The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business.: Wherein the nature and necessity of it is discovered. : As also the Christian directed how he may perform it in [brace] religious duties, natural actions, his particular vocation, his family directions, and his own recreations. / By George Swinnock ...

CHAP. XVI. Of the Christians duty in hearing.

SEcondly, I come now to the second, which is thy carriage at the word; in reference to which I shall commend to thee these three things.

1. When thou art hearing or reading, set thy self seriously as in the presence of God. God setteth before thee in his word, and offereth to thee life or death, blessing or cursing, his infinite favour or fury, Heaven or Hell; and friend, are these things to be jested with? Imitate Cornelius in his carriage, when he was to hear Peter; We are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God Act. 10.33. The piety of this Centurion appeareth in the ground and motive of his hearing; he came not to hear men, but God; to hear all things which are com∣manded thee of God, 2. In the gracious manner of his hearing; he doth not say, we are all here present be∣fore thee, but we are all here present before God.

When the heart is awed with the apprehension of a Divine presence, the iron gates of the ears will fly open of their own accord, and give the Word a free passage. The Creature dares not but hearken diligently to the speech of that God, on whose breath depends his life and death, when he seeth him immediately before his eyes: I can speak it by experience, saith Erasmus, that there is little good to be got by the Scriptures, if a man read or hear it cursorily and carelesly; but if a man do it out of conscience, and as in Gods presence, he shall finde such an efficacy in it, as is not to be found in any other Book. This setting thy self seriously, as in Gods presence, is like the Masters eye to his ser∣vant, which will make him ply his work whether he would or not; or rather like the fire to the Smiths bar of iron, which doth so mollifie it, that he striking whilst it is hot, may beat it into what form and mould he pleaseth.

This temper of soul in the Thessalonicans was so great a favour, that Paul thought he could never praise the Author of it sufficiently: For this cause thank we God without ceasing, that when ye heard the word of God, ye heard it not as the word of man, but as it is indeed the word of God, 1 Thess. 2.13. The Apostle knew his children could not but thrive, when they received their meat in such a manner as the Word of God. It is the speech of Seniclaeus concerning Diarius the Martyr, Methought when I heard him speak, I heard the Holy Ghost himself preaching to me.

Truly the want of this, is one main cause why

the Word of God doth so little good. The De∣vil is very diligent at duties: he is every Lords Day the first at Church: The Children of God never gather together, but Satan is amongst them. His great design is, to render this Engine of the Word fruit∣less, whereby the Strong-holds of his Kingdom have been battered and broken down. There∣fore as a Jaylor will sometimes let his prisoners have their hands and feet at liberty, so long as the doors of the Prison are barred and bolted, that they cannot run away; So he will let thee have thy hand at liberty for some acts of charity, and thy feet at liberty to walk in some path of civili∣ty, so long as he can but have the doors of thine ear and heart lockt fast, that thou canst not get from him: He knoweth Christ waiteth at the outward door of the ear, that he might thereby come to the inward door of thy heart, and de∣liver thee a poor Captive out of his hands: For this cause, if it be possible, he will keep the street door shut, he will hinder thee from hearing as in Gods presence, he will finde thee other work to do then to hear; it may be he will get thee to play and toy, as he doth many great ones; or if not, to be talking to thy pew-fellows, or to be reading (possibly somewhat finful, at least somewhat un∣seasonable) or to have thy heart in thine own house, whilest thy body is in Gods house; or as a childe, though thou art at thy book, he will make thee look off, if but a Butter-fly come by; he will set thee about some business or other, unless thou art serious as in Gods sight, that thou shalt never have so

much leisure as to hear, even when thou art in the Church.

It is reported of Henry the third, King of France, that in a solemn Procession at Paris, hecould not be without his Jester; who walking between the King and the Cardinal, made mirth to them both; in the mean time there was brave devotion. Alas, they that hear in jest, will finde Hell to be hot in earnest: Were not men Indians and Infidels in English habits; did they but believe the invaluable worth of their souls, the consequence and weight of their unchangeable estates; what a searching, trying time the hour of death will be; and what dreadful, terrible things will be seen at the day of Judgement; Good Lord, how would they hear! The Minister need not call to them to attend to the Word of God, they would of themselves give it their ears, and mindes, and hearts, and think all too little for it.

2. Apply the Word to thine own soul: The Word is a salve of soveraign vertue. Some talk of the Weapon-salve, that it heals at a distance; but the Word will not; it must be applied to the sore, or it will never cure. The Word is seed, preaching is the sowing of this soed; application of it to thy heart, is the harrowing of this seed into the earth: If the seed be thrown on the ground, and not harrowed in, we can expect no harvest.

A good hearer is said to eat the Word: Thy words were found by me, and I did eat them, Jer. 15.16. Eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled, Prov. 9.5. It is not the

bread in the cupboard of the Bible, or on the ta∣ble of a Sermon, which will nourish thy soul, un∣less it be by application of it to thy self, eaten and taken down into thy stomack: The glass of wine in thine hand, will not make thy heart glad; the precious promises in thine ears will not rejoyce thee, they must by application be drunk down, then they will refresh and comfort thy Consci∣ence.

Faith is both the mouth to receive in, and the stomack to digest this spiritual food. It is worthy thy observation, how frequently the Holy Ghost attributeth the famous effects, and heroick acts of the Word, to this Commander in chief, under whose couragious and wise conduct it warreth. The Word fighteth boldly, and worketh miracu∣lously under Faiths banner: The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation to them that believe, Rom. 1.16. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe, 1 Cor. 1.21. so also 2 Tim. 3.15. Application is the life both of preaching and hearing.

If the Threatnings and Curses of the Law are preached, faith is to them as the powder to the bullet, causing them to make grievous havock, and to do great execution upon the lusts of a man. Faith turneth those stones, as I may speak, into bread, and helpeth the Christian (like Sampson) to fetch meat out of the eater.

If the Precepts and Commands of the Law are preached, Faith is the eye to see the Equi∣ty in them, and the Excellency of them, and

Faith is the hand to put them into practice.

If the Promises and Comforts of the Gospel are preached, Faith is to them as Induction to a Mini∣ster, it gives him actual possession of them, it makes them his own. Faith in the Threatnings, causeth Humiliation; Faith in the Precepts causeth Subjection; and Faith in the Promises worketh Consolation.

If at any time thou goest from hearing dead and undone, thou mayest say to Faith, as Martha to Christ, If thou hadst been here, my soul had not dyed. The unbeliever, like a man in a swoon, shuts his mouth against those life-recal∣ling Cordials which are before him in the Gospel. Other sins wound the soul, but Unbelief, like Joab, strikes under the fifth rib, and kills out∣right.

Unbelief spoileth all. An Unbeliever is dead, he cannot hear Christ in his Word; he is blind, he cannot see God in the Gospel; like Hagar, though a Fountain be before him, he beholdeth it not. Unbelief makes the Word like rain up∣on Rocks, wholly useless and fruitless. What is said of the Essential Word, is true of the Re∣vealed Word, It can do no mighty works, because of their unbelief. Unbelief is a Bulwark where∣by sin secureth it self, against all the darts and shot which the Word dischargeth at it. What was the reason that the Word was not helpful to the Jews, Heb. 4.2. The word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Unbelief was the crack

in the Glass, through which this inestimable Water of Life did leak out, and so was lost.

Nay, What made the Word hurtful to them? This leaven of Unbelief sowred all, 1 Pet. 2.8. That Rock on which Faith builds an house which reacheth up to Heaven, Unbelief stumbleth at, and tumbleth the soul into Hell.

3. Let the Word come with Authority and Power to thy Conscience: This is one of the chiefest ingredients that goeth to the composition of a Preacher, that he speak as Paul did, in demonstra∣tion of the Spirit, and of power, 1 Cor. 2.4. By this force wherewith he spake, and execution which he did, that incomparable pattern of Preach∣ers, the Captain of our Salvation, was distinguished from the Pharisees, who in discharge of this holy Ordinance, onely made false fire: He taught as one having Authority, and not as the Scribes: And the people were astonished at his Doctrine, Matth. 7.2, ult. ver. He is the best Souldier, who in this Warfare makes bloodiest work amongst our spiritual Enemies. This is preaching to purpose.

This is also the best disposition requisite in a Religious hearer; For our Gospel came not to you in word onely, but in power, 2 Thess. 1.15. When the Word of God cometh like a mighty rush∣ing winde, rooting up the tall Trees of thy sins, bringing down high thoughts, overturning all before it; when as fire, it burneth within thee, consuming thy lusts, and turning thee into its own likness, making thee holy, spiritual and hea∣venly: O this is excellent hearing, this is hearing to purpose.

The word is Preached to many, and not to their profit. They hear the Minister as Chickens hear the Hen; the Hen cals to the Chickens to come to her, they lye scraping in the dust, still many times and will not hear her, till the Kite come and devoureth them. So God endeavoureth in his word by his Ministers to cluck sinners to himself. Wisdom cryeth, understanding putteth forth her voice. But they lie scratching, and digging in the earth, and will not hear him, till at last the Devil comes and destroyeth them; but when the word cometh with power, the soul heareth it as Peter heard the Cock; He goeth out and weepeth bitterly, when he hears of the boundless mercy which he hath deserted, and the matchless misery which he hath deserved; and the infinite love which he hath abused, and the righteous law which he hath transgressed, he is cut to the heart, he goeth out and weeps bitterly.

The word is compared to rain Deut. 32.2. now the rain fals upon flints and doth no good; makes no impression. Ministers drop it on many to as little purpose as Bede did when he Preached to an heap of stones. They spend their strength in vain, and labour in vain; nay like many high-ways and low grounds, they are the worse for these showres. But this rain fals on others to much advantage; My Doctrine shall drop as the rain, and my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers on the hearbs. Deut. 32.2. The fine soft showrs of the word, soaks into their affections, softeneth their hearts, and makes them fruitful in holiness.

The Naturalists observe of the Salamander, that though she live in the fire constantly, yet she is never the hotter. How woful is the condition of thousands who live all their days under the Word of God, in which is kindled the heavenly fire of Gods infinite love in Christ to poor sinners, and the hell∣fire of the hideous horrid nature of sin, yet they are never the hotter! neither warmed with the former, nor scorched with the latter; nay though these fires are sometimes by the workmen who di∣vide the word aright, heated (as I may say) seven times hotter then ordinary (by discovering the freeness (without, yea against desert) fullness (a known; unknown love) and fastness (whom he loveth he loveth to the end) of this divine affecti∣on, and by declaring the ugliness and loathsomness of corruption, in its contrariety to a righteous law, and a gratious Lord; and in its opposition to the souls happiness and perfection, that the very Ministers who take them up, to put them into this fire, are themselves with the extremity of its heat, turned into a live Coal, or all in a flame of love to the blessed God, and hatred against his and their enemy, sin; yet these hearers like the three Children are not touched with all this fire, their garments are not so much as singed, nor the least smell of the fire on them. O woful won∣der!

What little comfort can poor Ministers take in their lives, when they converse with such dead carcasses, though they cut them with the laws curse, pierce them to the quick (one would

think) with the terrible day of judgment, and the unquenchable fire, yet they ail nothing, feel nothing, and complain not at all.

Reader, when thou art hearing, let thy care be, that thy soul may be changed into the simili∣tude of the Scripture, that the word may come with power. When the threatnings are shot off, do thou fall down before them with fear: My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy righteous judgements; When God thundred, Josi∣ahs heart trembled. When thou viewest the pre∣cepts and patterns in the word, labour to resemble them; It is said of the Earl Elzearus, one much given to passion, that he was cured by reading and hearing of Christs patience.

When the glad tidings of peace are Preached, let thine heart leap with hope. O let the nearer approach of the sun call forth, and ripen thy fruits of righteousness. When the law comes like a cor∣rosive eating out thy festered flesh and corruption; when the Gospel is like a lenitive both refreshing and refining thee, then they come with power; when the threatnings like wine search the wound, and the promises like Oyl heal it, then itcometh with authority and majesty. If search be made by a reproof for thy beloved sin, do not like Rachel hide it, neither do thou fret when thy sore is touch∣ed, but hold thine arme forth to that knife which should prick thy vein, and let out thy bad blood. Be not angry when a Prophet smites thee in the Name of the Lord; Beleive it, he that hates thy sins most, loveth thee best. If thou favour thy

lusts so much as to keep them safe from the Sword of the spirit, it will prove like Jorams respect to Jehu, thine own destruction. Their hearts surely were very rugged, which cryed out Prophesie unto us smooth things: Those feet are very sore or gouty which cannot go but in downy, mossie walks, where the ground yeilds to them. Let a reproof be wel∣com for his sake that sendeth it. Thy father know∣eth that a bitter potion sometimes, though not pleasant, yet is profitable to thee.

As the working of physick kindly and well, com∣mendeth both the Physitian, and body of the Pati∣ent; so the powerful operation of the Scriptures, whether of the purging potions of judgements denounced, or cordial julips of mercies discovered, do highly applaud both the skill of thy Saviour, and state of thy soul. It is written of Philetus a Disci∣ple of Hermogenes the Conjurer, that going to dispute with St. James the Elder, the Apostle Preached Christ to him so powerfully, that he re∣turned to his Master, and told him, Magus abieram, Christianus redeo; I went forth a Conjurer, but am come back a Christian; O how happy will it be for thee, if whatever thine end were in going to Church; yet when thou returnest, thou canst up∣on good ground say; I went forth proud, but am come home humble; I went to Church a bondslave of Satan, but am returned a free man of Christ; I went out earthly, carnal, a malicious and obstinate sinner; But for ever blessed be the most high God, I am come back, an heavenly, spiritual, and gracious Saint.