SERMON XIX.

A SERIOUS PERSUASIVE

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HEAR, CONSIDER, AND OBEY THE WORD OF THE LORD.

PSALM xlv. 10, II.

Hearken, O daughter, and confider, and incline thine ear; forget alfo thine own people, and thy father's house. So fhall the king greatly defire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him.

THE pfalms of David have always been

read, by ferious chriftians, with much fatisfaction, pleasure, and profit; although they have only been confidered as chiefly relating to David himfelf, and understood only in the literal fenfe. But in proportion as their true internal meaning is known, and that they chiefly relate to the Lord Jefus Chrift, his

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conflicts,

conflicts, combats, victories, and the like; together with his church, and its enemies; they will be read with ftill greater pleasure and profit. Before we proceed to our text, we will just notice the fpiritual fenfe of the pfalm before us.

In the fecond verfe it is declared that divine truth belongeth to the Lord alone-third to the fifth, that by divine truth he powerfully overcame the hells. -verfe 6, that his kingdom is eternal-verse 7 and 8, that he made his human effence divine, whence heaven and the church are his, which are in divine truths from him-verfe 9, that thence come the affections of truth, in which the heavenly focieties are-verse 10, of the church where the word is; that it must recede from the affections of the natural man-verse 11, that fo it will be the Lord's church-verfe 12 to 14, and will poffefs knowledges of truth and good, with fciences fubfervient-verse 15, that thus there will be conjunction with the Lord -verse 16, that all primary truths are his—verse 17, that the universal church will ferve the Lord.

These are the general things contained in this pfalm, the particulars of which are many, and very interesting; but we will proceed to the words of our text" Hearken, O daughter, and confider, and « incline thine ear; forget alfo thine own people, "and thy father's houfe; fo fhall the king greatly "defire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord, and "worship thou him."

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In the first place, you will obferve, here is a folemn exhortation to attend divine inftruction-to learn the will and word of the Lord-" Hearken, confider, and incline thine ear." Let us dwell upon this a moment. The importance of hearing the Lord's word must be evident to all; because that God who created us, on whom we depend, and to whom we are accountable, can alone teach and inftruct us in whatever concerns our well being in time and eternity. If that God condefcends to speak to us, we are bound in duty to hear him; if he hath revealed his will, that will we ought to acquaint ourselves with; and we cannot expect those persons to be wife, religious, or happy, who turn a deaf ear to the voice of the Lord-who do not attend his divine word. When we confider how few there are who read or hear the word-how many totally neglect it-we need not wonder that pure religion is fo little feen. The holy word is the mind and will of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour, delivered to men; to teach them the knowledge of himself, their own ftate, what they are to believe, what to do, how to live, and the way to be completely happy to all eternity. This word is given us from a God of infinite love, and wifdom, in pure mercy and compaffion, with this kind intention, namely, to bring us back to himself, that we may live in his bleffed kingdom for ever. And this moft kind and compaffionate Father feeing how backward we are, how unwilling to acquaint our

felves with thofe things which belong to our peace; hath, in the most tender and affectionate manner, advised, befeeched, and exhorted us, over and over again, to hear him speak, attend his overtures of mercy, and become wife to falvation. We efteem ourselves the most highly favored and happy people in the world, because we are favored with divine revelation; and yet, alas! that facred book, that invaluable volume, is feldom read, and little known. If we were to compare the number of thofe who attend religious worship, with those who do not, it is probable we fhould find that where one goes, twenty stay away. And were we to compare the number of those who read the bible for themselves, with those who do not read it; I fear we should find a hundred neglect it, where one reads it. What can be the reason why the book of God is fo much neglected? Why, firs, there are many reafons. Men love the world better than heaven; natural things better than fpiritual ones; folly and evil prevail, the bible is an old book, and religion unfashionable. Many who read the word, would perhaps read it more; but they fay they cannot understand it-it is too mysterious-and they must leave it to their fuperiors, their teachers. That the word of God is, in itself, fo myfterious that it cannot be understood, I deny; but that it is made fo by men, I readily grant.

The innumerable errors, falfe doctrines, traditions, and opinions, which have for many years been

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introduced, and maintained by the chriftian world, have actually thrown a vail, a dark cloud, over the bible-shaded the genuine truth from the fightand caufed it to appear as a moft myfterious volume. That this would be the cafe, has been long foretold by the Lord; and also, that the time would come, in which those clouds fhould be removed and chafed away. And it gives me unspeakable pleafure that I can, with confidence affert, THAT TIME IS NOW COME. The word of God is ever the fame; but those errors and falfe doctrines, which have been advanced upon the letter of the word, and which have caft an impenetrable fhade over truth, are now detected, difcovered, and done away-the pure internal fenfe of divine truth opened-the fcience of correfpondences revealed the treasures of the bible laid open-and every one, who loves the Lord and his truth, may understand its facred

contents.

I allow, that a check has been put upon free inquiry-men have been prevented from ftudying the word, and becoming religious, for these two reasons, namely—first, they have observed that the christian world is altogether divided; that they cannot agree in fentiment, doctrine, or religion; that what one man maintains, another explodes; the religion one perfon fets up, another pulls down; that all is ftrife, divifion, anarchy, and variance. And, hereby, thinking minds are tempted to doubt the truth, and reality of all their opinions and doctrines.