presented the greatest mysteries of salvation ibid 2 It is an Ordinance that Christ hath lest out of his love ibid 3 It is the Sacrament of our communion with Christ 229 4 The Covenant of grace is sealed in it ibid 2 No duty is urged with more strength and severity ib. 3 Nothing strikes more upon mens consciences 230 How many are to Sanctifie Gods Name in the Sacrament 231 1 Those that receive it must be holy 232 1 Because it is the seal of the Covenant ibid 2 It is an Ordinance of spiritual nourishment 233 3 Because we are required to examine our selves ib. 4 It is a Sacrament of communion with God and the Saints 234 2 It must be received in an holy communion ibid Wicked men not to be admitted to this communion 235 SERMON XII Addition to the former concerning holy communion 242 The qualifications in the soul to fit it for receiving the Lords Supper 244 1 Knowledg ibid 2 A broken heart 246 3 Actual purging the heart from sin 249 4 Hungring and thirsting after Jesus Christ 251 5 Exercise of Faith 252 6 Exercise of spiritual Joy 255 7 Thankfulness ibid 8 Renewing of Covenant 257 9 Renewing of love towards God and our brethren 258 SERMON XIII We must keep to the institution in the Sacrament 261 1 For the gesture 262 2 Delivering it to all in general and not into every particular mans hand 264 3 That the Communicants be all the while exercised in their thoughts about the death of Christ 265 Meditations in receiving the Sacrament 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 268 4 It was the Body and blood of that person that is God that reconciles us ibid 5 To consider the dreadfulness of Gods justice ibid 6 The price of saving a soul 269 7 The greatness of the evil of sin ibid 8 The infinit love of God to mankind ibid 9 That Beleevers shall be nourished to eternal life ib. 10 To meditate upon the Covenant of grace to Beleevers 270 Holy dispositions to be actuated in receiving the Sacrament 271 Of Sanctifying the Name of God in Prayer 272 What preparation we are to make to prayer 274 1 Concerning the Matter of Prayer 276 2 Concerning the Manner of Prayer 280 Concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer 282 SERMON XIV A further enlargement concerning wandring thoughts in in Prayer 283 Five Rules to help against wandring thoughts 286 1 Set an high price upon the duties of prayer ibid 2 To reuew resolutions against wandring thoughts 287 3 To set the presence of God before us 288 4 To account all wandring thoughts evil ibid 5 To bless God if at any time he did help us against them 289 3 For sanctifying Gods Name in prayer there must be the breathings of the spirit 289 4 There must be pure hearts and hands 292 5 We must call upon God in truth ibid 6 We must pray in faith 293 7 In the spirit of adoption 294 8 We must pray with constancy 295 9 We must pray in humility ib. 10 We must tender up all our prayers in the Name of Christ 296 Conclusion of all 297 Books printed by Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhil London Seven Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs lately published As also the Texts of Scripture up in which they are grounded 1 The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment Phil. 4 11. Wherein is shewed 1 What Contentment is 2 It is an holy Art and Mystery 3 The Excellencies of it 4 The Evil of the contrary sin of Murmuring and the Aggravations of it 2 Gospel-Worship on Levit. 10. 3. Wherein is shewed 1 The right manner of the Worship of God in general and particularly In Hearing the Word Receiving the Lords Supper and Prayer 3 Gospel-Conversation on Phil. 1. 17. Wherein is shewed 1 That the Conversations of Beleevers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2 Beyond those that lived under the Law 3 And sutable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth To which is added The Misery of those men that have their Portion in this Life only on Psal 17. 14. 4 A Treatise of Earthly-mindedness Wherein is shewed 1 What Earthly-mindedness is 2 The great Evil therof on Phil. 3. part of the 19. vers Also to the same Book is Joyned A Treatise of Heavenly-mindedness and walking with God on Gen. 5. 24. and on Phil. 3. 20. 5 An Exposition on the fourth fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of the Prophesie of Hosea 6 An Exposition on the eighth ninth and tenth Chapters of Hosea 7 An Exposition on the eleventh twelfth and thirteenth Chapters of Hosea being now compleat Twelve several Books of Mr. William Bridg Collected into one Volumn Viz. 1 The great Gospel Mystery of the Saints Comfort and Holiness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office 2 Satans Power to Tempt and Christs Love to and Care of His People under Temptation 3 Thankfulness required in every Condition 4 Grace for Grace or the Overflowings of Christs Fulness received by all Saints 5 The Spiritual Actings of Faith through Natural Impossibilities 6 Evangelical Repentance 7 The Spiritual-Life and In-being of Christ in all Beleevers 8 The Woman of Canaan 9 The Saints Hiding-Place in time of Gods Anger 10 Christs Coming is at our Midnight 11 A Vindication of Gospel Ordinances 12 Grace and Love beyond Gifts Six Sermons Preached by Dr. Hill Viz. 1 The Beauty and Sweetness of an Olive Branch of Peace and Brotherly Accommodation budding 2 Truth and Love happily married in the Saints and in the Churches of Christ 3 The Spring of Strengthning Grace in the Rock of Ages Christ Jesus 4 The Strength of the Saints to make Jesus Christ their Strength 5 The Best and Worst of Paul 6 Gods Eternal Preparations for his dying Saints A Godly and Fruitful Exposition on the first Epistle of Peter By Mr. John Rogers Minister of the Word of God at Dedham in Essex A Platform of Church-Discipline Gathered out of the Word of God and agreed upon by the Elders and Messengers of Churches assembled in the Synod at Cambridg in New-England Tears of Repentance Or a further Narrative of the Progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New-England Setting forth not only their present state and condition but sundry Confessions of sin by diverse of the said Indians wrought upon by the saving Power of the Gospel Together with the manifestation of their faith and hope in Jesus Christ and the Work of Grace upon their hearts The Wonders of the Load-stone by Mr. Samuel Ward of Ipswich An Exposition on the Gospel of the Evangelist St. Matthew by Mr. Ward Clows Chyrurgery Marks of Salvation Christians Engagement for the Gospel by John Goodwyn Six several Books by Nich. Culpeper Gent. Student in Physick and Astrology 1 The Anatomy of the Body of Man Wherein is
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 human Nature upon him Oh! how hath God honored humane Nature Then let not me 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 honor humane Nature that is so neerly united to the Divine Nature That 's the second Meditation Med. 3. Here is 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 will 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 an 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 Med. 4. Again A Fourth Meditation is this That here we come to see we have occasion of meditating of what the 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 meer creature be sufficient to make peace between God and Man surely no therfore 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 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 an hypostatical union and from thence it came to have an efficacy 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 the Bread broken and Wing powred out Oh! the infinit 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. 6. Another Meditation is this Here I see presented to me what every soul that shall be saved cost whoever shall have his soul saved he hath it sav'd 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 Med. 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 lain 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 Med. 8. Behold the infinit 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 dreadful 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 powr out his blood here is the love of God and of Jesus Christ Oh! what a powerful 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 to him for his spiritual nourishment though a Beleever be never so weak yet seeing God hath appointed the body and blood of his Son 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 hazards 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 whol 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 contains 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 thus This require somewhat of our parts to be done and indeed God will
hearing of his Word you will be the glory of the Ministers of God at the great day of Judgment You will be an honor to them before the Lord and his Saints and Angels In Phil. 2. 16. Holding forth saith the text the Word of Life This is the duty of all the hearers of the Word that they must hold forth the Word of Life When you go home you must hold forth the power of the Word you hear well what wil become of that That I may rejoyce in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain neither labored in vain Let that be one Motive amongst the rest Saith the Apostle This will be such a glory to me That I in the day if Iesus Christ shall rejoyce that I have not labored in vain I shal bless God for all my studies and care and all the pains that ever I have taken and venturing my self for this people I shall bless God in the day of Jesus Christ Would it not be a comfortable thing to you that all the Ministers of God that come to preach the Word saithfully to you if at the day of Christ you should hear them blessing God that ever he did send them to preach the Gospel in such a place and you should hear them saying O Lord it may be had I been sent to another place I should have spent all my strength in vain but through thy mercy I was sent to a teachable people that were ready to imbrace thy Word Oh! this is my crown and glory Would it not do good to any whose hearts are faithful to think this That their holding froth the Word of Life will not only be a glory to God which is the chief but it will be a glory to the Ministers to recompence all their labors that you shall not only be saved your selves in the day of Jesus Christ but you shall add to the glory of his faithful Ministers likwise when they do appear before Christ 5. I shall add one particular more There is a time coming when God shall magnifie his word and make it honorable What a joy shall it be to thee when the Lord before Men and Angels shall come to magnifie his Word and make it honorable for thee then to think This is the Word that spoke to my heart at such and such a time this is that 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 fanctification 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 confess we have not that word in all the Scripture as neither have we the word Trinity and divers other words which Ministers make use of to set forth the Mysteries of Religion by but yet it is usefull to consider the meaning why Ministers in the Church have given this name unto those sings and seals that the Church receives Sacrament is to hallow a thing or to dedicate because in the Sacraments there are outward things that are made holy for holy and spirituall ends Secondly We our selves do as it where hallow or dedicate our selves unto God in the vse of these Ordinances That one reason from whence it hath the name Or otherwise as some will have it Sacramentum because it is to be received sacrament with a holy mind and therefore caled the Sacrament The Churches have vsed it a long time in Tertulliar's time which was above fourteen hundred years since he was the first that we find vsed this word and most that would open the word unto us say that especially it was taken from the practice of Solders who when they came listed themselves bound themselves in to a solemn Oath to be faithfull to their Captain and to the cause that they did undertake and the Oath they were wount 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 call'd by these names Srcraments but that for the Word that you may understand it But the word the Scripture useth to set out this Sacrament by that 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 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 do in this draw nigh to God We worship God For when we are coming to receive these holy Signs and Seals we come to present our selves before God and we have to deale with God Himself in a service that He Himself requires of us in a Holy in a Divine service we come to present our selvess to God for blessing for communication of some higher good unto us than pobssily those Creatures that we have to deal with are able of themselves to convey to us we come for a higher good than to tast a pece 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 us it had been Will-worship for us to have expected any further presence of God in such creatures than there is in the
to lie upon one to shed the blood of the vilest 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 An 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 needs be a most dreadful thing It is a fearful expression Guilty of the body and blood of Christ that is he offers such an indignitie to the body and blood of Christ as the Lord will charge him of being guiltie of it guiltie 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 therfore 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 begin to be enlightned 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 fourtie yeers 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 I mention it to shew what a power there is in the consciences of men about this Ordinance this ordinarily is one of the first things that strikes upon the souls of men when they come to have their consciences awakened Oh how have I prophaned the Name of God in the Ordinance of the holy communion and have not sanctified his name in it That God should be sanctified in this Ordinance that 's cleer enough But now the great work is which is the third thing which I promised to shew how we should sanctifie Gods Name in this Ordinance Certainly the Name of God hath been much taken in vain there hath been a great deal of pollution in the use of this Ordinance and in mens spirits when they have been exercising themselves in such an holy Ordinance as this is therefore I will open this to you and shall not be very large in it only to shew you the main and principall things that may serve for the direction of us that the Name of God may not be taken in vain and dishonored as heretofore and I shall cast what I intend to speak of into these particulars 1. That whosoever was to partake of this must be holy himself none can sanctifie God but he must have a sanctified heart himself Secondly This Ordinance it must be received in a holy communion There must be a Communion of Saints for this Ordinance and it cannot be received any where else but in a Communion of Saints Thirdly The holy disposition of soul particularly or the qualifications of the soul that are required or the sanictfying of Gods Name in this Ordinance Fourthly The manner of the exiplcite going out of the soul that there are to be at the very time of receiving Fifthly The keeping of the institution of Christ in our receiving These things are required for the sanctifying of the Name of God in this Ordinance For the first Those that come must be holy themselves This is an Ordinance not appointed for Conversion to make holy others that are not converted may come to the Word because the Word is appointed to work Conversion 't is appointed to work Grace to work the first Grace Faith comes by hearing we do not find in all the Scripture that this is appointed for Conversion but supposes Conversion none are to come to receive this Sacrament but men and women that before are converted by the Word the Word therefore is first to be preached to â—en for their Conversion and then this is an Ordinance appointed for to seal them therefore in the Primitive times they let all come to hearing of the Word and then when the Sermon was done there was an Officer stept up and cried Holy things for holy men and then all others where to go out and therefore it was called Missa though the papists did corrup it and so called it the Mass afterwards by mixing there own inventions instead of the Supper of the Lord but it had that name at first I say this holy Communion was called by the name of Missa because that all others were sent away and only such as were of the Church and accounted godly staid holy things to holy men And this must needs be so because that the nature of it being the Seal of the Covenant of Grace requires it it must be supposed that al that comes hither must be in Covenant with God they must be such as have been brought to submit to the Condition of the Covenant Now the Condition of the Covenant of Grace is Beleeve and be saved it is therefore appointed for Beleevers And as the nature of it begin a Seal supposeth a Covenant so none can have his covenant sealed to them but those that do first submit to it and are brought into Covenant When you make an Indenture and put to the Seal certainly the Seal belongs only to those that have their names in the Indenture Now t is true though mens names are not mentioned in the word yet the condition is to those that are brought in to beleeve in Jesus Chrst saith God I come now to seal all my mercies in Christ to their souls We abuse God if we come to take the seal to a blank it is to make this Ordinance a rediculous thing therefore there must be some transactions between God and your souls before you come to the Seal If a man should say to you Come set to your seal to such a thing and there were never any kind of transactions between this man and you before you would account it rediculous after there hath been agreements between you
you use then to seal So it must be here I would appeal to many of your consciences that have come to the Lords Supper what transactions have there been between God and your souls Canst thou say the Lord was pleased to reveal Himself to me to make known to me my wretched condition and the way of grace and salvation and shewed me that upon my coming in to receive His Son he would be merciful to me and pardon my sins and I have found the Spirit of God working my heart to Jesus Christ the Lord from Heaven speaking to me and I sending an Answer to Heaven again how willing my soul was to accept of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with poor creatures in the word of His Gospel canst thou say this in the uprightness of thy heart if not know that this Seal belongs not to thee untill the Lord hath by His word subdued thy heart to this agreement first with him Secondly This Ordinance it is the Ordinance of spiritual nourishment of eating the flesh of Christ and drinking blood in a spiritual way Now it must needs suppose that first there must be life before there can be any nourishment received in If it be appointed to nourish and encrease grace then surely there must be grace before what nourishment can a dead child take The very first thing that is to be done is nourishment here The word hath power to convey life then to nourish but we reade of no such thing here but that which is to be done here is presently to feed to eat and to drink that is the end of the Sacrament therfore it must be supposed that thou must have Spiritual life there must come no dead soul to this Ordinance but those who are quickned by the Spirit of Jesus Christ they must come for nourishment Thirdly the act here required doth note That only those that are holy and godly can receive this Sacrament we are required by the Apostle examine our selves To examine our selves of what It must be of our godliness examine what work of God hath been upon the soul how God hath brought the soul to Himself and what Graces of the Spirit of God are there And how we have been brought into Covenant with God Now if only those can receive worthily and are to come that first examine themselves then certainly such only as are godly are to come for they only can perform those acts that are required Fourthly It is a Sacrament of Communion with God and Communion with the Saints now what Communion hath Light with Darkness what fellowship hath Christ with Belial If it be a Sacrament of Communion of coming to the Table of God Will God have enemies to come to his Table you will invite no enemies to your Tables but your children and friends so they must be the Children of God and the Friends of God those that are reconciled to God in the blood of his Son and those that are his Children that must sit at his Table therfore they must be holy Now this may suffice for that first thing that this is not an Ordinance for al sorts of people but such as have submitted to the condition of the Covenant before Such as have grace and ability to examin themselves of their graces and such as are children and reconciled to God and so are fit to sit at the Table of God and to enjoy Communion with him and with his Son and with the Saints for we are one body sacramentally when we come to this holy Ordinance all others therfore certainly are to be kept from this Sacrament but such 2 The Second thing wil make it out more fully and that is It is not enough that we be holy our selves and so al ignorant prophane and scandalous yea al that are meerly civil that cannot make out any work of godliness upon their hearts in bringing them to Christ are excluded But 1 It is to be done in a holy communion and is cleer one of that place in 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. The Cup of blessing which we bless it is not the Communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ And then saith the Apostle in the 17. verse for we being many are one bread and one body therefore all that come to receive the Sacrament thay must so come as they must be one body one spiritual Corporation this very consideration That those with whom we receive the Sacrament are one body with us it hath a great deal in it for the helping of us to sanctifie Gods Name this Ordinance I say it is to be received only in a holy Communion one Christian cānot receive the Sacrament alone there must be a Communion wheresoever it is to be administred it is not enough there is one godly man there but there must be a Communion of Saints and in that Communion it is to be received Quest You wil say Must it be received in a Communion of Saints what if wicked men do come there will that hinder us from sanctifying Gods Name in partaking of the Sacrament with them Do not we find in Scripture that the Church had alwaies wicked men among them there are alwaies tares growing up with the wheat If you reade even in the Corinthians you shall find that there were some in that Church that were wicked yea and it 's thought that Iudas himself did receive the Sacrament therefore what if wicked men be there doth that hinder Answ I answer First it is true That in the Church of God there have been wicked men and 't is like there will be wicked men to the end of the world but yet wheresoever there is a right Communion of Saints there ought to be the power of Christ exercised to cast out those wicked men or at least to withdraw from them This is the Law of Christ That if there be any that have Communion with you if any of them do appear to be wicked you are bound in conscience to go and tell them if they do not reform you are bound to take two or three and if they do not yet reform then you are bound to tell the Church to tell the Assembly of the Saints when they meet together for so the word Church doth signifie and we find in the 1 Cor. 5. chap. that when there was an incestuous person to be cast out it was done in the presence of the Congregation Thus far you are bound to do otherwise you cannot say that it is nothing to you if wicked men be there for you have not discharged your conscience and so you come to be defiled and you do not sanctifie Gods Name in this Ordinance because you have not done to the utternost of your duty for the casting out of those wicked men And mark in 2 Cor. 5. 7. there the Apostle writing to the Church bids them that they should purge out the old leaven
Absolutely SPiritual things to be prayed for absolutely Page 277 Accept Acceptation Acceptation of our persons the means of it 69 God accepts not the duties of wicked men 116 The services of the Saints accepted 120 Act Actual Action see Grace Actual sanctification 68 The Lord accepts the person before the Action 69 God is a pure Act and requires Actual service 97 Adoption Sign of adoption to desire to be oft in Gods presence 36 We must pray in the spirit of adoption 294 Affections Affections the strength of them required in Gods Worship Page 82 Aggravation Aggravation of sin to neglect due hearing of the Word 200 Afflictions see Honor They that sanctifie not God in hearing the Word can have no comfort from it in afflictions 206 Whether it be lawful to pray for afflictions 277 Afflictions in themselves materially evil 278 All All that we have must be given to God 63 All things sanctified to the godly 319 Altar Christ is the Altar upon which we must offer all our sacrifices 92 Angel Angel what it signifieth Page 91 Angels the aggravation of their sia 195 Anger Anger not to be brought into Gods service 19 Apply We must apply the Word in hearing it 175 Apostasie see Schism Apostasie the ground of it 106 Assurance The Gospel gives assurance of salvation 212 Attention Attention must be given in hearing the Word 171 B Beginners Beginners in Religion to be careful of preparation 56 Beleeving Beleeving the condition of the Covenant of grace 232 Birds Wandring thoughts in prayer as the birds to Abrahams sacrifice 283 Blast God blasts those men that sanctifie him not in Worship 117 God will blast those that neglect his word 208 Bless Many bless themselves in evil waies 198 To bless God for helping us against wandring thoughts in prayer 289 Blind Blind sacrifice not to be offered to God 98 Blood A fearful thing to be guilty of Christs blood 230 Breathing see Spirit Broken see Heart What kind of broken heart is required in receiving the Lords Supper Page 255 Christs body broken for us 268 C Children Gods Saints may meet with afflictions in their Children 20 Ground of Consentment in afflictions upon our Children 21 Church Church what it signifies 235 Church defiled by wicked men uncast out 236 Civil see Worship Christ All worship must be tendred in the Name of Christ 91 All must be tendred in Christ because of Gods Justice 101 They that reject the Word reject Christ 201 All our prayers must be tendered in the Name of Christ 296 Command Nothing must be tendred to God in worship but what he hath commanded 8 No express command for many things in the New Testament 15 Comfort see Word Communion Communion with God not encreased by duties done with natural conscience 88 The Sacrament the Ordinance of our Communion with Christ 229 The Sacrament must be received in a holy Communion 234 How far the presence of wicked men hinder this communion 234 No close Church communion with wicked men 240 More communion with Christ in the Sacrament than in the Word Page 251 Confession Ground of confession to God 98 Conscience Sinners against Conscience need great preparation to Duties 57 Duties acted by natural conscience 88 Natural conscience limits it self in duties 89 Trouble of conscience should make men meekly hear the Word 180 Consciences of wicked men troubled about the Sacrament 230 Constant Men acted by Natural parts are not constant in Duties 88 There must be constancy in our prayers 295 Contrary The Word will be made good on the contrary to those that abuse it 205 Conversion Conversion not wrought by the Sacrament 232 Covenant In the Sacrament we make a solemn Covenant 226 Covenant of grace sealed in the Sacrament 229 Those that receive the Sacrament must be in the Covenant of grace 232 Condition of that Covenant ibid Renewing of Covenant in the Sacrament 257 Crucified Christ crucified in the Sacrament 248 Curse They that neglect the Word are nigh to a curse 203 Cursing of others sinful 278 How far we may curse the Enemies of the Church 280 D Danger see Dignity Dark see Mind Dead Death Fear of death taken away how Page 38 We must not bring dead services and hearts to the living God 97 Consciences of carnal men opened upon their death bed 118 Death of Christ to be meditated on in the Sacrament 165 Dear see Glory Delight God delights in our drawing nigh to him 37 Depart To neglect Gods Worship is to depart from him 33 Dependance We should continually be sensible of our dependance on God 274 Desire We must hear the Word with a desire after it 170 Devil Devil gratified by omission of duties 59 Vnseasonable motions though materially good come from the Devil 82 Wandering thoughts in prayer suggested by the Devil 286 Difficulty Natural parts in performance of duties will not carry through difficulties 87 Not to be discouraged in difficulties considering Gods power 97 The work of Religion difficult 109 Dignity see Prerogative The more dignity the more danger 12 Dishonor It were a dishonor to God to accept the services of wicked men 116 Disposition Inward disposition in prayer 292 Divine see Service Doubt The time of receiving the Sacrament no time of doubting 254 We must pray without doubting Page 293 Duty The holiness of a duty will not bear men out in the miscarriage in it 17 Omission of duty will not fit for duty 58. 113 The doing of one duty prepares for another 60 Duties not to be rested on 103. 107 115 To be humbled for our best duties 111 All duties of carnal worshipers lost 112 Sin of hypocrites aggravated by holy duties ibid E Easie Preparation to make duties easie 52 Election Evidence of Election 213 End see Extremity Our ends must be high in the worship of God 72 Base ends of men in Gods worship ib. To have right ends a part of wisdom 99 It is the nature of God to will himself the last end 104 Engagement Engagements of prayer to be performed 293 Envy see Mean Eternity Eternity of God how to be considered in our Worship 94 Excellency Thoughts of our own excellency to be cast off in our worship 85 Exemplary Exemplary judgments should make us look into the word how God makes it good 23 Extremity Men that regard duties only in extremity make themselves their end 77 Examination Examination required in partaking of the Sacrament Page 233 Eye Faith as an eye to see Christ in the Sacrament 252 F Faith Faithfulness Faithfulness of God what it should teach us 102 Faith must be mixed in hearing the word 177 Faith exercised in receiving the Sacrament 252 Faith how to act it in the Sacrament 271 We must pray in faith 293 Faculties All the faculties of the soul to be given up in prayer 281 Familiarity see Potent Drawing nigh to God breeds familiarity 37 Benefit of familiarity with God 38 Falling away Falling away the ground of it 34 Fear see Publick
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 Godlines those great and deep Counsels of my Will concerning my eternal estate those great Things that 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 sounding in mine ears 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 Communion of thy chief mercies to my soul in Jesus Christ I am going to feast with the to feed upon the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ Yea I am now going to set 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 strong 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 spake of the disarming the Lords body he rebukes the Corinthians for there sin and shew them that they were guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ because they did not descren the Lords Body they look'd only upon the outward elements but did not discren what their 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 is the first thing there must be knowledg and understanding And now for the knowledg and understanding of the nature of the Sacrament there need be knowledg 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 are by Nature knowing our Fall knowing the way of Redemtion 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 eternall life by The main points of Religion must be known but especially that which concerns the nature of a Sacrament Now this knowledg likewise must be actual not meerly habitual knowledg but there must be a stirring up of this knowledg that is by meditation I must be meditating have actual thoughts and meditations of what I do know that ought to be the work of a Christian in coming to receive the Sacrament to quicken up his knowledg to have a renewed work of his knowledg by actual thoughts and meditations of the main Points of Religion and especially of the 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 its heart must be 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 of 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 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 crucified 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 and lie groveling 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 naied 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 haue Christ to be crucified again before your eyes if you should see the body of Christ hanging upon the Cross 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 among 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 setting 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 there hearts there was indeed a naturalness in it that if they did behold Christ it might break there 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 al the riches of the Covenant of grace to the soul there may be expected here a further blessing than in the other though it 's 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 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 Cross but you have Christ crucified before you in the way of a Sacrament in the way of a solemn institution of Jesus Christ that hath a special blessing which goes along with it therfore 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 Cross 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 Cross and there have seen how the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for sin 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 〈◊〉 crucifie Him for if a man sees another commit a sin if he 〈◊〉 affected with that sin and it does not stir his heart he may come to be partaker of his sin so that those that come to see Jesus Christ crucified and have not their hearts at all stir'd with the crucifying of Christ they are in som 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 Jews in there Passover were to cast out all leaven and those that were of the custom of the Jews say that they were wont to do three things in the casting out of their Leaven 1. they made diligent 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 personall 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 there must be a casting of it out that is thy soul must be set against it to apose it with all thy might what ever beloved sin whatever gainfull sin whatsoever become of thee thy soul must renounce that sin of thine yea and in a kind of execration of thy life 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 profess against all and renouuce all and would do to the uttermost that I am able for delivering of my soul 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 coming 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 profess That we do acknowledg that sin 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 renonnce sin If indeed I do beleeve that sin hath cost the Blood of Christ that it cost him so deer as it did that it did trouble Heaven and Earth that there must be such a mighty wonderful way of satisfaction to God for my sin committed against him Certainly sin hath a dreadful evil in it Oh let me
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 which did cost him his life yea saith Christ I see that here is a way to save souls and let it cost me my life if it will yet I bless thee O Father if souls may come to be saved though it cost me my life Christ rejoyced in his Spirit in thanking his Father for this then how should our hearts be enlarged with thankfulness 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 eat your own bread without giving of thanks but when we come to have this bread this bread of life here is matter of thankfulness here is matter of enlargment of soul thou that hast the deadest and dullest soul and straightest Spirit yet when thou comest hither and understandest what thou doest here thou canst not but see matter for the enlargment of thy heart and wish that thou hadst ten thousand thousand times more strength to express 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 bless him then only when God in Bread and Wine reaches out to the the body and Blood of his Son here is more matter of praise then if ten thousand thousand worlds were given to thee and therefore God expects that thou shouldest say to thy soul My soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise His holy Name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits who forgiteth all thine iniquitie who healeth all thy diseases O poor soul here is the foundation of all mercies dost thou praise God for Justification for sanctification here is a glorious application of the mercie of God to the souls 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 is 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 in 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 al the work of God in mans Redemption Eighthly A further thing is this If you would sanctifie Gods Name you must be willing to renew your Covenant that 's the end of it there must be an actual renewing of your Covenant with God that 's thus I come to receive this Bread this wine and this is to be as the Seal of the Covenant on Gods part now this will be emplied in the nature of the thing that if I take the Seals of Gods Covenant that I must be willing to set to my Seal too to renew the Covenant that God calls 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 Cavenant 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 seal 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 self 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 to thee and so my strength and estate and name or what ever 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 abbuse your body with uncleanness and drunkenness and other wickedness afterwards Oh you prophane the name of God and the very Body and Blood of Christ in this except thou givest up the body and soul to God in way of Covenant Ninthly in the last place for the sanctifying of Gods Name there is required the 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 requireth 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 comest to the Sacrament and therefore first all heart burnings and heart grudges must be laid aside and secondly you must come with a willinness to be reconcilled one to another willingnes to pass by all infirmities in thy Brethren here I have the Seal of Gods wllingness to pass by al my sins and therefore I must be willing to pass by all infirmities in my Brethren I must now cast out all ill wishes towards others and come with a disire 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 do good
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 apart 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 been 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 santifie 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 your common eating and drinking we must do all to the glory of God than certanly 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 deep Councells of God concerning Eternal Life are presented before us in these outward Elements of the Bread and Wine and action thereof Now when we come to eat and to drink those things that are appointed to set forth the great Misteries of Salvation and the deepest of the Councells of God concerning mans Eternall good wherein especally God will gloryfie Himself we had need there sanctifie the Name of God for the things that 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 read in the institution of it in the 25 of Matthew 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 warth of God yea that very night he was to be in an Agony and to sweat drops of Water and Blood and the next day to die and to have these tryals of wrath powered 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 every night to institute this Supper surely this must be a great Ordinance 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 therfore there was great love in it Christ saw that it was a matter of great moment Now if it be 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 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 all 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 sanctified 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 and drinking we must do it then in this wherin 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 al the book of God that I know of that is urged with more strength and severity than this is as in that place 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 faith That whosoever eats and drinks unworthily First he is guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ and then Secondly he eats and drinkâ— his own dâ—mnation 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 dutie 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
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 than 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 generall to the Church and therefore if there were but any particular that the Minister upon a particular knowledg 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 profess against such and such men the Church must joyn with him to labor 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 your selves take the Bread and Wine but when you see the Bread and Wine broken or powred forth and you see 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 clements do signifie and that they do seal the great benefit of the Covenant of Grace therfore it is not according to the Institution to be singing of Psalms 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 calls 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 read the institution you shall find that Christ after all was done the text saith they sang an Hymn so that according to the institution it is after the action is done of eating and drinking then for the Church to joyn together and sing a psalm in the praise of God and then they must mind all the same thing together for that 's the thing to be done in the Sacrament that look what one doth al 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 joyn together to the praise of God Now it may be this at first seems strang 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 own the more glory and beauty and excellency doth appear in the Ordinances of Jesus Christ but when any man shall mix any of his own inventions though he may do it to a good end and think to add to and put a greater lustre upon the Sacrament the truth is that wich 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 easily to see that there hath been a great deal of dishonor 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 shal 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 pass 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 out 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 Sacrament 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