Resp. The Apostle tells us, Heb. 4.2. When we mingle the word with faith, that is, when we so hear, that we believe, and so believe, that we are transformed into the image of the word; Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine, [Greek or Hebrew], into which ye were delivered▪ *It is one thing for the truth to be delivered to us, and another thing for us to be delivered into the truth: the words are a Metaphor taken from lead and silver cast into a mould. This is to profit, when our hearts are cast into the mould of the word preached: As the seed is spiritual, so the heart is spiritual. We should do as the Bee, when she hath sucked sweetness from the flower, she works it in her own hive, and so turns it to honey: Thus when we have sucked any precious ⟨p. 20⟩truth, we should by holy Meditation work it in the hive of our hearts, and then it would turn to honey: we should profit by it. Oh let the labours of Paul and Apollo have an influence upon us. A good hearer should labour to go out from the Ministry of the Word, as Naaman out of Jordan, his leprous flesh was healed and became as the other: So though we came to the word proud, we should go home humble; though we came to the word earthly, we should go home heavenly: Our Leprosy should be healed. Ambrose observes of the woman of *Samaria, that came to Jacobs Well: She came peccatrix, she went away praedicatrix; She came a sinner, she went away a Prophetess. Such a metamorphosis should the Word of God make. Let not the Ministers of Christ say upon their death-beds; the bellows are burnt, and the lead consumed; they have spent their ⟨p. 21⟩lungs, and exhausted their strength; but know not whether they have done any thing, unless preached men to hell. Oh labour to grow: some grow not at all, others grow worse for hearing; *Evil men shall wax worse and worse, as Pliny speaks of some fish that swim backward: they grow dead-hearted in Religion, they grow covetous, they grow Apostates: It were far easier to write a book of Apostates in this age, then a book of Martyrs; men grow riper for hell every day. Oh labour to thrive under the spiritual dew that falls upon you. Let not the Ministers of Christ, be as those which beat the air. Is it not sad, when the Spiritual clouds shall drop their rain upon a barren heath?
Resp. The Apostle tells us, Heb. 4.2. When we mingle the word with faith, that is, when we so heare, that we believe, and so believe, that we are transformed into the image of the word; Ye have obeyed from the heart that forme of doctrine, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, into which ye were delivered▪ *It is one thing for the truth to be delivered to us, and another thing for us to be delivered into the truth: the words are a Metaphor taken from lead and silver cast into a mould. This is to profit, when our hearts are cast into the mould of the word preached: As the seed is spiritual, so the heart is spiritual. We should do as the Bee, when she hath sucked sweetnesse from the flower, she works it in her owne hive, and so turns it to honey: Thus when we have sucked any precious ⟨p. 20⟩truth, we should by holy Meditation work it in the hive of our hearts, and then it would turn to hony: we should profit by it. Oh let the labours of Paul and Apollo have an influence upon us. A good hearer should labour to go out from the Ministery of the Word, as Naaman out of Iordan, his leprous flesh was healed and became as the other: So though we came to the word proud, we should go home humble; though we came to the word earthly, we should go home heavenly: Our Leprosie should be healed. Ambrose observes of the woman of *Samaria, that came to Iacobs Well: She came peccatrix, she went away praedicatrix; She came a sinner, she went away a Prophetesse. Such a metamorphosis should the Word of God make. Let not the Ministers of Christ say upon their death-beds; the bellowes are burnt, and the lead consumed; they have spent their ⟨p. 21⟩lungs, and exhausted their strength; but know not whether they have done any thing, unlesse preached men to hell. Oh labour to grow: some grow not at all, others grow worse for hearing; *Evil men shall wax worse and worse, as Pliny speaks of some fish that swim backward: they grow dead-hearted in Religion, they grow covetous, they grow Apostates: It were far easier to write a book of Apostates in this age, then a book of Martyrs; men grow riper for hell every day. Oh labour to thrive under the spirituall dew that falls upon you. Let not the Ministers of Christ, be as those which beat the air. Is it not sad, when the Spiritual clouds shall drop their rain upon a barren heath?
- *Rom. 6.17.
- *Joh. 4.7.
- *2 Tim. 3.13.
