geod in bearing bis W o a. D. himfeif in the Scripture, how he gives ear tous when we fpeak to him. God is faid to incline His ear, fomtimes toopenHisear, fomtimes to bowHis ear, fomtime. to caufe his ear to hear, and divers fuch expreflions there areo that purpofe. Now ifGod when we that are poor wretches peak toHim, fhal bowHis ear,, bend Hisear, open His ear, caule His ear to hear, much. more fhould we when we come to attend uponHim. 2. Secondly, As there muff be attending to theword ofGod, ft be an o en of the heart to receivewhat Go (peaks to you ;it is true, it is the work of God to open the buc God works upon men as upon Rational Creatures, and Hemakes you to be wive in opening your hearts fo that when youhave any Truthcome to be revealed, you fhould open your underftandings, your confcience, and will, and afFetti- ons, Oh Lord, thy Truthwhich thou art prefenting here to my foul at this time, let it come in, let mereceive it, as the expreffi- on is in Troy. 2. r. 'My Son, if thouwilt receive my word'; and then vera0. When wifdom entreth into thy heart : The wordsof wifdom, the words of God, they muff enter into the hearr, get in ; it may be they get into thy ear , but that's not enough , they murk get into thy heart ; in yob 8. 37. There Chrift com- plains that His VVord had no place in them ; that's a fad thing when the VVordof God flail have no place in the heart. If a temptation to fin comes, that bath a place in the heart ; but when the word comes, that bath no place in the heart ; I fay,. it is a very fad thing that we can find no room for the VVord ; we ihould get room for the word ; Open ye gates, Stand open ye. everiaftingdoor', that the Iiingofglorymay come in : Know, that whenyou come tohear the word, the Lord is knocking ac. -the doors ofyour hearts ; have not you felt it fomtimes ? Open,. 0 open the doors , let al beopened to receive the word intoyour hearts. That is the Second thing for the behavior of the Soul in. Hearing. 3. TheThird thing is, The careful applying of the word:: fo, in cProiv. 2. 2, There muff be an applying of the heart te; th word, -and an applyingof the word unto the hear.t.r action. is by an application of the thing that cloth at 1111E0 the fubjeet ;, sharellaitt be an application of the word to thy foul : As now!, fuppoce. 75
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