as it is vers 12. Worthy is the Lambe that was slaine to receive power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and blessing Yea for a full consort let us with every creature in heaven in earth under the earth and in the sea sing as it is in verse 13. Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lambe for ever and ever And so much also of the third grace the last followes which is 4. Love unto Christ in a holy affection of the soule carrying us with full desire to the enioying of him making us to preferre our communion with him before all things that in this world may challenge our dearest respect All those motives that stir up to Thankfulnesse provoke also unto Love the smalnes of our desert the greatnesse of the benefit the gloriousnes of the person al are here in a singular degree and for them Christ deserves our Love in the highest degree that we can possibly shew it in Hence the Church in the Canticles can find no names so fit whereby to call her Spouse Christ Iesus as these Him whom her soule loveth her Beloved and her well beloved It s admirable what pleasures she takes in describing and talking of his rare excellencies here 's her full contentment and the height of her ioy and peace that shee is able to say My welbeloved is mine and I am his Certainely my Brethren were our hearts truly spirituall had our soules tasted how good the Lord Iesus hath beene unto us were our eyes opened to see him at the right hand of God clothed with all beauties of holinesse glory and majesty it could not be but that our sinnes our pleasures all the pompe of this world would be most vile and despicable in our esteeme and nothing but Christ would appeare worthy of our Love Delight and Admiration These are those heavenly graces of chiefe marke that receive life and strength from the death of Christ remembred in this Sacrament And the effect of them all is our obedience in life and conversation that wee should serve him faithfully that hath bought us at so deare a price This is the trial of the truth of all those forenamed graces when our faith works by Love our Repentance is approved by reformation our Thankfulnesse and Love shewne in keeping of his Commandements This is also the end of the death of Christ who hath redeemed us from our vain conversation wherein wee lived in the lusts of the flesh that henceforth wee should live unto him who hath delivered us from the feare of our enemies that wee should serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse all our dayes And thus you see what it is rightly to remember Christ crucified and to shew forth the Lords death in the use of this holy Sacrament even to remember him with beleeving with penitent with thankfull with loving with obedient harts Not to remember him in this sort is to forget hâ—m not to know the vertue of his death in this manner is to bee ignorant of Christ crucified An excellent knowledge but of all most difficult to be put in practice T is an easie thing to turn the story into a tragedy to make a Scenicall representation of the death of Christ as the Papists use to doe on good-Friday or to compile a curious declamation of this subject as Popish Postillers and Preachers doe in their Lenton Sermons I discommend not eloquence in so excellent a subject words cannot be better bestowed than here yet there is an error to be feared lest the tongue onely be imployed where the heart chiefly should bee busied and there is danger also lest such high discourses prove not unlike those of Tragedians made more to breed admiration of the Poet than attention and observation of the fact Thus much I may safely say that the meditation of the death of Christ requires not so much strength of wit and invention as the exercise of all holy and zealous affections of the soule to the increase of pietie and obedience There cannot bee a greater incongruitie than to discourse of so holy a subject with an unhallowed heart to amplifie the indignity of Christs passion and yet not bee moved at all to remorse of conscience for sinne to rayle on Iudas and the Iewes and yet sweare by Christ to descant upon his Bloud and Wounds in passionate discourse and yeâ— to teare these and trample upon that inexecrable blasphemies to talke of Christ and yet not to live as a Christian to relate to others the story of his crucifying by the Iewes and in the meane while by obstinate impiety and prophanenesse to crucifie him againe unto himselfe This is far from being a Preacher and a follower of Christ to such let mee speake in Salvians words a little altered Christum legunt impudici sunt Christum audiunt inebriantâ—r Christum sequuntur rapiunt haec ergo etiam nos qui Christiani dicimur facimus What might one of Mahomeds disciples here say Ecce quales sunt qui Christum câ—lunt see the servants of the crucified God see them luxurious profane intemperate blasphemers scorners of Religion it must needs be wil he then say they haue a bad master that are such evill seruants Si enim bona discerent boni essent and Sancta à Christianis fierent si Christus sancta docuisset Thus whilst some profâ—sse themselves Christians they are a reproach unto Christ a disgrace of the Gospell and shame of all Religion Wherefore I beseech you perswade your selves of this that you never know Christ crucified aright till your hearts can bleed in sorrow for sinne as his bled for satisfaction till your Faith embrace him your soules rejoyce in him your love bee fixed on him till his death have caused the death of sinne in you till then know that you are but ignorant in this great mysterie of Christs sufferings And now you are to goe unto the Sacrament take time and care to thinke of these things so may you goe with comfort and depart thence with profit unto your soules The Apostle after hee hath declared the true institution of the Sacrament and the right end to bee observed in the celebration of it namely The perpetuall commemoration of Christs death in the words before spoken of hee goes forward in the next place to shew the great danger that men run into by perverting this holy institution and abusing of it to wrong ends purposes They commit a great sinne which drawes upon them great judgements both temporall and eternall unlesse by diligent examination of themselves the sinne be prevented and the punishment removed This the Apostle doth from the 27. vers unto the 33. verse The resolution of which words is in briefe thus They containe 1. The sinne of unworthy receiving vers 27. 2. The meanes to avoide this sinne which is due examination of ones selfe before the Sacrament vers 28. 3.
if that of Salomon be true Blessed is hee that feareth alwayes By how much more odious is the sinne of those who in their hearts despise this tendernesse of conscience and with their tongues raile revile and curse it deeming it the signe of a silly effeminate mind to be affraid of any sinne especially of small offences But ever let those that beare the faces of men and name of Christians detest such impiety that tramples under foote with scorne and disdaine the most precious comfort of a Christians soule a Good Conscience Those men will then see their errour when God shall coole the heate of their high bloud and rebete the edge of their furious resolutions by casting them upon their beds of affliction and scourging them with the rod of his indignation Then they will confesse that a good conscience softned by grace and purged by the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ from the guilt of sinne is more worth than millions of those unlawfull pleasures wherein only they sometimes thought true contentment was to be found 2. Humility He that shall often looke his face in the glasse of the Law of Liberty which will not make him one jot fairer or fouler than he is but truly discover unto him all his deformities such a one will not be forward to fall in love with his owne beauty When he sits downe to try himselfe by this Law he findes therein all perfection of holinesse commanded but not the thousand part of this holinesse and goodnesse in himselfe He reades in the Law large Catalogues of sinnes forbidden upon paine of Gods eternall displeasure and in his owne conscience hee finds the guilt of all or most of those transgressions When he scans his best workes hee findes they fall farre short of that faith zeale sincerity and perfect charity wherein they ought to have beene performed This examination lets him see that he hath little whereof to be proud now what evâ—â— others may thinke of him he knowes so much evill and so little good by himselfe that hee cannot thinke highly and honourably of himselfe Let him be despised reviled reproched as base and vile it is no corasive to him for why he abhorres himselfe more than another can despise him and is more vile in his owne esteem than he can be in anothers reproaches Thus when he looks on his graces he sees Gods glory when on his sins his owne shame which breeds in him all humble affections of thankfulnesse to God that of bad hath made him good and carefulnesse in himselfe that of good hee may become much better 3. True Peace and Comfort in life and death Often reckoning saith the Proverbe makes long friends T is never truer than in this matter Hee that often cals himselfe to a strict account judging himselfe for his transgressions weeping over them in godly sorrow never ceasing till pardon be obtained this man alone possesseth his heart in peace and comfort Hee knowes God is at peace with him and therefore nothing can pâ—t him to much feare or trouble which makes him with much quietnesse and resolution expect the approach of all adversity of sicknesse of death of judgement Again wheras the joy of a mans heart in this life is that hee shall be saved in the life to come this can never bee sound where no examination is had upon what reasons and certaine grounds this hope is built Many have fel short of that they looked after because they expected heaven when it did not belong to them A severe triall of our selves will prevent this error and give exact notice of the truth of such graces which God hath given us as pledges of future glory that so shall our reâ—oycing in the hope of salvation be full and perfect Lastly our joâ— and peace will be by this means consâ—ant whilest through frequent examination of our hearts and watchfulnesse over our wayes wee shall prevent many sinnes that would wound our consciences and pierce our hearts thorow with many sorrowes Vse You see the duety but all this is nothing worth the knowing unlesse you will practise it The practice I confesse is hard men being loth to see that by themselves which they like not and Satan as loth men should do that which he knowes would doe them good For man t is impossible to him to perswade the heart but oh thou that Blessed Spirit of Grace which speakest to the heart of the unwilling to make them willing to every good work perswade your hearts and mine to the serious practice of this most Christian duety My beloved Brethren I cannot but be earnest in this matter because who can but see and bewaile the backwardnesse and generall neglect of us all in this point T is a shame to see the carelesnesse of most that seeke to know all things but themselves They enquire after all without them nothing within them Their mindes are as ill set as their eyes they can turne neither of them inward Speake I this of the unlearned or of the learned also I would I did not of these But t is no breach of charity to say that there are many among us who know the Histories of a thousand yeares past that yet cannot tell you the particulars of their owne lives men well acquainted with the mysteries of Arts Nature but utterly ignorant of the secrets of their owne soules How many are there amongst us that can say with David Psal. 119.59 I have thought on my waies and turned my feete unto thy testimonies Nay we have a thousand matters to thinke on all the day long the night too the weeke the yeare but who sits downe and thinkes on himselfe questioning thus with his owne heart What am I What doe I How live I Such a course I follow is it good and lawfull Such things I doe not are they my duety yea or no Is God my friend Am I his What hope have I of heaven Say I dye to morrow to day this very houre where 's my assurance I shall bee saved What Apology can I make against the accusations of Satan and my conscience Will Christ be mine Advocate when I shall stand in judgement Doe I grow in grace or doe I decay Doth my Faith my Love my Obedience my Knowledge increase or decrease Am I better this yeare than I was last What sinnes have I conquered now that held mee in combate then What graces have I obtained now that I had not then Do we thus commune with our owne hearts upon our beds or in our studies Surely when God lookes downe from heaven upon us in our severall imployments taking notice of our busie imaginations and enquiries may not hee say to us as hee spake by Ieremy to the Iewes Ier. 8 6. I hearkened and heard but they spake not aright no man repented him of his wickednesse saying What have I done every one turned to his course as the horse rusheth into the battell Yea this inquirie What have wee
blessed Apostle in the highest degree of all possible reioycing MY LORD AND MY GOD. This is the life of this holy Sacrament whithout which spirituall applications all is but a dead and empty Ceremony Wherfore miserable is their error who out of ignorance or a wrong opinion bend their senses amuse their thoughts only upon the things which in this Sacrament are presented unto their bodily eyes never looking up unto the graces and merits of Christ unto whom onely these outward Ceremonies do point Two sorts there are guilty of this offence 1. Papists who in this and the whole frame of their religion love to glory in the flesh and do ate upon carnall outward ceremoniousnesse rest too much in the opus operatum the worke done without all power and life of holiness in the doer 2. The secoâ—d sort are ignorant Protestants of whom there be thousands that understand nothing at all of the end and use of these mysteries It is pittifull to behold the demeanour of the ordinary sort of people at the Sacrament they come thither they know not wherefore and they doe there they know not what they cannot tell how to looke which way to turn themselves about any holy meditations many times their minds are like a clocke that 's over-wound above his ordinary pitch and so stands still their thoughts are amazed at the height of these mysteries and for the time they are like a blocke thinking nothing at all or else their thoughts fall flat on the earth to base and bodily things yea some in that wonderful simplicity as to imagine they come thither for a draught of sweet wine and a morsell of finer bread or at best they raise their thoughts no higher than the Communion Table thinking that if they have receiued the outward elements in a reverent manner behaved themselves decently during that action forborne their worldly businesse before and after tempered their tongues from all uncivill speech and demeaned themselves mannerly for that day then that they have done a right acceptable peece of service to God This stupidity of many whether popish or clownish cannot but be much commiserated by al those unto whom it is given to know any thing concerning the mysteries of the Kingdome of God To conclude this point let vs remember that admonition the Church giveth us in this businesse calling on us with a Sursum corda Lift up your hearts and let 's answer in doing as wel as saying We lift them up unto the Lord. Yea be wee alwaies mindfull of that generall rule which Christ gives his Disciples when they together with the simple Capernaites hearing Christ call himselfe living Bread and his flesh Meat indeed and his Blood Drinke indeede were much offended at it as an absurd impossibilitie Christ tels them they mistooke his meaning It is the Spirit saith hee that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speake unto you they are Spirit and they are Life Ioh. 6.63 Thus you see whom we must remember in and by this Sacrament viz. Christ and him crucified In the next place we are to consider in what manner this commemoration is to bee made Doe this in remembrance of mee What in a bare recounting the story of his passion amplifying the indignity of all circumstances in curioâ—s contemplations about every passage of Christ from the garden to the grave Is this all no nor halfe You must therfore here remember a rule given by Divines That in Scripture words of knowledge in matters betweene God and Man doe imply the affections And as God is said not to know the wicked because he likes them not so when we are commanded to know God to remember our Creator c. wee must not streighten this precept unto bare speculation of the Head but extend it unto the holy devotion of the Heart and obedience of the Hand In this sense must Christ crucified bee remembred of us in the Sacrament not only as an object of our Knowledg but principally as the obiect of our Love our Faith our Hope our Ioy our Thansgiving our Obedience These other heavenly graces are all to be set a worke and imployed about this remembrance of Christ in the Sacrament it is the increase and exercise of these graces that our Saviour intended when he instituted this Sacrament commanding us to observe it in remembrance of him and by it to shew his death till his comming againe But that we may goe a little more particularly to work in this point observe that there are foure principall graces that have a singular use in this holy businesse they are 1. Faith 2. Repentance 3. Thankfulnesse 4. Love Touching which I would not have you expect that I should here handle them at large by way of common place my purpose only at this time is to shew you what singular vertue may bee drawne from the meditation of Christs death for to quicken increase the life power of all those forementioned graces I will doe this briefly desiring the younger sort especially carefully to attend unto such generall heads of meditation as I shall propose to the end their thoughts may have some matter whereon to worke which otherwise will be too too wilde and confusedly distracted 1. First then touching Faith Christ crucified is proposed unto us in the Sacrament as the object of our Faith alluring us to a firme beliefe in him upon these two strong perswasions 1. That he is a Saviour All-sufficient having with him plenteous Redemption One that hath paid the utmost farthing that could be demanded for our ransome having trodden the winepresse of the fierce wrath of the Almightie and borne upon his shoulders the whole burden of that vengeance which would have sunke our soules to the bottome of hell A Saviour that hath utterly defeated all the powers of darknesse and spoyled them leading captivity captive thereby purchasing for us a Kingdome that cannot be shaken but sure and stedfast against all violence of our spirituall adversaries even a stable and firme estate in present grace and an open and faire passage unto that immortality and glory which shal be revealed Wherfore justly hath he in this Sacrament set forth himself unto us under the two elements of Bread and Wine parts of one complete and perfect nourishment to assure us that in his merits there is an absolute all sufficiency to bring us to everlasting life 2. That hee is a Saviour freely given of God and giving himselfe unto us Hee laid downe his life freely no man having power to take it from him and therefore he freely gave his flesh for the life of the world and in the Sacrament he freely offers himselfe to every beleever to be receiued and embraced by him Both these are strong motives to quâ—cken our faith in remembring Christs death for if either the greatnesse of the worke of redemption and surpassing difficulty to save a sinner should terrifie us we know what ever it be
he hath finished it or if our unworthines should discomfort us we see that Christ stayes not till we can deserve him but as hee died for us when we were unworthy so eveÌ„ whilst we are unworthy hee offers himselfe to us in all the benefits of his death Wherefore let us in a lively faith fasten our eies upon this Brazen serpent lifted up on the crosse to cure the fierie stingings of sinne let our eyes our thoughts and our affections be drawne after him and learne we as the Apostle exhorts to trust perfectly unto that salvation which is brought unto us This for Faith 2. In the next place is required the exercise of Repentance to which there is no provocation in the world more powerful than the serious meditation of Christ crucified Two motives there are which commonly best prevailes with all natures to worke in them sorrow for an offence and they are both in this matter most lively vigorous 1. Mercy wonderfull and incredible to a desperate offender beyond all hope and expectation of his When we were of no strength when we were sinners when we were enemies even then Christ in his time died for vs as the Apostle notably aggrauates the death of Christ Rom. 5 6.8.10 How hopelesse was the state of us men being once fallen by our first transgression and yet even in the extremity of misery how proudly and rebelliously did we carrie our selves against that majesty whom wee had offended Yet then behold in God the riches of all patience gentlenesse and compassion he is mindfull of us when we had forgot both him and our selves his mercifull wisedome prevents all thought and care and possibility in us of providing the means of our recovery Now where malice and unworthinesse is thus overcome by goodnesse certainely if there be any sparke of grace of noble nature of ingenuity left within us it cannot bee but our hearts should be overcome with sorrow for offending so gracious a Master and rent asunder with godly griefe for the displeasure of so loving a Father 2. The horrible nâ—ture of the offence which when it is smal is sleighted but strikes the hart with astonishment and confusion when t is capitall Now sinne is of the worst deserving quality that possibly may be and it appeares by nothing so much as the furious displeasure of God inflicted on Christ when he bare our sins in his body upon the tree Trace him from the Garden to Golgotha and you shall see whole armies of sorrowes ready to invade him every steppe he treads the deeper hee wades into a sea of bloud and wounds and stripes and waters of afflâ—ction men and divels yea and God himselfe fight against him he is forsaken of God persecuted despised and scorned of all the world assailed and tempted by all the powers of hell become the astonishment of Angels the wonder and amazement even of senselesse creatures Ah my Brethren were our soules in his stead and did wee feele but the least part of that anguish which possessed and incompassed that holy person within and without how miserable might we judge our case to be Blessed we are now that in this we feele it not but yet wee shall not be blessed alwaies unlesse wee can compassionate his feeling of it Wherefore let us turne our thoughts upon our crucified Saviour and looking upon him whom we have pierced let us as we are commanded Zach. 12.10 Mourne for him as one mourneth for his onely son and be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternes for his first-born Let us see the cause of his sufferings to be in our selves and lament wee for our sinnes that have slaine the Lord of Life And now let us learne to acknowledge what a detestable thing sin is which deserved so horrible a punishment that could turne the favourable countenance of the most mercifull and pittifull God into frownes and fierce displeasure against his eardely beloved Sonne as soone as he beheld in him the person of an offender Shall the pleasures of sinne be sweete to us which caused Christ to drink of the bitter cup even downe to the dregges Shall wee make a jest of that that made God angry in the greatest earnest that ever was Seemeth that a light thing in our eyes that brought on Christ a burden so heavie that it pressed the bloud out of his veines the soule out of his body Oh how would these meditations dash in peeces the conceptions of lust in their infancie How mightily effectuall would they be to mortifie our corruptions and crucifie the body of sinne in us Know this and remember it that of all motives to repentance and preservatives against the infection of sinne there is none so powerfull as continually in all places and imployments to beare about with us in our hearts and meditations The Dying of the Lord Iesus And this of Repentance it followes that wee speake of the third grace to bee exercised in this holy commemoration of Christs death which is Thankfulnesse A grace of singular use in this Sacrament which thence takes its name of Eucharistia whereby it is frequently stiled Sorrow and joy must here be mingled together a sorrow for sinne that deserved such sufferings buâ— a ioy unspeakable and glorious in Thanksgiving to Christ for his great mercie in taking upon him such sufferings And great cause there is we should be thankfull for the death of Christ in thâ—se three respects 1. Because by it the greatest blessing that ever was is purchased for us namely pardon of sinne reconciliation with God grace and glory 2. Because there is on our part the greatest undesert of it that may be For wherin was God beholding unto us we were his creatures when we were at best and then he needed us not wee were his enemies when wee were at worst and he had iust cause to hate and punish us 3. In regard of the infinite disproportion betweene us and Christ who died for us the iust for the uniust the Lord for the slave the King for the subject the Creator for the creature All thâ—se are forcible motives to stirre up in us a thankfull rejoycing in the Lord our Saviour that hath done so great things for our soules It should make our hearts breake forth into blessings and thankes and praises admirations and extolling of the wonderfull favour he hath shewed to the sonnes of men Wherefore if it be possible let us bring our hearts in tune to beare a part in that new song which the Elders sing before the throne of the Lambe Rev. 5.9 10. Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seales therof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud out of every kindred and tongue people and nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne on the Earth And for a sweeter harmony let the Angels be admitted into this quire with them and the Saints sing we
of it Now by the Vnreformed I meane those in whom the use of this holy Sacrament breedes not a proportionable increase of grace and sanctity You heard heretofore that the exercise of many Christian graces was intended in this commemoration of Christs death and where that is wanting all the rest is nought worth The Sacrament is appointed for our nourishment in grace where we grow not by it t is a signe this food was not digested but vomited up againe Where Faith Repentance Thankfulnesse and Obedience are not encreased there Christ crucified was not remembred but forgotten in this Sacrament Where holinesse thrives not by so holy a meanes profanenesse must needs bee very ranke guilty of this great fault were these Corinthians They came to the Sacrament but with what minde They were uncharitable contentious proud despising the poore and which is worst of all they came drunken They are registred for it vers 21. Who would thinke it possible else that there could be such profanenesse that a man when he is drunke would venture to come into the Church and to the Sacrament Such a one was Iudas that came to the Passeover and was or would have beene at the Lords Supper with a minde full of treason and covetousnesse Such are all they that come not having their hearts at all touched with remorse for their sinnes or if for the present they bee somewhat moved yet they presently fall into all their former sinnes againe For such as come with a resolution to hold on in their sinnes it is manifest that they profane the Sacrament extreamely For whereas in the Sacrament wee make publique profession of our obedience to Christ giving up our names in his honourable service by taking on us this badge thereof and so eate this Bread and drinke this Cup in a thankfull remembrance of his death whereby that great blessing of remission of sinnes is purchased for us who now can beleeve that they doe this heartily who in the meane time disobey Christs commandement despise all holinesse continuing with delight and wilfulnesse in those sinnes which Christ died to expiate Is this the use we should make of Christs death Shall wee continue in sinâ—e that grace may abound The Apostle makes the answer God forbid How shall wee live in sinne when Christ is dead for sinne and wee with him should bee dead unto sinne as the Apostle argues Rom. 6. It s therefore but a meere mockery of God for men in the Sacrament to make shew of what they intend not at all Others come haply with a good meaning to doe well in the generall but this resolution holds not longer than a day or two or a weeke afterwards they are as bad as before yea somewhat worse by their reâ—apses The one sort make Christ a patron of their sinnes thinking they may more secâ—rely serve Satan under the protection of Christs livery The other make the Sacrament a payment of the old score that they may the more freely runne on upon the new the pardon of the former sinnes is unto them a licence for lewd practices to come Betweene both sorts a world of people there is that strangely profane this blessed Sacrament never using it to any increase of piety in their soules The same men they came unto it the same they depart thence only herein still the worse because not amended Were they proud before they are so still were they covetous before they are never the more liberall unto the poore members of Christ Iesus for all that Christ hath bin so franke-hearted as to bestow his heart-bloud upon them were they voluptuous before they went they still follow the same pleasures with all greedinesse drunken before and drunken still swearers before and swearers still despisers of Gods service and true Religion scoffers at Christian piety ignorant unbeleeving unfaithfull unthankfull impenitent envious malicious before they went to the Sacrament and they are the same men still They have indeed beene at the Sacrament and there they professe openly to bee of the number of those that Doe truely and earnestly repent of all their sinnes that are in love and charity with their neighbours that intend to leade a holy life following Gods commandements and walking thence-forth in his holy waies they there seeme to confesse that they are heartily sorrie for their misdoings that the remembrance of their sinnes is grievous the burthen of them intolerable yea they go further promising all amendment when they say Heere we offer and present unto thee O Lord our selves our soules our bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice Bee not here good words now but what 's the effect of all these prayers and protestations Looke upon them you shall see nothing at all performed of that which was spoken there 's no alteration in them they are still the same men they were What Ieremy spake unto those false-hearted Iewes Ier. 42.20 Surely yee dissembled in your hearts when yee sent mee unto the Lord your God saying Pray for us unto the Lord our God and according to all that the Lord our God shall say declare unto us and we will doe it may bee applied unto these men questionlesse they thought not of what they spake or spake what they did not meane when they thus professed before God and his Church their repentance and resolution for obedience No those were but words of course if the heart had intended what the tongue uttered it had not bin possible for men to tell God a lye unto his face in so serious a matter Was indeed the burden of sinne intolerable was the sorrow for it hearty and earnest then and is yet the practice of the same sins pleasant easie and full of contentment Is any man so mad to thrust his shoulders under that weight which he knowes to be insupportable And what is now become of all that sweetnesse of the mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ in paâ—doning that which waâ— past was it never felt at all or is it so soone forgotten or may be so easily recovered Is his love so little worth as thou wilt part with it for every toy or is it so common and cheape that a faire word or two may win it It is not câ—edible that those who have indeed washed their garments in the bloud of the Lambe and made them white would so quâ—ckly dâ—file them againe had they beene of a right breed i. e Sheepe of the Lords flocke and not Swine of another Heard Wherefore now let every one of us descend into his owne heart and trie how the case stands with his soule if his conscience tell him that he is as bad this yeare as hee was last as unreformed after as before the Sacrament that his heart is as full of evill thoughts his mouth of unseemely uncleane and cursed speaking his life of carelesse and irreligious practices as ever let him conclude with himselfe That hitherto hee hath eaten this Bread and drunke this Cup
done seemes only to be wanting among so many questions as are every day scanned by us Hence it comes that most of us when we are brought to the triall and required by others or our owne consciences to answer distinctly touching the estate of oâ—r soules in matters betweene God and us we shuffle and shift it off with an I thinke so I hope well I perswade my selfe all shall bee well I shall doe as well as men of my ranke but in the meane time all these hopes and good opinions goe upon no cleare and certain grounds at all Me thinkes that admonition of the Apostle Heb. 3.12 should shake us out of this lazie humour Take heede Brethren lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe in departing from the liuing God Locke to it a man may bee starke naught and yet thinke himselfe good it stands us in hand to goe upon sure proofe in so weighty a businesse and not upon blinde surmises and groundlesse presumptions Here therefore let me exhort you to observe two directions 1. To take all opportunities that shall bee offered us for the exercise of this duty We are not at all times alike disposed to this there are speciall occasions that fit us for it Many times one sad accident or other turnes home our thoughts to our selves and makes us see what we are in other men The losse of a deare friend the sound of a passing-bell the sight of a dying man hath a strange vertue many times to compose a disordered heart putting it into an excellent calmenesse to attend any religious imployment Sometimes a Sermon hath set us to rights and sent us home quickned with much holy affection more than ordinary Sometimes vacation from all businesse lends many a silent and still houre Sometimes a fit of naturall melancholy and pensivenesse makes us apt for inbred speculation Sometimes a wakefull bed calls upon us to examine our hearts Many such occasions God offers if wee were wise to see them and willing to make use of them Much were gained in this and all other Christian practices by the observation of such seasonable opportunities if our folly and sloath did not robbe us of so great a benefit 2. If opportunities will not bee had of their owne offering then make some Spare an houre in a weeke or a day in a moneth for this businesse Certainly t is strange how we post over the time of this our short pilgrimage wee eate away one part sleepe away another idle away a third and of the remainder God hath by farre the least part Doe we spend two houres of foure and twenty in religious services Nay one were a faire allowance with most of us What shall we say Is not heaven worth the having or may a man so easily get thither or must God give it us when we seeke not after it Let them blush for shame of their intolerable carelesnesse who have so much or so little to doe that they never could spare day or houre for these meditations to set themselves of purpose upon a thorough examination of their owne hearts and lives T is singular profanenesse for a man that hâ—th a God to serve a Soule to save a Heaven to hope for a Hell to feare Sinnes to be avoyded Graces to be gotten yet not to find an houre spare to thinke of these weighty affaires Tell mee not thou hast a calling a study many businesses that require thy presence and diligence and thou canst not intend all Intend thou the chiefest and that 's Religion Diligence in a calling knowledge of arts skill of languages in a word Learning will never bring a man to heaven t is Religion must doe that That is good in its time and place this only absolutely necessary When love of learning and preferments tell thee t is needfull thou bee a schollar let love to God and thy soule make answer t is more needfull thou be a Christan care for that but not before this Moreover know this that convenient seasons wisely chosen and spared from civill imployments unto religious exercises never hinder but blesse all other our affaires And perswade thy selfe now of this truth which one day thou shalt not chuse but acknowledge That those daies and houres which are speâ—t in prayer in fasting in examination of thy heart and such other exercises of repentance will bring thee more true peace and comfort upon thy death â—ed than all other times of thy life besides Wherefore be wise and redeeme the season and thou that in thy busiest employments canst every weeks every day finde a spare houre for to talke with a friend to sport to doe nothing to doe evill save this waste and turne it to a better use and let God have that small part who deserves all Beloved let me heartily intreate you to reserve to your selves sometime for these purposes I will stint no man and I thinke I shall over-burden none If I should perswade each one to set apart from all businesse an houre or twaine in a week a day in a moneth for this spiritual exercise Our great negligence gives occasion of despairing that we shall never equall those rare patternes of holinesse which this and other ages have commended unto us who thought it no wearinesse every night to scan the actions of the day every weeke moneth and yeare to make survâ—y of what had been done in that time Their industry was blessed and they enioyed the fruits thereof in al abundant increase of graces and comforts and the world cannot but acknowledge it Let us follow them though wee cannot overtake them and wee also according to our endeavour may expect a blessing too in all increase of grace and peace unto our soules Thus of this duety in generall as fitting to bee used by a Christian at all convenient occasions let us come to consider of it as it is a speciall preparation before the receiving of the Sacrament when by no meanes it ought to bee neglected Whosoever will eate of that Bread and drinke of that Cup must first examine himselfe This 1. Excludes from the Sacrament all such as thorough naturall or casuall impotency are not able to examine themsels as Children Fooles Madmen 2. The necessity of this practice leades us to enquire wherein this examination doth consist that every one may know how to discharge himselfe therein In generall the summe of this triall is Whether we come worthily to the Sacrament or no. Now to make us fit and worthy partakers of the Sacrament there are required in us as heretofore hath been shewed divers spirituall grace whereof whosoever is destitute he certainly profanes this holy ordinance and by unworthy receiving makes himselfe guiltie of the Death of Iesus Christ. Wherefore wee must know what those graces are and whether they be in us in truth yea or no. There are chiefly these Graces required in a worthy receiver Faith Repentance Charity touching which wee are to enquire after
to content our idle humours than ayming sincerely at his glory is a foule contempt and cannot but bring a curse upon us Yee have despised my Name saith God unto the Priests Mal. 1.6 Wherein say then In that Ye offer uncleane bread upon mine altar verse 7. Matters were come to that passe in this Prophets time that neither Priest nor People cared a â—ot how God was served Any thing they thought would content him and therefore they presumed to offer that to him which they durst not present unto their Prince or Governour the blinde the lame the torne the sicke any thing which their covetousnesse could best spare was a sacrâ—fice good enough for God Yea the whole frame of Legal Ceremonies they were utterly weary of them counting them base and contemptible and in effect nothing but an unprofitable drudgery Doth God take this well at their hands No hee curseth them for this their impiety Cursed bee the deceiver which hath in his flocke a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing The reason followes For I am a great King saith the Lord of Hosts and my Name is dreadfull among the heathen Wherefore it must needs be a horrible offence in the Iewes the people of God thus to vilifie so great a maiesty when even the Gentiles themselves yeelded a more awefull reverence thereunto I shall not neede to stand long in prouing a truth so evident the time and paines will haply bee better imployed in making application of it to our selves A threefold use of this point I commend unto your consideration and practice Vse 1. First Information of our iudgement touching such evills as wee see doe befall men in this life Wee behold the best Churches in great calamities the best men sorely afflicted and we wonder that God should deale so rigorously with those that serve and worship him Wee ghesse at many causes but seldome doe we hit upon the right which here the Apostle intimates unto viz. Profanation of the ordinances of Gods worship This Irreligiousnesse in Gods service is the maine cause as of other sins so of all judgements Vnrighteousnesse against man issues from irreligion towards God and therefore in punishment we must chiefly cast our eyes that way if wee will follow the streame up unto it first fountain We commonly looke another way and put off our calamities vpon other causes If any other but the Apostle had told these Corinthians that their sicknesses and death was sent upon them â—or their profanation of the Lords Supper they would haue doubted of his opinion Many were sicke and dyed but what of that men cannot live or bee well alwayes these things come at adventure or by course of Nature t was want of care in their dyet t was the malignity of some unwholsome dish want of exercise ill temper of the body infection of the aire and such like causes have made them weake and sickly want of physicke want of looking to old age or some such matter hath brought them to their end Any thing rather than what the Apostle speakes of should be reckoned up as the cause of their present griefes But hee having a better spirit to judge of matters tells them plainly that what ever they may imagine t was for abuse of the Sacrament For this cause that sicknesses and deaths reigned amongst them When the Iewes endured so many miseries even from their first plantation in the land to their finall casting out from thence they were seldome aware of this point that their corruptions and abuses in Gods worship brought such plagues upon them If the Philistims Canaanites and other Borderers upon them doe spoile their Country tyrannize over them and oppresse them with cruell slavery as they did in the times of the Iudges they will interpret this to be nothing but an old grudge which these Nations bare against the Israelites for dis-possessing them of their Countrey for which they were hated and all occasions sought to worke revenge If the Kingdome be divided that 's nothing but Rehoboams folly and ill counsell of ill advised Courtiers If Israel make warre on Iudah or Iudah upon Israel that 's but policy to keepe downe one another lest one should encroach upon both Kingdomes If there be civill warres that 's thorough the factions of potent and ambitious States-men If a Forreiner invade them t is nothing but the pride of ambitious tyrants that cannot be content with their owne but seeke after glory and greatnesse in the ruine of other Kingdomes Yea if a Salmanasser or Nebuchadnezzar carry them away captive out of their land though they may thinke in the generall that God is not well pleased with them yet they would resolve these effects into other causes more proper as they conceive T was weaknesse in their Kings degenerating from their ancient valour want of good confederates of good counsellors of skilfull and trusty commanders of hardy souldiers they were over-borne by multitude and these or some thing like these were the cause of this misfortune but of their sinnes they thinke not of that matter Many there were no doubt who iudged better touching the successe of Civill and Ecclesiasticall affaires whose eyes God had opened to discerne the equall dependance betweene the sinnes and the punishments of the present age wherein they lived but for the generality of the State their thoughts went another way after worldly and politicke reasons Which was the cause that being so often smitten yet they returned not to God that smote them because they were ignorant of their sins for which he smote them Thence in many grievous calamities of the State they did what they could by all politick means to uphold the ruines thereof but yet there was no reformation at all of the horrible corruptions of Gods pure Religion This they looked not after as if all had beene well on that side whereas indeed the maine crakce which threatned the downefall of that glorious state was not in the roofe or sides of the building barely in the Lawes and Civill governement but in that onely strong pillar whereupon all rested viz. Religion now rent and shivered in pieces Had wee a history of those times of the Iewish state compiled by Iewish Politicians living then and relating unto us the same publicke events which wee finde recorded in Scripture it would quickly appeare by the comparison that God iudged otherwise of the causes of those things than the State then did Those stories would be like unto these written in latter ages touching Christian Common-wealths where Church and State are put asunder as having little dependance one upon another All notable events prosperous or unhappy the rising or decay of states or great men in the state c. are curiously enquired into all consells and circumstances scanned and censured but for Religion what entercourse it hath with such events there is scarce so much as a glance that way So â—linde and earthly is every man in