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§. 77. Of hearing aright.
THis phrase, If ye will hear his voice, containeth in the substance of it the most* 1.1 principall and proper duty that is required of Christians in relation to Christs Propheticall Office. In the manner of setting it down it implies a forcible motive against hardning our hearts: For they who harden their hearts cannot hear Christs voice as they should.
Some expound this conditionall conjunction IF, with a conjunction of the time, thus, When ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart.
Which way soever we take it, it intendeth a duty; and such a duty as compri∣seth much more then the bare hearing the sound of a voice with the outward ear. For he whose heart is hardened may so hear. Pharaoh himself whose heart was ex∣ceedingly hardened, so heard the voice of God. Where Christ saith, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith, (Rev. 2. 7.) implieth that a man may hear the Spirit inwardly speaking to the soul, as well as an outward audible voice.
Of that inward spirituall hearing there are three acts.* 1.2
- 1. To understand what is outwardly heard by the ears of the body. Where the Prophet rebukes the people for being without understanding, he saith, They have* 1.3 ears, and hear not: that is, understand not; and thereupon adviseth them to hear, Ier. 5. 21.
- 2. To beleeve what they understand. Where Christ reproveth the Jews for* 1.4 not beleeving, he addeth, He that is of God heareth Gods words: ye therefore hear them not (that is, ye beleeve them not) because ye are not of God, Joh. 8. 46, 47. And where he said, Ye beleeve not because ye are not of my sheep, he addeth, my sheep hear my voice, that is, beleeve it, Ioh. 10. 26, 27.
- 3. To obey it. Where the Israelites upon hearing the Law in great terrour* 1.5 delivered, thus said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear, (Exod. 20. 19.) In another place it is thus expressed, We will hear it, and do it, Deut. 5. 27.
In all these senses is this word hear to be taken in this Text, and Isa. 55. 3. and Matth. 17. 5.
To hear only with the ears of the body, and not to understand, beleeve or obey; is so farre from a full duty, and true vertue, as it makes us liable to judge∣ment.
To hear and not to understand is to be like the path way upon which the corn is cast: but because it is not covered with earth, the fowls pick it up, and it doth not sructifie, Matth. 13. 19.
To hear and not beleeve, makes us like to them, whom the Word preached did not profit, not being mixed, with faith, Heb. 4. 2.
To hear and not to do, is to be like a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand, Matth. 7. 26, 27.
It is therefore our duty when the Word of God is preached,
- 1. To open the ears of our head; for they are the doors to let in Gods Word. This is one main end why ears are given to us: and they cannot be better used.
- 2. So to heed the Word heard and meditate thereon, so as we may understand the minde of God therein. This is it which Christ requireth, Matth. 15. 10. For this end the Apostle prayeth for the spirit of wisdom and revelation, Eph. 1. 17. This grace is promised to the wise, but denied to the wicked, Dan. 12. 10.
- 3. Mix faith with hearing: else the word will lose its power. For it is the pow∣er of God unto salvation, to every one that beleeveth, Rom. 1. 16. God gives Preachers, that men should hear the word and beleeve, Act. 15. 7.
- 4. Adde obedience: All blessing is annexed to this, Luk. 11. 28. This giveth evidence of our right understanding the Word and beleeving the same.
They who thus hear have hearing ears: such ears to hear as Christ requireth, Matth. 13. 9. Rev. 2. 7. And they who thus hear, will be kept from hardness of heart. This supposition, * 1.6 If ye will hear, and the consequence inferred there∣upon, harden not your hearts, doth evidently demonstrate, that a right hearing