estate of those that do not Sanctifie God in his Word Page 200 1 They lose the choicest opportunity ibid 2 The Word will be a great aggravation of sin ibid 3 They that reject the Word reject Christ Page 201 4 It is an Argument of hardness of heart Page 202 5 It is a sad s gn of Reprobation ibid 6 To such there can be nothing sanctified Page 203 7 They are nigh to a curse ibid 8 It will turn to their damnation Page 205 9 It will not comfort them in afflictions Page 206 10 God will make his word good upon them Page 207 11 The word shall judge them ibid 12 God will blast them that sanctifie not his name in his word Page 208 Use 2 Exhortation to glorifie the Word of God Page 209 God will Sanctifie His Name in mercy upon those that sanctifie it in hearing the word Page 210 1 All the good in the world is theirs ibid 2 It is a certain evidence of their election Page 213 3 God will Sanctifie them by the word Page 214 4 They will be the glory of the Ministers at the day of Christ ibid 5 It will rejoyce them hereafter when God shall magnifie His word Page 215 SERMON XI Of Sanctifying the Name of God in Receiving the Sacrament Page 225 1 Receiving the Sacrament is a part of Gods Worship Page 226 2 Gods Name must be Sanctified in our Receiving the Sacrament Page 228 1 Because there are presented the greatest mysteries of salvation ibid 2 It is an Ordinance that Christ hath left out of His love ibid 3 It is the Sacrament of our Communion with Christ Page 229 4 The Covenant of Grace is sealed in it ibid 2 No duty is urged with more strength and severity ibid 3 Nothing striks more upon mens Consciences Page 230 How many are to Sanctifie Gods Name in the Sacrament Page 231 1 Those that receive it must be holy Page 232 1 Because it is the seal of the Covenant ibid 2 It is an Ordinance of spiritual 〈◊〉 Page 233 3 Because we are required to examine our selves ibid 4 It is a Sacrament of Communion with God and the Saints Page 234 2 It must be received in a holy Communion ibid Wicked men not to be admitted to this Communion Page 235 SERMON XII Addition to the former concerning holy Commuion Page 242 The qualifications in the soul to fit it for receiving the Lords Supper Page 244 1 Knowledge ibid 2 A broken heart Page 246 3 Actual purging the heart from sin Page 249 4 Hungring and thirsting after Jesus Christ Page 251 5 Exercise of faith Page 252 6 Exercise of Spirituall joy Page 255 7 Thankfulness ibid 8 Renewing of Covenant Page 257 9 Renewing of love towards God and our brethren Page 258 SERMON XIII We must keep to the institution in the Sacrament Page 261 1 For the gesture Page 262 2 Delivering it to all in generall and not into every particular mans hand Page 264 3 That the Communicants be all the while exercised in their thoughts about the death of Christ Page 265 Meditations in receiving the Sacrament Page 267 1 That the way of mans salvation it is through a Mediator ibid 2 This Mediator between God and man is true man ibid. 3 That his body was broken and his blood shed for us Page 268 4 It was the body and blood of that person that is God that reconciles us ibid. 5 To consider the dreadfulnesse of Gods justice ibid 6 The price of saving a Soul Page 269 7 The greatnesse of the evill of sin ibid. 8 The infinite love of God to mankinde ibid. 9 That beleevers shall be nourished to eternall life ibid. 10 To meditate upon the Covenant of grace to beleevers Page 270 Holy dispositions to be actuated in receiving the Sacrament Page 271 Of Sanctifying the name of God in Prayer Page 272 What preparation we are to make to Prayer Page 274 1 Concerning the matter of Prayer Page 276 2 Concerning the manner of Prayer Page 280 Concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer Page 281 SERMON XIV A further enlargement concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer Page 283 5 Rules to helpe against wandring thoughts Page 286 1 Set a high price upon the duties of Prayer ibid. 2 To renew resolutions against wandring thoughts Page 287 3 To set the presence of God before us Page 288 4 To account all wandring thoughts evill ibid. 5 To blesse God if at any time he did help us against them Page 289 3 For sanctifying Gods name in Prayer there must be the breathings of the spirit Page 289 4 There must be pure hearts and hands Page 292 5. Wee must call upon God in truth ibid. What it is to call upon God in truth ibid. 6 Wee must pray in faith Page 293 7 In the spirit of adoption Page 294 8 Wee must pray with constancy Page 295 9 We must pray in humility ib. 10 We must tender up al our prayers in the name of Christ Page 296 Conclusion of all Page 297 FINIS THREE TREATISES OF Mr. Ieremiah Burroughs VIZ. 1. The rare Iewel of Christian Contentment Wherein is shewed 1. What it is 2. The holy Art or Mystery of it 3. Several Lessons that Christ teacheth to work the Heart to Contentment 4. The excellencies of it 5. The evils of Murmuring 6. The aggravations of that sin II. Gospel-Worship Wherein is shewed 1. The right maner of Sanctifying the Name of God in general and particularly in these three great Ordinances 1. Hearing the Word 2. Receiving the Lords-Supper 3. Prayer III. Gospel-Conversation Wherein is shewed 1. That the Conversation of Believers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2. Beyond those that lived under the Law Suitable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth Published by Thomas Goodwin William Greenhill Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderly London Printed for Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange and Richard Westbrook 1648. Gospel-worship OR The right manner of drawing nigh to God in general And particularly in these three great Ordinances Viz. 1 Hearing of the Word 2 Receiving the Lords Supper 3 Prayer LEVITICUS 10.3 Then Moses said unto Aaron This is it that the Lord spake saying I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the People I will be glorified And Aaron held his peace THESE words are the speech of Moses to Aaron his Brother endeavouring to quiet and comfort his heart which was no question exceedingly troubled upon that great and sore affliction that was upon him in the strange death of his two sons Nadab Abihu the story is this After Aarons sons were consecrated to the Priestly Office they coming to attend this their Office the very first day after their consecration to offer Incense unto God they ventured to offer Incense with strange fire with other fire than God had appointed Upon that the fire of Gods wrath broke out upon them
word that I did reverence that I did obey that I did love that I made to be the joy of my heart this Word the Lord now doth magnifie and make to be honorable This will be comfortable to thy soul The Eleventh SERMON LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me THE last day we finished the Point of Sanctification of the Name of God in the hearing of His Word and now we will proceed to the Sanctification of the Name of God in Receiving the Sacrament that 's the next duty of Worship Now first for the word Sacrament I confese we have not that word in all the Scripture as neither have we the word Trinity and divers other words that Ministers make use of to set forth the Mysteries of Religion by but yet it is useful to consider the meaning why ministers in the Church have given this name unto those signs and seals that the Church receives Sacrament is to hallow a thing or to dedicate because in the Sacraments there are outward things that ere made holy for holy and spiritual ends Secondly We our selves do as it were hallow or dedicate our selves unto God in the use of these Ordinances that 's one reason from whence it hath the name Or otherwise as some will have it Sacramentum because it is to be received Sacramente with a holy mind and therefore cal'd the Sacrament The Churches have used it a long time in Tertullians time which was above fourteen hundred years agoe he was the first that we find used this word and most that would open the word unto us say that especially it was taken from the practise of Souldiers who when they came and listed themselves bound themselves in a solemn oath to be faithful to their Captain and to the Cause that they did undertake and the oath they were wont to call Sacramentum A Sacrament Now in regard that Christians when they come to this Ordinance they come to seale a Covenant with God and though they do not formally and explicitely take an oath yet they bind themselves in a holy Covenant which hath the strength even of an oath in it For a solemn Promise to the high God hath the strength of an oath in it and from thence they were cal'd by these names Sacraments but that for the word that you may understand it But the word the Scripture useth to set out this Sacrament by that now I am speaking of is the Communion of the body and blood of Christ so you have it in 1 Cor. 10.6 The Cup of blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ I say we are now treating about this point how we are to Sanctifie the Name of God in that which the Scripture cals the Communion of the body and blood of Christ And now for the opening of that First We must know that this is a part of the Worship of God and we draw nigh to God in this or otherwise it will not come up to our point And then we shall shew that God is to be Sanctified in this duty of worship And then thirdly how First We doe in this draw nigh to God We worship God For when we are comming to receive these holy Signes and Seals we come to present our selves before God and we have to deal with God himselfe in a service that he himselfe requires of us in a Holy in a Divine Service we come to present our selves to God for blessing for Communication of some higher good unto us then possibly those Creatures that we have to deal with are able of themselves to covey to us we come for a higher good than to tast a piece of bread or to drink a draught of wine we come I say to present our selves to God that we might have Communion with him and that we might have the blessing of the Covenant of grace conveyed unto us through these things now certainly this is a drawing nigh to God for to present our selves for the Conveyance of the blessing of the Covenant of grace through these Creatures yea that we might have Communion with God himself in them this is drawing nigh to him when we come to his Table therefore we draw nigh to God had not God instituted and appointed these Creatures Bread and Wine and the actions about them to be the means of Conveyance of blessing unto as it had been Will-worship for us to have expected any further presence of God in such Creatures than there is in the nature of them It is true God is present with every Creature when we eat and drink at our Tables God is present there but we cannot be said to draw nigh to God and worship God there for we there look for no further presence of God with us in them to convey further good than the Lord hath put into the nature of those things only when godly people take them and receive them as blessings sanctified by the word they take them as the blessings of God that come out of love to them But now when we come to receive that which is cal'd the Communion there we expect things that are beyond the nature of these Creatures to convey that that is by an institution of God set a part for supernatural uses and ends not to convey in any natural way such and such things but in a supernatural way through the institution of God and so it comes to be worship Had we not I say a command for this it were superstition and Idolatry for us to make use of such Creatures for such ends If any man in the world should have appointed a piece of Bread or a draught of wine to have signified and sealed the body and blood of Christ it had bin superstition in any and Wil-worship and sinful and abominable to you but we are to look upon God setting apart these Creatures for such holy and solemn ends and therefore when we come to be exercised in them we come to worship God and we come likewise to tender up our homage to God when we come to attend upon him in such Ordinances as these are to tender up that homage that is due from us poor Creatures unto such an infinite and glorious God and therefore we draw nigh to him in these Secondly We must sanctifie Gods Name in drawing nigh to him whatsoever we do whether we eat or drink we must do all to the glory of God Now if in our common eating and drinking we must do all to the glory of God then certainly in this spiritual eating and drinking there must be some special thing done for the glory of God in this 1. Because there is so much of God in it for here there is a presenting before us the great yea the greatest mysteries of salvation and the deep Counsels of God concerning eternal life are presented before us in
these outward Elements of the bread and wine and the action thereof now when we come to eat and to drink those things that are appointed to set forth the greatest mysteries of salvation and the deepest of the Counsels of God concerning mans eternal good wherein especially God will glorifie himself we had need there sanctifie the Name of God for the things are very great and glorious that are presented unto us 2. This Ordinance of the Lords Supper or the Communion it is an Ordinance that Christ hath left to his Church out of the abundance of his love and therefore you shall find if you reade the institution of it in the 23. of Matth. that the same night wherein Christ was betrayed he took bread and brake it though Christ was to die the next day and to encounter with the wrath of God yea that very night he was to be in an agonie and to sweat drops of water and blood and the next day to die and to have these Tryals of wrath poured upon him so as to put him to cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet he busies his thoughts that very night to institute this Supper surely it must be a great Ordinance and there is a great deal of love of Christ in it Christ saw that his Church had need of it that he should that night when he was betrayed have his thoughts busied about such a thing as this is One would think at that time that he had enough to take up his thoughts concerning himself being to encounter with the Law and with the wrath of God for mans sin but for all that great work Christ had to encounter with yet his thoughts are busied about this great Ordinance of the institution of the Supper and therefore there was great love in it Christ saw that it was a matter of great moment now if it is so then there is great cause why we should sanctifie Gods Name in such an Ordinance as this is and not to account it as a common and ordinary thing 3. We must sanctifie Gods name in this because it is the Sacrament of our Communion with Christ wherein we come to have such a neer union and communion with him as to eat his flesh and to drink his blood and to sit at his table We come to have Communion with Christ even in al our Sences now Christ coming so fully to us that cals upon us to sanctifie his Name when we come before him 4 In this the Covenant of grace is sealed the Covenant of grace comes to be sealed in both the parts of it now when we come to have to deal with God in the way of the Covenant of grace both to have the Seal on his part and the Seal on ours surely this must needs call for a sanctifyed use of such a thing as is so holy as this is And that 's the first reason why we are to sanctifie Gods Name in this because if we be in ordinary eating drinking we must do it then in this wherein there is so much of God wherein the Mysteries of Godliness are set before us wherein there is so much of the love of Christ wherein we are to have close Communion with Jesus Christ and wherein the Covenant of grace comes to be sealed on both sides there had need therefore be sanctifying of Gods Name in the use of it Secondly Consider this that there is no duty in all the book of God that I know of that is urged with more strength and severity than this is as that place in 1 Cor. 11. sheweth where you have required of every one that comes to receive the Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper That they should examine themselves and so eat and you have the most dreadful expressions against those that do not do it that I know are mentioned against the neglect of any duty in all the Book of God there the holy Ghost saith that whosoever eats and drinks unworthily First he is guilty of the body and blood of Christ and then Secondly he eats and drinks his own damnation These two expressions have as much dreadfulness in them as can be Imagined and we do not find an exhortation to a duty backt with two such severe expressions in case we should neglect our duty as this exhortation What if we do not sanctifie Gods Name in this duty we come to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ Blood-guiltiness is a terrible thing you know David cries out Lord deliver me from Blood-guiltiness to have but the blood of an ordinary man to lie upon one to shed the blood of the viledest Rogue that lives in a murderous way it would lie upon the Conscience and be very terrible it is impossible that such a man can be quiet all his daies though he hath never such a seared Conscience A Heathen could not be at quiet if he hath the guilt of blood lie upon him but to be guilty of the blood of Christ whose blood is ten thousand thousand times more worth than the blood of all the men that ever lived upon the face of the earth must need be a most dreadful thing It is a fearful expression guilty of the body and blood of Christ that is he offers such an indignity to the body and blood of Christ as the Lord will charge him of being guilty of it guilty of abusing the body and blood of Jesus Christ And then he doth eat and drink his own damnation but we shall speak more to that when we come to shew how God will sanctifie his Name in those that do not sanctifie it here in this holy Ordinance I will not therefore spend further time in those Scriptures for I bring them only now to shew that there is a necessity of it that we do sanctifie the Name of God in this Ordinance Thirdly there is nothing that strikes more upon a mans conscience we find it by experience even upon wicked mens consciences and especially upon such as begin to be enlightened in the holiness of this Ordinance God hath put much honor upon it I confess some men may use it superstitiously though it be an Ordinance of Christ yet God hath put a great deal of honor upon this Ordinance that men that are very wicked otherwise yet their Consciences tell them that when they come to this Ordinance then they must be good then they must not sin but have good thoughts and good prayers at that time And many times they dare not come if their consciences tell them that they live in some sin I knew one my self once that was to be executed and he had never received this Ordinance in all his life though about fourty yeares of Age And being askt the reason why he confest that he lived in some sin that he was loth to leave and therefore would never come to that Ordinance all his life though herein the Devil gul'd and deceived him but
comes to a place and there 's only good seed sown and is a means of the conversion of many but together with the conversion of some there are others that do hear the Gospel Preached and the truth is they being mingled among the hearers of the Word in stead of bringing forth good fruit according to the Gospel they bring forth the Tares now saith the servant Lord how comes it to pass that we preach such excellent truths in this place and yet there are so many wicked men that bring forth such wicked fruit Lord is it thy mind that we should be wholly separated from them and have nothing to do with them that there should be a full separation while we live in this world no saith Christ not so for then the truth is if all godly men should wholly withdraw from wicked men and beleeve that they may not live among them they could not live in the world If you did beleeve it were your duty not so much as to live neer a wicked man nor to have any thing to do in any kind of converse with him there would be no Wheat growing in this field of the world here and therefore you must be content when you live where the Preaching of the Gospel is and the seed brings forth good fruit in some and in others it brings forth Tares you must not be offended by this that here in this world God doth not by some visible stroke of judgement come and strike them dead or that God doth not take some course that there should be a full separation here but that they might live together till the day of judgment here I say you shall not have such a full separation so that you see it carries a very fair sense to take the field to be the world and the kingdome of Heaven thereto be the Preaching of the Gospel in any place and so we must be content while we live in this world to be where wicked and ungodly men are But it doth not follow from this place that we are to have converse in the closest communion in Church-commmnion with wicked men to be made one body by eating the same bread and drinking the same wine it holds not forth such close communion as this is so that there 's little strength can be taken from that place but still it holds that wheresoever there is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper there must be a holy communion of Saints Object The Scripture only saith Let us examine our selves Answ I grant for the benefiâ— to mine own soul I must look to examine my self more especially but now for another I am but onely so farre bound to looke to him as to keepe my selfe clean it is true I am not bound to go and pry into his life and all his waies so as to force him to give an account of things that are secret but I am bound to keep a watch and if any thing be done that offends me then I am bound to go to him according to the former Rule of Christ and if he appears to be wicked then I am bound to see him purged from the Congregation for take but that other text in 1 Cor. 5.6 know you not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump If I do not do so much as concerns my duty then I am defiled by it So as that you must not think that it is nothing to you how many wicked men come to the Lords Table and that it belongs only to the Ministers and they are to look to it the truth is that every one in his place is to look to it and every one may be defiled if he doth not performe this duty that God requires of him do not say what have I to doe with my Brother am I my Brothers keeper it was the speech of Cain if thou beest of the same body you are to have a care of your Brother do not ye judge those that are within there is some kind of judgment that every one may passe upon such as do joyne with them in the same Body surely it concerns me much what shall I do in such an action as to joyne with them to eat bread whereby I must professe that I do beleeve my selfe to be of the same body that this drunkard is of that this Whoremaster is of that this swearer is of whenever you receive the Communion with any company you do professe your selves to be of the same body with that Company only in this case If I have discovered any and can particularly professe against any one then I do not professe my self to be of the same body with him but now when I come in an ordinary way and I know such to be wicked vile and prophane and I professe nothing against them nor take any course at all I do then by partaking with them professe my selfe to be of the same body that they are of Thou doest as it were openly declare Lord here we come and professe that we are all of the body of Jesus Christ now when thou knowest such and such as are notoriously wicked and prophane and dost nothing in the world to help to purge them out dost not thou think that Gods Name is taken in vain is not Gods Name prophaned here therefore it concerns us very much to look unto it that it be a holy communion that we receive the Bread and Wine in I beseech you therefore understand things a right that I have spoken of I have laboured to satisfie men that there is a way that we may partake of the Sacrament though wicked men be mixt with us But this is that that is required of you for doing your duty to keep your selves clean that you may not be accessory any way to any wicked mans coming to partake of this holy mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ there are divers things further about this and the special thing I thought of was to shew you the holy qualifications that there ought to be but this I conceived to be necessary and I should not have had peace in mine own conscience as being faithful to you in what I am speaking of sanctifying the Name of God in this Ordinance if I should not have mentioned this that I have spoken unto you and there 's an error on both sides that I desire to meet withall either those that come hand over head and think it concerns them not at all with whom they come to the Sacrament but to look to their own hearts and there 's an error on the other side that if they do what they can to keep them away and yet if they should be suâ—â—ered to come they may not come to partake of those things now it is very usefull for us to know what we should doe in this case SERMON XII LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me I Shall adde something to one particular that I had the last day concerning
for the setting out of his sufferings it hath a more special blessing that goes along with it every Ordinance hath a promise and a more special blessing than any other thing that is not an Ordinance So when you come here to behold Christ crucified before you you cannot see Christ naturally crucified as upon the Crosse but you have Christ crucified before you in the way of a Sacrament in the way of a solemne institution of Jesus Christ that hath a special blessing which goes along with it therefore if the heart be not broken here there is an aggravation of the hardness of the heart as great as if we should behold Jesus Christ upon the Crosse and our hearts not broken there and indeed this is a special reason why those are said to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ that receive unworthily as if a man had been then alive and had been before the Crosse and there have seen how the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for sinne and should not have been affected with it but should have accounted it as a common thing this man in some regard might have been said to be guilty of his death that is to have joyned and consented with those that did crucifie him for if a man sees another commit a sin if he be not affected with that sinne and it does not stir his heart he may come to be partaker of his sin so those that shall come to see Jesus Christ crucified and have not their hearts at all stir'd with the crucifying of Christ they are in some regard truly said to be guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ And that 's the Second thing brokenness of spirit is sutable to the light of a broken Christ 3. The Third thing that is here to be done in the Sanctifying of Gods Name Is the purging and clensing of the heart from sin and actuall clensing and purging the heart from sin there ought to be The Jewes in their Passe-over were to cast out all leaven and those that write of the custome of the Jews say that they were wont to do three things in the casting out of their Leaven 1. They made deligent search for Leaven they lighted Candles to look into every Corner lest there should be any bit of Leaven left in the house 2. When they found it they cast it out 3. They used an execration they did curse themselves if they should willingly keep any Leaven in the house So my brethren when we come to partake of this holy Ordinance there should be a diligent inquisition for sin for Sin in Scripture is compared to Leaven thou shouldest make a diligent search what sin there is in thy heart in any of the faculties of thy soul what sin there is in thy thoughts in thy Conscience in thy understanding in thy will in any of thy affections what sin there hath been in thy life what family sins what personal sins Thou shouldest make a diligent search to see whether there be not some Leaven some evil in thy heart and what ever sin thou shalt come to find out in thy heart the must be a casting of it out that is thy soul must be set against it to oppose it with all thy might whatever beloved sin whatever gainful sin whatsoever become of thee thy soule must renounce that sin of thine yea and in a kind of execration of thy self that 's thus Lord as ever I expect to receive any good by this body and blood of Christ that I come now to receive so Lord here I profess against every sin that I have found out in my heart I desire to find out all and professe against all and renounce all and would do to the uttermost that I am able for delivering of my soule fully from every known or beloved sin Oh that there might not be any remaining in my heart this must be the disposition of the soul comming hither and it must needs be thus or else we cannot sanctifie Gods Name because there is nothing more sutable than this disposition unto the receiving of the Sacrament for we come here to professe that we do acknowledge that sinne did cost so much as it did that it cost the Blood of the Son of God now this cannot chuse but cause the heart to renounce sinne If indeed I do beleeve that sinne hath cost the blood of Christ that it cost him so deare as it did that it did trouble Heaven and Earth that here must be such a mighty wonderfull way of satisfaction to God for my sinne committed against him certainly sinne hath a dreadfull evill in it Oh! let me never have to doe with such sin that was the cause of such sufferings to my Saviour that did shed his blood If so be that thou saweh a knife that had cut the throat of thy dearest child would not thy heart rise against that knife Suppose you come to a Table and here is a knife laid at your Trencher and it was told you this is the knife that cut the throat of your childe or father if you could use that knife as another knife would not any one say There was but little love to your father or child So when there is a temptation comes to any sinne this is the knife that cut the throat of Christ that pierc'd his sides that was the cause of all his suffering that made Christ to be a curse now wilt not thou look upon that as a cursed thing that made Christ to be a curse Oh with what detestation would a man or woman fling away such a knife and with the like detestation it is required that thou shouldest renounce sin for that was the cause of the death of Christ I remember it is reported of Anthony when Caesar was slaine he comes to stir up the people against those that had slaine Caesar and he takes the cloathes that were bloody and holds them forth to the people and saith here is the blood of your Emperour and upon that the people were enraged against those that had slaine him and went and pul'd down their houses upon them So when thou comest to this Sacrament thou seest the blood of Christ gushing out and for thy sin if ever thy sin be pardoned either thy soul must be eternally damn'd for thy sin or else thy sin cost the gushing out of the Blood of Christ now when thou seest this this should cause a holy rage in thy soul against sin that caused this surely the putting away sin the risings of the heart against sin must needs be a disposition sutable to such an Ordinance as this is And that 's the third thing required in the sanctifying of Gods Name in this Ordinance the purging out of sin and rising of the heart against it 4. The fourth thing that is to be done for the sanctifying of Gods Name here it is the hungering and thirsting of the soul after Jesus Christ whosoever comes hither
he comes to a feast and the Lord expects that all his guests should come with stomacks unto this feast come with hungring and longing for Jesus Christ this should be the disposition of the soul Oh that my soul might enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ now this is the end that I am come for Oh the Lord that knows the workings of my heart knows that this is the great desire of my soul that I might enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ Oh that I might have more of Christ that I might meet with Christ that I might have some further manifestation of Jesus Christ that I might have my soul further united to the Lord Christ and so have further influence of Christ to my soul I come with thirsting after the Lord Christ knowing my infinite need of him and the infinite excellency that there is in Jesus Christ my soule doth famish and perish for ever without Christ but in the enjoyment of Christ there is a fulnesse for the satisfying of my soule that I have had of Christ sometimes in the word and sometimes in prayer that hath bin sweet unto me but I expect a further Communion of Christ here for this is the grand Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ indeed the word in this respect it is beyond this Ordinance that is it is not only for the increase of grace but for the begetting this is only for the increase of grace and not appointed for the begetting now in that respect the Word is above the Sacrament but now this Sacrament is a more full Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ this is the Communion of the body of Jesus Christ and of his blood and therefore there ought to be hungring and thirsting desires of the soule after Jesus Christ therefore you must take heed you doe not come with your Stomacks full of trash as children when they can get Plums and Peares and fill their stomacks with them when they come to your Tables though there be never so much wholsome diet they have no mind at all to it so it is with men of the world they fill their hearts with the trash of this world and with sensual delights and hence it is that when they come to such a great Ordinance to enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ that then they feele no want at all of Christ only they come and take a little piece of bread and a draught of wine but for any strong pausing desires to meet with Jesus Christ there in the Ordinance to come so as they know not how to live without Christ even as a man that is an hungred cannot live without his meate and drink and so for the soule to have such a disposition after Christ this is a rare thing but know that Gods Name is not sanctified unlesse thou doest come in such a way unto this holy Sacrament that 's the fourth thing hungry and thirsty desires after Christ from a deepe sence of the need of him and the apprehension of the Excellency in him 5 In the fift place there must be an exercise of Faith for the sanctifying of Gods Name here Faith that is both the hand and the mouth for the taking of this spiritual meat and spiritual drink when thou comest to the Feast of the Lord Faith first is the eye and then the hand and mouth it is the eye of the soul to give a real sight of what there is here you are not able to discern the Body of the Lord but by the eye of Faith if thou comest only with bodily eyes to look upon what is here thou seest nothing but a little bread and wine But now where the eye of Faith is there is a reall appearance of Jesus Christ to the soul as if Christ were bodily present and we need not have the bread turned into his body for Faith can see the body of Christ through the bread and the blood of Christ gushing in the wine And it is a mighty thing to have Christ and such spiritual things made real and not to be a fansie If one look upon the fire that is painted one cannot heat ones self in cold weather with that but fire that is really burning upon the hearth so those that come to receive the Sacrament and not come with Faith that have only the eye of their bodies they only see as it were a painted Christ they do not see Christ really his body and blood and those great Mysteries of the Gospel are not presented as reall things to their souls and hence it is that they go away and get nothing but now when the soul comes with the eye of Faith the soul sees the wonderfull things of God it is the most glorious sight in the world all the glory of God in the heavens and earth is not like this fight of Jesus Christ and the mysteries of the Gospel that do appear to the eye of Faith therefore you may by this know whether you have come with faith or no to the Sacrament whether you have seen the most glorious fight that ever your eyes did behold alas with our naturall eyes we behold a Minister coming with a piece of bread and a little wine but when the eye of Faith is opened then we behold the glorious things of the Gospel many times when you come to hear the word your hearts burn within you as they that went to Emaus but when you are breaking bread the eye of Faith that must look upon Jesus Christ and in this sence those that have pierced Christ must look upon him that Scripture is fulfilled in Zach. 12. latterend They shall look on him whom they have pierced by their sins and then mourne and lament this eye of Faith will cause mourning and lamenting for sin And then as faith is the eye to make what is here reall so faith is the hand to take it when you come to a feast you must have something to take the meat to you so saith Christ he brake bread and gave it to his Disciples saying take eat this take it how shall we take it by reaching out of the hand if you sanctifie Gods Name in this Ordinance as you reach out your hand to take the bread and wine so there must be an actual reaching out of the soul by faith putting forth an act of faith to receive Jesus Christ unto the soul to apply the Lord Jesus Christ to thy soule with all his merits and good things that he hath purchased when the Minister doth give out that Ordinance you should look upon God the Father giving out his Son as if this were you condition I am now in the presence of the eternal Father who now doth actually give out his Sonne to my soule and saith soule here receive a new this day my Sonne with all that he hath purchased for thy good now then the soul acts upon this and by stirring up an act of faith come and closes with this gift of the Father
the Truths of God that I have delivered and so far as you have been wanting in any of these know so far you have taken Gods Name in vain in this holy Ordinance you have not been worthy receivers of this Sacrament you have cause to look back to your former waies and spend much humiliation for you sin herein and not to be so greedy of it as some are they must have the Communion but I put it to your Consciences have you repented you for the prophaning of Gods Name and that 's that that we should further have spoken of that God will be sanctified that 's thus if we do not sanctifie Gods Name it will quite turn to the contrary it is the proper end of the Sacrament to seal up our salvation but if we sanctifie not Gods Name it will seal up our condemnation if it hath not been thy endeavour to sanctifie the Name of God so many times as thou hast received the Sacrament so many seals hast thou upon thee for the sealing up of thy condemnation many mens or womens condemnations are sealed with three or four hundred seals may be But yet for thy comfort while thou art alive it is possible that these Seales may be broken open as we reade in the Revelations that John saw the Book that had seven seals upon it and none could be found that was able to open it at length the lamb that was slaine he was found worthy to open the Book So I say thy condemnation is sealed up with many seales and there is no Creature that is able to Cancel these seales only the Lamb Jesus Christ yea that Christ whose blood thou hast shed and been guilty of only he is worthy and he is willing to open these seales for as it was with those that did crucife Christ yet they were sav'd by the same blood that they had shed as in Acts 2. so though thou hast been guilty of shedding the blood of Christ againe and againe by thy prophane coming to the Sacrament yet know seeing there is life in thee and the day of grace is continued it is possible that thy soul may be sav'd by that blood that thou hast crucified O how many are cut off that have thus prophan'd the name of God in this Sacrament and never came to understand this danger they are cut off and now are undone for ever why blesse God that thou art alive to hear more about this Sacrament and how Gods Name should be sanctified that thou art alive and hast time to repent thee of this great evil of prophaning the Name of God in this holy Sacrament SERMON XIII LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me THere is one thing more about the Sanctifying the Name of God in the Sacrament which cleerly concerns us and that is To keep to the institution of the Sacrament for this is such a worship of God as depends meerly upon institution that is upon a positive Law upon the will of God there are some duties of worship which are naturall that we may know by the light of nature they are due to God but the Sacrament is a duty of worship that is only by institution and if God had not revealed it we had not been bound to it therefore in these duties of institution God stands very punctuall upon them we must be very axact neither to erse on the right hand nor the left to make any alteration in the points of institution Now therefore for the institution of this Sacrament wee find it in divers of the Evangelists in Matth. 26.26 there you shall finde that Christ and his Disciples they eate the Sacrament together and this was the way of it They were together sitting at the same Table so it is called the Table of the Lord sometimes in Scripture therefore that 's the first thing that is according to the institution that those that do communicaâ—e must come to the Table as neer as they can as many as can sit about it and all to come as neer as they can and the reason is because that otherwise you will not be able to attain the end why God would have you come to receive the end is to remember the death of Christ now except you be able to see the sight to see what is done to have your eye as well as your ear exercised you do not fully accomplish the end that is appointed for this is a Sacrament that doth present to our eyes the death of Christ and the great mysteries of salvation and therefore it is according to the institution that every Communicant must bee where he may behold what is done he must be where he may see the breaking of the bread and the powring forth of the wine certainly it hath been a disorderly way therefore for people to sit up and down in their pews every where in the Congregation and for the Minister to goe up and downe after them so that they could see nothing nor scarce hear any thing it is much for the attaining to the end of the institution for all Communicants to look upon the breaking of the Bread and the powring forth of the Wine in the Sacrament and therefore all should come together and there as many as can sit at his Table or those that cannot neer to it and the rather because this is not only from the example of Christ that he did so though that 's somwhat but because it hath a spiritual significancy in it and that 's the reason that it should be done we find in Luke 22.26 the institution of the Sacrament now mark upon their coming and being with Christ at the Table saith Christ at the 29. and 30. verses and I appoint unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto mee that you may eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdome and sit on Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel He spake it upon that occasion of the Disciples sitting with him at the Table when they did eat bread and when they took the Cup upon that occasion Christ spoke to his Disciples and said I appoint to you a Kingdom that ye may eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdome and so sit on Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel as if Christ should say you can sit with mee at my Table here and know that this sitting with me at my Table it is but as it were a praeludium a fore-signification of the Communion that you shall have with me in my Kingdome you shall have that familiar Communion with me when I come unto my Kingdome there to fit as it were with me to joyne with mee in my Kingdome judging the twelve Tribes of Israel even as you do now in that holy fellowship joyne with me in sitting at my Table this is the meaning of Christ so that the Gesture in the Sacrament is not a meer indifferent thing heretofore it hath been thought unreasonable to contend for
others taking the bread and wine all that while you should be thinking of the death of Christ and discerning the Lords body and consider what these outward elements do signifie and that they do seale the great benefit of the Covenant of grace therefore it is not according to the institution to be singing of Psalmes in the mean time while the Sacrament is receiving and so to have your thoughts about other things singing of Psalmes in its due time is a good thing but for you to do it at that time when as the death of Christ is presented before you and Christ cals you to look upon his body and to think upon what he hath done and suffered this is no seasonable time of singing and if you reade the institution you shall find that Christ after all was done the text saith they sung an hymne so that according to the institution it is after the action is done of eating and drinking then for the Church to joyne together and sing a Psalme in the praise of God and then they must mind all the same thing togeâ—her for that 's the thing to be done in the Sacrament that look what one doth all must mind together for when one part sings and the other are waiting for the bread and wine this is not sutable to the holy Table-action and that Communion that God requires of us though the things in themselves are both good that are doing yet when we are about this holy Ordinance being it is an Ordinance for Communion all are to be doing the same thing at the same time and so when all have done eating and drinking then for all to joyne together in singing to the praise of God Now it may be this at first seems strange to many yet certainly observe this do but keep to the institution in the Sacrament though you may think it a more mean way yet you will find a greater beauty in this Ordinance than ever you found in all your lives for the more we keep to Christs institution and mingle nothing of our owne the more glory and beauty and excellencie doth appear in the Ordinances of Jesus Christ but when any man shall mix any of his owne inventions though he may do it to a good end and think to adde to and put a greater lustre upon the Sacrament the truth is that which he thinks to be a greater lustre reverence or honor put upon it it doth rather take off the lustre and glory of the Sacrament then are the institutions of Christ glorious when there is no mixture among them thus we should sanctifie the Name of God in receiving this holy Sacrament you have had divers things propounded to you whereby you may come to know and castly to see that there hath been a great deale of dishonour done to this Sacrament and the beauty and glory of it hath been darkened and the sweet that the Saints might otherwise have received in partaking hath been exceedingly hindred There is but one thing more that I shall propound to you and that is the several meditations that we should meditate on in receiving of the Sacrament the most concerning meditations are suggested in the holy Communion that are in any thing whatsoever more concerning more efficacious more various meditations we have suggested here than in any thing and it is a great sign that men and women do not discern the Lords body if so be their meditations be barren at that time I will therefore suggest some nine or ten meditations that that Ordinance of God may hold out very plainly and familiarly to every Communicant for the busying of their thoughts all the time that action is a doing Meditation 1. As first that the way of mans salvation it was by a Mediator it is not only by Gods mercy Gods saying that he is offended by sin but he will be content to passe it by no but it is through a Mediator now this meditation is suggested thus when I see the bread and wine if I discern what that signifies it will hold forth this to me that the way of mans salvation it is not meerly from hence that God saith well I will pardon them and no more but there is required a great work of God to make an Atonement between sinners and himself this Sacrrment doth hold forth thus much unto us wherefore else have we bread and wine but to signifie that the way of our reconciliation it must be through a Mediator Med. 2. The second Meditation is this That this Mediator that stands between God and us is verily and truly man he hath taken our nature upon him the bread that puts us in mind of the body of Christ and the wine of his blood and therefore we are to meditate of the humane nature of Jesus Christ and this is a meditation that hath abundance that might spring out of it what hath the Son of God taken our nature upon him hath he body and blood and humane nature upon him Oh how hath God honoured humane nature then let me not abuse my body to lust to wickednesse seeing that Jesus Christ hath taken the body of man upon him humane nature upon him let me honour humane nature that is so neerly united to the Divine nature that 's the second Meditation Meditation 3. Here 's presented unto us what this Mediator hath done for the reconciling of us unto God that his body was broken he hath subjected himself to the breaking of his body and to the powring forth of his blood for the reconciling of us it is not meerly as before that God saith I 'le pardon them but Christ undertaking to make peace between his Father and us it cost him the breaking of his body and the powring forth of his blood this is a useful Meditation Oh what should we be willing to suffer for Jesus Christ in our bodies even to resist unto blood seeing Christ hath been content to have his precious body broken and his blood shed for us Meditation 4. Again a fourth Meditation is this That here we come to see we have occasion of meditating of that Scripture saith that we are by the blood of God saved it is the blood of God they crucified the Lord of glory that 's the Scripture phrase we should consider when we see the Wine powred out and so put in mind of blood whose blood and whose body is this It is no other but the body and blood of him that was truly God the second Person in Trinity This is the great Mystery of the Gospel and this is very needful for us to be thinking of when we see the body broken and the blood powred out What will the breaking of the body and shedding of the blood of a meere creature be sufficient to make peace between God and Man surely noâ— therefore you must meditate whose body this is and whose blood this is it is the body and blood of him that was God It 's true God
peoples withdrawing from such a Congregation where they could not receive all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ As now If I were in a Church where I could have but a piece of the Sacrament suppose they dealt with me as the Papists do with the people that is they will give them the bread and not the wine Certainly I were not bound to stay with them then but I were bound to goe where I might have the whole Sacrament So if a Church will give me some one Ordinance and not another I confess so long as there is hope that I may enioy it and that they are in a way for enjoyment I think there should be a great forbearance to a Church as well as to a particular person as I must not withdraw from a particular man where there is hope still of his reformation and that there may come good of my forbearance so toward a Church much more but I say if I cannot enjoy neither doth there appear any hope of the enjoyment of all Ordinances certainly it were but a cruelty to force men to stay there when as other where they may enjoy all Ordinances for the good of their souls And this cannot be Schisme thus to do as now is this Schisme suppose a man were in a place and joyned in such a Communion for his outward benefit he may remove his dwelling from one place to another if he can have better trading in another place then certainly if he may have more Ordinances for the edification of his soul he may as well remove from one to another as he may remove if his trading be better in one place than another Christ would have all his people look to the edification of their souls and should I account that Schisme when a man or woman meerly out of tenderness and a desire to enjoy Jesus Christ in all his Ordinances for the benefit of their souls they find such want to their souls of all Ordinances that though they may have some in one place yet if they cannot have all their souls do not so thrive now if this be all the end why they remove that they might have more edification to their souls enioying the Ordinances of Christ more fully God forbid that this should ever be accounted such a sin that the Scripture is to brand no that's Schisme when there is a violent rending out of malice for the want of love for as Apostasie is a rending from the Head So Schism from the Body that is when it is out of an evil Spirit from envy or from malice from want of love or from any base sinister ends and upon no just Ground but now when it is meerly out of love to Jesus Christ that I might have more edification to my soul and still I retain love to the Saints that are there as they are in a Communion and so far as they have any thing good among them I hold Communion with them in that only I desire in humility and in meekness that I may be in such a place where my soul may be most edified where I may enjoy al those Ordinances that Christ hath appointed for his Church certainly that soul that can give this account to Jesus Christ for going from one place to another will be freed by Jesus Christ from such a sin as this that the world cals Scisme but the truth is this word is in mens mouthes that understand not what it means and the Devil alwaies will have some word or other cast upon them that are good for he hath heretofore gained much by it so still he makes account to gain much by words and Termes and therefore men should take heed of words and Termes that they do not understand and examine seriously what the meaning of these words and what is held forth in those words and thus much for that point that it must be in a holy Communion wherever there is the receiving of the Lords Supper it must be received in a holy Communion Now we are to proceed to that which is the main thing and that is What are the holy qualifications or dispositions of the soul together with the actings fit in the receiving of the Lords Supper what is required in the soul for the sanctifying of the Name of God in this holy Sacrament There are many things required As first there is required knowledge I must know what I do when I come to receive this holy Sacrament knowledge applyed to the work that I am about when some of you have come to receive this Sacrament if God should have spoken from heaven and have said thus to you what are you doing now what do you go for what account had you been able to have given unto him you must understand what you do when you come thither First You must be able to give this account to God Lord I am now going to have represented to me in a visible and sensible way the greatest mysteries of godliness those great and deep Councels of thy will concerning my eternal estate those great things that the Angels desire to pry into that shall be the matter of eternal praises of Angels and Saints in the highest heavens that they may be set before my view Lord when I have come to thy Word I have had in mine eares sounding the great mysteries of godliness the great things of the Covenant of grace and now I go to see them represented before mine eyes in that Ordinance of thine that thou hast appointed Yea Lord I am now going to receive the Seals of the blessed Covenant of thine the second Covenant the new Covenant the Seals of the Testimony and Will of thine I am going to have confirmed to my soul thine everlasting Love in Jesus Christ Yea Lord I am going to that Ordinance wherein I expect to have Communion with thy self and the communication of thy cheif mercies to my soul in Jesus Christ I am going to feast with thee to feed upon the body and blood of Jesus Christ Yea I am now going to set to the Seal of the Covenant on my part to renew my Covenant with thee I am going to have Communion with thy Saints to have the bond of Communion with all thy people to be confirmed to me that there might be a stronger bond of union and love between me and thy Saints than ever these are the ends that I go for this is the work that I am now going about thus you must come in understanding you must come with understanding you must know what you are going about this is that which the Apostle speaks of when he speaks of the discerning the Lords Body he rebukes the Corinthians for their sin and shews them that they were guilty of the body and blood of Christ because they did not discern the Lords body they lookt only upon the outward elements but did not discern what there was of Christ there they did not understand the institution of Christ they did
not see how Christ was under those elements both represented and exhibited unto them that 's the first thing there must be knowledge and understanding And now for the knowledge and understanding of the nature of the Sacrament there need be knowledge in other points of Religion for we can never come to understand the nature of this Sacrament without knowing God and knowing our selves knowing in what estate we were by nature knowing our Fall knowing the way of Redemption knowing Jesus Christ what he was and what he hath done for the making of an Atonement the necessity of Jesus Christ and what the way of the Covenant is that God hath appointed to bring mens souls to eternal life by The main points of Religion must be known but especially that that concerns the nature of a Sacrament Now this knowledge likewise must be actual not meerly habitual knowledge but there must be a stirring up of this knowledge that is by meditation I must be meditating have actual thoughts and meditations of what Ido know that ought to be the work of a Christian in coming to receive the Sacrament to quicken up his knowledge to have a renewed work of his knowledge by actual thoughts and meditations of the main points of Religion and especially of th nature and the end of this holy institution that is the first thing Secondly As we must come understandingly without which we cannot sanctifie Gods Name so we must come with hearts sutable to the work that we are about that is because the great thing that is here is the breaking of Christs body and the powring forth his blood A sutable disposition to this is brokenness of heart sence of our sin of that dreadful breach that sin hath made between God and the soul our sin should be upon our hearts so as to break them But this brokenness must be Evangelical it must be through the applying of the blood of Christ unto my soul I must come to be sensible of my sin but especially be sensible of it by what I see in the holy Sacrament that must make me sensible of my sin There are a great many things to make me sensible of my sin The consideration of the great God that thou hast sinned against and the Curse of the Law that 's due to thee the wrath of God that is incensed against thee for thy sin and those eternal flames that are prepared for sinners those everlasting burnings But now those are not the things that will break the heart in an Evangelical way in a gracious way the main thing by which the soul must come to break it's heart must the beholding of the evil of sin in the red glass of the blood of Jesus Christ the beholding him broken and truly there is nothing in the world that hath that power to break the heart for sin as the beholding of that which is to be beheld in the holy Sacrament and that heart is a hard heart that can see what is there to be seen and not break in the apprehension of sin when I here see what my sin cost what a price was made for my soul when I see the hatred of God against sin and the justice of God in not sparing his Son but in breaking his Son for my sin and in shedding the blood of his Son for my sins I see here that the making of my peace with God did cost more than ten thousand worlds is worth I see that by my sin such a breach was made between God and my soul that all the Angels in heaven and men in the world could never make up this breach only the Son of God he that was God and man that was thus broken by the burden of the wrath of his Father for my sins could do this The truth is when we come to this holy Communion we are to look upon Christ as if we saw him hanging upon the Cross suppose thou hadst lived at the time when Christ was crucifyed and hadst understood as much concerning the death of Christ as now thou doest and what Christ was if so be that thou shouldest have beheld him in the Garden and there sweating drops of water and blood lie goveling upon the ground crying if it be possible let this cup pass from me and shouldest have followed him to the Cross and there have seen his hands and feet nailed and his side pierced and the blood trickling down and have heard him crying out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me would not such a sight as this is have broken thy heart for thy sin the truth is there is more I won't say only so much but I say there is more in this Sacrament to break the heart for sin than such a sight as that You will say if you should have Christ to be crucified again before your eyes if you should see the body of Christ hanging upon the Crosse and there behold him crucified and hearing of him cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me you would think if your hearts did not break for sin then that they were desperately hard know every time that thou hast come to receive the Sacrament thou hast come to see such a sight and it is as great an aggravation of the hardness of thy heart if it hath not broken at this sight as it would be if it should not break at that sight We reade in Gal. 3.1 of Pauls speaking of the preaching of the Gospel he saith that Christ was crucified before those that did hear the word and foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified amomg you he doth not mean that Christ was crucified in Galatia but that where the word was preached he was evidently set forth and crucified among them but now my brethren the crucifying of Christ in the word is not such a real evident and sensible letting forth of Christ crucified as when he is set forth in this Sacrament and 't is that which works with more efficacie to break the heart than that other sight and the reason that I give is this Because you do never find that God did set that apart as an Ordinance an institution appointed to that end that they should come to look upon that for the breaking of their hearts there was indeed a naturalness in it that if they did behold Christ it might break their hearts but it was not such an Ordinance it was not a Sacrament as this is now this being in a sacramental way in the use of an Ordinance appointed by Jesus Christ to set forth his sufferings and all the riches of the Covenant of grace to the soul there may be expected here a further blessing than in the other though its true the other might work mightily upon the heart but yet this being a great Ordinance of Christ in the church a great institution of Jesus Christ
and casts its self upon Jesus Christ and saith as it were Amen to what the Father gives Oh Lord here I come and imbrace thy Son as my life as my Saviour as the fountain of all my good in whom I expect all the good I am like to have either here or to all eternity so that there must be a stirring up of the act of faith in an actual taking of Christ if thou beest a beleever canst thou remember what thou didst when first thou didst take Jesus Christ when the Lord in the preaching of his Word did reveal Jesus Christ to thy soul what didst thou then Oh soul how did thy soule work in closing with Christ as thy soule did then in closing with Christ so it must now renew the work there must be a renewall of the worke at that time So that when you come to the Sacrament you must not think that it is then a time to listen to doubts fears and scruples no but it is a time that God cals for the exercise of faith the casting of the soul upon Christ and his merits for life and for salvation or else the Name of God is not sanctified as it ought thou doest not sanctifie Gods Name when thou art busying thy soule in doubts and scruples in thy receiving of the Sacrament And then faith is as the mouth when thou comest to eat and drink how canst thou if thou hast not a mouth thou hast a bodily mouth to take in bread and wine but know that without faith thy soule cannot take in Christ faith is as it were the mouth that is by the act of faith the soul doth open it selfe for Jesus Christ and not only opens it selfe but takes in Christ to the soule and makes Christ and the soul as one as our bread and wine is made one with our body so faith takes in Christ and makes him as one with thee and turns Christ into the nourishment of thy soul and thou and Christ by faith are made as truly one as the bread and wine that is put into thy body is made one with thy body This is the work of faith without which we cannot sanctifie the Name of God Sixthly There must be spiritual joy that must be exercised here for it is a feast here we come to sit with Christ at his Table we come as children to our fathers Table and to sit there with Jesus Christ our Elder Brother now as a father doth not love to have his child set in a sullen and dogged way at his Table or to be crying but he would have the child set in comfort and with a holy cheerfulness with a holy freedom of spirit not in a sullen way but as a child in the presence of his father and not as a servant with the master Object You told us before that there should be brokenness of spirit and sence of our sin Answ That may be and joy we rejoyce with trembling therefore that brokennesse of Spirit that I meant must not bee slavish horrour and feare but a kindly melting of the soul from the apprehension of the love of God unto it in Jesus Christ that was willing to be at so great cost to purchase the pardon of sin such a gracious mourning as may stand with joy and the truth is that that sorrow for sin in the Sacrament that is not mixt with joy is a sorrow that doth not Sanctifie Gods Name godly sorrow and evangelâ—cal joy may stand together very well And therefore know that this is not the time neither to give liberty to have your hearts â—nk no there must be no sinking sorrow of heart but such a sorrow of heart as in the midst of it you may be able to look upon God as a reconciled Father to you and have a cheerfulness of spirit as in the presence of God you must look upon your selves as Gods guest to be merry at his Table now this is a great mystery of godliness that there should be at the same time the sight of Christ Crucified and yet at the same time a spiritual cheerfulness in the assurance of the love of God in Jesus Christ I say it is a mystery and only those that are Beleevers are able to understand this mystery how to have their hearts break and yet how to rejoyce at the same time in that unspeakable love of God that is here presented unto them in this Sacrament Seventhly In the next place there must be thankfulnesse therefore it is called the Eucharist and in one of the Evengelists where it is said Christ blest the bread in another it is said Christ gave thanks Christ when he instituted this Sacrament he gave thanks he gave thanks for what he gave thanks to God the Father that he was pleased to send him into the world to die for poor souls now shall Jesus Christ give thanks unto God the Father for that that did cost him his life yea saith Christ I see that here is a way to save soules and let it cost me my life if it will yet I blesse thee O Father if soules may come to be sav'd though it cost me my life Christ rejoyced in his Spirit in thanking his Father for this then how should our hearts be inlarged with thankfulnesse when we come to this that the Ancients were wont to call the Eucharist that is a thanksgiving we are to give God thanks for every mercy you will not eate your owne bread without giving of thankes but when we come to have this bread this bread of life here is matter of thankfulnesse here is matter of enlargement of soul thou that hast the deadest and dullest soule and straightest Spirit yet when thou comest hither and understandest what thou doest here thou canst not but see matter for the enlargement of thy heart and wish that thou hadst ten thousand thousand times more strength to expresse the praises of the Lord here is a thing that must be the subject of the Hallelujahs and doxologies that Angels and Saints must for ever sound out in the highest heavens dost thou know what the Lord presents to thee here It is more than if the Lord should say I will make ten thousand worlds for the sake of this creature and give all these worlds to him thou wouldest think that thou wert bound to blesse him then only when God in the Bread and wine reaches out to thee the body blood of his Son here is more matter of praise than if ten thousand thousand worlds were given to thee and therefore God expects that thou shouldest say to thy soule my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy Name blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases O poor soule here is the foundation of all mercies dost thou praise God for justification for sanctification here is a glorious application of the mercy of God to
the soules of sinners and therefore if ever thou wert thankfull be thankfull here The Sabbath my Brethren that is appointed to be the set constant day of thanksgiving for the great mercies of God in Christ and there are other daies for national mercies now a special work of the Lords day is the celebration of this holy Sacrament and the Christians in former times were wont to do it every Lords day because that 's the day appointed by God for to be the day of thanksgiving for that great mercy the Lord Jesus Christ and that 's the reason why the Sabbath was changed the last day of the week was the Jewish Sabbath and that was to celebrate the memorial of the Creation of the world and the first day now it is to be the day of thanksgiving for all the work of God in mans redemption Eighthly A further thing is this if you would sanctifâ—e Gods Name you must be willing to renew your Covenant that 's the end of it there must be an actuall renewing of your Covenant with God that 's thus I come to receive this bread and this wine and this is to be as the Seale of the Covenant on Gods part now this will be emplyed in the nature of the thing that if I take the Seales of Gods Covenant that I must be willing to set to my Seale too to renew the Covenant that God cals me to now know all men and women that are sav'd they are sav'd by the vertue of the Covenant of grace and there God on his part promises and makes a Covenant that he will bestow his Son life and salvation through him and thou must likewise come in on thy part and beleeve on his Son and repent which is the Tenour of the Gospel now every time thou comest to receive this Sacrament thou comest to renew this Covenant As if thou shouldest say Lord thou hast been pleased to make a Covenant of grace as the first Covenant was broken and all men were cast by that Covenant now thou hast made a Covenant of grace and callest thy servants whom thou intendest to save that they should renew their Covenant with thee in this Sacrament of thine Lord here I come and Lord here I renew it and set to my seale to promise and Covenant with thee that as ever I expect to receive any good from Christ so Lord here I will be thine I will give up my selfe for ever to thee as thou hast given me the body and Blood of Christ for my salvation so Lord here I consecrate my body and blood to thee the last drop of my heart blood shall be given up to thee and so my strength and estate and name and whatever I am or have shall be thine Have you done thus when you have come to receive the Sacrament have you actually renewed your Covenant with God you that have taken the body of Christ have you given up your body to Christ what 's the reason then that you sin so much with your bodies that you abuse your body with uncleanness and drunkennesse and other wickednesse afterwards Oh you prophane the Name of God and the very body and blood of Christ in this except thou givest up thy body and soul to God in way of Covenant Ninthly In the last place for the Sanctifying of Gods Name there is required a renewing of Love the coming with lovely dispositions and the renewing of the grace of love not only towards God but towards our Brethren for it is the feast of the Lord and it is an act of Communion Communion not only with Christ but with his Churches with his Saints and as I have told you that there is a profession of our selves to be of the same body with Jesus Christ then the Lord requires that his children should not fall out that come to his Table but that there should be love and peace there 's a mighty bond upon thee when thou commest to the Sacrament and therefore first all heart-burnings and heart-grudges must be laid aside and Secondly you must come with a willingnesse to be reconciled one to another willingness to passe by all infirmities in thy Brethren here I have the Seale of Gods willingnesse to passe by all my sins and therefore I must be willing to passe by all infirmities in my Brethren I must now cast out all ill wishes towards others and come with a desire of all good unto them and with a heart ready to imbrace any opportunity to do any good thou doest lye unto God except thou comest with such a heart as this is Lord thou knowest that I am willing to take all opportunities to doe good to those that I now do communicate with for it is the nearest Communion that possibly can be in this world between one Creature and another and this is the reason why there should be that Ordinance of Christ set up every where to cast out those that are unworthy because it is the greatest union and Communion that possibly can be for it is the Sacrament and Communion of the same body they are the same members of Christ now if thou doest no think such a one to be a member of Christ why doest not thou what thou canst to have him cast out but so long as thou hast done nothing in private to him or in telling the Church thou doest own him to be a member of Jesus Christ if thou doest so take heed how thy heart be estranged from him take heed how thou behavest thy selfe to them take heed how thou livest in jarring way and a contentious way with them and holdest tâ—â—m off at staves end or walking at a distance from them though they be never so poor and mean know that thou doest prophane this holy Ordinance every time thou commest to it when thou commest with such a heart as this is if thou dost not find this renewed love Lord there began to be a strangenesse between me and those that have communicated with me but Lord thou art pleased to vouchsafe us to come once more to this Ordinance and Lord here we do professe that this Ordinance shall unite our hearts together more than ever they were I will study to doe what good possibly I can to my Brother that as we joyne here to the Feast of the Lord with comfort so we may live together in peace and love as it becomes the Saints of God and the members of the Body of Jesus Christ Oh how far are people from any such work of God as this is the Lord expects that this should be in you every time you come to the holy Communion Here hath been nine particulars now mentioned for the sanctifying of the Name of God when we come to partake of the Sacrament but oh Lord what cause have we to lay our hands upon our hearts for if this be to sanctifie thy Name then it hath been a riddle a mystery to us certainly my brethren these things are
what Gesture we should use Now that that hath been the Institution of Christ and hath a spiritual significancie in it is not indifferent for not only the eaâ—ing the bread and drinking the wine is significative but the gesture whereby we have fellowship with Jesus Christ here to signifie that fellowship we shall have with him in the Kingdome of Heaven so that the people of God were depriv'd of a great deal of comfort and of one special benefit of this holy Sacrament whereas they might not receive it sitting when Christ saith that your sitting with me here is a signification of your sitting with me when I come into the Kingdome of heaven some say they must kneel because they may receive it with more reverence certainly were it a thing as some say indifferent it were another matter but for to say it is not reverence to sit in that they accuse Christ himself for want of reverence as if he would appoint a way or would have his Disciples use any such way as were not reverent saith Christ I intend by your very gesture to have this signified unto you that though you be poor wretched wormes yet even such is my love unto you as you shall sit with me when I come to my Kingdom and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel and every time you come to my Table and there sit at it or about it then you should be put in mind that there is a time that though you be poor unworthy creatures worthy to be among the dogs yet the mercy of God is such unto us as he hath appointed us to have a familiar fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ when we come in his Kingdom to sit with him and even to judge the twelve Tribes of Israel yea to judge the whol world for so saith the Scripture shall not the Saints judge the world now this hinders spiritual meditation and comfort that the Saints have therefore we are to look to the institution and follow it that 's the first thing in sitting with Christ at his Table The second thing in the institution is that the Bread being taken by the Minister is to be blessed broken and then to be given Christ took it and blessed it and brake it and gave it and the people they are to look upon all this to look upon the Ministers taking blessing breaking and giving and then the cup by its selfe we find Christ in Matth. 26.27 he first blest the bread and then he blest the cup distinctly by its self saying This is my blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins and you shall observe that the text saith he drank it and said drink ye all of it so that this is not according to the institution for a Minister to go up and down and to give it into every mans hand certainly this was not so from the beginning this is a way of mans own devising for the bread and the cup to be given into every bodies hand by the Minster Christ did but give it once he gave it to them all and said Drink ye all of this so it was done Quest But you will say Is it not better for to be given into every ones hand Answ No because that the giving of it once for all doth signifie more fully the fellowship and coÌ„munion that they have together as at a Table it were a stange thing that every bit of meat must be given to every one particularly no but the dishes must be set before them and they must take it themselves Indeed if they be children you cut every piece of meat and give it into their hands or mouths but that 's sutable to a fellowship at Table and communion to have the meat set before them being blest and then for all to partake of it And besides this giving it into every ones hand certainly it came to us from a Popish and superstitious conceit of the Papists for the Papists will give it into their mouths because the people must not defile it with their hands And it was to bring more reverence to the Sacrament now there 's a great deal of danger for to bring in mens devises for to cause more reverence we are to look to the Ordinance of Christ he gave it once and said drink ye all of it in General to them all and so the Ministers should do And besides there is this in it more And one would wonder that minsters should give it in particular and not in generall to the Church for by this means Ministers might abundantly ease themselves of a great deal of charge and guilt for upon this ground it will appear that a Minister though as an eminent officer he is to look to his Congregation that they be fit yet the truth is it concerns the Church as well to look who comes there and likewise the Minister I say to look about him that he doth not say The body of the Lord Jesus Christ was given to thee when he knows they are prophane and wicked it concerns the Minister to look that he doth not tell a lye but now when the Minister gives it generally to the Church Take eat and Take drink he gives it particularly to no body Now then his charge is divided to the Church and if there be any body that is unworthy let the Church look to it as well as he though he as an eminent Officer it 's more especially in particular his duty then any others heretofore the charge would lie much upon the Minister but the Minister according to the institution should give the Sacrament to no particular but in general to the Church and therefore if there were but any particular that the Minister upon a particular knowledge did know to be naught he might in great part discharge himself as professing against this or that particular man for it is not in his power alone to keep any from the Sacrament but if so be that he shall professe against such and such men the Church must joyn with him to labour to keep them from the Sacrament and that is the next thing for the institution Christ gave it not into any particular mens hands but he gave it to all saying Drink and eat ye all of it A third thing that is to be observed for the institution of this that all the while the Communicants are taking eating and drinking the bread and wine they should all of them that while have their thoughts exercised about the death of Jesus Christ for that 's the institution Do this in remembrance of me there should be no action intermingled in the time of the receiving of the Sacrament nothing but minding the work that you are about that is to remember the death of Jesus Christ and to discern the body of the Lord not only when you take your selves the bread and wine but when you see the bread and wine broken or powred forth and you see
hath no body nor no blood but the same person that was God had a body and blood that body and blood was united unto the Divine nature in a hypostatical union and from thence it came to have an efficacie for to satisfie God for to reconcile God and us together this is the great mystery of godliness Med. 5. Another Meditation is this when you see bread broken and Wine powred out Oh the infinite dreadfulness of the justice of God how dreadful is the justice of God that coming upon his own Son and requiring satisfaction from him that should thus break him and bruise him that should have his blood that should require such sufferings even from his Son dreadful is Gods justice the justice of God it is to be feared and to be trembled at here we see what is required for the sin of man and nothing would be bated to Jesus Christ himself Med. 7. Another Meditation is this Here I see presented to me what every soul that shall be saved cost whoever shall have his soul savd he hath it savd by a ransom by a price paid that is more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds thou slightest thine own soul but if it prove to be saved it cost more than if thousands of worlds had been given for thee even the shedding of the blood of Christ every drop of which was more precious than ten thousand worlds Meditation 7. Again from hence see what is the evil of sin how great it is that hath made such a breach between God and my soul that only such a way and such a means must take away my sin I must either have laine under the burden of my sin eternally or Jesus Christ that's God and man must suffer so much for it Oh what Meditations are these to take up the hearts of men Meditation 8. Behold the infinite love of God to mankind and the love of Jesus Christ that rather than God would see the children of men to perish eternally he would send his Son to take our nature upon him and thus to suffer such dreadfull things herein God shows his love it is not the love of God so much in giving you a good voyage and prospering you outwardly in the world But so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son And it pleased the father to break his Son and to poure out his blood here is the love of God and of Jesus Christ Oh what a powerfull mighty drawing efficacious Meditation should this be unto us Med. 9. Those that are beleevers they shall be nourished to eternal life so that there is no fear that ever a beleever should quite fall off from God and die in his sin Why Because the body and blood of Christ is given unto him for his spiritual nourishment though a beleever be never so weak yet seeing God hath appointed the body and blood of his Sonne for him to feed upon and to drink in a spiritual way surely then the weakest in the world will be strengthened to go through all the hazzards and dangers that there are in the world 't is this that strengthens Beleevers to encounter with all kind of dangers it 's this that preserves the weakest grace in a Beleever namely the Spiritual nourishment that God the Father hath appointed to them even the feeding upon the body and drinking the very blood of his Son this is meat indeed and drink indeed that will nourish to eternal life Med. 10. The last Meditation is this When you come to this seeing the Bread broken and the Wine powred out you have an occasion to meditate of the whole new Covenant the Covenant of Grace that God hath made with sinners for so the words of institution are This is the Cup of the New-Testament the New-Testament which is all one with the new Covenant only different in this particular it containes the substance of the new Covenant but cal'd Testament in this regard to shew that the Lord doth do all in the new Covenant that is he doth not only promise such and such mercies upon condition of our beleeving and repenting but he doth work beleeving and repenting and works grace and therefore the same thing that is sometime call'd a Covenant is call'd a Testament that is the will of God wherein the Lord doth bequeath his rich legacies to his Children to those that shall be eternally saved so that all the good things in the Covenant of grace they are bequeathed by way of Testament as well as Covenant and this is a mighty comfortable meditation to the Saints for indeed when they look upon the way of the Gospel as in a way of Covenant why then they think this this requires somewhat of our parts to be done and indeed God will keep Covenant on his part but it may be we shall not keep Covenant on ours and so we may faile at last but now when thou lookest upon all the good things in the Gospel dispensed in the way of a Testament that is the will of God the legacies that God doth bequeath to his Servants this is a mighty comfort to the soul that all the precious things of the Gospel come to me in the way of a Testament and that 's the meaning of the new Testament that is the mercies of God in Christ comming now in the way of another administration than they did before 't is not only new in respect of the Covenant of works that God made with Adam but new in respect of the administration our forefathers the Patriarchs they had the same thing in substance but administred in a darker way and many differences there are but now when we hear of the new Testament there is presented unto us all the riches of the Covenant of grace in the way of a legacie and in the administration of it with cleernesse and with a great deal of mercy and goodnesse of God the terrour and harshnesse of the old administration being taken away Now these are the meditations by which we should labour to sanctifie our hearts when we are receiving of the Sacrament and in the working of these meditations upon our hearts we shall come to sanctifie the Name of God when we are drawing nigh to him in that holy Ordinance of his thus for meditation The next thing when we are there must be an actuating of these holy dispositions that before we spoke of 't is not enough for a Christian to bring grace to the Sacrament but there must be a stirring of that grace at that time or otherwise the Name of God is not sanctified in receiving of the Sacrament and above all graces the actuating of the grace of faith t is not enough that thou beest a beleever but thy faith must act at that very instant as thus First When thou hearest the Minister in the Name of Christ say thus this is the body of Jesus Christ which was given for you take eat thou shouldest have thy faith so