truly rooted and grounded in the heart but that it will bud forth and shew it self in the fruits of a godly life That man therefore deceiveth himself who thinks his heart is purged and reformed when his life is polluted For as the fruits declare the tree so the actions of men manifest their affections II. The Necessity of this grace of Repentance in every worthy Communicant upon his approaching to the Lords Table appeareth because we come to receive a sacrifice for sin but to offer to receive a sacrifice for sin without turning from sin is to count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing We are not ignorant that one main end of our approaching to the Lords Table is to receive Christ as he hath offered himself a sacrifice and price of Redemption for our sins for so he is set forth in that Sacrament the breaking of the bread and pouring out of the Wine import as much Yea Christ expresly saith of the Sacramental Cup This is my blood which is shed for remission of sins Now he that looketh for pardon of sin must have a full purpose and according to his purpose a faithful and resolute indeavour to forsake sin which is and will be the mind of every true penitent and so also it ought to be The Lord therefore requireth of them who bring their sacrifices to him for pardon That they take away the evil of their works and cease to do evil and learn to do well and thereupon inferreth this gracious invitation Come now and let us reason together With what face then dares an impenitent sinner that is not touched with any remorse for his sins past nor hath any purpose to turn from his sins for the time to come offer to take that body which was broken and that blood which was shed for sin Such an eating and drinking of Christs body and blood is a plain trampling of the Son of God under foot and a counting of the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing a thing that may be mixed with impuâ—e and unholy things If this be not to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ what can be III. For the Trial of thy Repentance whether it be found and sincere thou mayest know it by these signs and notes 1 By a godly sorrow for sins past By a godly sorrow I mean such a sorrow as maketh God its object that is when we grieve and mourn for sin more out of respect to God than for fear of punishment that we have offended so good a God so gracious a Father so bountiful a Lord and Master I deny not but it is good and commendable to grieve and mourn for sin in respect of punishment for fear of Hell For it is a good preparatory to a godly sorrow But we must not rest therein By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy Repentance for wheresoever there is true Repentance there must be this godly sorrow 2. A turning from those evil waies wherein we have formerly walked as you may see in the example of those penitents that are recorded in Scripture as of Paul Peter Zacheus and others who upon their repentance turned from those evil courses wherein they had formerly walked Hereby therefore try the truth of thy repentance Hath it wrought a change and alteration in thy course of life are old things done away is there a forsaking of former sins hast thou leâ—t thy swearing thy drunkenness thy whoredomes thy cousenings by false weights and measures canst thou say of thy self as Paul did of the Corinthians I was once a swearer a drunkard an adulterer a reviler an extortioner a covetous person and the like But now I am washed now I am sanctified yea and justified in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ and by the spirit of my God Canst thou thus say of thy self and that in truth and sincerity of heart then thou hast some comfortable evidence of the truth and soundness of thy repentance But how vainly do they deceive themselves who because they have made confession of their sins unto God and happily with some few â—ears flatter themselves with a conceit of true repentance when yet they still live and continue in their former sinfull courses wall owing like swine in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness 3. A turning unto God for where there is true repentance there is not onely a turning from sin but likewise a turning unto God Whereby I mean a sincere endeavour to serve and please God in newness of life and better obedience Hath then the sense and smart of thy former wandrings made thee earnestly to wish that thou mightest please God better for the time to come make much of such affections in thy soul for it is an evident sign of some change there IV. A fourth grace necessarily required of every Communicant before he presume to come to the Lords Table is LOVE yeâ— a two fold Love is required of every Communicant viz. 1 A love of God and of Christ. 2. A love of his Neighbour Both which are unseparably knit together yet for a more distinct handling of them I will sever them in my discourse and treat of them apart shewing you 1. The necessity of them to a worthy partaking of the Lords Supper 2 Some sings and notes for the trial of them I. First For the Love of God that is necessarily required of every Communicant because the greatest evidence that ever was given of Gods Love is there set before us For Jesus Christ the only Son of God and Saviour of man is the greatest evidence of Gods Love that ever was or can be Should God set himself to make another world and to confer on that world a greater gift than he hath conferred on this world namely his onely begotten and dearly beloved Son we may boldly say hee could not Neither can the creatures receive nor the Creator give a greater gift and that both in regard of the excellency of the gift it self and also in regard of the need wherein we stood thereof and of the good we reap thereby Therefore Gods love in this evidence thereof is so set out as goes beyond all expression God so loved the world that hee gave his only begotten Son c. So unutterably so unconceivably so infinitely as who shall indeavour to express this SO to the full shall do it but So So. Seeing then such an evidence of such love of God to man is set out at the Lordsâ— Table should not every one who approacheth thereunto to partake of that evidence of Gods love come with an heart filled with a love to God and with a resolution to shew forth all fruits of a true love of God on all occasions And as we must come with a love to God so with a love to Iesus Christ who so loved us as to dye a cruel cursed death for us And thereby manifested greater love to us than
thou art present at the Ordinance put forth all the strength thou canst in the partaking thereof I mean the strength of thy affections For though thou art very weak yet if thou put forth thy weakness God will accept thereof Content not thy self therefore with a meer outward participation of the Lords Supper but let thy care be to bring up thine heart and thine affections to the Ordinance and to put forth what strength thou canst II. Remember the death of Christ which is Christs command in the institution of this Ordinance for saith he This do in remembrance of mee viz. in remembrance of my bitter death and passion For the Apostle Paul explaining this remembrance of Christ applieth it to his death and the shewing it forth This do saith hee in remembrance of mee For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come So that this Ordinance of the Lords Supper was instituted for a solemn Memorial of that great Sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ that his death might never be forgotten but be ever fresh in our memories And why must his death be thus remembred Surely because thereby was the Covenant of Grace ratified and sealed our Redemption purchased our sins expiated our reconciliation made with God and the foundation of our peace laid And therefore at the Table let out thine heart in a serious meditation of the manifold sufferings of Christ which is the main business of this Ordinance And meditate not only of his sufferings at his death but likewise in the whole course of his life even from his cratch to his Cross from his birth to his death For his whole life was a continual suffering Meditate therefore of his mean birth and flight in his infancy of the manifold reproaches which were cast upon him from time to time yea of his manifold persecutions of their cruel handling of him at the time of his death when they apprehended him like a theef bound him arraigned and condemned him as a Malefactor buffeted him with their hands beat him with staves scourged him with whips making loâ—g furrows on his back platted on his head a Crown of sharp Thorns laid an heavy cross on his back nailed his hands and feet to that Cross give him Gall and Vineger to drink and sundry waies much afflicted him Thus was his body broken with torments In relation hereunto it is said of him That he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs Especially when thou art present at the Sacrament take a turn with Christ in the Garden by meditating of his bitter Agony wherein he sweat drops of blood which was never read or heard of in any before or since yea the blood which Christ then sweat was not thin watery blood but thick blood as St. Luke expresseth it Being in an agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground which latter clause sheweth that the blood of Christ passed through the pores of his body in such a plentiful manner that it trickled down to the ground in great abundance so that not only the eyes of Christ but all the parts of his body did seem to weep and that tears of blood as Bernard speaketh In this sweat of Christ there are three things remarkable which doe exceedingly set forth the greatness of his Agony 1 It was in a cold night for which cause afterwards they kindled a Fire in the High-Priests Hall and cold driveth the blood inward 2 Hee lay upon the cold ground which was enough to drive the blood inward 3 He was in exceeding great fear which naturally draweth the blood from the outward parts to the Heart and yet in a cold night lying upon the cold ground and being in great fear he sweat drops of blood Who can imagine the bitterness of our Saviours Agony at that time And what was it which put him into that agony questionless the apprehension of what hee was to suffer as appeareth by his Prayer in his Agony Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me Now if the apprehension of what hee was to suffer was so bitter oh how bitter think you were his Sufferings upon the Cross when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me which words doe not imply that the Deity was severed from the Humanity but that the Father had withdrawn from him all sensible feeling of his loving favour had restrained the influence of those beams which might any way refresh his troubled soul so that Christ might well take up the words of the captive Iews and say Behold and see if there bee any sorrow like to my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce anger These things call to mind in the time of the administration of the Sacrament not only when thou art eating the Bread and drinking the Wine but also when thou seest the Bread broken and the Wine poured forth then thou shouldst think how Christs Body was broken with torments and his Blood shed for remission of sins and also when thou seest others taking the Bread and the Wine thou shouldst then be steeping thy thoughts in the meditation of Christs bitter death and manifold sufferings This remembrance of Christs Death at the Sacrament must not be a bare Historical remembrance thereof contenting thy self with a remembrance of the History of Christs death as it is set forth by the Evangelists but it must be an operative and practical remembrance working up thine heart 1 To an unfeigned love of God who out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his dearly beloved Son out of his own bosome into the world to take our Nature upon him and therein to dye a bitter cursed death for mans redemption Who can sufficiently admire the riches of Gods love to man therein How may we with David cry out and say Lord what is maâ— that thou art mindful of him especially that thou shouldest be so mindful of him as to give the Son of thy love to suffer a cursed death upon the Cross to make us who were children of Wrath and bondslaves of Sathan Sons of God and Heirs of eternal life and salvation And how should this incomprehensible love of God fire and inflame our cold and frozen hearts with a fervent love unto him again 2 The remembrance of Christs death should work up our hearts to an ardent love of Christ for that wonderful love of his in giving himself for us his Body to be crucified his Blood to be shed and his Soul to bear the intollerable burden of his Fathers Wrath due to our Sins which made him sweat drops of blood in the Garden and to cry out on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh how should this ravish our souls with admiration of so great love and inflame our hearts with love
again unto him who did and suffered so much for us How should the meditation of the manifold sufferings of Christ especially of his bitter Death and Passion work in us an holy passion of love 3 The remembrance of Christs death should work in us a care to please him in all things to be willing to doe and suffer any thing for him who hath done and suffered so much for us which Christ declareth to be a good proof of our love to him saying If yee love me keep my Commandements And though we cannot exactly keep the Commandements of Christ yet we may and ought sincerely to endeavour the keeping of them without which our profession of love is but vain and fruitless in shew and not in truth 4 The remembrance of Christs death should work in us a godly sorrow for our sins as the true cause of his sufferings For the truth is it was not so much Iudas that betrayed Christ nor the Scribes and Pharisees that accused him nor Pilate that condemned him nor the Souldiers that Crucified him nor the Devil that set them all on work as our sins that were the true cause of Christs sufferings The Souldiers that Scourged him and Crucified him were but our Executioners to inflict on him those punishments which our Sins deserved and Gods Justice imposed for the same They were our Sins which envenomed those Whips that scourged his innocent Body those Thorns which pricked his Temples and those Nayls which pierced his Hands and Feet and made them so bitter unto him Oh therefore that we could so look upon him whom we have pierced by our Sins that we might mourn as one that mourneth for his only Son and be in bitterness as one that is in bitterness for his first-born 5 The remembrance of Christs death should work in us the death of Sin wee should so remember the death of Christ as to dye unto Sin For the Apostle Paul urges our death to sin from the death of Christ that as Christ dyed and rose again so wee should dye to sin and live to God To this end let us hate and loath Sin as the greatest evil resolving with the assistance of Gods grace to leave and forsake all manner of sins for the time to come for why should any sin seem light to us which lay so heavie upon our Saviour as to cast him into a bloody sweat Why should any sin be sweet to us which was so bitter to our Saviour Farre bee it from us by our renewed sins to tear open his Wounds afresh and Crucifie him again 6 The remembrance of Christs death should work uâ— our hearts to some due thankfulness unto God and his Son Iesus Christ for their unspeakable love and mercy towards us therein Thankfulness is a grace not only to be exercised after our receiving of the Sacrament but likewise while we are present at the Ordinance when our hearts are affected with the apprehension of the incomprehensible love of God the Father in giving his beloved Son out of his own bosome to dye for us and of the unspeakable love of Christ in offering his own Body a Sacrifice upon the Cross for our Sins then should they break forth in praises and thanksgivings unto God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. III. Another Duty to be performed at the Ordinance is the exercise of thy graces more especially thy faith and repentance It is not enough that thou bring faith repentance and other graces to the Sacrament but thou must likewise there stirre up thy graces and exercise the same or else thou wilt be an unworthy receiver For not only a wicked man that wants grace but likewise a child of God that hath true grace may receive the Sacrament unworthily and go away without any comfort or benefit at all namely if hee do not there stir up and exercise his graces For Sacraments do not work as Physick by a virtue inherent in them but according to the disposition of the party that partaketh of them And therefore as thou wouldest be a worthy guest and partake of the comfort of the Ordinance stir up and exercise thy graces As I. Thy Faith This is the chief grace to be exercised at the Sacrament for Faith is the eye of the Soul whereby it seeth and discerneth the body and blood of Christ under the elements of bread and wine it is likewise the hand of the Soul whereby it receiveth Jesus Christ and the mouth of the Soul whereby it feedeth upon Jesus Christ. And therefore without the exercising of thy Faith at the Sacrament thou canst receive no benefit at all There is a threefold act of Faith to be exercised at the Lords Supper 1 To look out for Jesus Christ. 2 To receive Christ. 3 To apply and appropriate him unto thine own self 1 The first act of Faith is to look out for Christ and therefore when thou art present at the Lords Supper rest not in the outward elements in the beholding and taking of them but with the eye of Faith discern the body and blood of Christ under the elements of bread and wine which indeed do spiritually sacramentally set forth the body and blood of Christ as is clear from Christs own expression for holding the bread in his hand he said of it This is my body i. e. Mystically and Sacramentally by way of representation as if hee had said This bread representeth my body And holding the cup that had wine in it and speaking of the wine therein hee saith This is my blood i. e. Mystically and Sacramentally by way of representation q. d. This wine representeth my blood And as thou art not to rest in the outward elements so neither in the outward rites and actions but in the beholding of them thou art with the eye of Faith to see and discern the spiritual things signified thereby When therefore thou beholdest the Minister breaking the bread then meditate of the manifold sufferings of Christ and with the eye of Faith look upon Jesus Christ hanging upon the Cross there conflicting with his Fathers wrath and groaning under the weight and burden of our sins Behold his blessed body broken and torn with stripes and wounds with whips and nails The Apostle St. Paul thus bringeth in Christ himself applying that rite of breaking the bread for saith hee Christ took bread and brake it and said This is my body which is broken for you which yet is not to be so understood as if his blessed body or any part or member thereof were broken in two peeces For that charge of not breaking a bone of the Paschal Lamb is applied to Christ in that his leggs were not broken But of the breakings of his flesh by thorns whips nails c. and other sufferings which hee endured in his body till his blood was shed This rite also of breaking the bread implieth thaâ— the sufferings of Christ were so many and so great
bountifully and more willingly because the stock out of which they give is prepared before-hand and it being a sacred Stock by their voluntary setting it apart to such an use their conscience will account it sacriledge to lay it out any other way If poor men that live by their daies labour and servants that live on their wages would every Lords Day lay up some half-pennies or pence for this end and purpose they might have without any sensible dammage to themselves a stock for the poor How much greater store would be for the poor if rich men according to Gods blessing on them would so do 2 Visiting the sick and such as are otherwise restrained of liberty This we finde practised by our Saviour and that upon the Sabbath day after the publick ordinances were ended as Mark. 1 29 30. where we read that our Saviour with some of his Apostles After they were come out of the Synagogue went to visit Peters wives Mother who lay sick of a Feaver which sheweth That Christ accounted it a work of mercy suitable to the Sabbath to visit the sick From whence we may learn as just occasion is offered to spend some time of the Sabbath in visiting the sick it being an especial work of mercy proper to the Sabbath yea and an especial means to fill our minds with spiritual Meditations and our mouths with holy conferences which are parts of private sanctification of the Sabbath What time therefore others spend in idleness or vain company or sitting at street-doors or walking abroad in the streets and fields let us spend in this and such like works of mercy Directions for the right manner of visiting the Sick see in Chap. XIX Besides these duties of Piety and works of Mercy which are commanded to be done on the Lords Day There are some things which the Lord permits unto us in regard of the weakness and infirmities of our bodies viz. Sleep Food and Apparel Because we cannot with strength and delight spend the whole day in Sabbath duties without competent rest food and apparel therefore it is lawful for us to spend some time as in sleep so in apparelling our selves and in refreshing our bodies with food which otherwise would be ready to faint But by a moderate use of these we are inabled to do the things we take in hand the more chearfully But herein two Cautions ought carefully to be observed 1 You must spend no more time about them than needs must Wherefore your bodies being refreshed with moderate sleep you ought to get up early on the Lords Day as about six or seven of the clock and to use all possible speed in dressing your selves and not to sit longer than needs must at your meals that so you may have the more time for the duties of Gods worship and service on his day And truly since the Lord is so good and gracious unto you as to afford you some part of his own day for the refreshment of your bodies Far be it from you to abuse his goodness by lavishing away more time therein than needs must Second Caution Do them as Sabbath-dayes-works which is done two waies 1 By doing them for this end that thereby you may bee the better inabled to serve God Thus when at your lying down the evening before the Sabbath you desire God to give you quiet comfortable sleep that thereby your weak bodies may be refreshed and you the better inabled to serve him the next day in the duties of his worship and service this is a Sabbath-sleep In like manner when you eat and drink for this very end that your bodies may be refreshed and your spirits revived and you thereby the better inabled with chearfulness to serve God the remaining part of the day this is a Sabbaths-eating and drinking 2 By raising spiritual and heavenly Meditations from the same At your first awaking you should call to minde what day it is and having blessed God for your comfortable rest and sleep that night you should beg of him the special assistance of his grace to carry you thorow all the duties of the day When you are rising out of your beds you should think as of the Resurrection of Christs body out of his grave early on that day so likewise of the Resurrection of your Souls here out of the death of sin to the life of holiness and of your bodies at the last day out of the grave of the earth to the life of glory in Heaven In your apparessing your selves you should then think of the long white Robe of Christs Righteousness and of the happiness of those who have an interest therein When you are washing your hands and your faces from the cleansing virtue of the water you should take occasion to meditate of the cleansing virtue of Christs blood which alone washeth your souls from the filthy spots and stains of sin When you go to your Tables to partake of Gods good creatures your corporal food for the nourishment of your bodies should minister occasion of meditating on the spiritual food of your souls whereby they are nourished unto everlasting life The bread on your Tables should minde you of Jesus Christ who is the bread of life that came down from Heaven to quicken your dead souls Thus from every thing should you indeavour to draw matter of spiritual and heavenly meditation labouring to keep your hearâ—s in an holy frame all the day long For what our Saviour said to his Disciples concerning the loaves and the fishes Gather up the fragments let nothing bee lost The like he seemeth to speak unto you concerning the Lords Day gather up the parcels thereof let no part of the day be lost no not the least minutes which are precious as the least filings of Gold As the Lord doth permit unto you some things which your weak bodies stand in need of that thereby you may be the better inabled to serve him on his day So he is pleased to allow some things to be done by you even on his day though they hinder the performance of the proper works thereof and they are such things as are of absolute necessity Quest. If you ask what I mean by works of absolute necessity Answ. Such as must needs be done and yet could not be done the day before the Sabbath nor put off to the day after without great prejudâ—ce But on the other side such things as do no way further the sanctification of the day but rather hinder the same and may as well be done the day before or the day after or some other time ought not to be done on the Lords Day Having thus done with the Directions for the right sanctification of the Lords Day IV. Come we now to the Motives to quicken you up to a conscionable observation of the Directions 1 A right sanctification of the Lords Day maketh much to the honour of God Mark what the Lord himself saith to his Church in this case by his
Prophet Isaiah If thou tuâ—n away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my hely day and 〈◊〉 the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and 〈◊〉 honour him Here it is expresly said that by a right sanctifying of the Sabbath wee honour God 2 A right sanctification of the Sabbath is profitable to your selves and that in a double respect 1 In regard of your outward temporal estate 2 In regard of your inward spiritual estate 1 The sanctification of the Sabbath is profitable in regard of your outward temporal estate For the more conscionable any man is in sanctifying the Sabbath day the greater blessing hee may expect from God upon his labour on the six daies For it is not your own labour and toiling but the blessing of God that maketh rich i. e. that and that alone doth it as the Wise-man speaketh 2 The sanctification of the Sabbath will be profitable in regard of your inward spiritual estate For this was one main end why the Sabbath was ordained namely that God might by it in the use of his ordinances inrich our souls with spiritual blessings in heavenly things And accordingly the sanctification of the Sabbath is an especial means both to beget grace and to strengthen grace for the Lord hath ordained it to be as a Market-day to the soul. And truly were we but as sensible of the good of our souls as we are of out bodies the best husbands that be should not more diligently keep Marke-daies and Fair-daies than we would the Lords Daies 3 A right sanctification of the Sabbath is very delightful to the people of God in that they do injoy intimate society and communion with God in his ordinances on that day which is the greatest happiness poor creatures can possibly attain unto in this life being an heaven upon earth to injoy communion with God and some degree of those heavenly joyes which wee shall injoy hereafter more fully in Heaven How should the consideration hereof stir you up to a careful conscionable sanctifying of the Lords Day that so you may taste of those sweet comforts and refreshments which others have so plentifully injoyed 4 Another Motive may be taken from the Equity of sanctifying this day For in that the Lord hath afforded unto us six daies in seven for our own work an reserved to himself but one for his worship and service whereas he might have required six daies for his worship and afforded but one for our work is it not most just and equal that we should make conscience of giving unto God his Day by consecrating it wholly to his worship and service As Ioseph said to Poâ—â—phars Wife when she tempted him to uncleannes 〈◊〉 Master hath not kept back any thing from mee but thee because thou art his wife How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God In like manner say thou to thy vain companions when thou art tempted any way to prophane the Sabbath God the Soveraign Lord and Master of the world hath kept back no time from mee but one day because it was his How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God CHAP. XXII Of the Sacramen of the Lords Supper TO the worthy partaking of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper there are three sorts of duties required 1 Duties Antecedent i. e. Such as must go before the Sacrament 2 Duties Concomitant i. e. Such as must accompany the action of receiving 3 Duties Subsequent i. e. Such as must follow after I. For the Duties Antecedent though they are many yet they may be all brought under this one head of Examination which is not onely commended by the Apostle But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup But urged and pressed upon us with greater severity than any Pâ—ecept in the Book of God For faith the Apostle in the same place hee that through a neglect of this duty of Examination eateth and drinketh unworthily 1 Hee is guilty of the body and blood of Christ. 2 Hee eateth and drinketh damnatioâ— to himself 1 To bee guilty of the body and blood of Christ is in some measure to have â—ur hands in his bloody death and passion and so by consequence to be partners with Iudas in betraying him with the Scribes and Pharisees in accusing him with Pilate in condemning him and with the cruel souldiers in crucifying him Whose heart doth not rise with indignation against these when he reads or considers their cruell handling of our blessed Saviour in whipping and scourging him in mocking and deriding him in piercing and crucifying him And therefore take heed lest thou in like manner be guilty by thine unworthy receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper through thine unprepared coming thereunto We read how the blood of innocent Abel did lye so heavy upon Cain that hee cried out My punishment is greater than I can bear How heavy then will the blood of Jesus Christ who was not only an innocent man but more than a man lye upon them that are guilty thereof You know it lay so heavy upon Iudas that hee hanged himself And you cannot be ignorant how heavy it hath lyen upon the whole Nation of the Iews for these many hundred years according to that cursed wish of theirs His blood be on us and on our children As therefore thou wouldest not be found guilty of this horrid and dreadful sin put in practice the Apostles counsel namely To examine thy self before thou presumest to partake of that Ordinance 2 Hee that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself so our translators render it And truly this is a necessary consequence from the former for hee that is guilty of the body and blood of Christ how can hee but incur the danger of damnation Indeed the word in the Greek translated damnation may as well signifie temporal chastisement as eternal punishment And questionless as hypocrites and unbeleevers while they eat and drink unworthily eat and drink damnation to themselves if they repent not so also such as are faithful and sincere Christians when they through infirmity and negligence do partake of this ordinance unworthily incur thereby temporal judgements as sicknesse weaknesse and sometime death it self For saith the Apostle speaking of the beâ—eeving Corinthians who had not prepared themselves as they should to that ordinance For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep or dye For what cause namely because they received the Sacrament unworthily and irreverently without any preparation or examination of themselves I grant the best men cannot be said in themselves to be worthy to partake of this ordinance Yet if thou beest a beleeving Christian and dost sincerely indeavour to receive it in that manner and with such affections as the Lord doth require of thee thou mayest be said how
unworthy soever thou art otherwise to be a worthy receiver Having thus shewed the Necessity of the duty of Examination Come wee now to the Extent thereof which may be brought to two heads viz. 1 Thy graces 2 Thy sins First Thou must examine thy self of thy graces more especially of thy Knowledge Faith Repentance and Love Touching Knowledge I shall shew 1 What Knowledge is required of every worthy Communicant 2 The Necessity 3 The Trial thereof I. For the first what Knowledge is required I answer in general Knowledge of all the fundamental Principles of Religion In particular Knowledge of the Doctrine of the Sacrament Fundamental Principles of Religion are such as our salvation is founded upon without the knowledge whereof a man cannot be saved and they are these That there is a God That there is but one God That that onely true God is distinguished into three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost all equally God That that God is the Creator and Governour of all things That all things were made good by him and are still governed by him righteously That man in particular was made perfectly righteous by him That man continued not long in his happy estate but fell by transgressing the Commandement of God in eating the forbidden fruit That wee are all guilty of Adams sin being in his loins when hee committed that sin That every one of us brought into the world corrupted and polluted natures natures as full of sin as a Toad is of poison That unto this original corruption wee have added a numberless number of actual transgressions and that in evil thoughts evil words and evil deeds That by our sins wee have made our selves liable to the wrath of God to the curse of the Law to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal death and condemnation hereafter That no man can free himself out of that miserable condition whereinto by sin hee hath plunged himself neither can any meer creature help him That God out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his own Son out of his bosome into the world to take our nature upon him that therein hee might become our Surety and Redeemer That Christ was both God and Man in one person That hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary That hee died upon the Cross to save his people from their sins That hee rose again the third day from the dead ascended into Heaven sits at the right hand of God and makes continual intercession for us That by Faith wee are made partakers of Christ and of the benefits of his death and passion That Faith is the gift of God wrought in us by the Spirit of God through the Ministery of the Word whereby wee rest upon Christ alone for the pardon of our sins and for eternal life and salvation That it hath pleased God to make with us in and thorow Christ a new Covenant of Grace wherein hee hath promised the pardon of our sins and the salvation of our souls upon the alone condition of a lively Faith Particuâ—ar Principles concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper are these That it was ordained by Christ himself as a memorial of his great love in offering up his life a Sacrifice for our sins That this as well as the other Sacrament of Baptism is a seal of Gods Covenant whereby he bindes himself to perform his promises made to us in Christ for strengthening our Faith therein That the outward signs in the Lords Supper are Bread and Wine by which are set forth the body and blood of Christ which the worthy receivers by Faith do partake of in this Sacrament That whosoever eats and drinks unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of Christ and therefore that every one is to examine himself lest he eat and drink judgement to himself Having thus shewed what is that knowledge which is required of every worthy Communicant II. I shall now shew the Necâ—ssity thereof which appeareth 1 Because without this knowledge a man can never attain to any of the other graces for an ignorant man can neither beleeve nor repent nor love God or his neighbour aright 2 Because without this knowledge a man cannot discern the Lords body which if hee do not hee eats and drinks damnation to himself And therefore it is absolutely necessary that all who receive the Lords Supper should discern the Lords body i. e. should perceive that there is more to be received than that which is seen with the eye of the body To the bodily eye there appeareth nothing but Bread and Wine upon the Table but by virtue of the divine institution there is also Christs body and blood if this be not discerned the benefit of the Sacrament is lost But it is not possible without knowledge which is the eye of the soul to discern that body and blood under the elements of bread and wine therefore is the forementioned knowledge absolutely necessary III. For the third particular viz. The Tryal of thy knowledge whether it be a true saving knowledge thou mayest know it by the properties thereof some whereof are these 1 True saving knowledge is Experimental whereby a Christian hath a spiritual sense and feeling of what he knows He hath not only a general and a notional knowledge of God and of his own miserable condition by nature and of Jesus Christ but hee hath likewise an experimental knowledge of God and of his Attributes as of his power in supporting him under his trials and temptations of his faithfulness in making good his promises unto him He hath likewise a sensible feeling of his own wretched condition by nature And an experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ so that he knoweth Christ to be his Saviour and Redeemer and resteth upon his merits alone for life and for salvation By this then try and examine thy knowledge c. 2 True saving knowledge is Humble and joyned with meekness of spirit For the more true knowledge a man hath the more he discerns his own ignorance yea and vileness by reason of his sins And therefore you shall finde those Christians who were most eminent both in knowledge and grace to complain most as of their ignorance so of their own base and naughty hearts as you may see in Paul and others And no marvel considering that true saving knowledge discovers unto a man his own vileness and wretchedness by reason of his sins his own unworthiness yea his own emptiness and nothingness in regard of any goodness of his own Whereas unsanctified knowledge is apt to puft a man up with pride and self-conceit even to the contemning and despising of others which the Apostle plainly expresseth where he saith Knowledge puffeth up By this then try and examine thy knowledge whether it be a saving knowledge or no. 3 True saving knowledge is active and operative being ever accompanied with practice and obedience so that it worketh reformation in the heart
bread and wine into spiritual bane Hee therefore that covereth his sins shall not prosper but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy It is said of the Viper that when she goeth to joyn with her Mare she casteth out all her poison How much more oughtest thou when thou goest to have communion with thy heavenly Spouse the Lord Jesus Christ cast out thy sins which are a spiritual poison worse than the poison of any Viper In this Examination as thou must search after thine evil thoughts woâ—ds and deeds and after thy sins of omission and commission so likewise and especially after the sins thou hast committed since thy last receiving of the blessed Sacrament and such as are most against the vows and covenants that formerly thou madest with God and which do mostgaul thy conscience or most disgrace thy profession or are greatest occasions of dulling thy spirit that these being found out they may be the more lamented and pardon for them more earnestly desired In the examining thy self it will be a good help to read such a Treatise as doth in particular set out the several sins against the several Commandements For when by such a Treatise thou art shewed that such a thing is a sin against such a Commandement thy conscience will upon the reading of such sins tell thee that therein thou hast sinned Having examined and searched thine heart thorowly of all thy known sins then humble thy self before the Throne of Grace in a true and unfeigned acknowledgement and confession of them freely judging and condemning thy self before God with a broken and contrite heart Directions to help thee in the right manner of confessing thy sins See in Chap. 20. And having confessed thy sins pour out thy soul in hearty prayer unto God for the pardon and forgiveness of them all And then be earnest with him to make the Sacrament effectual to thy comfort effectual to the mortifying of thy lusts to the strengthening of thy graces especially to the confirming of thy Faith in the assurance of the pardon and forgiveness of thy sins c. III. Having shewed the duties Antecedent come we now to the duties Concomitant i. e. such as must accompany the action of receiving But first I shall premise some few Directions touching the Manner of thine approaching to the Lords Table 1 Having thus prepared thy self go not in the strength of thy preparations but onely in the strength of Iesus Christ looking for acceptance onely in and thorow his merits and mediation For though thou hast prepared thy self after the best manner that thou canst yet if with an impartial eye thou shalt look back upon thy preparations how full of weaknesses infirmities and imperfections wilt thou finde them So that if Christ do not cover both thy person and thy preparation with the Robe of his Righteousness and sprinkle them with his blood neither thy person nor thy preparation will finde acceptance with God Cast therefore all thy preparations at the feet of Jesus Christ and say Lord I come not in the strength of my preparations but onely in thy strength I come in thine alone name and mediation to partake of thy body and of the benefits of thy death and passion And thou mayest then be confident that God will over-look thy manifold weaknesses and imperfections in the work of preparation and accept of thee and of thy services in and thorow his beloved Son Jesus Christ. 2 As thou art going meditate on the ends and benefits of that solemn ordinance some whereof are these 1 The remembrance of the death of Christ it being instituted as a memorial thereof 2 The spiritual nourishment of our souls 3 The strengthening of our Faith in the assurance of the pardon and forgiveness of our sins 4 The sealing of the Covenant of Grace with all the blessings thereof unto the beleeving soul. 5 The encreasing of our spiritual union and communion with Christ and all his members A serious meditation of these will be a special means to stir up in us some spiritual appetite after the ordinance that we shall go with hungring and thirsting desires after the same 3 Go with a strong expectation to receive much from Christ in and thorow that ordinance knowing that Christ will inlarge himself unâ—o all those who come with inlarged hearts with a strong expectation of many good things Open thy mouth wide saith the Lord and I will fill it So that if thou open thy mouth wide in a longing expectation of great matters he will fill it Yea the more thine heart is inlarged in desire and expectation the more will Gods heart be inlarged in bounty towards thee As therefore God hath promised in the Covenant of Grace to pardon thy sins to subdue thy corruptions to give thee a soft heart and the like go with an expectation of these and such like blessings and thou shalt not be disappointed of thine hopes 4 Approach to the Lords Table with all holy reverence in respect of Gods glorious Majesty who is in a special manner present at that ordinance to behold his guests and will be sanctified by all those who draw nigh unto him 5 Approach thereunto with all humility in respect of thine own vileness and unworthiness who art but sinful dust and ashes and if thou hast any light of grace in thee canst not but be conscious to thy self of more corruption in thine own heart than thou knowest to be in the heart of another And therefore say not Such an one is ignorant and such an one is loose in his life and conversation but say Lord I am ignorant I am unworthy to draw nigh unto thee in so holy an Ordinance not worthy to gather up the crumbs under thy Table And know that the more unworthy thou art in thine own account the worthier guest thou art in the account of God 6 As thou art going to the Lords Table cast all thy worldly thoughts and businesses out of thine head which otherwise will carry away thine heart from the ordinance and exceedingly disturb thee thereat In Iob 1. 6. wee read There was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also amongst them In like manner on the day when Gods Children present themselves before the Lord in that solemn Ordinance Satan will be sure to appear amongst them to disturb and distract them therein as much as possibly he can by casting into their heads vain and impertinent thoughts And therefore it concerneth thee to be watchful over thy thoughts and to keep thine heart close to the ordinance To that end it will be thy wisdome oft to eye the outward elements of bread and wine and diligently to observe the outward rites and actions in the ordinance and thereupon to meditate of the spiritual things signified thereby These things premised Come we now to the Duties to be performed at the Ordinance which are these I. When
that they did even break him again For wee use to say of one that hath endured much pain or other great grief that hath wasted his flesh or dried up his blood See how hee is broken and in this sense also may Christ be said to be broken Again when thou seest the Minister pouring out of the wine then exercise and actuate thy Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and the shedding thereof which indeed sheweth the extent of Christs sufferings even to the taking away of his life which is the furthest extent of a mans suffering in this world These two therefore The breaking of Christs body and the shedding of his blood are fitly joyned together the former to shew the extremity of Christs sufferings the latter the extent thereof even as far as possibly could bee to the shedding of his blood Again when thou seest the Minister offering the bread and wine to the Communicants then by the eye of Faith see Gods love in offering his Son to every beleeving Communicant For as verily as the Minister doth offer the bread and the wine so truly doth God really offer Christ with all the benefits of his death and passion to every beleeving Communicant I do not say carnally but really not the flesh of Christ but Christ with all the benefits of his death and passion as Reconciliation Redemption Remission of sins c. For there is not a meer Representation but a real and true exhibition of Christ as broken for our sins II. Another act of Faith to bee exercised at the Lords Supper is to receive Iesus Christ. For the Beleever having seen Christ with the eye of Faith under the outward elements and forementioned rites then hee receiveth him into his heart with much joy and gladness As therefore thou stretchest forth the hand of thy body to receive the bread and wine stretch forth the hand of Faith to apprehend and receive Jesus Christ and to rest upon him for life and for salvation For Faith is that instrument whereby wee receive Christ and all his benefits as they are offered to us in the Gospel and sealed up to us in the Sacrament Faith is to the soul as the hand is to the body that which is offered to a man for his good the hand readily receiveth and what the hand so receiveth is a mans own Thus God offering his Son unto us Faith perswades the heart of Gods good will to man and of his true intent to have man made partaker of his Son and thereupon apprehends him and receives him for his own and Christ is truly his III. Another act of Faith to be exercised at the Lords Supper is to apply and appropriate Christ to thy self which is implied under the Rites of eating the bread aâ—d drinking the wine whereby is meant a feeding upon Christ by Faith which is an applying of him When therefore thou art eating the bread and drinking the wine feeâ— upon Christ by a particular application of him and all his benefits to thine own souls comfort By Faith assure thy self that Christ was born for thee that hee might bee thy Saviour to save thâ—e from thy sins That hee performed perfect obedience unto the Law that his Righteousness might be imputed uâ—to thee Thus hee died a bitter cursed death to free thee from eternal death and condemnation which thy sins had deserved Thus thou oughtest to apply Christ with all his benefits unto thine own souls comfort And thus to act Faith is to eat and drink indeed to communicate indeed The truth is this act of Faith in applying Christ is the most suitable to the Ordinance of the Lords Supper And the more thou canst put forth the act of application therein the greater comfort shalt thou receive from the Ordinance for propriety in Christ is that which sweetens all Yet lest weak Christians such as are weak in Faith should be discouraged and think themselves uncapable of comfort because they cannot thus â—eed upon Christ by Faith they cannot apply Christ nor the benefits of his death unto themselves I desire such to take notice that though this act of application is the most suitable to the Ordinance yet the former act of receiving Christ and resting upon him gives us a true interest in him whereby Christ and all his benefits become ours which puts us into a blessed and happy condition Yet I would advise all such who have attained to that measure and degree of Faith as to lay hold upon Jesus Christ and to receive him as their Saviour and thereupon to rest upon him alone for life and salvation that they would strive to raise it one pitch higher namely to apply â—hrist with all the benefits of his death and passion unto their own souls comfort Because this act of Faith doth especially make to our comfort and consolation as well as to our spiritual benefit II. Another grace to bee exercised at the Lords Supper is Repentance For a broken Christ requires a broken heart Whereas in true Repentance there is a godly sorrow for sins past And a full purpose and resolution of heart to leave and forsake them for the time to come and to walk more closely with God While you are at the Sacrament you should exercise your Repentance in both these particulars 1 You should labour to be affected with a true grief and sorrow foâ— your sins To that end seriously meditate of the manifold sufferings of Christ for ceâ—tainly a due and serious meditation of what Christ hath suffered for our sins cannot but affect our hearts with some measure of grief and sorrow for the same for shall Christ bleed for our sins and shall not wee weep for them was Christ broken with torments for our sins and shall not the consideration thereof break our hearts for them 2 You must ingage your selves by a solemn Vow and promise unto God to bee more watchful over your selves against sin for the time to come and to walk more closely and exactly with God As often as you partake of the Lords Supper so often God reneweth the Covenant on his part hee ingageth himself afresh to bee your God to pardon your sins to subdue your corruptions to write his Law in your hearts that is to work in you as a desire and disposition to the keeping of his Laws and Commandements so a sincere indeavour after the same And therefore it is your duty to renew the Covenant on your parts to ingage your selves afresh in the strength of Christ to walk as a people in Covenant with God to bee more watchful over your selves against sin for the time to come to bee more his faithful servants than ever you were before Having shewed both the Duties Antecedent and Concomitant Come wee now to the Duties Subsequent such as must follow after the action of receiving For it is not enough that you duly prepare your selves to that Ordinance and reverently carry your selves at it but you must likewise walk in some