A VVORTHY Communicant OR A TREATISE Shewing the Due Order of Receiving the Sacrament of the LORDS Supper By IER DYKE Minister of Epping in Essex Levit. 10. 3. I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me Cypr. de Can. Dom. Nec se judicant nec Sacramenta dijudicant Petr. Bles Epist. 40. Vide ne Dominus dicat de te Ecce manus tradentis me mecum in mensa Dederunt in escam meam fel. LONDON Printed by R. B. for R. Dawlman and L. Fawne at the Brazen Serpent in S. Pauls Church-yard 1636. TO the Right Honourable LORD THOMAS Earle of Winchilsea And to the Right Honourable the Lady CECILL Countesse of Winchilsea his most Pious Consort Right Honourable IT was a salt and a smart speech which one Melancthon spake unto an Italian Vos Itali vnltis Deum habere in pane quem non creditis esse in coelis Melch. Adam in vit Melanch You Italians will have God to be in the bread in the Sacrament whom ye beleeve not to be in Heaven It were to be wished that many amongst our selves were not under the guilt of somewhat the like incongruity It is an high opinion that men generally have of the Sacrament and reason good it should be had in pretious esteeme but that which is sad to consider they partake of that Ordinance with such irreverence carelesnesse and prophanenesse of spirit as if they beleeved not there were a God or as if in that Ordinance they had not to do with the God of Heaven That which was once injoyned the Dominican Priests in memory Morn myst Iniq. prog 56. and hatred of that heinous act of one of their fraternity in poysoning the Emperour Henry the seventh in the Hoast That they should communicate only with the left hand may bee feared to bee the case of too many thorow their owne negligence that they are no better than left-handed Communicants It matters not before God with what hand the Sacrament be received the right-hand or the left so the heart be right and the work done in a right order But yet in a spirituall sense to be left-handed receivers is a matter not only of disgrace but of danger It is all one in Scripture phrase to be left and to be lame-handed And to be sure to be left-handed in this worke is to be lame-handed The lame and the blinde who knowes not in what ill esteeme they were with God The lame and the blind had no acceptance with God And wherein concernes it men to be more solicitous for acceptance than in the solemne service of receiving the Sacrament No acceptance is to be had but when it is well done If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted sayes the Lord to Cain It was good which Cain did in offering Sacrifice but if thou do well shalt thou not be accepted It must be a good thing and a good thing well done which shal find acceptance That speech of Aarons in his case would be a very seasonable thought for men before the Sacrament Behold this day such Lev. 10. 19. things have befallen me and if I had eaten the sin-offering to day should it have beene accepted in the sight of the Lord Happy were it that before the Sacrament men would thus say with themselves Behold this day week this moneth c. such things have befallen me and I have fallen into such sinnes as have made my person guilty mine heart hard and dead and if I should in such a case before I have prepared my self by faith and repentance eat the Supper Lord should I be accepted in the sight of the Lord They were crosses and afflictions which by Gods providence befell Aaron in the death of his Sons and the sorrow and mourning that followed thereupon that indisposed and unfitted him for eating the flesh of the sin-offering Sanctified things were not to be eaten in a mans mourning Deut. 26. 14. They be sins that men thorow their owne corruption fall into that they live and lye in and the want of sorrow and mourning for them that unfit men for eating the Sacrament With spirituall sorrow and mourning for sin should these sanctifyed things be eaten And for want of this and other due dispositions it is that this holy Ordinance that men seeme to think so highly and reverently of is so much abused and profaned Conceiving it therefore a worke of charity to direct people to a preparation and a performance suitable to the holinesse and excellency of the Ordinance I have published this small treatise And such as it is I present it to your Honours as a publike testimony of that thankfulnesse service and due regard I owe unto you and your Noble Family the which deserves so much the more honour from men by how much the more it is honoured by God They were ill Si quis ex nobilibus ad Deum coÌ„verti caeperitstatim honorem nobilitatis amittit Religio ignobilem facit Si honoratior quispiam religioni se applicueâ—it â—llico honoratus esse disistit Salv. de Provid lib. 4. times that Salvian lived in and complained of when religion and godlinesse were thought staines and blemishes of Honour as if Religion made Noble Persons vile and ignobled Greatnesse But that which GOD cals Glory and Honour let no man account shame and basenesse It is most true which S. Bernard writes to Sophia a religious Noble Woman Thou art the more Insignior plane atque illustrior quod de paucis facta es quam quod orta de magnis Illud namque Dei munere tuum est Hoc tuorum Porro quod tuum est tanto carius cst c. Bernard Ep. 113. illustrious that thou art made one of few aluding to that of Paul Not many Noble than that thou art borne of Great Ones That by Gods gift is thine owne this namely her Birth and Noble Parentage thou art beholding to thy Parents for That which is thine owne is so much the more deere by how much the more rare Who shall finde a vertuous woman much more a vertuous and Noble one God indeed is no accepter of persons yet I know not how it comes to passe yet to passe it comes that vertue in a Noble person is more pleasing peradventure because it is more shining As light is more glorious in the Stars of greater than of lesser magnitude It is a most sure thing what ever the world may judge that nothing so enobles as Christ grace and being in the Covenant I have blessed Ishmael sayes the Lord twelve Princes shall he beget But my Covenant will I establish with Isaac Account it your greater Honour Gen. 17. 20. 21. to be in the Covenant than to have Seed Royall issue out of your loynes or to have Bloud Royall runne in your veynes Then are persons truly Honourable indeed when pretious in Gods sight Since thou wast pretious in my sight thou hast beene honourable So may You
Hezekiah in that case Is 38. 1. Set thine house in order for thou must dye So set thy Soule in order for thou must pray heare the Word receive the Sacrament Let all things bee done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14. 40. That is a Cannon and a Commandement for outward order and God that will have men so Canonicall for His outward order how much more requires He that men be as regular for inward order Let all things be done holily and in Spirituall order Let not onely the Word be heard Gods Name be called upon the Sacrament received but let it bee done after the due order with an heart and a spirit so spiritually ordered as God commandes So that God commanding inward order as well as an outward Ordinance and His Law being Copulative such must our obedience be or else we make a breach in His Law in uncoupling what he hath coupled together What God hath joyned together let no man put asunder what GOD hath coupled together let no man uncouple He hath coupled together the second Commandement enjoyning His Ordinance and the third enjoyning the inward manner and order of the use of His Ordinance And therefore to use His Ordinance without that order is a breach of what He hath coupled And if we make a breach in His Law what wonder if He make a breach in our service in our comfort 2 That same Levit. 22. 21. perfect shall it be to be accepted God expects Non est Actio bona simpliciter nisi omnes bonitates concurrant quia quilibet singularis defectus causat malum bonum autem causatur ex Integra causa Tho. Aquin. 1a 2ae qu. 18. Art 4. Bonum causatur ex Integra causa malum autem ex singularibus defectibus Id. ibi qu. 19. art 6. perfection perfection of parts where man expects acceptance Now as unto that which is good so unto that wh ch is perfect there must bee an entire concurrence of all requisites The defect or want of any one thing required may cause an imperfection but to the constitution of perfection there must be a meeting of all things required It will appeare in the case specified Lev. 22. 21. The sacrifices of Beeves or Sheepe there mentioned must be perfect Now if the beast had wanted but any one part an eye an eare an horne an hoofe any one of these defects had caused an imperfection and the sacrifice had beene imperfect and so no acceptance of it But now to have made it perfect to bee accepted it must have all and every one of the parts every member of the body in its number and proportion Now the equity holds in all dutyes of worship To what end is our worship if not accepted if we will have it accepted wee must have it perfect there must be all these things in it that God requires Now God requires in worship not only that wee use his Ordinance but his order as outward so inward Now when there is this perfection that God requires then may a blessing and acceptance bee expected But if that order that Spirituall order which God calls for be wanting if wanting in any one part of it there the duty is imperfect there no acceptance can be looked for but rather a breach We may see it exemplified in the Law of the peace offerings Levit. 7. First see the Ordinance of God vers 11 12 13. There is the substance of the sacrifice prescribed Then the order is prescribed That they be eaten in due time v. 16. It shal be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice That the flesh be cleane v. 19. And the flesh that touches any uncleane thing shall not be eaten That the persons that doe eate it must be cleane verse 19. And as for the flesh all that be cleane shall eate thereof that is all that eate therof must be cleane as appeares by that which followes verse 20. So Atque haec munera pure à puris pura percipi oportuit ex pâ—aescripto Dei Iun. Analis in Levit. 7. then as here is the Ordinance prescribed so the order of eating that they be eaten purely that pure things be eaten that they be eaten of pure persons Their peace offerings thus eaten were accepted because here was perfection from the concurrence and integrity of the causes constituting perfection But now if any one of these things were missing in point of order it made them imperfect and so unacceptable If not purely in regard of time though pure flesh and eaten by pure persons yet no blessing no acceptance but a breach verse 18. It shall not be accepted it shall be an abomination and the soule that eateth of it shall be are his iniquity If not pure flesh eaten though in due time and so purely though by pure persons yet not accepted If not eaten by pure persons though in due time and though pure things yet not onely no acceptance and blessing but an uncomfortable breach even that soule shall bee cut off from his people verse 20 21. So then perfection being required unto acceptance and an universall concurrence of all things commanded by God required unto perfection and order being required of God as well as his Ordinance therefore it is not enough to seeke God in an Ordinance but he must bee sought after that due order which hee hath prescribed or else we may not onely meete with no blessing but with an heavy checke and such a breach as may send us away from Gods Ordinances with a drooping and a mourning heart This serves first to let us see what the reason is that many times after our Vse 1 seeking GOD in His Ordinances it fares so ill with us as it doth God hath promised to make us joyfull in and so to send us joyfull away from his house of prayer Isa 56. And he makes his people not onely to feele joy and gladnesse but he makes them heare it Psal 51. 8. He infuses it by hearing the Word and promises opened He promises to make us rise from His Table full of quikning comfort joy refreshment and ravishment of spirit Take eate this is my body my body which shall feede you quicken refresh and comfort you Now it may be thou hast come many a Lords-Day to the house of God to the Table of the Lord and hast met with no such blessing hast found no such cheering no such comfortable refreshment Nay thou hast rather met with a blowe and a breach thou hast gone away with a dead a sad a drooping an uncomfortable spirit Thou hast seene it may bee some such spirituall token of Gods displeasure as might make thee call the Church the Table of the Lord Perez-uzzah or Perez-nephesh the breach of thy soule And what thinkest thou may the reason be Is Gods hand shortned Is His fidelity weakend Are His Ordinances deforced or enfeebled No by no meanes God is as powerfull and as faithfull as ever His Ordinances as energeticall
will goe that they will but alas at the very banquet of wine they meet with the King of Heaven his wrath upon their soules which there arrests them and sentences them to death As if God should say Loe here is a company of people come to my Table amongst them I spie a great many that are not come after the due Order and shall such as these that thus unduly and disorderly seeke me meet with my blessing Shall these have my Christ such as these shall they eate my sons flesh and drink his bloud No here is not for you God will say to them as Nabal to Davids servants 1 Sam. 15. 10 11. Who is David And who is the sonne of Iesse Shall I take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be So will the Lord say to all such Who are ye and whence are ye shall I take my Sacramentall bread and my Sonnes flesh and bloud which I have prepared for such as come after the due Order give it unto a company of persons I know not whence they are Be gone and meddle not or if you will needs be medling not only no blessing but my curse be upon your communicating Therefore in the feare of GOD looke we to it to come to this holy Ordinance in an holy Order A great conscience is to be made of comming It is a grievous sin to neglect Gods Ordinance and as great a conscience is to be made of comming after the due Order Be no lesse solicitous to come in due Order than to come to the Ordinance Chap. 2. Of preparation before the Sacrament and the necessity of it CHAP. 2 SInce then our comming to the Sacrament is not enough unlesse we come in due Order and since the danger of comming otherwise is so great it will not be amisse to make enquiry to consider what is that due Order and that holy and spirituall manner after which God is to be sought in the Sacrament This due Order therefore of seeking God in the Sacrament of the Supper it stands especially in three things or three kinds of Duties In 1 Doing such Duties as must go before the Sacrament Antecedaneous Duties 2 Doing such Duties as accompany the Action of Receiving Duties concomitant 3 Doing such Duties as follow after the Action of Receiving Duties Subsequent 1 In doing such Duties as must go before the Sacrament And they may all be reduced to this one duty of Preparation The Duty then before the Sacrament is Preparation This is GODS Order and this is to seeke God after the due Order to begin with Preparation and the man that desires to seek God orderly must first prepare himselfe A man comming to the Sacrament without preparation comes not after the due Order Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of the Lord Eccl. 5. 1. Now when we come to the Sacrament we come to the Table of the Lord and if it concerne a man to prepare himselfe before he enter into the House of the Lord then much more when he comes to approach to the Table of the Lord. See how David speakes here in this Text Sanctifie your selves and your brethren c. for we sought him not after the due Order Therefore they that will seek God in due Order in the use of his Ordinances must first sanctifie and prepare themselves It holds good in the case of the Sacrament which Samuel spake in the case of Sacrifice 1 Samuel 16. 5. Sanctifie your selves and come with me to the Sacrifice So Sanctifie your selves and come to the Sacramt. Come but first sanctifie your selves Psal 26. 6. I will wash my hands in innocency and So c. 1 Cor. 11. Let a man examine himselfe So c. It was not enough then to cōpasse Gods Altar but it was to be cōpassed So. It is not enough to eate of this bread to drinke of this cup but it must be eaten So drunken So. This same So it notes unto us the due Order of seeking God in his Ordinance We seek God in due Order when we seeke him So we eat and drinke in the Sacrament in due Order when we eat and drink So. That is when we do it So as S. Paul enjoynes With due preparation going before There ought to be no lesse care in us comming to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper than was required in the Iewes to the eating of the Passeover And speciall care was required of them for preparation see 2 Chron. 35. 6. So kill the Passeover and sanctifie your selves and prepare your brethren And if they were in their places to be carefull to prepare others how much more ought others to be carefull to prepare themselves And that is to be observed Exod. 12. 3. Speake unto all the Congregation of Israel saying In the tenth day of this moneth they shall take to them every man a Lambe a Lambe for an house And Vers 6. And ye shall keep it untill the fourteenth day of the same moneth So that the Lambe was taken and set apart foure dayes before it was killed What might the meaning of that ceremony be what ever other meaning it had this might be one thing aimed at therein to teach them what care they were to have of preparing themselves for eating the Passeover if the Lambe must be prepared and be set and kept apart from the rest of the flock foure whole dayes before then how much more were they in a solemne and an holy manner to prepare themselves for the eating of that Lambe What was all that foure dayes separation of the Lambe but a continuall standing-Sermon preaching preparation to them It was as if God had said unto them Be ye also prepared It questionlesse teaches that there should be a preparation and that not a sudden but a solemn serious preparation some good space of time before men come to receive the Sacrament Therefore we reade Iohn 19. 14. That the Iewes had a day of preparation and it was the preparation of the Passeover And Vers 31. Because it was the preparation And upon that ground was that Act of theirs In abstaining from comming that day into the Iudgement Hall Iohn 18. 28. And they themselves went not into the Iudgement-Hall lest they should be defiled but that they might eat the Passeover It shewes that upon the day of their preparation they were to take heed of doing any thing that might defile them and unfit them for the eating of the Passeover though it be true that they were not in that case so carefull to keepe themselves from morall as from ceremoniall defilement And if such preparation were required for the eating of the Passeover why then should not there be as great a care at least if not greater to come with due preparation to the Lords Supper Is our sacrament inferior to theirs in
Sacrament to the feeding of its diseases and the increasing of its owne sorrow and mischiefe as the water that made the cleane woman fruitfull made the uncleane woman swell and rot God curses the Sacrament to an impenitent defiled person and so makes a sad breach upon him in stead of a blessing Secondly such an one as comes in his impenitency shall meete with a breach in another kinde with Gods heavy wrath falling upon him at the Sacrament That same is a terrible Text and worthy to be well thought upon by every man before he comes to the Sacrament Lev. 7. 20 21. But the soule that eats of the flesh of the peace offerings that pertaine to the Lord having his uncleannesse upon him even that soule shall be cut off from his people Moreover the soule that shall touch any uncleane thing as the uncleannesse of man or any uncleane beast or any abominable uncleane thing and eate of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings even that soule shall be cut off from his people Their peace offerings were eucharisticall offerings Now suppose a man had defiled himselfe and should have come and with that uncleannesse upon him have eaten of the flesh of those offerings what had the issue beene surely it had beene better for that man to have beene a bed and asleepe for that soule shall be cut off from his people that man shall be destroyed destroyed by GODS hand and from before his face as Lev. 22. 3 That soule shall be cut off from my presence Nay marke yet further ver 21. That if a man did but touch any uncleane thing uncleannesse of man or beast or any abominable uncleane thing and then in that case after such a touch before he be clensed shal offer to eate of the flesh of the peace offering he should be cut off from his people What If no more uncleannesse upon him then came by a touch must he yet be cut off Must he be cut off that eates but with a touch of uncleannes What then will become of him that not touches but wallowes and tumbles in uncleannesse In the uncleannesse of whordom drunkennes If he must be cut off that touches the uncleannes of a man what will become of him that wallowes in the uncleannesse of the Divell If he must be cut off that touches but the uncleannesse of a beast then what will become of him that is an uncleane beast an uncleane adulterer an uncleane drunkard or any other uncleane sinner See how our Saviour speakes Matth. 10. 12 13. When you come into a house salute it And if the house be worthy let your peace come upon it but if it be not worthy let your peace returne to you If the Apostles came to an house that was worthy then upon their salutation the blessing they prayed for came upon that house but if an unworthy house the blessing fell not upon it but returned to them againe So is it in the receit of the Sacrament When it is received if he bee worthy that receives it then comes a blessing from GOD upon a man but if the person be unworthy then comes neither blessing nor peace Now who is worthy Iudge in your owne consciences are impenitent sinners that live and lye in their sins Are customary profaners of Gods Name Are habituall drunkards Are loathsome Adulterers covetous earth-wormes are these worthy If these be worthy who then is unworthy Either these or none are unworthy Therefore no peace nor blessing can come upon them Nay that is not all not only no blessing but a curse shall come upon them If he will shew himselfe a worthy man saies Salomon of Adonijah there shall not an hayre of him fall to the earth 1 King 1. 52. but when after he carried himselfe unworthily it cost him his life If men come worthily to the Sacrament so prepared by repentance as they ought they meete with no hurt but with a great deale of good But if wickednesse be found Mutet ergo vitam qui vult accipere vitam Nam si non mutet vitam ad judicium accipiet vitam magis ex ipsa corrumpitur quà m sanâ—tur magis occiditur quà m vivificatur Aug. Ser. de Temp. 1. in men as Salomon there speakes and so men come unworthily God will curse them for so comming He that eates and drinkes unworthily eates and drinkes his owne damnation And who doth it unworthily but he that doth it impenitently And what can such unworthy impenitent persons expect but a breach with a witnesse The Israelites had a wondrous strange minde to flesh Numb 11. 4. They wept and said who shall give us flesh to eat And as great a minde have many to come to the Sacrament but yet it fares no better with them at the Sacrament than it did with Israel at their Quailes Psal 78. 30 31. Whilst the meat was yet in their mouthes the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smote downe the chosen men of Israel And so whilest many have the bread and wine in their mouthes the wrath of God comes upon them But why so Because it is with them at eating the Sacrament as it was with Israel in another case Verse 30. They were not estranged from their lusts but whilest the meat was in their mouthes the wrath of God c. So many come to the Sacrament but are not estranged from their lusts their whoring drunkennesse worldlinesse c. but come in impenitency without sorrow and reformation and therefore whilest the Sacramentall elements are in their mouthes the wrath of God comes upon them and so instead of eating Christ they eat wrath And all because they comming in their impenitency provoke GOD to wrath It may be thou feelest no wrath for the present but yet wrath may be inflicted insensibly on thy soule And though thou feele it not yet thou mayest heape and treasure up wrath against the day of wrath A man that brings every day but a fagot or two to the stack may in time make a great heap every day a stick to the pile may make such a pile as being fired at once will make a dreadfull fire Thou feelest no wrath for the present but every Sacrament thou receivest thou bringest a fagot to the heape and makest such an heape as at last will make the fire so much the greater so much the hotter at the day of wrath And then shalt thou feele that wrath which now thou heapest up Thou greatenst thine heape now and the greater the heape the greater the fire Now the reasons why God thus sadly makes a breach upon impenitent sinners are specially two 1 Because every impenitent sinner defiles the Lords Table and the Sacrament Holinesse becomes thine house O Lord and so no lesse holinesse becomes thy Table O Lord. As God himselfe is holy so his word Sicut sanctum Canes non sanctificat nec margaritae porcos nutriunt sed contra Canes
fulnesse and satisfaction whose teeth would not water after such curious delicates Bring longing hungry enlarged desires and fat and marrow shall be our portion For herein hath spirituall hunger an advantage above bodily Bodily hunger a man may hunger withall and yet his hunger helpes him to no meat nor satisfaction But spirituall hunger doth as having the promise of satisfaction Christ out of his compassions will liberally releeve all hungry Ecce pauper venio ad te divitem miser ad misericordem ne recedam vacâ—us vel contemptus Esuâ—iens incipio te quaereâ—e ne deserar â— te jejunus Famelicus accedo ne â—ecedam impastus Et si antequam comedam suspiro da vel post suspiria ut comedam August lib. medit c. 39. soules that with desire seek after him Excellent is that place Mat. 15. 32. Then Iesus called his Disciples unto him and said I have compassion on the multitude because they continue with me now three dayes and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way He that would not out of his compassions send away the multitude with fasting bodies lest they should faint how much more thinke we will he compassionately regard an hungry soule and not send it away fasting from the Sacrament lest it should faint Christs compassions will not suffer him to send away an hungry soule fasting Alas he knowes it would faint if it should come empty and goe away empty if it should come hungry and goe away hungry 3 Thirdly the more strength in our desires the more hunger in our spirits the more aboundant and the more plentifull satisfaction The more our hearts are inlarged in our desires the more Gods hand will be inlarged in his bounty Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it God hath an open hand for all that have an open mouth God hath an hand wide open for such as have their mouthes wide open A mouth wide opened shall be a mouth full filled A wide mouth shall be a full mouth God will inlarge himselfe to all that come to him with inlarged hearts Gods admeasurements of grace and spirituall good are suitable to mens inlargements and dilations of their spirits Three things fit a Vessell to receive a great measure of liquor 1. When it is of large capacity A small Vessell may be filled but yet a small Vessell cannot have so much infused into it as a Vessell that is of larger capacity The larger the bucket is that is let downe into the Well the more water it brings up 2. When it is an open Vessell Though a Vessell be of sufficient capacity yet if the Vessell bee shut and the mouth of it closed up though it be throwne into the Sea where there is water enough yet it fils not 3. When it is wide open Though the mouth of a Vessell be open yet if it be not wide open it doth not fill so readily Take a Bottle or a narrow-mouth'd Glasse and dowse it under the water and yet it may bee pulled up againe with little or no water in it though it bee of great capacity because the narrownesse of the mouth hinders the ready and quick passage of water into it A wide-mouth'd Vessell as a Paile or Bucket is no sooner under water but it is instantly filled because the mouth of the Vessell is wide and broade So when we come to Gods Ordinances to the Sacrament wee should come so as to be filled wee should come to get as liberall largesses as possibly we can The way to doe that is to have our hearts Vessels of competent capacity to have them opened to have them wide opened The way to doe these things is to have our hearts inlarged with hungring and longing desires Such enlarged desires open the mouth open it wide and when our mouthes are opened God will open his hand his filling hand As therefore we desire to have the Lord fill our mouthes when we come to the Lords Table so let us get our mouthes wide open When wee come to the Sacrament why come wee Is it not that wee may eat our fill of Christs body and drink our fill of his bloud Is it not that we may go from the Lords Table as Christ went from Iordan full of the Holy Ghost As we desire to have full mouthes so let us bring opened wide opened mouthes When men come to the Sacrament with hearts enlarged and hungring desires Christ will give such a Commandement to the Sacrament as he did to those servants concerning the water-pots and it shall doe as they did Iohn 2. 7. Iesus said unto them fill the water-pots with water And they filled them up to the brim So in this case will Christ say Loe here be men come with inlarged hearts with earnest and strong desires I see they have opened their mouthes wide fill them with my Spirit with my vertues and efficacies fill them with spirituall strength against their corruptions fill them with power to walke in obedience and upon this command of Christ the Sacrament shall empty it selfe with an aboundant blessing upon their soules yea it shall fill them up to the brim What an happy thing is it to be full brim-full of Christ A mouth wide open will be a meanes to fill the heart full brimme full of Christ That man comes happily to the Sacrament indeed that can say after his being at the Sacrament as they did in that case Psal 126. 2 3. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad Now wouldest thou be able after a Sacrament to say When I was at the Sacrament then was my mouth filled with laughter my tongue with signging and mine heart with spirituall comfort and joy The Lord hath done great things for me whereof I am glad Wouldest thou after a Sacrament be able thus to say Why then when thou goest to the Sacrament Open thy mouth and open thy mouth wide and GOD will fill thy mouth with laughter and thine heart with spirituall joy It is true that a great many goe from the Sacrament and their mouthes are not filled with laughter but with complaints with sad complaints of the little good they receive at the Sacrament Many come from the Sacrament with empty mouthes empty hearts And what may the reason of it be Is not God as bountifull as he was wont to be Yes surely he is the same God that ever his hand is not shortned but the very reason is that men come with shut mouthes or at lest with their mouthes but narrowly opened and shut mouthes and narrow mouthes must needs be empty mouthes Wee open not therfore God fils not we open not wide therefore God fils not full Is the Sea empty because a stopt Vessell is not filled when throwne into it Is there no water in the River because a narrow mouth'd