a 66 The rig' ht manner of Sanaifying the Word ? But now thofe chat have any ingenuity in them at al, or any breeding (for foche word is) ihey wil receive the Word with reading' : but this breeding here fpoken of, was a little higher than natural breeding : They were fpiritually Noble, and Co they had a readinefs in their hearts in receiving the Word. blow this readinefs of heart in receiving the Word confifts in these Particulars : cFira, When you come to hear the Word, ifyouwot Id fan- aifie Gods Name, you muff poffefs your fouls with what it is that you are going to hear, That what you are to hear is the Word of God, That it is not the freaking ofa man that you are going to attend upon , but that you are now going toattend up- on God, and to hear the Word of the Eternal God.) Poffefs '', your fouls with this, you wil never faraifieGods/slime elle,in %t he hearingof his Word : therefore you find that the Apoftle riting to the Theffaionians, he gives them the lesion why the Worddid them fomuch good as it did : It was becaufe theydid bear it as the Wordof God, r Me' 2. 13. For this caufe alfi, ( faith he) tbankwe god without ceafing, becaufe whenye re- ceived the Wordofgod,whicb yebeard of to, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the. Word ofgod, which effeflually wort &alp inyou that beleeve. Mark, lo it came effeaually to work, becaufe they received it as theWord ofGod : Many times you wil fay, Come, let us go hear fuch a man preach ; Ohno, let us go hear Chrift preach, for as it doth concern the Ministers ofGod that theypreach not themfelves, but that Chrr ft fhould preach in them : fo it concerns you that hear, not to come to hear this man, or that man, but to ,come to heat Jefus Chrift. .:Weal the Ambeffadors oiChrift do befeechyou, taich the Apoftle. 2. Poffefs your hearts likewife with this Conlideration, That 1 come to hear theWord as an Ordinance appointed by God to convey Spiritual good to my Soul, and this is a very ufefuI Confideration, and efpecially it concerns men of Underftan- dingand Parts for the helpingofthem to hear. ) For men that are of Underftanding and Parts, when they cdme to hear, this temptation is ready tocome upon them, That except they bear come new thing that they did not underhand before, wherefore should.
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