now that yee have washed your selves by faith in Christs bloud now come come after this order and welcome So that all that came to these sacrifices and services without faith washing themselves in CHRISTS bloud came not in due order So it is in the case of the Sacrament Come without faith and God will say unto you To what purpose is your frequent receiving of the Sacrament To what purpose is the multitude of your Communions Who hath required this at your hands to sit downe at my Table Come no more at the Sacrament yee trouble me I am weary of your Communions and your receiving it is iniquity But let us get faith and wash and sprinkle our selves with Christs bloud and then will God say come now This is to come after the due order Now that you come after the due order come and welcome No man ought to come till he come in due order and no man can come in due order till hee come washed in CHRISTS bloud and there is no being washed in CHRISTS bloud but by faith Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neare with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and our bodyes washt with pure water We saw before that Gods Ordinance and order must goe together We must come to the Sacrament that is Gods Ordinance but wee must come with faith that is Gods order As it is an heynous sinne to neglect Gods Ordinance so it is no lesse heynous and dangerous to neglect and contemne Gods order and Gods due order is that every Communicant come prepared with faith So that it is no lesse sinne nor danger to come without faith then not to come at all He sinnes dangerously that comes not at all He sinnes as dangerously that comes and yet comes without faith Consider againe that same passage Matth. 22. 4 5. There were some invited to that feast that came not They made light of it what tell you them of CHRIST of the excellencies to be had in CHRIST to be had in the Word or ministery of the Gospel or in the Sacrament They made light of it but was this a light sinne They found it an heavy sinne to them in the end verse 7. Well after this there is a second and a fresh invitation and the wedding was furnished with guests ver 9 10. The feast being furnished the King comes in to see and view his guests and one he spyes that had not a wedding garment The man was come he was not guilty of the contempt of the Ordinance but yet was guilty of the neglect of Gods order In he was come but not after the due order Well but what is his entertainment Friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment verse 12. that is how haps it that thou art come in and not after the due order That was a question that silenced him smote him starke dumb But yet that is not all See v. 13. Take him binde him c. and do but compare that with the seventh v. and doe but consider which of the two verses sound sadliest And see that it is no lesse dangerous to neglect Gods order then his Ordinance But wherein was his neglect of the due order Not having a wedding garment that is not having faith or the righteousnesse of faith He that coms to the Sacrament without his wedding garment comes not after the due order and he that comes to the Sacrament without faith comes without his wedding garment Doe but consider foure specialties in that parable that will serve to our purpose 1 When the ghuests were come in the King comes in to see them So doth the Lord with all that come to the Sacrament Take notice of that all ye that come to the Sacrament When you are come together unto the Table of the Lord you have one that comes in to overlooke you and to view you that comes with an examining searching eye Let a man sayes the Apostle examine himselfe and so let him eate c. And there is great reason why a man should so do for when we come to the Lords Table the Lord will come in to see to search to examine his ghuests God is not satisfied that men come to his Ordinance but God will examine and see whether they bee come after the due order If indeed God should not come in to see his ghuests then might they be the more remisse and carelesse but beleeve it hee will come in and see them and looke narrowly on them too and therefore I thinke it neerely concernes men to looke to themselves and to see to it before they come that they come after the due order 2 The whole house was full of ghuests and there was amongest them all but onely one man that wanted a wedding garment In such a crowd and company one would thinke that happily one might have skulked and have lyen hid and not have been spied out and yet that one man was not hid but was found out So if but one man come to the Sacrament and come not after the due order God wil finde him out The crowd and multitude cannot hide him from Gods eye And if one could not bee hid in a multitude how much lesse shall twenty forty or more bee hidden from him 3 That his fault was the want of due order in comming and his want of due order was his want of faith So not a man comes to the Sacrament without faith but God spies him and singles him out with this question friend how camest thou in hither not having the grace of faith 4 That this man not comming after the due order with faith to that feast meets with a breach and a blow verse 13. Such will the case be of all such as come to the Sacrament without faith Is is nothing to be examined by God To be smitten dumbe Is it nothing to bee bound hand and foot and be cast into utter darkenesse If this bee any thing then it is some thing to come to Gods supper without a wedding garment He that comes in without a wedding garment on his backe shall not go out without chaines and fetters on his feete So that all this considered we see how necessary it is that he that will come to the Sacrament in due order must come with faith And that we may yet be further convinced of the necessity of bringing faith with us consider these things following 1 First a mans greatest care should be so to come to the Sacrament that his comming and his performance of the duty should be acceptable As good absent as present without acceptance who cares to come to his neighbours table unlesse he may be welcome Who had not rather bee absent than be lowred upon and to be entertained with sowre and darke cloudy lookes now it is not possible to finde acceptance without faith No mans performance of any service is acceptable till his person be accepted
repentance Mat. 3. Iohn did baptise the people that came unto him but he first preaches repentance to them Vers 2. and they professe repentance unto him before they be baptised Vers 6. They were baptised of him confessing their sins And so Acts 2. 38. Repent and be baptised first repent and then come to the Sacrament of Baptisme It is so also with the Sacrament of the Lords Supper repent and receive the Lords Supper first repent and then come to the Lords Supper And therefore 1 Cor. 11. 31. he wishes us to judge our selves before we come to the Sacrament which is a speciall worke of repentance In the Sacrament wee draw nigh to God and we desire to have the Lord draw nigh to us If therefore we would draw neere to God or have him draw neere to us we must come after the due Order If we draw neere to God and do it disorderly he will not draw neere to us nor have any fellowship with us Now what is Gods Order and the due Order wherein he would have us draw neere unto him we finde Iames 4. 8 9. 10. Draw nigh to God and hee will draw nigh to you But after what Order must we draw nigh to him Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie CHAP. 5 your hearts you double minded be afflicted and mourne and weepe c. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord. This is the Order after which wee must draw neere to God namely prepared and fitted for fellowship with him by unfained repentance Hezekiah proclaimed a solemne Passeover to be kept at Ierusalem and the Order after which they kept it is worth the observing and is for our imitation before we come to the Sacrament First the Priests they cleanse the Temple and brought out all the uncleannesse that they found in the Temple of the Lord into the court of the House of the Lord and the Levites tooke it to carry it out abroad into the brooke Kidron 2 Chron. 29. 16. And as the Priests and Levites doe their parts in purging uncleannesse out of the Temple so the people doe theirs in purging the Citie They arise and take away the Altars that were in Ierusalem and all the Altars for incense tooke they away and cast them into the brooke Kidron 2 Chron. 30. 14. And marke what followes Vers 15. Then they killed the Passeover namely when all uncleannesse was fetcht out of the Temple and all the Altars knockt downe in the Citie and were thrown into the brooke Kidron as it were into the Towne-ditch Then they killed the Passeover First there was a purging a cleansing out of filthinesse first al the baggage and uncleane stuffe throwne into Kidron and then a killing of the Passeover This must bee our Order in comming to the Sacrament first purge our hearts and lives of al manner of uncleannesse that may be found in them by repentance and by repentance throw it all into the brooke Kidron and then come to the Sacrament then receive the Lords Supper So must men come to the Lords Table as the Priests came to the services of the Tabernacle When the Priests came to performe holy services in the Tabernacle see in what Order they must come Exod. 30. 18 21. They must wash their hands CHAP. 6 and their feet at the brazen laver when they went into the Tabernacle or when to the Altar to minister there The equity of it reached farther than to the Priests David was no Priest yet Psal 26. I will wash mine hands in innocency so will I compasse thine Altar He alludes to the ceremony of the Priests washing at the brazen Laver before they ministred at the Altar to let us see that though this ceremony belonged onely to the Priests yet the morality belongs to all and that there is a washing that concernes all before they meddle with holy services and so with the Sacrament As the Priests were to wash themselves so some parts of the Sacrifices also were to be washt Levit. 1. 9. But the inwards and his legs he shall wash in water The same Order must be observed in comming to the Sacrament every sinner is an uncleane person and uncleane ones must be washed before they offer to have fellowship with the GOD of Purity There is a double washing with which wee must bee washed before we can come in due Order First the washing of our selves in Christs bloud by faith And secondly the washing of our selves by repentance He that will come in due Order must wash by repentance as well as by faith yea he must wash both his inwards and his feet His inwards must be washt Ier. 14. 4. Wash thine heart O Ierusalem how long shall thy wicked thoughts lodge within thee All inward and secret lusts must be washt out by repentance And the feet must bee washt also Iohn 13. 10. As we walke in our daily wayes we gather a great deale of soile and this same soile of our outward actions must also bee washt away by repentance Why must the inwards and the feet or legs of the Sacrifices be washt above all the rest The reason is given because the inwards or intrailes are the vessels that containe the filth and excrements of the Beast and therefore were they to be washt And the legs CHAP. 5 or feet to be washt because they tread in the dirt and mire and so are more defiled then any other part of the body And all this was to teach that when wee draw neere to God wee should specially wash there where most filth is readiest to bee contracted Our inwards our hearts and consciences what abundance of excrements and filth have they what dunghils of filthy lusts lye in our hearts our legs our feet how doe we defile them by walking and treading in foule wayes Even he that is washed already still and daily needs to have his feet washed Iohn 13. 10. Now then for us to come to the Lords Table with such inwards with such feet is not to take heed to our feet nor to come in due Order It were disorderly to sit downe at a mans Table in so slovenly a fashion as with unwashen hands therefore more disorderly to sit downe at the Lords Table with unwashen hearts The Pharisees quarrelled with our Saviours Disciples Matth. 15. 2. Why say they doe thy Disciples transgresse the tradition of the Elders for they wash not their hands when they eat bread But to such Communicants as come to the Lords Table without repentance it may be said upon better ground Why doe ye transgresse the commandement of the Lord For yee wash not your hands nor your hearts when ye eat bread at the Lords Table Quest But what is that repentance wherewith a man must come How must a man repent before he comes Ans This is indeed a thing worth the inquiring after because many that come to the Sacrament that yeeld to it that there must be a preparation before they come yet fouly deceive
judgement of his own fitnesse and an examined heart that upon examination hath found it selfe fit is able to charme all troublesome doubts and can say to them Be stil trouble me not for I have throughly examined my selfe and upon serious and sincere examination I know that I am a fit and a worthy Communicant Doubts they trouble the heart examination prevents doubts and settles the heart and puts things out of doubt When Christ after his resurrection appeared to his Disciples they were terrified and affrighted Luke 24. 37. but see how Christ answers them Vers 38. Why are yee troubled and why do doubts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arise in your hearts They should with all gladnesse have received and imbraced Christ but contrarily they were troubled And whence came the trouble of their spirits Why doe doubts arise in your hearts Mark then that doubts trouble the heart and unfit it for the receiving of Christ They doubted whether hee were Christ or not and were so troubled with these doubts that as yet they received him not But afterwards their doubts are turned into joy V. 41. They rejoyce at the sight and presence of Christ but how came these doubts to be removed and to be changed into joy Christ puts them to the examination and triall of himselfe Vers 39. to put them out of doubt Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my selfe and when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands and his feet As if he had said I see you are much troubled with doubtings whether I be Christ or not examine and try me view me feele me handle me and you shal find by examination that I am not as you think a spirit And so in probability they examining him w th their eyes and with their hands found him to be no spirit found him to bee Christ and had their doubts removed and joyfully received him for Christ indeed Thus as this examination removed cleered their doubts that troubled them so examination of our selves would prevent the doubtings that are ready to trouble us in receiving the Sacrament If we would behold and see if we would look into our hearts and feele and handle our owne hearts yea search and dive into them by examination how should we prevent our troublesome doubtings and how should we meet with joy comfort instead of doubtings We come to Christ in the Sacrament In one sense in regard of that awfull respect wee should have unto his blessed Majesty we should come to Christ as that woman did Mark 5. 33. The woman fearing and trembling came and fell downe before him but in another sense namely when it rises from an ignorance of our own estate whether we be fit to come to his ordinance or not and from the doubtings of conscience that we are not prepared as we should be thus to come with feare and trembling is not good examination would prevent feare By examination we should finde out the truth of our condition we should finde out whether we be fit or not And upon examination finding our selves fit we should come with an holy boldnesse and confidence of spirit to Christ in his Ordinance As therefore we desire to have our hearts discharged of troubles and doubts when wee are drawing neere to the Lords Table as we would not have conscience pester us with disquieting scruples and unseasonable disputes reasonings whether we may come or no so beforehand bestow some time and paines in a private scrutiny and search of our selves examination wil prevent all these and we shall be able to hush and still them all if wee can say I have examined mine heart I have sincerely tried my selfe and I find upon good examination that I have good leave to come to the Lords Ordinance 2 Secondly it is better a great deale to examine our selves before we come then to be examined by God God wil examine such to the purpose that wil not be at the pains trouble to examine themselves It was a sharp kinde of examination by which Saint Paul should have beene examined Acts 22. 24. The chiefe Captaine commanded that he should be examined by scourging Certainly when men neglect selfe-examination God will himselfe examine them but it will be an examination with scourging Every interrogatory and question that God puts to us shall be as a smarting lash with a scourge yea as a stinging lash with a Scorpion The man that came to the Feast without his wedding garment never examined himselfe before he came whether he had a nuptiall garment to goe in or not God therefore examines him but it is with a scourging question that made his heart smart Friend how carnest thou in hither not having a wedding garment It was a scourging question that drew bloud on his conscience When a man comes to the Sacrament and hath not examined himselfe and God comes to him and sayes as to Eliah 1 Kings 19. 13. What doest thou here Eliah So what doest thou here at my Table How will such a question pinch the conscience what a girding lash will it be to a mans heart Those are lashing interrogatories Isa 1. 12. Who required these things at your hands to tread in my Courts Isay 58. 5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen Psal 50. 16. What hast thou to doe that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth Ier. 7. 9 10. Will yee steale murder and commit adultery c. and come and stand before me in this house These be scourging examinations that fetch bloud at every stroake with such kind of questions and such kind of interrogatories will God examine men that come unself-examined to the Sacrament Now when God shall come to such examinations who may abide the day of his comming and who shall stand when he appeares as Malachi speaks in another case Mal. 3. 2. How terrible a thing will it be to be thus examined were it not good for every one to take a course to prevent so sharpe an examination There is a way to doe it and that is before wee come to the Sacrament let a man examine himselfe for as the Apostle sayes 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our selves we should not be judged namely of the Lord so if we would examine our selves we should not be examined of the Lord. But if we examine not our selves then shal we be both examined and judged of the Lord. When a man hath examined himself he needs not feare Gods examination nay a man may then be willing to come under Gods examination David puts himself upon Gods examination Psa 139. 23 24. Search me O God and know mine heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there bee any wicked way in me Certainly David never durst have beene so bold as to have put himselfe upon Gods examination if he had not first examined himselfe But having first examined himselfe and thereupon knowing his own conscience throughly well now he