CHAP. 3.1 t .4Commentarie vpon the 54z ; condly,herein flandeth the fan&itieof the memory,partly by retayning the rules oflife,and partly inprefenting,and offring themvnto the mind vpon occafionofpraetife,both todireói and vrge the confcience toobe- dience. Thus Dauid hidthe word in hisheart , theblcffed fruit ofwhich Pft.,,9,,r, was, that bee did not finneageinfl God ; and indeed holy niemorie pre- 3 ferueth the holineffe of the whole man. Thirdly , forgetfulncffe of the word, is euery where in the Scriptures taxed as a grieuousand hateful! 4121.143.15. finne: Beenot forgetfull bearers,deceiuing your owne Telmer, faith Iames: haue you forgotten how Ifedde fo many thoufand, etc. faith Chrift to Kelm s.$. the Difciples : and the author to the Hebrewes , haueyes forgotten the confolation ? which interrogations are fcuere reprehenfions,and indeed it is the mother and nurfe ofmolt firmes, as we fee in Peter, who forget the words ofChrift till he had thricedenied him; whereas ifhe had re- membredthem, it is likely he had beene preferued from the fnne : for when the cock crew he remembred the words, and when heremembred them, he went out andwept bitterly ; euen fo the forgetfulnes of the words ofChril, maketh men fo often todeny Chrifi in his word , and inhis profeflion, as in many vnchriftian pratifes it doth appeare a and although we account but a (mall matter to forget them, yet if euer Chrifklooke backe vpon vs,we (hall as bitterly asPeter bewaile it in the end. Why men can Vfe. This ferueth tomooue the bell ofvs to repent , and reforme al- nee remember Obeli. Somewill fay, I would remember the the good things finne. fearefull they heare of. word, but I cannot , my memory is fo bad, &c. e4nfw. It is a great test. complaint and very generali: but what meruaile ? For s. the molt 1 that canacknowledge that they haue learned and laid vpnothing almofl from all the fermons they haue heard ; care not for the word , efleeme not of it with any reuerend regard : the things they care for , they can remember well inough : rod fo would they the word , if they did re- Prat.ai9.1ay. fpeáì it. Dauid accounted the teflimonies wonderful!, and therefore his 2 fouleltept them. z. Theycome to the Church, and for fafhion fit out an houre,andgive Tomeattention, as though they cared for it; but yet they haue no delight in it, and therfore force not much either of the hauing orholdingof it : they can in themeane time remember old fumes of their youth, and the madde prankes of many yeares olde: but not a leffon of ycfterdayes deliuerie: the reafon is, becaufe they de- light in the one , and not in the other; whereas if with Dauid, they could delight in Gods flatutes, they would not forget them. 3 3. Theyneuer vfe the rightmeanes of remembring the word , and yet they complaint offorgetting it:for before they heare, they preparenot themfelues by repentance,nor by praier for the fpirit to teach them ; nor after
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