Slh. If you would hear aright, practise what you hear. Practice is the life of all : Rev. xxii. 14., " Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life." Bare hearing will be no plea at the day of judgment. " Lord, I have heard so many sermons." But God will say, " What fruits of obedi- ence have ye brought forth ?" The word we preach is not only to inform you but reform you ; not only to mend your sight, but to mend your pace in the way to hea- \en ; a good hearer is like the heliotropium^ &c. it opens and shuts with the sun, — to God against sin. Now that you may sanc- tify a sabbath by hearing :
1. If you do not hear the word aright, you lose all your labour. How many a weary step have you taken ; your body hath been crowded, your spirit faint ; if you are not bettered by hearing, — if you are as proud, as vain, as earthly as ever, all your hearing is lost. You would be loath to trade in vain, and why not as well to hear sermons in vain ? Job ix. 29., " Why then labour I in vain ?" Put thif? question to your own soul : " Why labour I in vain ? Why do I take all this pains to hear, yet have not the gi-ace to practise it ? I am as bad as ever ! why then labour I in vain ?"
2. If you hear the word, and are not bet- tered by it, you are like the salamander in the fire, not hotter ; your hearing will in- crease your condemnation, Luke \ii. 47., " That servant which knew his Lord's will, and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes." We pity such as know not where to hear; it will be worse with such as care not how they hoar. To graceless disobedi- ent liearers, every sermon will be a faggot to heat h< II ; it is sad to g<> loaded to hell
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OF THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
willi ordinances. O beg tlie Spirit to make ' tl\e word })reaclied effectual ! Ministers can })ut speak to the ear, — the Spirit speaks to tlie heart : Acts x. 44., " Wliile Peter sjuike, tlie Holy Ghost fell upon all them i that heard the word." I
9//i. Having heard the word in an holy and spiritual manner, for the further sane- ; tilication of the sabbath, confer of the word. We are forbidden on this day to speak our own words, Isa. Iviii. 14., but we must speak of Go.'.'s word. Speak of the ser- mons as you sit together ; this is (me part of sanctifying the sabbath. Good discourse brings holy truths into our memories, and fastens them u])on our hearts: Mai. iii. 17., " Then they that feared the Lord, spake of- ten one to another." There is a great power and efficacy in good discourse. Job vi. 25., " How forcible are right words?" By ho- ly conference on a sabbath, one Christian heli)s to warm anotiier when he is frozen, to strenirthcn another when he is weak.
Latimer confessed he was much furthered in religion, by having conference with Mr. Bilny the martyr. Ps. cxix. 172., «^ My tongue shall speak of thy word." One reason why preaching the word on a sab- l)ath doth no more good, .is, because there is so little good conference. Few sjieak of the word they have heard : as if sermons were such secrets that they must not be spoken of again, or as if it were a shame to speak of that which will save us.
10///. Shut up the sabbath-evening with repetition, reading, singing of psalms, and prayer ; beg that (lod would bless the word you have heard. But I hope your practice herein will ])revcnt my further speaking. Could we but thus spend a sabbath, we might be " in the Sjiirit on the Lord's day," Rev. i. 10. ; our souls might be nourished and comforted ; and this sabbath which we now keep, would be an earnest of that everlast- inir sabbath which we shall celebrate in heaven.
ExoD. XX. 8. Remember the sahbalh-day to keep it holy.
Use Xat. SEE here a Christian's duty, " To k< ep the sabbath-day holy."
1. The whole sabbath is to be dedicated to God. It is not said. Keep a part of llie Kabbath holy, but the whole day nuist be relijj;iously observed. If (iod hath given us six days and taken but one to himself, shall we grudge him any part of that day ? It were sacrilege ! The Jews ke|)t a whole day to the Lord ; and we are not to abridge or curtail the sabbath (saith St. Austin) more than the Jews did. The very hea- thens, ,l>y the light of nature, did set apart a whole day in the honour of their false gods ; and Sca^vola the high-priest did af- firm that the wilful transgression of that day could have no expiation or j)ardon. Whoever robs any ]»irt of the sabbath for servile work or recreation, Scievola the high- priest of the heathenisli gods shall rise up in judgment against such Christians, and condemn them. And i\\v.y who say, that to kee|> a whole sabbath is too Jiulai- cal, let them shew where God has made any abatement of the time of worshij) ;