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These words are the Father's advice to the newly espoused Bride, how she may please her husband, His Son.

1. Consider the appellation given to the soul espoused to Christ — "Daughter." Here is the name which believers receive. The person that naturally was a child of the devil, on the espousal with the Son of God, becomes a child of God. Though He brings home a spouse out of an ill house, and has nothing with her, yet His Father welcomes her into His family, and gives her no worse word than daughter.

2. The advice. She must be very obsequious to her husband, and in all things to follow Him as His own shadow. Search the meaning of the words, "hearken and consider." This is what a dutiful wife owes to her husband. Her husband's will must be hers. Her ear to him and her eye upon him. She must renounce all others for her husband. The more she minds them the less pleasing will she be. Consider —

I. THE DUTY OF THE ESPOUSED TO CHRIST, carefully to hear His will, and observe His motions, so as they may suit themselves to His pleasure in all things. This I take to be the meaning of this first clause. For explaining this doctrine, I shall show what is imported in it. It imports —

1. That Christ's spouse is not left to walk at random. She is to notice every step of her carriage.

2. That those that are espoused to Christ must renounce their own will, and not seek to please themselves. "If any man," saith Jesus, "will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up," etc.

3. That our great aim in all things must be to please our Lord and husband, this is the law of marriage.

4. That we must trample upon our own inclinations when contrary to His, as Abraham did when offering up Isaac.

5. That when Christ's will and our own go together, our main end must be to please Him.

6. We must not think to please Him with our own desires: only with what He commands.

7. That we must ever be with eye and ear attent that we may know and do His will (Psalm 123:2).

II. WHAT IT IS TO HEAR HIS WILL. He speaks through His works by our own consciences; by His Word, and by His Spirit. And all these we must hear and obey, and that without disputing.

III. HOW WE ARE TO EYE AND OBSERVE HIM SO AS TO PLEASE HIM. As our Lord and master; as our teacher; as our guide and leader; as our last and chief end; as our witness in all things; as our judge; as our husband. We should also diligently observe His countenance towards us; and His dispensations and way of dealing with us.

IV. REASONS OF THIS DOCTRINE. Because of all that He is to us. Because of His love to us which so demands it. He died for us. The angels obey Him, shall not we? His pleasure is that which is best for us. His bidding is ever for our good. There are three things I would have you to believe.

1. That you are not fit to be your own choosers. The event has proved it often, in that people getting their own will has been their ruin (Psalm 78:29), and the best of the saints, getting the reins in their own hand, have set all on fire.

2. All our wilfulness proceeds on a mistake. We think sinful liberty best for us, ease, plenty, and the like. God knows it is otherwise, and therefore He will have us hear Him for our good.

3. Consider your experience. Have you not seen many times how God has done you good against your wills, good which you would never have got had He given you your will.

(T. Boston, D. D)

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KJV: Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;

WEB: Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your father's house.