574 VireUions for underftanding 1vhat yotl IJear. D ve it, ~J tbe word of Lift, it wjH greatly. help your V;tdcrftandin~ of every p.lrticular tru~b. That whtch a man ~ovet.h not, and perctweth n~ necetJ_iry of, he will hear with fo little re~ gJrd and heed, that It will mal~c no confiderablc HnprtOton on his mind. But a good unde ~ t~anding of. the Exctl!eucy and Necfffity, exciting L~ve and. .'..!rious arrcmion, would make the pa~, t1cuhrs eaht: to be U1:derllood: when clfe you will be hke a flopt or 11anowmouthed bottle that keepcth out tha.. t wh1~h you dcfire to pur i11. I know tha.t zma'erjtanding mull go before ajfe[l~nJ! But yet the tmderflandmg of the concernments and worrh of your own fouls, muH firtl procure fuch a feriouHarc of your falvation, and a gencr.1l regard to the word of God, as is needful to your fUr~ ther undcrfhnding of rhc parricubr ·inthuctions which you {hall after hear. Din[!. 4· §· 4• Di~rCl. 4· Su.ff'annt vailf thougbts or drowfit mgligmcc to /;iudcr your attention: If you mark_ Prov. 4. I,~o nor- .what 15 tJughr you, how thouId you underfhnd and learn? fc:t your fdvcs to it as for your & ~ t. lives: Be as carncH and diligent in a!'tending and 1ean.ing, as you would have the Preacher be in &7. 2 .;. TeJching. If a drow(ic carelefs Preacher be bJd, a dro\\Gc carelef~ hearer is not good, Saith Nc-!1. t.6 ... n. Al{cs, D~u r. 31· 4-6. Set ynu luartt to aU tbe word1 n·!Jicb I tejli{ie among yo" tbit dJy-– P(l!. 1J"·z. 47· For it i1 not a ·ual1t thing f ur yore bwmje it i1 your life--. You would have God attentive ·: ~ro~ .. ~.~- 9· toyour pr.zycrJ in yu~tr diHreifes: and "'£hy will you not then be atteJttivc to his words? when the ;; -'~..J:!_aycrt of' hi!'' are abomin#blc to God, tbJt tunwb an1ay hi! eJr from luariHg tbc Lttw. Luk. 19. 48• .All-1be peaplc wert very attentive to /nar Chrijf. Neh. 8. 3· when Ez..ra read the Law frgm morr.ing ACt. 16. '4· · till mi.d·dJy, the earl of all the people wtrt t;~ttcntive to it: when Pazt.l continued his Lords-day ex~ Aft. :.o. 9· ercife, and fpeech untill miduigbt, one young man that fell afleep, did fall down dead as a warning tothem, that will fleep when they 010uld hear the mcfT•ge of ChriR. Therefore you arc excufcd that day from worldly bufinefs, thaty7u m.Jy atwzd on the Lord rvithout dijlraCiicn, t Cor. 7· 35· Lydi.l's atwtding to the Jl"I:JrdJ of Paul accompanied the optning of her heart and her Converfi.on, A{i. r6. 14· Dirc{i. 5· §. S· Dire/}. 5· MJrkJjmiaUy ''" dcfign anddrift and pri11cipal do{iri~~e of the Sermon. Both becaufc tlut is the chict thing that rht Preacher would have marked ; .and becaufe the underfianding of that will much help you to underfbnd all the rtH which dependeth on it, at~d relateth to it. Dird1. 6. 9 6. Direct. 6. f!l1Jr"-mojl t~ofe tbing,1 whic!J arc ofgrrateft rrcight and concernmmt toyour foul!: And do not tix upon fume litdc fayings, and by~difcuud(s, or witty fcntcnces ; like Children that bring home fome [craps and worc!s which they do bm play with. DirrCi. 7 , §. 7· DircCl-. 7· Learn firjl your Caucbi{ms at home, and the grrut Eff'tnti:Jl points rf li..eligion, contJi!JCd in tbe Creed, the Lord1 Prayer, and rbe Tot CMtm.J1tdmCJttJ. And in yo"r Hearing, firjl la~ bortr t' get t.f. c.'t.Jra urzdcrjlandinf, of theft; And then tiJt J~·J!cr brJ1zchu wbich grow out rif theft wiU be the betttl' snrderjfo.d. You can fCarce befww too much care and pains in learning thefe great cffe:ntial points. It is the fruitfulldl of all your fiudies. Two things furrhe.r I here ad vi re you to avoid. r. The haOy climbing up to finaller roints (which fome call Higlm) beloee you have well nceived theft; and the receiving of rhofe hie,ber points, indepcndendy, wi,hour their due ,refpett, to theft which they depend upon. 2· The feeding upon dry and bJrren Comroverfies, an~ delight– ing in the chaff,: of jingling words, and impertinent unedifying things 1 or difcourf~:s about formalities and circumfiances. Direli. S. 9· 8. D:r,d'. 8. !vledit.zte on what you bear wben you comt home, tiU yote bctur unde1fand it. Pfa!. I· 2· Dire[/. 9· 9· 9· DireCt. 9· E1tqztirt wlure yore d,JUbt, flj tbofe tbat c~n refolve and tc.zch you. It iheweth-a carek1S mind, and a ~ontempt of the Word of God, in moH people aHd fcrv:Jnts, that never come: to ask the rc:folucion of one doubt, from one weeks or years end to another, though they have P.lllors or M.:dlers that have ability, and Jeifure and williugne\s to help them. Mauh. I3· Muk 4· to. TJihmCbrijl w.:r a/ant, tbry tbJt were about him tritb the twe!vs, a.rk::·d him the meaning of his Pl– ublc. Dirctl. ro. §. IO· Direct. zo. 1\ead mucb tbofe b:Jly Book.! wbich trc<~t b~ft of the do,'7rinc rrbich yort would u1tderjf.md. DircO. I r. ~· Il· n;red-. I h Pray tantrftlyfor wifdom, and tiJt jllJ,miltatio~ of the fpirit, Ephef. I• J8. Act. 26. r8. ]•m. 1· 5· Dircl1. t:Z· §· 12· litlld. 12. Co»fcion.,blc PrJfrijing r.JI;at you Jtitor.l, is an excellent help to undajlanding. Joh. 7· '7· Tir.1.
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