>E o$ OfInefeUualHearing the Vrord. under themeans. When the Lord fpake to Samuel, Sa. mud heard a voyce, but he heard it not as fpòken by God,but when he took Elks counfel, and law it was the Lord that (poke ; nowhe liflens to the voice of theLord, and now the Lordopens all his mind to him. 3. Donot trufl to the external word. It is a heaven on earth to hear the word exalted, a glorious thing to hear the word Of God as Gods word;but truft to the free grace of God in it, and the Spirit of God in Chrift to fet on that Word. When they brought the lame, and blind, and halt to Chrift, they looked for the Word and the Power of it; ' Speak the Word, Lord, and thy fervaas(hall be whole ; fo bring you blind, lame, and halt fouls to thrift, and truft to the free grace ofthe Lord Jefus, thrift. The Workof f the Lord it (hall profper inhis hand; fo the Word of the Lord it fhail proffer in his handalfo. Laftly, fo fed( title Lord, and fo hear the Word, fo fee the truth, and fo hear the truth, as that you lay up your happineffe in this world, in clofing with the truth and with the word Brethren ' what is a mans happinefs in hea- ven, but todole with Goth and Chrift ? /cannot come to God now, the moil that /can have of God now is in his word ; ifit be happinefs in heaven to dole withGod in Chria, truly then it is a mans happineffe to dole with God in his word on earth ; and ifit be your happinefs,lay upyoùr happinefs in it. Myfon, faith Solomon, if thou wilt heir my words ,let themnot depart from thine dies; keep them in thy middeft ofthy heart; place thy happinefs in them. So fhall they be life to thy foul. Nevertheieilè Brethren, let a mans foul be fet upon any thing in the world, when he comes to hear , befides the word ; ifhe lay not up his happineffe in doting with the word; truly, the word it will be like a long to him. The Prophet Emekiel tells them,Their hearts weregoneafter their cevetoufnefs :When a man comes to hear a Sermon, there is a Sermon and the Market, there is a Sermon and a friend tofpeak withal! ; and fo many young people will go abroad to hear Sermons; What is the end ofit ? It is, that yee mayget wives and husbands many of you; butit is not your blefTednelfe toclofe with the Lord in his word. I have known fome men that have had a diflafte againft the truth of the Lord ; and I have known them for many a day, they have not bee able to underfland the trtathpf the Lord. When it fhall be thus with man, that Prop. 3. Vert. 22.
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