceivingyour own fouls; we mufl: do it, we mufl: bring it nearer to us that it may be an ingraftcd word in our underllanding and affeCtions,that it may be written in our fouls,and on the tables of our hearts; that it may be incorporated and naturalized into our inward man, that fo we may fpeak and think, and do nothing b>Jt that which is divine: and in doing, obferve we this frame of Spirit, to be quick and fpeedy about it: I made hajl, and prolonged not the time to kscp thy Commcmdcments ; This fpeedy, this immediate putting of the \Vord into practice,ismuch advantage to the hearer; the affections of the heart are then lively and quick, which with delays dye and decay fuddenly. 5· That when the word is heard, ,and (we are returned home) we pray agnin fora bleffing on thAt we have heard ; and as our memories will bear, let us turn the word into prayer, efpecially the heads or principal parts of it: Prayer mull be the Aiph~ and Omega, the begi,ping and cndipg of this fpiritua I ~'lty; we mufl: pray in prqaratmz and
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