The anatomie of a Christian man VVherein is plainelie shewed out of the VVord of God, what manner of man a true Christian is in all his conuersation, both inward, and outward. ... By M. William Covvper, minister of Gods Word.

CHAPTER. II. Of his Eares.

The Lords Command.

CAuse thine eare to heare wis∣dome:* 1.1 Prou. 2. 2. and giue eare to learne vnderstan∣ding. Prou. 14. Incline your eares, come to mee, heare counsell and receiue instru∣ction, that yee may be wise* 1.2 in the latter end. Prou. 19. 20. Be not as the wicked who haue eares and heare not: Ezech. 12. 2. their poison is like the poison of the serpent, and they are deafe like the Adder, that stops his eares, and hea∣reth not the voice of the enchanter, though hee be most expert in charming. Psal. 58. 4. But if thou

hearken to my lawes and obserue them, then the* 1.3 Lord shall keepe with thee his couenant, he shall loue thee and blesse thee. Deut. 7. 12. The eare that hearkens to the correction of life, shall lodge among the wise: Prou. 15. 3. But take heed how ye heare: Luke. 8. 18. for hee that heares and doth not, is like that foolish man who built his house vpon the sand. Math. 7. Or like one, who beholds his naturall face in a glasse, who when he hath considered him∣selfe, goes his way, and forgets immediately what manner of one he was: Iam. 1. 24. therefore be ye doers of the word, and not hearer•…•… onely. Iam. 1. 22.

The Christians Prayer for Grace to obay this Command.

O Lord a 1.4 thou who openest the eares of men by corrections, b 1.5 and commands them to returne from their iniquitie: c 1.6 take away from me the hea∣uie d 1.7 and vncircumcised eares. e 1.8 Prepare mine eares f 1.9 that I be not rebellious any more, nor turne back from thee, but may haue mine eare opened to heare, as the learned g 1.10 with an honest and good heart, and so may bring forth fruit with patience, to the glory of thy name, through Iesus Christ.

The Christians Practise of this Command.

THE Eare of the wise seekes learning, Prou.* 1.11 18. 15. and his Eare tryeth words, as his taste tryeth meate. Iob. 34. 3. He stops his eares from hearing of blood: Esay. 33. 15. but hath his cares open to heare what the spirit saith.* 1.12 Apoc. 2. As Mary sate at Christs feet and heard his preaching: Luke. 10. 39. and Iosiah rent his clothes at the hearing of the Law: 2. King. 22. and as the godly Iewes were pricked in their hearts when they heard their sinne reproued. Act. 2. 37. So the Christian with a good and honest heart, heares the word of the Lord, and keepes it. Luke. 8.

THE OBSERVATIONS.

ALbeit the minde of man be a very diuine thing, endued with most excellent gifts from

aboue, yet the good thereof could not be com∣municated* 1.13 to others, vnlesse the Lord of his goodnesse had prouided in the body conuenient organes and instruments by which the motions of one mans minde may be contuayed to ano∣ther.

For the Lord made not man for himselfe, that* 1.14 hee should locke vp and keepe within himselfe all the good that God communicated to him: but as first hee made him for his owne glorie, so secondarily for the vse and edification of o∣ther men.* 1.15

And therefore hath not onely giuen him a minde, by which he may haue intelligence with his maker, but also therewithall Organes and instruments of the bodie, by which wee giue and receiue intelligence of our inward motions one of vs from another.

By the tongue wee make intelligence of our* 1.16 mindes to others, and by the eares againe wee receiue it from them. How great benefits these are, and how necessary to entertaine fellowship among men, is best knowne if wee looke vnto those who wants them. O how great a griefe doe they breed to themselues, and also how great a trouble to others, while they would expresse and vtter their mindes by speech, and for want of the corporall Organe and necessa∣ry instrument cannot.

God hath giuen vnto man two eares which* 1.17 being at one time affected by the voyce, re∣ceiue the sound coniunctly: they are not set within the head as is the tongue, but set with∣out on eyther side of the head continually open, to teach man how by all occasions he should be swift to heare, saith S. Iames, such instructions as may make him wise toward God.

Therefore also hath he made them vpright* 1.18 toward heauen, because they should be open to those things which are of God, but many haue their eares like vnto the eares of those Dogs, which are closed aboue, but open beneath, such are worldlings, who haue an eare to heare those things which are of the earth, but not those which are of God.

Yea, which is worse, an open eare toward* 1.19 Sathan, but a closed eare toward God: of them the Lord complaineth, that they are strangers from the wombe, that their eares are turned a∣way* 1.20 from hearing of him, they are of heauy and vncircumcised eares, open to any that will speake, but stopped to the Lord more obstinately then the Adder, which stoppeth his eare from the en∣chanter.

But vnder Christs kingdome it is promised* 1.21 that he will open the eares of the deafe, Esay. 35. and it is performed in our regeneration. Vnder the Law a bored eare was an argument of

perpetuall subiection; and vnder the Gospell: an eare inclined to heare the Lord is a sure ar∣gument of an heart brought in subiection to God, readie to be gouerned by the comman∣dement of his voyce.

And as by Christs grace our eares are opened* 1.22 to God, so are they closed vpon Sathan: the Christian as he will not speake filthie language, so he will not heare it. As he will not murther with his hands, so stops his eares from hearing of bloud, Esa. 33. and as hee will not slander with his tongue, so will hee not receiue in his eares a false report, when another hath made it, Psal. 15.

For I pray you what difference is there be∣tweene* 1.23 the willing reporter and receiuer of a false tale, but that where the one carryeth Sa∣than in his tongue, the other carryes Sathan in his eare?

The forger of falshood is the striker of Sa∣thans* 1.24 coine; the willing hearer is Sathans re∣setter; and hee that after hearing reports it for a truth which he knowes not to be true, is Sa∣thans ventor: this man turnes his eares into his eyes, while as that which he hath heard, hee gi∣ueth out for as vndoubted a truth, as if he had seene it.

Therefore is it that as the mouth tastes the meat, and lets none goe downe to the stomack,

vnlesse it be approued; so the eare of the godly* 1.25 tastes words, and lets none goe downe to the soule which is not from God.

And herein the Christian takes not so much* 1.26 heed to the speaker, as to that which is spoken, were the person neuer so honourable; yea, like an angell of God, the heart that feares God, re∣ceiues not his speech without examination; so Mary discussed in her minde the words of the Angell, and thought with herselfe, What manner of salutation may this be?

And if otherwise for outward estate the per∣son* 1.27 were neuer so contemptible, yet if he speake the words of God, he is reuerenced of the Chri∣stian; for euen the feet of him that brings the glad tidings of peace are beautifull to him. No man despiseth good corne because he finds it in a contemptible sack; nor reiects precious pearles because they are in earthen vessels, far lesse will the Christian refuse the message of grace be∣cause it is brought by a base messenger.

As the eare was the first port by which the* 1.28 Seducer entring in, brought death to the soule; so is it the first by which our Sauiour enters, and restoreth life vnto it. Hearing must goe be∣fore seeing, wee must sit downe and reuerently heare the Lord on earth, that wee may ascend and ioyfully see the Lord in heauen, then shall wee sing that song: As we haue heard, so haue

we seene in the citie of our God: but if wee will not heare the Lord speaking in his word on earth we shall neuer see the Lord shewing his ioyfull face in heauen.

The Lord Iesus accounts our voyce sweet to* 1.29 him, & delights to heare it. My Doue let me heare thy voyce, for it is sweet, Cant. 2. 14. And shall not we esteeme his voyce sweet vnto vs, and delight to heare it? Certainely if wee delight not in his word, whereby hee speakes to vs, hee shall take no pleasure in our prayers, whereby wee speake vnto him: For hee that turnes away his eare from hearing of the Law, his Prayer shall be abhominable.

Yet it is not inough to heare: Our Sauiour* 1.30 also warnes vs to take heede how wee heare. Some heare malitiously, such as come to trap the Preacher, as the Pharisees often heard Christ, that they might snare him. This now is a common sinne that men resorts to preaching, as if they come to amend the Preacher, and not to amend themselues.

Others heare for curiositie, seeking rather ti∣dings* 1.31 of occurrents among men, then the glad tidings of peace, sent from God: these are like vnto Herod, who hauing our Sauiour Christ present before him, sought a miracle to feede his curiositie, but sought not grace, whereby hee might be saued.

Some againe are not so euill disposed, as* 1.32 any of the former two, yet they heare vnpofi∣tably▪ for the present they are somwhat moued, but carry nothing away whereby they may be mended: these goe out of the Church as the vncleane beasts went out of the Arke, that is, they go out vncleane as they came in vncleane.* 1.33

The Apostle compares them to vessels that runne out, or to the sieue, (•…•…ribrum) which as long as it is in the water, is full, but if you take it vp, no water remaines in it: something they haue while they heare, but so soone as they goe out, it goes from them: the remedie of this euill were to lay vp the word in our heart as Mary did.* 1.34

The last sort of euill hearers are they, who heare the word, remember it, and can report much of it to others, but not as of a thing that concerneth their life, and therefore while they speake of it to others, they forget to doe it. God hath placed in the body the eare, the tongue, and the hand, not far asunder, to teach vs, that what wee heare with our eare and professe with our mouth, we should practise with our hand.

The Censure.

And of this also it is euident, that all are not Christians indeed, who now vsurpe the Christian name.

Notes

• * 1.1

  God should dwell in the Eare as in the doore of his owne Temple.
• * 1.2

  The Eare of the wicked is open to Sathan, but closed to God.
• * 1.3

  What blessings are promised to them who lend their eare to the Lord.
• a 1.4

  Iob. 33. 16.
• b 1.5

  Iob. 36. 10.
• c 1.6

  Esay. 6. 10.
• d 1.7

  Ierem. 6. 10.
• e 1.8

  Psalm. 40. 8.
• f 1.9

  Esay. 50. 4.
• g 1.10

  Luke. 8. 15.
• * 1.11

  The eare is the ta∣ster of the soule.
• * 1.12

  Let such as delight not to heare the word of the Lord be ashamed.
• * 1.13

  1 Suppose the minde be diuine, yet the good in it could not be communica∣ted without an Or∣gan.
• * 1.14

  2 Man first made for God, secondarily for man.
• * 1.15

  3 Therefore hath God giuen him a minde by which he hath intelligence with God, and bo∣dily organes by which he hath in∣telligēce with men.
• * 1.16

  4 For by the tongue we giue and by the eare we receiue in∣telligence.
• * 1.17

  5 The fabrick of mans eare, teach∣eth him to be rea∣dy to heare.
• * 1.18

  6 But to heare onely such things as come from God.
• * 1.19

  7 The wicked haue an eare for Sathan, but none for the Lord.
• * 1.20

  Psal. 58. 4. Iere. 6. 10. Esay. 6. 10. Zach. 7. 11.
• * 1.21

  8 An eare opened to God is a great grace.
• * 1.22

  9 How the Christian closeth his eare vp∣on Sathan.
• * 1.23

  10 As he wil not carry sathan in his tongue to lye, so not in his eare to receiue a false report.
• * 1.24

  11 The author, hearer and reporter of lies compared together.
• * 1.25

  12 The eare is the ta∣ster of the soule.
• * 1.26

  13 A Christian mesu∣reth words by their owne weight, not by the qualitie of the speaker.
• * 1.27

  14 Great folly to re∣iect the word of God for the base∣nesse of the person that speakes it.
• * 1.28

  15 As the eare was the first port of death, so is it made the first port of life.
• * 1.29

  16 Seeing Christ de∣lights in our voyce it is a double sinne for vs not to delight in his.
• * 1.30

  17 It is no•…•… inough to heare, we must take heed how we heare for some heare ma∣litiously, to trap the Preacher.
• * 1.31

  18 Others heare for curiositie, not for Conscience.
• * 1.32

  19 Some heare vnpro∣fitably.
• * 1.33

  20 Compared to ves∣sels that run out.
• * 1.34

  21 In the body the eare, the tongue and the hand are not farre a sunder, to teach vs, what we heare and pro∣fesse wee should practise.