* If wee doe well this day must be vnto vs all a very painefull day even a day of Battell against all the pleasures that ever wee had in sinne since we could discerne good from ill In this day wee must trye and search carefully all the secrets of our hearts * This is the time wherein wee must keepe an Assise against our selues both for to judge and condemne our selues * In a word wee must all take such paines in sifting out all our bypast iniquities that the LORD may say of vs as hee said of the woman that broke the Boxe of ointment vpon his head Shee hath done what shee could Good Brethren and Sisters What yee can doe doe What yee can not doe pray GOD to doe it and to pardon you your impossibility * I beleeue said that poore man with teares that is all that I can doe but I beleeue not as I should and therefore LORD helpe thou myne vnbeleefe Let vs all bee earnest to intreat GOD to giue vs grace to doe what wee can doe and what wee can not doe that hee would pitie vs and pardon vs. I reade that in the dayes of Hezekiah a number of the people which had not cleansed themselues did eate the Passcover otherwise then it was written But what befell them I pray you Many of them were troubled with sore sickenesse * But how were they cured of these diseases It is said that Hezekiah prayed for them The good LORD said hee pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seeke GOD the LORD GOD of his Fathers though hee bee not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary Now what was the fruite of that prayer This was it The LORD hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the people That which the Passover was to them the LORDS Supper is vnto vs even a Sacrament appointed by GOD for the sealing vp of our Salvation If wee eate this supper otherwise then it is written let vs looke for diverse diseases For this cause saith the Apostle Many are weake and sickely amongst you and many sleepe that is die Let vs therefore as we would desire our bodies health and our soules Salvation prepare ourselues to meete the LORD to morrow There is none of vs I confesse that can prepare himselfe according to the preparation of the Sanctuary nor cleanse himselfe according to its purification No Soule can bee so well prepared and purified as GOD in his Sanctuary requireth * But this I dare be bold to say that the good LORD shall pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seeke GOD though hee bee not so cleansed as the purification of the Sanctuary requireth GODS word is plaine that GOD is mercifull Hee hath sworne by his life that He deligteth not in the death of sinners * He hath sent his word for to tell vs that If wee will judge our selues wee shall not bee judged * Yea such is his mercy that while wee are chastised with sicknesse or death for our carelesse preparation he maketh all that to worke to our well for when wee are judged wee are chastened of the Lord that wee should not bee condemned with the world Now good people not knowing if ever after this yee shall heare or I teach another Preparation Sermon in this place let me conclude all with that adew of S t. Paul said to the elders of Ephesus at Miletum I commend you to GOD and to the word of his grace which is able to build you vp and to giue you an inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified Passe the rest of this day in a serious meditation of your owne miserie and of the bloodie agonie of IESUS our Master who out of loue to vs hang vpon a cursed tree for to purchase vnto vs the everlasting blessings of his Father To whom with the Sonne of his loue and with the Spirit of Comforts bee Glory and Majestie Dominion and Power now and ever Amen A SERMON FOR THE DAY OF THE SACRAMENT IOHN 6. v. 27. Labour not for the meate which perisheth but for the meate which endureth to everlasting lyfe which the Sonne of man shall giue vnto you for Him hath GOD the FATHER sealed THIS TEXT in my former Sermon was divided into a Fast and a Feast First heere is a Fast and then a Feast The fast is from carking care Labour not for the meate which perisheth Fast from that The feast is for the soule a banket of meate which feedeth to life everlasting Feast vpon that Take paines and labour for it This whole TEXT seemeth to runne vpon a Sabbath of rest and vpon fore working and labour The first part is a Sabbath and rest from labours Labour not for the meate which perisheth The second hath a commandement of worke Labour for the meate which endureth to lyfe everlasting As for GOD his Sabbath which is a discharge of labour a resting from toiling I read in Scriptures of three sortes therof First there is one on earth enjoyned by GOD his law a day of rest In it saith GOD thou shalt doe no manner of worke This is the lawes Sabbath The second is the Gospel Sabbath which is a continuall resting from carking cares This is enjoyned heere labour not for the meate c. This precept is for our whole lifetime * There is not one day of the weeke that GOD will dispense with any for to labour in this sort The third Sabbath is inâ—o the heavens an eternall rest from all worldly toiling and sweat of browes the paines of sinne of all that are there is said that they are blessed yea saith the spirit for thy rest from their labours As there bee three sortes of rest first of the law secondly of the Gospell Thirdly of the HEAVENS so there bee three sortes of labour first there is one enioyned by the law a labour laide vpon all the sonnes of Adam to them it is enioyned sixe dayes in the weeke to winne their meat with the sweat of their browes * Cursed is that meat which is not sawsed with sweete Bitter is that bread which is not sweetned with the sweete of browes The Second labour is Gospell labour a continuall labour Labour for the meat which endureth This is enjoyned in the second part of this Text This is our spirituall exercise painfull to flesh and blood in the best The third labour is Heauenly which shall bee our exercise in the life to come * That labour shall bee sweete without sweate pleasant without paine This labour is an everlasting praising of GOD without ceasing which is so easy and so pleasant to the praisers that Scripture calleth it a resting from our labours It is of the second sorte of labour whereof wee haue heere the command it is an Evangelicall labour which is heere commanded by the LORD labour saith hee for the meate which endureth to
desire to get good heere though thou bee not prepared nor purified according to the purification of the Sanctuary Let mee say more though thou want faith and yet come with outward reverence fearing to offend if thou droupe before GOD taking some paines to doe well thou shall reape an outward benefite from GOD as health of body prosperitie in thy actions escaping of some temporall judgement * This I may inforce by reason from Scripture All that beheld the brasen Serpent had not true faith yet all receiued a benefite The faithfull were healed both in Soule and Body The wicked because they obeyed GOD by looking vp to his ordinance were all healed of their bodily sore Because Ahab that was but a damned hypocrite made a shew of repentance lying into sack-cloath hee found some favour with GOD Though his heart was not vpright yet because hee cowred and crouched outwardly and was afraide the LORD pitied him and praised him saying to Elijah Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himselfe before mee because hee humbled himselfe I will not bring the euill in his dayes for his outward repentance GOD bestowed vpon him an outward beneficence The ill came not vpon his house in his dayes But as for these that are in the gall of bitternesse scandalous in life and publickly prophane lying in the bed of wickednesse or sifting in the Chaire of scorners delighting in sinne vaunting and bragging of of their wickednesse taking no paines to mourne for their offending of GOD in the name of IESUS CHRIST I excommunicate them from this holy Table see that they bee not so bold as to presume to prophane this blessed meate * Heere I plainely declare vnto them that in steade of wholesome meate and drinke they shall eate and drinke the ranke poison of their owne damnation * In Iudas his Soppe was the divell or the divell entred into him after the Soppe A strange thing Sathan could never winne in into the man till hee had gotten that Soppe Before the soppe gotten hee had made many onsets but could never get entrie for to possesse him so fully But so soone as hee receiued the soppe he followed it downe into the man who never ceased till hee had hanged himselfe * Sathan may make many onsets on a profane man but hee never findeth such a doore of entrance as when hee findeth him taking out of GOD his servants hands the holy meate of the Sacrament That is to him like the Traitours Soppe Thus the meat and drinke of the Sacrament which by GOD his ordinance is a most wholesome meate both for soule and body by the abuse thereof becommeth an eaten and drunken damnation The third Durable In this our Text wee haue the third propertie of this spirituall meat for which CHRIST willeth vs to labour it is dâ—â—able This is declared in these words which endureth to euerlasting lyfe This is meate which passeth not thorow This is holy meate everlasting meat not subiect to corruption Meat below must be salted lest it stinke ouer nights Mannah would not keepe wormes entered into it and it stanke The Gibeonits bread being old became mouldie Onely CHRIST which is GOD his bread endureth to euerlasting lyfe Heere let vs obserue that the things of GOD are onely durable temporall things below will abide some little space but endure not nothing heere is permanent for wee spend our yeeres as a tale that is told what is this bread whereon wee feede from nine houres vnto twelue and from twelue vnto sixe shall wee call that an enduring meat * All the most delicate meats of this world are but like a feast in print most delicate meats and drinkes are there but all in wordes and lines There is nothing there indeede which can feede But my flesh said CHRIST is meate indeede and my blood is drinke indeede Temporall things may haue the name of meate and drink but nothing is so indeede but CHRIST himselfe Shall I call that meate indeede which is not able to feede me foure and twentie houres shall I say that that is which is ever passing thorow as swiftly as the time * Because of the continuall fluxe of time time is never said properly to be present but either past or to come the present being but an instant It is so of all temporall things below they are not durable but are all sicke of such a fluxe that their present beeing in an instant is not worthie of the word of enduring What is man his life heere but a tale alreadie told So long as a tale is in telling it seemeth to bee something but when once it is told the hearer will say Tush that is but a tale The vanitie of vanities said the Preacher and all is vanitie The course of all things below is in vanitie from vanitie to vanitie There is nothing heere fixed and permanent That which seemeth most sure is like the strength of our lyfe which as Moses singeth Is soone cut off and wee flie away All temporall things are like the time ever in a fluxe like sand running out of a sand-glasse they haue no abode But what soever thing is in GOD it is permanent GOD his honour is permanent his good will is fixed his blessing is stable like Isaac his blessing Him haue I blessed and he shall be blessed GOD his riches are enduring riches Honour and riches are with mee yea durable riches and righteousnesse The water of the well of Sichar did quench mens thirst for a space but there is a liquour in CHRIST which being drunken shall banish thirst away for ever Whosoeuer shall drinke of this water shall thirst againe said CHRIST to the woman at the Well But whosoever said he shall drinke of the water that I shall giue him shall never thirst But the water that I shall giue him shall bee in him a Well of water springing vp into everlasting life Now let vs obserue to what this meate is said in my Text for to endure It is said to endure to everlasting life In this meate I find two good things 1. It giueth life where there is nothing but death 2. It preserveth the lyfe that is gotten It endureth to euerlasting life that is maketh the eater thereof to liue for ever By this clearely this spirituall meate is distinguished from all temporall cheere There is no temporall meate that can put life in a dead man There is no meate also which can prolong the lyfe of a man but an houre But heere is the meate CHRIST which endureth to everlasting life By this I say CHRIST is distinguished from all other meat in this world * Let a man walke thorow all Cuntries in Europe Asia and Africa in no place shall hee find either meate or medicine that shall prolong his dayes beyond the date of the most vigorous the foure score yeere The Mannah which was Angels
foode had not this propertie Your fathers said CHRIST did eate Mannah in the wildernesse and are dead No Apples of youth can preserue man from old age * Physicitians may prattle and say Cur moriatur homo cum salvia crescat in horto That is man needeth not to die if hee knew the vse of the herbe sage But if men could take this Saviour for saluia they should find that men neede not to die at all This Saviour is that spirituall Sage of Salvation wherefore should a man die seeing GOD hath so loued the world that hee hath giuen his onely sonne that whosoever beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Let vs all therefore beleeue in this Saviour for wherefore should yee die O yee house of Israel Let vs eate him by faith hee is that spirituall Sage and Salve which is the onely remeede against death Hee who is CHRISTS may well while hee goeth to the graue lay downe his head for to sleepe or take a little nap as wee say but hee cannot die because hee hath eaten his Salvation even this meate which endureth to everlasting lyfe The vse of this doctrine is that seeing this meate is of such worth wee bee carefull to labour for it If wee labour for it it will feede vs eternally But if wee labour not for it if wee loue it not but loath it it shall be our death the chiefe point of the condemnation of the wicked shall bee this that this meate was offered vnto him but they would none of it This is the condemnation of the world not that they haue sinned but because they haue despised the remedie of sinne This saith S. Iohn is the condemnation that light is comâ— into the world but men loued darkenesse rather then light * Now seeing yee are presently invited to the LORDS banket a banket not of dead meate but of liuiug meate which shall make your soules to liue for ever my Counsell is that as yesterday so also this day yee labour for it Take paines now vpon your Soules that they may bee wrought vnto a holy reuerence Bend vp all your spirits and prepare you for your GOD see what euery man can doe this day for the Salvation of his owne Soule Let vs all together wrestle with CHRIST as it were half middle half man and let vs say of this meate as Iacob said of the blessing I will not let thee goe * Bread in Hebrewe is called Lehem from a word that signifieth to fight because a man aboue all things earthly will fight for his meat If a man will fight for the foode of his belly what should hee not doe for to get meate to his Soule Let vs therefore labour and wrestle with Iacob powring our teares and prayers the armour of the Church let vs never let the LORD get rest till wee get that meate which endureth to everlasting lyfe THE SECOND PART Who is the giuer of this meate NOW let vs come to the second and third parts of our Text wherein I shall striue to be short In this second part wee haue to considder who is the giuer of this meate The giuer is called the sonne of man in these words which the sonne of man shall giue you Hee who is called heere the sonne of man is CHRIST * CHRIST in Scripture is called the Sonne of three 1. The Sonne of GOD. 2. The Sonne of Marie 3. The Sonne of man In regard of his Deitie as second person of the Trinitie Hee is the Sonne of GOD begotten of him from all eternitie coequall and coessentiall to his Father of whose glory he is the brightnesse and the expresse image of his person the appointed heire of all things Hee was called the Sonne of Mary because hee was conceiued in her Belly and borne of her Heere hee is called by himselfe the sonne of man because hee tooke vpon him mans nature and became man like vnto vs in all things sinne onely excepted * So soone as the fullnesse of time came GOD sent foorth his sonne made of a woman conceived of a woman and not begotten by a man and yet the sonne of man and the Sonne of a virgine even GOD manifested in the flesh a Sonne younger than MARIE his Mother a Son older than Adam the Father of his Mother a Sonne eternall with his FATHER that begate him * As in the Heaven He was Motherlesse as GOD so on earth Hee was Fatherlesse as Man and yet the Sonne of Man Heere bee the three greatest wonders of the World DEVM nasci Virginem parerâ— fidem haec credere That GOD should bee borne that a Virgine should bring foorth a Sonne that man can beleeue it though in the Creation hee may haue some ground * For seeing GOD at the beginning made the woman out of the man without the helpe of any woman why might hee not make a man and hewe him out of a woman without the helpe of any man Hee who could giue a beeing vnto nothing might also raise a nature of some thing but to leaue this let vs considder heere what is the office of this Sonne of man It is said heere that hee is ordained for to giue to vs the meate which endureth to euerlasting lyfe in these words which the sonne of man shall giue vnto you The doctrine I obserue heere is that * CHRIST is the great Steward of HEAVEN to whom the dispensation of eternall lyfe and of all other good things is committed No man said hee commeth vnto the Father but by mee There is nothing also that can come from the Father vnto man but by him The vse of this doctrine is that wee bee earnest to make our aquaintance with CHRIST if wee would haue any good thing from the HEAVENS The Children of this world are wise in their generation By the proceedings of naturall wise men we may learne spirituall wisedome * It is written of the men of Tyre and of Sidon that knowing that Herod was highly displeased with them they came with one accord to him to seeke peace for to obtaine this they made Blâ—stus the Kings Chamberlaine their friend It is so that wee should doe whether wee would pacifie GODS wrath raging against vs or obtaine any favour from GOD let vs first make IESVS CHRIST the great Steward and Chamberlaine of Heauen our friend Againe let vs obserue heere how wee get this Meate with Life euerlasting It is said that the Sonne of man shall giue it for two reasons CHRIST the Sonne of man is said to giue life vnto man First because in his humane nature by death hee hath merited this life vnto all beleeuers Secondly because his humane nature is the instrument whereby hee conuoyeth life vnto vs. * As the stocke sendeth sappe vp from the roote to the graft so the humanitie of CHRIST which is