To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
NEither doth the devout man care to satisfie his curiosity, as hearing only that he might hear; but reducts all things to a saving use; bringing all he hears, home to his heart, by a self-refle∣cting application; like a practi∣ser of the art of memory, refer∣ring every thing to it's proper place; If it be matter of com∣fort, There is for my sick bed, There is for my outward losses, There for my drouping under afflictions, There for the sense of my spirituall desertions; If mat∣ter
of doctrine, There is for my settlement in such a truth, There for the conviction of such an er∣ror, There for my direction in such a practice; If matter of re∣proof, he doth not point at his neighbour, but deeply chargeth himself; This meets with my dead-heartednesse and security, This with my worldly minded∣nesse, This with my self-love and flattery of mine own estate, This with my uncharitable censori∣ousnesse, This with my foolish pride of heart, This with my hy∣pocrisie, This with my neglect of Gods services, and my duty; Thus in all the variety of the ho∣ly passages of the Sermon, the devout mind is taken up with digesting what it heares; and working it self to a secret im∣provement of all the good coun∣sell that is delivered, neither is ever more busie, then when it sits still at the feet of Christ. I cannot therefore approve the practice
(which yet I see commonly re∣ceived) of those, who think it no small argument of their De∣votion, to spend their time of hearing, in writing large notes frō the mouth of the Preacher; which however it may be an help for memory in the future, yet cannot (as I conceive) but be some pre∣judice to our present edificati∣on; neither can the brain get so much hereby, as the heart loseth. If it be said, that by this means, an opportunity is given for a full rumination of wholesome Doctrines afterwards: I yeeld it, but withall, I must say that our after-thoughts can never doe the work so effectually, as when the lively voice sounds in our ears, and beats upon our heart; but herein I submit my opinion to better judgments.