If any of you go away no better then you came, you are not like hearers, but like cyphers, which supply a place, but signify nothing, so you take a room but learn nothing: and they which are cyphers in the house of GOD, shall be cyphers in the kingdom of GOD. Therefore, if thou have an evil eye, and an evil tongue, and an evil hand, and an evil foot, yet have not an evil ear too: for then all is evil, because the ear must teach all. If the ear hearken to evil, then the heart must learn evil. Therefore an evil ear is compared unto a bad Porter, which lets in every one in a gay coat, though he be never so bad; and keeps out him that goes bare, though he be never so good: ⟨p. 646⟩so an evil ear lets all that is evil enter into the hair, but all that is good shuts the door against it, lest it should set the spirit & the flesh at variance. Oh, if the Adder had not stopped his ear, how long since had he bin charmed? But the shortest time in Gods service is the longest time in all the day. The beast came to the Ark to save themselves, & men will not come to the Church to save themselves. It is too far, saith Jeroboam, but it were not too far if Jeroboam were not unwilling.1 One thing is necessary, and all unnecessaries are preferred before it. The greatest treasure in the world is most despised, the Star which should lead us to Christ, the Ladder which should mount us to heaven, the Water that should cleanse our leprosy, the Manna that should refresh our hunger, & the book that we should meditate on day & night lieth in our windows, no man readeth it, no man regardeth it:2 the love of God, & the love of knowledge, & the love of salvation is so cold, that we will not read over one book for it, for all we spend so many idle times while we live. If Samuel had thought that God had spoken to him; he would not have slept, but because he thought it was not God but Eli, therefore he slept: so, because, you remember not that it is God which speaks, therefore you mark not: but if you remembered Christs saying, He which heareth you heareth me, & he which despiseth you despiseth ⟨p. 647⟩me, you would hear the voice of yt Preacher as you would hear the voice of God. Surely (beloved) we know no other way to save you nor our selves: if we did, how wretched were we to keep it from you, which have no other calling, but to show you the way of salvation?
If any of you goe away no better then you came, you are not like hearers, but like cyphers, which supplie a place, but signifie nothing, so you take a roume but learne nothing: and they which are cyphers in the house of GOD, shall bee cyphers in the kingdome of GOD. Therefore, if thou haue an euill eye, and an euill tongue, and an euill hand, and an euill foote, yet haue not an euill eare too: for then all is euill, because the eare must teach all. If the eare hearken to euill, then the heart must learne euill. Therefore an euill eare is compared vnto a bad Porter, which lets in euery one in a gay coat, though hee bee neuer so bad; and keepes out him that goes bare, though he be neuer so good: ⟨p. 646⟩so an euil eare lets al that is euil enter into the hair, but al that is good shuts the dore against it, lest it should set the spirit & the flesh at variance. Oh, if the Adder had not stopped his eare, how lōg since had he bin charmed? But the shortest time in Gods seruice is the lōgest time in al the day. The beast came to the Arke to saue thēselues, & men wil not come to the Church to saue thēselues. It is too far, saith Ieroboā, but it were not too far if Ieroboā were not vnwilling.1 One thing is necessary, and all vnnecessaries are preferred before it. The gretest treasure in the world is most despised, the Star which should lead vs to Christ, the Laddder which shuld moūt vs to heauē, the Water that shuld clense our leprosie, the Māna that should refresh our hūger, & the booke that we should meditate on day & night lieth in our windows, no mā readeth it, no man regardeth it:2 the loue of God, & the loue of knowledge, & the loue of saluation is so cold, that we will not reade ouer one book for it, for al we spēd so many idle times while we liue. If Samuel had thought that God had spoken to him; he would not haue slept, but because he thought it was not God but Eli, therefore he slept: so, because, you remēber not yt it is God which speaks, therefore you mark not: but if you remēbred Christs saying, He which heareth you heareth me, & he which despiseth you despiseth ⟨p. 647⟩me, you would heare the voyce of yt Preacher as you would heare the voyce of God. Surely (beloued) we know no other way to saue you nor our selues: if we did, how wretched were we to keepe it frō you, which haue no other calling, but to shew you the way of saluatiō?
- 1Luk. 10.
- 2Psal. 1. 2.
