rate one, which is, like thorns, distressing, afflictive, and perplexing: and which is in vain and fruitless, since by all a man's care and thought he cannot add a cubit to his stature; and yet so much engross his thoughts, as to hinder the usefulness of the word: riches are deceitful things, they do not give the satisfaction they promise, nor continue as long as may be expected; and are sometimes the means of leading out of the right way, and cause men to err from the faith, and drop the profession of it; or prevent their going into the right way, and following Christ, as the young man in the gospel: and like thorns, they are pricking, and pierce men through with many sorrows, who covet after them, 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10; and are injurious to others; the prince, the judge, and the great man, the best of them is as a brier, and the most upright is sharper than a thorn-hedge, who oppress and crush the poor; and they are unprofitable, as to another world, cannot profit in the day of wrath, nor give to God a ransom for the soul and other lusts, worldly and fleshly ones, as they are contrary to the word, they war against the soul, and so are hurtful; and the pleasures of life are but for a season, and short lived, and though they are sweet and pleasant for a while, they are bitterness in the end, and are found to be vanity and vexation of spirit, and lead to destruction; such hearers, in whom these things prevail, are like the earth, described Heb. vi. 8. Now it is said of the thorns, that they sprang up, that is, of themselves, as thorns do, and are not sown and planted; and the lusts signified by them, are the works of the flesh, and spring from corrupt nature; and these enter into the heart, and overspread the powers and faculties of the soul, and so choke the word, as the thorns the seed, by overtopping it, and it becomes unfruitful, brings forth no fruit, at least none to perfection.

IV. A fourth sort of hearers is like to seed that falls on good ground, and brings forth fruit of various degrees; by whom are meant such who hear, and understand what they hear; not merely notionally, but experimentally; into whose hearts the word enters, accompanied with a divine power; the entrance of which gives light into the knowledge of divine things; by which such know the worth of it, and prize it above thousands of gold and silver, and can discern things that differ, and approve what is excellent can distinguish between truth and error, and receive the one and reject the other; these are such hearers who hear the word, and receive it, as Mark has it; not into their heads only, but into their hearts, where it has a place, and dwells richly; who receive it not as the word of man, but as the word of God; as his witness and record which he bears of his Son, of his person and divine Sonship, and of eternal life and salvation by him; and receive it gladly, as did the three thousand pricked to the heart; and with all readiness, like the noble Bereans, having searched and examined what they heard; and also receive the ingrafted word with meekness, subjecting their reason to divine revelation; not exercising themselves in things too high for them, rejecting every vain imagination, carnal reasonings, and all high thoughts exalted against the knowledge of Christ: these are such hearers, as it is expressed in Luke,

who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it; where the good ground is explained of a good heart, made so by the Spirit and grace of God; otherwise the heart of man is wicked, yea desperately wicked; nor is it in the power of man to make his heart good; it is God only that can create a clean and good heart in him; give him a heart of flesh, soft and tender, susceptible of the word, on which, through divine grace, it makes good impressions; and here it is laid up as a rich jewel in a cabinet, and kept and preserved for future use: here what is committed is kept and held fast, such will not part with it, nor depart from it, but keep it without wavering, being established in it, and with it; and stand fast in it, in the profession of it and these bring forth fruit with patience; which fruit they have from Christ, the green fir-tree; and through an ingrafture into him, and abiding in him, as branches in the vine; and which is produced under the influence of the Spirit of God, and makes much for the glory of God; and which appears in the exercise of grace, and in the performance of good works: and this is brought forth with patience under sufferings, and is increased thereby, and continues until it is brought to perfection; and is in some more, in others less, and in all good fruit, of the same quality, though not of the same quantity. I go on to observe,

IV. What is requisite to the right hearing of the word, both before it, at it, and after it.

I. What is necessary previous to hearing the word, and in order to it. 1. Prayer should go before it. Such who are desirous of hearing the word to profit and advantage, should pray for the minister, that he may be directed to what may be suitable to their cases, be assisted in this work, and be greatly blessed to their souls' good: and for themselves, that they might have their minds disposed to hear the word, and be kept from wanderings under it, and that they may understand what they hear, and receive it in the love of it: otherwise how can a blessing on Zion's provisions be expected, when it has not been asked? and how unreasonable is it to blame the preacher, when reflecting on their own conduct, they should take the blame to themselves.2. There should be a previous consideration of the nature, use, and end of this service; that it is intended for the good and edification of the souls of men, and the glory of God; it should be considered of what importance it is to themselves, and how grateful to God when rightly performed, 1 Sam. xv. 22; men should consider into whose presence they are entering, whose word they are about to hear; what attention should be given to it, and what reverence of it! the advice of the wise man should be regarded, Eccles. v. 1; they should consider the advantages which may arise from hearing the word, which they should propose to themselves for their encouragement, and consider what need they stand in of instruction, and what to be instructed in ; for if they are wise in their own conceits, and fancy themselves to be wiser than their teachers, there is no hope nor expectation of the word heard being of any advantage to them; it is the meek and humble God will teach his way, and instruct by his word.-3. An appetite to

the word is necessary to hearing it; the word is food, hearing and receiving it in faith is feeding on it; this cannot be comfortably done without a spiritual appetite; there must be a desire after the sincere milk of the word; the church desired and sat down, as the words' may be rendered, Cant. ii. 3; desired to sit down under the shadow of Christ, his word and ordinances, and did sit down with delight; and it follows, His fruit was sweet to her taste; she had a gust for it, a relish for it; Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, the word of righteousness, they shall be filled, satisfied with it, as with marrow and fatness: to hear the word without an appetite, is like a man sitting down at a table well furnished with provision, with delicious food, and well dressed and served up, but has no appetite to feed upon it.

II. There are some things necessary whilst hearing the word.

1. A man should try what he hears, and whilst hearing; for the ear tries words; not that persons should sit as critics upon the words, phrases, and expressions of the preacher, to judge of the justness of his style, the propriety of his diction, and the cadency of his words; hearing the word to profit requires no such critical art: but men should try the things that are said, the doctrines that are delivered, by their own experience, whether agreeable to it; and by the word of God, whether according to it; and this they are to do whilst hearing it, so far as their judgment will reach, and they can recollect the sense of the sacred Scriptures.-2. A man should take to himself what he hears, and whilst hearing it. Some hear not for themselves, but for others; when such and such expressions drop from the preacher, they presently conceive in their minds, that they are suitable to such a man, and hit such a man's case, and have no regard to themselves; whereas, in hearing, they should observe what is for doctrine; whether it is for the illumination of their minds in it, and for the establishment of them in the present truth; and if for reproof for sin, that it is for their own; and if for correction of conduct and conversation, that it is of their own; and if for instruction in righteousness, in any branch of duty, that it concerns them: so when they hear of Christ as a Saviour, and of the great salvation by him, and of the blessings and promises of grace, they are to take these to themselves by faith, as belonging to them; To you is the word of this salvation sent, Acts xiii. 26.-3. Faith is to be mixed with the word whilst hearing it; men should make faith of what they hear, or believe it for themselves, digest it as food, and so will it be profitable unto them, Heb. iv. 2.

III. After hearing the word some things are to be done, which may be of use and service. - 1. There should be a recollection of what has been heard, as much as may be; persons should retire privately, and meditate upon what they have heard; the beasts that were accounted clean under the law, were such as chewed the cud; hearers of the word should endeavour to fetch back and call over again what they have heard, when their meditation on it is often as sweet or sweeter than at the first hearing it.-2. When two or more meet together after

.חמרת וישבתי '

hearing the word, and converse together about what they have heard, this may tend to much profit and advantage, to refresh one another's memories; what one has forgotten, another may remember; or what has appeared difficult to one, may be explained by another; and thus by speaking to and conferring with one another, it is a means of building up each other in their most holy faith.-3. It is proper to consider how it has been with them whilst hearing the word; if they have been careless, inattentive, wandering, cold, and indifferent under it; they will see reason for humiliation and lamentation that so it should be with them, whilst hearing such evangelic truths, and such excellent doctrines delivered to them; or if their souls have been enlarged, their hearts warmed, their affections raised, their judgments informed, their knowledge increased, and their souls established in the present truth, they will be led to praise and thankfulness; and upon the whole, there should be a concern that what they hear is put in practice, that they are doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving their own souls, James i. 22.

V. The utility of hearing the word, or the advantages which under a divine blessing arise from it, are next to be considered; and which may be regarded as so many encouraging reasons and arguments to attend to this duty; and which will be only just enumerated; as,1. Conviction of sin, and of a lost and undone state and condition by nature, oftentimes comes by hearing the word; as the three thousand under Peter's sermon, so sometimes an unbeliever comes into a congregation, where the word is preached, and he is convinced of all, of all his sins and iniquities, and he is judged of all, condemned for them in his own conscience, 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25.-2. Conversion also is by means of it; the end of the word being preached and heard, is to turn men from the darkness of sin and error to the light of grace and truth; from the power, dominion, and slavery of Satan, to serve the living God, from the ways of sin and folly to the paths of righteousness and holiness; from a dependence on a man's own righteousness, to trust in the righteousness of Christ; hence one of the epithets of the law, or doctrine of the Lord, from its effect, is, converting the soul, Psalm xix. 7.— 3. In this way, or by hearing the word, the Spirit of God, his gifts and graces, are conveyed into the hearts of men, Gal. iii. 2. 4. Particularly faith usually comes this way, Rom. x. 17.-5. The joy of faith, and an increase of that, and of every other grace, are by means of it, Phil. i. 25.6. Comfort is had by it; he that prophesieth, or preacheth, speaketh to comfort, 1 Cor. xiv. 3; the end and use of the gospel ministry is to comfort those that mourn; the commission given by Christ to his ministers, is to speak comfortably to his people, Isa. xl. 1, 2.7. The knowledge of Christ, and an increase of it, are the fruits and effects of hearing the word, when blessed, 2 Cor. ii. 14.-8. Love to Christ is drawn forth, and glowing affection to him raised by means of it, Luke xxiv. 32.-9. Food and nourishment, in a spiritual sense, are by the word; it is found and eaten, when heard, and souls are nourished with the words of faith and good doctrine, even with the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ. 10. Hearing seasons are sometimes

sealing ones, Eph. i. 13. Besides public hearing the word, there should be a private reading of the Scriptures, which should be searched to see whether what is heard be true or not, John v. 39, Acts xvii. 11; and they should be read in families, for the instruction of them in righteousness; and hereby even children may come to know the Scriptures betimes, 2 Tim. iii. 15, 16; Eph. vi. 4.

OF PUBLIC PRAYER.

PRAYER is one part of the saints' spiritual armour, and a principal one, though mentioned last, Eph. vi. 18; it has been often of use against temporal enemies, and for obtaining victory over them; as the prayers of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and others, show. It is reported of Mary queen of Scots that she dreaded the prayer of John Knox, an eminent minister, more than an army of twenty thousand men. And it is of use against the spiritual enemies of God's people, and for the vanquishing of them. Satan has often felt the force of this weapon; resist the devil, by faith in prayer, and he will flee from you. When the apostle Paul was buffeted and distressed by him, he had recourse to it; he besought the Lord thrice that the temptation might depart from him; and had for answer, My grace is sufficient for thee! and, indeed, as this part of the Christian armour is managed, so it goes with the saint, for or against him. In the war between Israel and Amalek, when Moses held up his hands, an emblem of vigorous prayer, then Israel prevailed; but when he let down his hands, a token of remissness in prayer, Amalek prevailed. Prayer has great power and prevalence with God, for the removal or prevention of evil things, and for the obtaining of blessings. Jacob had the name of Israel given him, because, as a prince, he had power with God, and prevailed, that is, by prayer and supplication, Gen. xxxii. 26, 28. Elijah prayed earnestly, and his prayer was availing and effectual, James v. 16-18. Prayer is the breath of a regenerate soul; as soon as a child is born into the world it cries, as soon as a soul is born again it prays; it is observed of Saul upon his conversion, Behold he prayeth! where there is life there is breath; where there is spiritual life, there are spiritual breathings; such souls breathe after God, pant after him as the hart panteth after the water-brooks. Prayer is the speech of the soul to God; a talking to him, a converse with him, in which much of its communion with God lies. Prayer is an address to God in the name of Christ, and through him as the Mediator, under the influence and by the assistance of the Spirit of God, in faith, and in the sincerity of our souls, for such things we stand in need of, and which are consistent with the will of God, and are for his glory to bestow, and therefore to be asked with submission. Now though it is public prayer, or prayer as a public ordinance in the church of God, I am in course to consider, yet I shall,

I. Take notice of the various sorts of prayer, which will lead on to that; for there is a praying with all prayer, which denotes many sorts and kinds of prayer.