participating of the Sacrifice offer'd up by our Lord. INDEED if this Sacrament had been instituted by CHRIST after his Resurrection which wholly effaced the Pourtraiture of his Shame and Sufferings it would have been much more difficult to have thence inculcated to us this important Truth of the Christian Religion But Our Lord did expresly choose the time immediately before his Death that so the Ceremony which was to preserve the Memory of it might so fill us with the sense of the Shame and Punishment he endured that it might lead us to make a continual Reflection upon these Truths viz. That when JESUS CHRIST dy'd He dy'd for Sinners That when He was nail'd to the Cross He bore their Sins in his Body on the Tree That when He was wounded it was for our Transgressions and that by his Stripes we are healed THE fifth Truth which our Saviour was willing continually to set before our Eyes by the Celebration of the Eucharist is That this Bloody Death of his was the Blessed Means by which GOD entred into Covenant with Mankind Moses had said of the Blood he sprinkled upon the People Behold the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words Exod. 24.8 And Our Saviour plainly opposing his Blood to that says concerning the Cup This Cup is the New Covenant or Testament in my Blood which is shed for the remission of your Sins This Covenant is the greatest and most important Truth of our Religion By it GOD delivers Men from Hell and restores them to his Favour and Protection It is this also displays before us the whole Mystery of our Redemption as 1. That Man being created Innocent fell into Rebellion against GOD by list'ning to the insinuations of the Devil 2. That though Man deserved to be not only reduc'd to nothing from whence the Hand of GOD had raised him at the first but to be cast into Hell there to undergo the punishment due to his Disobedience yet GOD being mov'd with pity resolv'd to forgive all and make a New Covenant with him 3. That it was the Will of GOD that his Own Son taking in due time Human Nature upon Him should be the Person in whose Blood this Covenant was to be Established 4. That JESUS CHRIST having really shed his Blood this Covenant was fully ratify'd and confirmed and Remission of Sins offer'd to all that would repent For that is the thing which is meant by the New Covenant according as GOD expresses it in Jeremy 31.34 saying I will forgive their Iniquity and remember their Sin no more THE sixth considerable Truth is That our Saviour would have us always to bear in mind his Last Coming to judge the World and consummate the Work of Our Redemption Accordingly this Sacrament contains solemn Marks and Instances of the fulfilling of the Promises God had made to send the Messias into the World. It sets forth in what manner He began to act and suffer for Mankind But He being to continue but a little while here upon Earth and to be taken up to Heaven there to remain to the End of the World this Ceremony acquaints us that He is then to come again from thence in order to fulfil our Hopes by causing us to reap the last Fruits of his Expiation of Our Sins that is in destroying Death by a glorious Resurrection and making us to live for ever with GOD a Life that neither Sin nor Death which Sin has brought into the World can ever disturb And it may be said that as the first Coming of the Messias was the great Object of the Religion Desires and Hopes of the Jews Art thou say they He that should come or do we look for another Mat. 11.3 as likewise of the Promises of Blessings which GOD had made to the Gentiles themselves He being called the Expectation and desire of all Nations Hag. 2.7 so is his second Coming the great Object of the Christian Religion This same JESVS said the Angels to his Disciples gazing up to Heaven who is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into Heaven Act. 1.11 On this account also the Church is represented to us Rev. 22.17 calling for her Bridegroom And the Spirit and the Bride say Come And let him that hears say Come And indeed as the Prophets describe these two Comings of the Messias under the notion of one single Object so we see that according to the mind of St. Paul who assigns for the continuance of this Holy Ordinance the whole Interval of time to the end of the World and Christ's Return Our Saviour has in this Sacrament united this his two Comings as being the greatest Objects of our Religion CHAP. V. Of the Comforts the Holy Eucharist administers to us THUS having explain'd the important Truths which the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper engages us to meditate upon it is very Evident that Our Participation of this Sacrament furnishes us with most lively and refreshing Comforts which I now come to propose in order with reference to the foregoing Truths FIRST then What joy must we needs feel when we reflect upon this great Event viz. the Death of Our Saviour Let us but compare our Happiness with the Condition of the Patriarchs and we shall easily perceive how high a pitch our Joy ought to be raised to St. Peter tells us that the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently what or what manner of time the Spirit of CHRIST which was in them did signifie when it testifi'd before-hand the Sufferings of CHRIST and the Glory that should follow 1 Pet 1.10 11. The Promises of GOD did fill their Hearts with gladness even before they came to pass yea tho' it was revealed to them that it was not to themselves but to us that they ministred those things which have been declar'd to us by the Preachers of the Gospel 1 Pet. 1.12 They rejoyced to see the Faithfulness of GOD in the future accomplishment of his Promises And to this purpose St. Paul informs us that the Patriarchs and Holy Men of old dy'd in the Faith not having receiv'd the Promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them Heb. 11.13 Yet all this at a distance Thus Balaam Numb 24.17 I see Him but not now I behold Him but not nigh But 't is our happiness that we are come to that Blessed State which Our Saviour appropriates to his Disciples We see those things which so many Kings and Righteous Persons desired to see and did not see them John the Baptist who Baptized Him bore Witness of Him and foretold his Death yet never saw it This was an Advantage reserved for us His Death is now in most lively Colours presented to our View It is Matter of Fact certain and indubitably attested He is come down from Heaven He has taken our Flesh upon Him discharged the Functions of his Ministery
Deliverance of that People Secondly Because this Ceremony was to be the Sacrament of a New Covenant that should not be abrogated by any other whatsoever Thirdly and Lastly Forasmuch as the Apostle St. Paul who had been rapt up into the Third Heaven there to be further acquainted with the great Mystery of Faith informs the Believers that they ought to declare that is according to the Jewish way of speaking to celebrate the Memory of CHRIST's Death untill his Coming again that is to the End of the World when he shall return from Heaven to judge both the Quick and the Dead in order to the Completion of his Promises and our Hopes CHAP. II. That JESVS CHRIST borrow'd the Actions and Expressions HE made use of in the Institution of the Eucharist from the Jews THERE are two sorts of Reflections may be made upon the Institution of the Lord's Supper Some do serve to explain the Letter and out-side of this Sacrament and others again inform us of the great Aim and Design of it I begin with the First AS it is well known that in the Institution of Baptism CHRIST borrowed the Rite of Washing practised by the Jews on those Gentiles they admitted to the Publick Profession of Judaism so it is as plain that our Saviour in the Institution of his Holy Supper did so far comply with the Jewish Customs after the Celebration of their Passover yet raising some of them to a much more excellent Sense than they had before that He follow'd closely the Notions and Expressions of the Jews TO clear this we must know that the Evening of the Passover the Master of the House began this Solemnity with Praises to God holding in his Hand a Cup of Wine whereof himself having first drunk he gave it to all the Company AFTER this instead of the usual Blessing of the Bread he was wont to take an unleavened Cake in his Hand saying This is the Bread of Affliction which our Fathers did Eat in Egypt Words that had a Natural Relation to the History of their Bondage and Deliverance of old I omit the whole Ceremony of the Paschal Lamb which is described in the 12th Chapter of Exodus and shall only remark that after this Feast the Master of the House was us'd to take the Cup again which at first he had consecrated and having given thanks to present it to the Participants saying to them that That was the Fruit of the Vine and the Bloud of Grapes An Expression borrow'd from Genesis Chap. 49.11 and Deut. Ch. 32.14 FINALLY after this Ceremony their Custom was to Sing the 113th 114th Psalms as an Hymn that concluded the Devotion of this Solemnity Which Song of Praise they still at this day call the Hallel 'T IS evident our Lord did imitate this Usage which is still observ'd by the Jews save only that they don't eat a Lamb. When therefore He had eaten the Paschal Lamb He took the Bread which was designed to commemorate the Misery the Children of Israel underwent in Egypt and made use of the same Blessing and Giving of Thanks which was received among the Jews Brake the Bread He had taken and intending this Ceremony should preserve the Remembrance of his Death He still prosecuted the same Notions and Expressions of the Jews saying that it was his Body which was now to be broken for the Remission of the Sins of Mankind AFTER this He according to the Practice of the Jews took the Cup gave thanks a second time and having ended his Blessing or Prayer for these signifie the same thing among the Jews He declared that this Cup was the New Testament in his Bloud or the Bloud of the New Testament by which God granted penitent Sinners the Pardon of their Sins WHICH Expressions clearly shew that He would have this Cup to be consider'd as a Memorial of the New Testament of which he was the Mediator IN short is it not manifest that He together with his Disciples sang the same Hymns which were solemn and customary with the Jews on this occasion THERE is no man who does not easily perceive that JESUS CHRIST found in this constant Custom of the Jews a just ground for expressing himself as He did when he design'd to institute and perpetuate in his Church a Publick Memorial of his Death and Sufferings THE Jews themselves the Mortal Enemies of our Religion do agree with this They highly maintain that according to CHRIST's Sense these Words This is my Body c. which He pronounced in shewing the Bread cannot import the notion of Reality but only of Signification that his Meaning was very apparent both because He said in the 6th of St. John concerning the Eating here mentioned The Words that I speak to you are Spirit and Life that is they are to be understood in a Spiritual Sense and because it was an usual Expression with them to say This is the Bread which our Fathers did Eat though indeed it was but the Memorial of it Fortalit Fid. L. 3. § 11. p. 172. Thus the Expressions of our Lord being as appears made up of those common Idea's so current among the Jews it is evident that his Design in instituting of the Eucharist was to represent his Death to us as a thing which for time to come was to be commemorated by the Church He substituting it in the room of the Memorial of the Deliverance out of Egypt and the ancient Covenant God had made with the Jews after his having set them at Liberty from their hard Bondage BUT these Remarks which only respect the out-side of the Eucharist are of much less importance than those of the Second Order which refer to our Lord's Design in his Institution of this Holy Sacrament CHAP. III. That JESVS CHRIST in his Institution of the Eucharist has followed Idea's or Notions quite opposite to those of the Paschal Lamb And what those Idea's of the Paschal Lamb are OUR Saviour's Words are not to be compar'd only with those the Jews made use of at the Eating of their Unleavened Bread which they call'd the Bread of Affliction because it was a Representative of it but that they may be throughly illustrated they are to be considered with opposition to the Idea's of the Paschal Lamb to which our Lord was willing to make the Celebration of this Sacrament to succed And indeed not only St. Paul leads us naturally to look upon the Sacrifice of the Passover as a he says 1 Cor. 5.7 that CHRIST our Passover is Sacrificed for us nor only did JESUS CHRIST for this choose the time of the Passover to ordain the Memorial of his Death but the Jews themselves seem fully to agree with it when they propound this as one of their most ancient Traditions That the Messias is to procure their Salvation the self same Day in which they were deliver'd from their Egyptian Bondage Fagius ad Exod. 12.13 First then I say that it is evident our Lord's Design was
to substitute the Memorial of the Deliverance of Mankind by his Death in the room of the Remembrance of the Jews Deliverance by the Bloud of the Paschal Lamb. He does not now command the Eating of a Lamb as formerly and his Words Do this are not at all spoken to that purpose but his Intent was to abolish the Memory of the Curse GOD had pronounced against the Race of Cham which was executed in the Death of the First-born in Egypt and had been a Principle of Division among those Nations he now unites again It is with respect to his Death which under the Appearance of a Curse has made him the Blessing of the World that he ordain'd this Ceremony of breaking and eating Bread. Which latter Ceremony CHRIST prefers before the Eating of the Paschal Lamb it being his Will that it should thenceforwards be considered as the Chief Ceremony of his Religion as being a solemn Token of his having abolish'd the Curse due to Sinners whereof indeed the Paschal Lamb was a publick Monument with respect to the Egyptians though it was a Signal of God's Blessing to the Israelites IN the second place I say that Christ expresses himself so as to give us Idea's very much differing from those of the Jews For First He speaks of a New Testament in opposition to the Old he was about to abolish Secondly He opposes his Bloud Which was shed for many for the remission of their Sins to the Bloud of the Paschal Lamb that was poured forth only for a few and the Ceremony of it celebrated but in one Nation viz. that of the Jews to which alone the Benefit of the Egyptian Deliverance was appropriate Thirdly He opposes the Eating of his Flesh which he represents as a Sacrifice He was about to offer up for the Sins of the World to the Eating of those Lambs that were slain in pursuance of God's Law. This being laid down which I hope cannot be contradicted it is plain that forasmuch as JESUS CHRIST did partly make use of the Idea's or Notions of the Paschal Lamb and partly express'd himself with opposition to that Ceremony We must necessarily in order to our apprehending the true Meaning of our Lord in the Institution of his Supper and having a perfect Knowledg of it make out a due Parallel between the Paschal Lamb that kept up the Remembrance of the Egyptian Deliverance and the Sacrament of the Eucharist which preserves that of the Death of our Lord and Saviour In order whereto these following Reflections may be made upon the Institution and Celebration of the Paschal Lamb. The First is That is was God's Pleasure in instituting this Ceremony to transmit the Memory of so great and prodigious an Event as that of his People's Deliverance out of Egypt was to all Posterity This He Himself expresses in the 12th Chapter of Exodus in this manner This day shall be unto you for a Memorial and you shall keep it a Feast to the Lord throughout your Generations And when your Children shall answer It is the Sacrifice of the Lord 's Passover who passed over the Houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians and delivered our Houses It was with regard to this that to excite the Curiosity of all the People yea even of the very Children He ordain'd that they who were to celebrate the Passover should take a Journey to the Temple in that Equipage of Travellers in which their Fore-fathers departed out of Egypt He would have them also eat Unleavened Bread for the space of sevendays and bitter or wild Herbs with the Paschal Lamb and He in like manner ordain'd that they should every year renew this Ceremony wherein their Children had a share as soon as they were capable of asking their Fathers the reason of all this change from their usual way of Eating And indeed such a Ceremony thus solemnly observed every year and to which every one from one Generation to another does by a publick Law submit himself is an infallible means to establish the Belief of a Matter of Fact and preserve the Memory of great Events The Second is That GOD would have his People consider with what exact Faithfulness He had acquitted Himself of all his Promises by delivering them with a strong Hand and stretched-out Arm from the cruel Power of the Egyptians at the same time when He made an Example of this Barbarous Posterity of Cham who had afflicted them in a long painful Servitude For as on one hand GOD had subjected all the Progeny of Cham to his Curse as you may see Gen. 9.25 which began to take Effect in those Plagues wherewith He smote Egypt though it was afterwards more exactly fulfilled by the Destruction of the Canaanites So on the other He said to Abraham Gen. 15. v. 13 14 16. where he explains the promised Blessing Know of a Surety that thy Seed shall be a Stranger in a Land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them four hundred years And also that Nation whom they shall serve will I judge and afterwards shall they come out with great Substance But in the Fourth Generation they shall come hither again Behold here the Oracle that contains an Excellent Promise which being made good to the Jews He commands them to celebrate the Memory of the Exact Accomplishment thereof by observing the Anniversary Festival of the Paschal Lamb. THE third Reflection we may make upon the Institution of the Paschal Lamb in this That God would have the Jews look on their Deliverance out of Egypt as the greatest Blessing He had ever vouchsafed to them And certainly as He had express'd an exceeding great Favour in with-holding Abraham's Knife from slaying Isaac and substituting a Ram in the Room of him so there was none of the First-born of the Israelites but could say that GOD had been as favourable to them as He was to Isaac by causing the Sword of the Destroying Angel to fall upon a Lamb at a time when he was commissioned to slay all the First-born in Egypt both of Man and Beast The Fourth Reflection was hinted at just now which is That GOD would have his People understand that the Expiation of the Sins of their Ancestors had been typify'd and prefigur'd by his accepting of the Bloud of their Lambs instead of the Lives and Bloud of their First-born And indeed in agreement to this Observation we may say that the whole Law in all its several Expiations wherein Sin was transferr'd upon the Sacrifice did nothing else but further illustrate and extend the Figure of Abraham's Offering as likewise that of the Sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb and represent the same more lively and distinctly to the Minds of them that Offer'd God having joyn'd to this Expiatory Sacrifice certain circumstances of Places Persons and Time to the end the Impression of it might be the deeper and leave a more lively Sense in the minds
of those that were concern'd therein A Fifth Reflection upon the Paschal Lamb is this that it was to be consider'd as a Publick Pledge and Token of the Covenant GOD had made with the People of Israel by preferring them before the Ismaelites and Edomites who were descended the former from Abraham and the latter from Isaac The Sign of Circumcision did sufficiently acquaint the Jews that by this distinguishing Character GOD had chosen them from among all other Nations of the Earth to accomplish in the midst of them the Promise He had made to Abraham namely that of his Seed the Messias was to be born in whom all Nations should be blessed But this sign of Circumcision being common to the Jews with the Ismaelites and Edomites the pretences of both these to the Priviledges of the Covenant which GOD had first made with Abraham and afterwards renew'd with Isaac was still kept up It was therefore requisite there should be a Religious Ceremony that might demonstrate that this Covenant was particularly confin'd within the Family of Jacob Which was done by the Paschal Lamb. For this represented to them that according to what was foretold Gen. 15. Affliction and that in this State they had receiv'd a particular Relief and Deliverance from GOD which forasmuch as it could not be said of the Ismaelites or Edomites did most strongly refute all their Pretensions to a Right in God's Covenant with Abraham This likewise most clearly set forth to them that God by virtue of his Covenant had out of his Mercy preserved them at a time when the Egyptians felt the Effects of his Curse and Vengeance and that accordingly He would not fail of fulfilling that Great Promise in order to the accomplishment of which He had so miraculously preserved Isaac and after him their Fathers also from the Sword of the Destroying Angel. LASTLY It is to be observed that as this Ceremony reminded them of GOD'S Love for their Nation of his Faithfulness in making good his Promises of the Expiation of their Iniquities and of his Covenant with them A Covenant by which He had engaged to be their God that is their Benefactor and Protector and one day to give them the Messias who was to be born of their Nation so it naturally led them also to look upon themselves as the People of GOD and to obey Him faithfully In a word to answer by a Holy Life and all the marks of true Gratitude the Honour GOD had conferr'd upon them by his making out of his meer Good Will a Covenant with them and calling them to so great Hopes as those were which He had set before them CHAP. IV. Of the Truths which the Holy Communion represents to us THESE are the Principal Truths great Comforts and just Obligations to serve GOD religiously which so manifestly were imply'd in the Celebration of the Paschal Lamb. But how much more important is the thing our Saviour has made to supply the place of it in his Institution of the Eucharist That which he exhibits to us in this Sacred Mystery whether with respect to the Truths Comforts or our Obligations to Piety it contains is infinitely more Sublime great and real To be assured of this we need only to resume and attentively consider the forementioned three Points I begin with the Truths the Eucharist represents to us THE first of these Truths respects the Purpose and Design of our Lord when He instituted the Sacrament of his Supper Certainly it was as all Christians agree to establish a publick Monument of his Death as being the greatest Event that could ever be commemorated First He brake the Bread and then to express what He meant by this breaking of the Bread He said that it was his Body broken i. e. torn by the cruelty of his Tormenters He presented afterwards the Cup to his Disciples and to unfold the Mystery thereof added that it was the New Testament in his Blood which had a natural reference to his Death This He explains more clearly in his command Do this in remembrance of me that is in commemoration of my Sufferings Which made St. Paul say As often as you shall Eat of this Bread and Drink of this Cup you shew or according to our way of speaking you must shew or declare the Lord's Death i. e. you are to call to mind and solemnly commemorate this wonderful effect of the Love of God. Indeed we see the Evangelists have so exactly described the Death of Christ with all the Circumstances thereof to us that we may aver they have as it were presented us with the very Picture and Lively Image of it So that had we been Eye-witnesses of the same our selves and in company with them upon Mount Calvary we should hardly have been so well acquainted therewith as now we are But besides this it was our Saviour's will that by a Religious Ceremony which should be solemnized to the World's End his Death might continually be placed before our Eyes And notwithstanding this ignomious Death was to prove a Stumbling-block to the Jews and at first be look'd upon as meer Foolishness by the Gentiles yet would He have the Remembrance thereof to be dearly preserv'd in his Church by his instituting of the Eucharist much after the same manner as God the Father had instituted the Ceremony of the Paschal Lamb which did yearly refresh the Memory of the Jews about their Deliverance out of Egypt as the most remarkable Event that had ever happened to their Nation THE second Truth which the Eucharist offers to us is That JESVS CHRIST is the true MESSIAS promised by God and that we have in Him the Accomplishment of the ancient Prophecies which among the diverse Characters that the MESSIAS was to be known by and are exactly found in Our Lord expresly foretold that He was to suffer Death Psal 22. Is 53. Dan. 9.26 And here it is well worth our while to consider First That GOD had stampt the mark of his Curse upon the Punishment of the Cross Cursed is every one that hangs on a Tree Deut. 21.23 Gal. 3.13 Secondly That though GOD had described the MESSIAS as One who was to be the Fountain of Blessings to all Nations Tribes and Families of the Earth yet at the same time He had given forth many Oracles concerning his Death upon the Cross and the several Circumstances of it Thirdly That GOD was pleased to dictate a greater Number of Oracles relating to this matter than to any other of those Glorious and wonderful Events whereby the MESSIAS was to be distinguish'd during his Life here The Prophecies mentioning his Birth and the place of his Nativity are but few whereas GOD presignifi'd by the Prophets and represented by manifold Lively Types and Figures 1. That both Jews and Gentiles were to joyn together in the Destroying of the MESSIAS Psal 2.1 2. That his own Disciple and one that ate Bread with him should betray him Psal 41.9 3. That He should
delight to do thy Will O my God. O Ineffable and amazing Love to Mankind who deserved nothing but an Eternal Curse AS it was in the Blood of Lambs that GOD made a Covenant with the People of Israel so the Eucharist representing to us in the fifth Place that the Blood of CHRIST is the Ground and Foundation of the New Covenant which GOD has made with Christians we cannot look upon the Sacrament as the Pledge and Seal of this Covenant without being filled with an Excess of Joy and Consolation For indeed what greater Glory can be imagined than for Man to be admitted to a Treaty with GOD And what an inconceivable Advantage is this that GOD should vouchsafe to enter into Covenant with us There are none but are sensible of the Happiness of the Israelites in this regard To be convinc'd of which we need only hear them even at this day speaking with the greatest Comfort of the Honour GOD therein has done them notwithstanding their total dispersion and groaning under the Burthen of that Curse which pursues and overtakes them every where Now that ancient Covenant GOD has abolished as being imperfect but this which we commemorate is to endure for ever The Design of the former was only to give the Jews a lively Sense of Sin or at the best to administer a Typical Expiation whereas the latter viz. the New according to the Prophet Jeremy makes a true Atonement for Sin and affords a Remission rightly and properly so call'd That had no promises but what concern'd a Happiness here on Earth whereas This does promise a Resurrection and Eternal Glory THE greatest Honour the Old Covenant did confer upon the Jews was this That the MESSIAS should be born of their Blood but the Advantage of the New is That the MESSIAS partaking of Flesh and Blood with the rest of Mankind has given his own Blood to raise them to the Glory of Adoption who shall believe in Him. O how happy is the People whose God is the Lord And what does this Expression to be the God of any one import but this viz. To be his Great and Soveraign Benefactor Of old He was the GOD of Abraham but not of Loth and his Posterity Of Isaac but not of Ismael and his Off-spring Of Jacob but not of Esau and the Edomites Now He is the GOD of all the Earth But he has not made this Covenant with all the Nations of the World save only by virtue and on the Sole Account of the Blood of CHRIST And can we with any attention reflect on this Truth represented to us in the Holy Eucharist without feeling a Joy unspreakable and full of Glory GOD had promised to enter into such a Covenant as this and Jeremy describes it in the 31. Chap. of his Prophecies Yet the Old lasted till John the Baptist and so long the Ceremonies of it were in use But then comes CHRIST and instead of continuing the Celebration of the Old Covenant which was made in the Blood of the Paschal Lamb He abrogates it and in its room substitutes the New Covenant made in his own Blood. Do this says He in remembrance of me Not That which was done before but This For this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for the Remission of your Sins TO conclude 't is to be considered and this is the last Vein of Comfort hid in the Eucharist that this Holy Sacrament inviting us to take a View of CHRIST'S second Coming as well as of his Dispensation in the Flesh 't is impossible but it must fill our Souls with surpassing Joy and Comfort The full Salvation of Believers does as yet only consist in Hope GOD indeed pardons their Sins but they are still subject to all the Miseries Sin has brought into the World. They hope for Eternal Life and yet dye like other Men. Their Bodies are laid in the Grave and become the food of Worms So that their Expectation seems to be quite frustrated And as the Jews and Gentiles find Matter of Scandal and Derision in the Death of the Son of GOD so according to all outward appearance they have the same reason to insult over the Faith and Hope of his Followers when they compare these with their present Condition which to the Eye differs not from that of other Men. But all these dark Clouds shall at last be scatter'd these Shadows vanish and the Glory of our Lord and his Faithful be revealed He shall appear from Heaven in the Glory of his Father and every Eye shall see Him even they who have pierced Him. And as He will thus display his Majesty in the Sight of all the World so will He at the same time unvail the Life and Glory of his Children who at present are ready to sink under the burthen of Sin the Violence of CHRIST's Adversaries the deceits of the World and the Devil and the Power of Death which is the last Enemy of CHRIST and his Church He that eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has Eternal Life and I will raise him up at the last day Whosoever eats of this Bread shall live for ever These are our Saviour's Promises wherein as He terms the Embracing of Him by Faith an Eating of his Flesh in opposition to the Type of Manna So this Eating may be as truly ascribed to them who by Faith consider Him as the Sacrifice that has taken away the Punishment due to Sin. O what comforts do arise to the Faithful from the Expectation of this his Return What exulting Joys will they be filled with at his Coming What Delights flow in upon them as they mediate hereon What ravishing Pleasures does it afford us amidst the greatest Evils of this Life What quiet in the sharpest Trials And what Confidence even at the time when Death stares us in the Face CHAP. VI. Of the Duties prescribed to us in the Holy Eucharist I SUPPOSE I have very clearly made out that it is impossible attentively to consider the Truths which the Lord's Supper discovers to us without reaping the unspreakable Comforts which so naturally spring from it And it may with as much Ease be demonstrated that these Truths indispensably engage us to the most Essential Duties of our Religion and that GOD having comprehended what is most capable to administer the sweetest Consolations to our Souls in this Mystery it cannot but at the same time be very influential towards Sanctification and a Godly Life To the making out of which I design the Conclusion of this Treatise where I intend to represent these Duties as the necessary and natural Consequents of what I have before laid down It behooves every Communicant seriously to consider of these Engagements And the rather because this is a sure way for them to know whether they have worthily receiv'd the Sacrament or to amend the faults by them committed in any preceding Communion for want of discharging these Religious performances as they ought FIRST then
Is it possible that a Christian who knows that JESUS CHRIST designed the Celebration of the Eucharist for a publick Monument of his Death as of a most Signal Event worthy of all Commemoration should express any neglect of or indifference for this Sacred Feast The Primitive Church called the Faithful to it every Lord's Day looking upon the partaking of this Holy Sacrament as a Publick Profession of our Faith and the very Badge of Christianity And shall our remissness and coldness in Religion be a lawful Excuse for our absenting our selves from the Lord's Table when He himself invites us to it and affords us opportunities for it Some perhaps will fancy that they have a just pretence to abstain from Receiving because of differences or Law-suits they are engaged in But if CHRIST debars them his Table who are so unkindly disposed towards their Neighbours does not He teach us withal and point us at the Remedy that is to be found for the Cure of such Uncharitableness He tells us in this Case that he who is about to offer must leave his Gift before the Altar and go and first be reconciled to his Brother and then come and offer his Gift Mat. 5.24 And why this But to teach us that we must either wholly renounce our Religion or else put our selves upon faithful Endeavours to obey the Laws of it That a Profession of Christianity is both Erroneous and impious which is not accompanied with a Practice of the Duties it prescribes and that it is impossible for a Man with any fruit or benefit to perform the publick Requirings of it while its most important Precepts and Rules are neglected SECONDLY let it be observ'd That since Christians look upon the Celebration of the Eucharist as a convincing Proof of the Truth of their Religion it being a publick Memorial of Our Saviour's Death which was a most signal fulfilling of GOD's Promises and an Evident Character whereby CHRIST was to be known for the true Messias they cannot but find a Natural Obligation incumbent on them to become Christians indeed The Sacrament of Baptism is conferr'd upon us at a time when we know not the Nature of the Engagements we enter into nor the Justice and Extent of the Promises made in our behalves therein But he who receives the Lord's Supper ratifies before GOD and Man the Promises made in his Name at his Baptism And this he does in his own person as supposing he has now sufficiently examined the Truth of the Religion on he professes He is satisfy'd that his Parents have done him the greatest kindness imaginable by engaging him in GOD's Service from his most tender Infancy and that they did well to consecrate him to it for ever since it is in this Profession his whole Happiness consists and he now solemnly renews the Oath of his inviolable Obedience and Faithfulness to GOD which before he had done by his Sureties Can we thus reflect upon the Participation of the Eucharist and not conceive a most sensible sorrow for having acted contrary to the Laws of CHRIST and Our own Hopes Can we entertain this Notion of it and not resolve for the time to come more diligently to pursue Our Heavenly Calling and more exactly answer the Holy Design of the Religion we profess Certainly it is against Common Sense to pretend to be a Christian and yet to live like a Jew or Heathen It is ridiculous outwardly to acknowledge Laws more Holy and Divine than those the World is governed by and at the same time to follow the Customs and Manners of Worldly Men. All the Vices of the Age ought to find their Death in this Reflection as they do their Condemnation in the sacred Laws and Religion of Our Lord and Saviour WE come now to a third Reflection upon the Holy Communion which is no less plain and natural than the foregoing viz. That in this Sacrament we consider the Death of CHRIST as the Source of that Blessing GOD had promised and the Principle of all those He will hereafter impart to us This Notion sets before our Eyes the Curse we should inevitably have fallen under had not GOD reversed it Can any one seriously think of this Truth without praising God with all the Power of his Soul and returning the Fruits of a just acknowledgement to Him for the same O how dreadful a thing it is to be accursed of GOD Go ye Cursed into Eternal Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And on the contrary how transporting and full of Comfort it is to be blessed by Him. JESUS CHRIST the Blessed of GOD has blessed us with all manner of Blessings He became a Curse for us that we might be made a Blessing of God in Him. Come sayes He Ye Blessed of my Father And by what other means can we be raised to this Bliss but by the Study and Practice of Holiness It was the Unhappiness of the Jews to fancy that all should partake of GOD'S Promises to Abraham who were descended from him after the Flesh But the Gospel acquaints us with these three Things 1. That Faith in CHRIST is the means GOD has appointed to make the Heathens partakers of this Advantage 2. That the Profession of believing in CHRIST is vain and deceitful where it is unaccompanied with an Holy Life Faith without Works is Dead It is but a pretended and false Profession 3. And Lastly That JESUS CHRIST will never own any for the Blessed of his Father but such as by their Works of Charity and Perseverance in Godliness shall have made good the Sincerity of their adherence to his Religion TO this we are further engaged by a fourth Reflection which we make upon the Father's giving his own Son for a Sacrifice to expiate our Crimes Here we see on one hand the Extream Aversion GOD has for Sin while on the other we discover the infinite Love He expresses to Sinners We have set before us the lively Image of that Abyss of Misery into which we had been plung'd had not GOD prepar'd this his Lamb who gave his own Blood and Life to redeem us Now our Hearts must be utterly obdurate and insensible not to make a most serious reflection upon on this Hatred GOD bears to Sin. We behold it punished in a most dreadful and affrighting Manner when GOD destroy'd the Old World by the Deluge and rain'd down Fire from Heaven on Sodom and the Cities that snar'd in her unnatural Lusts These Punishments were Marks of his Justice taking Vengeance of Sinners But how infinitely more terrible is GOD'S Detestation of Sin pourtrai'd in the Death of his Dear and Only Begotten Son whom we see smitten for our Iniquities and in all outward apparance forsaken of his Father St. Peter had not yet seen Him extended on the Cross nor heard Him uttering these doleful Words My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me Yet could not he when he saw Him only exposed to his first Reproaches forbear
us believe GOD'S Decisions concerning these rather than the Suggestions of Sensuality MAXIM XXIII That we ought to resist our Passions THIS Life is a Scene of Combate where though we are not always fighting with our Enemies or wild Beasts yet must ever be contending against our Passions that endeavour to usurp the Dominion of our Hearts IF we suffer any one of these to be the Mistress of our Soul then Farewell Reason and Tranquillity Then will both our Soul and Body be expos'd to inevitable Dangers An Eternal Death to both must be the portion of such as shall be subjected to this Tyranny BUT while we courageously oppose their assaults we secure our quiet and are in the sure way to Glory whereof we have foretasts even in this Life at least a certain Hope shall crown the Conflict MAXIM XXIV That we ought to bridle that Pride which is apt to reign in us THERE is nothing more difficult than the freeing our selves from Pride Men are naturally in love with their own Worth and proud of what they possess They love to be esteem'd of others delight to make a shew of their Perfections In a word their ambition is to be thought and consider'd as wise skilful and honest Men. BUT nothing is more necessary than to oppose a Passion which is the Mother of Boasting Vain-Glory Obstinacy Presumption and Hypocrisy What safety can these hope for when GOD has declar'd he resists the Proud and gives Grace to the humble LET us consider the Cause of this Passion The Devil who is King of the Children of Pride has infused it into us Its Effects here below fill Human Societies with Troubles and Debate and its Eternal Effects hereafter are the uniting us to him and separating us from our LORD who is Humility it self MAXIM XXV That we ought to suppress all desires of becoming great EVERY Condition has its Comforts and Distasts The reason why we desire to rise in the World is because we have no mind to know this Truth viz. That no State is happy but that of the Virtuous be their Condition what it will. LET us not think so much of rising and becoming great as of collecting Comfort from a troublesome Life and extracting Pleasure from Calamity Let us free our selves from disquiets the Place we may aim at is no better than that we are in GOD has appointed every one of us his Place and Bounds These he has determin'd for us by our Birth Wealth and Capacity Let us not presume to quit or go beyond them since we cannot do it without violating the Decrees of his Providence and exposing our selves to manifold Temptations MAXIM XXVI That Humility ought to be the Badge of our Profession THERE is no true Christianity without Humility It was this CHRIST taught us by his Life and Doctrine How dare we assume the Name of Christians while we neglect to practise his Precepts WE ought therefore ingenuously to acknowledge our weakness and instead of making a shew of our Parts or other Advantages and seeking the praise of Men embrace all occasions which may abate and mortify our Pride TO do this we need no more than reflect on what we are We come from nothing and are Sinners into the bargain The Advantages we possess are the fruit of the Divine Bounty and we must one day give an account for them MAXIM XXVII That we ought to beware of Covetousness HOW properly is Covetousness call'd by St. Paul the Root of all Evil Love of Riches makes us deal unjustly with our Neighbour It stifles all sense of natural Affection and changes an Apostle of CHRIST into a Minister of the Devil A SOUL that is eagerly inclin'd to the love of Riches exposes it self to a certain danger for an uncertain gain it fears not Eternal Destruction so it may but satisfy its greediness Behold here the Quintessence of Blindness and Folly. LET us dread to be possess'd of so vile a Passion which will not stick to prompt us to betray our LORD himself Judas did not betray Him for fear of Persecution but through love of Mony and the same will make CHRIST to destroy us without remedy for having so sottishly sought for Happiness in heaping up a little shining Dust MAXIM XXVIII That we ought to restrain the motions of Anger ANGER disfigures a Man by dethroning his Reason It is the rise of Quarrels Cursings and Blasphemies It begets Hatred and Revenge without considering Reason Justice or the Divine Laws HOW dangerous is it to give up our selves to this Passion and follow the motions of it VVhat an horrible thing to be transported upon every slight occasion or charge GOD with our disasters and murmur against him or brandish our fury against our Neighbour LET us betimes resist the Motions of Anger Let us learn to look upon our Miseries as Chastisements and upon Injuries as Trials GOD lays upon us If our Heart at any time rises in spight of us let us presently recall our selves and not suffer the Sun according to the Law of CHRIST to go down upon our Wrath. MAXIM XXIX That we must root Envy out of our Hearts WHAT greater Madness than to be griev'd at our Neighbour's Welfare as if his Happiness must needs make us Miserable VVhat Injustice to rejoyce at his Misfortunes and insult over him or take delight in his being cast down This Passion cannot possess a Heart that is not given up to the Devil IF we will not abhor Envy because it consumes the Envious and tears him inwardly or for its delighting in and feeding it self with Filth and Ordure Let us at least hate it as being the Source of that detestable Crime the Jews commited in delivering up Our LORD to Death O LET us strangle this Monster and acquiesce in GOD'S VVay of dispensing his Favours Let us freely impart the Prosperity he has given us or beg of Him to supply our want of power by granting our desires for the good of our Neighbour MAXIM XXX That we ought to bear Injuries with Patience SOCRATES being struck would not revenge himself This Example of Patience several Heathens have imitated Yea they have made it their Endeavour to conquer the malice of their Enemies with kindness ALAS How many Christians may justly fear that the Benignity of a Heathen will aggravate their Condemnation VVe are Christians and as such should own this for a Maxim That he who does the injury is the Wretch not he who suffers by it VVe are the Disciples of GOD who forbids us all Self-revenge and yet we are ready every minute to thunder out our resentments against others LET us in a word wisely consider that we are Criminals who sue for Pardon that we are at the foot of the Throne and under the Eyes of a GOD who has proclaimed to us that Vengeance is his Let us not set light by his Presence his Voice and Dreadful Judgments MAXIM XXXI That we must abhor all Impurity VVE cannot justly pretend to