VE'ß.13. Epbeflans,Chap.I. '117 in thevanitieofyour mindes.3.The order in which this benefit did befall them, which is to be gathered from the ptecedencieoftwo other. r. Of hearing. z. Of beleeving. The hearing is amplified from the objeét, whichis propounded more indefinitely ; the wordoftrutb; expounded more diftinétly, the Gofpell offalvatien. The fccond thing going be- fore ir, is faith; in whom alfahaving believed. q.. The 'aft thing, is their benefit,which was theirfearing, inwhich we confider. r. Their leafing. 2. The feale and fealer, viz. theSpirit ; fet downe more generally from his holineffe, inherent to hisperfon; from this eternal' circumflance, tliathewasthe fpiritfore-promifed.In the fourteenth verfe he is defcri- bed more particularly, from that refped in which' he is to the Saints, viz, an earneft,&c. The fumme. As we in Chrift have beene thus bleffed,fo inhim even ye Gentiles,finners ; when yehad heard the wordof truth, the Gofpell ofyour falvation, in him I f1,, even yee, whenye had nor heard onely, but alto believed, were fealed wi h the holy fpirit, which had beene before promifed unto life eternal'. To omit the firft circumftan- ce, which bath met us before, and the fecond alto, which doth give occafion to confider what impure perfons the Lord doth choofe to fanEtifie ; we will come to thethird and fourthpoints propounded; firft handling the general' circumftances ofthem ; fecondly, touching thofe things which may by the way be pointed at in them. Tewwhthyou had heard, werepaledwith the firis.] Obf. How God, byhearing his word, doth bring us to be partakers in his fpirit. Hearing is everywhere made the beginningofour comming to God ; He that heareth, and learnethgom thefather, lohn 6. tfye haveheard and learned Chrifi, as the truth is in chrifi, Ephef4. a I. The word bathbeenro fruitfull in you,fromwhat time you heard, ere. Col. t. This was the fenfe by which fil ft. death entred ; Eve hearing the Serpent, was reduced : and this is the fenfe by whichwe are reftored. Looke as the ground cannot be quickned with fruits, till it receive feede, and the dewes from heaven ; no more can our foyle be quickned with the fpirit and fruits of the fpirit, till by hearing it hath taken in this feede immortali, drunke in this heavenly fhower of Gods word. Now it is not every hearing which is accompanied with the fpirit, bur hearing with theheart, fo as the heart is affrâedto doethat it heareth. There is a hearing:with the care bodily; thusmany may heare, whodoe not underftand,and Ergo,heare,and doe not heare. Ifour-landifh men were here, fuch as did onely know their owne forraine language ; we might talkeloud enough in Engli(h, not fearing their hearing ofus. There is a hearing joyned with underftand- ing, when yet the heart is not affeéted to doe after it ; and this hea- ring is no hearing alto : Ifone heare us asking himto doe this or that, if he have no miede to performeit, we fay, he cannot heare on that fide : It muff, Ergo, be fuch hearing as Lydia heard with, whole heart God opened to attend to Pauls preaching. The Vfe ofthis is, tolet us fee,that wherethere is muchhearing, yet the word is not there heard as it fhould be : Who commethto have his N g heart Dea.aò Y T.
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