acher's style of
expression, including his language, modulation of his voice, and
gestures. Others hear as the Pharisees and Herodians tried to hear
Christ, "that they might catch him in his talk;" and like the scribes
and Pharisees, "laying in wait for him, to catch something out of his
mouth" with which to accuse him. But these are not the only profitless
hearings which the God-loving and soul-loving minister of the Gospel
has to mourn over. The lives of some _prove_ that they hear mainly
from a desire to make others think that they have great respect for
religion and the Word of God. They go to church and hear, but heed
nothing. "By their fruits shall ye KNOW them." If people were rightly
to obey the injunction of my text, all such heedless and profitless
hearing would be at an end.

But how is the injunction of the text to be obeyed? And how is one to
know when he is obeying it? The command means that the hearer shall
_take heed_. This means "WATCH." What must he watch? "HOW HE HEARS."
The text has relation, not to WHAT ye hear, but HOW ye hear. It does
not point to the subject matter or the manner of the address, but to
the end _for_ which and to the spirit _in_ which it is heard. If the
heartfelt desire of the hearer is to learn truth, that he may be
enlightened and given to see the way of eternal life, he may feel
assured that his hearing is acceptable to God. He will then not be a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, and such a one shall be
blessed in his deed.

It is enjoined upon all to hear _intelligently_, for this belongs to
the _manner_ of hearing. No one can hear a sermon understandingly
without some previous knowledge of the subject matter of the
discourse. To acquire this knowledge every one should read and study
the Word of Divine Truth. It is able to make all "wise unto
salvation." Intelligent knowledge of the Scriptures can be acquired
only by patient study of them: but when they are studied to the
illumination of the understanding, the truth, like water in a well,
rises up into the understanding and meets you. We sometimes hear it
said of one who listens attentively and intelligently, "He seemed to
drink in every word spoken." This, I think, is what the Lord means by
these words to the woman at the well: "He that drinketh of this water
shall thirst again: but he that drinketh of the water that I shall
give him, shall never thirst; but it shall be in him a well of water
springing up into ever