e Chap. 29 . FM.eft;614 ins, the Ranh of Jn a. Verf. 2I- ç84 When the Apoffle had inffru&.ed Timothy howtobehave Jinn- i-elf in the houle or Church of God; he concludes in cafe of his fubrniflìon to chofe inffruaions (t Tim. 4. c6.) In fo doing those 'halt bothfave shy Pelf, and them that hear thee, char is, them that beleive what they hear. Mtoy thou :`ands hear the word,(in com- monnotion) who are not faved,but perifh in their fins. Only they are faved who, hearing beleive, and ref' upon the Grace of God inChriff, revealed by the word which they hear. lYliliobefíe- Fifthly, That all heard him obedientially, they rubmi`red co bunt. Mooit, what he fpake ; to give ear, ie to obey : fo force read it here ex- pretsly , nor as we, truly, according to the letter of the text, To me men gave ear, bur,,fully, according ro the fence of the'texr, Menobeyed me, they yielded cttetnfelves tad to the words of ad-. vice and counfel given them. And' indeed, they that hear and do not obey, do not fo much as "hhe-ir ; we never rightly hear the word, till we relign up our fclves to the obedience of the word : Co then, to giveear, notes all chofe, diligence, reverence, delight, faith andobedience inhearing. He that hears any word fpoken, or the word preached, thus,givesear to ir, but he that hears ir, and not thus, doth onlygive it the hearing. Now, ioas much as togive ear, fignifieth all this, ánd fob reckons up this among chofe honours and refpcets which he had in the world ; To me men gave ear, Obierve ; As it is an hovoser to be rightly beard, fo he that is heard care, lefily "and irreverently, he tbat it heard without delight,, with- out faith, without obedience, bath afl gbt°put upon himat often as be is beard, or rather he is not beardat all, itL is no'ea(ie matter to 'peak well,and'cis as hard to hear well. TO be a good fpeaker is a very good gift ofGod,buc to be a good hearer is a far better gift, yea it is a precious grace of Gd. Till Godgives as a bears, we never give an car to bis word, how mach or bow oftenfoever we bear it. And how much or how often foever we hear the word, we flight it till we give ear to it. And hence it is that God, hirnfelf doth 'often complain by his Pro- phets that he was not heard in his Prophets.But did not the peo- plehear the Prophet`s, ? Yes, they heard them many cimes, but they feldome gave car tó them, they feldorne either beleived or
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