Evangelists Read the History of Christs passion in them before thou commest to the Lords Table that the memory thereof may be fresh and lively in thy thoughts at the Lords Table Think with thy self how Christs life was as it were a continued Passion and a daily dying He was very meanly brought forth into the world borne in a stable wrapped in swadling cloathes and laid in a Manger He was no sooner born but Herod seeks to murder him murdering many poor Infants lest he should misse him He is no sooner baptized but Satan assaults him Tempting him to Despaire Self-murder worshipping of the Devil in perâ—on but prevailed nothing Is he in his publick Ministery How is he hated reviled blaâ—phemed and persecuted by Scribes and Phariâ—es by his own people the Jewâ— yea by his own kindred And when he was nigh the period of his Minisâ—ery what torrent of sorrows sufferings flow'd in upon him Remember what he endured in the Garden in the High Priests Hall and in Mount Calvary and then behold and consider if any sorrows were like his sorrows 1. In the Garden How was his soul surrounded with sorrows even to the Death How bitter was the Cup which he then began to drink which set him into an Agony so that he prayed thrice most earnestly to his Father to let that Cup passe from him if possible and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground hereby his spirits being brought so low that there appeared an Angel from heaven strengthening him With this Agony probably Christ was so weakened that the next day he was not able to bear his Cross but Simon was compelled to bear it after him And immediatly after his Agony Iudas betrayes him to the multitude of the Jews with a kisse who apprehended him bound him and led him away to the High Priests House Thus as the first Adam sinned in a Garden the second Adam suffered in a Garden Now then when thou art at the Lords Table Remember Christs Garden-sufferings think so lively of them as if thy self hadst been in the Garden with the Disciples imagine thou hadst heard him pray so earnestly against his bitter Cup thou hadst seen him sweat drops of clotted blood so lamentably in his woful Agony that the earth was all besprinkled with his blood and that thou hadst lookt on to see him betrayed so villainously by Iudas his own Apostle into the hands of his enemies 2. In the High Priests Palace and the judgement-Hall How was Christ denyed by Peter How was he mocked â—mitten blindfolded buffetted spit upon crowned with Thornes having a Reed in his hand being scornfully bow'd unto and derided with haile King of the Iews cruelly scourged blasphemously intreated falslely accused causelesly exclaimed against by the people and unjustly condemned by Pilate against his own conscience When thou art at the Lords Table Remember those passions of thy Saviour Imagine thou hadst stood by all the while and sadly beheld all these passages his cheeks swoln with buffetting his face defiled with spitting on his head wounded with thornes his back torn with scourges c. Oh behold what a woful spectacle 3. In Mount Calvary in that filthy Golgotha how woful and tragical was his end His body was stripped of his garments His limbs were cruelly stretched upon the Cross His hands and feet pierced with rugged nails and fastened to the cursed tree He was ranked betwixt two crucified thieves as if he were the Arch-malefactor he hanged from the sixth till the ninth houre most painfully upon the tender wounds of his hands and feet He was forsaken by his disciples and friends derided by his enemies by the very thieves that were crucified with him being a thirst in his pains abused with gall and vineger given him to drink And which was heaviest of all he was in a sort deserted of God so that he bitterly cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and so he yielded up the Ghost after which a souldier with a spear piercing his side and heart there gushed out water and blood Now when thou art at the Lords Supper â—emember all those sad passages Think thou hadst stood with Mary and Iohn under â—is Crosse and hadst seen and heard his intolerable reproâ—ches his bleeding wounds his tortured body his bitter cries his dying groans think thou hadst his dead body all besmeared in his own blood like Ioseph of Arimathea in thine armes Remember this story of Christs death and remember it seriously pathetically Imagine The Sacrament-day to be as Christs Agony-day His Condemning-day His Crucifying-day The Lords Table to be as the Crosse whereon he was crucified And the breaking of the bread as the breaking of his body with all these mortal Sufferings This is the first Act or degree of thy Remembring Christ crucified to remember him Historically 2. Mysteriously Remember the Mystery of Christ and of his Death This is a farther and an higher degree of remembring Christ crucified at the Lords Supper Christs Death was not a common and ordinary Death full of miseries only but a speciall and extraordinary Death full of Mysteries also Among other Mysteries of Christs death The Causes and Effects of his death are singularly mysterious Remember them in communicating 1. Causes of Christs death were either 1. meritorious or 2. impulsive 1. Meritorious procuring causes of Christs death were the sins of Gods Elect imputed to him Christ in himself was totally without sin no guil was found in his mouth He was a Lamb without blemish without spot He was Holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners Pilate his Judge cleared him saying I finde in him no fault at all The condemned thief justified him We indeed justly but this man hath done nothing amisse But Christ becomming Surety for sinners even for all his Elect that were ruined by Adam's sin stood charged with their whole debt which they were no way able to satisfie for in the least degree And so all their sins were at once imputed to him and death the due wages of their sins was inflicted upon him that his Elect might be fully acquitted and discharged Hence those passages He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Admirably the Evangelical Prophet Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him strieken smitten of God afflicted But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheâ—p have gone astray we have turned every man to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him Heb. hath made to meet on him the
died for us Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Hence Christ in the Institution of the Supper saith This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins God justifies us efficiently Christ justifies us by his blood and obedience meritoriously by his Resurrection evidentially evidencing the full vertue and victory of his death Faith justifies us instrumentally good works justifie us declaratively in the sight of men declaring our faith to be lively and true that brings forth good works 4. Victorie over our spiritual enemies Naturally by the fall we are in the bond of iniquity and through fear of death all our life-time subject to bondage and led captive by Satan at his will Israels bondage and slavery in Egypt or Babylon no way comparable to this spiritual bondage But Christ by his death Hath condemned sin in the flesh Hath overcome death and destroyed him that had the power of death the Devil having spoâ—led principalities and powers and triumphed over them openly by his Crosse. 5. Finally Entrance into Heaven Though our sin had cast us out of Paradise and from all hope of Heaven yet Christ by his death and blood hath opened to us the gate of the heavenly Paradise We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Iesus by a new livâ—ng way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh Theâ—e are some of the glorious fruits of Christs death Redemption Reconciliation Justification Victory over our spiritual enemies and entrance into the holiest of all Remember theâ—e at the Lords Supper that sweet Memorial of Christs death Thus remember the Mystery of his death 3. Energetically Remember Christ and his death the History Mystery of his death so as to work this remembrance with energy force and efficacy upon thine heart and spirit Let this remembrance of Christ make some savory practical impressions upon thy soul which may dwell and fix there for thy good How may that be done Answ. Thus 1. Remember Christ and his death so as to lay to heart the deep sinfulness and misery into which the first Adam plunged us by his fall Judge of the extremity of the malady by the eminency of the remedy No lesse then death then such a death and that of such a person as Christ who was God-man could eâ—er have expiated that sinfulness or haâ—e remoâ—ed that misery If all the men on earth and all the Angels in heaven had died and that eternally they could never have satisfied Gods justice for one sin For Gods justice offended is infinite and all that mere creatures can do or endure are as themselves meer finite but Christs person being of infinite worth in respect of his God-head satisfied to the full Think not Adams sin to be small It murdered himself and all his posterity It cost Christ his dearest hearts blood And Adams first sin was thy sin for thou wast in his loyns when he fell Lay this to heart proportionably 2. Remember Christ and his death so as to admire Gods infinite 1. Wisdom 2. Iustice and 3. Love therein toward sinners 1. Admire his wisdom in contriving this strange way for saving of sinners which men and Angels could not have contrived or imagined That the eternal Son of God should become man personally uniting the humane nature to his divine person That as man he might suffer as God he might satisfie for sinners Here 's Chrâ—st crucified the wisdom of God indeed God! 2. Admire his justice Christ his dear and only Son must be sacrificed that we his utter enemies might be spared Christ his spotless Son who knew no sin must be condemned that we sinners who knew nothing but sin might be cleared Christ who was thâ— life it self must die that we who were dead in sins might live Who would not count it an unrighteous Act if any King should put to death his own obedient Son to save the life of a Traytor or condemn the innocent knowingly for the nocent Oh then how infinite is this Justice of God in giving Christ the righteous to die for us unrighteous It is such justice as seems to have a shew of injustice but that God is so righteous that he can do nothing unrighteously 3. Finally Admire his love God so loved us as to give his own Son his only Son his righteous Son the Son of his love to die a painful shameful and cursed death for us worthless loveless sinners dead in sins enemies enmity it self against God O the depth and heighth and length and breadth of this love of God in Christ which passeth knowledge Say be astonished O my soul at this love which passed all love 3. Remember Christ and his death so as to lament and hate those sins for which Christ thus suffered When thou seest the bread broken think how Christs body was broken wounded for thy sins And then fill thine heart with grief and indignation against those sins Shall Christs body be so broken and his heart pierced for thy sins and shall not thy heart be pricked and broken for thine own sins Shall thy sins derive Gods wrath upon Christ and shall not thine hatred and wrathful indignation be kindled against thine own sins Dost thou count those sins small or light which Christ found so heavy and heynous that he sweat great drops of blood falling down to the ground and cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Dost thou think much to shed a few penitential tears for those sins for which Christ shed all his hearts blood Canst thou love or be reconciled to those corruptions for which Christ was so hated to the very death Say to thy soul O my soul consider thy sins aright For those Christ bled wilt thou not bleed for them for those Christ died and wilt thou live in them â— c. 4. Remember Christ and his death so as to resolve more effectually to conform to Christ and to his death Then we aright remember Christ crucified when we resolve and endeavour to resemble Christ crucified In this Supper so think upon Christ dying as to be willing to die with him But how shall I die with him or be conform to Christ crucified Answ. By dying to sin By being crucified to the world And by suffering for Christ. 1. By dying unto sin Christ died for sin that we who are dead in sin might die unto sin Whilest we are dead in sin we can do nothing else but sin but when we die to sin we habitually live not any longer therein nor thenceforth serve sin How should we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Hence the Apostle urges our death
to Faith That is as Faith grows more and more capacious and quick-sighted so Gods righteousness is more and more discovered to it The Apostle commends his Thessalonians and thanks God for this That their Faith groweth exceedingly And faith so growes as that it perseveres It 's fails not It draws not back to perdition but believes to the saving of the soul. It makes faithfull to the death and so the believer receives the crown of life If thy faith grow and persevere that 's true Faith indeed False Faith is like the picture of a man on a wall that growes not and like a blazing-star it continues but for a time III. REPENTANCE is another Grace that fits us for worthy communicating Examine thy self therefore whether thou hast true Repentance or no before thou communicatest To this end consider 1. The Necessity of it 2. The Nature of it 3. The Notes of it 1. The Necessity of Repentance to fit for worthy communicating appears divers wayes For 1. No duty can be performed acceptably to God by impenitent sinners Vnto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled Hence the Lord so abhorred all the Jewes Religious performances because their hands were full of blood But withal added Wash ye make ye clean put away the evill of your doings cease to do evill learn to do well here 's Repentance Come and let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow c. here 's Acceptance Vpon this consideration David saith I will wash mine hands in innocency so will I compasse thine Altar O LORD 2. Purging of leaven out of their Houses and cleansing themselves from all Ceremonial defilements was a necessary Preparative of the Jewes under the Law before they did eat the Passeover So proportionably the purging of the old leaven of sin out of our hearts by Repentance is as necessary a Preparative of Christians under the Gospel before they eat the Lords Supper Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us Therefore let us keep the Feast not with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickednesse but with the unleavened bread of Sincerity and Truth All this time of the Gospel is as a continued Feast and Christian Passeover and this whole time is to be managed holily and sincerely much more the duties of Religion And some observe that the sowr herbs wherewith the Passeover was to be eaten under the Law did not onely point out the bitternesse of Christs suffering our true Passeover but also the bitternesse of our sorrow mortification and repentance for our sins the cause of Christs sufferings 3. When we come to the Lords Supper which is the token of the New Covenant or New Testament we come to renew Covenant with God in Jesus Christ and to set to our Seal Therefore it 's convenient and necessary we renew our Repentance for all our unfaithfulnesses and failings against our Covenant with God from time to time Thus of the necessity of Repentance before Communicating 2. The nature of Repentance may be set forth in this brief Description of it Repentance is a grace of God whereby a sinner after true sense of sin and godly sorrow for sin is changed and converted in heart and life from sin to God In this description note I. The general nature of Repentance wherein it agrees with all saving graces It is a Grace of God So the Scripture intimates Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life If God per adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth II. The special difference of repentance from all other saving graces whereby a sinner after true sense of sin and godly sorrow for sin is changed and converted in heart and life from sin to God Wherein consider the Preparatives to Repentance and the Substance of Repentance 1. The Preparatives to Repentance that as Harbingers and Inlets to it make way for it into the soul are two viz. 1 Conviction or true sense of sin To open their eyes and turn them from darknesse to light There can be no repentance and conversion from sin till first there be a true sense of sin and thorough conviction Partly of the sinfulnesse of sin how grieâ—ous and odious it is Then shall ye remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Partly of the miâ—chievousness and dangerouâ—nesse of sin how harmeful it is unto the sinner Thus God foretels his people falling to Idols that they should be convinced of the mischief of those wayes which should move them to return again to God Then shall she say I will go and return to my first Husband for then it was better with me then now Thus the Prodigal had a true sense of his misery whereunto his sin had brought him that he was perishing with hunger and then resolves penitentially to return to his Father And convincing the world of sin is one of the first works of the Spirit 2 Contrition or godly sorrow for sin follows upon conviction and is another Harbinger to Repentance as Iohn Baptist was the Harbinger of Christ For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death Godly sorrow then in propriety of speaking is not repentance but works repentance makes way for it as the needle for the thread This is called Renting the heart Both this conviction and contrition may be observed in Peters hearers the Jewes They were convinced of the sinfulnesse of their sin in betraying and murthering of Christ and they were contrite pricked in their hearts stabbed as it were to the very soul with grief for it These the Preparatories to Repentance 2. The Substance of Repentance hath in it three things viz. The Act the subject and the Terms 1 The formal Act of repentance it 's a changing and converting Hence so often set forth by turning in Scripture Turn thou me and I shall be turned After that I was turned I repented Except ye be converted and become as little children To turn them from darknesse to light This is the Act of Repentance wherein it consists 2 The Subject changed and converted is both the sinners Heart and Life First his heart then his life First his person then his practice and Conversation Wâ—â—h ye make you clean There 's thâ— change of their persons Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil There 's the change of their practices So Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed There 's the change of the life And make you a new heart and a new spirit There 's the change of the heart
to sin from Christs death That as Christ died and rose again so we should die to sin and live to God And Peter saith Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh arm your selves likewise with the same minde for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin c. Was Christ wounded for thy transgressions and bruised for thine iniquities and wilt thou wound and bruise him afresh by these iniquities Had not Christ sorrows and sufferings enough for thy sins of old that by renewed offences thou wilt tear open his wounds afresh and crucifie him again If thou knowest not what sin is go to the Garden of Gethsemane the High Priests Palace the Judgement-Hall and to the Mount Calvary and there see what it cost Christ. Oh the Worm-wood and the Gall Kill those sins that have killed thy soul let not them live that would not let thy Saviour live When thou art ready to commit sin then imagine thou didst meet thy crucified Saviour all bathed in his own blood and beseeching thee by all his wounds and blood to forbear thy sin and would not this disswade thee 2. By being crucified to the world Christ dying forsook this world and went up in his soul that day into Paradise And Christ instituted this Supper when he was now the same night readie to be betrayed Let this Supper remember thee to be crucified with Christ to the world As Paul gloried in the Crosse of Christ whereby the world was crucified to him and he unto the world Let thy spirit mount up after Christ into Paradise that thou mayst live above this world having thy conversation in Heaven Let thine heart be wholly in Heaven whilst thou art at this heavenly Feast 3. By suffering with Christ and for Christ or at least being resolved and prepared for suffering wâ—th him thou becomest conformed to Christ crucified In this Supper in the breaking of the bread for thee thou hast represented the breaking and suffering of Christ for thee Christ most worthie was broken for thee most unworthie Did Christ so willingly bear all his sorrows for thee and dost thou grudge to bear any sufferings for him was he so reproached for thy sins and dost thou think much to be reproached for Christs righteousness Art thou treacherously used by friends Christ was betrayed by his own Apostle Art thou imprisoned Christ was apprehended Art thou in bonds Christ was bound Art thou belied Christ was falsely accused Art thou unjustly censured Câ—rist was more unjustly condemned Art thou spoiled of thy good Christ was stripped of his very rayment and they cast lots for his vesture Art thou put to death Christ Jesus the Prince of life was put to death before thee Grudge not to pledge Christ in his bitter cup. He hath suffered for thee giving thee an example that thou shouldst follow his steps 5. Remember Christ and his death so as to enflame thine heart with love to Christ dying for thee Christs death for thee is the highest expression possible of his love unto thee as was before evidenced And this Sacrament is Christs Love-token to his Church for perpetuating of the memory of Christs death that high discovery of his love When therefore thou comest to the Lords Supper call to mind Christs infinite love and stir up thy self to love him again Love breeds love as fire breeds fire Shall Christ love thee so as to die for thee so as to wash thee from thy sins in his own blood And wilt not thou love him with all thine heart and soul and mind and might Was Châ—iâ—â— so fastened on the Crosse for thee and shall he not be fastened in thine heart by thee Shall thy sins pierce his heart and shall not his love pierce thine heart 6. Remember Christ and his death so as to comfort thy self in the sufficiency of Christs death and thy propriety in it As in this Supper is tendred a sufficiency of bodily nourishment both against hunger and thirst here being both bread and wine So in Christs Death hereby represented there 's a sufficiency of spiritual nourishment His flesh being meat indeed and his blood drink indeed And he that eats his flesh drinks his blood hath eternal life For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and so is able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by him And as the sufficiency of Christs death is set forth in the Lords Supper so Christ endeavours by this Ordinance to assure every worthy Communicant of his particular interest and propriety in Christs death as certainly as he eats this bread and drinks this cup. Therefore at the Lords Supper thus think How all sufficient is Christs death for my salvation There 's more righteousness in it then unrighteousness in me There 's more merit and pardon in it then sin and misery in me There 's more Reconcilement Redemption and Justification in it then enmity slavery and condemnation in me His person being an infinite God I being but a finite creature And all this sufficiency is as surely mine as this bread and wine mine Therefore why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Trust in Christ and his death herein is more for thy consolation then in thy self or sins for thy disconsolation 7. Remember Christ and his death at the Lords Supper so as to provoke thy self to all true thankfulness for Christ crucified This Sacrament is called the Eucharist as was formerly noted It is the Christians solemn Thank-offering Christ gave thanks in instituting it and we should give thanks in celebrating it For what for Christ for his death for all the fruits and benefits of his death Oh what great and manifold matter of thankfulness Say with David Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who healeth all thy diseases pardoneth all thâ—ne iniquitâ—es redeâ—meth thy soul from death c. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me â— I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vowes unto the Lord c. Thus should we remember â—hrist and his death at the Lords Supper and this will be to communicate indeed VII Finally Carefullie avoid all dâ—straction throughout the whole Sacramental Administratâ—on From the beginning to the end keep thine heart and thoughts closely fixed on the mysteries in hand Let not thine eye wander but intentively behold the pledges and memorials of Christ crucified Let not thy thoughts rove but be glued to these heavenly objects laid before thee Here 's enough in Christ crucified fully to take up thy utmost meditations at this Feast Think upon them from point to point as the Sacrament ministreth occasion In this and all duties we should attend