SERM. man perfect in Christ Jesus: as they are obliged LVIII. in such manner to do these things, so there must be correspondent duties lying upon us, to receive their doctrine readily, carefully, patiently, sincerely, and fairly as they must be faithful dispensers of God's 1 Cor. iv. 2. heavenly truth and holy mysteries, so we must be obsequious entertainers of them: imposing such commands on them doth imply reciprocal obligations in their hearers and scholars; otherwise their office would be vain, and their endeavours fruitless; God no less would be frustrated in his design, than we should be deprived of the advantages of their institution. But further, it is a more immediate ingredient of this duty, that, 4. We should effectually be enlightened by their doctrine, be convinced by their arguments persuading truth and duty, be moved by their admonitions and exhortations to good practice; we should open our eyes to the light which they shed forth upon us, we should surrender our judgment to the proofs which they allege, we should yield our hearts and affections pliable to their mollifying and warming discourses: it is their part to subdue our minds to the obedience of faith, and to subject our wills to the observance 2 Cor. x. 5. of God's commandments, (casting down imagina tions, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;) it must therefore answerably be our duty not to resist, not to hold out, not to persist obstinate in our errors or prejudices; to submit our minds to the power of truth, being willingly and gladly conquered by it; it must be our duty to subjugate our wills, to 25. 1 Cor. iv. bend our inclinations, to form our affections to a free SERM. LVIII. compliance of heart with the duties urged upon us; we should not be like those disciples, of whom our Lord complaineth thus; O fools, and slow of heart Luke xxiv. to believe all that the prophets have spoken: nor like the Jews, with whom St. Stephen thus expostulates; Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart Acts vii. 51. and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. 20. ii. 4. They should speak with power and efficacy; we therefore should not by our indispositions (by obstinacy of conceit or hardness of heart) obstruct their endeavours: they should be co-workers of your joy, 2 Cor. i. 24. (that is, working in us that faith and those virtues, which are productive of true joy and comfort to us ;) we therefore should co-work with them toward the same end: they should edify us in knowledge and holiness; we should therefore yield ourselves to be fashioned and polished by them. 1 Cor. iii.5. 2, 3. 5. We should, in fine, obey their doctrine by conforming our practice thereto; this our Lord prescribed in regard even to the Jewish guides and doctors; The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses's Matt. xxiii. seat; all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do: the same we may well conceive that he requireth in respect to his own ministers, the teachers of a better law, authorized to direct us by his own commission, and thereto more specially qualified by his grace: this is indeed the crown and completion of all; to hear signifieth nothing; to be convinced in our mind, and to be affected in our heart, will but aggravate our guilt, if we neglect practice: every sermon we hear, that sheweth us our duty, will in effect be an enditement upon us, will ground a sentence of condemnation, if 8. x. 26. SERM. we transgress it: for, as the earth which drinketh LVIII. in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth Heb. vi. 7, forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God, so that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto Rom. ii. 13. cursing, and its end is to be burned: and, Not the hearers of the law are just with God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. And it is a good adJam. i. 22. vice, that of St. James; Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves; it is, he intimateth, a fallacy some are apt to put upon themselves, to conceit they have done sufficiently when they have lent an ear to the word; this is the least part to be done in regard to it, practice is all in all; what is it to be shewed the way, and to know it exactly, if we do not walk in it, if we do not by it arrive to our journey's end, the salvation of our souls? To have waited upon our Lord himself, and hung upon his discourse, was not available; for when in the day of account some shall begin to allege, Luke xiii. We have eaten and drunk before thee, and thou hast taught in our streets; our Lord will say, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. And it is our Lord's deMatt. vii. claration in the case, Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock (John xiv. but every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. 26, 27. 24. 21.) Mark vi.20. Many are very earnest to hear, they hear gladly, Matt. xiii. as Herod did St. John Baptist's homilies; they receive the word with joy, as the temporary believers in the parable did; they do, as those men did in the 20. xxxiii. 30, prophet, delight to know God's ways, do ask of SERM. God the ordinances of justice, do take delight in LVIII. approaching God; or as those in another prophet, Is. lviii. 2. who speak one to another every one to his brother, Ezek. saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the 31,32. word that cometh forth from the Lord: and they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but will not do them; for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness: and, lo, thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words, but they do them not: they for a time rejoice in the light of God's messengers as those Jews did in the light of that burning and shining lamp, St. John v. 35. John the Baptist; but all comes to nothing; but they are backward and careless to perform, at least more than they please themselves, or what suiteth to their fancy, their humour, their appetite, their interest: many hearers will believe only what they like, or what suiteth to their prejudices and passions; many of what they believe will practise that only which sorteth with their temper, or will serve their designs; they cannot conform to unpleasant and unprofitable doctrines: sometimes care choketh the word; sometimes temptation of pleasure, of profit, of honour allureth; sometimes difficulties, hazards, persecutions, discourage from obedience to it. These particulars are obvious, and by most will be consented to: there is one point which perhaps will more hardly be admitted, which therefore I shall more largely insist upon; it is this: 6. That as in all cases it is our duty to defer SERM. much regard to the opinion of our guides, so in LVIII. some cases it behoveth us to rely barely upon their I. xvi. 18. judgment and advice; those especially among them who excel in dignity and worth, who are approved for wisdom and integrity; their definitions, or the declarations of their opinion, (especially such as are exhibited upon mature deliberation and debate, in a solemn manner,) are ever very probable arguments of truth and expediency; they are commonly the best arguments which can be had in some matters, especially to the meaner and simpler sort of people. This upon many accounts will appear reasonable. It is evident to experience, that every man is not capable to judge, or able to guide himself in matters of this nature, (concerning divine truth and conRom. xiv. science.) There are children in understanding ; 1. xv. I,&c. there are men weak in faith, (or knowledge con1 Cor. xiv. cerning the faith ;) there are idiots, aкaкo, (men not bad, but simple,) persons occupying the room of the unlearned, unskilful in the word of righteousness, Heb. v. 12. who, as the apostle saith, need that one should teach them which be the first principles of the oracles of God. 16. iii. 2. viii. 10. Vulgo non judicium, The vulgar sort of men are as undiscerning and non veritas. injudicious in all things, so peculiarly in matters of Tac. this nature, so much abstracted from common sense nus. M. and experience; whence we see them easily seduced “Ακριτον ὁ Ant. into the fondest conceits and wildest courses by any Eph. iv. 14. slender artifice or fair pretence; like children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. There are also some particular cases, a competent information and skill in which must depend upon |