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
Put that question to thy conscience which Saint Iames puts Iam. 2. Shew me thy faith by thy workes Shew the coates and garments which this Dorcas hath made And so many works of obedience as thou canst shew so many witnesses shalt thou produce of the truth of thy faith But if thy faith be idle slothfull to doe service a faith that workes not suspect the truth of it and know that such a faith will not serve to admit thee to the eating of the Sacrament For the Apostles injunction in that case 2 Thess 3. 10. That if any would not worke neither should he eat holds as true in this case of an idle faith as in that case of an idle man 2 Secondly true faith beleeves God and depends upon him in all things and at all times It beleeves him not only in some things but in all not only at some times but at all It beleeves Gods promises for spirituall things Gal. 3. 22. for temporall things Psal 37. 3. It beleeves Gods Commandements to be his Commandements to be just holy and good Psal 119. 66. I have beleeved thy commandements It beleeves Gods threatnings Ion. 3. 4 5. Yet forty dayes c. So the people of Nineveh beleeved God It beleeves God not only in time of peace but in times of distresse affliction and tentation Psal 73. 1. Yet God is good to Israel Yea even then when all things goe against it Iob 13. 15. Though hee slay mee yet will I trust in him Psal 46. 2. Hab. 3. 17 18. faith it beleeves All things Luke 24. 25. O slow of heart to beleeve all that the Prophets have spoken Faith beleeves God in all Examine thy faith by this put these interrogatories to thy conscience Beleevest thou God in his promises for this life as well as for a better For thy daily bread as well as for thy salvation Beleevest thou all Gods Commandements without questioning any whether it be his or no Beleevest thou his threatnings as well as his promises Doest thou hang upon him and his promise and live upon that in all thy pinches straights and exigents As thou canst answer these so mayest thou answer for thy faith But this will convince many not to bee faithfull but faithlesse Oh they do beleeve Gods promises with all their hearts but what promises for life and salvation But how beleeve they Gods promises for the things of this life Let that be judged by their covetousnesse worldlinesse their carking immoderate cares He that beleeves makes not haste Isay 28. Therefore he that makes haste doth not beleeve Such haste to be rich such haste after the world such carking caring such pining and whining what doth it but proclaime their grosse distrust in Gods providence and promises Thou that beleevest not God for thy body beleevest him lesse for thy soule Thou that beleevest not God for a crust beleevest him lesse for a Crowne Try men in Gods Commandements pinch and presse them with the very letter of the Law Tush they will never beleeve that God requires such strictnesse Try them with threatnings and thunder them ever so against them yet they have not so much faith as the divels who beleeve and tremble Let meanes bee wanting or meanes be against them and they are of Thomas his profession Except I see and feele I will not beleeve Whilest all is with men as they would have it they are full of faith but let God pinch them and bring them into a strait and where is their faith then 3 Thirdly A sweet and holy boldnesse of accesse unto the Throne of Grace with confidence in Gods goodnesse and his gracious acceptation of us Why are yee afraid O yee of little faith It was spoken in another case But yet the more faith the lesse feare in any case A guilty conscience 〈…〉 5. 7. if awake hath no great list to come before GODS face but when once by true faith in CHRISTS bloud guilt is taken off and by faith a man is made friends with GOD Iames 2. 23. Then shall a man have the boldnesse of a friend to come to the LORD in prayer Many that have not a dramme of faith are bold enough For who so bold as blinde Bayard as ignorant and silly ones are But yet there is a great difference betweene the boldnesse of a friend and the boldnesse of a stranger For Strangers may bee bold with a kinde of sawcinesse and intrusion but they are not so welcome as bold neither hath a stranger that ground for nor that contentment in his boldnesse that a friend may have his heart will secretly check him though hee face it out for the present and be ready to tell him that hee goes further than civility and good manners can warrant him But a friends boldnesse is out of that sweetnesse of interest and acquaintance and intimate communion each with other So that boldnesse which faith breeds is from that knowledge of God that peace communion and acquaintance it hath with God in Christ This is that boldnesse spoken of Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence through the faith of him Heb. 4 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace But how shall we doe to come boldly See Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neere with a true heart in a full assurance of faith A man may therefore try his faith by the carriage of his heart in prayer If with a friendlike boldnesse and with a confidence of his gracious acceptance we can come unto God and with such a boldnesse can powre out our hearts unto him it is a comfortable evidence of the truth of faith The contrary shewes how far most men are from faith Deale truly with thy self speakest thou not to God in prayer as to a stranger as to one with whom thou hast no intire familiarity or acquaintance Certainly true faith is better acquainted with God than so 4 Fourthly a desire of Christs appearance and his second comming to judgement We walke here by faith and not by sight But where faith is it longs to be turned into sight and to have the immediate fruition of the Lord Iesus Therefore the voice of faith is that Cant. 8. 14. Make haste my beloved and be like unto the Roe And that Apoc. 22. Come Lord Iesus come quickly not onely come but quickly that is make haste with that speed that the Roe runnes withall Hence beleevers are said not only to looke for the blessed hope and appearing of our Saviour Christ but also to hasten the appearing of him 2 Pet. 3. 12. Looking for and hasting unto the comming of the day of God For though in another case it is true which the Prophet speakes Isay 28. Hee that beleeves makes not haste yet in this case hee that beleeves most makes most haste and cannot but make haste and therfore makes haste because he beleeves And no wonder that faith in her desires hastens the appearance of CHRIST
operative and efficacious as ever what then may the reason bee An hundred to one but the Lord hath made this breach upon thy soule because thou soughtest him not after the due order Call thy selfe to an account was there that prayer humiliation renewing of thy repentance and quickning of thy faith before hand as there should have beene If thou hast made a breach in Gods order it is not strange that God hath made a breach in thy conscience and comfort Certainely it seldome fares thus ill with any man in the use of GODS Ordinances but upon due search it will bee found that there hath beene a neglect of due order And let it teach us in the second place not to rest contented in the Vse 2 bare and formall use of any Ordinance but let it be our great care to seeke God in it after the due Order Doe not satisfie thy selfe and set up thy rest in praying hearing but have a speciall care to doe these duties after the due Order But in more speciall manner bee exhorted to thinke upon this when thou art to receive the Sacrament Men have generally an high conceit of the Sacrament what ever esteeme they have in the mean time of other Ordinances And true it is that it is a very precious Ordinance of God and highly to bee esteemed but yet strange it is to see what little regard men have to come in due Order thereunto In any case men must come and it were the greatest wrong that could be if they shold not come be they adulterers drunkards swearers bee their lives and wayes what they will yet because it is the custome to come at such a time in any case they must come No question but many have the same idle and vaine conceits that some had in Saint Chrysostomes time that if they came at such and such times what Multos video qui Christi corporis sunt participes inconsiderate temere magis ex consuetudine lege quam ex cogitatione et consideratione Si advenerit inquit tempus sanctae quadragesimae qualiscunque fuerit quispiam fit particeps mysteriorum si advenerit dies Epiphaniorū Atqui tempus ad ea accedendi neque Epiphania neque quadragesima facit dignos qui accedunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost ad Eph. hom 3. ever their lives were yet it skill'd not the comming at such times was disposition sufficient for the service But heare how he cries downe that vaine consent I see many sayes he that are partakers of the Body of Christ inconsiderately and rashly more out of custome and law than out of consideration If the time sayes one of holy Lent be come or the day of Epiphany be come what kinde of person soever the man bee hee is made partaker of the mysteries But it is not the time of comming unto them neither Epiphany nor Lent which makes them worthy that come but the sincerity and purity of the soule Alwayes come with that never come without it So that they lookt more at the time they came than to come with sincerity and purity as if the time should impart that holinesse to them which the Sacrament requires and they neglected to bring with them And are not there too many in the world that nourish such secret conceits in their hearts who thinke that so long as they come at such times as law and custome sets all is well enough there needs no more to look after But let men know that at what time soever they come let it be ever so soleme a time or how often soever they come were it monethly or daily yet if they come not after the due Order they shall be so farre from receiving a blessing that they shall receive a breach yea a very curse upon their soules let a man come as oft as he will to the Sacrament yet if he come not after the due Order God will deale with such a communicant as with the wicked man in that case Iob 20. 23. When hee is about to fill his belly God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him and shall raine it upon him whilest hee is eating So here when a man comes to the Sacrament and not after the due Order even whilest he is eating GOD may raine downe his wrath upon him and when hee thinkes to eate Christs flesh and drinke his bloud that which he eats may bee sawced and that which hee drinkes may bee spiced with the bitter wrath of God Such is the case oftentimes of many receivers who will bee comming to the Sacrament without any regard to Gods due Order as it was with the Israelites at their Quailes Psa 78. 29 30 31. So they did eate and were filled for he gave them their owne desire but whilest the meat was yet in their mouths the wrath of GOD came upon them Quailes were dainty food but wrath was ill sawce flesh they must needs have no remedy and they murmure that they have it not flesh they have and wrath they have And the wrath of God came upon thē while their meat was yet in their mouthes Who would have their meate to have had their sawce So many will needs come to the Sacrament by no meanes may they be perswaded to forbeare till better fitted come they must there is no remedy and they have their desire but while the Sacramentall meate is yet in their mouths the wrath of God comes secretly and insensibly upon their soules because they come and doe not seeke God after the due Order That same is an heavie curse Psa 69. 22. Let their Table become a snare before them and that which should have beene for their wellfare let it become a trap It is very heavie when our ordinary Table becomes a snare unto us but to have the Table of the Lord become a snare and the Sacrament which is appointed for our wellfare to become a trap what judgement can be imagined heavier And yet this is the sad condition of such as come not to the Lords Table after the due Order even that holy Table becomes a snare unto them How wondrous jocund and jolly was Haman that he must go with the King to Esthers banquet Esther 5. 9. Then went Haman forth that day joyfull and with a glad heart And he brags of it Vers 12. Yea Est her the Queene did let no man come in with the King unto the banquet she had prepared but my selfe And to morrow I am invited unto her also with the King But little reason had the man to be so cranke for not only at the banquet but at the banquet of wine Esther 7. 7. which was the merriest banquet of all hee meets with the Kings wrath and thereupon with the sentence of death How happy were it it were not the case of many Communicants full brag jolly they be that though they bee most unfit yet they may come and none can keepe them back and to the Sacrament they
cannot be had and that coine is faith faith is that alone which buyes those riches of gold white raiment c. faith is it that makes us partakers of Christs benefits Hee that goes to mercate and carries no money in his purse cannot buy commodities that he wants To come to the Sacrament or Christ in the Sacrament and bring no faith with us is to come without a penny in our purses and if we come without money we shall be sent back without commodity So that without faith we cannot be partakers of Christ in the Sacrament Secondly we may not doe it We may not doe it till wee have right to eat of Christs flesh and drinke his bloud and right we have none till we have faith None had right to eat of the flesh of the sin-Offering but the Priests only they might eat it Levit. 2. 26. The Priests onely had right to eat the shewbread Lev. 24. 9. It shall be Aarons and his sons and they shall eat it in the holy place Marke 2. 26. Which is not lawfull to eat but for the Priests It is so here None may eat the flesh of Christ who is our true sin-offering but they that be Priests till we be Priests we have no right to it we must be Priests before we can have this priviledge But what is the way to be made Priests To be washed in Christs bloud as the Priests were consecrated by being washt in water Levit. 8. 6. By washing also are we made Priests Rev. 1 5 6. He hath loved us and washt us in his own bloud and made us Priests But how come wee to bee washt in Christs bloud That is done by faith faith takes Christs bloud and sprinkles and washes the conscience therewith Heb. 10. 22. and being washt by faith in Christs bloud wee are made Priests And therefore wee are said to bee made Priests by faith 1 Pet. 2 4 5. To whom ye comming ye are also an holy Priesthood that is you beleeving are made Priests for to beleeve is to come and to come is to beleeve And so faith making us Priests doth give us right to eat of these holy things and priviledges us to be partakers of Christ Since therefore wee cannot eate and partake of Christ till we have a right and we have no right till Priests and no Priests but by faith therefore no right to partake of Christ till we have faith And therefore if wee would come to the Sacrament after the due Order so as to eate of Christ and be partakers of him we must come with faith It is not after the due Order for any but a Priest to eat the flesh of the sin-offering or the shew-bread It was a case extraordinary that the shew-bread was given to David and the men with him to eat We may not eat Christs flesh and drink his bloud till we have a right to it we have no right to it till we be of Gods family and houshold The Sacrament and Christs flesh and bloud therein is the bread and food which God provides for those of his owne household and not for strangers and foreiners for wee finde mention Ephes 2. 19. of the household of God and they there stand in opposition unto foreiners and strangers And Gal. 6. 10. there is mention of the household of faith When we are of the household of faith we are of the household of God and when we are of Gods household we may eat his household provisions when we are of Gods family we may eat his bread But till we be of his family we have no right to his provisions We had need therefore have faith to make us of the family of faith that so wee may bee of Gods family and may have right to his provisions They that will have right to Christ in the Sacrament they must be first Gods children It is not meet to take the childrens bread and give it unto dogs Mat. 15. It is not a good Order in a family that dogs should eate the the bread that is provided for his children offall and scraps are good enough to feed dogs withall if they get upon the Table and meddle with childrens bread they shall bee set downe again with a whip or a cudgel So here the flesh of Christ is childrens bread and we have no right to it till we be children and children we are made by faith Iohn 1. 12. To as many as beleeved he gave them this priviledge to become the Sons of God Gal. 3. 26. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Iesus And so by faith being children have a right given us to partake of this bread of life So that to come without faith is not to come after the due Order which is that none eate Christ and be made partakers of him but such as by faith are made the children of God Give not holy things to dogs that is not the due Order that is a disorder Therfore till we have faith God forbids to meddle with the Sacrament and if in this undue Order we wil be medling looke for a check God will say to such in this case as he did to Adam after he had eaten the forbidden fruit Gen. 3. 17. Because thou hast eaten of the Tree of which I commanded thee saying Thou shalt not eate of it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it c. So because thou eatest the Sacrament of which God hath commanded thee saying Thou shalt not eate of it till thou bring faith therefore in sorrow shalt thou eate it is small comfort thou shalt have in thine eating 3 Thirdly consider the evils that follow upon comming without faith and in our unbeleefe And they are these 1 First such as come without faith are not welcome to God for such as come to the Lords Table with their persons and consciences defiled cannot be welcome We see Num. 9. 6. that there were certaine men who were defiled by the dead body of a man that they could not keepe the Passeover What if they had in that defilement come to the Passeover They had to themselves defiled the Passeover For holy Ordinances doe not sanctifie defiled persons but defiled persons defile holy Ordinances as appeares by the resolution of that case Hag. 2. 11 12 13. An uncleane person by a dead body touching the bread or wine makes them uncleane It is not safe to defile Gods Ordinances We know what was the voice from heaven to Peter in his vision Acts 10. 15. What God hath cleansed call thou not and so make thou not common A defiled person comming to the Sacrament makes a cleansed thing common Now an unbeleeving person is a person defiled Tit. 1. 15. Vnto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled nothing is pure no not the pure Ordinances of God Every word of God is pure Prov. 30. 6. And so his Sacraments are pure But to a defiled person
Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 7. So doth selfe-triall make it more pretious and more glorious Examination and triall of a good Scholler hurts him not either in his learning or his credit nay it advances him much in both his very examination rubs up his learning it brings much to minde that would have been forgotten yea it puts much learning into a Scholler and besides it conduces much to his praise and honour it sends him away with the credit of an approved learned man It is so in the examination of faith In trying faith there is an exercise of faith and by exercise it is but increased and manifested 4 Fourthly who knowes but his faith may come to a fiery triall 1 Pet. 1. 7. and 4. 12. Bilney first tried his finger by himselfe in the Candle before he tried his whole body in the fire at the stake How shall our faith abide the fiery triall by others if it have never beene put to this triall by our selves When fiery trials come how many mens faith which was thought more precious than gold proves more vile than drosse And what is the reason Therefore failes their faith in fiery trials because it was never put to nor would abide selfe-triall Ier. 12. 5. If thou hast run with the Footmen and they have wearied thee then how canst thou match thy selfe with Horses How shall that faith try a match with Horse-men that never tried a match with Foot-men How shall he abide a fiery triall that hath ever shunned and beene shy of a closet triall How wilt thou abide to be tried at a barre at a stake that art loath to be tried in thy chamber in thy closet Examine your selves upon your beds Psal 4. He will never abide to be examined at a barre that will not abide to examine himselfe upon his bed Yea selfe-triall is it that prepares and fits and traines up a man to doe service in the fiery triall David could not goe in Sauls armour because he was not accustomed to it he is likely to undergoe a fiery triall of his faith that hath accustomed himselfe to the duty of selfe-triall Abraham was likely to doe good on it when hee carries not forth a company of raw fellowes from the plough but armes his trained servants Genesis 14. 14. They will never be fit for fighting that have not beene used to training Selfe-triall is training the fiery-triall is fighting They are like and fit to fight that have beene trained up to it 5 Fifthly is our faith so low prized by us and of so little esteeme with us that we care not of all other things we have how it proves Men will not have Oxen but will put them to triall Luke 14. 19. I have bought five yoke of Oxen and am going to prove them Men will try whether their Oxen be good and usefull and care we not what our faith proves usefull or useless what a monstrous wretchednesse of spirit is this Therefore as at all other times so specially be carefull to examine your faith when to come to the Sacrament How often have men tried it that their comming to the Sacrament hath beene fruitlesse their owne hearts seriously dealt withal will witnes to them that their receiving hath beene to little or no purpose And what hath beene the cause of it but because there was no examination of faith How can they receive any benefit by the Sacrament that go at an adventure not knowing whether they bring that with them that must make the Sacrament effectuall to them Quest How then may a man so try and examine his faith as that he may know the truth thereof that it is true faith Answ The Apostles phrase of faith unfained twice used by him to Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 5. and 2 Tim. 1. 5. Faith without hypocrisie as the word is implies that there is a faith feined an hypocriticall faith Therefore it is not a needlesse question to make inquiry how truth of faith may bee discerned Our times are happy in the abundance of helpes they have in this kinde and this point being so largely and fully handled in many learned Treatises that are extant and in every mans hand I will give but a touch upon it and so passe on True faith then may be knowne by the effects and fruits of it Every Tree is knowne by the fruits When the Spies returned from searching the Land of Canaan they brought with them a cluster of Grapes and Pomgranates and Figs Num. 13. 23. And they report and evidence it to be a good land by these fruits Vers 27. It flowes with milke and honey and this is the fruit of it holding forth and shewing those fruits they brought thence By the fruits of it it appeared that it was a good Land And so the way to search and finde out the goodnesse of our faith is to bring forth of the Figs Pomgranates and clusters that by shewing them to our consciences wee may bee able to say Surely our faith is a good and a true faith and these be the fruites of it Now the fruits and effects by which faith may be examined are three 1 Such as respect God and Christ. 2 Such as respect our selves 3 Such as respect our brethren 1 First the effects of faith as it respects God are these 1 First Obedience to God and his word and fruitfulnesse in all good workes True faith is no droane no loiterer but it is an active and a working grace Gal. 5. 6. Faith which works 1 Thess 1. 3. Your worke of faith 2 Thess 1. 11. The worke of faith with power A workeman may be tried by his worke What is the worke of faith It workes with power It makes a man with power to yeeld GOD obedience and to endeavour the doing of Gods will to the which no man hath any power at all Hence called the obedience of faith Heb. 11. 8. Rom. 16. 26. Because faith workes obedience and no man can give God the obedience of his heart that hath not faith in his heart On the contrary unbeleeving and disobedient persons are joyned together Tit. 1. 15 16. They who are called unbeleeving Vers 15. are called disobedient Vers 16. It is an hard duty to forgive an offending brother upon his repentance a difficult point of obedience But yet it must be done Luke 17. 4. If thy brother turne againe unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him But how shall we be able to doe it See Vers 5. And the Apostles said unto the Lord Increase our faith Faith then where it is inables to duties of obedience facilitates hard works The children of Abraham do the workes of Abraham Iohn 8. and Abrahams workes were workes of obedience We must be Abrahams children before we can doe the workes of Abraham And Gal. 3. 7. They which are of faith are the children of Abrahā They that have the faith of Abraham doe his workes Now then hereby let a man examine his faith
in which this bloud is put This bloud is held forth in this bason This is my bloud Now when this bloud is held forth to us in this bason wee should sprinkle our selves with this bloud That must be done by Actuating our faith and by the act of faith applying that bloud of Christ unto our selves We finde mention Rom. 3. 25. of faith in Christs bloud there is not onely faith in Christs Name but faith in his bloud Faith when Christs bloud is holden out to us either in the Word or Sacrament puts her hand into this bason or dippes the hyssope into the bloud in the bason and so besprinkles a mans soule therewith Faith applying CHRISTS bloud to a mans selfe doth put her hand into the bason doth dip the hyssop into the bloud in the bason ye doth with Thomas put her hands into the wounds of CHRIST and take bloud thence and besprinkles the soule withall When therfore we see CHRISTS bloud in the Sacrament we are to take it and besprinkle our selves with it that is we are to have faith in his bloud and by faith to apply the merit of Christs death unto our owne soules And this application is the Actuation of faith Nay that is not all faith seeing the wounds and the bloud of Christ not Cruci haeremus sanguinem sugimuâ— intra ipsa Redempturis nostri vulnera sigimus linguam Cyp. de Coen Dom. onely puts her hands into Christs woundss or into the bloud in the bason but faith layes her mouth to these wound and to this bloud and suckes these wounds suckes in this bloud with an holy greedinesse A faith Actuated in the Ordinance is a bloud-sucking faith Prov. 30. 15. The horse-leech hath two daughters which cry Give give Such an eager and holy greedinesse hath faith in sucking in Christs bloud It cannot be satisfied but still cries Give give Lord give me evermore of this bloud give me of this bloud to sprinkle my unrighteous soule Give me of this bloud to staunch the bloudy issues of mine heart Give me of this bloud to heale my leprose spirit Give me of this bloud to helpe subdue and mortifie my lusts Give me of this bloud of Christ crucified to crucifie old Adam and all my rebllious lusts Thus when a man suckes in earnestly the bloud of Christ whom he sees crucified and shedding his bloud in the Sacrament and suckes it in for his severall and speciall necessities then is faith Actuated in the use of the Sacrament And thus also may and must a man Actuate his faith for his comfort In this bason of the Sacrament I see Christs bloud Christs bloud is a reconciling bloud Rom. 3. 25. Col. 1. 20 21. It is justifying bloud Rom. 5. 9. We are justifyed by faith How by faith By faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. It is a pacifying bloud Col. 1. 20. Ephes 2. 13 14. A pardoning bloud Mat. 26. 28. Eph. 1. 7. It is a sanctifying bloud Heb. 13. 12. A purging bloud from dead workes Heb. 9. 14. A cleansing bloud 1 Ioh. 1. 7. It is a mortifying bloud such a bloud as fetches out the heart bloud of old Adam and delivers from the dominion of sinne The bloud of Christ crucified is crucifying bloud Rom. 6. 2 3 6. Gal. 6. 14. It is a bloud that sets prisoners free Zech. 9. 11. It is a bloud that makes men Kings and Priestes Apoc. 1. 5 6. It is a softning molifying bloud that makes the heart tender it supples a stony heart and Illa invicta vis duarum violentissimarum naturae rerum ignis ferti contemptrix hircino tamen â—sipitur sanguine faedissimo Animalium Plin. makes it a heart of flesh Zech. 12. 10. Goats bloud some say breakes the Adamant which neither Iron nor fire can doe but to bee sure the bloud of this Goat Lev. 16. the bloud of this Lambe breakes the Adamant heart of a man which nothing else can breake It is a quickning bloud that brings life and strength with it Therefore represented by wine in the Sacrament It is life-bloud bloud full of CHAP. 21 spirit that fills the soule with excellent vigour to holy performances Heb. 13. 20 21. Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Iesus c. typified by that Exodus 24. 7 8. Now what a deale of comfort may faith draw from all this Alas my person is unrighteous but LORD thy bloud is Iustifying bloud mine heart is uncleane but thy bloud is sanctifying bloud my lusts are many and mighty but LORD thy bloud is Mortifying bloud Mine heart is wondrous hard but Lord thy bloud is softning bloud mine heart is exceeding dead but Lord thy bloud is quickning bloud In this bloud of thine I beleeve this bloud of thine I thirstily drinke downe this bloud of thine I heartily apply with a comfortable expectation of all these blessed benefits Be of good cheare oh my soule here is pardoning bloud to comfort thee against thy guilt here is sanctifying bloud to comfort thee against the pollutions of thy nature CHAP. 20 here is crucifying bloud to comfort thee against thy lusts here is following bloud to helpe thee against thy hardnesse quickning bloud to helpe thee against thy deadnesse He was wounded for our transgressions Isa 53. 5. And here in the Sacrament we may see his wounds and faith must looke upon them as healing wounds With his stripes are we healed Isa 53. 5. what sweete comfort may faith fetch hence Looke upon the wounds of Christ on the Crosse as on the Cities of refuge whither thy pursued soule by the avenger of bloud may flye for safety and Sanctuary Indeed I am a grievous sinner I have wounded my conscience Feccavi peccatuÌ„ grande turbatur conscientia sed non perturbabitur quoniam vulnerum Domini recordabor NeÌ„pe vulneratus est propter iniquiâ—ates nostâ—â—â— Quid tam ad mortem quod non Christi moâ—te salvâ—tur Bernard â—iâ—p Can. Serm. 61. with my transgressions but behold my Saviour here wounded for my transgressions I have â—â—â—se to be troubled in my conscience for the wounds my transgressions have made therein but yet my conscience needs not sinke in a despondency of spirit whilest I looke at these wounds of Christ Here be wounds for wounds healing wounds for stabbing wounds curing wounds for killing wounds He was wounded for our transgressions what wound so deadly that cannot or may not be healed by his death and wounds what comfort is here for faith in the wounds of Christ crucified whose death is represented in the Sacrament a FoderuÌ„t manus ejus pedes latusque lancea foraverunt per has rimas licet mihi sugere mel de petra oleum de saxo id est gustare videre quoniaÌ„ suavis est dominus At clavis reserans clavis penetrans factus est mihi ut videaÌ„ voluntatem domini Quidni videaÌ„ per foramen clamat câ—edens sit