might these things already mentioned be to make us carefull to come to the Sacrament after the due Order with preparation But because our carelesse hearts are not so easily wrought upon try we yet a little further what we may be brought unto by shame or feare of danger for to come to the Sacrament without due preparation is both a shamefull and a dangerous thing Rogo vos fratres diligenter attendite si ad mensam cujusque potâ—ntis hominis nâ—mo presumit cum vestibuâ— conscissis inquinatis accedere â—uâ—nto mâ—â—is c. Aug. De temp Ser. 251. 1 First it is a matter of shame It were a matter of soule shame for a man to come and sit downe at a great mans Table in rags and tatters in his nastinesse and filthinesse and in such a case how would we take and tucke up such an one Art thou not ashamed to come to such a mans Table in so base a fashion What an uncivill fellow art thou in such a garbe to come into such a presence And is it not then a matter of fouler shame to come rudely unpreparedly and unbeseemingly Quid vero annon vides vasa abluta adeo nitida splendida His longe mundiores oportet esse animas his sanctiores splendidiores Quare Quoniam illa propter nos fiunt talia Illa eum qui inest non participant non sentiunt Nos autem participamus sentimus Nunc autem vase quidem sordido uti nolueris sordida autem immunda accedis anima 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in Ephes 1. hom 3 unto the Lords Table Consider that 2 Chron. 30. 15. The Priests and the Levites were ashamed and sanctified themselves And why were they ashamed because they had so long deferred their sanctification and preparation and therefore at length for very shame did sanctifie themselves It was a matter of shame then that they had so long put off their sanctification They have cause of shame that sanctifie not themselves in due time for holy duties And if it be a matter of shame to deferre it though done at the last then how much more is it a shame to neglect it altogether and not to doe it at all If a foule cloath should be laid on the Communion Table if the Napkin wherein the bread is laid were not cleane if the Cup Vessels in which the Wine is put were not made handsome and decent men wold cry shame of it and would say that it is an arrant shame that the linnen and vessels be in such a case that it is an arrant shame that these things are not provided and prepared to be in more decent and cleanly order And a shame it were indeed there ought to be an outward decency in these things Our Saviour made no choise of any room at adventure to eat the Passeover in but of a decent handsome furnisht roome Luke 22. 12. He shall shew you a large upper roome furnished there make ready Now then were it a shame that the vessels and linnen should not in their kinde be fitted and decently prepared what a foule shame then not to have our soules and hearts prepared what is a foule cloth or a sullied vessell to a foule and an unprepared soule Oh shame that men will offer to come to Gods Table with sluttish and unprepared spirits should not we much more be prepared than the vessels They containe but the outward elements for our use but we come to receive the body and bloud of Christ Will we have the vessels prepared and can we for shame come with unprepared hearts 2 Secondly it is a matter of great danger to come unprepared to the Table of the Lord that eating of the Passeover of theirs otherwise than it was written 2 Chron. 30. 18. it was a dangerous thing and Hezekiah was faine to make speciall suite for mercy for them And yet that want of theirs was but an omission of some Legall Ceremony How much more dangerous had it beene if for the inward substance of preparation they had done it otherwise than it was written To come to the Sacrament without such preparation is dangerous indeed The dangers are these 1 First that which the Apostle speakes of 1 Cor. 11. 27. Whosoever shall eate this bread and drinke this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. The end of the Sacrament and our comming to it is to shew forth the Lords death But now if we come unpreparedly to it we make our selves guilty of the Lords death We come to the Sacrament to drink the Lords bloud but if we come unpreparedly to it wee come to shed the Lords bloud and so instead of drinkers prove shedders of Qua ratione reus fit indigne assumens perinde nimitum ac si ipse sanguinem Domini effundat Vt n. qui tum pupugerunt Christum non ut biberent effuderunt veruÌ„ ut effunderent sic indigne bibens nihilque inde commodi referens frustra ac temere profudie sangumem Theophil in 1 Cor. 10. Chrys 1 Cor. 11. hom 27. Christs bloud An unworthy receiver is guilty of Christs bloud how so because he doth so as if he shed his bloud he doth so as the shedders of Christs bloud did For looke as they that crucified pierced Christ powred not forth his blod that they might drinke it but onely that they might powre it forth and shed it So he that doth unworthily and unpreparedly drink his bloud receiving thereby no profit nor benefit he hath rashly and in vaine shed his bloud Now do but sit downe and consider how fearfull a thing it is to be guilty of Christs bloud It is a fearefull thing to be guilty of any mans bloud yea to bee guilty of a wicked mans bloud how much more then to be guilty of the bloud of the Sonne of God of the bloud of God Deliver me O Lord from bloud-guiltinesse cryes David Psal 51. It is a very heavie thing to have an hand in mans bloud That same is a sad Text 2 Sam. 3. 28 29. I and my kingdome sayes David are guiltlesse before the Lord for ever from the bloud of Abner the Son of Ner let it rest on the head of Ioab and on all his Fathers house and let there not faile from the House of Ioab one that hath an issue or that is a Leaper or that leaneth on a staffe or that falles on the sword or that lacks bread What an heavie Imprecation was this upon Ioab and that for the bloud of Abner who was none of the best neither And if so heavie a curse upon Ioab for being guilty of Abner's bloud how much more heavie will the curse be upon him that shall be guilty of the bloud of Christ God will require the bloud of a man at the hands of a beast Gen. 9. 5. The Ox that killed a man must be stoned to death and his flesh must not
place but to have him enter at the Sacrament at the Lords Table this is far more fearefull To rise up from the Lords Table with greater greedinesse and more eagernesse after our lusts to rise from the Lords Table with more strength and minde than before to do the divell service is wondrous fearefull And doth thine heart tremble at the thoughts of such going from the Sacrament then let thine heart tremble no lesse at the thoughts of such comming to the Sacrament of comming unpreparedly unto it Loth thou wouldest be to have Satan enter but into thine house be as loth to have him enter into thine heart especially in the use of the Sacrament and as thou wouldest be carefull to prevent Nâ—m Sacramentum sicut accipâ—t ad vitâ—m â—ignus sic ad judicium moâ—â—em propâ—â—â—m indignuâ— Sacramentum â—â— sine re Sacramenti mors est â—umenâ—â— Res vero Sacramenti praeter Sacramentum vita aeâ—â—rna est accipâ—enâ—â— Bern. in caen Dom. Ser. 2. so great a danger so dismall a case so look to it to come in due order duly prepared for the Sacrament 2 Instead of receiving that which might further our salvation we shall receive Iudgement and damnation We come to the Sacrament to further our salvation but comming unpreparedly further our damnation 1 Cor. 11. 29. He that eates and drinkes unworthily eates and drinkes his owne damnation The Paschall Lambe might not be eaten raw Exod. 12. 9. Eate not of it raw To teach that the Sacrament must not be eaten unpreparedly He that receives unpreparedly eates the Sacrament raw because hee comes rawly and eates it rawly and unpreparedly Now to have eaten the Pascall Lambe raw had beene both unwholesome and dangerous He that eates raw flesh never digests it kindly The eating of flesh that hath not been so well prepared as it should that hath bin somewhat too raw hath cost many a man his life As dangerous as eating of raw flesh is to the body so dangerous to the soule is the eating of the Sacrament rawly and unpreparedly It appeares by 2 Sam. 6. 6. That Vzzah put forth his hand to the Arke of God upon a good intention to save the Arke from a fall when the Oxen stumbled or shooke it But his good intention notwithstanding there was an error or a rashnesse in it And for that errour and rashnesse the anger of God was kindled against Vzzah and for that errour and rashnesse God smote him there and there he dyed by the Arke What is the Arke of God to the body and bloud of the Sonne of God And if God punisht him so severely for his errour that he rashly layde hold on the Arke which yet he did out of a sodaine feare of the Arkes comming to some hurt and miscarriage and without diliberation there being no place for deliberation in so sudden a chop if yet God was so severe against him how much more are they in danger to bee smitten for their errour that will rashly put forth their hand to lay hold on the body and bloud of CHRIST Especially not doing it rashly upon any suddaine occasion that puts them upon it but having time and liberty for deliberation yea and doing it against so many faire warnings as they continually have Every one that meddles with the Sacrament unpreparedly meddles with it rashly and he that meddles rashly is in danger of Gods stroake of a worse stroake then Vzzahs was of a stroake upon the soule for he that eates and drinkes unworthily eates and drinkes his owne damnation So strangely doth our unpreparednes pervert Gods Ordinance Ideoque alijs sunt haec munera odor vitae in vitam alijs odor mortis in mortem quia omnino justum est ut tanto pâ—â—ventur beneficio gratiae con emptores nec in â—â—dignis 〈◊〉 gâ—atiae puâ—â—â—â— faciâ—â— maâ—â—â—â—nem 〈◊〉 de â—oen dom and of an Ordinance of life makes it an Ordinance unto death That as they spake in that case 1 Reg. 4 40. Oh thou man of God death is in the pot So it may bee sayd unto an unprepared Communicant ôh thou unworthy receiver Death is in the cup. If thou drinke unpreparedly thou drinkest thine owne death And as God speakes of Ierusalem to the enemies of it Zech. 12. 2. Behold I will make Ierusalem a cup of poyson or a cup of trembling unto all the people round about so may it be sayd of the cup in the Sacrament to an unprepared receiver Inteâ—â—jâ— nefarie necatus veneno per infectum panem sacrum Beneconventi a Bernhardino Monachoâ—e familia fratrunâ— pradicatorum qui ad hoca Florentioâ—â— eâ—at conductus Carion Chronic. lib 5. Behold I will make the cup in the Sacrament a cup of poyson or a cup of trembling to all unprepared Communicants The Emperour Henry the seventh was poisoned in the bread by a Monk and Pope Victor the second was poysond by his Subdeacon in his challice and one of our Bishops of Yorke was poysond at the Sacrament by poyson put in the wine Now if poyson were mingled with the Sacramentall bread or if poyson were put into the cup would not men tremble to eate that bread would not that cup be a cup of trembling would not the very feare and suspicion of poyson make men tremble to drinke of it Assuredly if thou be an unprepared receiver there is poyson in thy bread in thy cup and it will poyson thy soule to death And therefore it should make men as much tremble to come unprepared as Medicus enim non daret venenum salutem medicus dedit sed indigne accipiendo ad perniciem accepit August they would tremble to go away with their soules poysoned If a sonne shall aske bread of any of you that is a Father will hee give him a stone sayes our Saviour Luk. 11. 11. We professe when we come to the Sacrament that wee come to seeke bread and foode for our soules And bread the true living bread that came down from heaven is there to be had but when we come unprepared it so falls out with us that in stead of bread we have a stone given us a stone that will choake us The Divell would have had our Saviour to have turned stones into bread but contrarily men comming unpreparedly turne the bread in the Sacrament into a stone so that not onely no more nourishment by it then by a stone but so much danger by it as by feeding on a stone which is no lesse then death I will sayes David Psal 116. 13. Take the cup of salvation How many in taking the cup in the Sacrament take the cup of damnation Either take it a cup of salvation or take it not at all 3 The third danger is bodily danger Vnprepared receiving brings bodily judgements upon men as sickenesse weakenesse yea and death it selfe 1 Cor. 11. 30. For this cause many are weake and sickely amongst you and many sleepe For what cause For receiving the
with all his benefits Take eate drinke I see then God offers me Christ to be taken His body to be eaten His bloud to be drunke Here then must faith Actuate it selfe and set it selfe on worke striving with all it's might to take Christ to eate and drinke Christ offered Lord Christ as verily as I take and eate and drink these outward Sacramental elements so verily doe I by my faith receive thy selfe into my soule and feede upon thee for spirituall nourishment Christ is offered to us offers to come in and enter into our hearts The Act of faith now then is that Psalm 24. 7. Lift up your heads ô yee gates and be yee lift up yee everlasting doores But why must these gates and doores of their hearts be thus lift up And the King of glory shal come in Christ is come and he makes an offer to come into your hearts open therefore the gates of your hearts lift them up even from off the hookes that faire and full way may be made for his ready entrance when a great man specially a King comes to a mans house he will not only open the small wicket his little doore but he sets open his great gates throwes them wide open to make spatious way for his entrance Now Christ in the Sacrament offers Himselfe to come to us the King of glory offers to come in Here then let thy faith busily bestirre it selfe in widning the passage and opening thine heart to make Christ way now strive might and maine to stretch open thine heart to such a breadth and largenesse as a fit way may be made for the King of glory to enter Doe in receiving Christ at the Sacrament as Zacheus did in receiving him into his house Luk. 19. 5. Zacheus saies Christ Make hast and come downe for to day I must abide at thine house Here Christ offers Himselfe to Zacheus and upon the offer made instantly Zacheus made haste and came downe and received him joyfully Think upon that gratious offer of Christs how Zacheus bestirred himselfe with what haste he leaped down from the Tree with what readinesse and heartinesse he brought CHRIST home with what sweetnesse of affection he claspes about CHRIST when he entertained him into his house Christ makes thy soule the same offer at the Sacrament now let thy faith as busily bestir herselfe as Zacheus did hasten open claspe embrace welcome and receive CHRIST thus offered to thee Secondly In the Sacrament wee have Sacramentall promises This is my body This is my bloud This is my body which is given for you my blood which is shed for you Shed for the remission of sinnes Take Eate Drinke saies our Saviour Well what if we doe so what shall we get by it What shall we be the better for it A great deale the better for this is my body my bloud I promise you in the use of this Ordinance you shall receive my body and my bloud that body which was once crucified and offered for the redemption of the world that bloud which was shed for Recon 〈…〉 n and Remission of sin and you by being made partakers hereof sâ—â—ll receive efficacious vertue of my quickning death So that these are Sacramentall promises So that here is that which may abundantly set faith on worke for the promises are the most proper object for faith to worke upon Well then CHRIST saies This is my body given for you my bloud shed for you shed for the remission of sinnes Let faith now beleeve these promises Lord I beleeve that thy body was given for me thy bloud shed for me thy bloud shed for the remission of my sins Lord I cheerefully and gladly beleeve that I am now made partaker of thy body and bloud and that my sinnes are pardoned in thy bloud Faith must doe here as David doth Psal 60. 6 7. God hath spoken in his holinesse that is hee hath made me a gracious promise that he will bring all the land under mine obedience Here David hath Gods promise marke now what followes I will rejoyce saith he I will divide Sechem I will mete out the valley of Succoth Gilead is mine Manasseh is mine See how hee actuates his faith upon Gods promise so as to rejoyce so as to take possession of Sechem Succoth Gilead and Manasseh So Christ hath spoken in or by his holinesse This is my body which is given for you this is my bloud which is shed for you for the remission of your sins Here be Sacramentall promises Now upon the view of these promises should a man Actuate his faith and say I will rejoyce I will eate Christs flesh I will drinke his bloud Christ is mine His death is mine His Resurrection is mine Remission of sin is mine Pardon and Heaven are mine And thus by this Actuation of faith should a man with Iohn leane on CHRISTS bosome Iohn 13. 23. When he is at the Sacrament so participating of him as to have communion with him in all his benefits Thus leane wee on our beloved Cant. 8. 5. when at the Sacrament Againe This is my bloud shed for you for the remission of sinne Loe here is that bloud offered me to drinke and promised to me in the Sacrament by the shedding wherof remission of sin was purchased yea here is remission of sin not onely offered me and promised me but of fered and promised under seale Now then Actuate thy faith and say Lord I accept Lord I beleeve this sealed pardon of my sin And faith thus Actuated will make good unto us the Sacramentall promises for as it is true in case of prayer Mar. 11. 24. What things soever you desire when yee pray beleeve that ye receive them and yee shall have them so is it as true in case of receiving What things soever ye desire when ye receive doe but Actuate your faith and set that on worke for them beleeve that yee receive them and yee shall have them Thirdly In the Sacrament we have Sacramentall representations There is in the Sacrament a visible remembrance of CHRISTS death and in the breaking of the bread and powring out the wine there is a representation of Christs death and Passion When I see the wine powred out it represents unto me the shedding of Christs bloud here I see Christs bloud shed on the Crosse What is to be done now when I see this bloud in the Sacrament Do but consider that same Exod. 24. 6 8. Moses tooke of the bloud of the Sacrifices and put it in basons and he tooke the bloud that was in the basons and sprinkled it upon the people haply with a bunch of hysope as the manner was to which David alludes Psal 51. Purge me with hysope Now so must it be here The bloud of our burnt offering which was shed for us the Lord hath put in basons in the basons of the Word and Sacraments and out of these basons it must be sprinkled The Sacrament of the Supper is one bason