Com.4. Of fanciifying the day. Chap.6, 289 the word be ancceíiarymeans to fanElifiecticn, yet arenot all men capable to under- !land what they read. The ancient Cuflom therefore of the Church was, and fo continued in the Ápò- files times , that after the readingof the Law and the Prophets , :lot= that were learned in Gods Law, andfent by him to that purpofe, flood up, and expounded to the people force Text of that which was read. We may fee this plainly in the Bogk of Nehemiah, that after Ezra and others had read in the Book of the Law to the Neheih.9.t. people in the Congregation, theygave the fence, and cuffed them,tq- underflancl,the reading. And the Apoftle St. raiser puts the Jews in mind that,Mojes was preached fn the Synagogues on theSabbath day. This praftife continued (as I faid) even in the Attsi5.2r+ Apoftles time : for we fee in the place before-mentioned, that theRulers of the Sy_ nagogue at Antioch , entreated the Apoftles to bellow force words of exhortation 13.íy. upon them after the readingof the Law andProphets. The Eunuch (no doubt but) was a man of as great capacity, as many who now adays take upon them the expo- Gtion and preaching both of Law and Gofpel s yethad not he met with St. Philip, he would have been to Peek in that place of the Prophet , which the Apoflle found Alts 9.211. him reading. 3. A third duty is the pondering of that which we have heard read or preached meditation, This we read that May did, who pondered all the fayings of Chrift in her heart. L"' 2.19. And fo did David, when he laid, Oh how I love thy Law I it is mymeditation con- Pfal trg.y. tinually. Betides the meditation of the Word that we (hall hear read or preached, the oz Pf11rn (which was a Pfalrn peculiarly made for the Sabbath, and was uCually fungog 9151.95 that day, the two first verfes whereof (if credit may be given to the Iews tradi- tions) came from Adam, who ufed toting them in Paradife). givetlj us three further points to confider. - r. The firil is in the fourth verve, (which indeed is that which God here expredy v(t,ç. urgeth in this Commandment) the confideration of the works of his hands, the taidng to our felves a contemplative ufe of the t matures; that as all the week be; fore, we have had a naturals ufc of them, fo on this day we Ihould makea fpiritual t Thou, Lord, haft mademe glad through thy words, and ! will rejoice in giving praife for the operation of thy hands. 2 A fecund is (in the f venth verfc) a meditation of the judgments of Gdd, Venÿ. when the ungodly are green as the grafs, and when all theworkers of wickednels do flourifh, then (hall they be deftroyed for ever %'nd this meditation is mua nccelfary to keep men within the bounds of obedience : for upon the confideration of the fe vere judgments which God inflicts upon Malefaelors, men are held in as with a bridle, from fwerving from his Commandments. 3. The third is (as the tenth and twelfth verfes) a Meditation of.Ggds benefits verao,ti2.," and mercies : or of his mercies towards them that lovehiin, as well as his vifitations upon their enemies, both which may be included in the Hebrew word,.taking judg- ments for the genus of them both. Such as be planted in the Houle of the Lord; Ih:rtl flourifh in the Courts of the Houleof our God, &e. There; whether they, extend to our own perlons, or concern our Fathers.houfe, or the place wherein we Iive, or the Church roundabout us, everyone of thefe afford us an objet of Me- dilation. And as we fee the other. Creatures of God, as the wild Affes, Sparrows, Cranes, Lilies, Pismires, c, yield matter of Meditation, thereby to ftir us up to praife the Creator. Upon which we may frame an argument, a minore ad majas, from the lets to the greater. If God have made them thus, how much. more are we bound to be thankful to him, for whom he hash done infinitely more ? So the Apoftle fetteth forth Gods judgments to provoke us to repentance, 116to.a,2, &c. and his mercy to move and Air us up to thankfulnefs. And thus, when weare ro. wearied with prayer, and that reading and preaching of the Word is ended, ECelef.r2.,is, Meditation dill remaineth wherein to exercife our felves, and in this duty we 0 o may
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