Casuistical morning-exercises the fourth volume /

Direct. 2. Call your selves to an Account, before, in, and after the hearing of the Word, to what End thou camest, and how the end is pursued, or dropped.

Direct. 2. Call your selves to an Account, before, in, and after the hearing of the Word, to what End thou camest, and how the end is pursued, or dropt.

(1.) Before you hear. Solomon adviseth thus:^(l) Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God, and be more ready to hear than to offer the sacrifice of Fools; be more ready to receive Instruction, and to accept of what God says, which will be thy Wisdom, than to offer Sacrifice, and neglect Obedience, like foolish Hypocrites. And a greater than Solomon, ^(m)our Lord Jesus Christ, cautions us by a double Metaphor at his School door, when we come to be his Disciples, viz. That spiritual Edification will be in this like worldly building, cost more than we imagine; and our Spiritual warfare will be in this like the carnal, more costly than at first we conceive: 'twill cost us more careful thoughts, more waking nights, more painful days, more Prayers and Tears, more Self-denial and Contempt of the World, than inconsiderate persons will believe. For your care before you hear, I shall propose but three things.

(1.) Before you hear. Solomon adviseth thus:^(l) Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God, and be more ready to hear than to offer the sacrifice of Fools; be more ready to receive Instruction, and to accept of what God says, which will be thy Wisdom, than to offer Sacrifice, and neglect Obedience, like foolish Hypocrites. And a greater than Solomon, ^(m)our Lord Jesus Christ, cautions us by a double Metaphor at his Schooldoor, when we come to be his Disciples, viz. That spiritual Edification will be in this like worldly building, cost more tha we imagine; and our Spiritual warfare will be in this like the carnal, more costly than at first we conceive: 'twill cost us more careful thoughts, more waking nights, more painfull days, more Prayers and Tears, more Self-denyal and Contempt of the World, than inconsiderate persons will believe. For your care before you hear, I shall propose but three things.