thou art present at the Ordinance put forth all the strength thou canst in the partaking thereof I mean the strength of thy affections For though thou art very weak yet if thou put forth thy weakness God will accept thereof Content not thy self therefore with a meer outward participation of the Lords Supper but let thy care be to bring up thine heart and thine affections to the Ordinance and to put forth what strength thou canst II. Remember the death of Christ which is Christs command in the institution of this Ordinance for saith he This do in remembrance of mee viz. in remembrance of my bitter death and passion For the Apostle Paul explaining this remembrance of Christ applieth it to his death and the shewing it forth This do saith hee in remembrance of mee For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come So that this Ordinance of the Lords Supper was instituted for a solemn Memorial of that great Sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ that his death might never be forgotten but be ever fresh in our memories And why must his death be thus remembred Surely because thereby was the Covenant of Grace ratified and sealed our Redemption purchased our sins expiated our reconciliation made with God and the foundation of our peace laid And therefore at the Table let out thine heart in a serious meditation of the manifold sufferings of Christ which is the main business of this Ordinance And meditate not only of his sufferings at his death but likewise in the whole course of his life even from his cratch to his Cross from his birth to his death For his whole life was a continual suffering Meditate therefore of his mean birth and flight in his infancy of the manifold reproaches which were cast upon him from time to time yea of his manifold persecutions of their cruel handling of him at the time of his death when they apprehended him like a theef bound him arraigned and condemned him as a Malefactor buffeted him with their hands beat him with staves scourged him with whips making loâ—g furrows on his back platted on his head a Crown of sharp Thorns laid an heavy cross on his back nailed his hands and feet to that Cross give him Gall and Vineger to drink and sundry waies much afflicted him Thus was his body broken with torments In relation hereunto it is said of him That he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs Especially when thou art present at the Sacrament take a turn with Christ in the Garden by meditating of his bitter Agony wherein he sweat drops of blood which was never read or heard of in any before or since yea the blood which Christ then sweat was not thin watery blood but thick blood as St. Luke expresseth it Being in an agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground which latter clause sheweth that the blood of Christ passed through the pores of his body in such a plentiful manner that it trickled down to the ground in great abundance so that not only the eyes of Christ but all the parts of his body did seem to weep and that tears of blood as Bernard speaketh In this sweat of Christ there are three things remarkable which doe exceedingly set forth the greatness of his Agony 1 It was in a cold night for which cause afterwards they kindled a Fire in the High-Priests Hall and cold driveth the blood inward 2 Hee lay upon the cold ground which was enough to drive the blood inward 3 He was in exceeding great fear which naturally draweth the blood from the outward parts to the Heart and yet in a cold night lying upon the cold ground and being in great fear he sweat drops of blood Who can imagine the bitterness of our Saviours Agony at that time And what was it which put him into that agony questionless the apprehension of what hee was to suffer as appeareth by his Prayer in his Agony Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me Now if the apprehension of what hee was to suffer was so bitter oh how bitter think you were his Sufferings upon the Cross when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me which words doe not imply that the Deity was severed from the Humanity but that the Father had withdrawn from him all sensible feeling of his loving favour had restrained the influence of those beams which might any way refresh his troubled soul so that Christ might well take up the words of the captive Iews and say Behold and see if there bee any sorrow like to my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce anger These things call to mind in the time of the administration of the Sacrament not only when thou art eating the Bread and drinking the Wine but also when thou seest the Bread broken and the Wine poured forth then thou shouldst think how Christs Body was broken with torments and his Blood shed for remission of sins and also when thou seest others taking the Bread and the Wine thou shouldst then be steeping thy thoughts in the meditation of Christs bitter death and manifold sufferings This remembrance of Christs Death at the Sacrament must not be a bare Historical remembrance thereof contenting thy self with a remembrance of the History of Christs death as it is set forth by the Evangelists but it must be an operative and practical remembrance working up thine heart 1 To an unfeigned love of God who out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his dearly beloved Son out of his own bosome into the world to take our Nature upon him and therein to dye a bitter cursed death for mans redemption Who can sufficiently admire the riches of Gods love to man therein How may we with David cry out and say Lord what is maâ— that thou art mindful of him especially that thou shouldest be so mindful of him as to give the Son of thy love to suffer a cursed death upon the Cross to make us who were children of Wrath and bondslaves of Sathan Sons of God and Heirs of eternal life and salvation And how should this incomprehensible love of God fire and inflame our cold and frozen hearts with a fervent love unto him again 2 The remembrance of Christs death should work up our hearts to an ardent love of Christ for that wonderful love of his in giving himself for us his Body to be crucified his Blood to be shed and his Soul to bear the intollerable burden of his Fathers Wrath due to our Sins which made him sweat drops of blood in the Garden and to cry out on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh how should this ravish our souls with admiration of so great love and inflame our hearts with love
many excellent and weighty exhortations 3 Act thine obedience by resigning up thy self unto the Will of God to be at his dispose either for life or death As thou must not be unwilling to dye when God calleth thee so neither must thou be over eager to dye before hee call thee thou maist not desire Death out of discontentment of mind because of some present miseries and afflictions which lye upon thee nay thou maist not absolutely wish to dye out of a desire to be rid of thy sins and to bee with Christ but it must be with a submission to the Will of God if he see it meet and convenient for thee though Paul knew it were far better for him to dye than to live yet did he not desire death absolutely but with a submission to the Will of God VII Be frequent in reading the holy Scriptures or cause them to be frequently read unto thee for there thou shalt find 1 Examples of Gods mercy shewed to the afflicted 2 Instructions how to bear and improve thy present Visitation 3 Comfortable promises of support under the sorest trials And know for certain that one Promise in the Book of God will bee more effectual to yeeld thee comfort on thy Death-bed than all the counsel of thy friends that shall be then about thee VIII Be often lifting up thine heart to God in Prayer And when through weakness of body and faintness of spirit thou art not able to pour our thy soul in any set and solemn Prayer send up some short ejaculatory Prayer unto God as that of the poor Publican Lord be merciful to me a Sinner and also that of the poor man Lord I beleeve help thou my unbelief and that of the Apostles Lord increase my faith and that of Stephen Lord Iesus receive my spirit These ejaculations going from the heart they are acceptable and pleasing unto God let us therefore as Austine adviseth us endeavour to dye praying by a frequent breathing forth of these or such like ejaculatory Prayers IX Be often resigning up thy soul into the hands of God saying with our blessed Saviour Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Little Children for the most part desire to dye in their Fathers bosome or upon their Mothers lap even so shouldst thou in the hour of death cast thy soul into the arms of thy heavenly Father and rest in the bosome of Jesus Christ. If thy Disease be painful turn to those Direction in the fore-going chapter How to bear afflictions willingly and cheerfully CHAP. XIX Directions to such as visit the Sick VIsiting the Sick being a work of Mercy it will be thy wisdom so to manage and improve the same that thou maist both benefit thine own soul thereby and likewise doe good to the sick Party I. That thou maist benefit thy self thereby take these few directions 1 In visiting thy sick Neighbour take occasion to think of thine own mortality and proneness to fall into Sicknesses and Diseases for that which befalls one man may befall another in that we all carry about us as mortal so frayl bodies subject to the like calamities which the Lord knows how soon may befall any of us 2 Lift up thine heart in thankfulness unto God for that health and strength of body he is pleased still to continue unto thee Health is a greater mercy than most doe imagine Ask the sick man what hee thinks of health and he will tell thee it is the greatest of Temporal mercies and in it self a mercy not to be valued the truth is all Mercies are prized by the wanting of them more than by the having and enjoying them As no body admires the Sun but when it is eclipsed so neither doth any esteem health but when by sickness they are deprived thereof 3 Labour to be compassionately affected with the miseries and afflictions of thy brother for as Iob speaketh To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend Which duty is often urged and pressed in Scripture as by the Apostle Paul Rejoyce with them that rejoyce and weep with them that weep and by the Apostle Peter in this phrase Having compassion one of another which Beza Paraphrastically well turns Be touched with the sence and feeling of one anothers griefs And truly that communion and nearness of conjunction that sincere Christians have one with another doth call for this duty for as they are all sons of one Father so are they members of one body in respect whereof there should nay there ought to be such a compassion and sympathy in the members of the Mystical body I mean among Christians as there is in the members of the Natural body Now you know that in the Natural body if one member suffer all the members suffer with it as the Apostle expresseth it 1 Cor. 12. 26. which place Saint Augustine in his Works often expounding most excellently shewes the mutual compassion betwixt the members of a Natural body Behold saith he the foot treadeth on a thorn and see how all the members condole it the Back bends it self the Head stoopeth the Eye though remote in place diligently searcheth it out the Tongue complaineth as if it self were pricked and the Hands doe their best to pluck it out and yet neither Back nor Head nor Tongue nor Eye nor Hand nor any member but the Foot was touched with the thorn and surely such a sympathy and fellow-feeling there ought to bee amongst true Christians who are all members of one body whereof Christ Iesus is the head II. As in visiting the Sick thou must be careful to benefit thine own soul thereby so likewise to doe what good thou canst to the sick Party To that end observe these few Directions 1 Forbear to talk of any vain worldly or needless matter before him but let thy discourse be as savoury and Spiritual so in some measure suitable to his condition as of Death and preparation thereunto of the Day of Judgement of the happiness of those who have an interest in Christ and his Righteousness and the like 2 Perswade the sick Party to settle his estate by making his Will if he have not done it before that so hee may with more freedome wholly mind the spiritual good and welfare of his soul. This counsel did the Prophet Isaiah give unto King Hezekiah when hee was first struck with sickness 3 If thou apprehendest his Disease to be dangerous flatter him not with a hope of recovery lest thereby thou betray his soul to eternal death but deal faithfully with him by declaring unto him his weak and dangerous condition and advising him as to think of death so to prepare for it telling him that the fitter hee is to dye the fitter he will be to live if the Lord should adde more days to his life 4 If thou perceive him to be ignorant instruct him in the Principles of
bread and wine into spiritual bane Hee therefore that covereth his sins shall not prosper but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy It is said of the Viper that when she goeth to joyn with her Mare she casteth out all her poison How much more oughtest thou when thou goest to have communion with thy heavenly Spouse the Lord Jesus Christ cast out thy sins which are a spiritual poison worse than the poison of any Viper In this Examination as thou must search after thine evil thoughts woâ—ds and deeds and after thy sins of omission and commission so likewise and especially after the sins thou hast committed since thy last receiving of the blessed Sacrament and such as are most against the vows and covenants that formerly thou madest with God and which do mostgaul thy conscience or most disgrace thy profession or are greatest occasions of dulling thy spirit that these being found out they may be the more lamented and pardon for them more earnestly desired In the examining thy self it will be a good help to read such a Treatise as doth in particular set out the several sins against the several Commandements For when by such a Treatise thou art shewed that such a thing is a sin against such a Commandement thy conscience will upon the reading of such sins tell thee that therein thou hast sinned Having examined and searched thine heart thorowly of all thy known sins then humble thy self before the Throne of Grace in a true and unfeigned acknowledgement and confession of them freely judging and condemning thy self before God with a broken and contrite heart Directions to help thee in the right manner of confessing thy sins See in Chap. 20. And having confessed thy sins pour out thy soul in hearty prayer unto God for the pardon and forgiveness of them all And then be earnest with him to make the Sacrament effectual to thy comfort effectual to the mortifying of thy lusts to the strengthening of thy graces especially to the confirming of thy Faith in the assurance of the pardon and forgiveness of thy sins c. III. Having shewed the duties Antecedent come we now to the duties Concomitant i. e. such as must accompany the action of receiving But first I shall premise some few Directions touching the Manner of thine approaching to the Lords Table 1 Having thus prepared thy self go not in the strength of thy preparations but onely in the strength of Iesus Christ looking for acceptance onely in and thorow his merits and mediation For though thou hast prepared thy self after the best manner that thou canst yet if with an impartial eye thou shalt look back upon thy preparations how full of weaknesses infirmities and imperfections wilt thou finde them So that if Christ do not cover both thy person and thy preparation with the Robe of his Righteousness and sprinkle them with his blood neither thy person nor thy preparation will finde acceptance with God Cast therefore all thy preparations at the feet of Jesus Christ and say Lord I come not in the strength of my preparations but onely in thy strength I come in thine alone name and mediation to partake of thy body and of the benefits of thy death and passion And thou mayest then be confident that God will over-look thy manifold weaknesses and imperfections in the work of preparation and accept of thee and of thy services in and thorow his beloved Son Jesus Christ. 2 As thou art going meditate on the ends and benefits of that solemn ordinance some whereof are these 1 The remembrance of the death of Christ it being instituted as a memorial thereof 2 The spiritual nourishment of our souls 3 The strengthening of our Faith in the assurance of the pardon and forgiveness of our sins 4 The sealing of the Covenant of Grace with all the blessings thereof unto the beleeving soul. 5 The encreasing of our spiritual union and communion with Christ and all his members A serious meditation of these will be a special means to stir up in us some spiritual appetite after the ordinance that we shall go with hungring and thirsting desires after the same 3 Go with a strong expectation to receive much from Christ in and thorow that ordinance knowing that Christ will inlarge himself unâ—o all those who come with inlarged hearts with a strong expectation of many good things Open thy mouth wide saith the Lord and I will fill it So that if thou open thy mouth wide in a longing expectation of great matters he will fill it Yea the more thine heart is inlarged in desire and expectation the more will Gods heart be inlarged in bounty towards thee As therefore God hath promised in the Covenant of Grace to pardon thy sins to subdue thy corruptions to give thee a soft heart and the like go with an expectation of these and such like blessings and thou shalt not be disappointed of thine hopes 4 Approach to the Lords Table with all holy reverence in respect of Gods glorious Majesty who is in a special manner present at that ordinance to behold his guests and will be sanctified by all those who draw nigh unto him 5 Approach thereunto with all humility in respect of thine own vileness and unworthiness who art but sinful dust and ashes and if thou hast any light of grace in thee canst not but be conscious to thy self of more corruption in thine own heart than thou knowest to be in the heart of another And therefore say not Such an one is ignorant and such an one is loose in his life and conversation but say Lord I am ignorant I am unworthy to draw nigh unto thee in so holy an Ordinance not worthy to gather up the crumbs under thy Table And know that the more unworthy thou art in thine own account the worthier guest thou art in the account of God 6 As thou art going to the Lords Table cast all thy worldly thoughts and businesses out of thine head which otherwise will carry away thine heart from the ordinance and exceedingly disturb thee thereat In Iob 1. 6. wee read There was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also amongst them In like manner on the day when Gods Children present themselves before the Lord in that solemn Ordinance Satan will be sure to appear amongst them to disturb and distract them therein as much as possibly he can by casting into their heads vain and impertinent thoughts And therefore it concerneth thee to be watchful over thy thoughts and to keep thine heart close to the ordinance To that end it will be thy wisdome oft to eye the outward elements of bread and wine and diligently to observe the outward rites and actions in the ordinance and thereupon to meditate of the spiritual things signified thereby These things premised Come we now to the Duties to be performed at the Ordinance which are these I. When
thy trouble and distress for by thy Vow thou hast bound thy self to performance and therefore saith the Wise man When thou vowest a vow unto God deferre not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in fools noting it to be egregious folly in any to be forward in making Vowes unto God and then afterwards to be backward in performing what they vowed CHAP. XVIII Of Dying well IF thou apprehendest thy Disease to be mortal and that it is like to be thy last Sickness then it will be thy wisdom to prepare thy self after the best manner thou canst for death For thy better help herein take these Directions I. Set thine House in order I mean settle thine outward estate by making thy Will which will no way hasten thy death as many foolishly doe imagine but rather put thee into a better capacity to set thy Soul in order for a blessed departure And as God hath blest thee with an estate so fayl not to give some proportionable part thereof for the relief of the poor members of Jesus Christ. Though that charity which is exercised in a mans life-time is questionless the best and the most acceptable unto God when wee make our own Hands our Executors and our own Eyes our Overseers yet I condemn not that Charity which is shewed at the last for better late than never II. Send for some godly Minister or experienced Christian to advise thee about setting thy Soul in order in reference to thy great change This direction the Apostle Iames giveth for saith he Is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him And this I would advise thee to doe in the first place not putting it off to the last when thine understanding and memory begin to fayl thee as the practice of the most is who when the Physician hath done with them and in a manner given them over then send for the Divine to begin with them as if a short Prayer and a few words of Ghostly counsel were enough to send them to Heaven III. Labour to make or rather to renew thy peace with God for though the making of thy peace with God ought not to be put off to thy Death-bed yet must it then be renewed in an especial manner as being the last time of doing it In order thereunto I Look back into thy former course of life and call to mind the manifold aberations thereof as the vanity of thy thoughts how vain and empty how carnal and prophane they have been as also the unsavouriness of thy words and speeches how Godless and Christless yea how unprofitable they have been for the most part as also the wickedness of thine actions And in examining thy self concerning thine actions call to mind as thy sinful Omissions and Commissions I mean as what Duties thou hast omitted and what Sinâ— thou hast committed so likewise thy sinful manner of performing holy Duties how thy most religious Services have had a mixture of Sin in them Likewise run over the several Ages of thy life and consider what Sins thou committedst in thy Childhood what in thy Youth and what in thy riper years And together with the number of thy Sins consideâ— the aggravating circumstances of them as how thou hast sinned against a gracious God a loving Faâ—her and bountiful Lord and Master how thou hast sinned against the admonitions of Gods Ministers the motions of his Spirit and the checks of thine own Conscience against the patience and long-suffering of God which should have lead thee to repentance against the manifold vowes and promises thou hast made unto God for newness of life and better obedience and how thou hast sinned out of a presumptuous hope of mercy making the mercy of God an occasion of Sin and thereby turned the very grace of God into wantonness Thus goe on aggravating thy sins till thou find thine heart in some measure affected with grief and sorrow for the same and then 2 Confess thy sins unto God in Prayer spread them before him in a true and unfeigned acknowledgement and confession of them freely judging and condemning thy self before God for the same That thy Confession may be performed after a right manner it must have these properties 1 It must be particular and of special Sins I mean in thy confession thou must descend to thy special and particular Sins the prophanest wretch in the world may in a general manner confess and say I acknowledge my self to be a Sinner But if thou wilt make a true confession of Sin thou must lay open thy Sins in particular before God and for thine encouragement thereunto know that the more particular thou shalt be in thy confession the more comfort thou shalt find therein â— Thy Confession must be as particular in respect of Sins so likewise full in regard of the aggravations of them This did David in his confession of that Sin of numbring the People I have sinned greatly saith he in that I have done and now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy Servant for I have done very foolishly see what terms of aggravation he heapeth up 1 I have sinned 2 I have sinned greatly 3 I have done foolishly 4 Very foolishly And as thou desirest pardon of thy Sins set them forth to the full let no circumstance of aggravation be wanting by which they may appear the more foul and filthy 3 Thy confession must be with inward remorse and sorrow of heart that thou hast sinned against so good and so gracious a God Thou must not content thy self with a meer verbal acknowledgement of thy Sins and Transgressions being affected with no more grief in the confessing of them than thou wast in the committing of them But every Sin confessed should be as a Dagger piercing thee to the very heart at least thou shouldest grieve that thou canst no more grieve for thy Sins thine heart should bleed because thine eyes cannot weep 3 Having thus confessed thy Sins as thou desirest to renew thy peace with God earnestly begge of him the pardon and the forgiveness of them in and through the merits of Iesus Christ for thou canst look for it only through the Free Grace and Mercy of God in Jesus Christ. And as there is a promise of forgiveness to such as unfeignedly confess their Sins so there is likewise a promise of forgiveness to such who heartily pray for the same for saith the Lord in answer to Salomons Prayer If my People which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and therefore if thou canst pray heartily unto God for the pardon of thy Sins thou hast thereby some comfortable evidence of their forgiveness for as the Lord in the Parable forgave his Servant that was indebted to him and had nothing to pay even because hee prayed him
so if thou canst pour out thy Soul in a true and hearty Prayer unto God for the pardon of thy Sins he will questionless forgive thee even because thou prayest unto him for as David speaketh The Lord is not only ready to forgive but plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon him 4 Sprinkle thy Soul with the blood of Iesus Christ. Christ is our peace as the Apostle calls him neither canst thou by all that thou art able to doe make thy peace with God but only thâ—ugh faith in his blood When the destroying Angel saw the blood of the Lamb sprinkled on the Posts of any Door hee passed by that House and they within were safe so that Soul which is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ is so safe from the destroying Angel of God that he shall not doe it hurt for death is an advantage to that Soul which is sprinkled with the blood of Christ being the door of Life and a gate to Heaven as Cyprian calls it Though the blood of Christ be the means of our peace and reconciliation with God yet unless that blood be sprinkled on thy Soul thou canst find little peace there and therefore the Apostle Peter speaks not only of the blood of Christ but of the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. It is not enough that Christ hath shed his blood but there must be besides the shedding of it the sprinkling of it Christs blood was shed upon the Cross yet all men are not reconciled unto God thereby And what is the reason Surely because that blood is not sprinkled upon their souls and peace and reconciliation with God must be had not only from Christs blood poured out but from his blood sprinkled Quest. How is Christs blood sprinkled upon our souls Ans. By Faith applying the blood of Christ unto our own souls comfort Faith is the hand of the Soul and the soul by faith puts her hand into the Wounds of Christ takes of his blood and besprinkles her self therewith applying the merits and the vertue thereof unto it self and thence follows peace and reconciliation with God Obj. I would willingly apply the Merits of Christs Death and Passion unto my self but oh I am conscious of so much unworthiness seeing nothing in my self why the Merits of Christs death should belong unto me that I cannot yea I dare not apply them to my self Ans. 1. It is good to be conscious to thy self of thine own unworthiness but not so as to bee kept thereby from applying of Christ and the Merits of his Death and Passion unto thy souls comfort And truly if thou wouldst but consider that God respecteth his own goodness and not ours in the offering of his Son and that his grace is everyway most free this conceit of thine unworthiness can be no just plea against the applying of Christ with the benefits of his Death and Passion unto thine own souls comfort it should rather be an incouragement unto thee because the more unworthy thou art in thine own sight and sense the more worthy thou art in the account of Christ. The greatest worthiness that any Christian can here attain unto is to be sensible of his own unworthiness 2 Thou who complainest of thine unworthiness I would ask thee Whether any man before he made application of Christ and of his Merits unto himself did see any thing in himself why Christ should belong unto him rather than to any other The Scripture saith There is no difference for all have sinned Obj. 2 My Sins are so many for number and so hainous in their quality that I cannot imagine that Christ should belong unto me and therefore dare not apply him nor the benefits of his Death and Passion unto my self Ans. The more sinful thou art in thine own sense and apprehension the fitter thou art to close with Jesus Christ and to apply the Merits of his Death unto thy self for in that gracious invitation of Christ we find no other qualification put in but a sense of sin Come unto me all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest where the Parties invited to come unto Christ are such as are sensible of and thereupon groan under the weight and burden of their sins as the words in the Greek there properly signifie and Luke 5. 32. Christ professeth He came not to call the righteous but sinners not such as were righteous in their owne conceit but such as were Sinners in their own sense and apprehension truly sensible of their sins so that sense of sin is the only qualification requisite to an application of Jesus Christ. Obj. 3 I have often sinned against knowledge and conscience and therefore fear I have committed that unpardonable Sin the Sin against the Holy Ghost and so dare not apply Christs blood unto my self Ans. Though the Sin against the Holy Ghost bee a Sin against knowledge and conscience yet every Sin yea every grievous Sin against knowledge and conscience is not the Sin against the Holy Ghost for they may be without malice of heart which this cannot be and therefore though thou hast often sinned against knowledge and conscience yet if thou hast not sinned with a malicious heart i. e. thou hast not sinned meerly because thou wouldest displease God and grieve his Spirit thou hast not committed the Sin against the Holy Ghost IV. Having made thy peace with God then make thy peace with men by an hearty forgiving of all who have wronged thee This is a duty to be perâ—ormed by thee in the whole course of thy life as any occasion thereof is given without which the Lord will not accept of any Christian service and sacrifice that thou offerest unto him and therefore saith our Saviour When thou standest praying forgive if thou hast ought against any for indeed how canst thou ask God forgiveness of thy sins when thou wilt not forgive man his offences against thee How canst thou begg peace and reconciliation with thy heavenly Father when thou wilt not be reconciled on earth to thy Brother As therefore this Duty is to be performed by thee in the whole course of thy life so especially in thy last Sickness for thereby thou maist gain some assurance in thine own Soul of the forgiveness of thy Sins committed against God which our Saviour implieth in that expression of his If yee forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you wouldst thou therefore be assured of Gods mercy towards thee in the forgiveness of thy sins committed against him search narrowly into thine own soul and if thou canst find thou dost as heartily forgive thy Brother as thou dost desire forgiveness of God then maist thou assure thy self of Gods mercy to thee in the forgiveness of thy sins committed against him so much is hinted to us in the fifth Petition of the Lords Prayer Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them
any terms my soul might enjoy him which desires are the lifting up of the doors and gates of the soul for the receiving of Jesus Christ. 7 The Spirit of God having thus prepared the soul to a closing with Jesus Christ then he works the grace of faith in it whereby it throwes it self into the armes of Christ rolls it self upon him and rests upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon and forgiveness of its Sins here and for eternal life and salvation hereafter Thus have I shewed thee the ordinary way and method which the Lord useth for the working of true saving faith in the hearts of his people Wouldst thou then know whether that faith thou pretendest to be a true saving faith try examine it by the fore-mentioned particulars consider whether it was thus kindly wrought in thee according to the ordinary method of Gods Spirit if so then though the fruits of faith are very weak in thee yet thou hast a comfortable evidence of the truth thereof and so consequently hast a sure evidence for heaven Obj. Though I cannot deny these fore-mentioned particulars to bee wrought in me yet notwithstanding I have no comfortable evidence and assurance of Heaven nor of my interest in Iesus Christ. Ans. For answer hereunto I shall lay down three comfortable considerations 1 A man may have the faith of adherence and dependence though he hath not the faith of evidence and assurance For the better understanding whereof you must know there is a two-fold faith as Divines distinguish viz. The faith of adherence whereby we roul our selves upon Christ and rest upon him and his Merits alone for â—ife and for salvation and the faith of evidence and assuranâ—e whereby wee know and are assured of our interest in Christ and consequently of our right and title unto Heaven This latter is the refleâ— act of the soul by which a Christian clearly seeth his own happiness whereas the former is the direct act of the soul. Now a man may have the faith of adherence which is true justifying faith that giveth him an interest in Christ and a right to Heaven and yet may want the faith of evidence and assurance so that he knowert not his own happiness As the child may truly hang about the mothers neck or cast it self into her armes and yet receive neither kiss nor smile from her so a poor soul may truly roul it self upon Christ cast it self into his armes and rest in his bosome which is true faith and yet have neither kiss nor smile from him therefore far be it from thee to question the truth of thy faith meerly for want of Christs smiling upon thee or to question thy faith of adherence because thou hast not the faith of evidence and assurance 2 Assurance of our interest in Christ and of our future happiness though it be requisite to the consolation of a Christian yet not to his salvation though to his comfort yet not to his safety his condition may be safe though not very comfortable at present for a Christians safety doth not at all depend upon his assurance but upon his faith That Christian that can by faith roul himself upon Christ cast himself into his armes resting upon his merits alone for life and for salvation his state and condition is safe though he hath not that assurance which he doth desire for the promise of life and salvation is made to faith and not to assurance the tenour of the Gospel is Beleeve and thou shalt be saved as Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life It is not said that whosoever hath assurance of his interest in Christ and of eternal life and salvation but whosoever beleeveth in Christ shall be saved This consideration may revive many drooping souls who though they doe renounce all confidence in themselves and in any righteousness of their own and place their whole confidence upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the merits of his Death and Passion yet have no comfortable assurance in their own souls of their interest in Christ or of their eternal life and salvation let such know that their condition may bee good and safe for all that 3 Assurance of Salvation is not so ordinary as many Christians doe imagine for indeed they are but for Christians who doe here attain to a clear evidence and full assurance of their salvation such whom the Lord here calleth forth to hard services or great sufferings to them he is pleased many times to give some clear evidence and assurance of their eternal life and salvation for their better comfort and support Thus many Martyrs have expressed their full assurance of a better life after this whereas such a measure is not usually granted to ordinary Christians their trials being but flea-bites in comparison of the others VI. Then especially act the graces of Gods Spirit in thee as 1 Thy Falth which is a grace of special use to thee so long as thou livest in this world but most of all at thy last Sickness and in the time of Death therefore then especially bee often actuating and exercising thy faith in Jesus Christ with the eye of faith look upon Christ hanging upon the Cross there offering up his life as an all-sufficient Sacrifice and full satisfaction to Gods Justice for thy Sins and cast thy self into the armes of Jesus Christ resting upon his Merits alone for life and for salvation with a disclaiming of all confidence in thy self or any righteousness of thine own place thy whole confidence upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ and upon the merits of his death and passion 2 Then especially act thy zeal for Gods glory by giving good counsel to those who are about thee or come to visit thee it is the last time thou canst doe any thing for God in this world therefore then shew thy love to him and zeal for his glory by calling upon others to fear him and serve him by a conscionable discharge of the duties of their places callings and relations perswade them to minde the things of this world less and the things of Heaven more to prize health and improve it for the good of their souls to lay up a stock of graces and comforts against the evil day and to get their evidences for Heaven clear before they be cast upon their Death-beds Words of dying men are of most efficacy and authority and therefore improve thy dying speeches to the glory of God and the good of thy neighbour Thus our blessed Saviour when he was to leave the world shewed his zeal for Gods glory and love to his Disciples in leaving with them many precious counsels comforts and exhortations and the Apostle Paul being aged and knowing the time of his departure was at hand called for the Elders of the Church of Ephesus and leaves with them
revenge in the night and in the morning bring forth some mischief or other and therefore as we say of the Toad-stool it grows up in a night and dyes in a night so should this poysonous weed of anger dye on the day wherein it was born IV. Before thou goest to bed be sure to offer unto God thine evening sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving this is hinted unto us under the Law where the Lord required his Evening Sacrifice as well as his Morning Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the Altar two Lambâ— of the first year day by day continually the one Lamb thou shalt offer in the Morning and the other Lamb thou shalt offer at Even This was the daily ordinary Sacrifice which the Lord required under the Law and therefore much more doth hee require a Morning and an Evening sacrifice of Prayer and Praises now under the Gospel And truly if thou shalt lye down in thy sins unrepented of thou mayest happily awake with Hell flames about thine ears and therefore farre be it from thee to presume to goe to thy bed before thou hast offered unto God thine evening sacrifice of Prayer and therein heartily begged the pardon and forgiveness of all thy sins in and thorow the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ. Shouldst thou put off the performance of this duty till thou art in thy bed as the practise of too too many is it is very likely thou wilt fall asleep before thou hast made any great progress therein and those prayers which thou makest in thy bed will prove but drowsie yawning prayers at the best therefore bee sure to offer up thine evening sacrifice before thou goest into thy bed and if conveniently thou canst before supper for by experience we find that our bodies are much more drowsie and our spirits much more dead and heavie after supper than before Q. Whether a man finding his body drowsie and his spirits dead and heavie had better fall upon the duty of Prayer or forbear it for that time Ans. Drowsiness of body and deadness of heart is no sufficient warrant for the omission of thine evening sacrifice of Prayer but thou oughtest to â—erform it notwithstanding as well as thou canst and that for these Reasons 1 Because the Scripture giveth us no warrant for the omission of a bounden duty because of some present drowsiness and indisposition thereunto but doth rather expresly hold forth the contrary enjoyning Christians to pray always and to pray continually with sundry the like expressions Which imply as a frequent lifting up our hearts to God in ejaculatory Prayers so a constant observance of our set times of solemn prayer 2 As man that hath little or no appetite to his meat yet by forcing himself to eat a bit or two he begins to have a better stomack thereunto so when a Christian hath no mind or disposition unto Prayer but findes his body drowsie his spirit heavie and his heart dead yet by forcing himself thereunto though against his mind doth many times find his affections â—â—ickned and his spirits raised up in Prayer yea it is wonderfuâ— what quicknings and enlargements do many times come upon an adventurous soul upon a soul that will adventure upon duty against deadness drowâ—ness and such like discouragements and therefore let not the drowsiness of thy body nor the heaviness of thy spirit so far prevail with thee as to forbear and omit thy course of praying But fall upon it and for ought thou knowest thou mayest feel and finde the lively quicknings and inlargements of Gods Spirit upon thy spirit in the performance thereof 3 When a Christian feels and findes his body drowsie his spirit heavy and himself very indisposed unto the duty of prayer yet hee may do it with much uprightness and sincerity of heart that is hee may do it in obedience to the command of God as in the sight and presence of God with a desire to approve himself unto God in the doing of it and herewith hee may exceedingly comfort himself against deadness and drowsiness for such is the excellency of this grace of sincerity that it maketh all our services to be pleasing unto God though they bee performed with deadness of heart and dulness of spirit 4 Though our prayers bee performed with much deadness of heart and indisposition of body yet being put up in the name of Christ they finde acceptance with God in and thorow his Mediation and Intercession Let us therefore put up our prayers in the name of Christ and by Faith cast our selves and our services upon him and then wee shall not need to doubt of Gods acceptance of them Thus have I shewed thee the duties to bee performed by thee in the evening before thy going to bed I come now to the duties to bee performed by thee at thy lying down I. As thou art going to bed take all occasions of holy and heavenly Meditations To give you some hints As thou art putting off thy cloaths think how it will not be long before thou beest stripped of all and go out of the world as naked as thou camest into it which Iob excellently expresseth Naked saith hee came I out of my Mothers womb and naked shall I return thither q. d. I came into the world destitute of cloathing and of all outward comforts whatsoever and naked shall I return thither not into his Mothers womb again for that is impossible but to the grave the womb of the earth and common Mother of all so that his meaning is I shall go out of the world as naked as I came into it Heâ—ce Death is called an uncloathing because it strips a man of all his ornaments not only of his apparel but also of his honours wealth and riches How should the consideration thereof stir thee up to labour for the true riches and spiritual cloathing I mean the saving graces of Gods Spirit and the robe of Christs Righteousness and then thou shalt not goe out naked but adorned and enriched As thou art laying thy self down in thy bed let the bed mind thee of thy grave thy sheets mind thee of thy winding-sheet and thy sleep mind thee of death for death is but a kind of sleep sleep is a short death and death is a long sleep Hence Sleep and Death are often put the one for the other in Scripture and death is often set out by sleep That thou maist lengthen out this meditation think of the several resemblances between Sleep and Death as 1 Men asleep are at rest free from all trouble from all toyl and travel so the dead doe rest from their labours as Revel 14. 13. blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord for they rest from their labours that is from their troubles and travails 2 Men asleep rise again so the body after it is dead and laid in the grave shall arise again death is but a sleep somewhat
longer than ordinary 3 Sleep refresheth the body of a man so doth death the bodies of the Saints for the body lieth down a weak frail mortal corruptible body but riseth a strong glorious immortal and incorruptible body so much the Apostle Paul plainly expresseth where speaking of the resurrection of the body he saith It is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness it is raised in power it is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body 4 Sleep oftentimes cometh upon a man unexpectedly so doth death for how many dye on the sudden when they least of all looked for it and therefore how doth it concern us to live in a continual expectation of and preparation for death 5 Sleep cometh acceptably to some men so doth death to beleevers who welcome death as their best friend next to Jesus Christ. Thus let thy sleep mind thee of thy death and that not as farre off but as near at hand thinking thou mayest this night sleep the sleep of death for how many have gone well to bed and been dead before the morning and that which happeneth unto one may befall another II. As thou art going to sleep commend thy self thy relations wife children servants and all that thou hast into the armes of Gods protection knowing that they are safe whom the Lord keepeth And then labour to fall asleep as thou art meditating of some good thing for then will thy sleep bee more sweet thy dreams more comfortable and thine heart will be in better plight when thou awakest CHAP. XXI Of the Morality of the Sabbath HAving shewed you how to walk with God on the Week days I shall now shew you how to walk with God on the Sabbath Day so as it may prove a comfortable day unto you To this end I shall 1 Prove the Morality of the Sabbath 2 Give you grounds for the change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first proving our Lords Day to be now the true Sabbath 3 Give you Directions how to sanctifie the same 4 Adde some Motives to quicken you up to a conscionable observation of the directions 1 Because there are many who are not convinced of the Morality of the Sabbath and so not of the continuance thereof therefore it is requisite that I first prove the Commandement of the Sabbath to be moral and perpetual and to continue in force even to the end of the world for that is accounted Moral which as a rule of life bindeth all Persons in all places at all times Arguments proving the Morality of the Sabbath 1 Because it was sanctified in the time of Adams innocency as we read Gen. 2. 3 4. now Adam in his innocent estate was a Publick person the great representative of all the World that therefore which was commanded to him in his innocency appertained to all his Posterity even to the end of the world And if God saw it necessary for our first Parents in the time of their innocency to have a Sabbath Day to serve him in that they might more freely and fully give themselves to holy and religious exercises Then what need have we the Posterity of Adam now in our corrupted estate to have a Sabbath to take our thoughts off from our worldly businesses and bestow them wholly on God and the duties of his Worship and Service 2 The Commandement concerning the Sabbath is placed in the number of the Moral Commandements for when God renewed the whole Moral Law delivering it most solemnly on Mount Sinai and ingraved it in two Tables hee placed this Commandement concerning the Sabbath amongst the rest and made it one entire Precept so as if the morality thereof be denied and this Commandement made no part of the Moral Law then the Moral Law would consist but of nine Commandements which is contrary to the Word of God which often maketh express mention of Ten. 3 The manner of the delivery of this Commandement confirms the morality and perpetuity of it and shews that it is of as great force as any of the other Nine 1 For first God by his immediate Voyce commanded this as well as the rest 2 This Commandement was written by the Finger of God in Tables of Stone as well as the other as to signifie the hardness of our hearts so likewise the continuance and perpetuity of this Commandement 3 It was placed in the very heart of the Ten Commandements as that which by a careful and conscionable performance of the duties required therein would give life to the keeping of all the rest And it is a certain truth that he who makes no conscience to keep holy the Sabbath Day will make little conscience of keeping any of the other Commandements so he may doe it without discredit of his reputation or danger of mans Law Look how a man is careful and conscionable in the performance of the duties of piety to God on this Day in like manner is he careful and conscionable in the performance of the duties of righteousness toward his neighbour on the week days Obj I Some object that of the Apostle Yee observe days months and times and years as also that to the Colossians Let no man judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new Moon or of the Sabbath Day Ans. The Apostle here condemns not the Moral Sabbath which we now call the Lords Day but he speaks of the Levitical Sabbaths which were the first day of every month and the first and last days of every one of their solemn Feasts which were called Sabbaths all which are now abrogated Obj. 2 Some object that to a Christian every day is a Sabbath and therefore say that we should not restrain it to one day more than to another Ans. 1 True it is every day should be a Sabbath to a Christian in two respects 1 In a resting from Sin 2 In a readiness to serve God For as we should at all times rest from Sin so we should bee always in a readiness and disposition to serve God Yet are we not bound to spend every day as a Sabbath by laying aside the lawful works of our Callings and giving up our selves wholly to the solemn duties of Gods Worship and Service which is contrary to the command of God who saith Six days shalt thou labour and doe all thy work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not doe any work where the Lord doth require of us as well to follow the works of our Calling on the six days as to keep holy the Sabbath Day by a conscionable performance of his Worship and Service I deny not but Divine Worship is to bee performed unto God every day as under the Law we read they had their Morning and Evening sacrifice
bountifully and more willingly because the stock out of which they give is prepared before-hand and it being a sacred Stock by their voluntary setting it apart to such an use their conscience will account it sacriledge to lay it out any other way If poor men that live by their daies labour and servants that live on their wages would every Lords Day lay up some half-pennies or pence for this end and purpose they might have without any sensible dammage to themselves a stock for the poor How much greater store would be for the poor if rich men according to Gods blessing on them would so do 2 Visiting the sick and such as are otherwise restrained of liberty This we finde practised by our Saviour and that upon the Sabbath day after the publick ordinances were ended as Mark. 1 29 30. where we read that our Saviour with some of his Apostles After they were come out of the Synagogue went to visit Peters wives Mother who lay sick of a Feaver which sheweth That Christ accounted it a work of mercy suitable to the Sabbath to visit the sick From whence we may learn as just occasion is offered to spend some time of the Sabbath in visiting the sick it being an especial work of mercy proper to the Sabbath yea and an especial means to fill our minds with spiritual Meditations and our mouths with holy conferences which are parts of private sanctification of the Sabbath What time therefore others spend in idleness or vain company or sitting at street-doors or walking abroad in the streets and fields let us spend in this and such like works of mercy Directions for the right manner of visiting the Sick see in Chap. XIX Besides these duties of Piety and works of Mercy which are commanded to be done on the Lords Day There are some things which the Lord permits unto us in regard of the weakness and infirmities of our bodies viz. Sleep Food and Apparel Because we cannot with strength and delight spend the whole day in Sabbath duties without competent rest food and apparel therefore it is lawful for us to spend some time as in sleep so in apparelling our selves and in refreshing our bodies with food which otherwise would be ready to faint But by a moderate use of these we are inabled to do the things we take in hand the more chearfully But herein two Cautions ought carefully to be observed 1 You must spend no more time about them than needs must Wherefore your bodies being refreshed with moderate sleep you ought to get up early on the Lords Day as about six or seven of the clock and to use all possible speed in dressing your selves and not to sit longer than needs must at your meals that so you may have the more time for the duties of Gods worship and service on his day And truly since the Lord is so good and gracious unto you as to afford you some part of his own day for the refreshment of your bodies Far be it from you to abuse his goodness by lavishing away more time therein than needs must Second Caution Do them as Sabbath-dayes-works which is done two waies 1 By doing them for this end that thereby you may bee the better inabled to serve God Thus when at your lying down the evening before the Sabbath you desire God to give you quiet comfortable sleep that thereby your weak bodies may be refreshed and you the better inabled to serve him the next day in the duties of his worship and service this is a Sabbath-sleep In like manner when you eat and drink for this very end that your bodies may be refreshed and your spirits revived and you thereby the better inabled with chearfulness to serve God the remaining part of the day this is a Sabbaths-eating and drinking 2 By raising spiritual and heavenly Meditations from the same At your first awaking you should call to minde what day it is and having blessed God for your comfortable rest and sleep that night you should beg of him the special assistance of his grace to carry you thorow all the duties of the day When you are rising out of your beds you should think as of the Resurrection of Christs body out of his grave early on that day so likewise of the Resurrection of your Souls here out of the death of sin to the life of holiness and of your bodies at the last day out of the grave of the earth to the life of glory in Heaven In your apparessing your selves you should then think of the long white Robe of Christs Righteousness and of the happiness of those who have an interest therein When you are washing your hands and your faces from the cleansing virtue of the water you should take occasion to meditate of the cleansing virtue of Christs blood which alone washeth your souls from the filthy spots and stains of sin When you go to your Tables to partake of Gods good creatures your corporal food for the nourishment of your bodies should minister occasion of meditating on the spiritual food of your souls whereby they are nourished unto everlasting life The bread on your Tables should minde you of Jesus Christ who is the bread of life that came down from Heaven to quicken your dead souls Thus from every thing should you indeavour to draw matter of spiritual and heavenly meditation labouring to keep your hearâ—s in an holy frame all the day long For what our Saviour said to his Disciples concerning the loaves and the fishes Gather up the fragments let nothing bee lost The like he seemeth to speak unto you concerning the Lords Day gather up the parcels thereof let no part of the day be lost no not the least minutes which are precious as the least filings of Gold As the Lord doth permit unto you some things which your weak bodies stand in need of that thereby you may be the better inabled to serve him on his day So he is pleased to allow some things to be done by you even on his day though they hinder the performance of the proper works thereof and they are such things as are of absolute necessity Quest. If you ask what I mean by works of absolute necessity Answ. Such as must needs be done and yet could not be done the day before the Sabbath nor put off to the day after without great prejudâ—ce But on the other side such things as do no way further the sanctification of the day but rather hinder the same and may as well be done the day before or the day after or some other time ought not to be done on the Lords Day Having thus done with the Directions for the right sanctification of the Lords Day IV. Come we now to the Motives to quicken you up to a conscionable observation of the Directions 1 A right sanctification of the Lords Day maketh much to the honour of God Mark what the Lord himself saith to his Church in this case by his
Prophet Isaiah If thou tuâ—n away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my hely day and 〈◊〉 the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and 〈◊〉 honour him Here it is expresly said that by a right sanctifying of the Sabbath wee honour God 2 A right sanctification of the Sabbath is profitable to your selves and that in a double respect 1 In regard of your outward temporal estate 2 In regard of your inward spiritual estate 1 The sanctification of the Sabbath is profitable in regard of your outward temporal estate For the more conscionable any man is in sanctifying the Sabbath day the greater blessing hee may expect from God upon his labour on the six daies For it is not your own labour and toiling but the blessing of God that maketh rich i. e. that and that alone doth it as the Wise-man speaketh 2 The sanctification of the Sabbath will be profitable in regard of your inward spiritual estate For this was one main end why the Sabbath was ordained namely that God might by it in the use of his ordinances inrich our souls with spiritual blessings in heavenly things And accordingly the sanctification of the Sabbath is an especial means both to beget grace and to strengthen grace for the Lord hath ordained it to be as a Market-day to the soul. And truly were we but as sensible of the good of our souls as we are of out bodies the best husbands that be should not more diligently keep Marke-daies and Fair-daies than we would the Lords Daies 3 A right sanctification of the Sabbath is very delightful to the people of God in that they do injoy intimate society and communion with God in his ordinances on that day which is the greatest happiness poor creatures can possibly attain unto in this life being an heaven upon earth to injoy communion with God and some degree of those heavenly joyes which wee shall injoy hereafter more fully in Heaven How should the consideration hereof stir you up to a careful conscionable sanctifying of the Lords Day that so you may taste of those sweet comforts and refreshments which others have so plentifully injoyed 4 Another Motive may be taken from the Equity of sanctifying this day For in that the Lord hath afforded unto us six daies in seven for our own work an reserved to himself but one for his worship and service whereas he might have required six daies for his worship and afforded but one for our work is it not most just and equal that we should make conscience of giving unto God his Day by consecrating it wholly to his worship and service As Ioseph said to Poâ—â—phars Wife when she tempted him to uncleannes 〈◊〉 Master hath not kept back any thing from mee but thee because thou art his wife How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God In like manner say thou to thy vain companions when thou art tempted any way to prophane the Sabbath God the Soveraign Lord and Master of the world hath kept back no time from mee but one day because it was his How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God CHAP. XXII Of the Sacramen of the Lords Supper TO the worthy partaking of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper there are three sorts of duties required 1 Duties Antecedent i. e. Such as must go before the Sacrament 2 Duties Concomitant i. e. Such as must accompany the action of receiving 3 Duties Subsequent i. e. Such as must follow after I. For the Duties Antecedent though they are many yet they may be all brought under this one head of Examination which is not onely commended by the Apostle But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup But urged and pressed upon us with greater severity than any Pâ—ecept in the Book of God For faith the Apostle in the same place hee that through a neglect of this duty of Examination eateth and drinketh unworthily 1 Hee is guilty of the body and blood of Christ. 2 Hee eateth and drinketh damnatioâ— to himself 1 To bee guilty of the body and blood of Christ is in some measure to have â—ur hands in his bloody death and passion and so by consequence to be partners with Iudas in betraying him with the Scribes and Pharisees in accusing him with Pilate in condemning him and with the cruel souldiers in crucifying him Whose heart doth not rise with indignation against these when he reads or considers their cruell handling of our blessed Saviour in whipping and scourging him in mocking and deriding him in piercing and crucifying him And therefore take heed lest thou in like manner be guilty by thine unworthy receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper through thine unprepared coming thereunto We read how the blood of innocent Abel did lye so heavy upon Cain that hee cried out My punishment is greater than I can bear How heavy then will the blood of Jesus Christ who was not only an innocent man but more than a man lye upon them that are guilty thereof You know it lay so heavy upon Iudas that hee hanged himself And you cannot be ignorant how heavy it hath lyen upon the whole Nation of the Iews for these many hundred years according to that cursed wish of theirs His blood be on us and on our children As therefore thou wouldest not be found guilty of this horrid and dreadful sin put in practice the Apostles counsel namely To examine thy self before thou presumest to partake of that Ordinance 2 Hee that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself so our translators render it And truly this is a necessary consequence from the former for hee that is guilty of the body and blood of Christ how can hee but incur the danger of damnation Indeed the word in the Greek translated damnation may as well signifie temporal chastisement as eternal punishment And questionless as hypocrites and unbeleevers while they eat and drink unworthily eat and drink damnation to themselves if they repent not so also such as are faithful and sincere Christians when they through infirmity and negligence do partake of this ordinance unworthily incur thereby temporal judgements as sicknesse weaknesse and sometime death it self For saith the Apostle speaking of the beâ—eeving Corinthians who had not prepared themselves as they should to that ordinance For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep or dye For what cause namely because they received the Sacrament unworthily and irreverently without any preparation or examination of themselves I grant the best men cannot be said in themselves to be worthy to partake of this ordinance Yet if thou beest a beleeving Christian and dost sincerely indeavour to receive it in that manner and with such affections as the Lord doth require of thee thou mayest be said how
to himself to the members of his mystical body than to the members of his naturalâ— body For he offered up his natural body as a Sacrifice for the redemption of his mystical body What greater love than this can be imagined Oh how doth it then concern us to go to that ordinance with hearts inflamed with a love to Jesus This much of the necessity of our love to God and to his Son Jesus Christ. II. For the Trial thereof you may know it by these notes and characters 1 Where there is a true hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ the heart will bee much taken up with the thoughts of them Such an one will be often thinking of God and of Jesus Christ and of their transcendent love manifested in the great work of Redemption David having said Oh how do I love thy Law he presently adds It is my meditation all the day And indeed whatsoever and whomsoever we love we cannot but frequently think and meditate on Indeed such as love God and the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity may have multitude of vain wanton worldly covetous thoughts in their hearts but they take no true delight in them they are rather their grief and their burden but the thoughts of God and of Christ are very sweet and comfortable unto them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. 2 Where there is an hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ such an one will bee often speaking of them For the tongue cannot but be speaking of those things and persons upon whom the heart is set If the heart of a man be set upon the world and the things thereof his tongue will be most frequently talking and discoursing of them In like manner if the heart of a man be set upon God and Jesus Christ his tongue will be frequently talking and discoursing of them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. For hee that saith hee loveth God and the Lord Jesus Christ and yet seldome thinks of them or speaks of them certainly hee deceiveth himself for wee cannot but bee thinking and speaking of those whom we truly love 3 Where there is an hearty love unto God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to do any thing for them Iacob loved Rachel and what did hee not do for her Hee served two Apprentiships and yet all seemed nothing to him for the love he had to her And therefore where there is a sincere love to God and Christ it will constrain such an one to lay out himself to the uttermost for them to put himself upon the practice of such duties which are hard and difficult and require much labour and pains By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 Where there is an hearty love to God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to suffer any thing for them It is said of the Primitive Saints that out of their abundant love unto the Lord Jesus Christ they accounted not their estates too dear for him but took joyfully the spoiling of their goods Neither did they account their lives too dear For it is expresly said They loved not their lives to death for him i. e. they despised their lives in comparison of Christ they willingly exposed not only their goods and estates to the spoil and their persons to all manner of shame and contempt but also their bodies to painful deaths for the cause of Christ. By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto Jesus Christ namely by thy willingness to suffer for the cause and truths of Jesus Christ. II. Love of thy neighbour is another branch of that love which is required of every Communicant Touching which I shall briefly shew 1 The Necessity thereof in every Communicant 2 The Trial thereof I. The Necessity thereof appeareth in that the Lord will not accept of any service thou performest unto him if thou bee not in love and charity with thy neighbour as our Saviour himself speaketh in that known place If therefore thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift This phrase Thy brother hath ought against thee may be indefinitely taken of one that hath provoked another or hath been provoked himself hath ought against thee whether by thy default or his So that hereby is implied whether wrong be done by thee or to thee if there be any variance between thee and thy neighbour peace and reconciliation must be speedily sought For without it God will not accept of any worship or service thou offerest unto him Though Christ here instanceth but in one kind of worship which was the offering up of Sacrifice yet under this hee comprehendeth all the parts and kinds of Gods worship as praying hearing receiving the Sacrament or the like So that Christs meaning is that whensoever thou settest upon any part of Gods worship and service and then remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee i. e. that thou hast any way wronged and offended thy brother or as Mark hath it If thou hast ought against thy brother i. e. if he hath wronged thee first be reconciled to thy brother and then go to the ordinance of God II. For the Trial of the truth of thy love to thy brother thou mayest know it by these notes 1 If thou hast truly forgiven thy brother thou wilt be so far from doing him any harm though it lay in thy power that thou wilt not wish any harm unto him 2 If thou hast truly forgiven thy offending brother thou wilt willingly imbrace occasions of doing him good that so he may know and be assured that thou art reconciled to him This our Saviour requireth of all his Disciples where he saith Love your enemies i. e. those who have any way wronged you and as an evidence of the truth of your love he addeth Do good to them thâ—t hate you intimating that it is not sufficient that you speak friendly and peaceably to your enemies but you must likewise take all occasions of doing them what good you can which is true Christian love and charity Having thus spoken largely to the first head of Examination namely our graces I come now to the second namely our sins wherein I shall study brevity As it is the duty of every Communicant to examine himself concerning his graces so likewise concerning his sins which are like that accursed thing whereof God speaketh to Ioshua Iosh. 7. 11. they must therefore be searched out Yea they are like the wilde gourd that brought death into the pot If they be not searched out and cast away they will turn the Sacramental
that they did even break him again For wee use to say of one that hath endured much pain or other great grief that hath wasted his flesh or dried up his blood See how hee is broken and in this sense also may Christ be said to be broken Again when thou seest the Minister pouring out of the wine then exercise and actuate thy Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and the shedding thereof which indeed sheweth the extent of Christs sufferings even to the taking away of his life which is the furthest extent of a mans suffering in this world These two therefore The breaking of Christs body and the shedding of his blood are fitly joyned together the former to shew the extremity of Christs sufferings the latter the extent thereof even as far as possibly could bee to the shedding of his blood Again when thou seest the Minister offering the bread and wine to the Communicants then by the eye of Faith see Gods love in offering his Son to every beleeving Communicant For as verily as the Minister doth offer the bread and the wine so truly doth God really offer Christ with all the benefits of his death and passion to every beleeving Communicant I do not say carnally but really not the flesh of Christ but Christ with all the benefits of his death and passion as Reconciliation Redemption Remission of sins c. For there is not a meer Representation but a real and true exhibition of Christ as broken for our sins II. Another act of Faith to bee exercised at the Lords Supper is to receive Iesus Christ. For the Beleever having seen Christ with the eye of Faith under the outward elements and forementioned rites then hee receiveth him into his heart with much joy and gladness As therefore thou stretchest forth the hand of thy body to receive the bread and wine stretch forth the hand of Faith to apprehend and receive Jesus Christ and to rest upon him for life and for salvation For Faith is that instrument whereby wee receive Christ and all his benefits as they are offered to us in the Gospel and sealed up to us in the Sacrament Faith is to the soul as the hand is to the body that which is offered to a man for his good the hand readily receiveth and what the hand so receiveth is a mans own Thus God offering his Son unto us Faith perswades the heart of Gods good will to man and of his true intent to have man made partaker of his Son and thereupon apprehends him and receives him for his own and Christ is truly his III. Another act of Faith to be exercised at the Lords Supper is to apply and appropriate Christ to thy self which is implied under the Rites of eating the bread aâ—d drinking the wine whereby is meant a feeding upon Christ by Faith which is an applying of him When therefore thou art eating the bread and drinking the wine feeâ— upon Christ by a particular application of him and all his benefits to thine own souls comfort By Faith assure thy self that Christ was born for thee that hee might bee thy Saviour to save thâ—e from thy sins That hee performed perfect obedience unto the Law that his Righteousness might be imputed uâ—to thee Thus hee died a bitter cursed death to free thee from eternal death and condemnation which thy sins had deserved Thus thou oughtest to apply Christ with all his benefits unto thine own souls comfort And thus to act Faith is to eat and drink indeed to communicate indeed The truth is this act of Faith in applying Christ is the most suitable to the Ordinance of the Lords Supper And the more thou canst put forth the act of application therein the greater comfort shalt thou receive from the Ordinance for propriety in Christ is that which sweetens all Yet lest weak Christians such as are weak in Faith should be discouraged and think themselves uncapable of comfort because they cannot thus â—eed upon Christ by Faith they cannot apply Christ nor the benefits of his death unto themselves I desire such to take notice that though this act of application is the most suitable to the Ordinance yet the former act of receiving Christ and resting upon him gives us a true interest in him whereby Christ and all his benefits become ours which puts us into a blessed and happy condition Yet I would advise all such who have attained to that measure and degree of Faith as to lay hold upon Jesus Christ and to receive him as their Saviour and thereupon to rest upon him alone for life and salvation that they would strive to raise it one pitch higher namely to apply â—hrist with all the benefits of his death and passion unto their own souls comfort Because this act of Faith doth especially make to our comfort and consolation as well as to our spiritual benefit II. Another grace to bee exercised at the Lords Supper is Repentance For a broken Christ requires a broken heart Whereas in true Repentance there is a godly sorrow for sins past And a full purpose and resolution of heart to leave and forsake them for the time to come and to walk more closely with God While you are at the Sacrament you should exercise your Repentance in both these particulars 1 You should labour to be affected with a true grief and sorrow foâ— your sins To that end seriously meditate of the manifold sufferings of Christ for ceâ—tainly a due and serious meditation of what Christ hath suffered for our sins cannot but affect our hearts with some measure of grief and sorrow for the same for shall Christ bleed for our sins and shall not wee weep for them was Christ broken with torments for our sins and shall not the consideration thereof break our hearts for them 2 You must ingage your selves by a solemn Vow and promise unto God to bee more watchful over your selves against sin for the time to come and to walk more closely and exactly with God As often as you partake of the Lords Supper so often God reneweth the Covenant on his part hee ingageth himself afresh to bee your God to pardon your sins to subdue your corruptions to write his Law in your hearts that is to work in you as a desire and disposition to the keeping of his Laws and Commandements so a sincere indeavour after the same And therefore it is your duty to renew the Covenant on your parts to ingage your selves afresh in the strength of Christ to walk as a people in Covenant with God to bee more watchful over your selves against sin for the time to come to bee more his faithful servants than ever you were before Having shewed both the Duties Antecedent and Concomitant Come wee now to the Duties Subsequent such as must follow after the action of receiving For it is not enough that you duly prepare your selves to that Ordinance and reverently carry your selves at it but you must likewise walk in some