(2.) That we may feel the force and power of it : Acts xvi. 14, ' And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken by Paul.' Without attendancy the truth is lost, and doth us no good. There must be attention and intention before there can be choice or pursuit ; for the gospel doth not work like a charm ; as if we could find the efficacy of it whether sleeping or waking.
(3.) To move the soul to obedience ; for, ' Take heed what you hear,' is as much as. See you practise what you have heard ; that you bring forth the fruit accordingly : ' He that heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise builder,' Mat. vii. 24. Hearing tendeth to practice, knowledge to practice, faith to practice, affection to practice ; without which our hearing is but a bodily task, our know- ledge but an empty speculation, faith a dead opinion, affection but a vanishing impression. These things do not attain their consummate and proper effect.
(4.) This diligent attention consisteth in three things — sound belief, serious consideration, and close application. Sound belief: 1 Thes. ii. 13, 'For this cause we thank God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectu- ally worketh also in you that believe. ' Serious consideration : Deut; xxxii. 46, ' And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law ; ' Luke ix. 44, ' Let these sayings sink down into your ears.' Close application : Rom. viii. 31, ' What shall we then say to these things ? if God be for us, who can be against us ? ' Job v. 27, ' Lo ! thus we have searched it, so it is ; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.' And therefore, as things are duly thought on, so they must be closely applied. These three acts of
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the soul have each of them a distinct and proper work. Sound belief worketh on the clearness and certainty of the things asserted ; serious consideration on the greatness and importance of them ; close applica- tion on their pertinency and suitableness to us. See all in one place :
1 Tim. i. 15, ' This is a true saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief,' These are all necessary to make any truth operative. Sound belief, for we are not affected with what we believe not : Heb. iv. 2, ' For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them ; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.' Therefore to awaken diligence the truth of things is pleaded :
2 Peter i. 5, 10, 16, ' Give all diligence to add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for we have not followed cunningly-devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty ; ' Heb. ii. 3, 4, ' For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobed- ience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.' The first rousing question when men heard any sermon about any truth or doctrine of the gospel was, Is this true ? For consideration : Heb. iii. 1, ' Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, con- sider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus our Lord.' Without consideration the weightiest things lie by as if they were not. Sleepy reason is as none. The most important truths have no force upon us till consideration awakeneth us. Then for applica- tion, what concerneth us not is passed over. Unless we hear things with a care to apply them, we shall never make use of them : Eph. i. 13, ' In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation; in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.' It is not enough to know the gospel to be a doctrine of salvation to others, but we must look upon it as a doctrine that bringeth salvation to our own doors, and leaveth it upon our choice. A plaster doth not heal at a distance till it be applied to the sore. Truths are too remote till we set the edge and point of them to our own hearts. Well, then, by this way we preach to ourselves day and night, by exciting our faith in God, and Christ, and glory to come, and by serious consideration stirring up all God's graces in ourselves, and reproving ourselves for all our sins, and calling a backward heart to all the duties required of us. This is the work of close application.