Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v10

Chap. 33. An Expofatien upon the Book of Jk) B. Verf. t. 147 Againe , To hearken is toobey, to fubmit and yield up our felves to the truth we heare. Samuel tells Saul (1Sam:i v.22.) To obey is better then facrifice,and to hearken then thefat ofRams; to obey and to hearken is the fame thing; the obedient eare is the hearkening Bare. Kline Bare hafi thou opened ( faith Chrift, Tfal: 4o. 6. ) This openingor digging ofhis eare (as we put in ,the Margin) fignified his readineffe CO obey , as 'tis expreßêd ( v. 7, 8. ) ThenfaydI loe I come ; I relight to doe thy will Omy God. And in reference to this he had fayd before (v:.6.) Sacri- fice andoffering thoudidit not defre,barnt-offering and fan-offering he thou not required ; that is, for themfelves, or comparatively to that, which in the volume of thy booke is written of me, that I fhould doe. Which clearelyexpounds and is almot: -the fame in termes with that of Samuel ; To obey is better then facrifice, and to hearken, then thefat of Rams. Thus Eats pretferh Job to hearken to all his words obedientially, or to hearken with a pur- pofe toobey. 'Take a fewConfiderations, why we fhould both heare and hearken to, that is, obey, the whole mind Of God, all thofewords which have the vamp of divine _authority upon them. Firm, All the words of God are alike holy and true, pure and precious. Though fome truths are more neceffàry to be known and believed then others, yet all are necefï'ary ; nor can we be difcharged from the duty of hearing and obeying any one of them, ifcalled. Secondly , There is a like or the fame power and authority in all the words ofGod ; fo that toneglea or flight any oneword, is toput a flight upon the authority of God himfelfe. There is but one Law-giver and word-fender. Thirdly s Not to fubmit to anyone word ( though it be fup- pofed we hearken to all others) drawes upon has the guilt of non- fubrniílion or difobedience to the whole word of God, That's the Apoftles conclufion Games z. ver.) whofoever (hall keeepe the whole Law, andyetoffend in one poynt, he is guilty of all ; for though in many things we offend all, yet there is a Go- fpel-fence wherein weare faid to keep the wholeLaw ofGod. And fo the Apoffles meaning is, that whofoever fhall give him- felfe a loofe or a liberty, whofoever 1hall difpence or indulge himfelfe in breaking any one CommandofGod, he breakes all, V 2 that

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