Next Part 2 (The FOURTH Commandment)

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[1] DISTRACTION. "That you may attend upon the Lord without distraction." 1 Cor 7:35. It is said of Bernard, that when he came to the church-door, he would say, "Stay here all my earthly thoughts." So should we say to ourselves, when we are at the door of God's house, "Stay here all my worldly cares and wandering cogitations; I am now going to hear what the Lord will say to me." Distraction hinders devotion. The mind is tossed with vain thoughts, and diverted from the business in hand. It is hard to make a distracted heart fix. How often in hearing the Word, the thoughts dance up and down; and, when the eye is upon the minister, the mind is upon other things. Distracted hearing is far from sanctifying the Sabbath. It is very sinful to give way to vain thoughts at this time; because, when we are hearing the Word, we are in God's special presence. To do any treasonable action in the king's presence—is great impudence. "Yes, in my house have I found their wickedness." Jer 23:11. So the Lord may say, "In my house, while they are hearing my Word, I have found wickedness; they have wanton eyes, and their soul is set on vanity!"

Whence do these roving and distracting thoughts in hearing come?

(1) Partly from Satan. The devil is sure to be present in our assemblies. If he cannot hinder us from hearing, he will hinder us in hearing. "When the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan came also among them." Job 1:6. The devil sets vain objects before the imagine to cause a diversion. His great design is to render the Word fruitless. As when one is writing, another jogs his elbos—that he cannot write even; so when we are hearing, the devil will be jogging us with a temptation, that we should not attend to the Word preached. "He showed me Joshua the high-priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him." Zech 3:1.

(2) These wandering thoughts in hearing come partly from ourselves. We must not lay all the blame upon Satan.

They come from the eye. A wandering eye—causes wandering thoughts. As a thief may come into the house at a window, so vain thoughts may come it at the eye. As we are bid to keep our feet when we enter into the house of God (Eccl 5:1), so we had need make a covenant with our eyes, that we be not distracted by beholding other objects. Job 31:1.

Wandering thoughts in hearing rise out of the heart. These sparks come out of our own furnace. Vain thoughts are the mud which the heart, as from a troubled sea, casts up. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts." Mark 7:21. As the foulness of the stomach sends up fumes into the head, so the corruption of the heart sends up evil thoughts into the mind.

Distracted thoughts in hearing proceed from an evil habit. We so inure ourselves to vain thoughts at other times, and therefore we cannot hinder them on a Sabbath. Habit is a second nature. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good—who are accustomed to do evil?" Jer 13:23. He who is used to bad company, knows not how to leave it; so such as have vain thoughts to keep them company all the week, know not how to get rid of them on the Sabbath. Let me show you how evil, these vain distracting thoughts in hearing are:

[1] To have the heart distracted in hearing—is a disrespect to God's omniscience. God is an all-seeing Spirit; and thoughts speak louder in his ears than words do in ours. "I know full well what you are thinking." Job 21:27. To make no conscience of wandering thoughts in hearing, is an affront to God's omniscience, as if he knew not our heart, or did not hear the language of our thoughts.

[2] To give way to wandering thoughts in hearing is hypocrisy. We pretend to hear what God says, and our minds are quite upon another thing. We present God with ourbodies—but do not give him our hearts. Hos 7:11. This hypocrisy God complains of. "This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me—but have removed their hearts far from me." Isa 29:13. This is to equivocate and deal falsely with God.

[3] Vain thoughts in hearing discover much lack of love to God. Did we sincerely love him—we would listen to his words as oracles, and write them upon the table of our heart. Prov 3:3. When a friend whom we love speaks to us, and gives us advice, we attend with seriousness, and suck in every word. Giving our thoughts permission to ramble in holy duties, shows a great defect in our love to God.

[4] Vain impertinent thoughts in hearing, defile an ordinance. They are as dead flies in the box of ointment. When a string of a lute is out of tune, it spoils the music; so distraction of thought puts the mind out of tune, and makes our services sound harsh and unpleasant. Wandering thoughts poison a duty, and turn it into sin. "Let his prayer become sin." Psalm 109:7. What can be worse than to have a man's praying and hearing of the Word—become sin? Would it not be sad, if the food we eat should increase our sickness? How much more when hearing the Word, which is the food of the soul, is turned into sin!

[5] Vain thoughts in hearing offend God. If the king were speaking to one of his subjects, and he should not pay attention to what the king were saying—but was playing with a feather—would not the king be provoked? Just so, when we are in God's presence, and he is speaking to us in his Word, and we do not much mind what he says—but our hearts go after covetousness, will it not offend God, to be thus slighted! Ezek 33:31. He has pronounced a curse upon such. "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the Lord Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations." Mal 1:14. To have strong lively affections is to have a male in the flock; but to hear the Word with distraction, is to give God duties fly-blown with vain thoughts, and to offer to the Lord a corrupt thing, which brings a curse. "Cursed be the cheat."

[6] Vain thoughts in hearing, when allowed and not resisted, make way for hardening the heart. A stone in the heart, is worse than in the kidneys. Distracted thoughts in hearing do not better the heart—but harden it. Vain thoughts take away the holy awe of God which should be upon the heart; they make conscience less tender, and hinder the efficacy the Word should have upon the heart.

[7] Vain and distracting thoughts rob us of the comfort of an ordinance. A gracious soul often meets with God in the sanctuary, and can say, "I found him whom my soul loves." Canticles 3:4. He is like Jonathan, who, when he had tasted the honey on the rod, had his eyes enlightened. But vain thoughts hinder the comfort of an ordinance, as a black cloud hides the warm comfortable beams of the sun. Will God speak peace to us when our minds are wandering and our thoughts are traveling to the ends of the earth? Prov 17:24. If ever you would hear the Word with attention, do as Abraham when he drove away the fowls from the sacrifice. Gen 15:2. When you find these excursions and sinful wanderings in hearing, labor to drive away the fowls; get rid of these vain thoughts; they are vagrants, and must not be entertained.

How shall we get rid of these vagabond thoughts?

(1) Pray and watch against them.

(2) Let the sense of God's omniscient eye overawe your hearts. The servant will not sport in his master's presence.

(3) Labor for a holy frame of heart. Were the heart more spiritual, the mind would be less feathery.

(4) Bring more love to the Word. We fix our minds upon that which we love. He who loves his pleasures and recreations, fixes his mind upon them, and can follow them without distraction. Were our love more set upon the preached Word, our minds would be more fixed upon it; and surely there is enough to make us love the Word preached; for it is the Word of life, the inlet to divine knowledge, the antidote against sin, the quickener of all holy affections. It is the true manna, which has all sorts of sweet tastes in it. It is the pool of Bethesda, in which the rivers of life spring forth to heal the broken in heart. It is a sovereign elixir or cordial to revive the sorrowful spirit. Get love to the Word preached, and you will not be so distracted in hearing. What the heart delights in, the thoughts dwell upon.

[2] Take heed of DROWSINESS in hearing. Drowsiness shows much irreverence. How lively are many when they are about the world—but in the worship of God how drowsy—as if the devil had given them opium to make them sleep! A drowsy feeling here is very sinful. Are you not in prayer, asking pardon of sin? Will the prisoner fall asleep when he is begging pardon? In the preaching of the Word, is not the bread of life broken to you? Will a man fall asleep over his food? Which is worse, to stay away from a sermon—or sleep at a sermon? While you slept, perhaps the truth was delivered which might have converted your souls. Besides, sleeping is very offensive in a holy assembly; it not only grieves the Spirit of God—but makes the hearts of the righteous sad. Ezek 13:22. It troubles them to see any show such contempt of God and his worship; to see them busy in the shop—but drowsy in the temple. Therefore, as Christ said, "Could you not watch one hour?" So, can you not wake one hour? Matt 26:40.

I do not deny, that a child of God may sometimes, through weakness and indisposition of body, drop asleep at a sermon—but not voluntarily or ordinarily. The sun may be in an eclipse—but not often. If sleeping is customary and allowed, it is a very bad sign, and a profanation of the ordinance. A good remedy against drowsiness is to use a spare diet upon the Sabbath. Such as indulge their appetite too much on a Sabbath, are fitter to sleep on a couch than pray in the temple. That you may throw off distracting thoughts and drowsiness on the Lord's-day, and may hear the Word with reverend attention, consider—

(1) It is God who speaks to us in his Word. Therefore the preaching of the Word is called the "breath of his lips." Isa 11:4. Christ is said now to speak to us "from heaven," as a king speaks in his ambassador. Heb 12:25. Ministers are but pipes and organs—it is the Spirit of the living God who breathes in them. When we come to the Word, we should think within ourselves, "God is speaking in this preacher!" The Thessalonians heard the Word Paul preached, as if God himself had spoken unto them. "When you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you received it not as the word of men—but (as it is in truth) the Word of God." 1 Thess 2:13. When Samuel knew it was the Lord who spoke to him, he lent his ear. 1 Sam 3:10. If we do not regard God when he speaks to us—he will not regard us when we pray to him.

(2) Consider how serious and weighty the matters delivered to us are. Moses said, "I call heaven and earth to record this day, that I have set before you life and death." Deut 30:19. Can men be regardless of the Word, or drowsy when the weighty matters of eternity are set before them? We preach faith, and holiness of life, and the day of judgment and eternal retribution. Here life and death are set before you; and does not all this call for serious attention? If a letter were read to one of special business, wherein his life and estate were concerned, would he not be very serious in listening to it? In the preaching of the Word your salvation is concerned; and if ever you would attend, it should be now. "It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life." Deut 32:47.

(3) To give way to vain thoughts and drowsiness in hearing, gratifies Satan. He knows that not to mind a duty, is all one in religion as not to do it. "What the heart does not do—is not done." Therefore Christ says of some, "Hearing, they hear not." Matt 13:13. How could that be? Because, though the Word sounded in their ear—yet they minded not what was said to them, their thoughts were upon other things; therefore, it was all as one as if they did not hear. Does it not please Satan to see men come to the Word, and as good stay away? They are haunted with vain thoughts; they are taken off from the duty while they are in it; their body is in the assembly, but their heart in their shop. "Hearing, they hear not."

(4) Each Sabbath may be the last we shall ever keep. We may go from the place of hearing—to the place of judging; and shall not we give reverend attention to the Word? Did we think when we come into God's house— "Perhaps this will be the last time that ever God will counsel me about my soul; and before another sermon, death's alarm will sound in my ears! With what attention and devotion should I hear! My affections should be all on fire in hearing!"

(5) You must give an account for every sermon you hear. "Give an account of your stewardship." Luke 16:2. So will God say, "Give an account of your hearing. Have you been affected with the Word? Have you profited by it?" How can we give a good account, if we have been distracted in hearing, and have not taken notice of what has been said to us? The judge to whom we must give an account is God. Were we to give account to man, we might falsify accounts; but we must give an account to God. Bernard, "He is so just a God—that he cannot be bribed; and so wise that he cannot be deceived." Therefore, having to give an account to such an impartial Judge, how should we observe every word preached, remembering the account! Let all this make us shake off distraction and drowsiness in hearing, and have our ears chained to the Word!

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