Sermon
Exodus 20:8. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, etc.
2. If you would hear the word aright, lay aside those things which may render the word preached ineffectual. As,
1. Curiosity. Some come to the word preached, not so much to get grace, as to enrich themselves with notions. Itching ears, (2 Timothy 4:3). Austin confesses that before his conversion, he went to hear St. Ambrose rather for his eloquence, than the spirituality of the matter. (Ezekiel 33:32) You are to them as a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. Many come to the word only to feast their ears; they like the melody of the voice, the mellifluous sweetness of the expression, the newness of the notion, (Acts 17:21). This is to love the garnishing of the dish more than the food. This is to desire to be pleased, rather than edified. Like a woman that paints her face, but neglects her health. So they paint and adorn themselves with curious speculations, but neglect their soul's health. This hearing does neither sanctify the heart nor the Sabbath.
2. Lay aside prejudice.
(1.) Prejudice against the truths preached. The Sadducees were prejudiced against the doctrine of the resurrection, (Luke 20:27).
(2.) Prejudice against the person preaching, (1 Kings 22:8). There is one Micaiah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him. This hinders the virtue of the word. If a patient has an ill opinion of his physician, he will not take any of his prescriptions though never so good. Prejudice in the mind is like an obstruction in the stomach, which hinders the nutritive virtue of the meat. Prejudice poisons the word, and makes it to lose its efficacy.
3. Lay aside covetousness. Covetousness is not only getting the world unjustly, but loving it inordinately. This is a great hindrance to the word preached. The seed which fell among thorns was choked, (Matthew 13:22). An emblem of the word being preached to a covetous hearer. The covetous man is thinking of the world when he is hearing; his heart is in his shop. (Ezekiel 33:31) They sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but their heart goes after their covetousness. A covetous hearer derides the word, (Luke 16:14). The Pharisees who were covetous heard all, and they derided him.
4. Lay aside partiality. Partiality in hearing is, when we like to hear some truths preached, but not all. We love to hear of heaven, but not of self-denial; of reigning with Christ, but not of suffering; of the more facile duties of religion, but not them which are more knotty and difficult, as mortification, laying the ax to the root, and hewing down their beloved sin, (Isaiah 30:10). Prophesy smooth things, such as may not grate upon our conscience. Many like to hear of the love of Christ, but not of loving their enemies: they like the comforts of the word, not the reproofs. Herod heard John the Baptist gladly; he liked many truths, but not when he spoke against his incest. Lay aside partiality.
5. Lay aside censoriousness. Some instead of judging themselves for sin, sit as judges upon the preacher: either his sermon had too much gall in it, or it was too long: these will sooner censure a sermon than practice it. God will judge the judger. (Matthew 7:1).
6. Lay aside disobedience, (Romans 10:21). All the day long have I stretched forth my hands to a disobedient people. It is spoken of the Jews, God stretched out his hands in the preaching of the word, but they rejected Christ. Let there be none among you that wilfully refuse the counsels of the word: it is sad to have an adder's ear, an adamant heart. (Zechariah 7:11-12). If when God speaks to us in his word we are deaf, when we speak to him in prayer he will be dumb.
3. If you would hear the word aright, have [reconstructed: good] ends in hearing. Come to the word to be made better. Some have no other end in hearing, but because it is in fashion, or to gain repute, or stop the mouth of conscience. But come to the word to be made more holy. There is a great deal of difference between one that goes to a garden for flowers to wear in her bosom, and another that goes for flowers to make syrups and medicines of. We should go to the word for a medicine to cure us; as Naaman the Syrian went to Jordan to be healed of his leprosy. (1 Peter 2:2) Desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. Come to the word to be changed into the similitude of it. As the seal leaves its print upon the wax, so labor that the word preached may leave the print of its own holiness upon your heart. Labor that the word may have such a virtue upon you as the water of jealousy, to kill and make fruitful, (Numbers 5:27). That it may kill your sins, and make your souls fruitful in grace.
4. If you would hear the word aright, come to it with delight. The word preached is a feast of fat things. With what delight do men come to a feast? The word preached anoints the blind eye, mollifies the rocky heart; it beats off our fetters, and turns us from the power of Satan to God, (Acts 26:18). The word is the seed of regeneration, (James 1:18). The engine of salvation. Hear the word with delight and complacency. (Jeremiah 15:16) Your words were found and I ate them, they were the joy and rejoicing of my heart. (Psalm 119:103) How sweet are your words to my taste, indeed, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Indeed, love that word which comes most home to the conscience. Bless God when your corruptions have been met with; when the sword of the Spirit has divided between you and your sins. Who cares for that medicine which will not work?
5. If you would hear the Word aright, mix it with faith. Believe the truth of the Word preached, that it is that Word by which you must be judged; and not only give credence to the Word preached, but learn to apply it to your own souls. Faith digests the Word, and turns it into spiritual nourishment. Many hear the Word, but it may be said of them as (Psalm 106:24): They believed not his Word. As Melancton once said to some of the Italians, "You Italians worship God in the bread, when you do not believe him to be in heaven." So many hear God's Word, but do not believe that God is; they question the truth of his oracles. If we do not mix faith with the Word, it is like leaving out the chief ingredient in a medicine, which makes it ineffectual. Unbelief hardens men's hearts against the Word. (Acts 19:9): Divers were hardened and believed not. Men hear many truths delivered concerning the preciousness of Christ, the beauty of holiness, the felicity of a glorified estate; but if through unbelief and atheism they question these truths, we may as well speak to the stones and pillars of the church as to them. That Word which is not believed can never be practiced. Vbi male creditur, ibi nec benè vivitur. Unbelief makes the Word preached of no effect. (Hebrews 9:2): The Word preached did not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. The Word to an unbeliever is like Dioscordium put into a dead man's mouth, which loses all its virtue. If there be any unbelievers in our congregations, what shall ministers say to God at the last day? Lord, we have preached to the people you sent us to; we showed them our commission, we declared to them the whole counsel of God, but they believed never a word we spoke: we told them what would be the fruit of sin, but they would drink their sugared draught, though there was death in the cup: Lord, we are free from their blood. God forbid that ever ministers should make this report to God of their people: but this they must be forced to do, if people live and die in unbelief. Would you sanctify a Sabbath in hearing the Word aright? Hear the Word with faith. The Apostle puts these two together, belief and salvation. (Hebrews 10:39): We are of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
6. If you would hear the Word aright, hear it with meek spirits. (James 1:21): Receive the Word in mansuetudine, with meekness. Meekness is a submissive frame of heart to the Word. Contrary to this meekness is fierceness of spirit, when men rise up in a rage against the Word. As if the patient should be angry with the physician when he gives him a receipt to purge out his bad humors. (Acts 7:54): When they heard this they were cut to the heart, and gnashed on Stephen with their teeth. (2 Chronicles 16:10): Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison-house. Pride and guilt make men [reconstructed: fret] at the Word. What made Asa storm so but pride? He was a king, and thought he was too good to be told of his sin. What made Cain so angry, when God said to him, "Where is Abel your brother?" Says he, "Am I my brother's keeper?" What made him so touchy, but guilt? He had embrued his hands in his brother's blood. If you would hear the Word aright, lay down your passions, receive the Word with meekness; get humble hearts to submit to the truths delivered. God takes the meek person to be his scholar. (Psalm 25:9): The meek will he teach his way. Meekness makes the Word preached to be ⟨ in non-Latin alphabet ⟩, an engrafted Word, (James 1:21). A good scion grafted into a bad stock changes the nature of it, and makes it bear sweet and generous fruit. So when the Word preached is grafted into man's heart, it sanctifies them, and makes them bring forth the sweet fruits of righteousness. By meekness it becomes an engrafted Word.
7. If you would hear the Word aright, be not only attentive, but retentive: lay the Word up in your memories and hearts. (Luke 8:15): The seed on the good ground are they, who having heard the Word keep it. The Greek word ⟨ in non-Latin alphabet ⟩, to keep, signifies to hold the Word fast so that it does not run from us. If the seed be not kept in the ground, but is presently washed away, it is sown to little purpose: so if the Word preached be not kept in your memories and hearts, it is preached in vain. Many people have memories like leaking vessels, the Word goes out as fast as it comes in. How can it profit? If a treasure be put in a chest, and the chest be not locked, it may easily be taken out. A bad memory is like a chest without a lock, the devil can easily take out all the treasure. (Luke 8:12): Then comes the devil and takes away the Word out of their hearts. Labor to keep in memory the truths you hear. The things we esteem we are not so apt to forget. Will a bride forget her jewels? (Jeremiah 2:32): Can a maid forget her ornaments? Did we prize the Word more, we should not so soon forget it. If the meat does not stay in the stomach, but comes up as fast as we eat it, it cannot nourish: so if the Word stays not in the memory, but is presently gone, it can do the soul but little good.
8. If you would hear aright, practice what you hear; practice is the life of all. (Revelation 22:14): Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life. Bare hearing will be no plea at the day of judgment. Lord, I have heard so many sermons. But God will say, What fruits of obedience have you brought forth? The Word we preach is not only to inform you, but to reform you; not only to mend your sight, but to mend your pace in the way to heaven. A good hearer is like the Helitropium, etc. — it opens and shuts with the sun, to God, against sin. Now that you may sanctify a Sabbath by hearing:
1. If you do not hear the Word aright, you lose all your labor. How many a weary step have you taken? Your body has been crowded, your spirit faint; if you are not bettered by hearing, if you are as proud, as vain, as earthly as ever, all your hearing is lost. You would be loath to trade in vain; and why not as well to hear sermons in vain? (Job 9:29) Why then do I labor in vain? Put this question to your own soul, Why do I labor in vain? Why do I take all this pains to hear, yet have not the grace to practice? I am as bad as ever, why then do I labor in vain?
2. If you hear the Word, and are not bettered by it, you are like the salamander in the fire, not hotter; your hearing will increase your condemnation. (Luke 12:47) That servant which knew his Lord's will and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. We pity such as know not where to hear; it will be worse with such as care not how they hear. To graceless disobedient hearers every sermon will be a faggot to heat hell. It is sad to go laden to hell with ordinances. O beg the Spirit to make the Word preached effectual. Ministers can but speak to the ear, the Spirit speaks to the heart. (Acts 10:44) While Peter spoke, the Holy Ghost fell upon all them that heard the Word.
5. Having heard the Word in a holy and spiritual manner, for the further sanctification of the Sabbath, confer of the Word. We are forbidden on this day to speak our own words (Isaiah 58:14), but we must speak of God's Word. Speak of the sermon as you sit together; this is one part of sanctifying the Sabbath. Good discourse brings holy truths into our memories, and fastens them upon our hearts. (Malachi 3:17) Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another. There is a great power and efficacy in good discourse. (Job 6:25) How forcible are right words! By holy conference on a Sabbath, one Christian helps to warm another when he is frozen, to strengthen another when he is weak. Latimer confessed he was much furthered in religion, by having conference with Mr. Bilny the Martyr. (Psalm 119:172) My tongue shall speak of your word. One reason why preaching the Word on a Sabbath does no more good, is, because there is so little good conference. Few speak of the Word they have heard, as if sermons were such secrets, that they must not be spoken of again: or, as if it were a shame to speak of that which will save us.
6. Shut up the Sabbath evening with repetition, singing of psalms and prayer: beg that God would bless the Word you have heard; but I hope your practice herein will prevent my further speaking. Could we but thus spend a Sabbath, we might be in the Spirit on the Lord's Day (Revelation 1:10), our souls might be nourished and comforted: and this Sabbath which we now keep, would be an earnest of that everlasting Sabbath which we shall celebrate in heaven.
