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A53963
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A practical discourse upon the Blessed Sacrament shewing the duties of the communicant before, at, and after the Eucharist / by Edward Pelling ...
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Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing P1089; ESTC R20512
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120,778
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284
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Promises at his hands THIS is enough to shew what a becoming and suitable posture Kneeling is at this Great Solemnity and how Naturally it follows where People entertain right Notions of it and come unto it with humble Minds Nor can I sufficiently admire that of all the Usages in the Christian Church this so Significant so Decent a Ceremony should ever become a stumbling-block and matter of Dispute Certainly it must be an ill sign of very Lofty Imaginations when there is such stiffness in Mens Knees BUT it is high time for me to proceed CHAP. XII Of our Behaviour after Receiving WHEN we have thus devoutly employ'd this blessed hour we must not imagine that our great Business is at an end that we may now drop those Religious Considerations which hitherto took up our time and thoughts that we may now go home leaving our Vows and Resolutions behind us in the Church much less may we think our selves free to fall afresh upon our former course of Life I must tell you the greatest part of our business is yet before us and to stop and rest here in the performance of those things which have hitherto employ'd our minds is the ready way to unravel our whole work and to defeat the design of this Heavenly Ordinance For this Rite of Eating and Drinking at the Lord's Table though it be of admirable use yet it is not naturally and intrinsecally good as those Acts and Dispositions of the Mind are wherein the Substance and Excellence of Religion doth consist but it iâ— a Relative thing instituted by our Saviour as a Means to promote and carry on that Noble End for which the Grace of God hath appeared unto all Men that denying all Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Tit. 2. 12. Here indeed we lay the Foundation of a life of Virtue by devoting unto God the Powers and Faculties of our Souls and the Members of our Bodies but as the Ground-work is in order to a Superstructure so are our Actions now in order to the further edifying and perfecting of us that we may be built up more and more in our most Holy Faith and being sitly framed together and compacted may grow and rise up by degrees to an Holy Temple for the Lord to be an Habitation of God through the Spirit THIS you will easily perceive if you observe 1. The Nature of the Ordinance it self It is first a Representation of the very Death of Christ a Representation exhibited to our Sences by the breaking of the Bread and the effusion of the Wine And what doth this mean but to awaken our Fears by shewing us the Terror of the Lord who for the expiation of the World's Guilt spared not his own Son nor would be reconciled to the World at a lower rate than by delivering him up to Torments and Death for us all What doth it mean but to set our Zeal a work upon mortifying all our Lusts and Affections and upon perfecting Holiness in the fear of God because Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and Purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works What doth it mean but to make us ever watchful and circumspect lest we tread under foot the Blood of the Son of God Because if we sin wilfully after we have received the Knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sin Heb. 10. 26. It is secondly a Memorial of Christ's Love Love stronger than Death that made him give his life a ransom for the ungodly And what doth this mean but to kindle in our Hearts the most ardent Affections to Him again who so loved us as to die for us The greatest Affection this that 't is possible for any Mortal Man to express to lay down his Life for the Brethren But yet infinitely short of that which the Son of God expressed upon the Cross for his Enemies In this he commended his Love towards us above all proportion and comparison in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us the Just for the Vnjust It is thirdly a foederal Solemnity whereby we renew the Covenant we entred into at our Baptism Vowing Promising and Engaging over the Symbols of Christ's Body and Blood and Swearing as it were with our Hands laid upon the Redeemer of our Souls that we will henceforth walk in Newness of Life And what doth this mean but to bind us with the most Solemn Securities and under the most dreadful Penalties to renounce the Devil and all his Works to deny all the Lusts of the Flesh so as not to follow or be led by them and not only to offer up our Hearts and Spirits unto the God of Purity but to present even our Bodies a living Sacrifice Holy and Acceptable to him And for the farthering of all these Noble Ends this Mystery is in the Fourth place the very Means of Grace and Salvation an Instrument that conveys to us the present Possession of all necessary and suitable Assistances and a Title under Seal to all the Evangelical Promises and particularly to this that he that persevereth unto the end the same shall be saved and that to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality God will render Eternal Life Rom. 2. 7. And what doth this mean too but that we should grow in Grace that we must not grieve the good Spirit of God whereby we are Sealed to the day of Redemption but that we should be strong in the Lord and in the power of his Might and give all manner of diligence to make our Calling and Election unto Grace sure and effectual by adding to our Faith Virtue or Courage and to Virtue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity Charity in the highest degree to all Mankind and even to our Enemies Thus you see the nature of the Ordinance it self is such that it is not only highly useful for the present but of mighty Importance for the future it hath a tendency forward and it drives at mighty Ends which our endeavours are to be employ'd about after the Celebration of it is over that we may be more and more Partakers of the Divine Nature and come every day nearer and nearer to the Life of God TO confirm this still we may observe Secondly That those very Preparations which are required in order to our worthy Communicating do all look the same way and have a direct tendency to the same purpose Thus Faith or the hearty belief of the truth of our Religion upon those Evidences and Motives it carries with it is naturally productive of constant Obedience to the Precepts of it throughout the whole course of our lives For as it discovers to us the Folly the Shamefulness and the bitter Fruits of Sin so it shews
Consecrate our selves by this Evangelical Solemnity to the Service of God and vow Obedience to him answerable to that way and platform which he hath laid before us now This is the meaning of this Mystery and therefore 't is called a Sacrament because 't is like the old Military Oath binding all of us to be Faithful and True to the Captain of our Salvation Now this is that which he hath commanded us by the Mouth of his Apostle that as he who hath called us is Holy so we also should be Holy in all manner of Conversation 1 Pet. 1. 15. And this we undertake to do when we Eat and Drink here before the Lord if we rightly understand what we do We stipulate and vow to Obey the Will of God in all things and promise Solemnly to deny all ungodliness and worldly Lusts and in express terms do offer and present unto God our selves our Souls and Bodies to be a holy reasonable and lively Sacrifice unto him Now unless we really intend what we do Profess and do stedfastly purpose and diligently endeavour to make all our Promises good what else can we be supposed to do but to set forth our own shameful Hypocrisie instead of shewing forth the Lord's Death Therefore if we intend to Receive this Sacrament with Profit and to our Eternal Salvation we must resolve with our selves to be upright and sincere in Heart to lay aside all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God to take to our selves the whole Armour of God and to quit and behave our selves like Men. We must resolve to serve God all our days with Reverence and Fear and to make him the Object of our Desires and the Portion of our Souls to be Holy in our Affections to be Humble in Soul to be Meek and Peaceable in Spirit to be Sober and Temperate in our Delights to be Contented in all Conditions and to be Patient under our Crosses as the Prince of Peace was under his To be Thankful for our Afflictions to be constant and firm in our Tryals and to be Charitable in all our Prayers as he himself was who Prayed unto his Father at the very last gasp for the Forgiveness of his Enemies Men must not be so vain as to imagine that they are sufficiently Prepared if they do but find within themselves some present Raptures and Liquorish apprehensions of the Love of God if they can but breath out some Groans or dissolve themselves into a shower of Water No the right Preparation of the Heart consisteth in the entire Love of Virtue of whatsoever things are True and Honest and Just and Pure and Lovely and of Good Report as the Apostle speaks Phil. 4. 8. AND thus much may suffice to be spoken briefly of the Quality and Nature of due Preparation in general It must be an Vniversal Rectitude and Holiness of Heart an entire Goodness of Disposition a sincere Love of that Religion which is Pure and Vndefiled and such a Divine frame and bent of Soul as utterly Abhorreth all that is Evil and Destructive of that Obedience which is due both to the first and second Table of the Decalogue 2. BUT then we must Note in the next place that as there ought to be this general and habitual Preparation so there are some Particular and Special Duties which are now to be performed because as I said here are special Objects and Reasons to stir us up to the performance of them Here the Passion of Christ is represented the Pardon of our Sins is tendered and the infinite Love of God is Exhibited to us And accordingly we are to lay hold on Christ's Merits with all our Souls because his Merits are available to such only as do Believe We are truly and earnestly to Repent of our Sins because Sin was that which Christ Dyed for and 't is upon our Repentance that our Pardon is Sealed and moreover we are to express our entire Love to our Brethren in all its Acts and Offices because if God so Loved us we ought also to Love one another 1 Joh. 4. 11. Hence it is that Divines commonly Prescribe Faith and Repentance and Charity as most necessary Preparatives in order to a worthy Receiving not as if other Virtues were to be excluded but because these are specially to be Exercised forasmuch as this great Solemnity doth afford us Special and Eminent Objects for the Exercising of them I shall therefore observe the usual Method being now to shew how Prepared you ought to be and what Preparations are sufficient and for your more Profitable Instruction I shall Discourse particularly of those three Qualifications in their due order 1. AND first of Faith which is the Mother and Nurse of all True Religion By Faith I mean here in the strict Notion of it an Act of the Vnderstanding whereby a Man is convinced and satisfied of the Truth of those things which are propounded to our Belief by Divine Revelation distinguishing Faith from Hope and Obedience and other Acts of the Will which are included in the Notion of Faith when 't is taken in a larger and more comprehensive Sense Now in the pursuit of this Subject I shall do these two things 1. First shew why Faith is required in a Communicant that we may understand the Necessity of this part of our Duty 2. What Faith is required or what we are bound to Believe that we may see the Extent of it And when this is done I know not what more will be needful to be spoken touching this matter 1. WHY Faith is required in a Communicant And the Reason of it is obvious because it is the Principle that doth influence move and govern our Actions it being unconceivable how a Man should be wrought upon either to put his Trust in God or to forsake his Impieties or to do any other Act of Religion unless he be first perswaded in his Mind that the Author of our Religion had Authority from God to exact these things at our Hands and that there is Mercy with God if we be careful to do our Duty and that nothing but Punishment is to be expected if we neglect and despise so great Salvation So that without Faith as it is impossible to please God so it is impossible to answer the ends and purposes of this Ordinance and consequently the Elements that are taken by an Unbeliever can do him no more good than a Morsel put into a Dead Man's Mouth Even the Word that is Preached doth not profit at all if it be not mixed with Faith in them that hear it Heb. 4. 2. A thousand Homilies of Righteousness are no more to such than Metaphysical Discourses to a Brute In like manner the Administration of this Sacrament though to well-prepared Souls it be the Communication of Christ's Body and Blood yet it availeth not except there be a Disposition and Principle of Faith in them that Receive it It is observable that while