BEcause (beloued) the hearing of the worde is so holie a thinge, and holy thinges are not rashlie to be attemp­ted: I haue thought good in this my entrance to lay downe a preparatiue, that we may knowe, with what reue­rence we are come into the temple, with what attention to heare, desire to learne, and care to practise: for wel I remember, that when the Isralites were sommo­ned to appeare before the Lorde in Sina, they were first commaunded to sanctifie Exod. 19, 10, 11 [Page] their harts, and washe their clothes, e­uen as Moses might not come néere the Angel til he had put of his shooes, because Exod. 3, 5 the grownd was holy wheron he stoode: this reason as néerely toucheth vs, for if the place be as holy, the exercise as holy now as then, why should not we come as prepared as they, least comming with vncircumcised eares and vnprepared harts it be said to vs as to him that in­truded him selfe at the wedding, frinde, how camest thou hether not hauing on a Mat. 22, 12 wedding garment? In my first Sermon vpon those words of the prophet. For Si­ons Esay. 62, 1 sake I will not hold my toung, I let you know what was the duety of the speaker, now it commeth in good order to tell you the duety of the hearer, for if it could any way concerne you to knowe our duety, much more auaileble will it be to learne your owne: for a declaration whereof I haue chosen this Text, Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare. I know we are all by nature curious, and euery mans nature is to regarde an o­ther mans duty before his own, euen as [Page] Peter said to Christ Maist. what shal Iohn Ioh. 21, 21 do? To whom Christ roundly answered again, what is that to thee? as if he ment that euery man should looke to himselfe and let Iohn alone: so would I perswade you (for that ye are hearers) to learne the hearers duety, and let the speaker a­lone: for albeit there be such a reference betwéene hearing and speaking, as they may not well be seuered, yet the necessity of hearing doth more generally concerne all, for God said, O earth, earth, earth, heare the worde of the Lord, but he neuer saide, O earth, earth, earth, preach the worde of the Lord, for Arons roabe befits Ier. 22, 29 not euery man vpon the earth, but euery man is bounde to weare this Iewell at his eare, for Faith commeth by hearing, as if Saint Paule had saide, where is no hearing there can be no faith: therefore Ro. 10, 17 Abraham spake out of heauen, and his voice did pearce euen the bowels of hel. Luk. 16, 29 They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them: and when he saieth, let them, it is more then a bare tolerati­on, as to say, they may if they will, for it [Page] is a flat charge, because god therfore sent Moyses & the Prophets into y^e world that y^e world of necessity should hear. There is a kinde of people that thinke the whole burthen of the Saboth to lie vppon the speaker, therefore Christe to wéede out that fancie saith likewise, Take heed how Luk. 8, 18. you heare, to show that there is a necessi­ty and an arte of hearinge as well as of speaking. These two are fitly compared to a locke and a key, for as the key ope­neth the lock and maketh entrance in at the doore, so the tongue of the minister shoulde open the eare of the hearer, that the spirit of knowledge and vnderstan­ding might passe into the heart: and so it should seeme that speaking is ordained to hearing, as the meanes is directed to the end: for when God had commanded that the skirts of Arons robe should be hunge about with Pomegranats of silke, and an intercourse of bels betwéene them, the Exod. 28, 34 & 35. reason was added, That so oft as he mini­stred in the holye place, and went in and out before the Lord, his sound should be heard: but walles and windowes cannot [Page] heare, therefore by all likelihood that do­ctrine was intended for men: and if for men why not for you? The holy Ghoast discended vppon the Apostles not in the shape of heads, that they should onely vn­derstand the word, nor of harts that they shuld onely loue the word, but like toongs that they should preach the word: so that when God sent out his disciples with toongs, his meaning was that ye shoulde méete them in the halfe way with eares, and so ye sée the correspondence betwéene these two Scriptures, how iustly they fit and iumpe together, for Syons sake I wil not hold my tongue: Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare. For if it be necessa­rie that we should preach for Syons sake, then it is requisite that Syon should heare for her owne sake.

This saying of our Sauiour, He that hath eares &c. is the argument by which he doth beg attention for the parable of the Sower, to shew that the doctrine it contained, was both so excellent in it selfe, and so necessarie for the world, as if a man were worth but his eares he could [Page] not choose but heare: and it may concern either all in generall, because all haue ears, or the elect particulerly because they onely haue eares to hear. For the farmer, if there were no other reason why men should heare but this, because God hath giuen an eare, yet it bindeth very strong­ly: therefore sée how God speaketh vnto vs euen in the fleshly instrument of hea­ring: Christ doth not vrge vppon vs the dignity of himselfe the speaker, neither the necessity of the doctrine, nor the mise­ry which befalleth to a man by not hea­ring: but leauing al these arguments, he reasoneth against vs euen from flesh and bloud, and proueth euen by the member and instrument of the eare, that men ought to be hearers of the worde. Wee must not think our eares are giuen vs for worldly vses onely, to harken after our profit, to listen to him that can teach vs a Gospell of gold, that can tickle our eares with musicke, or our mindes with vn­honest Apoc. 2, 3. mirth, but God hath planted the eare for spiritual vses, euen as Saint Iohn saith, let him that hath an eare heare what [Page] the spirit saith: mark well the words, for that we should marke them he hath sea­uen times repeated them. Let him that hath an eare heare, not what the worlde saith, nor what the flesh saith, nor what the diuell saith, but what the spirit saith: that if both speak at once we should listen to the spirit, & turne the deafe side to the diuell: and if the eare be the doore of the hart, then fitly might Dauid say, Lift vp Psal. 24, 7. your heads ye gates and be ye open you e­uerlasting doores: and not euery guest, but the king of glorie shall come in. And what maruell is it if the eares were con­secrated to holy vses, since there is no part or member of the body or soul which god hath not ordained to some spirituall end. Did god create the eie that it should only be a light to the bodie, and in no sort giue light to the soul? or did he not rather principally create it, that it might tel the soule what beauty was in the visible cre­tures, that the soule might thereby con­iecture what glory is in the inuisible god. Did god giue man a mouth onely to bar­gaine and buy withall, or call for the ne­cessities [Page] of this life, or rather to singe of his testimonies and set foorth his praise? O god my hart is prepared (saith Dauid) Psal. 108. and so is my toung: and then he present­ly inferreth vpon it, I will sing and giue praise, for what should he do with a tong that giueth not praise. God hath giuen vs witte and braines, but not onely for worldly vses and deuises, not to inuent instruments of musick as Iuball did, nor workes of brasse as Tubal-kain did, nor vnderstandinge policies as Achitophel did, but to study for heauenly wisedome Eccles. 12. as Soloman did, to meditate of Gods lawes as Dauid did. God hath giuen vs harts and affections, and yet not to loue the world, but to set our affections who­ly one him: in a word, there is no part or member in soule and body which ought not as a Nazarite to bee consecrate and vowed to the seruice of God. Saloman iudged those dayes to be euill dayes, wherein a man coulde not vse his mem­bers to remember the Creator, wherein the kéepers should tremble, the stronge men shoulde bow, they that looke out at [Page] the windowes should waxe darke, wher­in the doores shoulde bee shut by the base sound of the grinding, and the daughters of singing should be abased, those hee iud­ged euill daies, as if it were as good in a manner to haue noe handes as such trembling handes: to haue no ioints as, such féeble ioints: to haue no eies as blind eies: to be without an eare, as to haue a deafe eare: then by the contrary, if these be euil dayes, wherein a man cannot vse his members, they must néedes be good wherein God hath giuen a frée vse of all. So as it may séeme that God in ech part or member of a mans body, did intende some speciall vse for his worship and ser­uice, vnto which if the partes in youth were not imployed in the euil daies, they would be fruitlesse and vnprofitable: Will those eies which are wont to wan­der and gaze after euery vanity, wil they in the euill dayes bee learned and taught to behold gods wil in his precious word, and his great glory in all the creatures? Will the toong which hath euer bin accu­stomed & invred with all vices, as lying, [Page] standering, scurrility and blasphemy, wil it in the euel daies be taught to sound out the praise of god. Will those eares which haue béene so accustomed with filthe and folly, will they in the euil daies be taught to heare the word of God: therfore while we haue eies, let vs beholde, and he that hath eares let him heare. It is not only a bare gift of nature or worke of the womb that wee haue eies, eares, and tongues, Act. 17, 28 but it is euen the grace of God frō aboue, for in him we liue, we mooue, and haue our being: and god bestoweth not his graces for nothing: I say there is no mem­ber of a mannes body but carrieth in it a print of Gods loue and testimony of his grace: but aboue all the rest more speci­ally, are we beholding to him for our eies and eares, for that by these twoe as by a channel the knowledge of God is conuei­ed into our soules, for by the eie we come to the naturall mans diuinity in suruay­ing the creatures, because as Paul sayeth Rom. 1, 20 the visible things of god that is his eternall power and Godhead are seene by the cre­ation of the worlde, if they were seene by [Page] the creation, then our eie is our schoole­maister to bring vs to the knowledge of the Creator: but that knowledge is vn­perfect as the glimmering of a light, but by our eare more specially and expressely we attaine to the knowledge of Gods re­uealed will: so that God neuer commeth so néere a mans soule as when he entreth in by the doore of the eare, therefore, the eare is a most precious member if men knew how to vse it: and better were it to loose a better member thē to want it, if a man loose an eie an arme or a legge, he iudgeth himselfe as a cripple, vnworthy to liue amonge men, and fit for no place but for a spittle: and yet these are but maimes in the body: but if God take a­way the vse of hearing, it is a signe he is angry indeede, and threatneth a famine to the soule, for the soule feedeth at the eare, as the body by the mouth: therefore better loose all then loose it. Our Sauiour Math. 5. 29 30. Christ said, If thy right eie cause thee to offende plucke it out, if thy right hande cause thee to offende cut it off, but he ne­uer saide, if thine eare offend thée stop it [Page] vp, for there is a greater vse of it then of hands or eies: for a man may want his handes and haue faithe, or his eies and haue faith, but hardlye can hee want his eares and haue faith: for Faith commeth by hearing, not by séeing, or féeling, but it entreth in at the eare, and so sinketh downe to the hart: therfore He that hath an eare let him heare what the spirit saith, and consider that God gaue the eare, that men should profit by hearing, euen as he bestowed his tallentes that the factors should gaine and profit by them. We are Gods factors, and our members are his tallents, the eie is a tallent, the tongue is a tallent, and the eare is a tallent: for this benefitte a Christian hath, that the righteous Mammon is portable, thogh the vnrighteous be not, for where as the men of the world haue no wealth but in their chestes and barnes, the righteous carrie theirs about them in their soules and bodies, for euerye member is a tal­lent, which béeing faithfully and wisely imployed, there is a treasure laide vp for the soule in heauen, but béeing not im­ploied, [Page] there is a day of reckoning when euery man accordinge to the tallent of grace bestowed on him shall be bound to yéelde an accompt of his stewardshipp, euen of our eyes, our toongs and eares, wherof we make so slender a reckoning. At that time it will finally availe vs to saie, I emploied mine eares to earthly vses, for then it wilbe said to vs as to him that buried his tallent in the earth, Go take him, binde him hand and foote: then shall those hands be chained with fetters, which by example of their refused to glorifie god: then shall those eyes be afrighted with horrible and gastly visi­ons, which in the creatures would neuer behould the glory of God▪ then shall that toonge be tormemted with vnquenchable flames which neuer sought to set forth the praise of God, and then shall those eares be filled with yelling, with how­ling, and gnashing of téeth, which neuer regarded to heare the worde of God: therefore whosoeuer he be to whom God hath giuen an eare let him heare.

But what is that which Christ sayth?

He that hath an eare to heare: as if there were an eare which were not to heare; we are to vnderstand it as a note of spe­ciall difference, for though we haue all eares, yet all haue not eares to heare: but as there is a kinde of idle or Idoll Pastors which haue mouthes and speake not, so there is a kinde of idle hearers which haue eares and heare not, which sit in their seates as images in the glasse windowes, bending their knees, lifting vp their hands, and casting vp their eies, yet after so many yeares, and so many masses had neuer the honesty to giue one Amen: only this difference there is, that whereas the Saintes in the glasse win­dowes kéepe out the winde, these fruite­lesse hearers possesse the places wherein they do no good at all: and let it not séeme strange, that there should be eares which are not to heare, for Paul sayeth of the Iewes that God had giuen them a spirit Rom. 11, 2 of slumbring, eies that they should not see, and eares that they shoulde not heare, be­cause they had the instrument but wan­ted the right vse, for onely those may be [Page] said to haue eares to heare which first by our selues are vowed, and then after by the spirit of God are sanctified to that ho­ly vse: so that Christ speaketh especially of the children of the Church, for they on­ly haue sanctified and prepared eares. This therfore (beloued) is that we desire to learne how to prepare and prouide our selues, that we may bring eares to heare and heare with profitte, least we departe from the Church, as the fiue foolish Vir­gins from the gates of heauen, as good not come as come for no good: therefore the first thing I am to exhort you to is, that we may come together for though priuate prayer be not vnprofitable, and familiar exhortation want not his vse, yet our méeting together hath a speciall blessing promised to it by him which said, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the middest of Mat. 18, 20 them: and indéed our hearing presuppo­seth comming, for we cannot heare toge­ther except we come together, therefore Dauid set comming first, and hearing af­ter, Psal. 34, 11 and said, Come Children and harken, [Page] and I will teach ye the feare of the Lord: so say I to you, first come and then hear­ken, let it bee with you as with Dauid who reioyced when they said, Come let vs goe into the house of the Lord, because Psal. 122, 1 one day in Gods courtes is better then a thousand else where and who had not ra­ther be a doore-kéeper in the house of god, then to dwel in the tabernacle of wicked­nesse?

Consider what spirite was in Dauid, when he saide, that the Sparrow and Swallow were blest, because they might lodge their yong so néere the alter, as if a poore bird were to be enuied for hir nest: or rather to teach men that they ought to prease as hard to touch but the walles of the temple, as she that desired to touch but the hem of Christs garment: and that if any on should saie, Come let vs go into the house of the Lord, men ought to be as the curtens of the Tabecnacle, whereof but one being drawen, all the rest did followe after; the Centurion boasted that he had such seruants as if he Mat. 8, 9 said to one, come, he comes, and yet he [Page] called them for his owne priuate profit, but God a greater maister then the cen­turion saith come yea and calleth vs for our profit, and yet we come not: nay e­uery creeping worme will put vs to shame and condemne vs, for God spake Ps. 105, 34 but the worde and the Grash-hoppers came, yea and Catterpillers innumera­ble; but God hath spoken to vs many words, and yet our number (God know­eth) is numerable enough: (there is a kind of Catterpiller that commeth to the Church, a sacrilegious vermin deuou­ring holy thinges, which liue by y^e sweete that they sweate not for, but they come vnsent for for God neuer spake to them, neither do I commend their dilligence in comming, for a blessed thinge it were if God should send a weste winde to blow them into the sea:) but I speake of those poore creatures whom God neuer calleth but they come and are obediēt, and their obedience ascendeth vp to heauen, and from heauen is descended back againe to condemne our disobedience, for from hea­uen God spake it, that the Oxe should [Page] come to his owner and the Asse to his Esay. 1, 3. maisters cribb, but Israell Gods owne people would not vnderstand, nor come: O therfore all ye that are Gods people come and hearken; and take this lesson withall, y^t ye yeeld not to come as Peter yeelded to forgiue his brother, seuē times and then ha done; for I say vnto you not seuen times but seuentie times seuen times, yea so often as the seuenth day shall come vpon you come and hollow it. The At [...]enians came to heare Paule but it was for nouilty of his doctrin, as there be (I am in doubt and I feare it) in this place who are come to heare the Sermon onely because it is new and straunge to haue a preacher, but when preachinge shall waxe stale, they will not heare the voice of the charmer charme hee neuer so wisely: these men for a brunt are verye deuout, as he who receiued the worde in stony grownd, reioycing at the first, and hearing it with ioy, but that ioy indured Mat. 13, 20 but a while, for his zeale possessed him like an ague, very hotte for the time but when the fit was ouer, he fell to his olde [Page] bias, as the dog to his vomit: remember Dauid saith. Blessed are they that dwell in Psal. 84, 4Gods house. The Church of God is not like a Inne, for once or twice to soiourne in, but it is to dwell in, and dwellinge is a continuall abiding, wee must haue our harts there, our treasure there, and bring our Children there, as the Swallowes laies her young by the alter: in a worde we must altogether dwell there, that at what time soeuer Christ shall come he may finde vs in the temple and not in a Tauerne, in the house of prayer, and not in a den of théeues. We neede not say (beloued) as Peter said, Let vs make vs three tabernacles, for God hath built vs a temple and tabernacle to our hands, onely let vs bringe readdy affections and say, Bonum ect esse hic, it is good for vs to be heere: which if with assiduitie and dil­ligence ye shall performe, then will I say of you as Dauid of himselfe, The zeale of gods house hath eaten you vp but if ye Psal. 69, 9 faint and waxe colde, I must say that you haue eaten vp your zeale, therefore in the name of god let vs come with dilligence, [Page] Gods liberality calleth for dilligence at your hands, who of all the trées in Pa­radice did aske for himselfe but one, of all the daies in seauen asketh ye but one, if ye will giue him another hee will accept it as a fréewill offringe, but but fayle not to giue him one, and pay it faithfully, who of his owne doth aske yet one so sparingly. I knowe what will be your excuses, ye haue marri­ed a wife, or bought a yoake of oxen, therefore ye cannot come, but deceiue not your selues, for these are no excuses? shall a wife kéepe you backe from follo­wing Christe: yet better it were for a man to liue alone then to haue such an helper: what though Adam said, Man Gen. 2, 24shall forsake father and mother to cleaue Luk. 14, 26to his wife, yet Christ saide, a man must hate father and mother and wife to come to him. But ye will pleade that ye haue bought a yoke of oxen? Postponetur Deus bonibus qui nos aequauit Angelis saith an old writer? Will you set God behinde your Oxen who hath made you equall with Angels? These thinges are good: [Page] but in their order and due place, but séeke ye first the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse therof, and then let wiues and Oxen follow after: for euen our ne­cessary businesses and lawfull affaires if they hinder vs from Gods seruice, are turned into sinne, euen as the pure wa­ters in Egipt were turned into bloud. If lawfull businesses may not hinder our comming to the Church of God, then much lesse may idle sportes and vnlaw­full games detaine vs: if bargaininge and wiuing may not excuse vs, much lesse will piping and dauncing. The Saboth is a day of holy rest, not of vn­holy ryot: the Iraelites might not ga­ther their Manna vpon it, and may we Exo. 16, 26 runne a rioting vpon it? What would they doe to them whom they finde prophaninge Godes Saboth with drunken delightes, who stoned him to Nú. 15, 26 death whome they founde gatheringe stickes for needefull vse? But this is our corruption of nature, euerye idle sporte prouokes vs to sacriledge, to rob God of his glory in his saboth, and sacri­fice [Page] it to the Diuell: Diabolus te vocat et ve­nis, Mundus te vocat et venis, Caro te vocat et venis, Cultus Dei te vocat et non venis, saith an antient father. The deuel calleth by tem­tation and ye yeelde vnto it, the worlde calleth and ye listen to it, the flesh calleth and ye come to it, but the worship of God calleth and ye care not for it. Diogenes to try the nature of the Athenians, disguised himselfe vnhandsomely, daunced rudely, and set his voice to singe ilfauordly, and the people came flocking about him: be­hold (saith he) the nature of this people, so oft as I tooke vpon me to speake of an honest life or vertuous conuersatiō, they passed by me as a visited person, and left me alone, but now I frame my selfe to make sports like a foole, they like a flocke of fooles come preasing about mee: there is nothing that chokes mens zeale so much as that they hunte so gréedily after vanity of the worlde, neither was there any reason why Esau was prophane but because hee was a man of the fielde, for while he was hunting for venison abrod, Iacob catcht vp the blessing and birth­right [Page] at home, euen as often times it fal­leth out that while Gods blessinge is a dealing in the Church, the people are re­belling and rioting in the stréete, therfore come to the Church and God will blesse you.

When you haue obtained of your selus to come, the next thing it is to performe attention, for Dauid saith not, come chil­dren and heare, but come and hearken: and if hearing were inough to satisfie a Saboth day, then might ye driue in your oxen too for they can apprehend an out­ward sounde as well as ye, but though they haue eares, yet they haue not eares to heare. In the Scripture hearing and harkning is all one, and our harkning it is Opus animi non Auris, as one saithe, a work of the mind and not of the outward eare, a dilligent obseruing in the mind of that which is said, therefore the Gramari­ans, do fitly signifie attention vnder the word. Animaduertere, vt animum aduertere­mus non aurem that wee shoulde not onely turne our ears but set our mind to it: but that can a beast neuer do because he hath [Page] no mind, and he that bringeth his eares to Church and leaueth his mind at home he commeth like a beast.

Our attention haue fiue great enemies, The ene­mies of at­tention. the first is a straying thought, when all the powers of our soule should wait vpon the voice of the preacher, then are our minds in our coffers, or in our pastures, or where they should not be: wherefore pray for a steddy and stayed harte. The second is a wandring eie, gazing after e­uery picture, vpon euery mote, or flie, and rolling vp and down in euery corner, for as Soloman saith the eies of a foole are in Pro. 17, 24 Eccl. 2, 14. euery corner. But a wise mans eies are in his head The thirde is a néedelesse shif­ting and stirring of the bodie, a fum­bling with handes, a shuffling with the féete, a risinge and remouinge from place when there is noe cause to prouoke vs: and let it not séeme strange that these small trifles shoulde hinder our attention, for euen the little birds of the aire did picke vppe the séede of the word, least it shoulde take roote and goe down to the hart. The fourth is an vnre­verent [Page] talking and vnciuill laughing in the Churche, as if the Temple of God were a place of mart or exchange, where euery man might single out his compani­on and fréely discourse de omni ēte & non en­te, of euery matter & occasion offred & mi­nistred, these are they that make the tem­ple of God a den of theeues. The fift is a seruice & sēceles sléeping, for some ther be who are no sooner in their seats but their harts are a sleepe, as if they came to see vi­sions, & looketh with Iacob to sée the An­gels going vp, whē as they might as wel see Eutichus fallinge downe: Therefore quicken your sences, rouze vp your dul­nes, and remember him which said to his disciples, Could yea not watch with mee Mat. 26, 40 one houre? To these fiue ye may adde (if ye plese) a sixt which of al the rest is most scandolous and offensiue, and that is a shamful departing out of the church and violent breaking from the congregation, wherin a man doeth as it were openly protest, that he is exceeding weary, & hath but too much for his mōey, so that Ioseph was neuer more willing to depart out [Page] of prison, then he out of the Church, nor Simeon better cōtent to die when he said. Lord now lettest thou thy seruant departe in peace. But such men can hardly depart in peace, for seldom it is when they leaue not behinde them, both the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, and the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding.

After attention is required remem­brance, to lay it vpp in the store-house of our memory, for what auaileth it to be at­tentiue for the time and so soon as we be gone to forget all, to suffer the birdes to pick vp the séede which Christ had sowen before. Saint Iames compareth such a manne to one beholdinge his face in a glasse, who goeth his waye and forget­teth imediately what manner of man he was: and fitlie are such eares resembled to a sieue, which while ye dip it in the Iam. 1, 23 24. water receiueth it in at a thousād holes, but take it vp, and the water runneth out faster then euer it came in: so is it w^t forgetfull hearers, they marke atten­tiuely, conceiue presently, and [...]or a time are touched inwardly, but the next toy [Page] driueth all out againe, but Blessed are Luk. 11, 28 they that heare the worde of God and keepe it: it should séeme that Peter carri­ed such a sieue in his head, else how could the diuell sifte him as wheat. for noe so­ner had Christ forewarned him that he would forsweare him, but y^e dieull sifted y^e worde out of his eares, and he forgat it, and so not remembring the wordes was the cause of Peters apostasie, for so soone as he remembered the wordes, the texte saith he went out and wept bitterly: therfore let vs not onely heare but remember too, for that spirit which saith O my peo­ple Psal. 78, 1 Prou. 3, 1 heare my law, saith likewise my Sonne forget not my law. Therefore God pre­scribed helps of memorie to the Isralites, commanding them to binde his wordes vppon their handes for a signe, that they should be as frontlets between their eies, that they shoulde write them vppon the posts of their houses, and on their gates, and in a worde that they shoulde vse all helps against forgetfulnes, for that was Gods meaning and no more: and if we seeke for a helpe indeede, then conference [Page] is the helpe, when a man is delighted to talk of that at home which hath béen spo­ken at the Church, for it may be that wil pearce into the head at a second repeting, which at the first report would not, euen as a naile may be driuen in at a second or third stroke, which could not at the first: and indéede it is Gods commanndement to the Isralites, that they should talke of his law among their children when they were in their houses, when they taulked or else walked by the waye, as also at their vprising and downe laying: there­fore let vs thinke that this charg concer­neth vs likewise, and saye with Dauid. Our tongue shall talke of thy righteousnes Psa. 72, 24all the day long that at what time soeuer Christ shal come he may finde vs talking of his testimonies, as when he ouertooke his desciples walking to Emaus, he found them communing of his death and passi­on. After attention and memory the last and chiefe point is to lay it to the harte, for God especially respecteth the hart, and if that bee wanting hee misseth it at the Esa. 29, 13 first, and saith, This people honoureth [Page] me with their lips, or with their eares, but their hart is far from me. It is a smal thing to remember onely what was saide, it is but a signe of a good memory at the best, and if that be sufficient then let the diuel come into the temple too, for he hath me­morye more then inough, to quote any Scripture against Christ, or whosoeuer shall encounter him, and many hipocrits which hang vpon the Church haue a cer­taine swimming in their braine, a specu­latiue diuinity, by which they can holde talke at a table to discourse of any pointe Mat. 4. in Religion, or course out a controuersie to the proofe, but God is not serued with wit and memory, therefore he saith fur­ther, Thou shalt lay vp these words in thy hart, and in thy soule To lay Gods word to the hart is to take hold of it by the hart and apply it to the conscience, as when we hear of gods mercy to be rauisht with ioye▪ and when wee heare of his iudge­ments to be stricken with fear▪ when we heare of his promises to rise vp in hope, when we heare of our sins to repent and loath our selues. This is the laying of [Page] the word to our hart, and thus did Marie when she heard what straung things the shepheards reported from the Angels: Saint Luke saith, She kept all those say­ings and pondred them in her hart, A spe­cial Luk. 2, 10 help to this is an often reuoluing and meditating in our minds of that we haue hearde, for Dauid did not onely talke of Gods testimonies amongst his friends, but being alone likewise did meditate of his law, for so he saith, that in Gods law was his continuall meditation and that both euening and morning, and seauen times in a day, and it hath bin the practise of Gods saints from time to time, to en­ter into continual meditation of his mer­cy and of his iudgments. It is commen­ded in Isaac that euery euening hee went Ge. 24, 63 Esay 5, 12, 14. out to meditate: in the law those beastes were onely cleane which chewed the cud, by which was figured a spirituall medi­tating & ruminating of heauenly things: and it is the cause of much vncleanesse in mens liues, and of much iudgement vp­on the world, because they meditate not of Gods waies. Indeed saith the prophet, [Page] The harpe and violl, the Timbrell & pipe, and wine are in their bankets, but the works of God they consider not, therefore hell hath enlarged it selfe and opened her mouth, and they that reioyced shall goe downe into it: and so saithe the Prophet Ieremie. That the whole land is fallen into desolation because there is none that con­sidereth in his hartIer. 12, 11 Therfore in the name of God (beloued) let vs prepare our eares and harts, that we may first heare, then remember, and last of all lay vp the word in our harts, for this is the right hearing, and he that heareth hath not onely eares, but eares to heare, I would ye did consi­der that euery man by his obedience in this regard is iudged of what flock he is, for so saith Christ, My sheepe heare my Ioh. 10, 27 voice: so that if a man be desirous to hear, then straight he is iudged to be of christs flocke: but if the word be vnsauory, and bréed no delight in his hart: it is a shreud presumption that that man is a Goate: And great reason we haue to delight in Gods voice, for there is no word procée­ding out of his mouth, but it sauoureth [Page] of mercy and saluation to the soule, for so Cant. 5, 13 the Church testified of Christe, that his lips are like to Lillies dropping downe pure mirrhe, and how then should God indure our contempt who prefer the di­uell before him: nay God will endite vs not onely of contempt but of mockery too, for if we shall beséech God to supply the meanes of hearing, and send down a pro­phet amongst vs, and when that Prd­phet commeth, shall shut our ears against him, what is that but a mocke? Besides what an vnresonable thing is it that we desire God to heare vs, who could neuer vouchsafe to heare him, if we stand in a­ny néede of God how clamorous are wee and importunate vpon him.

Heare my prayer O Lord, bow down thine ear vnto my supplicatton, and why hidest thou thy face and forgettest all our afflictions, and if God séeme a little to de­lay vs, how hasty are we vpon him, come Lord Iesus, come quickly and make noe long tarrying my God, and O god make hast to help vs: but when God speaks to vs there is none that turneth his eare, [Page] as if we had him in a string, that he were bound to vs and not we to him: therfore it shall come to passe that we shall pray and he shall not heare vs, for so he threat­neth. Because I haue called and ye refused, Prou. 7, 24 26, 27, &c. I will also laugh at your destruction, and mocke when your feare commeth, when your feare commeth like a sodain desola­tion, and your destruction like a whirle­winde, when affliction and anguish shall come vpon you, then shall they call vpon me but I will not answere, they shall seeke me earelie but they shall not finde me, be­cause they hated knowledge. God shall take from you either the preaching of the worde as he threatneth by Amos. I will Amo. 8, 11 send a famine into the lande, not a famine of bread, nor thirst for water, but of hea­ring the word of the Lord. Or God shall take from you the Preacher of the word, when ye shall runne from coast to coaste, and shall finde none to preach peace vnto your consciences, or at the least god shall take away the guifts of the Preacher be­cause of the hardnes of your harts. It is a notable obseruation of Saint Gregorie that God doeth sometime multiply his [Page] gifts and his spirit vppon the Preacher because the hearer is desirous to learne: and sometime againe he doth take away his giftes and his spirite from the Prea­cher euen for a plague and iudgement v­pon the people, because they neither de­sire to heare or care to learne. Therefore doe ye prepare your heartes and eares to heare and I doubt not but god will mul­tiply his spirit and send a blessing vppon these my labours. And of this let me ad­uise you before hand, that no one of you at any time presume to set his foote with­in these wals, who first setteth not down with himselfe to practise in his life what here hee heareth with his eare. Some come not to haue their liues resormed, but to haue their eares tickled as at a play: some come for nouelty, some for fa­shion, some to sléepe, some to sée, and some to be seen, but few to practise: but let these things be farre from you, for our sauiour Christ sayth. He that is of God, beareth gods words: (nay he goeth further in the Iohn. 8, 47 same place speaking to the vnbeleeuing Iewes, ye therefore heare them not, bee­cause [Page] ye are not of God, and Saint Iames Iam. 1, 22 saith, that he deceiueth himselfe who is onely a hearer of the word and not a doo­er: for Gods word is a leuen, whose na­ture is to turne the whole lumpe into his owne nature, to season and make it like it selfe as when you haue heard a Ser­mon of humility to shew forth the fruite of that Sermon in your liues and con­uersasions: when you haue heard a Ser­mon of repentance to be stricken in hart with a feeling of your sinnes: when you haue heard of Gods iudgementes a­gainst blasphemy, couetousnesse, lying, stealing, against vsury or prophaning of the Sabboths, euery man to set downs with himselfe I will surely (with Gods help) purge my selfe of this and that cor­ruption, and amend in my selfe what I now see is amisse, then may we say of you ye are our Sermon as Paule saide to the Corrinthians ye are our Ep [...]stle2 cor. 3, 2, When whatsoeuer doctrine hath flowed out of our mouths doth spring vp as freshly in your liues: let vs therefore say with Da­uid, O Lord prepare the harts of this peo­ple [Page] vnto thee, send downe thy holy spirit into our hartes and into our eares, go­uern vs when we come to hear, for paule may plant, and Apollo water, but thou must giue increase, and in vaine shal the voice of the preacher beate vpon the doore of our eares, vnlesse thou fill our hartes with thy spirit, which we beséech thée of thy infinite mercy and goodnesse to per­forme that we may proceed from grace to grace, vntil we come to the state of glory vnto which the Lord of his mercy bringe us. To the sonne and to the holy ghoast, (thrée persons but one God) bee ascribed all praise dominion and glory nowe and for euermore. Amen.