And

3. The encouragement given them, is in thofe words, Eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight itself in fatness. If they hearken to Chrift, they fhall be made to eat, or partake of, that which is really good; and their foul fhall be made to delight itself in fatness. This word fatnefs, is ufed in fcripture to denote the beft, most nourifhing and delicious part of creatures fit for food. therefore the fatteft of the flock was to be offered to God, as being the best. Thus Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof, for an offering to God. Gen. iv. 4. And this being taken in the text in a figurative fenfe, it means the beft and choiceft bleffings, which fatisfy and delight the foul.-Here, two doctrines.

1. Men ought to hearken diligently unto Jefus Christ, Speaking to them.

2. Such as hearken diligently unto Jefus Chrift, shall be made to partake of really good and foul fatisfying Blef fings ?

DocT. I. Men ought to hearken diligently unto Jefus Chrift, fpeaking to them.-Under two propofitions, or fentences of truth, this Doctrine may be spoken to.

PROP. I. Jefus Chrift fpeaks unto men.-This is implied in the text. For, hearkening to Chrift, fuppofes fomething spoken by him to men. There is a fpeech or voice of Chrift, directed to them, whereunto they must hearken. Such as live under the gofpel, have Jefus Chrift fpeaking to them. Prov. viii. 4. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the fons of men.-There are three ways especially, in which Jefus Chrift may be faid to fpeak to men.

1. In his own perfon.-Thus Jefus Chrift did speak to men in the days of his humiliation here on the earth. He then converfed with men, and went up and down preaching the gofpel of the kingdom of God to them. For about the space of three years and an half, he executed the office of a prophet, declaring with his own,

mouth

inguth all the will and counfel of God concerning the falvation of man. And after his afcenfion to heaven, he from thence, in an extraordinary and iraculous way, fpake unto Saul, to his faving conviction and convertion; but this immediate way of Chrift's fpeaking to men, is now ceafed. Yet however, he still speaks to men, in the following ways.

2. In his written word.----The fcriptures are the word of Chrift. Col. iii. 16. All feripture is fo, efpecially the doctrine of the gofpel. The written gofpel, or the feriptures of the new-teftament, contain much of what Chrift himself fpake, when he was in this world. And all of it was written under the infpiration of his holy Spirit. Jefus Chrift then is the author of the holy fcriptures. So that what is therein spoken to men, is fpoken to them by Jefus Chrift himself. All the truths therein revealed, and all the duties therein enjoined, are the expreffions of his mind and will concerning the things which he would have men to believe and do.. And ins them he as much fpeaks to us, as if he were perfonally prefent with us, and uttered them with his own mouth. With fuch apprehenfions we fhould always read the fcriptures.

3. In the miniftry of the word.The office of the miniftry is not an institution of man, but an ordinance of Jefus Christ. All extraordinary minifters, fuch as dpoftles, Prophets, Evangelifts; and all ordinary minifters, fuch as Paftors and Teachers, are the gifts of Chrift unto his church. Eph. iv. 11. And though extraordinary minifters have ceafed; yet ordinary minifters are to continue 'till Christ's fecond coming. And therefore Chrift gave that fweet encouraging promife to his dif ciples, Matth. xxviii. 20. Go, teach all nations---and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Which fhows, that there fhould be a fucceffion in the ministry, of fuch with whom Chrift would be, to the end of the world. Now all fuch faithful minifters are the fervants and embaladors of Jefus Chrift, who perfonate and reprefent him. Whatever therefore they fpeak which is according

F

according to the mind of Chrift, is as if it were fpoken by Chrift himself. Chrift fpeaks by them. 2 Cor. v. 20. We are emballadors for Chrift, as though God did befecch you by us, we pray you in Christ's ftead, be ye reconciled to God. While they keep to their commiffion, teaching only fuch things, which Chrift has comnianded men to obferve, their Words are the Words of Chrift himself. And therefore fuch as receive and hear them, are faid to receive and hear CHRIST. Matth. x. 40. and Luk. x. 16. Though they are but earthen veffels, frail creatures, and men fubject to like paffions and infirmities with ourselves, yet they are Chrift's officers, and the words of truth fpoken by them, are to be received as the words of Chrift himself. Unto whomfoever then the word of Chrift is purely and faithfully difpenfed, unto them Jefus Chrift is fpeaking, by the mouth of his fervants.

PROP. II. Men ought diligently to hearken unto Jefus, Chrift thus fpeaking to them. Two things may here be enquired into.

Quest. 1. What is implied in men's hearkening diligently unto Christ?

Anfu. 1. An heedful attention to what is fpoken by Chritt. Diligent hearkening includes in it attentivenefs. Thus it is faid of Lydia, that she attended to the things that were fpoken of Paul. A&t. xvi. 14. And fo it is faid of the people, that they were very attentive to bear Chrift. Luk. xix. 48. We thould lend a liftning. ear to the voice of Chrift in his word. And therefore we should take heed, that we give not way to a fluggifh, drowsy, fleepy frame, which locks up the fenfe of hearing. We fhould alfo watch against a roving and wandring min dunder the preaching of the word; and not let our thoughts run upon vain objects, or worldly bufineffes. The devil will endeavour to bufy our minds about other matters, and fo take them off from a due attention unto the things that are fpoken to us from the Lord. If we are not watchful over our hearts, Satan will foon fill them with a variety and multiplicity of thoughts,

དྷ

thoughts, which will ftrangely prevent our very hearing what Chrift is fpeaking to us, even fo as that we fhall not know a word of what is faid.

A. 2. An applying the mind to understand what is fpoken by Chrift. Diligent hearkening includes in it, a defire and endeavour to know the fenfe and meaning of what is fpoken to us; that fo our understanding may be rightly informed in what is the mind and will of Chrift. A bare hearing the found of words, is not all that is required of us, when we are bid to bearken diligently. But there is moreover, and efpecially, required, an application of our minds to know the truths and duties held forth unto us. We read of fome that hear the word of the kingdom, and understand it not. Matth. xiii. 19. These were carelefs, not diligent hearers. A diligent hearer, is one that earnestly feeks after information in thofe things which are of everlafting coneerament. The command of Chrift is that, Matth. xv. 10. Hear and understand. He that hears as he ought, will fet his heart to understand what he hears. We fhould hearken with a defire to come to the knowledge of truth and duty. When Chrift fpake to Saul from heaven, he said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? A&t. ix. 6. He was defirous of information in the will of Chrift. So fhould we hearken to the voice of Chrift in the word written and preached, with a longing defire to receive inftruction from him in all that we are to believe and do. The attaining of knowledge, is one great end of hearing.

A. 3. A belief of what is fpoken to us by Chrift. Hearing, is ufed in fcripture to denote believing. Joh. ix. 27. I have told you already, and ye did not hear, i. e. believe it. Thus faid David to Saul, 1 Sam. xxiv. 9. Wherefore hearest thou men's words, faying, Behold David feeketh thy hurt? i. e. Wherefore believeft thou their words? To hearken to Chrift then, is to believe what he fays, to be true. Though we fhould liften to what Christ says, and understand what he fays, yet we don't truly hearken to him, unless we affent to the truth of what

F 2

what he fays. Hearkening to Chrift includes in it, the fetting the feal of our faith to all his doctrines. He that hearkens to Chrift, in the account of the fcriptures, not only takes in the found of Chrift's doctrine, or comprehends it in the right notion of it, but alfo is under full perfuafion of the truth of it. Thofe that rightly hear the word of Chrift, do mix it with faith. Heb. iv. 2. Every thing then that is fpoken by Chrift, we are to receive it as undoubted truth. Though it be incomprehenfible by us, yet it fhould not be incredible to For the veracity of Chrift is the meafure of truth, and not our capacity. His teftimony, is a moft firm foundation for faith.

us.

A. 4. A care to put in practice what is fpoken by Chrift. Hearkening to Chrift includes obedience to Chrift. Deut. xxviii. 1. Thou shalt diligently hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to obferve and do all his commandments. This is the main thing implied in bearkening diligently unto Chrift. All the former things, viz. liftning to, understanding, and believing, what Chrift fpeaks to us, are in order to yielding obedience to his voice. Thofe then diligently hearken to Chrift, that fubje&t themselves to his will, revealed to them. They are not bare hearers, but doers of his word. We should then be practical hearers of Chrift: make it our great care and bufinefs to frame and regulate our lives according to his holy directions and commands. Thefe are the bleffed hearers. Jam. i. 25.

Queft. 2. Why should men hearken diligently to Chrift?

Anfw. 1. God the father has moft folemnly charged men to bearken to Jefus Chrift. Jefus Chrift was a teacher that came from God, a prophet that was raised up and fent of God into the world. And the great God has laid upon men the charge of his commandment, to hearken unto Chrift. In an extraordinary manner he gave forth this commandment of his. When Christ was transfigured in the holy mount, there came that voice to him from the excellent glory, This is