Media: the middle things, in reference to the first and last things: or, The means, duties, ordinances, both secret, private and publike, for continuance and increase of a godly life, once begun, till we come to Heaven. Wherein are discovered many blessed medium's or duties, in their right method, manner and proceedings; that so a Christian (the spirit of Christ assisting) may walk on in the holy path, which leads from his new birth to everlasting life. / Drawn, for the most part, out of the most eminently pious, and learned writings of our native practical divines: with additionals of his own, by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amoundernes.

SECT. 3. The duties of the soul in hearing the Word.

OUr Duties in hearing, consists in these particulars:—

1. That we set our selves in Gods presence whiles we are hearing the Word, and that we consider it is God we have to deal withal in this business, and not man, and that it is Gods Word; and not mans: This was the great commendation of the Thessalonians, That they received the Word as the Word of God; and it is the express saying of our Savior, He that heareth you, hear∣eth me: The Lord himself is present in a special maner, where his Word is preached; Surely the Lord is in that place, as Jacob said of Bethel: Now this apprehension of Gods presence in the assemblies of his people, will preserve our hearts from roving and wandring thoughts: I hate vain thoughts, but thy Law do I love; yea, it will keep us in that awful and reverent disposition that is meet for the majesty of Heaven.

2. That we diligently attend to that we hear, thus all the people were very attentive to hear Christ; or (as it is in the Ori∣ginal) They hanged upon him to hear him; they so carried them∣selves, as if their ears and mindes had been tyed to his very tongue: Look as a Prisoner will hearken to the sentence of a Prince, every word he speaks being life or death; or as the ser∣vants of Benhadad, when they were in their enemies power, ob∣served diligently if any word of comfort would come from the King of Israel, and they did hastily catch at it; so should we with all diligence and attention hearken to the good word of God.

3. That we labor to understand what we hear; to this pur∣pose, Christ called to the multitude and said, Hear and under∣stand: Now the means to understand the Word are these: 1. Come

to the Word with a willing minde to learn; though the Eunuch understood not what he read, yet because he had a minde to learn, the Lord provided for him, and we know what a comfortable success Philips sermon had with him: Men love to teach willing Schollars, so doth God when we come with willing and ready mindes to be taught of him. 2. Be well acquainted with the Grounds and Principles of Christianity; it is the want of this that makes men dull in understanding; they that are not first well nourished with milk, will not be fit to receive and digest stronger meat; if the foundation be not well laid, it is in vain to build. 3. Walk according to the light revealed; A good un∣derstanding have all they that do his Commandments: If we im∣ploy well the little knowledge we have, there is a promise to give us more.

4. That we hear the Word with all spiritual subjection, as that Word which hath power to command the soul and consci∣ence: God to this purpose looks into a Congregation, to see what hearts will yield to his Word; the Spirit of God hovers over the Congregation, and here it waits, and there it expects, to this man it comes, and knocks at the door of his heart, to that man and the other man it goes, saying, Open your hearts, you everlasting doors, that the King of Glory may come in: Surely now should we say, These are Gods testimonies, this is the Word the Minister of God speaks to me in Gods stead, I must give account of it, and therefore I will submit my self to it.

5. That we hear the Word, with application of it to our own hearts and lives; Hear this, and know it for thy self: so did Christs Disciples when our Savior told them, that one of them should betray him, They were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say, Lord, is it I? as no plaister can do the Patient any good, unless it be applied; and as no meat is able to do us good, unless it be eaten and digested, no more can the Word preached profit us, unless it be mixed with faith, one prin∣cipal work whereof is to apply those things that are delivered in the Word, and this is the meaning of the Prophet, Hearken di∣ligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good.

6. That in hearing, we look to our affections, that they be rightly exercised: Thus Josiah his heart is said to melt at the reading of the Law: Thus the Jews at Peters Sermon were

pricked in their hearts, and said, Men and brethren what shall we do? Thus the hearts of the two Disciples that went to Emmaus, burned within them, when Christ opened to them the Scriptures: Now the means to stir up these affections, are, 1. A belief of the Word, as that which is undoubtedly true: God cannot lye, Tit. 1.2. Nor will he change his minde, Numb. 23.19. 2. A love of the Word, for it is purity, perfection, usefulness, and wonderful benefits to us. 3. An appropriation of the Word unto our selves, for that which affects us, is that which most nearly concerns us; without this means of quickning our hearts, they remain dead and sensless, and the Word becomes utterly unprofitable. 4. A consideration of the nature of the Word, which ever requires and calls for suitable hearts and affections; it is a pure Word, and therefore we must cleanse and purifie our hearts for the receiving of it; it is spiritual and heavenly, and therefore we must labor for spiritual and heavenly mindes to enter∣tain it; it is a word of power and authority, the very voice of Christ, and therefore our hearts must submit and stoop to re∣ceive it with meekness and trembling of heart: It is a sure word, 2 Pet. 1.19. A faithful word, Tit. 1.9. A vision that will not lye, Heb. 2.3. and therefore we must embrace it with faithful and be∣lieving hearts, without which the Word cannot profit us at all, Heb. 4.2.

7. That above all other affections, we make sure to delight in the Word; it is said of Christs hearers, that they heard him gladly, and it is noted for an especial sign of Grace to hear the Word with delight: I rejoyced at thy Word (said David) as one that findeth great spoils.

[Quest. 1] But whether may not ungenerate men have a delight in Gods Or∣dinances?

[Answ.] I answer, 1. Most of them have no delight at all in Gods Or∣dinances: To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken; behold, the Word of the Lord is to them a reproach, they have no delight in it; and if this be our case, if we can hear sweet Go∣spel-preaching, the free offer of Jesus Christ, with all his glo∣ries and excellencies, to poor sinners, to vile, lost, undone souls, and are no whit taken therewith; wo to our souls, can we sleep away such a sermon? can we slight or neglect such Gospel-offers,

nay, do we attend them coldly? have we not heart-risings? no stirrings and workings? no longings and desires? and thus we pass Sermon after Sermon, and Sabbath after Sabbath: O then we are wholly dead unto the life of grace, Jesus Christ as yet hath not given us his true light, no work of Conversion doth at all appear in us: The end which Jesus Christ had in sending out Preachers, was to discover his love to poor perishing sinners, that so they might be affected with him, and long after him, and if we have no such relish, our condition is sad.

2. Some unregenerate men may have some delight in the word: They seek me daily (said God) and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the Ordi∣nances of their God: they ask of me the Ordinances of Justice, they take delight in approaching to God. The second ground re∣ceived the word with joy, and Herod heard Iohn Baptist gladly. Ungodly men may delight in Gods word, as in these cases:—

1. When the Ordinances are a leading way unto some end that suits with corrupt nature: Thus Jehu shewed abundance of zeal in destroying the house of Ahab, and the Idolatry of Baal, that thereby he might establish the kingdom to his Posterity, and get himself a great name; Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord: he was so full of vain-glory, that he could not hold in, but was forced to burst out.

2. When the maner of dispensation of the Ordinances doth suit with their disposition: An understanding judicious man may love preaching that is judicious and understanding; A man of meekness, may delight in a Sermon of Peace, peace; a tempe∣rate man may like a Sermon that is tart and bitter against drun∣kenness, uncleanness; the liberal man may delight in severe preaching against covetousness; as a man musically affected, may delight in singing of Psalms, because these things suit with their dispositions: The gifts of Ministers may have an affecting pleasingness; they may express their mindes in such fit terms, or so pathetically, or they may have such a grace in utterance, as may affect: Lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song, of one that hath a pleasant voyce, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words, but do them not.

3. When there is a common work of the Spirit of God upon them for a time: They may taste of the heavenly gifts, and be

made partakers of the holy Ghost; they may taste the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and yet fall away; but this work is rather a work upon them, then in them, a forced work, not natural, rather a flash, then a fire of affection; the affections are lifted up, they cannot be altered and changed, acted onely by an outward principle; the experience that the Spirit hath forcibly and powerfully wrought on them, not by an outward and inward principle also, both by the Spirit of God, and suitableness of affection to that which is good: it was other∣wise with David, I delight to do thy will, O God; yea, thy law is within my heart: and otherwise with Paul, I delight in the law of God after the inward man; till the law of God be within us, we cannot from within taste the sweetness of Gods Ordinan∣ces: In true and solid delight, there must be a suitableness be∣twixt the heart and the Ordinances; therefore saith the wise man, It is joy to the just to do judgement: The Justice that is in him, is suitable to the Judgement to be done by him, and this makes the joy. Hence it follows, that so much grace, so much delight: were we more holy, spiritual, heavenly, as the Ordi∣nances are, we should be more affected therewith. Thus it is not in the wicked, they have no such delight.

[Quest. 2] Why is the word so brim-full of comfort to the dear Saints of God?

[Ans.] Because in the word they have communion with God, who is the God of all Consolation; and with the Spirit of God, who is called the Comforter: Now as a man that walks amongst Perfumes, must needs smell of the Perfume, so they that converse with the God of all joy, must needs be filled with all joy; and therefore David calls God his exceeding joy. The Saints go to the word, as one that goes to hear news of a friend; they look upon the Ordinances, as that whereby they have to do with God, and therefore it is precious and sweet to them. No wonder, can a man who is cold come to the fire and not be warmed? Can he that is in the dark come into the open ayr and not be inlightned? God is the spring of all comfort, and therefore sure their hearts must needs be comforted, that meet with God in the Ordinan∣ces; on the contrary, if they meet not with God, if they miss of their communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, then is comfort afar off: But we must not argue against a general truth, from a

particular temptation. The Position will stand, That Gods word is brim-full of comfort to Gods people, though every ex∣periment comes not up to it.

Notes

• 1 Thess 2.13. Luke 10.16.
• Gen. 28.16.
• Psal. 119.113
• Luke 19 48.
• Matth. 15 10.
• Psal. 111.10.
• Iob 5.27.
• Mat. 26.21, 22.
• Isa. 55.2.
• 2 Chro. 34.27
• Acts 2.37.
• Luke 24.32.
• Psal. 119.140
• Rom. 7 14. Iam••s 3.17.
• Iames 1.21. Isa. 66.2.
• Mark 12 37.
• Psal. 119.162
• Ier. 6.10.
• Isa. 58.2.
• Mat. 13.20. Mark 6.20.
• 2 King. 10.16
• Ezek. 33.32.
• Heb. 6 4, 5.
• Psal. 40.8. Rom. 7.22.
• Prov. 21.15.
• Psal. 43.4.