Secondly, Pray with and for your fami- ly ; ye;i, pray for all the congregations that meet this day in the fear of the Lord, — tltat the (low of the Sjnrit may fall with the manna of the word, — that some souls may be converted, and others strengthened, — and that gospel-ordinances may be conti- nued, and have no restraint put upon them. These are the things we should pray for. The tree of mercy will not drop its fruit unless it be shaken by the hand of ])raycr.
2. The manner of our prayer. It is not enough to say a prayer; to pray in a dull, cold manner, which teacheth Cod to deny; •jut we must pray with reverence, humility, \ervency, hope in God's mercy, Luke xxii. 44. Christ prayed more earnestly. And that we may pray with more fervency, we must pray with a sense of our wants, lie who is pinched with wants, will be earnest in craving alms. He prays most fervently, who prays most feelingly. This is to sanc- tify the morning of a sabbath, and it is a good preparatory for the word preached. When the ground is broken up by the plough, now it is fit to receive the seed ; when the heart hath been broken by pray- er, now it is fit to receive the seed of the word preached. Thus you see how to dress your souls on a sabbath -morning. There are other duties remaining.
IV. Having thus dressed your souls in a morning for the further sanctification of the sabbath, address yourselves to th(^ hearing of the word preached.
1. And when you are set down in your seat, — Lift up your eyes to heaven for a blessing \ipon the word to be dispensed ; for, you must know the word preached doth not work as physic, by its own inhe- rent virtue, but by a virtue from heaven, and the co-operation of the Holy (ihost; thercf«)re put up a short e;iaculatory prayer for a blessing upon the word, that it may be made effectual to you.
2. The word being begun to be preached,
set yourselves in a right manner,— With reverence and holy attt'iition, Acts xvi. M., " A certain woman, nanuul Lrdia, attend- ed unto the things which were spoken of Paul." Constantiiie the emperor was not- ed for his reverent attention to tlie word. Luke xix. 48., " Christ tnught daily in tlie temple: and all the people were atten- tive to hear him." In the Greek, 'they hung upon his lip.' Conld we tell men of a rich purchase, they would diligently at- tend ; and shall they not much more, when the gospel of grace is preaching unto them f Now, that we may sanctify and hallow the sabbath, by attentive hearing, take heed of two things in hearing, viz. \st. distraction ; 2d. drowsiness.
].<?/. Distraction. 1 Cor. vii. S.^., " That ye may attend uj)on the Lord without dis- traction." It is said of St. Bernard, that when he came to the church -door, he would say, ' Stay here all my earthly thoughts :' so should we say to ourselves, when wc are at the door of God's house, " Stay here all my worldly cares, and wandering cogita- tions ; I am now going to hearken what the Lord will say to me." Distraction hinders devotion. Distraction in hearing is when the mind is tossed with vain thoughts and diverted from the business in hand. It is hard to make the quicksilver heart fix. St. Ilierom complained of himself: " Some- times (saith he) when I am about God's ser\ ice, per porticos (iinmbulo, — I am walk- ing in the galleries, and sometimes casting up accounts." So, oft in hearing of the word, the thoughts dance up and down ; and, \vhen our eye is upon the minister, our mind is upon other things. Distracted hearing is far from sanctifying the sab- bath. It must needs be very lieinous to ilive way to vain thoughts at this time; because, when we arc hearing the word, we are now in God's special presence. To do any treasonable action in the kuig's ])rescnce is iiigh im])udence, Jcr. xxin. 11., " Yea, in my house have I found their wickedness." * So may the Lord say, •' In my house, while they are hearing my word, I have fouml Avickedness ; they have wanton eyes, and their soul is set on va- nity." This enhanccth and aggravates the sin.
2H6
OF THE FOURTH COMMANDAIENT.
Quest. Whence do these roving distracted thoujIiJs in hearing come ?
Ans. ]. Partly from Satan. The devil is no recusant, he will be sure to be present in our assemblies : if be cannot binder us from bearing, be will binder us in bearinp; ; Job i. 0., " When tbe sons of God came to present tbemselvcs before tbe Lord, Satan came also among tbem." Tbe devil sets vain objects before tbe fancv» to cause a diversion. Satan's great design is to ren- der tbe word we bear fruitless. As when one is writing, anotber jogs bim tb.'it be cannot write even, so wben we are bearing, tbe devil will be jogging us witb a temp- tation, tbat wo sboubl not attend to tbe word preacbed, Zecb. iii. 1., " lie sbewed me Joshua the bigb-priest standing before the angel of tbe Lord, and Satan standing at bis right band to resist bim."