Many are the Qualifications of this Kind that might be offer'd; but I think the Principal of them may be very well reduced to thefe Four, and which I fhall therefore particularly confider: viz. That he who will difpofe Himself to become a profitable Hearer of thefe Holy Inftructions, mult, ift, Be Pious. And, 4thly, Earneft in his Prayers to God Almighty, to blefs his Word to him, and to teach him to profit by it. I f ift, He must be Pious. Andronic. Rhod. Par. This, I have before obferved, the very Philofophers required in the Auditors of their Morality And fure it will be then fo much the more neceffary in our Hear ers, by how much the Rules and Precepts of the Chriftian Religion are higher, and more repugnant to the Sinful Lufts and Interefts of Men, than what they taught. Eth. Nic. I. I. cap. 4. Hence we find our Saviour Chrift Himself to have refolved the Caufe of the Infidelity of the Jews into the Indifpofition of their Hearts, for want of Probity and Goodness to receive his Gofpel. They were engaged in a Courfe of Pride and Vain Glory; they courted the Praife and Applaufes of the People, and they could not endure to hearken to a Religion that would not fupport their Vanity, nor preferve to them the Refpect and Honour of the World, which they valued more than the Praife and John v. 44- Glory of God. How can ye believe (fays he) that receive Honour one of another, and feek not the Honour that cometh from from God only? And again, The Holy Apoftle tells us, That among the John xii. 42, chief Rulers alfo many believed on 43. Chrift, but because of the Pharifees, they did not confefs him, left they should be put out of the Synagogue: For they loved the Praife of Men, more than the Praife of God. And in general, our Saviour Chrift fays, He that is of God, heareth God's Words: ye there- John viii. 47. fore hear them not, because ye are not of God. Where we find not only the true Character of him who will be a profitable bearer of God's Word, viz. that he must be of God, as that Phrafe is opposed to what our Saviour had just before faid of thofe Men, Ver. 44. That they were of their Father the Devil, and followed the Lufts of him; i. e. He must be an honeft and upright Man, endued with fuch a Probity and Sincerity as becomes a Child of God; but alfo the Reason why others are not qualified to receive the Gospel, viz. That they are of a Temper of Mind averfe from Holy Things, and therefore not fit to profit themselves by the Hearing of them: Te therefore hear them not, becaufe ye are not of God. And St. John himself, in his First Epiftle, iv. 6. gives the fame for the Reason why their Preaching, as well as Chrift's, had fo little Effect upon fome Men; We are of God: He that knoweth God, heareth us; he that is not of God, heareth not us. I John iv. ver. 6. col. cum ver. 4, 5. And indeed how can it poffibly be, that a Man who is not inclined to Piety himself, fhould be a fit Auditor of a Gofpel, whole great End it is to promote it? ift, He is averfe to it; he has no Relish of what is fpoken, nor can endure to hear his Lufts and Affections, his beloved Vices, and darling Sins, fet forth John iii. 19. c. forth as Things that must either be abandoned here, or they will render him for ever miferable. And therefore our Saviour, in the fame St. John, tells us, that this fhall be one part of the World's Condemnation, that Light is come into the World, and Men loved Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds were Evil. For every one that doth Evil, hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, left his Deeds fhould be reproved. 2dly, All the Arguments that can be offered for fuch a one's Conviction, stick not at all upon him; they are as unfuitable to his Apprehenfion, as if you would feed a Lion with Hay, or entertain an Afs with a Theorem. He has no Senfe of their Force, nor is therefore at all like to be perfuaded by them. To talk to a vicioufly inclined Man, of the Bafenefs and Odioufnefs of his Sins, what is this, but in his Opinion to argue against his Senfe and Experience? To represent to him the Reasonableness, the Pleafure and Comfort of living well, what is it elfe, but to maintain a Paradox, and fhew a great deal of Skill, only to demonftrate how much may be faid for the most incredible Things? Heaven is a Place which cannot raise his Defires, who has not Thoughts purified enough to be in Love with Innocent and Spiritual Delights. The Pleasures of those happy Regions, are not fuited to the fenfual Apprehenfions of fuch Men, as know no Attractives, but thofe of a Mahometan Paradife: And Hell it felf, tho' the most formidable Confideration of any, yet fuch as for that very Reason, he will be fure to put as far from him as he can; and either fancy that perhaps there is no fuch Place, or if there be, yet hope it will be Time enough hereafter to provide for the escaping of it. 3. And 3. And then Laftly, for that which is the great End of all Religious Inftructions, the Practice of Piety, and without which, all our Knowledge in the Mystery of Godliness will be in vain, this is what fuch a one is yet more indifpofed to, than all the reft. There are many in the World, who can be content to applaud the Reasonableness of Piety and Virtue, and will allow of all that we can fay in Praise of it, that yet when it comes to the Trial, cannot endure to put it in Practice. Like the Ground over-run with Thorns in the Parable, they receive the Word with Gladness, but the Cares of the World, and the Pleafures of Life, choak the Seed, To that they feldom bring forth any Fruit unto Perfection. It is therefore abfolutely neceffary, that he who will be a fit Difciple for the School of Chrift, fhould firft difpofe himself by a Probity and Integrity of Mind, to be willing to follow his Inftructions. That he labour fincerely to have a ConScience void of Offence, both towards Acts xxiv. 16. God, and towards Man. That he come to our Religious Exercises with a Pious Mind, not to please his Fancy, or gratify his Curiofity, but to learn true Wisdom, and that in order to Practice. Inftead of confidering how the Difcourfe is managed, whether the Preacher performs his Part as he expected he fhould, he must employ his Thoughts on more fubftantial Meditations In what Particular especially the Discourse came up to his own Condition, and how he may best apply it thereunto. If any Vice were reproved, whether his own Sin be not concerned in it, If any Duty explain'd or encouraged, whether that were not directed by God, to inform his Knowledge, or to reprove his Remiffness. If it fet forth any of the great Myfteries of our Redemption, or the Glories of 2 Heaven, Heaven, and what we must do to attain to them; to remember that in all these Things, God calls upon us to acknowledge his Power, and to celebrate his Goodness, who has fent fo wonderful and gracious a Salvation to us. This is the true way whereby the Pious Chriftian may profit himself, even by the meaneft of our Difcourfes; but without fuch a Difpofition to receive Inftruction, the best Seed will in vain be caft away upon us. 2dly, The next Qualification required in a Chriftian Auditor, as well as in all others, is, That he be Docile. By which I do not mean, Endued with quick Parts and Abilities to learn; that is the Gift of God, and which fometimes may do more Harm than Good; but I mean, that he be defirous of InftruEtion, and to that End prepared with fuch a Temper and Difpofition of Mind, as to be willing and ready to purfue the Means of it. And to this End more particularly, ft, That he be Humble, i. e. neither vainly conceited of himself, as if he had no need of InftruЄtion; nor esteeming himself to be too great to receive it, even from the meaneft Preacher. There is nothing in the World fo great an Enemy to our Proficiency in any Thing, as Pride: When Men look upon themselves as too great to learn, and as fuch, neglect and defpife the Means of Inftrution. Indeed I am not so vain, as to think that we are not many times called to fpeak to those who are much fitter to become our Teachers. But yet neither can I fo far undervalue the Gospel of Chrift, which we deliver unto you, as to believe there is ordinarily any Sermon fo mean and despicable, but that an humble Mind might have profited by it, and have found fomewhat at least to exercise his Charity and |