understandest of what I have said Tell me Q. Who must deliver thee from the curse of the Law A. Jesus Christ onely Q. Why is he called Jesus A. Because he saves his people from their sins Q. How many wayes doth he save thee A. Three by ransome by rescue by mortification Q. How by ransome A. By laying down his life for me Q. How by rescue A. By delivering me by strong hand Q. How by mortification A. By killing of sin in me Q. What means doth he use A. The Word of God Sacraments and Prayer Q. Why is he called Christ A. Because he is anointed Q. What is his anointing A. His having the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily Q. Why was Christ anointed A. That he might be a Prophet Priest and King Q. Why was he a Prophet A. To reveale his Fathers will to me Q. Why was he a Priest A. To offer himselfe in sacrifice and make intercession for me Q. Why was he a King A. To rule over me and over-rule my enemies Q. How is Christ a Lord A. By possessing me as his own Q. Why was Christ a Lord A. To maintaine his right in me and to call me to accounts Q. What is this Jesus Christ our Lord A. The Sonne of God made man Q. Why must the Sonne of God be thy Saviour A. Because he might give me what I wanted Q. Why must thy Saviour be a man not a woman A. Because man is the more noble sacrifice Q. Did this God and man sonne suffer for thee A. Yes he suffered the sorrows of death for me Q. What were these sorrows A. The sight of my sinnes and the sense of his fathers wrath Remember my child how farre thou art gone Thou wast made to serve God thou shouldst serve him as he hath commanded thou breakest all the commandements and so lyest under the curse of the Law Jesus Christ came into the world to deliver thee from this curse This Jesus Christ was the Sonne of God and though he were the Sonne of God yet becoming thy surety he suffered the sorrows of death to satisfie God and discharge thee It may seeme strange that the Sonne of God who is immortall should dye Tell me therefore 24. Q. Seeing Christ was God how could he dye A. He was God and man As he was God he died not but as man he died for my sinnes and rose againe for my Justification Here thou tellest me of the natures of thy Saviour How it could be that Christ could die and of the use he made of them for thy good As to his natures he was God and man as to his uses he used his humane nature to dye for thee and his Divine nature to rise againe for thy Justification First he was God and man Man he was certainly for in his whole course and carriage Phil. 2.8 he was found in fashion as a man not in appearance onely for as is here demonstrative of the truth of his humane nature As John saith Joh. 1.14 we saw his glory as the Glory of the onely begotten Sonne of God that is his glory was the glory of the true Sonne of God so in fashion as a man that is a true man Therefore Paul saith we have one Mediatour betwixt God and man the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 Matth. 1.2 who is therefore often called the sonne of man the sonne of Abraham the sonne of David yea Heb. 2.16 the seed of Abraham according to the flesh He was as surely God For when he was given to us to be a Child a a Sonne his name is the mightie God Esa 9.6 Jer. 23.6 Rom. 9.5 and Jehovah our righteousnesse and over all God blessed for ever And John saith that this essentiall word of the Father who was with God was God Joh. 1.1 even from eternitie before and when God made the beginning of time Secondly As man Christ died Christ made excellent uses of these natures for thee of his Manhood he made this use to dye for thee For Christ suffered for thee in the flesh 1 Pet. 4.1 1 Pet. 2.24 and bare thy sinnes in his own body on the tree If the Sunne shine upon the body of a tree which thou hast a purpose to cut down thou canst cut the tree but thou canst not cut the shine of the Sunne that is united unto it and shines upon the gashes and dints thou makest in the bark heart sap and root So when Christ God and man was united for thee the unsuffering Divine nature could not suffer but the body of his flesh and blood that suffered and dyed for thee Man had sinned and man must dye It is not equall that another nature should suffer for man's sinne Therefore verily he tooke not on him the nature of Angels but he tooke the seed of Abraham that he might taste death Heb. 2.9 10. and be made a perfect Captaine of thy salvation through suffering Of his Godhead he made this use As God Christ rose againe Rom. 4.25 Rom. 1.4 to rise againe for thy Justification For he mightily declared himselfe to be the Sonne of God by the resurrection from the dead He was to deliver thee from a world of evil and to bring thee to a world of good things The guilt of sinne the wrath of God the power of hell the fear of death were to be wrought from thee by him The pardon of sinne the power from sinne the Inheritance of heaven were to be settled upon thee by him How could he ever have done any or all of these for thee if his Divine nature had not influence into his sufferings to bring thee the righteousnesse of God Rom. 3.25 26. Phil. 3.9 Let him have done all this for thee thou couldst never have been justified if he had not declared himselfe to be the Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead This settles the merits of his death upon thee and assures thee that they are accepted by his father for thy discharge because death hath no more dominion over him Rom. 6. but he comes triumphantly out of the prison of the grave whither thy sins had cast him Christ bare a double person for thee the person of a suretie Heb. 7.22 1 Joh. 2.1 and the person of an advocate What he doth for thee for the discharging thy debt and for the settlement of a full satisfaction upon thee as a suretie that he doth in thy roome and it stands in the Law of God and man as a discharge of thy score what he doth as an Advocate in appearing for thee pleading for thee and satisfying all offices in thy roome that is interpreted as thy act thou must stand to it and challenge it as thy own When thou seest therfore Christ dying a satisfying death for thee and rising a discharged resurrection for thee from further imprisonment thou hast a full quietus est or assurance that
in Adam the sonne of God by falling in him Joh. 8.44 thou becamest the sonne of the Devil thy Saviour comes to make thee the sonne of God againe without which thou canst not be the heire of glory Now marke God cannot give thee what he hath not The Father is not the Sonne neither is the Holy Ghost the Sonne but the Sonne is the Sonne Therefore he becomes thy Saviour to give thee sonship The Sonne of God becomes the sonne of man to make the sonnes of men become the sonnes of God He is made man that he might be a fit sacrifice Man is a more noble sacrifice then a woman Mal. 1.14 for cursed is he that hath a male in his flock and offers a corrupt thing Vse Now ponder seriously on this my child with thy selfe that thy Saviour is the eternall Sonne of God I tell thee that if thou have but any ingenuity in thee it will make thee both hate and avoid sinne Hadst thou such a Plague soare botch or boyle about thee that nothing could cure but the heart-bloud of the Kings sonne and the King should be so loving as to kill his onely sonne for thy health would'st thou not hate such a disease and take heed that thou never didst fall into such a disease againe This is thy case Thy sinne is a soare wound and plague that nothing could cure but the heart-bloud of the Sonne of God God out of his infinite love did send him into the world to take thy nature upon him that he might be reviled for thee spit upon for thee scourged for thee crowned with thornes for thee sweat drops of bloud for thee be crucified for thee and shed the bloud of his hands feet and heart for thee and all to cover and cure thy finne Wilt thou not now hate thy finne and be carefull to suppresse it and never fall into the like againe I hope thou wilt or else thy latter end will be worse then thy beginning Goe on now and tell me 23. Q. What hath Christ Jesus done for thee A. He suffered the paines of death for me Thou hast seene what Christ was What Christ hath done for us and is now sadly consider what he hath done for thee Thou happly mayst thinke it little for him to be borne for thee to live for thee though it were infinite love but because the purity of his nature and perfection of his obedience have influence into the value of his sufferings therefore thou doest mention onely these paines of death Peter mentioneth these paines of death Act. 2.24 and Paul cals them Rom. 6.9 the Dominion of death Phil. 2.8 and his humbling of himselfe and becoming obedient unto death even the death of the crosse What paines and torments Christ endured for thee then is unexpressible yet they may be valued a little Heb. 5.7 by his offering up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares to his Father and by sweating drops of bloud when he grovelled upon the ground in so cold a season as made Peter creep to the fire in the high Priests Hall Surely there was fire nigh which caused this sweat What may the cause then of these paynes and torments be Surely the sight of our sinnes charged upon him Heb. 7.22 and the sense of his Fathers wrath He stood a Surety in our roome and was to answer for all our sinnes to God and not be discharged till he had satisfied for them all Look therefore as if a man were bound for a million of thousand pounds for other men when he was once attached his whole charge would be put in against him and this sight would be fearefull to him especially if he considered that they were his chiefe enemies for whom he was bound and a nest of unthankfull creatures who did load him with disgrace and obloquy Just thus was it with thy blessed Saviour Though he had the testimony of his enemies that never man spake as he did Joh. 7.46 Mar. 7.37 Act. 10.38 and that he had done all things well because the Lord was with him Yet when he was under arrests and executions Esa 43.24 he was made to serve with our sinnes and was wearied with our iniquities 2 Cor. 5.21 for he was made sinne for us who knew no sinne when all our sinnes were charged upon him and he was to make satisfaction to God his Father for them And whose sinnes were these The sinnes of those that were his enemies Rom. 5.10 the sinnes of his Disciples who runne away from him the sinnes of Peter who denied him and the sinnes of Jewes and Gentiles who crucified him The Jewes and Gentiles bare a world of enmity against him Eph. 2.16 yet he reconciled both unto God in one body by the Crosse having slaine the enmity in himselfe Thinke seriously whether this was not a torment and paine of death to have all the debts presented unto him of such sinners to be satisfied for Besides when God his Father saw him thus covered with sin in the State of a surety though the holinesse of his person was never polluted he withdrawes the blessed vision of the divine nature Wheresoever it shined abroad upon others yet though hee was personally united unto it it shined not upon himselfe but left him to sweat drops of bloud and his soule to be heavy unto death and his heart and tongue to cry out Psal 22.1 Mat. 27.46 My God My God why hast thou forsaken me Is not this an unutterable paine and torment of death Was it not enough for him to die but he must endure the sorrowes of death thus Use Oh my deare child forget not this point It will humble thee for sinne drive thee from sinne and comfort thee against sinne It will humble thee for sinne to think that it should present such a cursed visage to God that such a fearfull load must be laid upon thy Surety for it It will drive thee from sinne to thinke that if thou neglect so great salvation as Christ hath offered unto thee thou shalt be for thy sins in a worse case then he was He was able to slay hatred and enmity but thou canst not by suffering millions of millions of ages and therefore thou shalt have thy sinnes lye before thee for ever and the wrath of God will presse thee to all eternity It will comfort thee against sinne to thinke that thy Surety having endured this for thee it were unjust for God to impose it upon thee againe Onely be sure that thou keepe the Covenant of the Gospel that is when thou hast been translated out of the kingdome of darknesse into the Kingdome of his deare Sonne that thou honour the Father in the Sonne by beleeving in him with a faith working by love and then thou wilt have cause to triumph as Paul Rom. 7.25 I thanke God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now let me see what thou remembrest and
MILK FOR BABES OR A. MOTHERS CATECHISM for Her CHILDREN Wherein chief saving Principles of Christian Religion through the body of it fit first to inform Children in are 1 Propounded 2 Expounded 3 Applied The sum of which is set down in the following Pages Together with the Questions and Answers which are the grounds of the Catechism Whereunto also annexed THREE SERMONS Preached at Andrews Holborn at a publike Fast and at Covent-Garden upon severall occasions By ROBERT ABBOT Preacher of Gods Word at Southwick in Hantshire PSA 34.11 Come ye children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. LONDON Printed by John Legate for Philemon Stephens dwelling in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the gilded Lyon 1646. I Have perused this Catechism intituled Milk for Babes and these three Sermons on severall Texts And approving them as pious and profitable I license them to be printed and published IOHN DOWNAME The Sum of the following Catechism may be conceived thus IT speaks to a threefold state of ours Our estate 1 Of Creation Of which you may finde two points 1 Our Creatour who is 1 Confessed Q. 1. 2 Distinguished from the Sonne Q. 2. Holy Gh. Q. 3. 3 Described 1 By his unity in Trinity Q. 4. 2 By his Sufficiency Efficiency Q. 5. 2 His end in making us which is 1 Propounded Q. 6. 2 Amplified by the 1 Manner Q. 7. 2 Meanes teaching Q. 8. 1 Commandement 1. Q. 9. 2 Commandement 2. Q. 10. 3 Commandement 3. Q. 11. 4 Commandement 4. Q. 12. 5 Commandement 5. Q. 13. 6 Commandement 6. Q. 14. 7 Commandement 7. Q. 15. 8 Commandement 8. Q. 16. 9 Commandement 9. Q. 17. 10 Commandement 10. Q. 18. 2 Of Corruption of which it sets down our misery 1 By sinne Q. 19. 2 By punishment Q. 20. 3 Of Renovation Of which it teacheth us 1 The means working it Christ Jesus Q. 20. Who is further described by his 1 Natures Q. 22. 2 Work for use Set down two wayes 1 By the greatest manifestation of it at the latter end where two 1 His Passion Q. 13. 2 His possibility to undergo it 2 By the efficacy of it both in respect 1 Of the end Q. 24. 2 Of the persons for whom Q. 25. 2 The means applying it Faith described 1 By the nature of it Q. 26. 2 By the working of it in respect of 1 The beginning of it Q. 27. 2 The growth of it by means 1 Without us which are two 1 The Word of Christ 2 The Sacraments of Christ Q. 28. which are described 1 By their Nature Q. 29. 2 By their Number Q. 30. 3 By their use both of 1 Baptism Q. 31. 2 Supper of the Lord about which 1 What use of it Q. 32. 2 To whom Q. 33. 2 Within us and by us Prayer Q. 34. Which is further described 1 By the nature of it Q. 35. 2 By the matter The Lords Prayer Q. 36. Expounded by the 1 Preface Q. 37. 2 Petition 1. Q. 38. 3 Petition 2. Q. 39. 4 Petition 3. Q. 40. 5 Petition 4. Q. 41. 6 Petition 5. Q. 42. 7 Petition 6. Q. 43. 8 Conclusion Q. 44. A CATECHISM FOR Children thorough the chief points of the Body of Divinity to prepare them for the Lords Supper 1 Question WHo made thee A. God the Father 2 Q. Who redeemed thee A. Jesus Christ 3 Q. Who sanctified thee A. The Holy Ghost 4 Q. How many Gods are there A. There are three persons and to us Christians but one God 5 Q. What is God A. He is that Almighty one who made and governeth all things 6 Q. Wherefore did God make thee A. To do him service 7 Q. How oughtest thou to serve him A. As he hath commanded in his lawes 8 Q. Which are these lawes A. Those tenne words which God wrote in two Tables of stone and are set down in Exodus and Deuteronomy 9 Q. What is the first Commandement A. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me 10 Q. What is the second A. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image nor any likenesse of things that are in heaven above nor in the earth beneath nor in the waters under the earth thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy to thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandements 11 Q. What is the third Commandement A. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vain 12 Q. What is the fourth Commandement A. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God In it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy cattle nor thy stranger that is within thy gates For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it 13 Q. What is the fift Commandement A. Honour thy Father and Mother that thy dayes may be long upon the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee 14 Q. What is the sixt A. Thou shalt not kill 15 Q. What is the seventh A. Thou shalt not commit adultery 16 Q. What is the eight A. Thou shalt not steal 17 Q. What is the ninth A. Thou shalt not bear false witnesse against thy neighbour 18 Q. What is the tenth Commandement A. Thou shalt not covet thy neighhours house thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife nor his man-servant nor his maid-servant nor his oxe nor his asse nor any thing that is thy neighbours 19 Q. Art thou able to keep these commandements A. No let me do what I can yet I break them every day more then I can expresse 20 Q. What punishment is appointed for the breakers of Gods commandements A. Gods curse which is the everlasting destruction of body and soul 21 Q. How shalt thou escape this curse A. Onely by Jesus Christ our Lord. 22 Q. What is Jesus Christ A. He is the eternall sonne of God made man 23 Q. What hath Christ Jesus done for thee A. He suffered the pains of death for me 24 Q. Seeing Christ was God how could he dye A. He was God and man as he was God he died not but as man he died for my sinnes and rose again for my justification 25 Q. Are all men saved by Christs death A. No onely they are saved who have a true faith 26 Q. What is this true faith A. It is the resting of the soul upon Christ for salvation 27 Q. How must this faith be wrought in thee A. The Holy Ghost must work it in my heart
Psal 139.12 13. and hidden lusts A man that made a work can easily espie the least fault that another makes in it so God can see all the disorders that Satan and thy wicked heart hath wrought in thee and this must make thee walke in feare of offending such a God and with a resolution to doe all things to the honour of him that made thee Every man that makes a thing doth desire to have the comfort and credit of it much more doth God who made man for himselfe Prov. 16.4 as well as all things else Vse Therefore Whether thou eate or drink 1 Cor. 10.31 or what ever thou doe doe all to the glory of thy God Doe to his glory in thought word and deed do to his glory in disposing thy selfe in all the occurrences of this life Thou mayst make other comfortable reflexions upon thy soule from this point if thou weigh the Texts in the margine Psal 149.2 Psal 119.73 Psal 100.1 2 3. Job 30.13.15 but I leave them to thy own meditations as God shall quicken thy heart with a love to the good word of God Tell me next 2. Q. Who Redeemed thee A. Jesus Christ Mark my good child Christ Redeemed us 1 Tim. 2.6 It is Christ that gave himselfe a ransome for us even the ransome of his blood by which he hath redeemed us out of all the world Apoc. 5.9 To redeeme is to buy thee again when thou wert lost in thy enemies hands Thou wert lost by the sinne of Adam As thou seest when a Carp is taken by a Fishers hooke or net and dieth thousands of spawnes in his belly are caught and die with him so was it with thee and all mankind We were all in that one man in his first transgression Therefore Blessed Paul saith Rom. 5.12 14. By one man sinne entered into the world and death by sinne and passed upon all men even over those that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression for that all have sinned When thou wast in this cursed condition with all mankind Christ came and bought thee again Joh. 10.11 by laying down his life for thee Vse Remember this and make such use of it as Paul would have the Corinthians Ye are not your own 1 Cor. 6.19 20. for ye are bought with a prize therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirits which are Gods If you buy any thing you expect the comfort of it whether it be for the health of your body or of your soule Thinke but the same of Christ and you will be willing to live to him that died for you 2 Cor. 5.15 and rose again Tell me next 3. Q. Who sanctified thee A. The holy Ghost Mark here The holy Ghost doth sanctifie us If I should aske thee What it is to be sanctified it is to be made holy But when I aske thee who sanctified thee it is to make thee holy and this is the worke of the holy Ghost Therefore Paul telles the Corinthians when they were changed in their state That they were sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6.11 Now the holy Ghost doth sanctifie thee by taking away of sinne and giving of grace As if thou wert to give entertainment to a great and good friend thou wouldst first sweep out the dust and brush down the cobwebs and then lay out thy carpets cushions and other ornaments so the holy Ghost takes the besome of destruction the hammer Jer. 23.29 and fire of the word and sweeps out thy raigning sinnes by Repentance and the spirit of Judgement Esa 4.4 Gal. 5.22 23. Eph. 3.17 1 Cor. 3.16 and then brings in the graces of the Spirit to make thee an holy Temple for Christ to dwell in by faith All this the holy Ghost works by the Word Sacraments and Prayer By the Word for Christ prayeth Joh. 17.17 Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth By the Sacraments for Paul saith Eph. 5.26 That he sanctifies and cleanseth his Church with the washing of water by the word and that We being many are one bread and one body 1 Cor. 10.17 for we are all made partakers of one bread Implying that in the Lords Supper we are sealed up into the body of Christ and we cannot be properly without holinesse By Prayer for Christ saith that if we aske the Father he will give us his spirit Vse Therefore my deare child ply the holy Ghost in this way wherein thou art sanctified and shalt encrease it more and more 2 Cor. 7.1 till thou grow to or perfect thy holinesse in the feare of the Lord. If there were but one Mart or Market where all necessary commodities were to be had thou wouldst ply that upon all urgent occasions so must thou deale with the Word Sacraments and Prayer if thou wouldst have the holy Ghost shine upon thee in the beautie of holinesse Tell me next because thou namest the Father the Sonne and Holy Ghost even these three 4. Q. How many Gods are there A. There are three persons and to us Christians but one God Goe to Jordan and thou shalt see the heavens opened There are three persons Matth. 3.16 17. whence the Father sent a voice from heaven the Sonne baptized and the Holy Ghost descending like a Dove to make up three persons Reflect upon thy own Baptisme and thou shalt behold thy admittance into the Church in the name of the Father Matth. 28.19 and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost to make up three persons again Consider our witnesses and thou shalt finde that we have three that beare record in heaven the Father the Word 1 Joh. 5.7 and the Holy Ghost and that these three are one For though there are three names or persons in the Godhead Yet is there but one God 1 Cor. 8.5 6. and though there be many that are called Gods and Lords yet to us Christians there is but one God This heavenly mystery may be shadowed unto thee a little in a fiered coale There is the substance of the coale the light of the coale and the heat of the coale and yet but one fiered coale So soone as ever the coale is fiered there are these three the substance of the coale the light and heat of it So in the same Divine Essence though in a more transcendent way is there the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Yea it may be shadowed in thy selfe So soone as ever thou art borne into this world thou art a creature to God a childe to thy Parents and a subject to thy King and yet art thou but one So so soone as ever as God is that is from all eternitie he is Father Sonne and holy Ghost and yet but one God Vse This will help thee mightily in cleaving to the Scriptures and in all thy devout prayers to God Art thou tempted to question the truth of
saist He is that Almightie one and so he is for God saith to Abraham Gen. 17.1 I am God Almightie and Jeremy calles him Jer. 32.18 19. The great and mightie God great in Counsell and mightie in strength Almightie is one mightie to doe all or one that is all-sufficient for all things in himselfe and for us This Almightinesse or All-sufficiency stands in his skill in his will and in his power He is Almightie in skill to know all things Almightie in will to will all things that are good and Almightie in power to doe all things according to his will Were he not Almightie all these waies he could not be self-sufficiently blessed in himselfe neither could he be almightily sufficient for us Were he not Almightie in skill he could not almightily will according to an almightie knowledge Were he not Almightie in will he could not almightily doe according to an almightie knowledge and will Were he not Almightie in power were he never so Almightie in skill and will he could not be an all-sufficient worker for his own and our blessednesse But when these three things meet his knowing all things his willing all things good and doing all things according to his will nothing can lye between him and his own blessednesse nothing can hinder us from our blessednesse in him if we lye in his rode Vse The serious thought of this should my child humble direct and comfort thee It should humble thee under the mightie hand of God Power breeds feare and fear humilitie God made his power known to Job in the wind horse earth-quake and Leviathan Job 42.6 And then he abhorred himselfe and repented in dust and ashes Act. 12. As when the men of Tyrus and Sidon heard that Herod would wage warre with them they knowing that they were nourished with the Kings bread feared his power so when thou hearest of this Almightinesse thou must not so much feare them that kill the body Matth. 10. as feare him that is able to cast body and soule into hell if thou approach not to him with due obedience Againe thou must be directed from hence to labour to feele this Almightie power of God in thy body and soule for thy sanctification and salvation Paul prayes for the Ephesians Eph. 1.19 20. that they may know what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us-ward that beleeve according to the working of his mightie power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead And how is this Surely onely by feeling that as God raised up Christ so by their fellowship in and with them he doth raise up them from the death of sinne to the life of grace The good Lord grant that it may be thus with thee that as the power of that Almightie one did raise up the Lord Jesus so thou maist find thy selfe raised in and from him to such a new life as may appeare before God with acceptance Lastly thou maist have singular comfort also from this meditation in any adversitie that may come upon thee For this Almightie one can change thy vile body Phil. 3. and make it like unto his glorious body according to the mightie power by which he is able to subdue all things unto himself What though by affliction thy face be withered with weeping thy body crusted like a potsheard and burnt to ashes yet this Almightie one is able to raise thee up in the latter day Joh. 6. and to make those eyes of thine to see thy Redeemer Job 19. when thou shalt arise for thy selfe to the glory of Gods grace and thy everlasting comfort Next here thou tellest me how God hath manifested his Almightinesse God made all things By making and governing of all things That this Almightie God made all things doth appeare in Genesis Gen. 1. and 2.4 5. Esa 44.24 and God saith by Esay I am the Lord that maketh all things that doth stretch forth the heavens alone and spreadeth abroad the earth by my selfe To make all things is to give all things their being God gives the heavens to be the earth to be and all creatures in heaven and earth their severall beings And doe but weigh that it cannot be otherwise For the world was neither made by chance nor by nature Not by chance For as thou maiest see an excellent order in every thing and chance is an enemy to order so maist thou discerne set purpose in every thing All creatures have every thing provided of purpose to perfect them An eye hath a colour an eare a sound a palate a tastable thing and a smell savours yea brute beasts have fodder and man hath heaven and earth of purpose for body and soul Neither is it made by nature For then as nothing could be done above nature the contrary whereof thou maist perceive in the very butter-flies painted wings and the little gnats trunk which can pierce and draw bloud thorough a tough horses skin so could nothing be done against nature but thou maist observe the contrary Josh 10. for the Sunne stood still in Gibeon and the Moone in the valley of Ajalon in the daies of Joshuah and the Sun went ten degrees backward as was to be seene on the diall of Ahaz yea thou readest of an Eclipse of the Sun at the death of Christ when the Moon was at the full which was quite against nature If therefore the world was neither made by chance nor by nature thou mayst justly conclude that the Almightie God made all things Vse Therefore my deare child learn how to use and feare to abuse We must use all the creatures from God any of Gods creatures Thou must aske Gods leave to use any of them we hold all in God and from God and have no freedom to use them but as we have leave from him Godlesse people account every creature within their power their own and because they have a creatures right and a civill right by the laws and compacts of men they think they have an absolute right without dependance Therefore they never looke to God but say with Nabal shall I take my meat 1 Sam. 25. and my bread and my drinke which I have provided for my servants and give it unto strangers whom I know not from whence they come or whither they go But it must be otherwise with thee Thou hast the use of the Sun Moon and Stars heaven earth and all their furniture God made them all therefore thou must not dreame of an absolute right but humbly pray that thou mayst have libertie to use them under God without which thou canst have no sound comfort Besides We must not abuse any of the creatures thou must feare to abuse any of them because they are the good creatures of God Wilt thou dare to abuse the Kings stuffe or furniture of his house or those provisions which he hath made for his servants How then wilt thou dare
he might be a fit Prophet Heb. 7.25 Joh. 1.18 Ephes 1.17 1 Cor. 1.30 Esa 53. Priest and King to perfect thy salvation As he was a Prophet he came out of his Fathers bosome to reveale his will unto thee that so he might be thy wisdome to shew thee the way to heaven by him Heb. 7. As he was a Priest Rom. 8. he offered himselfe in sacrifice for thee and still maketh request for thee at the right hand of God As he was a King he had all authority and power committed to him to rule over thee and overrule thy enemies Thus nothing lies in the way to hinder him from being the Prince of thy salvation by mortification as a King and Prophet by ransome as a Priest and by rescue as a King He is called our Lord Act. 10.36 Rom. 7.25 Phil. 2.8.9 10.11 as one that hath power to maintaine that salvation which he hath procured thee because by purchase from God for thee and conquest over the world the flesh and the devill he doth possesse thee as his owne 1 Cor. 6.19 20. and therefore must give an account to him Thus thou seest him that saveth thee from the Curse Vse Therfore my dear child build thy self upon Jesus Christ our Lord upon Christ for salvation for dominion All his garments smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia Psal 45.8 That which covers thee and comforts thee frō Christ is preservative as Myrrhe compurgative as Aloes comfortative as sweet smelling Cassia Christ wil not only comfort thee from guilt but purge and preserve thee from the body of death Without Christ nothing can purge thee Mich. 6.6 7. Luk. 18.11 12. Esa 1.11 12 13 14. Hypocrites will runne to thousands of Rams and tenne thousands of Rivers of Oyle Moralists will run to their civill carriages Formalists will runne to the outward acts of Gods Ordinances but nothing will doe thee good without Christ If thou seeke to Christ only then all things succeed to this end The Holy Ghost purgeth by way of infusion Faith by way of application Repentance by way of disposition Holinesse by way of repression and mortification Zach. 13.1 but Christ is the fountaine whence all proceeds Would'st thou have peace with God Rom. 5.1 It must be through our Lord Jesus Christ Would'st thou have joy Rom. 5.11 It must be through our Lord Jesus Christ Would'st thou have grace raigne Rom. 5.21 It must be by Jesus Christ our Lord. Would'st thou be justified Phil. 3.8 It must be by the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. Would'st thou walke in Christ Col. 2.6 As thou hast received the Lord Jesus Christ so walke in him Would'st thou have grace and peace 1 Thess 1.1 It must be from the Lord Jesus Christ Wouldst thou have any saving grace 2 Pet. 1.8 It must be by fruitfulnesse in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Still whole Christ must be rested on or it will doe thee no good When a wise Physician gives a certaine quantity to purge rebelling humours thou must take it all so when God gives the Lord Jesus Christ thou must apply him all Christ cannot be divided Jesus cannot be Jesus except he be a Lord. He was anointed to be a King as well as a Priest and a Prophet and without the exercise of all his Offices he saves not one soule There is not the vilest sinner in the Church but would have Jesus He would runne to his salvation because he is convinced that he cannot be saved without him but they cannot abide the Lord Jesus who must rule and raigne Ob. It may be thou maist thinke that thou runnest to the Lord Jesus Christ daily Sol. If thou doest then as a man cannot plunge himselfe into a fountaine daily and not be cleanner or as a man cannot live among sweet odours and not be sweeter so nor can a man runne unto and use Christ daily but he shall be better Ob. It may be thou maist thinke that thou shalt not be the worse though thou lie under the burden of some sinne because we cannot be quite rid of the body of death But I would have thee know that there are three sorts of sinners Sol. 1 Some that neither know the sinnes they might know nor desire to know them These can not make use of Christ because they have no sight of their foulenesse and therefore they can neither renounce it nor goe to the fountaine to cleanse it Some know them and when they are convinced Deut. 29.19 20. sigh to know them yet live in them wilfully under hope of mercy These cannot look for salvation for God will not be mercifull to such Some are such sinners as Paul was These are in the way of salvation by Christ Rom. 7.15 1 Cor. 9.27 If thou aske what manner of sinner Paul was I tell thee that he was such a sinner as hated sinne and cared not who knew what was in him and practised great works of mortification Rom. 7.24 and accounted himselfe a base wretch the least of Saints the greatest of sinners and one that walked humbly under the sense of finne and one that made diligent search after Christ to save him and when he had found him thanked God for whole Christ even for the Lord Jesus Christ Be thou such a finner through Gods grace and I shall not feare the Curse of the Law which lies upon thee for sin Now tell me 22. Q. What is Jesus Christ A. He is the eternal Son of God made man This is also Gods truth What Jesus Christ is for when Christ was baptized and when he was transfigured a voyce came from heaven saying This is my well beloved Sonne Matt. 3.17 Matt. 17.5 And that he is the Eternall Sonne of God appears because he was in the beginning Joh. 1.1 that is when God made Time he was before God made that Time to wit in eternity and so was God This crowned Peters faith in the name of all the Apostles when he said Thou art Christ Matt. 16.16 Matt. 3. Luk. 3. the Sonne of the living God And that he was made man the Genealogies prove And tha the was the Son of God made man appears from Johns testimony The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us Joh. 1.14 and we beheld his glory the glory of the onely begotten of the Father and from the Testimony of the Angel who saith to Mary Luk. 1.35 an holy thing shall be borne of thee which shall be called the Sonne of God 1 Joh. 3.1 not nuncupatively by name onely but shall be the Sonne of God As Gods people are called the sonnes of God by adoption and are so so Christ by nature As borne of the Virgin so he was made man as the Sonne of God so was he God The Son of God must be thy Saviour Luk. 3.38 because he might give thee what thou wantest Thou wast
Christian He had so digested Christ into his soul by faith that he could speak nothing but Christian So let it be with thee This can faith do and it is wonderfull in our eyes Tell me next 28. Q. How is this faith confirmed and made stronger in thee A. By hearing the same Gospel preached and using the sacraments Here thou knowest the means which confirm thy faith and truly there is not a readier way to do it under God The Thessalonians heard the Gospel preached unto them 1 Thes 3.20 2 Thes 1.3 Prov. 4.18 and though at first there was something lacking in their faith yet as they heard the Gospel their faith grew exceedingly as just men their path was as the shining light which shined more and more unto the perfect day And for the sacraments it cannot seem strange that they should confirm thy faith For if I make a promise unto thee that I will give thee ten twenty thirty forty pounds if thou think me to be in earnest and to be able and willing to give it unto thee the oftener I promise it the more thou wilt beleeve it but if I set my hand and seal to it then thou art sure of it and maist sue me for it Such is the case betwixt God and thy soul He promises to give thee salvation by Jesus Christ if thou beleevest The oftener thi promise repeated the more thou beleevest But when God hath set it under his hand and seal in the word of God and sacraments now thou hast cause to beleeve it more and maist humbly sue him for it at the throne of Grace Vse Therefore my childe remember this Thou wilt presse after assurances and confirmations in every thing for thy body and estate why not for thy soul Thou would'st be sure of houses lands portion and health do what thou canst to be sure of salvation by Christ And because this is the way to hear the Gospel often that the word of grace may dwell richly in thee Col. 3. and to receive the sacraments as thou lovest the comfort of thy soul neglect them not Hear in season and hear out of season and as oft as thou canst ply the seals of Gods love that thy faith may be encreased If thou still doubtest whether yet thou shalt be saved or no God loves the importunity of his children Go to the throne of Grace and implead God Blessed God hast not thou promised that if I beleeve in Christ I shall be saved Hast not thou sent thy Ambassadours to tender this promise again Hast thou not set thy hand and seal to it in the word and sacraments Hast thou not made my heart go out of it self to rest upon thy blessed sonne onely Oh why do I languish in doubting despairs Why do I begin to sink for want of hold on my Saviour How long Lord how long Let the light of thy countenance shine upon me and I shall have peace Thus I have cleared to thee the means to beget and encrease faith and because the Sacraments are one therefore tell me 29. Q. What are Sacraments A. They are signes and seals of the righteousnesse of faith Here thou layest down the nature of Sacraments The nature of the sacraments By the righteousnesse of faith thou must understand that righteousnesse which thou hast by the Covenant of the Gospel that is the meritorious obedience of Christ for thee as thy surety rested upon by faith And the Sacraments Rom. 4.11 are signes and seals of this righteousnesse of faith They are signes because they signifie something unto thee Thou knowest that a picture or similitude upon a poste at an Inn or Ale-house house dore is called a signe because it signifies that thou maist have meat drink and lodging there for thy mony so is the Sacrament called a signe because it signifies something unto thee When thou seest the bread and wine set apart on the Lords table for this speciall service it signifies that God the father hath set apart and sealed Jesus Christ for thy salvation Joh. 6. The bread signifies the body of Christ The wine signifies the bloud of Christ The breaking of the bread signifies the suffering of Christ upon the crosse The powring out of the wine signifies the shedding of Christs bloud upon the crosse The Minister presenting these unto thee signifies God the Father whose Ambassadour he is offering unto thee his sonne for thy salvation and thy receiving of it into thy hand and mouth signifies thy faith by which thou makest Christ and his merit thy own Thus by these signes thou discernest the Lords body and bloud 1 Cor. 11. without which thou catest judgement to thy self which is damnable without repentance will in the issue prove thy damnation So in the other Sacrament of Baptisme water signifies the bloud merit and spirit of Christ laying on of the water as well as dipping and plunging signifies thy death and buriall with Christ Rom. 6. washing and cleansing signifies forgivenesse of sinnes and wiping off the water as well as rising out of it signifies our rising with Christ to a new holy and cleansed estate Sacraments are also seals As Abraham was said to have received the signe of Circumsion Rom. 4.11 as the seal of the righteousnesse of faith so doest thou receive our Sacraments Now thou knowest the use of seals among men When men make a bargain and set their hands and seals unto it then the bargain is concluded When men make a promise and set their hands and seals unto it then their promise is confirmed we have just cause to beleeve it When men convey houses and lands either to other and set their hands and seals to an instrument drawn to that end then those houses and land upon delivery are conveyed and therefore it is called a conveyance For such like reasons the Sacraments are called seals because they do conclude confirm and convey In the Sacrament there is a Covenant or bargain betwixt God Heb. 8.6 and thee Christ is called the Mediatour of a better Covenant Heb. 8.10 By this Covenant God promiseth that he will be to us a God even our God and we shall be to him a people Jer. 31.33 even his people By vertue of this he gives the forgivenesse of sinnes Jer. 32.40 Heb. 8.10 11 12. illumination sanctification experimentall knowledge and perseverance in the wayes of grace This blessing and blessed covenant is concluded in the Sacraments In Baptisme thou publikely enterest into this covenant Rom. 4.17 and that God who calleth things that are not as if they were is pleased to call thee a beleever not so much by vertue of thy parents faith as by vertue of his covenant to Abraham and his seed according to the flesh Act. 2.36 and according to the spirit which makes parents and their children one and in one covenant In the Lords Supper thou publikely renewest thy covenant Conscience tels thee
that though thou art sorry for thy sins by which thou hast broken thy Covenant of Baptisme and purposest to do so no more and therefore canst look back to thy Baptisme with comfort yet thou failest again and again And therefore thy God of mercy hath pleased to give thee leave to come and renew thy covenant again and again in the Supper of the Lord and if thou purposest to deal faithfully with God as thou renewest thy covenant with God so God renews his Covenant with thee Therefore it is called a seal to conclude this Covenant betwixt God and thee Again Joh. 3.16 in the Sacrament is confirmed thy faith in the promise when thou art of years to judge what thou hast done and doest God makes a gracious promise in the Covenant of the Gospel that if thou beleeve in Christ thou shalt be saved Oh how hard is it for thee to grapple with thy unbeleeving heart When thou lookest to Gods love and Christs merits thou art cheered but when thou lookest to thy own unworthinesse thy faith flags and faints Therefore thy good God doth send his Ambassadour 2 Cor. 5.20 with bread and wine to confirm thy faith and assure thee that as sure as thou hast this bread and this wine given unto thee so surely God will make good thy salvation to thee if thou beleevest in his Christ Lastly the Sacrament as a seal doth convey Jesus Christ and all his benefits to thee so as thou maist say I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Look as houses and lands may be conveyed unto thee by a sealed writing and though thou never see either house or land yet in a court of Record thou maist have it made thine if it be within the Kings dominions So Christ by his promise and seal is made thine and though thou see him not according to the flesh yet thou hast communion with the body and bloud of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 by the court of Record in the Scriptures in the kingdome of the great King of heaven and earth The manner of this conveyance is sacramentall that is as a signe and seal For it doth not convey Christ as I can convey money to thy purse or hand or as cloaths to thy back by naturall instruments but as Sacraments can convey him that is they can signifie the conveyance of Christ and seal it unto thee by the covenant and ordinance of God Vse Therefore let me charge thee my good childe to prize this truth as a seal upon thy heart and a signet upon thy right hand Wert thou not most miserable if thou wert not in covenant with God If he did not take thee into speciall protection as thy God If thou didst not engage thy self to be one of his people who have illumination forgivenesse sanctification and perseverance All this God doth assure thee of in the seal of the Sacrament Would'st thou not account thy self in a sad condition if God had made thee a promise of salvation by Christ and when thou art beaten off by the sin of thy heart thou hadst no confirmation of it from the God of truth yet this is confirmed by the seal of the Sacrament Would it not adde to thy saddest thoughts If thou hadst many promises of comfort by Christ and yet hadst no performances Behold the seale of the Sacrament doth convey Christ unto thy soul by faith Is it not registred in the Records of heaven that this bread is my body Luk. 22. 1 Cor. 11. this wine is my bloud as Christ hath witnessed Hadst thou but a cut finger thou couldst not have the vertue of the salve to cure it except thou hadst the plaister of the salve it self nor canst thou have the merits of Christ except thou hast Christ himself though not in a carnall way Use the Sacrament as a signe to signifie but let it be a signe and not the proper thing signified Use it as a seal yet let it be but a seal to assure a possession of what thou hast though thou seest it not Get possession of Christ and it is enough In the mean time turn thou this doctrine into practice and plead with God from the Sacrament Good father let these signes signifie powerfully thy love to my soul Let these seals be a sweet conclusion of the covenant of Grace betwixt thee and me be a confirmation to my doubting faith and be a conveyance of Christ to me that he may live in my soul by faith and confound sinne more and more and quicken me to all Grace to thy Glory Now cast thy eye backward and tell me seeing thou must have faith or else thou canst not be saved by Christ Q. Who must work faith in thy heart A. The Holy Ghost Q. Why must he work it A. Because it is an infinite comfort against the infinite horrour of my sin Q. Where must it be wrought A. In my heart Q. Why saist thou so A. To put a difference betwixt the faith in the head and the faith in the heart Q. How must it be wrought in thee A. By the outward preaching of the Gospel Q. How many wayes is faith encreased A. Two wayes Q. Which is the first A. By the preaching of the Gospel Q. Why is faith encreased thus A. Because the oftner we hear the word of promise the more we will beleeve it Q. What is the second A. By receiving the Sacraments Q. Why is faith confirmed by them A. Because they are seals to assure Gods promises Q. What are Sacraments A. Signes and seals of the righteousnesse of faith Q. What is the righteousnes of faith A. The meriting obedience of Christ rested on by faith Q. Why are the Sacraments called signes A. Because they signifie something unto us Q. What doth the water in Baptisme signifie A. The bloud merit and spirit of Christ Q. What doth laying on of the water signifie A. My death and buriall with Christ Q. What doth the running or wiping off of the water signifie A. My rising with Christ to a new life Q. What doth washing or cleansing signifie A. Forgivenesse of my sins Q. What doth the bread signifie A. The body of Christ Q. What doth the wine signifie A. The bloud of Christ Q. What doth the breaking of the bread signifie A. The suffering of Christ upon the crosse Q. What doth the powring out of the wine signifie A. The shedding of Christs bloud upon the crosse Q. What doth the Ministers presenting them to thee signifie A. God the Fathers offering his sonne to me Q. What doth thy receiving them signifie A. The faith of the Gospel Q. Why are they called seals A. Because they do conclude confirm and convey Q. What is concluded A. A Covenant betwixt God and me Q. What is that Covenant A. That God will be my God and I will be one of his people Q. What is confirmed in the Sacrament A. Faith in the promise Q. What is that promise A. That if
I beleeve in Christ I shall be saved Q. What is conveyed in the Sacrament A. Christ with all his benefits Q. How can the Sacrament convey CHRIST unto thee A. Sacramentally Q. How is that A. As a sign and seal Thus have I by Gods blessing brought thee from thy creation to thy fall from thy fall to thy curse from thy curse to thy deliverance by Christ from thy deliverance to the settlement of it upon thee by faith and from thence to the means working encreasing and confirming Now proceed and tell me 30. Q. How many Sacraments there are A. Two onely Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord Here thou tellest me the number The number of the Sacraments and what they are in particular 1 Cor. 10.2 2 3 4. and names of the Sacraments The number there are but two For thou findest but two ordained by Christ and where Paul speaks of purpose of them he names onely two under those that went before them yea two are aboundantly sufficient for their end one to signe and seal our engrafting into Christ that is Baptisme and another to signe and seal our growing in Christ that is the Supper of the Lord yea lastly the true nature and use of a Sacrament agrees onely to these two for onely these two are signes and seales of a thing signified and sealed having a word of commandement and a word of promise to all beleevers Act. 10. Matth. 28. Rom. 6. Their names are Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. Baptisme is a washing with water consecrated by the word and prayer by a Minister in the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost to signifie and seal our grafting into Christ The Lords Supper is bread Matth. 26.26 Luk. 22.19 20. 1 Cor. 11. and wine consecrated and broken by a Minister given received eaten and drunk by the Church to signifie and seal our growing in Christ Thus maist thou conceive these two Vse Therefore my childe see the wonderfull love of God to thee who would not onely have the fellowship of Christ bestowed upon thee but will signifie and seal it unto thee also Doest thou doubt of thy union with Christ Thou hast it by covenant in Gods promise thou hast it by application in the exercise of thy faith about saving Christ and thou hast it sacramentally by signe and seal in Baptisme Doest thou doubt that God wil not provide for thee a feast of fat things Esa 27. Luk. 15. and fined wines even that fattest Calf to nourish and feed thee to eternall life because thou hast been a wicked prodigal sinning against the covenant of Baptisme Do but thou condemn and alter thy course and renew thy covenant and then thou hast Gods promise for it in the covenant the settlement of it upon thee by faith and thy assurance of it in the Lords Supper To make it more plain tell me 31. Q. What benefit hast thou by baptisme A. A new estate in Christ and so the forgivenesse of my sins if I repenting do beleeve according to the Covenant in baptisme This is an excellent benefit indeed The benefit of Baptism if thou rightly understand it and do make use of it accordingly Thou hast a new estate in Christ Gal. 2â— 7. Rom. 6.3 4 5. for in baptisme thou doest put on Christ and art planted into his death and resurrection Thou hast the forgivenesse of thy sins for Peter saith be baptized for the remission of sinnes Act. 2.38 Act. 22.16 and Ananias said to Paul arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes yet know that thy baptisme doth not this as the bloud of Christ by way of expiation and attonement not as the Holy Ghost by an infinite power How in baptisme is the forgiveness of sins but onely as a Sacrament and that three wayes First by signification for as the water doth wash thy body Heb. 10.22 so Christ's bloud being sprinkled upon thy conscience by faith doth wash thee from thy sins Secondly by the receit of Beleevers As if a Prince made a Proclamation that he that can bring in the head of a traytour shall have a thousand pounds so soon as he hath this head he sees his thousand pound and is confident upon the word of the Prince so a beleever when he heares this proclamation of God Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ Act. 2.38 for the forgivenesse of sinnes when he sees and feels his repentance and hath notice of his baptisme he is confident for the forgiveness of his sins upon the word of God Thirdly by the Covenant of God God strikes a Covenant with his people upon this condition that if they beleeve they shall have their sinnes forgiven He gives his seal for it that certainly he will be as good as his word When the Christian sees his faith he builds upon this covenant and sayes surely God hath forgiven my sins Indeed it is the bloud of Christ that deserves thy forgivenesse the Father that pronounceth it and the Holy Ghost that effectually applies but Baptisme by Gods covenant doth signifie and seal it unto thee Use This may be either comfortable or terrible to thee to consider It is terrible if thou keep not the condition of the covenant that is if thou repenting beleeve not Mat. 3.11 Thou must make thy Baptisme a baptisme of repentance to amendment of life Mar. 1.4 Mar. 16.16 and God will make it to be a baptisme for remission of sinnes Thou must beleeve and be baptized and then thou shalt be saved Thou shalt not be made partaker of these benefits without observing the condition Act. 2. Indeed God accounts thee a federall beleever when thou wast an infant and wast baptized as he accompted the Jewish children when they received the signe of circumcision as a seal of the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.11 But as it was accounted uncircumcision to them if they kept it not when they came to years of discretion because he is not a Jew which is one outwardly Rom. 2. neither is that circumcision which is litteral but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is not of the letter but of the spirit so thy baptisme shall be accounted nothing if with a penitent heart thou doest not when thou comest to years of discretion beleeve according to the covenant But if thou doest out of conscience bethink thy self of thy covenant get into this new estate wherein thou maist be baptized into Christs death and resurrection then what a sweet comfort to thee is it to see thy assurance of the forgivenesse of thy sins Be sure therefore that thou have faith working by charity to the author of faith by obedience to the word of faith by hearing and the houshold of faith by love and then thou maist look back with joy to thy baptisme and say surely my good God hath given me forgivenesse of sins For it is not laying
on of water that doth forgive thy sins nor doing of it in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost but it is God that doth it for the merits of Christ and by the assistance of the holy Ghost and sealeth it to thee in the covenant of Baptisme if thou keep it according to the measure of grace given 32. Q. What benefit hast thou by the Supper of the Lord A. The body and bloud of Christ verily and indeed taken and received by my beleeving soul Mark this comfortable benefit by the Lords Supper The benefit of the Lords Supper Thy body receives the bread and wine Thy soul receives the body and bloud of Christ by beleeving God offers him in a promise this is my body this is my bloud and thou canst not receive a thing in a promise but by beleeving it If I promise to give thee houses and lands and seal a conveyance of them to thee thou canst not receive it but by beleeving my words and conveyance so it is with thee in this Sacrament Christ in respect of his bodily presence is in heaven for they are not to receive him Act. 3.21 till the time of the restitution of all things yet in the Sacrament we have his body and bloud taken and received As a maried woman hath her husband one flesh and heart with her though he be a thousand miles off Prov. 2. by vertue of the Covenant of God which they made so by vertue of the covenant and promise of God in the Sacrament though Christ be in heaven and thou upon the earth thou hast his body and bloud A man may be present in a place or to a place In a place as thou art here with me To a place as Paul was absent in body 1 Cor. 5. but present in spirit to the Corinthians that is by his Apostolicall spirit power and authority So is Christs body and bloud present to the receivers of the Sacrament faithfully When the Sun shines full upon our window we say that the Sun is come into the house yet it is not the Sun but the shining of it so we say that Christs body and bloud is in the Sacrament yet it is not Christs body and bloud carnally bloudily but the Rayes of his person and merits to the comfort of thy soul Every thing is received by us as it is perceived of us Thou receivest a colour by the eye because that perceives it Thou receivest a sound by the ear because that perceives it Thou receivest a scent by the nose because that perceives it Thou receivest savourie things by the taste because that perceives it Thou receivest the Revolution of the heavens by the understanding because that perceives it but thou receivest Christ in the Sacrament none of these wayes Thou seest him not feelest him not tastest him not hearest him not smellest him not understandest not how bread and wine both before in 1 Cor. 10.16 1 Cor. 11.27 28. and after consecration can be the naturall or glorified body and bloud of Jesus Christ and yet be bread and wine yet set thy faith on work upon Gods promise and thou canst truly receive Christ because thou perceivest him by faith and no otherwise He is given to thee as he may satisfie thee that desires him but thou desirest him to satisfie not a corporal but a spirituall hunger Joh. 6.35 36.62.64 Joh. 6.63 He is given as he may do the good but it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing Ob. If thou think that though his naturall flesh profits nothing yet his glorified flesh would Sol. Christ tels thee that it is his naturall body that comforts thee in the Sacrament not his glorified for Christ saith this is my body which is broken for thee this is my bloud which is shed for thee and I am sure that his glorified body was not thus dealt withall Ob. If thou ask me why the bread and wine consecrated in the Sacrament should then be called the body and bloud of Christ Sol. I tell thee it is not because it is properly so but first because of the Sacramentall union between the signe and the thing signified by Gods pact and covenant If thou receive the signe faithfully 1 Cor. 10.16 thou shalt have a reall communion with Christ by promise Next because of the change of the bread and wine from common to holy use Though there be not a substantiall change of them yet is there a change in use in name and in honour In use it is not used as common bread and wine but as the Supper of the Lord. In name during the time it is not called bread and wine but the body and bloud of Christ In honour It is used by the faithfull to give a reall communion with Christs body and bloud Use Therefore my dear childe make speciall use of this sweet benefit Who would not joy in such a communion Who would not be glad when he comes unto it Who except fools or mad men would not cashier all wicked society for this with Christ Nay if thou love thy soul and thy Christ the Saviour of it thou must abandon it As David said Away from me ye wicked Psal 119. I will keep the commandements of my God so thou must say away ye wicked I will have communion with the body and bloud of Christ Be of his minde that thought one dayes fellowship with Christ to be more worth then all the world But remember that thy soul must be a beleeving soul or else thou wilt never draw water out of this well suck honie out of this Rock There are thousands in the Church who presume to come to the Sacrament and think they may have fellowship with Christ yet keep their old sins their old fellowship also who never look what faith they have to carrie Christ home But what ever they do be thou sure to follow Gods will and my counsell about it forsake all and follow Christ If thou say that thou maist come to the Sacrament long enough before thou be assured that thou doest take and receive the bodie and bloud of Christ I le tell thee that I have observed two wayes whereby thou maist get some comfortable witnesse in thy soul of it First by the Spirit of Christ His bodie and bloud were never dis-united from his divine nature How we may be assured that we receive Christ in the Sacrament Ezek. 1.21 Therefore where his body and bloud goes his spirit goes along with it As the Prophet saith the spirit of the horses were in the wheels so the spirit of Christ is in his body and bloud to make them act for thy good Doest thou then finde his spirit Mark what Paul saith where the spirit of Christ is there is a killing vertue to subdue the flesh Rom. 8.9 10 11. and a quickning vertue to raise you from the death of sinne to the life of grace If it
the word by the preaching of his faithfull servants for if conscience be imperfectly sighted there will lurke many a secret sin which will wound at the latter end Secondly by Art when the devill useth all his skill his methods and depths to make a sinne secret to us Ordinarily he useth foure Commendation of others thus pride is commended for cleanlinesse drunkennesse for good fellowship duelling for gallantnesse of spirit and then conscience sleeps and there lies a secret sinne Custome is a second when men have long traded in it the guilt lies hid Certe quum fuit mos nec fuit culpa Thus came in the Polygamy of the Patriarchs and thus bribery extortion and common-swearing by God or faith or troth come to be hid from conscience Yea have not we done many things of custome about the Lords day the Lords worship beside in our ordinary course which upon better Information we rejoyce now to be rid of Profit is a third When a course brings in gain lulls the conscience in the glorious sight of it awhile and it falls asleep Then you may bring in profit enough and conscience takes no notice of it and thus lurks a secret sinne This makes covetousnesse to many counting gaine godlinesse to some and many lying and cousening tricks in trading to be secret sinnes seldome or never noticed to Conscience Pleasure is a fourth When thoughts words or deeds have pleasure in them conscience is soone charmed to take no notice of them and so growes a secret sinne Thus pride wantonnesses drinkings and a thousand dalliances are hid from the eyes of this worlds wantons to be sins thorough the pleasures of them and this is Satans art to make many sins secret sinnes Thirdly sinnes may be secret by the Just Judgement of God When God justly blinds the eyes of sinners that will not come to Christ that they might be saved Joh. 5. and gives them to blindnes of mind that seeing they may see Rom. 1. not perceive Of this we have three fearful examples in Scriptures The Gentiles whom God gave over to vile affections to which they Indulged without sense because they basely dishonoured God in their heathenish Idolatry The Jews who because they shut their eyes against the beames of Christs Majestie in his preaching and miracles were given up to call for his bloud upon them and upon their children This was a secret sinne to them 1 Cor. 3. for if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of life Antichristian Christians who because they receive not the love of the truth 2 Thess 2. that they might be saved God gives them over to believe lyes that they might be without repentance damned and so all their foolish abominations and wicked Idolatries are secret sinnes to them And thus have I demonstrated this object that the best in some kind or other have secret sinnes Use Therefore this must stirre up your care to set your watches to finde out these secret ones as well as you can If you knew there were a thiefe lurking secretly in your house you would feare the danger set watches and search every corner much more must you doe it for your souls which are in danger every minute by your secret sinnes Nature is blind flye to the light of Gods word The course of the world is deceitfull walke in the path of the righteous Gods Judgement is grievous provoke him not with the love of any sinne The very thought of a secret sinne me thinks should make you watch and watch again and again Ob. You will say that you have enough sinne which you know to look unto Sol. That is true and more then enough For sinne is worse then hell and to be in sinnes hand is worse then to be in Satans for sinne onely makes him hold fast Ob. But if sinnes are secret you will say surely they are of little value Sol. But I tell thee sinnes are not valued by their secresie but by their nature and object against whom c. The smallest sinnes doe no small hurt Drops of raine are very small yet may they make great flouds A bird may be caught by one claw as well as by the whole body A boy may creep in at a window better then a man and let in the strongest thiefe that is to come in so may the smallest sinne let in the greatest Therefore I say to all watch against secret sins If you will close with me now ask Q. How you may find out a secret sin How secret sinnes may be discovered Prov. 28. I shal give you the best light I can First you may find thē out by fear Blessed is he that feareth always for such a man wil not harden his heart Fear will make a man suspect every thing that hath not sound warrant and thoroughly to examine all thoughts words deeds A man finds by the daily losse of things that a secret thiefe doth hant his house He is loth to suspect those that are approvedly known to be honest people but he will have a strict eye upon every man else and examine his busines his calling Jon. 1. his living and his expenses and so at last he wil discover him So you loose every day some strength in grace some comfort some peace some good or other You will not suspect known inclinations thoughts words or deeds which are approved by the plaine words of Scriptures But if they be other grounded upon ignorance custome profit pleasure honour suspect and try them and out will the secret sins come which must be abandoned Secondly thou maist finde them out by drawing things from trade to truth To make a trade of any sinne doth at last make a sinne secret Commit it once and it is grievous Commit it a second time and it is light Commit it a third time and it is desireable Commit it a fourth time and it is delightfull Commit it a fift time and it is defensible Commit it a sixt time and it is insensible and so it becomes a secret sinne But now draw it before the truth of Gods word and the light of it will shew the foulnesse of it and the foulnesse of it will make it questionable the questioning of it will open the guilt the guilt bindes the conscience and then except conscience be out-faced by impudency it will be secret no longer Thirdly thou maist finde them out by Repentance Let the terrours of the Almighty the love of God the bloud of Jesus Christ and the ghastly sight of death and judgement work thy guilty soul but to repent or to repent of one sinne and thou wilt finde out many secret sinnes A penny is but a little piece of silver in it self but put it into a Payle of fair water and it seems as big as a shilling So put thy least sinne into a watery and penitent soul and it will be of a vast bignesse Thou shalt see that in due
proportion and thy eyes being exalted and clarified thou shalt see beside this great Leviathan creeping things or sinnes innumerable For as in a train of gunpowder set one grain on fire and all will be in a blaze so let thy soul be fired with godly sorrow for one sinne and thou shalt quickly see those thou never sawest before Fourthly thou maist finde them out by bringing sinne to a propimity or neernesse As sinners put farre from them the evill day so they put as farre as they can from them the sight of sinne When they do it they are loath to see what they do because it is a work of darknesse It is a bastard brood betwixt Satan and a wicked soul and therefore they remove it into the Country as farre as they can because they would not see it themselves nor suffer others to see it But bring it to a neernesse and that which seemed no sinne will appeare to be a sinne and what seemed a little one will be a very great A man upon the top of an high hill looks as little as a childe but bring him down and you shall see his proportion So bring sinne to a present view as it wounds the conscience defaceth Gods image and hindereth our traffick with our God we shall see it big enough to a miracle in it self and all the brats and broods of many secret ones which are as a retinue and hangs upon it Fifthly thou maist finde them out by declining such ways as bring the judgement of God upon thy soul If because thou art filthy God say be filthy still and because thou wilt not see God give thee over to blindnesse of minde thou wilt see but a few of thy sins till destruction come like an armed man It was a fearfull speech hear ye indeed Esa 6.9 10. but understand not and ye see indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted Even so it is a lamentable thing that Gods judgement should seal thy eyes up from seeing thy sinnes for then thou maist suddainly be wasted and made desolate and removed farre away from God Therefore if thou would'st discover thy secret sinnes keep off this judgement of God by sinning against conscience Conscience is Gods deputy and the affront that is offered unto it is offered to God who gave it authority over thee Sinne against it and thou sinnest against Gods officer and God cannot but take it as an unworthy act It makes him angry brings his judgement and then where art thou Thy eyes are blinded thy heart is hardened thy sinnes like Philistims are about thee and thou seest them not Therefore decline this thunderbolt of judgement and God will be eyes to thy blinde soul to see secret sinnes Lastly thou maist finde out thy secret sinnes by not believing the world and the wayes of it If thou believe the world that will praise and flatter thee and offer thee so much profit pleasure Excellens sensibile destruit sensum and honour that the splendour of these will dazle thy eyes and hinder the sight of thy secret sinnes There are none that live in strong Garisons and feel not miseries abroad where sight is more cleer but are so flattered and fawned upon with the lust of the eye the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life to patching painting and a thousand disguises besides other voluptuous sins that their eyes are put out from seeing some open and all secret sins Hence is it that they swim in the Kingdome of pleasure and with their eyes to heaven are going as fast as they can to hell in a feather-bed But take heed believe not the world and thou wilt have leisure to see that and those secret sinnes which will make thy heart ake Thus have I discovered some means by which you may know your secret sinnes It may be now a way is broken open better light may discover better helps Yet in the mean time take these and use them in Gods strength to the glory of God and to the humbling of thy soul But What we must doe when we have found out secret sinnes it may be you will ask me when I have found them what shall I do with them In generall you must make head against them Let them not rest in you as in their proper places but groan under their burthen complain of them to God cast off what you can and use meanes to mortifie the rest But more particularly Zach. 13.1 look to Christ the fountain opened for sinne and for uncleannesse When Alexander the Great saw Jaddus the high Priest comming towards him out of Jerusalem in all his Priestly attire he of reverence spared the City and when God sees you come towards him in the garments of your brother Christ made yours by faith out of love to him Psal 45. whose garments smel of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia he will spare you We reade that when Antonius the Roman Oratour did uncover the shoulders of Aquileus before the Senate he caused the sentence of death to be reversed from him Much more when you shew the fresh bleeding wounds and merits of Christ rested upon by faith before God your judge he will take off the sentence of death from you pronounced both against open and secret sins and give you life Therefore in the bowels of Jesus Christ take a double prospect First cast your eyes down into your selves and see what you can all your secret sins whose guilts gape for vengeance as well as open being as contrary to Gods nature Next lift up your eyes to heaven and see Christ appearing with all his merits as your Surety and Advocate and making request for you and rest upon him with confidence as those that are weary and heavie laden under the burthen of sinne and are willing to honour the father in him his sonne and the work is past neither open nor secret sins shall appear against you to your confusion But now at length you must not forget Davids Act about this Object that is Act cleanse me his prayer that God would cleanse him Hear a word of this Sinnes have a pollution That even secret sinnes have a pollution as well as other sins from which we must desire cleansing That other sinnes have a pollution is visible enough from many Texts and other grounds The Text doth speak Psal 51.2 Ezech. 16. Wash me from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sinne and makes a fearfull description of the pollution of sinne and compares it to the vomit of a Dog and myre of a Sow 2 Pet. 2.22 yea and makes God look with an ill eye upon his own till they be washed Joh. 13.8 As to other grounds the Father of sin is an unclean spirit Matth. 12. and the mother of it an
lighted Candle in a clear Lanthorn as not to see Christ thorough the actions and motions of the body if he dwell in the soul But alas in how few is he discovered by life Secondly in respect of the adorning quality Pearls are accounted the greatest ornament but a pearl of great price is a greater yet therefore do you hang them out on head throat breasts and fingers So nothing is such an ornament to a Christian Eph. 3. as Christ dwelling in his heart by faith As Albinus for his worth was called Englands Library Athanasius the eye of his time Melancthon the Phoenix of Germany Augustine the Mallet of Hereticks so Christ is called the Glory of Israel Simeon could see in him nothing but salvation when hee was a childe Talk not of other pearls this is that onely one therefore Paul desired to know nothing at Corinth but Jesus Christ and him crucified Thirdly In respect of the preciousnesse of Christ pearles are accounted the most precious of things and a thousand worlds cannot procure Christ where he is not All gold and gaine cannot purchase his miraculous gifts Act. 8. much lesse himselfe and his invaluable merits Fourthly in respect of the breeding of pearles If Naturalists say true as all Divines of all sides observe pearles are bred in shelfish which lye gaping in the ayre This ayre breeds these pearles and by how much purer the ayre is that blowes then by so much more pure and generous are the pearles So If I say as Paul Gal. 4. My little children of whom I travell in birth again till Christ be formed in you you will aske me two questions What is meant by Christs forming in you and How he is formed By forming of Christ in you you may understand the framing of your Judgements affections and actions into the Image of Christ You know him in his natures uses and offices to doe you good Esa 53. You know this righteous servant to Justifie you and know this Sonne Jesus Christ to eternall life Joh. 17.3 You love him as the Saviour of his Church and Head of his Body and put your whole trust in him for all the worke which his Father committed to him to doe And you doe though not with equall paces as Christ your Husband did in all Morall Actions according to the measure of grace given And now when men look upon you in your state and course they may say that you are as like Christ as if you were spit out of his mouth as we phrase it in our Proverb Yea and you may say as Paul Gal. 2.20 I live but not I but Christ lives in me by faith If you would know how Christ is thus formed in you You open your mouth wide by enlarged desires going after him Joh. 3. and the winde that goeth where it listeth and no man knows whence it comes and whether it goes that is the spirit of the Father and of the Sonne the holy Ghost works it by the Gospel and by how much more purely it blows without intermixture of your flesh by so much more you are unlike to your selves and like to Christ this pearle of great price Fifthly Christ may well be called this pearle of great price In respect of the Comparison betwixt the best earthly pearles and the pearle Christ Earthly pearles make richer but no better for they that will be rich fall into temptation 1 Tim. 6.9 and a snare and into many foolish and noysome lusts which drown men in perdition and destruction Fulgent monilibus moribus sordent They that shine with pearles are too often sordid and degenerous in manners But this precious pearle Christ makes all better who doe enjoy him Eph. 3.6 If he dwell in our hearts by faith we are graffed with him into the similitude of his death Rom. 6. to dye unto sinne and into the similitude of his resurrection to rise unto newnesse of life Earthly pearls can give no true contentment As Solomon saith Eccl. 5.10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfyed with silver nor he that loveth aboundance with encrease But if you can get Christ Col. 3.11 Joh. 14. he is all and in all As Philip said shew us the Father and it sufficeth so say much more of Christ for us Col. 1.19 Joh. 1.16 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell and of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace Lastly In earthly pearles there is no assurance either we are taken from them or they from us But this pearl Christ shall be with us for ever Matth. 28. Joh. 10. and none shall take us out of his hands Use 1 Seeing therefore Christ is this pearl of great price place your riches in Christ lock him up in your hearts and forget not where your pearl lies First place your riches in Christ He that hath not Christ may in a carnall way say with Esau I have enough my brother but he that hath him may say with Jacob I have all things If a man were as high as the Sunne Psal 19. which comes out of his chambers and rejoyceth as a Giant to run his course and should see the courses of men he should see the souldier place his riches in half a crown a day and plunder The Commander in getting pay or half pay which is too much for prolonging warre The Gentleman in keeping his estate or using it to the best advantage he can The Tradesman in using a thousand shifts to bring in The Merchant in importation and exportation of the most vendible commodities The poor man in getting by hard labour meat drink and apparell for him and his The owner in making the most of his own and the Farmer in a cunning disappointing of him by pretence of rates contributions plunders excises and many such pretty devices But a few poor good Christians onely to place their riches in their Saviour Christ Be you I beseech you of this number It will bring in all the commodities of the world that shall do you good Math. 6.33 First seek the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse therof and all other things shall be added unto you For if God make you rich in his Sonne Rom. 8.32 how shall he not with him also freely give you all things Use 2 Secondly lock Christ your pearl up in your hearts Many will croud him into the narrow room of their heads they are willing to know him Many put him into the narrower room of their tongues they will talk of him even of his great things and a man would wonder that there should be so much of Christ in their upper parts and so little any where else But do you good Christians lock him up in your hearts Matth. 6. If he be your treasure your heart wil be upon him if he be your pearl you will lock him up there Thence can his influences
good Lastly they are blessing hands As Christ when he was to ascend lift up his hands and blessed his disciples Luk. 24.50 so Gods hands are blessing hands If he touch the Mountains they shall smoak as the Psalmist hath it so if God do but touch our souls the send forth the fumes of Gods grace and glory Therefore seeing Gods hands are holy hands loving hands powerfull hands and blessing hands it is no marvell that the safety of the soul doth lye in Gods hands Use 1 Let this thought I beseech you breed a caveat and an exhortation First take heed lest you put your souls into any hands else We may finde mad courses amongst men in the Church Some put their souls into the hands of their senses They will live where they can see hear feel taste and smell and further they will not go to save a soul This makes them carnall sensuall and bruitish Others put their souls into the hand of reason They are like the ancient Quaeristae who would go in Religion no further then reason guided them Others put their soules into the hands of the world If that can dandle them happily upon the lap of it they look for no more though at that time that the world leaves them Animula vagula blandula quae nunc abibis in loca they cry out as that Emperour did Alas my poor silly wandring soul whither now away what will become of thee Nay others put their souls into the hands of the Devill and do not know it They walk in their own counsels and follow their own lusts blown up by Satan All these are but slippery places Therefore Good Christians take heed that ye put not your souls into any of these hands Secondly be you exhorted to be such as may hope for such hands You wil not put foul things into fair fingers nor foul souls into the hands of that God whose eyes cannot endure to behold iniquity much lesse his hands to touch it We had an holy man Mr. Bolton of Northhamptonshire who lived amongst us When he had all his children about him upon his death-bed he charged them that they should be carefull not to appear before God with him without regenerated â—â—â—â— s. He knew and saw that there was no presenting of them into Gods hand without purity If we come unclean to him it will be wofull in the latter end If God shall say I will not touch you this wil kill in the day of death and judgement Oh thinke upon this ye that forget God! You that live in Associated Counties or in the strongest Garisons can doe something to send out Troops after Troops with a little pay or pay now and then who do with free-quarter and contribution eat up all places where they come In the mean time you altogether insensible of the miseries of your brother Joseph can live in all luxury letchery and pride I mean too many of you Take heed I wonder what kinde of souls you will commend to God when you dye if they be in that state and posture wherein you live I pray God be mercifull unto you Act. 8.22 if it be possible your sinnes should be forgiven you For Gods clean hands will not receive unclean souls We have thus viewed the Nature of the soul and the Castle of the soul The nature of it is to be a spirit the Castle of it is to be in the hands of God but now we are come to the care for the soul David gives a President of the best care of it in type and Christ makes it good in truth both of them commit it to God Paul saith 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have trusted and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day It will be well for all of us if we can take the same care for our souls as these have had Lay it to heart that we must have a care of and for the safety of our souls The care of and for our souls Deut. 4.9 This is commanded by God when he saith Keep thy soul diligently and it hath been practised by Gods people Jaacob when he was wonderful busie before his death in his propheticall will looks unto his soul Gen. 49.6 and saith my soul come not thou into their secret He would be loth his soul should be in traffick and trade with such ungodly cruell men as Simeon and Levi though they were near and dear unto him And David was at it again Psa 25.20 and again He pleades with God O keep my soul and when he saw it out of order Psa 42.5 he chid it why art thou so heavie O my soul why art thou so disquieted within me And when he saw it backward to do its duty to God he calls out unto it Ps 103.1 2. My soul praise the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name My soul praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits This shews what care he had for his soul and so must you Christians You will put me to a double question when we must have such care and why we must have this care for our souls You must have this care alwayes Satan is a great Merchant for souls What ever he pretends he meanes the soul He will offer the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life but he meanes the soul He takes unmatchable paines for souls He compasseth Sea and land to make a proselite he compasseth the earth to and fro to catch at advantages He adventures all he usurps for souls As he said to Christ All this will I give thee Matth. 4. if you will fall down and worship me so he will offer you any thing let who so will perform it He makes his riches lye in souls If thousands fall into sin before him and ten thousand at his right hand then his riches come home Therefore it behoves all good Christians to have a care of their souls As you must have a care at all times of your souls so especially when prosperity adversity and death comes Prosperity comes with a cup of deadly wine to poyson you As at that time when the persecution of the Primitive Church did cease and dayes of ease came in there was a voice from heaven heard saying Hodie effusum est venenum in Ecclesiam this day poyson is powred out into the Church so when prosperity comes look to thy look to thy soul that it be not bit with a Cockatrice Adversity comes with a ghastly countenance to affright us from God and therefore as Job cast his eys from his troubles to God and said though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee so must you for the good of your souls Death comes and brings a Catalogue of sinnes reaching from one end of heaven to another Lose the soul now and lose it
thou hast of the nature and use of it Speak therefore on this manner to thy soul O my soul thou art now going to the Lords table doest thou know that God Nah. 1. Mal. 4. with whom thou haste to do who is a Lord of Anger and a consuming oven to approaching stubble and a God of mercy to humble souls Doest thou know thy sinne so farre as to hate it for drawing thee from thy God and making thee a stranger to the covenant of promise Doest thou know thy Christ who is the Covenant of his people Doest thou know the nature and use of the Sacraments which bindes God to thee on his part and thee to God on thine If thou do not thou wilt never desire to come unto the Sacrament as thou oughtest to renew thy covenant with God If thou knowest all this which is the ground of thy desires doest thou finde thy desires caried aright What doest thou principally desire when thou comest to the Lords Table doest thou not desire Christ Saist thou not Ps 42.1 2. my soul panteth after thee O God even for the living God Doest thou not desire all Christ a Jesus to save thee a Christ to anoint thee a Lord to rule over thee Doest thou not throw away what ever may hinder the comfort of the Sacrament He that desires to fill his hands with gold and silver will lay aside what ever baser matter he hath in them Doest thou desire to cast away thy old transgressions that thou maist become a new creature in Christ Doest thou finde that thou hast no contentment without Christ no rest till thou enjoy Christ and that when thou hast him he is all in all unto thee Then comfort thy self from thy fit desires Secondly thou must examine the fitnesse of thy Repentance Repentance The King never offers a sealed pardon before Delinquents are sory for their faults and promise amendment neither will God seal thy pardon in the Sacrament before thou do thus 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Exod. 12. Thou must purge out the old leven and then keep the feast The Paschal Lamb must bee eaten with the sowr hearbs of Repentance As the Jewes did not eat the Passeover before they had separated themselves from the abominations of the heathens Ezr. 6.21 22. so nor thou must come to the Lords table before repentance hath disingaged thee from thy sinnes Tit. 1.15 Hag. 2.13 14. Conscience defiled with any known sins corrupteth the holy thing of God to thee Now this Repentance stands in grief for thy sins past hatred also and loathing of sinnes past and present and an holy purpose and endeavour to forsake them This is that repentance which thou must examine Speak therefore on this manner to thy soul Vse O my soul Lam. 3.39 thou art now going to the feast of fat things and fined wines Doest thou search and try thy wayes that thou maist turn unto the Lord Dost thou know what sinnes of thine have made a separation betwixt God and thee and kept good things from thee Doest thou see how these things gape upon thee thy ignorance infidelity security deadnesse of heart prophannesse of spirit and the like Are these and other sinnes as pride hypocrisie gluttony drunkennesse whoredome envie hatred malice and all thy injustice so noticed unto thee as thou grievest to think that thou hast offended so good a God Jude and hatest the garment spotted of the flesh and resolvest never to do the like again Art thou full of care to forsake thy sinnes and to keep thy self from offending thy God Art thou full of clearing to pacifie thy conscience from wrath present to come The bloud of Christ rested on by faith 2 Cor. 7.11 Art thou full of indignation against thy sins and thy self for sin as David who chides himself so foolish was I and ignarant Psal 73. and as a beast before thee Art thou full of fear of offending God lest thou should fall into the same sin a 2d. time Art thou full of desire to walk with thy God and to do his will with all well pleasing Art thou full of zeal to run the way of Gods commandements and to purifie thy self from sin Art thou full of indignation to beat down thy body by holy acts of mortification to bring it into subjection to the will of God If thou art then thou hast this Repentance fit for the Sacrament Thirdly Faith thou must examine the fitnesse of thy faith The Sacrament is not appointed to begin faith but to encrease and confirm it Rom. 4.11 and therefore is it called a seal And as a man will not be such a fool as to set his hand and seal to a blank for then any man that hath it may put in any covenants and conditions so nor is God so unwise as to give a seal to thy soul where faith hath not written thy obligation and Gods promises Heb. 4.1 As the word of God profits not except it be mixed with faith so nor the Sacrament It is faith which is the eye foot hand and mouth of thy soul as I have said Besides when thou comest to the Sacrament thou drawest near to God and art at peace with him and thou must draw near to God by faith Heb. 10.22 and being justified by faith thou art at peace with him though not with his enemies Speak then my childe on this manner to thy soul O my soul now the fatted Calf is provided for thee in the Sacrament hast thou a fit faith to feed upon him Doest thou cast thy eye upon sinne and hate it because it is against thy word of faith Doest thou cast thy eye upon Christ and rest with confidence upon him for thy salvation Hast thou a license of Christ to rest upon him Thou knowest that every slovenly Clown with his dirty hands must not rest upon a King nor must every wicked sinner rest upon Christ There is not the wretchedst beast in the world but will say if he know Christ that all the world shall not beat him off from resting upon him But hath Christ given him a license If he have not he will say Touch me not Depart from me I know thee not Mat. 11.28 He doth give a license to some saying Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Doest thou labour under the burthen of sinne crying out with David my sinne is an heavy burthen too heavy for me to bear Art thou heavie laden to think that thou canst not be so good as thou would'st and therefore criest out with the Apostle Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Doest thou finde that thy faith works purgation and charity True faith doth purifie the heart Act. 15. fundamentally in Christ derivatively from Christ Rom. 6.1 2 and argumentatively by drawing such reasons from the
Scriptures as may beat down sinne Doth thy faith work thus Gal. 5. True faith worketh by love and in truth it will work thee to love the word of Christ as the meanes Christ as the meriter and therefore thou must set an higher price upon Jesus Christ then all things else and the Saints Phil. 3. and members of Christ as those that are in communion with thee for salvation For we must not stroke the head and strike the members pretend to love Christ and hate those that are Christs Indeed thou must not so farre dote upon Christs members as therefore to suck in all errours and miscarriages in them who do but know in part 1 Cor. 13. and therefore may aym and practise imperfectly but so farre as we see Christ in them so farre we must love them and is thy faith thus then hast thou this faith fit for the Sacrament Fourthly thou must examine the fitnesse of thy thankfulnesse Thankfulnesse Luk. 22.19 This is one of the main duties of those that partake at the Lords Table and it will argue thy love to it and thy need of it and thy desire to enjoy the benefit of that for which thou art thankfull yea it is that rent Ps 116.13 Psa 107.1 and tribute which the Lord requireth upon the receipt of any favour Therefore thou must perform this both in word and work In word for before thou comest to the Sacrament thou must praise God who is pleased to ordain so familiar a means to confirm thy faith and give thee communion with Christ when thou art in the use of it thou must thankfully remember the Lords death which is signified and sealed unto thee with the fruits of it And when thou hast received thou must thank God for the benefit and comfort thou hast enjoyed by it yea though for the present thou feel it not Thou must be thankfull in work by a constant obedience unto his will 1 Sam. 15. for obedience is better then sacrifice In obedience thou might'st offer beasts and goods but in obedience thou offerest thy self Vse Therefore my childe put thy soul to the question here also O my soul hast thou this thankfulnesse meet for the Lords Supper Doest thou know the benefit of thy redemption of which this Sacrament is a seal Hast thou a secret joy in heart for it Doest thou admire the mercy providing and performing it Doest thou resolve to love God for it and to set forth his praises to him and his praises to others Doest thou resolve and endeavour by grace given to obey him in all things who hath comforted thee in this which is above all things unto thee If it be thus with thee then hast thou this thankfulnesse fit for the Lords Supper Lastly thou must examine the fitnesse of thy Charity Charity I would have thee know that there is no service acceptable without this charity If thou prayest thou must lift up pure hands without wrath 1 Tim. 2.8 If thou hearest the word thou must be slow to wrath Jam. 1.19 20. because the wrath of man doth not accomplish the righteousnesse of God If thou sacrifice thou must leave thy gift at the Altar and go Matth. 5.23 24. and be reconciled And thus it is by way of proportion when thou comest to the Lords Supper Yea mark that it is impossible that sound faith should be without charity The pulse of faith beats this way therefore James saith Jam. 2. shew me thy faith by thy works Yea thy very coming to the Sacrament doth require charity A loaf of bread is made of many grains and we that are partakers of one loaf must be one bread 1 Cor. 10.16 17. We come to have communion with Christ our head and when members attend for direction and comfort from the head there must be no jars The shoulder must not say to the arm nor the arm to the hand nor the hand to the foot I have no need of thee and thee The God of peace will fill thee with all peace by beleeving and practising this Q. If thou ask me to whom thy charity must have respect A. I tell thee first to God in Christ and next to all Christian brethren for Christs sake Thou must love God any way made known unto thee but especially in Christ thy Saviour 〈…〉 He that that loves not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be an execration Maran Atha What Not to love him that is an Advocate a Surety all in all to us in us for us Too great punishment cannot be inflicted on such too much unworthinesse to come unto the Lords Supper cannot be imputed unto them Next thou must shew thy charity to all Christian brethren both by forgiving and performing the offices of reconciled persons In forgiving thou must pacifie thy heart from all bitternesse Ro. 12.19 and desire of revenge Vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord and thou must discharge them from the offence to thee though thou canst not discharge them from the offence to God Indeed thou art not bound to think and judge him good or a friend who by long proof hath manifested himself otherwise neither art thou alwayes bound to discharge a penalty if it be great for then Christianity should give a license to ungodly men to offer all manner of injuries to the godly but thou must discharge so farre from the offence as it may seem to deserve the least revenge For thou must not be overcome of the evill of thy enemy Ro. 12.21 or of thy own malicious heart but thou must overcome thy enemies and thy own evill also with goodnesse In performing the offices of Charity thou must labour to unite others by making them friends if thou canst that all our matters may be done in love and thou must communicate to the necessities of the Saints For thou receivest an inestimable favour from God and therefore thou must do good Heb. 13. and to distribute thou must not forget for with such sacrifices God is pleased Vse Therefore my dear childe reflect once again upon thy soul and examine it Hast thou O my soul that charitie which fits thee for the Lords Supper Hast thou a ground of all true charity to men the love of God in Jesus Christ Doest thou love to walk before him that he may see and correct all thy wayes Doest thou love his familiar presence above the greatest presences of the world Doest thou love to hear him speak unto thee in the word and to speak unto him in prayer Doest thou rejoyce when thou seest the tokens of his love in his graces and Sacraments come rowling upon thee Doest thou for his sake love all that are his his ministery his worship his ordinances and his Saints Doest thou love to have peace with all men Rom. 12. so farre as is possible and to be friends with Christs members as they are such Doest thou really