Some plain Directions for the more profitable hearing of the word Preached, together with the Lets and hindrances that do usually keep people from profiting by Hearing; and also many Characters and clear Symptoms of good and profitable Hearers; with several Arguments persuading a Christian to take heed how he hears; containing the heads of some Sermons lately Preached by the most unworthy of Christ's Servants in the ministry, and now Printed for the further benefit of his Flock. LUKE 8. 18. Take heed therefore how ye Hear. what ought to be every man's chiefest care! A. To sanctify the name of the Lord; i. e. in the heart to love, fear, and obey God, because he is holy; and in the life and conversation to hold forth the glorious holiness of God. Q. By whom will God be Sanctified? A. By all those that come nigh him, Levit. 10. 3. i. e. that have to deal with God in the duties of his worship, which are especially these three, Hearing of the Word. Receiving the Sacrament. Prayer. Q. How may a Christian come duly to worship God in the hearing of the Word? A. He must take heed how he hears, Luk. 8. 18. take such heed as to become a profitable hearer: to which end he must beware of some things, and practise others. Things that we must beware of, if we would hear profitably. 1. An unprepared rushing into the presence of God at this holy Ordinance, not first seeking to him by prayer, who hath the preparations of the heart: Pro. 16. 1. 2. Having the heart like the highway side, or like the rocky and thorny ground, Luk. 8. 12, 13, 14. 3. Having of Ears indisposed for hearing, i. e. when they are unboared, uncircumcised, viz. not brought unto a strict and punctual obedience to the voice of God in his word, but remains still ignorant and disobedient: or when they are Itching Ears, i. e. such as cannot endure the truth and sound Doctrine, but turn aside to fables, and delight in novelties, 2 Tim. 4. 3, 4. Act. 17. 21. 4. Hardness of heart, Exod. 7. 13. Psal. 95. 7. A hard heart is a heart not willing to believe, and cleave to the command of God, but is loath to hear the Law and the words of the Lord of Hosts, Zech 7. 11, 12. 5. Framing excuses, and shifting off the Word from the heart and conscience, as in Luke 14. 18, 24. Heb. 12. 25. 6. Want of Faith, Heb. 4. 2. the word being not mixed, i. e. joined, accompanied with, or received by faith, doth not profit them that hear it. 7. Forgetfulness, being forgetful hearers, Letting the word slip, Jam. 12. 5. Heb. 2. 1. 8. Long absence from the word preached; the sound of it being long from the ear, a Christian is too apt to forget what should be the behaviour of his soul in hearing. Things to be practised by those that would become profitable hearers, viz. 1. Somewhat before hearing; 2. Something in hearing; and 3. After hearing. And first for the things before hearing. 1. Being placed under a godly and painful Minister, which is very requisite, Rom. 10. 14. then propose to yourselves good ends of your coming to hear, viz. to wait on God in this his Ordinance, for the conveying the graces of his holy Spirit into the Soul. 2. Lay apart all Filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness. Jam. 1. 21. i. e. all manner of sin, so called, from the polluting nature thereof. All kind of evil thoughts, and evil affections, and whatsoever abounds in the heart, opposing the work of grace. Psal. 26. 6. 3. Prepare your hearts to the Lord, earnestly beseeching him to make them good ground, fit to receive his holy Word; which is, 1. By pulling up the Thorns; i. e. lusts and corruptions which naturally grow in the heart, as deep as thorns in the ground. 2. By Ploughing of the fallow ground of the heart, Jer. 4. 3. Which is by a soul-humiliation, for all ignorance of God, and sinfulness of the heart. 3. By making the heart to become an honest and good heart; which is excelling the highway side, rocky and thorny ground, Luk. 8. 12, 13, 14. allowing of nothing that stands in opposition to the Word, but seeks merely the Glory of God. Pray before you come to hear, knowing that it is God only that can make the deaf to hear, Mar▪ 7. 37. Exod. 4. 11. He only can tell how to awaken the Ear, Isa. 50. 4, 5. i. e. to enure the soul to obedience to do his work, and fulfil his will in all things. 4. As you are going to the Congregation, remember, 1. To keep your hearts from the world, minding no earthly business. 2. To think how that you are going to meet with the great God of heaven, to deal about the eternal estate of your souls. 3. Think on some fit portion of Scripture, as Psal. 42. 1, 2. 5. Be sure to make your timely appearance to join with the Congregation in seeking God by prayer for a blessing on your hearing; be present & ready to hear, as Act. 10. 33. 2. Things to be observed in time of hearing, or the qualifications of hearing the Word Preached. 1. Hear Reverently, receive it as the Word of God, and not as the word of men, 1 Thes. 2. 13. 2. Understandingly, i. e. with the ear of the mind, being able to try the spirit, and to search whether things are so, Mat. 13. 19 & ver. 9 1 Joh. 4. 1. Act. 17. 11. 3. Diligently and heedfully, i. e. giving good heed both to the matter and method of the Sermon, Isa. 55. 2. 4. Cheerfully, readily, swiftly, gladly, Jam. 1. 19 Act. 2. 41. Desiring the sincere milk of the Word, 1 Pet. 2. 2. coming to the Word preached with a better stomach then to daily food, Job 23. 12. 5. Tremblingly, with a godly fear, Deut. 13. 11. Isa. 66. 5. and need there is thus to hear, because there is more of God to be seen in his Word, then in all his works besides, Psal. 138. 2. 6. Meekly, Receive the Word with Meekness, Jam. 1. 21. 1 Pet. 2. 2. be like little Infants for meekness, with quietness of Spirit attending on the Word, and like good Josias, 2 Kings 22. 19 with a tender heart. 7. Believingly, 1 Thes. 2. 13. Believe both the promises and menaces in the Word: for it works effectually only in them that believe. 8. Repentingly, i. e. hear so, as to repent and turn by hearing, Jer. 26. 3. & 44. 5. & 25. 5. Repentance is the very end of the Gospels preaching, Mat. 3. 1, 2, 3. 9 Obediently, lovingly, pleasingly, Isa. 50. 5. closing in with the truths delivered, saying Amen to them, 1 Cor. 14. 16. Colos. 1. 16. 2 Thes. 2. 10. 10. Resolvedly, with a strong resolution, to hear universally. Josh. 1. 16. Job 34. 32. Act. 3. 22. 11. Applyingly, not only applying the mind in a diligent attention, Pro. 2. 2. & 22. 17. but also making a particular application of every truth unto the soul, 1 Cor. 14. 24, 25. 12. Independently, not resting on the bare hearing of the word, but in this Ordinance only waiting on God for the conveyance of some spiritual good to the soul. 13. Reteiningly, as it comes in, lay it up in the heart Luk. 1. 66. & 2. 51. & 8. 15. Psal. 119. 11. Things to be observed after hearing. 1. Be sure not to depart the Congregation before the blessing; blessing of God by Prayer, and hearing the blessing pronounced by the Minister, Numb. 6. 23, 27. 2. As you are going to your houses, if in company, discourse of the Sermon; if alone, Meditate, Psal. 71, 24. & 77. 12. Psal. 105. 2. 3. When you are come home sit down a little and meditate, chew the cud (as it were) on your spiritual meat, then pray unto God that he would convert it to spiritual nourishment. 4. If Parents or Masters, &c. call on your relations, help them, putting them in mind of some most seasonable truth delivered, Gen. 18. 19 Josh 24. 15. 5 Put all into practice, hold forth the word of life in your lives all your days, Phil. 2 16. Signs and Characters of good Hearers. 1. They hear profitably, who have Ears to hear, Revel. 2. 7. i. e. such as have spiritual ears of the mind, such as God by his spirit hath opened to hear what he saith, Isa. 50. 4 2 Such as come to Christ, Joh 6. 45. i. e. such as have true faith, and draw near in a full assurance, Heb. 10. 22. he that hath heard believingly, and can find that faith is wrought in the heart by hearing, Joh 5. 24 Rom. 10. 17. 3. Such as hear the word gladly, and receive it with readiness of mind, Act. 2. 41. & 17. 11. such a gladness which proceeds not from the apprehension of any carnal excellencies accompanying the word, but merely from thy pureness and holiness that is in the word, Psa. 119. 140. 4. Such as have their hearts burning within them, Luke 24. 32. i. e. whilst they are hearing, are inwardly moved by a divine fervour of God's Holy Spirit, so as to believe and show an awful respect to the Word preached. 5. Such as are pricked at the heart, Acts 2. 37. i. e. who in hearing the word inviting to repentance, promising grace to the penitent, do by this means come to have a broken, rent and bleeding heart, bleeding at a right vein, and at a right time, Act. 16. 14 Joel 2. 13. 6. Such as are courteous and hospitable to the faithful preachers of the Gospel; this was the good effect of the opening Lydia's heart, profitably to attend to the word preached by Paul. Act. 16. 14. 15. 7. Such as stand fast in shaking times, either from the world or devil, Mat. 7. 24. Colos. 1. 23. and are not carried away by strangers that seek to destroy their souls, Joh. 10. 5. 27. 8. Such as have honest and good hearts, Luk. 8. 15. i e. hearts dealing fairly with God in all things, at all times, and willing to receive what God reveals. 9 Such as have devoted themselves to serve the Lord for ever, that have (as the servant under the Law) Ears boared; i. e. brought unto a punctual obedience to their Master Christ's Commands, Exod. 21. 6. Arguments. Arguments to persuade people to take such heed to to their hearing, as to become good and profitable hearers. Three sorts of Arguments. 1. Some more general. 2. Some drawn from the great gain and advantage there is by a profitable hearing. 3. From the great danger there is in heedless hearing. The first sort of Arguments. 1. God commands it, he longs for it, it was Christ's council, and the Ministers bespeak it, Deut. 32. 46. Psa. 81. 8. 13. Luk. 8. 18. 2. This is the practice of the Church. Act. 8. 6. 3. The Lord complains of those that do not, Isa. 1. 2. Joh. 8. 37. 4. God is ready to bow, incline, open his Ear, and cause it to hear, Psal. 10. 17. & 40. 1. & 116. 2. 5. The number of profitable hearers is but very small, Isa. 53. 1. Joh. 5. 43. 1 Cor. 1. 23. 6 It is Christ that speaks in the preaching of the word, Heb. 1. 1, 2, 3. Mat. 10. 20. 7. Consider the weightiness of the matter, and how much it doth concern you, Jam. 1. 21. Deut. 32. 46, 47. 8. Profitable hearing is the glory of Ministers here, and it will glad them at the last day, 1 Thes. 2. 19, 20. Phil. 2. 16. The second sort of Arguments. 1. A profitable hearing, &c. is recorded as a thing well pleasing to God, & commended as well-doing, 2 Pet. 18, 19 2. The word will smell sweet to such. 2 Cor. 2. 16. 3. They shall understand the fear of the Lord, and be truly wise, Pro. 2. 1, 2, 5. 4. They shall be blessed, Luk 11. 28. Jam. 1. 25. Rev. 1 3. 5. It will to the comfort of the soul manifest these seven things, viz. that he is, 1. Of God Joh. 8. 47. 2. A Saint, Deut. 33. 3. 3. Of Christ's sheep, Joh 10. 16. 4. That he stands nearly related to Christ as a brother, &c. Lu. 8. 21. 5. That he is elected 1 Th. 1. 4. 5. 6 Justified, Ro. 2. 13. 7. That he shall be everlastingly saved, Ro. 10. 6 8, 9 10. The third sort of Arguments. 1. Heedless hearers deceive their own souls, Jam. 1. 22. 2. They cannot expect support in time of trouble, Psal. 119 92. 3. Shall never taste the sweetness of the word, Luk. 14. 24. 4. The Lord will blast those parts and abilities they have, Lu. 8. 18. Their blessing will be tu●nd to cursings, Mal. 2. 2. 5. They shall not escape, Heb. 12. 25. & 2. 3. 6. God will come in flaming fire against such, 2 Thes. 1. 8. 7. The word they reject shall judge them, Joh. 12. 48. 8. Their punishment shall be greater than theirs who did never hear the word, Mat. 11. 22. 9 A Negligent hearing will, to the terror of a poor soul, plainly manifest five things 1. That he is but a fool, Mat. 7. 26. 2. That he is under the judgements of God, Deut. 29. 4. 3. That he is in a lost condition, 2 Cor. 4. 3. 4. That the Lord hath a purpose to destroy him, 2 Chron. 25. 16. 5. That he is nigh to cursing, Heb. 4. 12. The word will make quick work. May the 22. 1650. Imprimatur, JOSEPH CARYL. London, Printed by Robert White, and are to be sold at his House upon Adling-hill.