God which is worth ten thousand of our lives and souls as the people said to David God doth inflict punishments upon offenders And there is no other way to preserve or make whole and repair the honour glory of God c. Men that will not learn by the Word must be taught by works if the Word will not prevail with you to forbear the prophanation of his Ordinances then his works come in If you will be so sensuall and brutish that you will see nothing to be sin but what you feel to be sin in God's hand upon you you shall feel blows enough A rod is for the back of a fool Take this with you What ever you will not learn by faith you shall be taught by sense God makes men feel those things to be evill by sense which by faith they would not believe to be evil When the word will not prevail with men to forbear prophanation of any ordinance or any sin then from word he goes to works lays afflictions judgements punishmēts on men And happy t is if the works bring men again to the word when Schola crucis is Schola lucis when God's house of correction is a school of instruction So saith David Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest and teachest in thy law It was so you see with the Corinthians the word did not prevail God goes to his works inflicts punishments on them sickness weakness death and then hee comes to the word again For this cause many are sick And no doubt but word upon works was more prevalent with them then when it went alone Reason Reas 6 6. To declare his hatred against sin God hates all sin and the neerer a sin comes to God the more he hates it Now this is neer him you dishonour his Name his Ordinances are precious they are his name and therfore God will not hold such guiltless c. Thus you see I have shewed you that God will sanctifie himself upon al those who do not sanctifie him in an ordinance And I have shewed you the grounds reasons of it now to application Vse 1. Oh! then take heed thou who art a prophane person a swearer a drunkard and forbear lest God make this true of thee this day and raise his glory out of thy ruines Thou wilt not be warned by the word look for works thou whom the examples of others will not make to beware take heed lest God do here make thee an example It was the third Captain's wisdome in the 2 Kings 1.13 14. who when he saw God's visible judgements upon the two former Captains hee takes warning thereby and avoids their sins so you that are prophane when you see and heare what God hath threatned against prophaners of this Ordinance and what fearfull judgements God hath executed upon all unworthy receivers which are all Christless all graceless persons Oh! beware of coming hither in thy sins God's Word is true As what hee promiseth is sure to come to pass so what ever hee threatens And though hee prolong and defer the time of execution yet your damnation sleepeth not as Peter saith 2 Pet. 3.7 8 9. verses It shall surely come If God should threaten to strike dead every unworthy receiver you would be afraid to come and how would it make the best of us to look about us whether we are worthy receivers or not But alas what is this threatning in comparison of the other you eat and drink damnation to your selves This is as far above the other as a temporall is below an eternall A punishment upon the body below the everlasting wrath of God and punishment of your souls Better you were strucke dead here then reserved for everlasting death hereafter Thy body escapes here and yet I cannot assure thee of that others who were God's own people were struck with death and sickness and I cannot assure thee that God will not destroy thee with the bread in thy mouth as hee did the Israelites with the Quails in theirs God hath threatened and we know not whether he will execute yea or no God said I will not hold him guiltless that takes my Name in vain Examples we have but other examples are worn out who knowes whether he will not give fresh examples and deal by thee as he did by Nadab and Abihu in the Text even in the face of the whole congregation destroy thee with fire from heaven that all may feare thou went with them but from fire to fire from a destruction by fire to preservation in fire from temporall to eternall burnings But suppose that God should forbear his stroke now yet it is certain to come Quorum ultio reponitur in futurum And wo be to them whose vengeance is reserved for another day Ah it will come then with a witness then with load enough when the guilt of al thy prophanations of this glorious ordinance come together and therefore beware beware as thou loves thy body nay thy soul that for ever beware of unworthy partaking c. Vse 2. If so Oh! then look to it you who go on in a way of prophanation of Gods Ordinances God hath said hee will be sanctified of them who draw neer to him And dost thou believe this Is it true or is it false I know thou dare not but say this is truth God himself speaks it Well then this being a truth what may thou expect who art a prophaner of his Ordinances And to all thy prophanations as it was said of Herod he added this that he cast John in prison so you adde this to all the rest the prophanation of this Ordinance of the Lords Supper Oh! this is a sin for which God will not bear with thee If God would not bear with his own people the Corinthians who yet had grace were habitually disposed were justified sanctified and wanted only actuall preparation and disposition in the Ordinance how shall he bear with thee thou prophane person graceless person If God deal thus with the green tree what shall become of the dry tree If God deal thus with his own what shall become of thee If thus with the bearing what shall become of the barren tree If judgement begin at the house of God where shall the wicked and sinners appear Answer me that if thou canst If God will be sanctified upon his sanctified ones what of thee If God doth punish the want of circumstances what wil he do to thee who wants the substance the main requisite But it may be thou thinks there is no such matter these are but Bugbears c. for thy part thou hast come hither and gone home and found no hurt And hast thou so Bless not thy self in that there is the more behind A black and dismall showre of wrath is sure to fall upon thee one day This is true God will be sanctified of them that come nigh him And this is true also Hee who eats and drinks unworthily is made
we must sanctifie God in this ordinance p. 40 1 Something is required before 41. 1 Habituall 43. preparation 2 Actuall 2 Something in the time 44. 1 Exercise of Grace 2 Sutable demeanors Faith Repentance 1 Faith where is discovered 1 What act of faith 45. 2 Vpon what object 50. 3 For what benefits 54. Faith is to be exercised for four benefits in the Sacrament 1. For the further assurance of our justification 56. 2. For the increase of sanctification 59. 3. For the subduing of corruptions 70. 4. For deliverance out of temptation 74. And how faith is to be acted upon Christ for these benefits is discovered 2. The second Grace to be exercised in the time is Repentance pag. 78. Where is set down 1 The kindes of mourning 1 Historicall 79. 2 Spirituall 79. 2 The advantages to it 82. 1 The discovery of love 2 Sufferings of Christ c. These are the Graces required in the time now the demanours p. 89. 1. An humble reverence 2. Discharge of worldly thoughts p. 90. 3. Something is required afterward to sanctifie God in this ordinance p. 93. Thankfulnes 94 2 Obedience 98. 3. Why we must sanctifie God 3. Reasons p. 103. 1 Because God commands 103. 2 Because otherwise get no good p. 105. 3 Because otherwise get hurt p. 107. Vse Of complaint How few do sanctifie God in this ordinance p. 100. 2 Vse Examination Whether you have sanctified God in it p. 112. Before 1 See if you have observed God's order p. 113. 114. 2 See whether observed God's rules p. 16. 3 See whether you have observed God's ends p. 118. 2 See if you have exercised Gods graces in the time p. 123. 3 See whether wee have returned home with God's quicknings and refreshments p. ibid. 3 Doctr. God will be sanctified of every one that doth not sanctifie him in Ordinances p. 130. 1 What is meant by God's sanctifying himself on men p. 131. 2 What are the reasons why God doth sanctifie himself on those who do not sanctifie him in ordinances p. 132. 6 Reasons of it 1 For terrour and dread of prophane persons p. 133. 2 For caution to others p. 134. 3 To declare his justice p. 136 4 To remove scandall p. 137. 5 To hold up his great name p. 148. 6 To declare his hatred against sin p. 142. Vse Caution to prophane persons 143. Vse To exhort us to turn our eyes backward and examine whether wee have not been guilty of the prophanation of this ordinance p. 151. The triall is put upon three further designes pag. 151. 1 Sign If the Sacraments have wrought no further good upon thee p. ibid. 2 Sign If thou art worse after then before p. 153. 3 Sign If thou hast fed upon nothing but outward elements thou hast been a prophaner of this ordinance p. 156. A briefe rehearsall and application of the whole to wicked and unregenerate persons Imprimatur John Downam LEVIT 10.3 Then Moses said unto Aaron This is that the Lord spake saying I will bee sanctified in them that come nigh me WE are all here present met together at an Ordinance and many of us have intended to goe upon a further Ordinance And there is no man or woman who hath to doe with any Ordinance of God but hath to deale with God in it he drawes neere to God And God hath said he will â—e sanctified in all them that draw â—eere to him either he will be sanctified by you in your active glorifying â—f him or upon you in your passive â—earing his displeasure A te vel De te There is never a one of you here present but God will be sanctified and glorified in you this day And 't is my earnest desire that you may all actively glorifie God that he may not passively glorifie himselfe upon you and raise his glory out of the ruines of any of you I need not travell farre back to find you a coherence the verse before will afford it And the first word of my Text bids me go no further There is 1. The occasion of these words 2. The Preface to them 3. The words themselves 4. The effect of them 1. The occasion of these words and that was the untimely death of Aarons two sonnes their death gave birth to these words And a sentence it is not too deare if bought with the lives of thousands of men 2. The Preface to them This is that the Lord said why where did the Lord speak it Did he speak it to Moses only or did he speak it â—o the Congregation also we never reade it was booked before totidem verbis Some think this punishment was all the command they had but I cannot think that God doth first punish and thereupon raise a precept but he first gives his Law then punishes the breach of it And the words declare there had been some charge given This is that the Lord said so that there was some charge But where was it Wee read not of it here Some say it was spoken but not written and this they would have to countenance their unwritten traditions Some will have it in Exo. 19.22 Let the Priests sanctifie themselves lest the Lord break in upon them Others will have it in Levit. 8.35 36. Keep the Lord's charge that you die not Calvin will not have it referred to any particular place but a generall charge given at divers times and now the present occasion brings it forth to particular application to which I assent 3. Wee have the words themselves I will be sanctified Why what is that Can God be sanctified of us Indeed he sanctifies us but how can we sanctifie him God is sanctified two wayes 1. Actively 2. Passively 1. Actively as 1 Pet. 3.15 Sanctifie the Lord in your hearts and thus God is sanctified when wee cherish and maintain high esteems of God in our hearts when we do honour esteem and advance God in our hearts and in our lives 2. Passively by punishing of offenders Ezek. 28.22 When I have executed my judgement on her Sanctificatio Dei est poena peccantium Jerom. then shall I be sanctified in her Jerome on this place saith The punishment of offenders is the sanctification of God So you see it was in the Text God was sanctified on them not by their doing good but by their suffering evill not Actively but Passively And in both these senses the words are to be read I say the words are to be read in this disjunctive sense I will be sanctified of all them that draw neer to me that is either actively in glorifying me in the work or passively in glorifying my self upon the workman Si voluntas Dei non fiat a te fiet de te Aug. if you do not sanctifie God in an Ordinance he will be sanctified upon you 4. We have the effect of these words upon Aaron it is said it struck him dumb a dutifull dumbness he was silent to Jehovah he held his
peace he was dumb opened not his mouth because it was God's doing Silet audita voluntate Dei Calv. God's will being manifest it chained up his tongue he held his peace thereby confessing saith Calvin * Iusto Dei judicio extinctos esse that they were slain by the just judgement of God His silence cleared God in his dealings And what a power is there then in faith and grace to silence the soul in such a sad condition as this The loss of his sons his eldest sons when young and without posterity in the first day of their ministration in the sight of all the Congregation and by so fearfull a judgement fire from the Lord and in the act of their sin which some think was joyned with drunkenness too whereupon the prohibition against wine follows v. 9 so that the Congregation might suspect they went but from fire to fire from a destruction by fire to a preservation in fire from a temporall to an eternall burning Yet in all this Moses having declared the author God the cause their sin Aaron was dumb and held his peace It was not such a dumbness as Zachary had that was poenal unbelief struck him dumb this was a spirituall dumbness and faith struck him dumb it did not so much suspend his tongue from speaking as silence his heart from complaining and made him quietly submit to God's dealing Thus having at once shewed you both the parts of the Text and cleared what ever had any appearing difficulty in it Conclusions we will now lay down the severall conclusions the Text affords us 1. That they who have to do with any Ordinance of God draw neer to God 2. That they who draw neer to God in any Ordinance must sanctifie God in it 3. That if wee do not sanctifie God in an Ordinance hee will be sanctified upon us We will speak a little of the first which is an Introduction to those which follow That they who have to do with any Ordinance of God draw neer to God Doct. You see it is the language of the Spirit of God here that to have to do with any matter which concerns the Worship and service of God is do draw neer to God And in other places it is cal'd a coming before God a treading his Courts an approaching to God a meeting of God all which languages imply thus much that who ever have to do with God in any Ordinance draw neer to God You tread his Courts you come into his presence you approach unto God you meet God you have communion with God Nay you have to do with God's Name God's Ordinances are part of his Name Nay you have to doe with God himself Hee that hath to doe with any Ordinance with any part of his Worship hath to do with God himself When you have to do with the Word when you go to Prayer when you have to do with the Sacraments you have to do with God himself in them What could the Word do either in commands to ingage us in Promises to comfort us in threatenings to terrifie us if wee had not to do with God in them What were Prayer but a distracted seriousness a religious madness if we had not to deal with God in it What were the Sacraments but gaudie Pageants nay empty fantasies beggerly elements if we had not to deal with God in them It is God that wee have to deal withall in Ordinances that sheds a glory casts a Majesty and puts an efficacie into all the Ordinances we have to deal withall It is hee who makes the Promises of the Word rocks of stay and support that makes the commands of the Word full of authority that makes the threatnings of the Word exceeding terrible It is he that we have to deal withall that makes a little handfull of water a little bit of bread and sup of wine exceeding glorious and efficacious What empty what poor what contēptible things would these be and are to unbelieving men if wee had not to do with God in them It is this God we have to do withall that casts a Majesty upon and puts an efficacy into every Ordinance But we will pass over this If they who have to do w th any Ordinance of God draw neer to God then let me put some things to you to judge of 1. Judge then if ever Kingdom was more ingaged to God then ours who injoy the Ordinances by which we draw neer to God Hath he dealt thus with any Nation What Nation under heaven that enjoy the like priviledges of drawing neere to God in Ordinances as we doe Well may we say in the words of the Psalmist Psal 65.5 Blessed is the Nation which thou chusest Psal 65.5 and causest to approach unto thee that they may dwell in thy Courts we shall be satisfied with the goodnesse of thy house even of thy holy Temple 2. And with blessing God for our owne priviledges judge what cause we have to take up a lamentation for them that never enjoyed for them who have enjoyed but are now deprived of this means of drawing neere to God 1. Them who never enjoyed the Ordinances who sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death who never had a Christ a Gospel discovered to them Oh pity and pray for them that the Word of the Lord might run be glorified that God would inlarge the bounds of his sanctuary stretch forth the Curtains of his Tabernacle that the eyes of Nations might be opened that the fulness of the Gentiles might be brought in that they might flie to the Church as Doves into the windows which is prophesied Isa 60.8 And w th them Oh remember that antient nation the Jews who have drawn neere to God in Ordinances but now at distance with him and even set at further distance by the use of those Ordinances whereby formerly they drew neer Oh remember them that that blood which they imprecated upon themselves for a curse may now be upon them for a blessing that it may lie no longer upon their heads but now be sprinkled upon their hearts and be in veniam which hath been so long in vindictam That as it was said of the Gentiles so it may now be said of the Jewes That unto them is granted repentance to life 2. And take up a mourning for them who have injoyed the Ordinances but now want them look into Germany look into Ireland nay look into many places in England how many Pastors who are driven away from their flocks how many Shepheards smitten and the sheep scattered how many poor scattered flocks who had the Manna fell at their tent doors their tents about the Tabernacle who now have the Tabernacle removed are without Word without Sacraments without Ordinances and are forced to wander from place to place to gather of the bread of heaven to injoy the Ordinances whereby they may draw neer to God 3. Judge then if it be
By the way then this may discover to us where the fault is when we return home our faith never the more strengthened our hearts never the more warm'd our graces never the more nourished our corruptiōs never the more weakned It is a shrewd sign faith did not play its part in the mount It is great suspition that your faith did succumbere in conatu did faile and sink in the encounter Faith was intrusted in this imploiment to goe over to Christ for these benefits and thy faith did faile in the undertaking therefore God suspends the bestowing of these benefits because thou suspendest thy faith A man may halt after his striving with God and yet overcome as Jacob did but when a man's spirit doth halt in striving with God when we doe not strive fully with God there is little hope of prevailing Well then if thou see not the fruit and benefit thou expected to come into thy soule in the use of this Ordinance charge thy faith with it and bewaile the weaknesse of it and for the future put it to its burden let it have its full and perfect worke and thou wilt then find the comfort and fruit of it Never did faith touch Christ in any Ordinance but vertue came from him But so much for the first Grace 2. 2d Grace to be exercised A second grace which is here to be exercised in the use of this Ordinance and requisite to the sanctification of God in it is Repentance The Sacraments they are the crucifixes of Christ in which Christ is represented as crucified afresh before our eyes the bread broken doth preach unto us the breaking of Christ The wine powred forth doth preach unto us the Blood of Christ poured forth for our sinnes And who is it that can with the eye of faith look upon a broken Christ but with a broken heart a wounded Christ but with a wounded spirit a bleeding Christ but with a bleeding soule God hath made in nature the same organ for seeing and weeping And in grace hee who sees clearly weeps throughly Lam. 3.5 The eye will affect the heart The Passeover under the Law was to be eaten with bitter herbs So Christ the true Passover is here to be eaten with bitternesse of soul as it was prophesied They shal look on him whom they have pierced and shall lament and mourne first seeing and then weeping c. Zach. 12.10 There is a twofold mourning 1. Historicall 2. Spirituall 1. Historicall mourning there is a naturall tendernesse in men and women whereby their hearts doe yearn and melt to heare the relation or behold the sight of some sad story Such a one as Augustine confesseth he had when he read the sad story of Dido and yet his heart was hard he could not mourn for sin Or such a one as they had whom Christ blamed in the Gospel who lamented the cruell usage of Christ out of naturall compassion only to whom he saith O daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me Homini non est necessarium ut Christū in ipsius passione deploret sed magis ut seipsum in Christo Of this the Father speaks It is not necessary you lament his passion so much as your sinnes which have caused his passion There is a kind of naturall tenderness in men and women wihch yet is often joyned with hardnesse of heart for sinne As an Historical faith with spirituall unbelief and an Historicall love with spiritual enmity so a natural tendernesse with spirituall hardnesse of heart for sin 2. There is a spirituall mourning which ariseth from spirituall grounds and causes and tends to spirituall ends A sorrow which is caused by faith looking upon heart-melting promises or taking up heart-breaking considerations or beholding a heart-softning object by which Faith doth draw waters out of the fountaines of the soul for sin as you have it 1 Sam. 7.6 they drew water as out of a well and poured it forth before the Lord. And this is that sorrow which is here to be exercised which will melt and mellow the heart and cause it to be more fruitfull in obedience Never doth the garden of graces better grow then after such a showre of repentant tears And therefore doth God preserve these springs in the soul to water the seeds of grace and make us more fruitfull which it surely doth when they are Sun-shine-showres such showres wherein the Sun appeares Christ is not hid from the eye of faith And my brethren here are many things in this ordinance which if but looked upon with the eye of faith will open all the springs of sorrow in the soule and call forth all the waters in him Bellarnine he layes down twelve considerations to provoke sorrow as the miseries of mankind by nature the sad condition of the souls in Purgatory and such like stuffe But we need not be beholding to him for such cōsiderations as these to occasion mourning Here is enough in the Sacrament presented to the eye of faith to open all the Springs thou hast and if thou had a fountaine of teares to spend them all for sinne We will name some particulars here which draw out mournings 1. Here is a discovery of the love and sweetnesse of God in giving his Son to die for us Joh. 3.16 So God loved the world c. enough to cause us to mourne that ever wee offended Oh that God should bee more tender to us then to his owne Sonne not spare his Sonne that he might spare us give him to die that we might live poure the curse upon him that the blessing might bee poured on us Quis temperet à lachrymis O how should this affect us Who can think of this and with-hold from teares 2. Here is presented to us the sufferings and breakings of Christ enough to break our hardest hearts 1. The sufferings of Christ in se in themselves as those upon his body what breakings what woundings what scourgings what crownings piercings did he endure in his body and those in his soule What conflicts and struglings did he undergoe with the wrath of God the terrors of death the powers of darknes Oh what weight what burden what wrath did hee undergoe when his soule was heavie unto death beset with terrors as the word signifies when he drank that bitter cup 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vndequaque tristis valde tristis Passor Supra modum dolens Scap. Obsitus terroribus Arist that cup mingled with curses which if Man or Angell had but sipt of it would have sunk them into hell Nay it made him who was God as well as man sanctified by the Spirit supported with the Deity comforted by Angels sweat such a sweat as never man sweat drops clods of blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tanquam grumi sanguinis as the word implies 2. Consider them in Causâ as the meriting cause of all our good the procurers of all our peace salvation c. He was wounded
morning And this is fearfull to return with the dog to the vomit 2 Pet. 2.22 But God's people cast them away Isa 30.22 as a menstruous rag never more to have to do with them 2. Get your hearts further strengthened to service Here is in this Ordinance a mutuall sealing of Covenants between God and you As God seals to thee so thou seals again to God God seals to the first part of the Covenant pardon mercy grace and thou seals to the second part of it service subjection obedience God gives Christ to thee here in this Ordinance and thou gives thy self back again to Christ As there is matter of bountie from God to thee so there is matter of duty from thee to God God here in bounty bestowes Christ upon every humble broken hearted and believing receiver They take him and re-give themselves back again to him for subjection and obedience There was never any soul to whom God said in this Ordinance I am thine whose hearts did not eccho again the same to God Lord I am thine This head is thine to contrive thy glory this hand is thine to work for thee this hart is thine to love thee He that sayes my beloved is mine sayes again and I am his Cant. 2.16 Cant. 2.16 Let us then labour to see our hearts further strengthened to service let this inable thee to walk 1. More strongly The Sacraments are our spirituall baitings and refreshments which God affords us to strengthen us in our journey to Heaven They are spirituall meat drink to strengthen us in the performance of al spirituall obedience such meat as will not only inable a man to work but to work more strongly And 't is to be feared that they who are never the stronger for service feed not upon the substance but upon the shadow they feed upon the elements but never tast of Christ the staff of nourishment Purum elementum non est alimentum and t is true here the meer element is no nourishment 2. More willingly and cheerfully Then shall wee be able to run the wayes of God's Commandements Psal 119. when God once here inlarges our hearts It is said of Jacob that when he had been refreshed with the presence of God he plucked up his feet and went on cheerfully So here when the soul hath been refreshed with the presence of Christ he will be able to walk more cheerfully in the wayes of God The food we feed upon is Angels ' food and will inable us to Angels ' imployments h. e. to do our work with an Angels spirit with all alacrity cheerfulness joy and delight though not in the same equality yet in the same quality Siquid boni tristè feceris fit de te magis quam à te Prosper though not in the same measure yet in the same manner And thus much for the second generall viz. How we must sanctifie God in an Ordinance Wee will now come to the third generall which is the Reasons why Who ever have to do with an Ordinance of God must sanctifie God in it 1. Reason Because God commands it God saith hee will be sanctified and God's will is our law God doth not only command the substance but the circumstances not only the matter of worship but the manner And though the matter be good if the manner of performance be naught God doth not regard it You see what hee saith to the Jewes He that sacrificeth is as he who killed a man and hee that kils a Lamb as if he cut off a Dog's head and he who burneth incense as hee who blesseth an Idoll Isa Isa 66.3 66.3 These seem strange expressions What were not these such duties as God commanded Doth not God command sacrifice c. Yes but because they did them not in that manner God commanded therefore were they abominable to him If therefore thou gives God the bulk of outward performance without the spirit of devotion thou deals by him as Prometheus by Jupiter who did eat the flesh and present him with nothing but bones covered over with skin Or to use the Scripture phrase you compass God with a lie Hos 11.12 Hos 11.12 Thou gives him the shell of outward performance but not the kernell of inward devotion thou gives him a body without a soul And as the body without the soul is dead and stinks so doth that service which wants the spirit As God's will doth command service so our will and affections must perform service Though our will must be no instrument of devising service yet it must be an instrumēt in performing service Though God will not own will-worship in regard of prescription yet he will own it in regard of performance and none else Thus you see God commands it and therefore c. Impü Petram lambunt sed indè nec mel nec oleum sugunt c. Ambr. Ser. de coena 2. Reason Because otherwise wee get no good by this Ordinance no good of Comfort nor none of Grace If indeed the Sacraments did ex opere operato confer Grace or if that this Sacrament were an Instrument for the begetting of Grace in graceless hearts then might you get good though you came unpreparedly The word it is set up for that end to be the instrument of regeneration and therefore though you come unpreparedly thither yet you may be wrought upon there * Nemo bonus qui non ex malo bonus Aug. Many that have come to the Word with purpose to scoff to taunt to deride nay to insnare and accuse who yet have been wrought on there and sent away other men Were the Sacraments set up for such an end to beget grace where there is no grace then might you get good though you come unpreparedly and unsanctifiedly thither but as I have told you it was never set up for such an end here its true habenti dabitur to him that hath shall be given he that hath grace shall in the exercise improve his graces but he that comes graceless hither goes graceless away nay worse then he came which is the next Reason 3. Reason Because otherwise we get much hurt The Ordinances are not idle but operative they either work for life or they work for death As Paul said of the Word it was the savour of life and of death so I may say of every Ordinance There is never a time you come to hear the Word but you are set a step neerer heaven or hell so never a time you come to receive the Sacraments c. The fruit of the tree of Knowledge of good and evill might be wholsome in it self yet Adam did eat his death when he tasted of it contrary to God's command So here the Sacrament though in it self it be good yet it becomes the bane and destruction of those souls who partake thereof unworthily As the Ordinances of God are precious things when God is sanctified in them so