12 Chap. I. The IntroduCüiòn. rfalm s., 3 then you cannot come toooft. Not upon the folemn fall only, once a month perhaps 45 will ferve the turn, but as we fay in our liturgy, Day by day we magnifie thee. Every 68. 19. day will I biefs thee (faith the Pfalmift) We want daily bread, bread, neceffaries for our fuftentation every day, therefore we are to come every day to beg it,andGod is to Aft. 5. 41. bebleffed daily, becaufe of his daily benefits. The Apoftles were daily inthe Temple preachingand breaking bread : and furcly they were not there alone, there were force Auditors, tomeCommunicants. We are not to think fomeanly of God, that we may commandhis bleffings if we takeour own times to come for them , at our own e.rs. 79 !cifure ; therefore, Si nolumut frufira querere Deism, queramus veraciter, queramus term. >y. frequenter, queramut perfeveranter. Saith Bernard. If we mean not to feek God in vain, feek him firft truly, and then often, withpefeverance and diligence. For, De- lec`fatio, dileffio, G diligentia ex fe pendent,feque neceßarioconfequuntur, Delight, Love, and Diligence domutually and neceffarily follow oneanother. Being thus prepared andqualified, when we come, we (hall be fitter for the fecund part of this Text, 4ufcultate, Hearken. Which is the fecond part. z. Aufcultate mihi, Hearken unto me. He that hash ears to hear let himhear, faith Luke t4. 35. our Saviour. God complaineth by the Prophet, that the peopledrew veer to himwith Ex. =9. a 3. their mouths, and honoured himwith their lips : but they had removed their hearts far from him. This is a prefent abfent. The Heathen obferved that Scelocifms may be com- mitted in hearing,.as well as in fpeaking. In thisraped therefore, it is required that webe fo prefenr, that we give ear, and our hearts be as neer as pur bodies. Sacrifice Nairn 4s. 6. and Meat.offering ( faiththe Pfalmift) thou didit not require, bit mine ears haft thou opened. And it was a bleffingwhich God promifcd by the Prophet to the Kingdom of Ora" 31' 3. Chrift, That the eyes of them that fee fhould not be dim, and the ears of them that Pxod. 5, ,7. hear fhall hearken. Pharaoh wasof opinion, that Religion wasan idle-mans exercife : Luke h. r s, andhearers conceive that all duties ofReligion lie upon the Speaker. But Chrift ma- keth it a great matter tohear well : and therefore gives this caution, Take heed how ye hear, and he gives a reafon : becaufe to him thatheareth well the Spirit will reveal more , and from him that heareth not well, (hall be taken away, that little hé had before. It will not be therefore altogether impertinent to take a view of the feveral qualifications neceffary to a true and right hearer, which are thefe. de fkgatár;tat, I. Aufcultate, in Timbre & Refi erentia. Hear withFear and Reverence,not with too deric.rnm much boldnefs or confidence. Expedit multo benetemere, quam malafidere, faithSt. hag. It is much better to fear well, than to be too confident. For as an awful refpeft and holy fear is required in our preparation beforewe come toGods houfe, fo is itto be continued while we are there. And as the reafon of fear in our prepartion and coming thither was in refpe h ofGods pretence there, fo there is no lets reafon of our reve- rent deportment in hearing, in rcfpe t of the Majefty of the perfon fpeaking, and the matter he delivers to us. Qumaudit, quad Dominus tutu dulcif eft, attende quid Cafi: in pfalm, gat vaunt audit pod redins, ureonde quid timeas. Vt amore & timore Dei excitatut, 45 tegem ejus cuflodias, When thou hearett that. God is gracious, mark what thou art to love : - and when thou heareft that he is juft, mark what thou art to fear, that ftirred up by the love and fear ofGod, thoumayeft keephis law. There was a great punifh- ment inflifted on them in the law, that offended againft this duty. The man that will do prefumptuoully, and will not hearken to the Pricft that ftandethto minifter before Dëut. x7.13. the Lord thyGod, ,& c. even that man fhall die. When the Apoll es did break bread, Afts z. 43. and prayed, it is faid, that fear came upon all the Difciples. And therefore is that lieb. 17. sO. counfel, let us ferve God acceptably, how is-that? With reverence and Godly fear. z. Again, Aufcultate cumfervore & alacritatefpiritus, with cheatfulnefs offpirit,not C. 3. =3. dully or coldly, or fleepily. We mutt not fo carry our fetves in our hearing, asthough z Cot, 9.7. we could find in our hearts tobe out of the Church before Gods meffage be fully de- Lev. 6. 13. Mar, eó, livered to us. Whatfoever wedo to God, we muff do it heartily and cheerfully, whe- ARs io. 9. Cher it be in the work of Charity or Piety. The fire upon the Altar muff never goout. fern'. de aplm- Could ye not watch with me onehour, faithChrift tohis Difciples. We feewhat pu- ririone. nifhmentbetel to f cepy Eutichus, Non dorusientibut provexit regnant ccelorum, nec frig t; defidiatorpentibns beatitude aternitatis repromittiter,faithLeo, The Kingdom of Hea- ven is not the lot of fleepers, nor is the bleffednefs of eternity promifed to thole that arebenummed with idlenefs and (loth. Ecd, 3. 7. g. Aolcultate infilentio, In filense without talking. There is a time to be file t,
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