Thomas Boston
First, attending diligently to the Word is among the things that go along with hearing it. This implies:
- Waiting diligently on the ordinances, so that people make it their business to catch opportunities to hear the Word, and let none slip which providence will allow them to attend. They are to labour to come where God meets with sinners (1 Tim 4:13). Those who are only chance-customers at ordinances
1An edited extract from Boston’s Works, vol 2.
cannot expect good from them – whose attendance is ruled by their own convenience, without conscience of duty, causing them to come only now and then, as their fancy takes them. “Blessed is the man”, says the personal Wisdom of God, “that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors” (Prov 8:34).
- Diligent attention to the Word. “Hearken diligently unto Me” (Is 55:2), listening carefully to it, as a matter of the greatest weight, keeping the mind off other things and bending it wholly unto the Word at the time. This includes four things:
(1.) Outward seriousness, without which attention is marred (Lk 4:20). If men do believe that it is God’s Word they are hearing, outward gravity is the least degree of respect to it that they can show; therefore they are not to lay down their heads and sleep, nor to gaze hither and thither, far less to laugh or go out and in, here and there, during this time. This kind of behaviour involves contempt of God, who speaks to men by His Word.
(2.) Fixing and bending the ear and mind to what is spoken. Hence that counsel of the wise man: “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding . . .” (Prov 2:1,2). People must take care that they do not wander in their heart while the Lord’s words sound before them. If the heart wanders, and they think on other things, how can the Word do them good, while Satan has thus stolen away their heart?
(3.) Discerning what they hear, so as to distinguish between truth and error, between the corn and the chaff: “Take heed what ye hear” (Mk 4:24). Therefore always mark the agreement between what is preached and the written Word, for which the Bereans are highly commended (Acts 17:11). For they who do not thus endeavour to discern what they hear do not rightly attend to the Word.
(4.) Endeavouring to know the mind of God in His Word, to hear with understanding. This is to attend not only to the words, but to the things wrapped up in these words; Lydia did so, “whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul” (Acts 16:14). It is not enough to hear the words, but the message from the Lord is to be weighed and seriously considered, and the mind of God in it taken up.
There is great need to attend to the Word with diligence, making serious work of it. For:
(1.) The matter in hand is of the greatest weight; it concerns eternity; it is a treaty of peace between God and our souls; He is proposing a method to preserve our souls from ruin: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Lk 16:29); and this proposal is not to be carelessly managed.
God Himself is the speaker; we should diligently attend to what He says, for His sake – and to prevent His wrath breaking out, which is threatened against those who do not listen to Him.
(2.) At best, to hear as well as we ought will require much effort. We are naturally dull of hearing the Lord’s Word: “They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely” (Ps 58:4,5). And often there is a locked door between Him and us. Hence He is represented thus, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock . . .” (Rev 3:20). And there is a thick wall of separation also between Him and us: “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Is 59:2). And there is always much noise about us as long as the tempter is to the fore. Therefore the highest attention is necessary.
- If we do not attend in this way, we lose, and our loss is great. Thomas missed one occasion of meeting with Christ, and unbelief got in upon him. And that word which we miss may be the most suitable to our case; therefore Satan watches so that he can carry it away from us. Therefore we should never miss one occasion of hearing the Word.
Second, Receiving the word rightly. This lies in two things:
- Receiving it with faith (Heb 4:2). It is by the mouth of the soul that one receives the sincere milk of the Word, and drinks water out of the wells of salvation. Without faith one gets no good of the Word to his salvation, but it is as water spilt upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. It must be received,
(1.) With a faith of assent, believing it to be true and right, assenting to the truth and righteousness of its precepts, promises and threatenings. “I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right.” “Thy Word is true from the beginning” (Ps 119:128,160). It has divine authority; it is God’s testimony, which therefore is to be believed for its own sake; and where the power of it comes, it captivates the soul into believing it (2 Cor 10:5). This is to “receive the kingdom of God as a little child” (Lk 18:17).
(2.) With a faith of application, applying it to ourselves: “Hear it, and know thou it for thy good” (Job 5:27). The Lord’s word is compared to the falling rain or dew (Deut 32:2). The soul in receiving it should be as the dry and gaping ground swallowing it up as it falls: “My soul thirsteth after Thee as a thirsty land” (Ps 143:6). But most people are like smooth stones, which send it off themselves to those about them. Now this application is what makes the plaster stick, and nothing else will do it. If the word be not applied, it can do no more good than a plaster can heal the wound if it is not applied.
Now we are to apply the Word for all the ends for which it is appointed:
for our conviction (Acts 2:37), our conversion (Jn 4:45), our edification in holiness (1 Pet 2:2), our comfort (Rom 15:4), to inform our judgement and rectify our will and affections – in short, for all the purposes of our salvation; otherwise we receive it in vain.
2. Receiving it with love. Faith receives the Word as true, love receives it as good, and good for us (2 Th 2:10). “Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken” (Is 39:8), said Hezekiah to the Prophet. It is good for us in all the parts of it, for we need them all – the threatenings as well as the promises, its reproofs as well as its consolations. And there is a threefold love which we owe to the Word of God: (1.) A love of esteem, highly prizing it: “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12); “The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver” (Ps 119:72). (2.) A love of desire after it: “As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet 2:2) – a longing for it. (3.) A love of complacency in it: “I rejoice at Thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil” (Ps 119:162).
We owe this love to the Word for the Author’s sake: “Consider how I love Thy precepts” (Ps 119:159); for its intrinsic excellency: “Thy word is very pure; therefore Thy servant loveth it” (Ps 119:140); and for its necessity and usefulness to us, as “a light that shineth in a dark place” (2 Pet 1:19); as our food (Job 23:12); indeed, as our very life and breath (Deut 32:47).
Third, Laying it up in our hearts. Our hearts and memories are to be storehouses for the Word, and there we are to lay it up as it comes to our hands. The Psalmist says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Ps 119:11). How can they expect good from the Word who let it go just as it comes? But we should catch hold of it, retain it and not forget it.
We should lay it up as a precious and enriching treasure: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16), as a thing that we are in hazard of losing, and of having it stolen (Mt 13:4), and as what we will need afterwards; “Who will hearken and hear for the time to come?” (Is 42:23). Suppose it does not reach your case at present, it may be useful for what will yet be your case. You are travelling through the wilderness; lay up the Word in your mind as the traveller does his directions for the way.
The best way to lay it up is to let it make a deep impression on your spirits while you hear it, and to lift up your eyes to the Lord, asking that He may fix it in your heart. “I will never forget Thy precepts” (Ps 119:93). “I know whom I have believed” (2 Tim 1:12).