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A44559
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A plain discourse shewing how we are to walk after the Lord's Supper necessary for every communicant. From I Col. 10. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Being the substance of several sermons preached to a congregation in Hatton-Garden. By John Horsman, an unworthy servant of Jesus Christ.
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Horsman, John, fl. 1698.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing H2871A; ESTC R219052
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49,125
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155
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to come he could neither expiate Sin nor procure Eternal Life No these are things which could only be accomplished and brought about by him who was more than a meer finite or Created Being even by the Lord Jesus Christ who was not only Man but God too you see then we are beholden to Christ for all He it is that fetcheth sinners from the lowest Hell and lodgeth them in the highest Heavens that snatcheth them from the deepest Misery and advanceth them to the highest Glory that poor finite beings are capable of O the great obligations that are upon us to walk thankfully all our days Every time we partake of this Supper-Ordinance we come under new and fresh obligations of thankfulness We that have been so lately feasting upon his love so lately put in mind of the great things he hath been doing for us before whose eyes Jesus Christ in the greatest expressions of his love hath been evidently set forth and Crucified amongst us and the blessed benefits of his Death and Crucifixion represented sealed and applied to us Our Blessed Lord would not have his love in doing and Suffering for us be forgotten by us and therefore hath appointed this Supper as a standing monument and memorial thereof to his Church When we eat the Sacramental Bread and drink the Sacramental Cup we are to do it in remembrance of him of what he hath done and suffered for us This was a kindness never to be forgotten at the Institution of which Supper we find he himself gave thanks * Rob. Communicant page 178. 1 Cor. 11.23.24 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he break it c. after the same manner also he took the cup. Now what was the matter or form of this thanksgiving is not expressed but it is most likely it was in reference to the work or action then in hand and not only for the bare outward Elements but more cheifly and especially for the inward Mysterys and excellent benefits to be represented and sealed by them For the Grace and love of God which he came to discover to Mankind and was now about to seal with his own Blood The Baptism he was to be baptised with was now approaching viz. his death wherein his Body was to be broken and his Blood shed for the life of the World and for the nourishment of the Elect which he delighted to accomplish or as he himself expresseth it was straitned till it was accomplished These were the things that were chiefly and specially the matter of his thanksgiving Now did Christ give thanks at the first Institution why then proportionably we are still to give thanks in all after Administrations of this Supper And not only just in the participation of it but after we have partaken we are to walk thankfully all the days of our lives considering ◠1. 〈◊〉 The inward moving cause of all which was the great love and mercy of God to us John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son 1 John 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins Now this first inward moving cause of all viz. the love of God must not be overlooked because it is commended to us Rom. 5.8 But God commendeth his love to us in that white we were yet sinners Christ died for us Some things are barely related to us but this is commended to us that we may be sure never to forget it and to be continual matter of praise and thanksgiving to us considering 2. The outward occasion or procuring cause which is Mans misery by reason of sin This was the outward occasion of Christ's coming into the World and doing what he did and suffering what he suffered He came to reconcile and propitiate God offended by Mans sin To remove that enmity that was betwixt God and us to appease the anger and wrath of God towards us now before this can be brought about and effected the Son of God must become Man obey and suffer bleed and dye to expiate our offences And doth not this afford us continual matter of thanksgiving Once more considering the effect and fruit and benefit of all that he hath done and suffered for us and that is life that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him This was the white that Christ aimed at in all that he did next to his Fathers glory was the salvation and life of poor sinners that we might live how why a life of pardon and acceptance in Justification a life of grace and holiness in Sanctification a life of joy and peace in Consolation and a life of bliss and happiness in Glorification These are things that our thoughts should be much employed about and affected with at the Table and shall we not henceforward look upon our selves as laid under the highest obligations of thankfulness of walking thankfully all our days We never have been so much beholden to any person but we are infinitely more beholden to the Lord Jesus Christ therefore the whole of our lives should be nothing else but continual expressions of thankfulness to Christ But here it may be asked how should we express our thankfulness To this I Answer 1. By often thinking of it our selves and speaking of it to others to his glory We are to express our Thankfulness to Christ for what he hath done by giving and ascribing all the Glory to him attributing and ascribing nothing to our selves but all to the riches of his Grace and freeness of his Love To look upon our selves as any ways deserving what he hath done for us doth greatly detract from his Glory and argues a base disingenuous ungrateful temper to be in us Alas Who are we or what are we poor worthless worms not worthy that he should spend a thought upon us and much less that he should lay down his Life and shed his Blood for us Pray let us a little reflect and consider what we were not long ago Dead in Trespasses and Sins wallowing in the filth and mire of Sin and Lust alienated from nay enemies to God and Christ poor and miserable and blind and naked cast out into the open Field to the loathing of our persons polluted and defiled in our Blood not worth the taking notice of Now than ever we should be the Objects of his Love who deserved to be the Objects of his eternal disdain and the everlasting Monuments of his Displeasure How ought this to be continually acknowledged by us to the Praise of the Glory of his Grace This is one way by which we express our Thankfulness for any kindness or favour receiv'd when we think of it or speak of it to the Praise and Renown of him that shewed it So this is one way by
encrease in it For the stronger our Faith is the greater revenue of Glory we bring to Christ It is said of Abraham He was strong in Faith giving Glory to God Rom. 4.20 But how did he glorify God why by believing in hope against hope He glorifyed the Faithfulness and Truth and the Power of God that notwithstanding the outward Discouragement under which he lay tho' it seemed to be a very unlikely improbable thing to the eye of Sense and Reason that he should have a Child considering his own Age and the Deadness of Sarahs Womb yet he believed in the Power and Faithfulness of God that he was able to performe what he promised to him and that he would be true and faithful to perform it Thus Abraham by his Faith Glorifyed God's Power Truth and Faithfulness And thus by believing we bring a great Revenue of Honour and Glory unto Christ When we stedfastly rely upon the Merit and All-sufficiency of his Blood for the Pardon of all our Sins and under the fresh guilt we are contracting daily we daily apply and betake our selves to this Blood of Christ for fresh Pardon and Cleansing when we stedfastly rely upon his Righteousness for our Justifycation before God not mentioning a word of our own Inherent Righteousness or Holiness for our Justification and Acceptance with God but make mention of his and of his only when under all our Temptations we rely upon his Mercy and Faithfulness to help and succour us In all our ways to rely upon his Wisdom for our guidance and conduct when in every act and duty of Worship we rely upon him for our access to God We never bring more honour and glory unto Christ than when we go most out of our selves and rely most upon Christ This is to walk believingly and thus we are to walk after this Supper viz. with a stronger Faith and trust on the Lord Jesus Christ We walk by Faith says the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.7 And in another place The life which I now live in the Flesh I live by faith in the Son of God Gal. 2.20 And thus we are to live and walk viz. with a stronger Faith with a more stedfast trust and reliance upon Christ upon his Obedience and Satisfaction To this end was he lifted up upon the Cross and offered there viz. to be believed in and rested upon Joh. 3.14 15. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him c. To this end did God the Father give Christ viz. to be believed in and rested upon vers 16 For God so loved the world that be gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish c. To this end is he lifted up in the preaching of the Gospel viz. that poor sinners might believe on and put all their trust and confidence in him for life and for Salvation Mark 16.15 16. Go into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved And to this end is he offered to us in the Supper viz. to be believed in and rested upon 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25. The Lord Jesus Christ the same night in which he was betrayed took Bread and when he had given thanks brake it and said take eat this is my body which is broken for you After the same manner he took the Cup when he had supped saying this Cup is the New Testament of my blood this do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me And in another place drink ye all of it this do in remembrance of me In the Bread broken upon the Table we have a lively representation of Christ's broken Body In the Wine we have a lively representation of the Blood of the Lord Jesus the price of our Redemption By Eating and Drinking we are to understand believing so that we see the Lord Jesus Christ is oâ—ered to us in this Supper to be believed in and rested upon It is true there is nothing but bare Bread and Wine presents it self to the eye of our Bodies But under these outward Signes and Elements of Bread and Wine there is a broken Crucified Saviour offered and presented to the eye of our Faith O there is great need ' of Faith and great work for Faith in our receiving and after our receiving in our partaking and after we have partaken of this Supper whilst we sit down and after we are risen up from this Table There is great need of Faith and great work for Faith in our receiving We can no more turn Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ without faith says one than a Chymist can transmute one Metal into another without the operation of the fire He that comes to this Supper without faith says another is like a Man that thinks to quench his thirst by sucking the Ale bowl Alas what is it that we receive at this Supper why it is but a little morsel of Bread and a small draught of Wine without faith and what can this do to the nourishing and strengthning of our Souls As the word profits not unless it be mixed with faith in those that hear it Heb. 4.2 So the Lord's Supper profits not unless mingled with faith in those that receive it It is true were we only at this Ordinance to receive the Bread at the Ministers hands that gives it then there would be no such need of Faith at this Ordinance But at this Ordinance we are to take Christ out of God's hand who is offered to us there and this cannot be done without faith were we only to eat the Bread and drink the Wine at this Supper this might be done without faith but we are to eat Christ's Flesh and drink Christ's Blood to seed upon a broken Crucified Saviour who is not only the Master but the Matter of this feast and this cannot be done but by faith It is faith that feeds upon Christ and derives virtue and vigour from him His Flesh is meat indeed and his Blood is drink indeed John 6.55 Meat to be eaten not with the teeth but by faith Meat indeed not in Nature but in Effect because it nourisheth the Soul and gives Eternal life to them that eat thereof v. 54. Whoso eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath Eternal life c. Hath Eternal life ay hath it already in a just Right and Title and shall have it in a certain actua Possession There is great need of Faith and Work for Faith in this Ordinance to discern and spy out those great Mysteries that are wrapped up in the outward Elements The want of which viz. a right discerning of the Mysteries that are pointed at by these signes in this Ordinance is the cause of Persons miscarrying under it is the cause of Persons eating and drinking unworthily and as a consequent of that of their eating and drinking