to signifie and seal up to us this remission of sins in Christ blood Herein Christ seems as it were thus to speak to every worthy Communicant I poured out my blood to procure the Remission of thy sins and I give thee this Sacramental wine this pledge of my Blood to assure thee in particular of the Remission of thy sinnes that as verily as thou drinkest this wine so verily thou hast pardon of thy sinnes through my blood Oh they are happy that have their sinnes pardoned Oh they are double happy that have their sinn's pardon assured to them 3. Hast thou not need to have the fresh memory of Christ and of his death for sinners perpetuated to thee Consider 1. That to forget Christ argues disaffection to him true Lovers cannot forget one another nor can endure to be forgotten one of another Hence the Church desires Christ to set her as a Seal upon his heart and as a Seale upon his arme that we might never be forgotten of him proportionably we should seâ— Christ as a Seale on our heart and as a Seale on our arme that we might never forget him 2. That to forget Christs death for sinners argues great ingratitude For what greater love could Christ ever have manifested unto us then to die for us Greater love then this hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Yet Christs love greater then mans love for When we were yet without strength while we were yet sinners when we were even enemies Christ died for us Now to bury in oblivion Christs greatest expression of love cannot but be great ingratitude As David quickens his soul not to forget all Gods benefits lest he thereby should be unthankful And Pharohs Butler was unthankful to Ioseph in that He remembred him not but forgatâ— him 3. That the remembrance of Christ and his death is most sweet and profitable to every believing soul. For Christ is he whom the Christian soul loves and loves to remember Christ is the Christians sole Mediatour King Priest and Prophet his Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption His Head Husband elder Brother Life and Hope of glory And Christs death is that whereby our sins are washed away and purged our reconcilement with God is obtained Gods Curse is removed from us all the enemies of our salvation are subdued Our eternall Redemption is wrought and our liberty of entrance into the Holiest of all Heaven it self is procured Oh what variety of Cordials arise out of Christs grave what precious balme distils from Christs bleeding side and what heavenly honey drops out of this everlasting Rock Thou canst not live without Christ and his death hast thou not need then that Christ and his death should still live in thine heart and memory Consequently thou hast great need of the Lords Supper The Lords supper is as a lasting Monument of Christs death a Marble Pillar on Christs grave Christ living erected this Monument and Memoriall of Christ dying In the Institution he saith of the bread Do this in Remembrance of me And of the Cup This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me And of them both saith Paul As oft as ye eat this bread and drink of this Cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come So then in the Lords Supper thou hast Jesus Christ as it were evidently crucified before thine eyes Canst thou see this bread broken and the wine distinctly severed from the bread and not call to minde according to the Scripture Christs Agony in the Garden his sufferings in the High-Priests Pallace and his Crosse upon Mount Calvary in all which places he freely shed his blood for thee Canst thou take and eat this bread take and drink this Cup and in so doing not apprehend Christ stooping from heaven to feed thy soul with bread of Life his own body and water of life his own blood Christ bowing his head upon the Crosse to kisse thee Christ opening his side to heale and wash thee and Christ condescending to thy senses as once to Thomas saying Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithlesse but believing 4. Hast thou not great need to maintaine increase and evidence to thy selfe more and more thy spiritual Communion with Jesus Christ and him Crucified Behold 1. This Fellowship Communion with Christ is the Saints spiritual Paradise their Heaven on Earth Therein we enjoy his person and all sweet relations to his person his Death and all the saving fruits priviledges and influences of his death Hereby we are brought into Christs banqueting house held in his Gallerâ—es his Banner over us being love are carried up into the Mount with Christ as it were to behold Christ trasfigured and may say with Peter Master it 's good for us to be here and let us build Tabernacles Oh thrice happy soul that may thus lodge in Christs bosome and Christ dwell in their hearts 2. This dear Communion with Christ may be much obscured and interrupted Sometimes by carnal security creeping upon the Church which causeth Christ to withdraw himself from her Sometimes by a Churches decay in her first love to Christ and his wayes which provokes Christ to remove her Candlestick that is to un-Church her if she repent not And when the Candlestick removes Christ removes for he walks among the golden Candlesticks Sometimes by the grosse falls and sins of Gods own people which causeth the Lord to break their bones as it were and to take away the joy of his salvation as in Davids case 3. When this sweet Communion with Christ is interrupted how grievous painful and intolerable is it to the Church and Members of Christ Then the soul of the Church failed even fainted away then she sought Christ but could not finde him she called him but he gave her no answer then she became love-sick then she was restlesse till she found him whom her soul loved These things considered there 's great need of preserving improving and clearing to thy self more and more thy Communion with Christ. Now therefore to this purpose thou hast great need of the Lords Supper which to thy Soul to thy Faith yea even to thy outward senses signifies seals and instrumentally exhibits this Communion with Christ and his Death The Cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ His Question whether it be so puts it out of question that doubtlesse it is so That as verily as we partake that Bread and Cup so verily we partake and are strengthened in this fellowship with Christ. 5. Finally Hast thou not great need to confirme and increase spiritual union and communion with the Saints and members
Lords Supper 〈◊〉 How can we diâ—cern our need of the Lords Supper 3. How can we judge of our â—iâ—ness for the Lords Supper Ignorance of our selves will render us ignorant in all these things 3. Of Iesus Christ. For 1. Jesus Christ is the Author of this Ordinance that at first gave Being to it and still gives Benefit by it 2. Jesus Christ is the Matter the inward Matter and Marrow of the Lords Supper to be fed upon Take eat this is my body which is broken for you This Cup is the New Testament in my blood 3. Jesus Christ and the solemn remembrance of his death is one eminent end of the Lords Supper As often as ye eat this bread and drink this Cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come Consequently without a competent knowledge of Jesus Christ it 's altogether impossible to communicate worthily 4. Of the New Covenant or New Testament For this is one of Christs great Seals and solemn tokens of his New Testament This Cup is the New Testament in my blood So that when we renew tâ—e Lords Supper we renew the Lords Covenant And how can we renew that Covenant whereof we are grosly ignorant 5. Of the Lords Supper it self For should we intrude upon this Ordinance and not competently understand what is the nature oâ— Sacraments in general and of this in particular we should but give God a blinde and a lame service and offer the sacrifice of fools These are the principal points more peculiarly necessary to be known in some competent sort before communicating and these are the reasons why they are so necessary to be known Next consider what ought to be known of them severally in order I. Knowledge of God These things especiâ—lly ought to be known touching God in some competent maner before a man come to the Table of the Lord viz. 1. That God is or That there is a God He that cometh to God must believe that he is 2. That God is one or that there is only one true God and no more The LORD our God the LORD is One. We know that there is none other God but one But to us there is but one God He onely is the living and true God 3. That this one God subsisterh in three distinct Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost There are three that beare Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one Go teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost The Father is â—f none neither begotten nor proceeding The Son is begotten of the Father eternally Hence called The onely begotten of the Father And The onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father The Hoâ—y Ghost eternally proceedeth from the Father and the Son But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father Theâ—e three are Co-essentiaâ— Co-equal and Co-eternal This deep mystery cannot be fully comprehended by our understandings must be truely apprehended by our faith It may darkly be reâ—embled by the light of Sun Moon and Stars united in the Arre Oâ— by the light of three diâ—tinct Torches united in one flame Or by one of your Bibleleases in three folds The first fold is not the second nor the second the third nor the third either of the other and yet all those three folds are that one leaf Thus the Father is not the Son the Son is not the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost neither the Father nor the Son and yet all these three are that one most Holy God 4. That this one God is a most pure invisible Spirit God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth The King invisible Whom no man hath seen nor can see 5. That this one God Father Son and Holy Ghost hath made himself gloriously known Partly by his essential Attributes or Properties Partly by his Works I. Gods essential Attributes or Properties are the high perfections of his Essence which are all one both with his Essence and with one another yet are revealed to us and apprehended by us as many and different because our weak understandings cannot comprehend this one infinite Act in one Act God is 1. Most absolutely simple No way compounded in himself or with any other thing God is a Spirit The highest Spirit The most spiritual Spirit The Spirit of spirits therefore absolutely uncompounded without body parts or passions Ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake to you out of Horeb c. A Spirit hath not flesh and bones And Paul proving to the Heathens that himself and Barnabas were no gods as they imagined said Sirs Why do ye these things we also are men of like passions with you 2. All-sufficient The LORD appeared to Abraham and said unto him I am God All-sufficient or God Almighty The Hebrew word according to its several derivations may signifie either of these 3. Immutable or Vnchangeable I am the Lord I change not Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shaddow of turning 4. Infinite without and beyond all bounds and limits His understanding is infinite Now Gods understanding is God himself Gods essence is infinite and boundlesse in all respects imaginable Whereupon God is Immense or unmeasurabâ—e Because he cannot be determined or described by any Dimensions of Height Depth Length or Breadth and because he cannot be limited confined or circumscribed with any place Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God afar off Do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the LORD But will God indeed dwell on the Earth Beholdâ— the Heaven and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain theâ— how much less this House that I have builded Omni-present or present in all places Gods essence filling all places yet not comprehended in any place is consequently in all places Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence If I asscend up into heaven thou art there if I make my bed in hell behold thou art there If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the utmost parts of the Sea even there shall thine hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me c. Incomprehensible Because God is boundless in respect of all created knowledge and understanding No man nor Angel can fully understand or comprehend him Great is the LORD And of his greatnesse ther is no search Canst thou by searchinâ— finde out God Canst thou finde out the Aâ—â—mighty unto Perfection It is as high as Heavâ—â— what canst thou do Deeper then Hell 〈◊〉 canst thou know The measure thereof
can truly say The Lord hath written his law in their hearts and made them know him For carnal unregenerate men who seek not for a saving interest in Christ the second â—â—am according to the tenour of the New 〈◊〉 they do evidently content the◠〈◊〉 with their lapsed condition in the first Adam and so remaine still under the forfeit penalty and curse of the first Covenant of Works broken by Adams fall These things are principally to be known touching the New covenant by worthy Communicants that they may have a true notion or apprehension of that Covenant which is seaâ—ed unto them by tâ—e Lords Supper 5. Knowledge of the Lords Supper it self Finally the fifth and last point of Knowledge especially necessary to qualifie a person for worthy communicating is The knowledge of the true nature of Sacraments and particularly of the Lords Supper it self For How can that be duly managed which is not truly understood To this end we are to know 1. That the Lord hath been wont to deal with his Church and people by way of Sacraments in all times and ages As 1. With Adam and his posterity in a sort For it is supposed by the learned that when God cloathed Adam and Eve with skins he taught them also to sacrifice the bodys of those beasts with whose skins they were cloathed and this is the more probable because the Scripture declaring Abels Religion makes mention only of his Sacrificing the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof These Sacrifices were types of Christ yea pledges tokens and as it were Sacraments confirming the first promise of the seed of the woman Jesus Christ. 2. With Abram when God stablished his Covenant with him and his seed he annexed Circumcision as a Token or Sacrament of the Covenant 3. With Israel when God by the hand of Moses brought them out of Egypt destroying Egypts first-born that they might let Israel go he appointed the Sacrament of the Passeover as a pledge of the preservation of all Israels first-born from Gods wrath 4. When God brought them through the wildernesse in an extraordinary sort Israel also had four extraordinary Sacraments signifying to them spiritual Mysteries in Christ viz. 1 Baptizing in the cloud that both sheltred them from the heat and guided them in their way 2 Baptizing in the Sea which saved them when the Egyptians were drowned 3 Mannah that spiritual meat 4 Water out of the Rock that spiritual drink These four Sacraments were extraordinary and continued but a while viz. during Israels abode in the wildernesse The other lasted till Christs coming in the flesh 5. With the people of God under the New Testament the Lord dealeth also by way of Sacraments ordaining Baptisme and the Lords Supper as standing Sacraments till the end of the world But why doth the Lord thus deal with his people by way of Sacraments in all ages Answ. This comes to passe 1. From Gods familiar love and condescension to his people delighting most plainly and easily to make known spirituals unto them 2. From the abstrusenesse and mysteriousnesse of Christ and the things of Christ which are sublime high heavenly worthy of the quickest inâ—pection of Angels themselves and therefore so far above humane â—pprehension in their heavenly â—uâ—â—re that God represents them in earthly resemblances 3. From the dulnesse of our understandings in conceiving aright of the great Mysteries of Christ therefore God â—â—oops to us â—etting them forth in sensible and visible Elements He descends to our Carnalnesse that we may aâ—cend to his Spiritualnesse He helps our outward senses that they may help our inward graces II. Sacraments are part not of Gods naturall but of his instituted worship Gods Naturall worshâ—p is that which is required in the first Commandment and which the light of Nature dictates to be due unto him Instituted worship is that which is contained in the second Commandment which light of natâ—re cannot particularly lead us unto but onely some posâ—tive divine Institution Now Sacraments are not of Gods Natural but onely of his Instituted worship No light of nature can intimate to us that under the Old Testament God would be worshipped with Ciâ—â—umcision and the Passeover and under the New Testament with Baptisme and the Lords Supper had not God by expresse and positive Inâ—â—itution appointed both Whatsoever Sacraments are they are wholly by Institution We have no other particular ground or foundation for them at all Therefore in the administration of the Lords Supper and of every Sacrament both Ministers and People respectively must cleave close to the Institution The neerer we come up thereto the more acceptable we are to the Lord. As Paul both in planting Sacraments at first and reforming Sacrament-abuses afterwards precisely followed the Lords Institution III. All the Sacraments that ever were instituted since Adam's fall to this day were Tokens Pledges or Seals of the Covenant of grace As Circumcision was a Token of this Covenant a Seal of the righteousnesse of faith c. For since the fall God never set on foot any other Covenant but the Covenant of Grace The Old and New Covenant are both the Covenant of Grace When therefore we come to the Lords Supper we come to renew Covenant with God and to have his gratious New Testament sealed to us IV. Every Sacrament both ordinary and extraordinary of Old or New Testament represents principally Jesus Chrst and him as crucified Adam's sacrifices types of Christ the true sacrifice Circumcision a pledge of our heart-Circumcision through Christs blood The Passeover a token and type of Christ our Passeover sacrificed for us The extraordinary Sacraments Signes of Christ and his sufferings By Baptisme we are said to be baptized into Christ and into his death And by the Lords Supper we so oft as we eat and drink it are said to shew forth the Lords death until he come So that Christ and his death Christ as crucified is the golden thread that runs along through every Sacrament and is the substance and mystery of all Sacraments When therefore we come to the Lords Supper we come to partake a Seal and solemn Memorial of Christ crucified and of all the benefits of his death V. Sacraments are of severall sorts viz. 1. Sacraments of the Old Testament signifying Christ crucified to come afterwards and these were either ordinary or extraordinary Ordinary Sacraments of the Old Testament were chiefly two 1 Circumcision the initiating Sacrament denoting the cutting off of the corruption of the heart by Christ and his grace 2 The Passeover the consummating Sacrament signifying spiritual nourishment by Christ and preâ—ervation from Gods wrath through him Extraordinary Sacraments of the Old Testament were four 1 The Cloud 2. The Sea 3 Mannah from Heaven 4 Water out of the Rock All these were Sacraments of the Old Testament 2. Sacraments of the New Testament signifying Chriâ—t crucified already
come in the flesh are two viz. 1 Baptisme or washing with water in the Name of Father Son and Holy Ghost whereby we are solemnly admitted into Christs mystical body visible signifying and sealing the souls spiritual washing from the guilt and filth of sin by the blood and Spirit of Christ. 2 The Lords Supper or eating bread and drinking Wine in reâ—embrance of Christs body broken and blood shed according to the Institution whereby oâ—r spirituall nourishment and growth in Christs mystical body is sealed Baptisme answers to Circumcision the Cloud and Sea The Lords Supper to the Paschal Supper Mannah and Water out of the Rock The Sacraments of the New Testament are for number more few for observation more easie for signification more excellent VI. In all Sacraments are two parts and a Sacramental union betwixt them 1. The Two Parts are 1 The outward signe or signes signifying as water and washing with it in Baptism Bread and Wine with the actions belonging thereto in the Lords Supper 2 The inward mysteries signified by those signes as the washing away of our sins by the blood and Spirit of Christ in Baptisme and the nourishing of our souls by the benefits of Christs death in the Lords Supper 2. There is a Sacramental union betwixt the Signes and things signified founded in Chriâ—ts Institution Whence the signe is sometimes said to be the thing signified As This is my body This is my blood This is the New Testament in my blood And theâ— thing signified is called the signe As Christ our Passeover is sâ—crificed This Sacramental union consists in a Sacramental relation which the signes have to the things in signifying sealing and exhibiting them Hence flows another union â—etwixt the worthy Communicant and the Sacrament So that he who truly partakes the signe according to Christs Institution partakes also the thing signified This is to be well obâ—erved as a special ground of comfort in communicating VII Finally The particuâ—ar nature of the Lords Supper may be notably discerned in the causes of it viz Efficient Material Formal and Final 1. The Efficient cause or Author of it is The Lord Iesus in the same night in which he was betrayed All power was given to him as Mediatour therefore to institute what Ordinances he pleased for his Church He first gave Being to the Lords Supper and he also can give a Blessing and vertue to it in the right use In that night he instituted it 1. To shew the abrogation of the paâ—chal-Paâ—chal-Supper and the succession of the Lords Supper in the room thereof 2. To imprint more notably a living and lasting character of his death and sufferings upon this Supper 3. To restifie his singular care and love to his Church in that when he knew he was now ready to be betrayed and crucified he would leave this Legacy and Love-Token of his Supper to his Church Now if Christ be the Author of the Lords Supper we should highly esteem it Christianly partake it and walk accordingly knowing that all abuse of the Lords Supper reâ—â—ects and terminates upon the Lord Christ. 2. The Material cause or matter of it is Outward and Inward 1. Outward is 1. Partly the Elements viz. Bread and Wine Complete Provision against hunger and thirst Christ gives his Church full nourishment Bread is expressed Wine is figuratively implyed in the Cup because immediately after Christ said Henceforth I will not drink of the fruit of the Vine c. 2 Partly the Sacramental actions which are either on the Ministers part as Taking Blessing and Giving Thanks Breaking and Giving to the Communicants Or on the Communicants part as Receiving Eating and Drinking 2. The Inward matter are the Mysteries signified by the outward As by the Elements of Bread and Wine Christs Body and blood Christ crucified our spiritual nourishment By the actions Christs separation and Consecration to his Mediatory office Christs brokennesse and sufferings for his Elect Christs free Tender and bestowing himself for spiritual nourishment upon the true Believer And the believers Accepting and applying of Christ thus tendred particularly 3. The Formal cause or Forme of the Lords Supper understand not the outward but the inward Form is that Sacramental union that is betwixt the outward and inward matter betwixt the signes and things signified viz. such a Sacramental relation betwixt them in signifying sealing and exhibiting and this by vertue of Christs institution that he who duly receives the signes receives the things signified as was said before As the law of the land makes such a relation betwixt a twig and a turfe and the lands whence they are taken that he who in due form of law takes liâ—ery and seizin of them is also as fully seized and possessed of the whole Lands or Mannour 4. The Final cause or End of the Lords Supper is manifold viz. 1. The solemn Remembrance of Christ crucified and shewing forth of Christs death to the worlds end 2. The spiritual nourishment of our inward man of our faith and all our graces for strength and growth 3. The Confirmation and individual Application of the New Testament and all the Promiâ—es Comforts Benefits and Priviledges thereof to us 4. The Sealing up unto our heâ—rts the pardon of our sins in Christs blood 5. The Ratification and Augmentation of our Communion with Christ crucified in all the benefits of his death 6. Finally the publike Testification of our true loâ—e to and Communion with the Saints as Christs members and fellow-members with us in him For these ends especially was the Lords Supper instituted by Christ and ought to be celebrated by us Hitherto of those Points of knowledge principally necessary to qualifie a man for worthy communicating whereupon we are to examine our selves Next of the Properties of true sanctified knowledge and of our self-Examination therein II. The Properties of true sanctified knowledge are the second way whereby we may examine and try our Knowledge In the particular points of Knowledge forementioned an Hypocrite may possibly go as far as a true Believer but in these following Properties of sanctified Knowledge the true Believer goes beyond an Hypocrite What are the Properties of sound sanctified Knowledge Answ. Sanctified Knowledge is 1. Experimental 2. Heart-humbling 3. Communicative for others edification 4. Growing 5 Affectionate 6. Spiritualized 7. Pure 8. Obedientiall 1. An Experimental Knowledge whereby a Christian hath a particulal taste savour and relish of the divine things which he knows And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in Knowledge and in all judgement The Greek word rendred judgement properly signifies sense Not a corporal but a spiritual â—ense whereby we have a spiritual and experimental sensiblenesse feeling and taste of the things of God in our own spirits This sense differs from Knowledge thinks Zanchy as the Knowledge of the sense differs from that of the understanding
they be baptized they cannot be admitted to the Lords Supper Not professed Christians for when they come to the Lords Supper they either come worthily or unworthily if worthily then they are true believers already and need no conversion if unworthily then they are so farre from being converted that they eat and drink their own condemnation 4. Not for improving of Grace where Grace is ex opere operato by the bare work done in communicating The Lords Supper is not like Physick or Medicine that works a cure by a natural property therein whether the Patient sleep or wake c. but it is a spiritual Ordinance that through Gods blessing in the right use of it improves and increaseth Grace Rest not therefore in the meer work done but look to the well-doing of it But come to the Lords Supper actually scoping and aiming at these right ends in communicating for which the Lords Supper was indeed instituted viz. 1. For the solemne Remembring of Christ and lively shewing forth of his Death Christ saith in the Institution in reference to the Bread This do in Remembrance of me Paul reciting the Institution annexes this remembrance of Christ not only to the Bread but also to the Cup Take eat this is my body which is broken for you This do in remembrance of me This Cup is the New Testament in my blood This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me And he addes in reference to both joyntly For â—s oft as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lords Death till he come This remembrance of Christ and his Death therefore is one eminent and principal End for which the Lords Supper was ordained and is to be celebrated 2. For the spiritual nourishment support and strengthening of the inward man Faith and all saving Graces Hence it 's called The Lords Supper And in this Supper here 's spiritual food The body of Christ broken and his blood shed As also spiritual eating and drinking of this heavenly provision This is an other true End and use of it for repairing the wants weaknesses decayes c. of the inward man the Regenerate part in a Christian 3. For Ratification of the New Testament or New Covenant to us This Cup is the New Testament in my blood That is This wine in the Cup is a Signe and Seal of my blood and death whereby the New Testament is confirmed For A Will or Testament is confirmed and becomes of force by the Testators Death So that this Sacrament being a pledge of Christs Death Ratifies to us the New Testament in Christs Death together with all the Promises Priviledges and Comforts of the New Testament as being all ours 4. For Sealing up to our hearts and helping on our Assurance of the Remission of our sins This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Without shedding of blood is no remission because otherwise Divine justice had no satisfaction And no blood could satisfie Gods justice fully and obtain remission of sins but the blood of Christ God-man Now as Christ hath loved us and washed us from our sins â—n his own blood So he ordained this Love-token his Supper to assure us that as certainly as we aright partake this Sacrament so certainly our sinnes are pardoned and our persons justified through his blood How sweet an use is this of the Lords Supper to every soul that hath experimentally felt the bitternesse of his sins the Wormwood and the Gall 5. For confirmation and increase of our Communion with Christ and him crucified The Cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ The double Question doth elegâ—ntly and vehemently put it out of queâ—tion and beyond all doubt that the Sacramental Bread and Cup are pledges of our Communion with Christs body and blood That is with Christs Death and with all the Benefits Victories Purchases and Priviledges of his Death That they are all ours as truly as this Bread we eat and this Cup we drink are ours This communion of the Saints with Christ crucified is as sweetest Honey out of the Rock as the Tree of life in the Garden of Eden even their spiritual Paradâ—se and Heaven on Earth Who ever truly tasted the sweetnesse of this communion with Christ but must highly prize and earnestly long for this Sacramental Seale of that Communion 6. Finally For testification and improvement of our Communion with Christs Members For we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread The Saints have not only communion with Christ as their head joyntly but also with one another as fellow-members mutually loving pittying helping and taking care one of another This reciprocal fellowship of Saints is signified sealed c. in the Lords Supper As many grains of wheat make one bread and many grapes one cup of wine So they being many meÌ„bers yet are but all one mystical body in Christ. And therefore from this spiritual and mystical union and communion among them sealed in this Ordinance they ought to be more and more dear to one another every way careful â—or the spiritual good of one another These are the right Ends uses of the Lords Supper In the Act of communicating still keep thine eye intentively upon them As he that shoots keeps his eie steadily on the mark or as he that runs directs his aims still to the Goal III. In order to these excellent Ends manage the whole Sacramental Action according to Christs Institution Sacraments are not Natural but Instituted worship and therefore wholly depend upon Institution in their Being and are wholly to be regulated by Institution in their use Bread doth not naturally in it self signifie Christs body more then the flesh of Beasts doth Nor wine his blood more then water or the blood of Sacrifices doth But by positive institution bread and wine in the Lords Supper so signifie Chrâ—sts body and blood as no other Elements can because these alone were instituted to that purpose Therefore the institution must be the Rule and Standard for regulating the whole Action of communicating So Christ commandeth Do this That is Do this that I command that I do in this Institution follow ye my Precept my Patterne herein all-a-long Hence Paul intending to reform the grosse abuses and prophanations of the Lords Supper in the Church of Corinth calls them back to the first Institution thereof by Christ from which they had turned aside For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you c. Therefore in thy Giving or Receiving the Lords Supper keep close to the Institution then thou walkest safely 1. The Elements which Christ used were Bread and Wine Iesus took
of it which thou takest in hand Rouse up therefore thy judgement and spiritual senses to eye and discern these things truly that so all thine other Graces may be helped and quickened Knowlede being the inlet guide and enlivener of them all 2. Act Faith In discerning and tasting spiritually Christs body and blood how sweet and precious nourishment they are In assenting to the truth of the New Covenant and all the promises thereof to the truth of Christs death and all the benefits thereof to the certainty of this Sacramental comfort and that to the worthy Communicant The bread and wine are Christs body and blood indeed Sacramentally especially in Applying the Covenant and Promiâ—es Christ his love death and all the fruits of his death particularly to thine own soul as certainly undoubtedly as the outward elements are applied to thy body Say with Thomas â—â—â—ling Christs wounds My Lord and my God With Paul Christ loved me and gave hâ—mself for me Say as certainly as this Bread and this wine are mine so the New Testament and all the Promises thereof are mine pardon of sin mine Christ and his death with all the advantages thereof are mine c. Thus to act faith is to eat and drink indeed to communicate indeed 3. Act Repentance and godly Sorrow When thou seest the bread broken and the wine separated from the bread think how Christs body was wounded and his blod shed and separated from his body and this for thy sins Then look upon Christ by faith whom thou hast pierced and be in bitternesse for him by godly sorrow as one is in bitternesse for his first borne c. Fill thine heart with shame and confusion for those sins and with hatred iudignation and holy revenge against those sins of thine that cost Christ so dear and would have cost thee damnation And resolve for future to abominate thy corruptions as the thorns scourges nails and spear that did murder the Lord of glory 4. Act New Obedience Say to thy self O my soul was Christ thus obedient to the death for thee even to the death of the Crosse Did he count it meat and drink to do the will of him that sent him and to finish his work Did he delight to do yea and to suffer the Will of God in being sacrificed for thee How obedient then shouldst thou be to Christ live not to the world or to sinne or to thy selfe but to Christ willingly do any thing he commands forbear any thing he forbids and bear any thing he inflicts that Christ in all may be glorified 5. Act Love sincerely to Christ and his Members This Sacrament is Christs Love-token to his Church A Memorial of his death for us which was his greatest expression of love to us Behold how his love streamed forth to sinners out of every stripe and wound of head back hands feet and heart Behold how he loved thee wilt not thou love him again warme thy frozen affections at this fire of Christs love and melt them into reciprocal love to Christ. Love him in his Person Offices Ordinances and in his Image in whomsoever it appeares 6. Act Thankfulnesse Christ crucified represented here is highest matter of Thankfulnesse Acknowledge this mercy of mercies esteem it according to its worth and resolve to render again to Christ thy praises service affections sufferings and thy self both soul and body in way of Thankfulnesse Say with David Blesse the Lord O my soul And What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me c. 7. Act Finally a true spiritual Appetite Eagerly hunger and thirst after this bread and drink indeed the flesh and blood of Christ. These will so fully satisfie the soul that it shall never totally hunger or thirst more but shall live for evermore And as the hungry stomach delightfully closeth with corporal food extracting the nutritive juyce out of it so let thine hungring soul contentingly close with Christ drawing all hearty juyce and nourishment from him V. Improve thy corporal Senses discerning the outside of the Lords Supper to help thy spiritual Senses and Graces to discerne the inside of the Lords Supper As windows casements let in the light heat and influence of the Sun into an house so these windows and casements of the outward senses let in the light heat and spiritual influence of Jesus Christ the Sun of righteousnesse into the heart and soul. As in the Word preached Christ enters into the heart by the Sense of Hearing the Organ of Discipline so in the Lords Supper Christ comes into the heart by the senses of Seeing Touching and Tasting Doth Christ make use of thy Senses to condescend to thee do thou improve thy Senses to ascend up unto him Thomas would not believe that Christ was alive till he put his fingers into his wounds after he revived and then he cries out My Lord and my God so thou that doubtest of Christs love to thee and dying for thee cast hither thine eye to the bread broken and wine severed from it To the elements and actions and see the Lords dying for thee reach hither thine hand take and apply this bread broken to thine own self and as it were feel his wounded hands and feet and heart use here thy taste and discern what nourishment Christ is And be no longer faithlesse but believing O fix thy senses stedfastly upon the Supper of the Lord till thou hast fixed thine heart firmly upon the Lord of the Supper Let thy senses be acted towards the bread and wine till thy soul be affected with the bread and water of life VI Remember Iesus Chrâ—st and him crucified throughout the whole action This is Christs command in the Institution that we both eat the Bread and drink the Cup in remembrance of him And Paul explaining this remembrance of Christ interprets it especially in reference to his Death and the shewing of it forth The Lords Supper then was intended for a solemne Memorial of Christ crucified and as it were a Marble-Monument or piller upon Christs Sepulchre that Christ and his death might never be forgotten but that Christ dying might be everliving in his peoples hearts Therefore at the Lords Supper remember Christ remember his love to thee remember his death for thee think often and meditate much upon these things Quest. But how shall I remember Christ crucified at the Lords Supper for greatest advantage and benefit to my soul Answ. Remember Christ crucified three wayes vâ—z 1. Historically remembring the History of Christ and his death 2. Mysteriously remembring the spiritual mystery of Chrâ—st and his death 3. Energetically so remembring both as to imprint them with energy effect and effâ—cacy upon the soul. This will be remembring Christ crucified indeed 1. Historically Remember the History of Christ and of his death as it is recorded in holy Scriptures especially as it is delineated by the four
Communicants do as it were set Seal to their own judgement and damnation All these considerations should mightily move us to prepare and examine ourselves with all industry and integrity before we communicate But upon what particulars are we chiefly to examine our selves Answ. We are principally to examine our selves touching these three particulars viz. 1. What right we have to the Lords Supper 2. What need we have of it 3. What actual fitnesse we have for it If we have no Right we shall but usurp it if we feel no Need we shall but despiâ—e it if we be not Fit we shall but abuâ—e it I. What Right we have to the Lords Supper We should carefully examine our Right for without a due Right and claime to the Lords Supper receiving it the Lord may justly count us intruders and usurpers upon the Childrens bread and say Friends How came you in hither c. Now as the Matter of the Lords Supper is two fold viz. Outward the Elements and Actions and Inward the spiritual mysteries represented by them So there is a twofold Right to the Lords Supper viz. Outward and Inward 1. Outward and Visible in respect of the visible Church of Christ wherein this visible Ordinance is dispensed when we outwardly professe to be Federates of the New Covenant whereof the Lords Supper is a Seal And this outward Right is either More Remote and Mediate when by vertue of our Membership being baptized though we be but Infants we have a Ius ad rem a remote Right to the Lords Supper though no present capacity and fitnesse for it More Near and Immediate when by reason of our Qualifications of competent knowledge and unblameablenesse of life we have Ius in re a Right in the Lords Supper in respect of the Church so that the Church may not exclude us but ought to admit us Now of this outward Right the Chuâ—ch takes Cognizance examineth and judgeth 2. Inward and Invisible Right in reâ—pect of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. And this Inward Right is when we not only outwardly professe to be but inwardly and indeed are Federates with God in Christ in the New Covenant sealed by the Lords Supper for of the Cup in the Lords Supper it 's said This is my blood of the New Testament Or This is the New Testament in my blood That is This wine in the Cup is the Signe and Seal of my blood and death whereby the New Testament is ratified and established Now of this our Inward Right to the Lords Supper in respect of God we our selves are peculiarly to take knowledge examine and judge But how may we try and know whether we have this Inward Right to the Lords Supper in respect of God Answ. Our true Inward Right to the Lords Supper we may discover by our inward Right to and actual Interest in the New Covenant or New Testament for the Lords Supper is the Token and Seale of the New Covenant Such therefore as is our Right to the New Covenant such is our Right to the Lords Supper Clear thine inward Right to the New Covenant and thine Inward Right to the Lords Supper is consequently evident The New Covenant is summarily described by Ieremy and Paul Compare Ier. 31.31 to 3â— with Heb. 8.7 to 13. and Ier. 32.38.39.40 According to the tenor of this New Covenant examine thy Right to the Sacraments Art thou a Party to this New Covenant 1. All that are Parties to the New Covenanâ— are clearly taught to know the Lord. Art thou clearly taught of God savingly to know the Lord And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the LORD for they shâ—ll all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord. This clause of the New Covenant peculiarly concerns the Elect under the New Testament they all shall be taught as it were with open face to kâ—ow the Lord far more clearly then the Jewes were under the Old Testament The Jewes knew the Lord darkly aâ— under a veile and being as Children in Minority they stuck in principles stood in need of Tutors and Governours c. But now the veile is done away in Christ and the Elect as children come to riper age know not only Principles but many abstruse mysteries of Religion the Lord opening All treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ and bestowing a greater measure of his Spirit And yet this Text doth not countenance Enthâ—siasms nor annul and lay aside the publike Ministery or private brotherly instructions c. under the New Testament but this phrase They shall not teach every man his neighbour c. is an Hyperbolical expression to show as Calvin well notes how farre the knowledge of the Lord under the New Testament shall surpasse that under the Old Private instruâ—tion and publikâ— Ministery are appointed under the New Testament and are subordin◠〈◊〉 the Spirits teaching And as Paraeâ—â— observes We may as well â—rgue The Lord feeds all therefore there 's no more need of 〈◊〉 or husbandry as thus reason The Long â—aches all his people therefore they need no more humane instruction private or publick And though under the New Covenant all shall more fully and clearly know the Lord then the Jewes from the least to the greatest yet shall not all under the New Testament have an equal knowledge of the Lord but every one according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Hast thou now this cleare New-Covenant-knowledge of the Lord beyond Jewes of old beyond all carnal men now Then 1. Thou art translated from natural darknesse to supernatural light Ye were sometimes darknesse but now ye are light in the Lord. Is thy night of carnal ignorance past and thy day of spiritual knowledge come Hath the day dawned to thee and is the day-starre risen in thine heart 2. Thou art so savingly taught of God as by his teaching to be effectually brought to Christ to believe in him It is written in the Prophets and they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father saith Christ cometh unto me So that none are taught of God till they come to Christ by faith 3. Thou so beholdâ—st as in a Glasse the Glory of the Lord his New-Covenant Glory thâ—t thou art châ—â—ged into the same image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Is the Image of Christs spiritual Glory spiritual light in thee Dost thou grow therein from glory to glory from one glorious degree to another 2. They that are parties to the New Covenant have the Law and Covenant of God written in their hearts This shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those dayes saith the LORD I will put my Law in their inward parts or into their minde as Paul hath it and write
and other Reprobates may have such faith and yet be rejected of Christ at last as Workers of Iniquity 3. It is not an imaginary faith whereby a man may imagine that Christ is his his state good c. without any due Scripture-ground for it himself mean-while continuing in his meer carnal state bringing forth no fruits of faith This Iames calls a dâ—ad faith which cannot save a man And indeed this is plain down right Presumption 4. Finally it is not a temporary faith which goes beyond all the rest whereby a formal Hypocrite Believes for a time For this faith at last vanisheth like a Comet and he that hath it falls away when temptation trouble and persecution ariseth because of the Gospel Therefore unless a man have a faith beyond all these he cannot be fit for worthy communicating Affirmatively It is onely the true saving faith in Christ the true justifying faith that will sufficiently fit and prepare a man for the Lords Supper which may be thus described what it is True saving faith is a grace of the regenerating Spirit whereby a man knowing and assenting to the truth of Gods Record touching Christ accepts him upon his own termes for salvation In this description of faith consider the generall nature and the special difference of it The Generall Nature of it wherein it agrees with all true saving grace is expressed in theâ—e words True saving faith is a grace of the regenerating Spirit See this proved Faith is Gods gift By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God A grace of the Spirit The fruit of the spirit is love goodness faith And also a grace of the Regenerating Spirit Them that believe on his Name which were born not of blood nor of the wâ—ll of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God So that believers are regenerate persons and believing originally flowes from Regeneration and Regeneration is the work of the Spirit The special difference whereby Faith is distinguished from all other saving graces is in these words whereby a man knowing and assenting to the truth of Gods record touching Christ accepts him upon his own terms for salvation Herein are expressed the three graduall acts of faith viz. Knowledge Assent and Application 1. Knowledge which is the first and fundamental act of faith We must know Gods Record before we can assent to it we must assent before we can apply Faith is sometimes therefore expressed by knowledge By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many that is by faith in Christ whereby we know him it is by faith that we are justified This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent 2. Assent to the truth of Gods Record touching Christ. This Act is the same with Historicall faith He that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son And this is the Record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son The whole Scripture is Gods book of Record touching Christ that he will save sinners by him that will believe in him 3. Application of Christ when after knowledge and Assent a man accepts Christ upon his own terms for salvation The applying Act is accepting or receiving of Christ. To receive Christ is to believe To as many as received him gave he power to become the Sons of God to them that believe on his name The manner of this applying and accepting Christ is upon his own termes viz. Self-deniall bearing the Crosse and following Christ If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Crosse daily and follow me The end of this accepting Christ is for salvation by him That believe to the saving of the soul Believe on the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved This now is that true saving faith fitting them that have it for worthy receiving of the Lords Supper 2. How needful this true faith is to worthy communicating This saving faith is necessary before communicating 1. For due qualifying of our persons and actions 2. For discerning Christs body and other Sacramental mysteries 3. For applying Sacramental mysteries discerned 4. For enabling duely to walk afterwards And doubtless no one grace is more absolutely necessary in all these respects for the Lords Supper then this Faith is which is as a Queen among the graces 1. For due qualifying of our Persons and Actions Without faith it is impossible to please God Without faith we cannot please him in our persons nor in our actions Faith is the soul and life of our souls and duties the salt that seasons all our spiritual sacrifices 2. For discerning Christs body and other Sacramental mysteries in the Lords Supper Not to discern judge distinguish and apprehend aright of Christs body dashes upon that fearful Rock of eating and drinking damnation to our selves And a Christians principall discerning faculty in this business is his faith This faith is the Eagles eye whereby a man pierces through the Clouds and shadows of the outward Elements to those heavenly Mysteries in and beyond them Christs body and blood Faith is that acute spiritual sense whereby a Communicant can taste and relish Christ crucified in the Lords Supper Faith is tha spiritual Prospective by which the soul can behold Christ sweating drops of clotted blood in the Garden suffering many cruel things in the High-Priests Palace and dying a painful shameful and cursed death betwixt two theeves upon Mount Calvary And further faith can read and discern many strange Mysteries in Christ crucified of high concernment to Christians both in the Lords Supper and in his whole life viz. The efficacy sweetness victories triumphs satisfactions expiations purchases priviledges c. of his Crosse for our sakes Our liberty in his imprisonment Our acquital in his accusation Our peace in his perplexity Our healing in his stripes and wounds Our honour in his Reproach Our Exaltation in his Humiliation Our Comfort in his Crosse Our blessing in his Curse Our Mannah and Honey in his Vinegar and Gall Our strength in his weakness Our purity pardon and peace in his blood Our justification in his condemnation Our life in his death and in his Crown of thorns our Crown of glory Faith can discover these mysteries when all carnall reason wit and policy cannot discern them 3. For applying sacramental mysteries discerned As faith is the spiritual eye whereby we discern Christ crucified and the mysteries of his death in the Lords Supper so faith is the spirituall hand whereby we take Christ tendered in the Elements The spirituall mouth and stomack whereby we eat and digest Christ received Take ye and eat take ye and drink What must we take eat and drink in this Ordinance Answ. Not
exclusively so as to shut out our Brethrens good and welfare Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others When men pretend oâ—e to the brethren and intend only their own ends and to serve their own turns of them neâ—er truly minding their brethrens good they exercise not brotherly love but self-love The world is full of this counterfeit love 6. True brotherly love is kindly affectioned Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love The word here rendred kindly affectioned is very emphatical and originally signifies that dear natural affection that is betwixt Parents and Children as also the loving of that affection It is as much as Be loving-kinde Now this Loving-kindness or kinde affectionateness discovers it self divers wayes viz. 1. In courteousness the Apostle urging divers Acts and expressions of brotherly love saith be courteous The Greek word here used seems to intimate such a sweet disposition as studies and endeavours things grateful acceptable to Gods people and to render it self well-pleasing to them Contrary unto which is churlishness crabbidness and crookedness of disposition 2. In compassionateness Be pittiful Or as the Greek may more exactly be rendred Easily compassionating Or Easily moved to bowels of compassion This implies both a compassionate disposition and a quickness easiness to that compassion When the heart beholding the distresses of brethren is tender over them quickly moved and melted towards them presently bleeds over them 3. In bearing one anothers burdens Bear ye one anothers burdens The Apostle having exhorted spiritual ones to restore a man overtaken in a fault with the spirit of meekness presently adds this of bearing one anothers burdens He seems to intend the slips and frailties even among the spiritual which are a burden to them They must help one another to bear these burdens not by encouraging them countenancing or conniving at them this were to burden them more but by helping them to get rid of their burdensom corruptions by wise kind meek loving reproofs admonitions instructions exhortations having tender compassion over them 7. True brotherly love is best contented in the godly society of the brethren David was a câ—mpanion of all them that feared God and kept his Commandments He counted the Saints the excellent on earth in them was all his delight Such as truly love the godly above all people desire to live with the godly above all people Contenting Society is hardly dissembled But such as are weary of the company of the gracious and delight more in the Society of the carnal they are strangers to true brotherly love 8. True brotherly love is or ought to be servent See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently And Iohn intimates so fervently as if need require not only to part with our goods to the brethren but when we have a just call to part with our lives for the brethren Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren This is the highest expression of love this is fervent love indeed fervent love may have many inferiour degrees Generally there is such coldness and frozen-heartedness towards Gods dear children that it 's evident there 's little true love to them in the world 9. Finally True brotherly love is constant and continuing so ought to be Let brotherly love continue charity never faileth but whether there be Prophecies they shall fail whether there be tongues they shall cease c. True love is not like Ionas his Gourd suddenly springing and as suddenly dying but like Cedar or heart of Oak long-lasting yea ever-living Love of the brethren will continue till death yea beyond death in heaven Then the Saints shall love one another perfectly without all disaffection or corruption and they shall joyntly be swallowed up in the love of God to all eternity Thus try the truth of thy brotherly love And having found it in thy self abound and persevere therein This it that which the Apostle so pathetically urgeth upon his Philippians and in them upon us This that excellent Grace which he so commends above all gifts to the Corinthians And this is that which Christ himself so earnestly commends to his Apostles as the very badge and character of his Disciples A new Commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love to one another VI. THANKFVLNES is a farther qualification necessarily required to fit and prepare us for worthy receiving of the Lords Supper And touching which consequently we are to examine our selves Here understand that thankfulness which peculiarly respects Câ—rist his Death his new covenant and his Supper Now consider 1. The Necessity 2. The Discovery of this thankfulness 1. The necessity of true thankfulness for Christ his death his new Covenant and Sacrament peculiarly to fit us for worthy receâ—ving of the Lords Supper is evident upon these grounds 1. Thankfulness was used and expressed by Christ at his institution of the Lords Supper And he took the bread and gave thanks and brake it and gave unto them saying This is my body which is given for you This do in remembrance of me Likewise also the Câ—p after supper saying This cup is the new Testament in my blood which is shed for you That he gave thanks is clear What was the matter or form of his thanksgiving is not evident Yet it 's most likely that Christ who did all things properly gave thanks with reference to the Action in hand viz. not onely for the outward Elements but especially for the inward mysteries to be represented by them that now his death approached wherein his body was to be broken his blood shed for the life of the world for the nourishment of his Elect which he delighted to accomplish And the Lords Supper from Christs giving thanks at the institution is denominated by the Greek Fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Eucharist That is The Thanksgiving It being the Christians eminent Thank-offering Now if Christ gave thanks at the first institution proportionably we are still to give thanks in all after-Administrations of the Lords Supper especially because Christ saith Do this in reference to the whole Action 2. The matter of the Lords Supper eminently calls for thankfulness viz. 1. The Inward matter signified and sealed Christ body and blood That is Christ crucified together with all the vertues benefits victories Purchases and Priviledges of his Death This the inward matter and mystery of the Lords Supper Oh whâ—â— matter of thankfulness is this Think how â—â—â—ellent Christ is Gods onely Son The Son of his love yea God himself therefore farre beyond ten thousand worlds Think what his death
was Such a death as all things considered never was endured wherein malice of men rage of all the powers of darkness the wrath of God sins of all the Elect did meet in him at once And think what we worthless sinners gain by this Death of Christ What pardons Reconciliation Peace with God c. And all these confirmed to us in the Lords Supper that lasting Monument of Christ crucified Oh what manifold cause of thankfulness is here 2. The outward matter of the Lords Supper viz. the Elements of Bread and Wine together with the actions of taking blessing breaking giving eating and drinking them affords also much cause of thankfulness that Christ would thus condescend to our weakness as to represent such heavenly mysteries to us by such homely elements and actions He deals herein with us as once with doubting Thomas makes us as it were thrust our finger into the print of his nails that we may believe helps our inward graces by our outward senses 3. The ends of the Lords Supper are such that they notably challenge manifold thankfulness from us whensoever we partake the Lords Supper These ends are The solemn remembrance of Christs Death never to be forgotten The nourishing of the inward man of faith and all our graces The confirmation and application of the New Testament with all the Promises thereof to us The Ratification of the pardon of our sins in Christs blood And the sealing up unto us that sweet priviledge of Communion with Christ and with one another Not one of these but deserves much thankfulnesse How great thankfulness then is due for all of them together in the Lords Supper 2. The Tryal of our thankfulness which is thus necessary for worthy communicating comes next to be considered and we may try the truth of our thankfulness by the three eminent Acts or degrees of thankfulness viz. 1. Notice-taking or acknowledgement of blessings received 2. Estimation of mercies received and acknowledged 3. Retribution or rendering again for mercies received acknowledged and esteemed 1. Notice-taking or acknowledgement of benefits received is a first degree or Act of thankfulness Till a man take notice of a benefit and whence it comes he can neither esteem it nor render again for it as he ought Thus when David would express his thankfulness to God for enabling him and his people to offer so willingly and liberally towards the building of the Temple He takes notice of the benefit and whence it came even all from God alone Our God we thank thee and prayse thy glorious name But who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee And in the Hebrew phrase Giving of thanks is most usually expressed by Confessing to the Lord. For confessing and acknowledging what good we receive and whence we have it is a prime point of thankfulness Contrariwise it 's a point of deep ingratitude not to observe and acknowledge the benefits and whence they come Israel is blamed for this She did not know that I gave her corn and new wine and oil and multiplied her silver and gold Such like Swine eat up and devoure the Acorns or mast but never look up to the Oak whence they fall Dost thou now duly take notice of that mercy of mercies Jesus Christ and his Death how mysteriously the saving of sinners by him is contrived in Gods eternal Counsel and revealed in the Scriptures How Chriâ—t his death and all his benefits originally flow from Gods meer grace and the good pleasure of his will Dost thou duly observe and acknowledge the mercy of the Lords Supper tendering and applying Christ and his death and how it was from Christs tender love and care of his Church that he instituted it This is some degree of gratitude But alas how many come to the Lords Supper who do not considerately take notice of this Mystery of saving sinners by Christ which is the sum of all the Bible c. 2. Estimation of Benefits received and acknowledged is a second Act or Degree of thankfulness The Virgin Mary thankfully magnifying the Lord for that extraordinary mercy to her Her Conception of Christ by the Holy Ghoâ—t She notably estimates and amplifies the Mercy by the Mâ—jesty of the Giver the meanness of the Receiver and the Greatness of the Gift My soul doth magnifie the Lord For he hath regarded the low estate of his hand-maid for he that is mighty hath done to me great things God had done great things for Mary in that Christ according to the flesh was conceived in her womb but he hath done greater for thee in that Christ according to the Spirit is conceived in thy soul. She was happy in bearing Christ much happier in believing in Christ. She was happy in being Christs natural Mother Happier in being Christs spiritual member Now as true thankfulness esteems and values mercies turns them over and over views them on every side c. so unthankfulnesse debases viâ—ifies discommends twits fleights the mercies as Israel the Mannah Our soul loatheth this light-light Bread as the Hebrew phrase is Art thou now qualified with thankfulness for the Lords Supper where then is thy due estimation of 1. Christ 2. His Death 3. His Supper All theâ—e are thankfully to be esteemed according to their respective worth by thankful Communicants 1. Dost thou esteem Christ the Matter of the Lords Supper according to his worth Paul so esteemed him that he desired to Know nothing but Christ. That he counted all things losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ yea all things dung that he might win Christ. The Church so esteemed Christ as to count him The chief among ten thousand How dost thou estimate Christ Dost thou amplifie and commend Christ to thy self by such consideration as may raise up greatest estimation of him As 1. The greatnesse of the Giver the all-sufficient self-â—ufficient God Having all happinesse fulneâ—s and perfection in himself and no way needing any of his creatures Yet he gave Christ for us 2. The eminency of the Gift or Benefit Christ is The Gift of God That is The Gift of Gifts No other Gift being comparable to him And therefore they are said to have Received no mercy that are not partakers of this mercy of mercies He is the Son of God the only begotten Son of God the brightnesse of his Fathers glory the expresse character of his person The Son of his Love Holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and higher then the Heavens c. Who can truly know Christ and not highly esteem Christ 3. The indignity of them for whose sakes Christ was given He was intentionally indeed given for his elect sheep and for his Church But these all undone by the fall of the first Adam
and whilest in that wretched state Whilest yet without strength when sinners whilest enemies whilest enmity it self against God when they were dead in trespasses and sins in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity Even then when there was nothing but unworthiness and abominableness in them was Christ given for them And this whilst Christ was not given for the Reprobates of the world for whom Christ would not so much as Pray much lesse die yet these in no worse condition by nature then those for whom Christ died How doth this heighten the mercy 4. The motive or impulsive why Christ was bestowed was not any thing at all in the creature but meerly the free Grace and Love of God Vpon these and like considerations what estimation hast thou of Christ 2. Dost thou esteem Christs Death The Mystery of the Lords Supper Christ is the matter but how Christ as crucified as Broken as slain for us in that respect Christ is the matter his Death therefore is the Mystery of it How dost value Christs Death Dost thou estimate it according to the true valuableness of it viz. 1. Esteemest thou Christs death according to the love evidenced in it Greater love then this hath no man then that a man lay down his life for his friends But greater then this Christ shewed in laying down his life for enemies Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Was ever love like this love The Apostle prayes for the Ephesians and his expressions are admirable That they may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge He measures Christs love by 4 Dimensions Philosophy knows but three Length Breadth and Depth Divinity adds a fourth Heighth intimating that Christs love is far beyond all ordinary measures and dimensions There 's Depth in it without bottom Heighth in it without top Breadth in it without side and Length in it without end Yea it utterly passeth knowledge Christs warmest love to sinners flowed with his blood out of all his wounds Esteemest thou his Death according to Christs love in dying 2. Esteemest thou Christs death according to the sufficiency of it Christs death was an Odour of a sweet smell most acceptable to God He by once offering up of himself hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified So that there needs now no more Sacrifice for sins The infinite dignity of his person so infinitely dignified his passion Hence Christ by his short suffering prevailed more for our salvation then all men on earth or Angels in Heaven could have done if they should have suffered to eternity 3. Esteemest thou Christs death according to the many inestimable benefits of it Hereby Sinners are justified sins purged away Hereby Enemies to God are reconciled Hereby death he that had the power of death the Devil with all Principalities and powers are subdued Hereby eternal Redemption from spiritual thraldom is obtained In a word hereby we have accesse with boldnesse and entrance into the Holiest of all Heaven it self Christs blood is Heavens Key Oh what soul can truly taste these saving purchases of Christs death and not admire it 3. Finally doest thou aright esteem the Lords Supper it self It deserves high estimation 1. For the mysteries in it Christs death and all the benefits of it The New Covenant and all the promises of it Communion with Christ and all the comforts of it 2. For the familiarity of it Herein Christ deals familiarly with his members He stoops to their senses below that their senses may lift up their faith to him above He represents highest mysteries under meanest elements and actions Thus he condescends to our earthliness that we may aseend to his heavenlinesse 3. For the Firmnesse of it In right use the Lords Supper doth as surely signifie seale and exhibit Christ crucified and all his benefits to us as we partake the outward elements there being such a Sacramental union betwixt signes and things signified Do these and like considerations raise up thy thoughts to an high estimation of this Ordinance 3. Retribution or rendring again according to the benefit received acknowledged and esteemed is the third and highest act or degree of thankfulnesse When David was most enlarged unto thankfulnesse he saith What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me And because King Hezekiah recovered of his â—â—knesse at his prayer rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem If non-rendring be â—o dangerous then how dangerous is it to render to God evil for good But what can we or ought we to render again for Christ for his Death for his Supper which are the eminent benefits that immediately call for thankful returns or rendrings when we communicate Answ. What should we not render again for these benefits All we can render is farre too little We should râ—nder 1 Triumphant praises Thus David resolved to render I will take up the cup of salvations and call on the name of the Lord. That is I will take up the Cup of Thanksgivings for Gods salvations and deliverances and will pray and praise God or preach abroad Gods mercies For Israel offered for mercies receied Thank-offerings eating thereof with joy before the Lord and in their eating were wont to take up the Cup of wine and blesse God to this custome David alludes In like sort we should be much in Praises and Thanksgivings for Christ his death c. As Paul notably thanks Christ not only for calling him to the Apostolical Ministery but also and especially for coming into the world to save sinners and himselfe chief of sinners making him a pattern of his grace to all that after should believe 2 Indeared affections Christ pardons the womans many sinnes this was one fruit of his Death Hereupon She loved him much and testified the same by washing his feet with her teares wiping them with the hairs of her head kissing them and anointing them with oyntment She hath nothing too good nothing good enough for Christ. Hath Christ loved thee and given himself for thee leaving this Sacrament as a legacy of his love Oh how should'st thou love him again that thus loved thee first 3 True hearted repentance and reformation Christ came into Zacheus's house to dine with him yea rather into Zacheus his heart there spiritually to feast his soul presently Zacheus the Arch-publican penitentially reformes Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I restore him fourefold And Christ testifies This day is salvation come to this house forasmuch as he also is the sonne of Abraham Sâ—ul
was a most cruel Persecuter of Christ and his Members as even himselfe testifies but Christ no sooner appears to him in his circuit of persecution and converts him but he wonderfully reformes He straightway preached Christ in the Synagogues that he is the Sonne of God Of a Persecutor he becomes a Preacher of Christ and his Gospel This was a thankful return indeed Thy true thankfulnesse for Christ and his death will make thee render to him the like repentance and reformation 4. The life of faith and new obedience is another thankful returne for Christ and his death Paul apprehending that Christ loved him and gave himself for him lived by faâ—th yea not so much he as Christ lived in him Yea Christ being revealed in him how immediately obedient was he in that extraordinary serâ—ice of preaching Christ among the Gentiles not consulting with flesh and blood and this new obedience is the return that Christ expects from us for giving himself for us That we should neither live nor die to our selves but to the Lord who therefore died rose again and revived for us that he might be Lord both of quick and dead 5. Performance of vows and promises is another thankful returne When David had questioned with himself What shall I renâ—er to the Lord c He answers himself presently I will pay my vows unto the Lord. We all of us have the vows of God upon us according to the tenour of the New Covenant confirmed by Baptisme and the Lords Supper Therein we promised to become Gods People and to walk as Children of our heavenly Fâ—ther as members of Christ as Temples of the Holy Ghost being baptized into their name 6. Finally a willing chearful readiness if we be called thereto to suffer for Christ who so willingly suffered for us Christ spared not his blood for us nor should we spare our blood for him Vpon this account Paul counted not his life dear unto him Yea he was ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus These are suitable returnes for the great benefits of Christ and his death Try now whether thou canst and dost render such Praises Affections Reformation Life of Faith and New Obedience Performance of Vows and iâ— need be Sufferings for Christ and for Righteousnesse sake Thus examine thy Thankfulnesse VII A SPIRITVAL APPETITE to this heavenly banquet and to Jesus Christ therein is the next and last Communion qualification touching which we are to examine our selves before communicating By spiritual appetite I understand that spiritual hunger and thirst those holy desires vehement pantings breathings longings of soul after these heavenly dainties and especially after Jesus Christ therein 1. The Necessity of this spiritual Appetite before we come to the Lords Supper is evident For 1. This Sacrament is a blessed feast and spiritual banquet It is called A Supper yea The Lords Supper Christ is the Master of the Feast and Christ is the Matter of the Feast His precious body is here tendered as bread of life and his blood as water of life to satisfie strengthen and enliven for ever every believing soul. Now a Feast and an Appetite are Relatives and so a spiritual Feast and a spâ—ritual Appetite What good doth the best Feast to him that hath no appetite or what advantage is the keenest appetite to him that can come at no food to satisfie it it torments him but so much the more So here And if ever dainties will stirre up dul appetites these rarest provisions will excite spiritual hungrings and thirstings after them What feed upon Christs body blood merits righteousnesse pardons purchases victories and all other benefits of his death who would not long for this Supper 2. No small advantage will redound to us by the sharpnesse and livelinesse of our appetites to this Ordinance Hereby we shall feed upon Christ more heartily Discerne and relish him more sweetly Be satisfied with him more contentedly Be affected with him more joyfully and thankfully and be mightily cheared up and strengthened for all sacred employments Whereas if we come without appetites or with dull weak crazy appetites we shall have small or no delight in this banquet The full soul loatheth an honey-combo but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet 2. The trial of a right spiritual Appetite to the Lords Supper follows Examine it by these insuing properties 1. A good sharp lively Communion-Appetite would be often eating Hunger bites and gnaws the sound stomack if but one meal be miss'd The misse of this ordinance paines and grieves the soul of an hunger-bitten Christian. The Primitive Christians had lively Appetites after this Supper they desired it often yea they had it often Paul once and again intimates a frequency of their communicating And Luke seemes to insinuate that it was their accustomed manner to communicate every Lords day which is the first day of the week And upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread Paul preached unto them Had we such hunger and thirst after Christ as they had we should desire the Lords Supper as often as conveniently it might be had What weak and bad appetites have they that can content themselves with once communicating in the year at Easter yea perhaps with once in five or six yeares 2. Such as have good appetites will be at paines and cost to obtaine food Hunger we say breakes the stone walls will make a man labour early and late with sweat of his brows to get his bread and not grudge to lay out his money for necessary sustenance Hunger made Iacob send his sons into Egypt to buy bread and at last made him willing to lend Benjamin his darling with them Isaiah in his prophecy of Christ saith Ha every one that thirsteth there 's appetite come ye to the waters there 's paines-taking Come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk that is all variety of spiritual Provisions in Christ for to him is this invitation There 's cost Consider now what pains wilt thou be at for this Sacramental Feast wilt thou search and examine thy self aforehand diligently as hath been directed what cost and charge wilt thou be atâ— wilt thou sell all that thou hast to purchase that pearle wilt thou penitentially part with all even thy dearest corruptions thy pride covetousnesse c. that thou mayest â—e a welcome guest at this Table 3. He that hath a good spiritual appetite to this Feast will be glad when Christ by his Ministers invites him thereunto Meal-time is a gladning time to such as have good appetites because then their hunger and thirst shall be satisfied It holds both in the corporal and spiritual appetite David had many a sweet meal in Gods house by Prayer Hearing and other Ordinances therefore how was he affected when opportunities of such refreshing
Bread And he took the Cup c. of which Cup he said I will drink no more of the fruit of the Vine untill The Lords Supper therefore must not be dispensed with any other Elements then Bread and Wine What sort of Bread or Wine is not prescribed particularly but left to liberty Papists deal sacrilegiously who deny the Cup to the people giving them only Bread 2. The Mysteries signified c. by these Elements according to Christs Institution are Christs Body and Blood immediately His Death and all the benefits thereof mediately These and no other Mysteries we are to understand by the Elements We may not devise other significations then those Christ instituted 3. The Actions instituted On Christ and his Ministers part dispensing the Lords Supper were Taking Blessing Breaking and Giving the Bread Taking Giving thanks and Giving the Cup. On the Communicants part Receiving the Lords Supper were Receiving Eating the Bread and Drinking the Wine These Sacramental Actions are to be used and no other these alone being instituted The Form or Manner of Christs Taking Blessing Tanksgiving Breaking and Giving the Elements c. is not particularly described Doubtlesse they were all most suitable and congruous to the Ordinance in hand Christ doing all things most exactly and properly And such should ours be most proper pertinent agreeable to the Nature of the Lords Supper Nor Breaking of Bread nor any other Action may be omitted or changed Nor may we super-adde new actions besides theâ—e as Sacramental and Significative for that were to usurp upon Christs Authority of instituting therefore to adde as some do The Pourâ—ng out of the Wine for the signification of the pouring out of Christs blood is not only needlesse but also unlawful Needlesse in that Chriâ—ts shedding his blood for us and the actual separating of his blood from his body is signified sufficiently according to the institution otherwise viz. Partly in the Breaking of the Bread noting the breaking and wounding of his body which could not be without shedding of his blood Partly in the actual and distinct separation of the Wine from the Bread both in Institution Distribution Vnlawful for when did Christ institute this Action of Pouring out the Wine Or where doth he require it at our hands 4. Finally the Circumstantials attending upon the institution of the Lords Supper which were not meerly accidental and occasional They also are fit to be used by us but not witâ— opinion of the like intrinsecal necessity as the essentials and integrals of the Lordâ— Supper are to be uâ—ed As 1. Tâ—e uâ—e of a Table is convenient to â—et the elements decently and â—isibâ—y upon and of vessels to put the elements in And the Apostle makes mention of The Lords Table And of the Cup of the Lord. 2. The â—itting of all the Communicants at or as neer as conâ—eniently they can round about the Lords Tabâ—e that they may not onâ—y hear the words of the Institution recited and expâ—â—ined c. but may also see the elements and actions that their eyes may more deeply affect their hearts with the mysteries in hand Such sitting being more agreable to the example of Chriâ—â— and his Apostles in tâ—e first insâ—itution who sate or sate leaning than the gesture of kneeling And being the gesture generally received and used in all the Reformed Churches and directed to be used in the Churches of England Scotland and Ireland 3. The closing up of the whole action with some suitable Psalme is agreeable to the Primitive paterne Thus Christ and his Apostles shut up the Lords Supper in the first Institution thereof And when they had sung an Hymne or Psalme they went out into the Mount of Olives To sing Psalmes therefore in the Act of administration of the elements is clearly unsuitable to the iâ—itable Practice of Christ and his Apostles at the Institution and also evidently repugnant to those General Rules for Christian worship That all things be don decently in order and to edification This singing Psalmes in the action being un-decent and disorderly whilest one part of the Congregation is receiving another part is singing which makes a grosse confusion in the Church and in the Religious exercises And also unedifying yea against edification whilest the Communicants thoughts are hereby distracted and drawn away from fruitful pondering and meditating upon the many mysteries of the Lords Supper and their graces are disturbed and hindred from their free and lively actings towards Christ crucified the benefits of his death his love therein to us our reciprocal duties to him c. enough to employ the quickest thoughts and graces throughout the whole action But as for those Circumstantials about the Lords Supper that were meerly accidentall and occasional occasioned by the Paschal Supper or otherwiâ—e extrinsecally in respect of the Lords Supper As The time in the evening not in the morning The place in a private chamber an upper room not in the place of publick worship The quality of the Bread unleavened not leavened The number sexe and office of the Communicants They being but twelve and all these men no women being amongst them and all these Apostles and Ministers of the Gospel there being no private Christians amongst them These being meerly accidental to the Lords Supper and being occasioned by something besides the Lords Supper they do not tie us to the observation of them Thus manage the whole action of the Lords Supper according to Christs Institution IV. Act and exercising lively in Communicating all those Sacramental qualifications and graces fore-mentioned viz. Knowledge Faith Repentance New Obedâ—ence Love to Christ and to Christians Thankfulnesse and a Spiritual Appetite It 's not enough to have these and bring them with us to the Lords Supper but we must use and improve them discreetly and carefully at the Lords Supper You have seen how necessary they are for a worthy Communicant Stir them up therefore and awaken them in your selves in Communicating He that 's to wrastle or run a race must not only have strength and skill but use them if he mean to prevaile He that 's cold must not only have fire raked up under the ashes but must blow it up if he means to be warm so he that means to communicate worthily must not content himself with the habit of Grace but put forth the Acts of Grace Gods children may receive unworthily by not using of Grace as wicked men receive unworthily by not having of Grace Act and use therefore every Grace pertinently and properly according to their several natures respectively 1. Act Knowledge so as to have a right apprehension Of that God with whom thou hast to do in this Ordinance Of thy selfe that dost Communicate what thy spiritual state is Of Christ and his death the chief mystery of this Supper Of the New Covenant and the tenour of it which is sealed in this Sacrament And of this Sacrament it selfe and the nature
Evangelists Read the History of Christs passion in them before thou commest to the Lords Table that the memory thereof may be fresh and lively in thy thoughts at the Lords Table Think with thy self how Christs life was as it were a continued Passion and a daily dying He was very meanly brought forth into the world borne in a stable wrapped in swadling cloathes and laid in a Manger He was no sooner born but Herod seeks to murder him murdering many poor Infants lest he should misse him He is no sooner baptized but Satan assaults him Tempting him to Despaire Self-murder worshipping of the Devil in perâ—on but prevailed nothing Is he in his publick Ministery How is he hated reviled blaâ—phemed and persecuted by Scribes and Phariâ—es by his own people the Jewâ— yea by his own kindred And when he was nigh the period of his Minisâ—ery what torrent of sorrows sufferings flow'd in upon him Remember what he endured in the Garden in the High Priests Hall and in Mount Calvary and then behold and consider if any sorrows were like his sorrows 1. In the Garden How was his soul surrounded with sorrows even to the Death How bitter was the Cup which he then began to drink which set him into an Agony so that he prayed thrice most earnestly to his Father to let that Cup passe from him if possible and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground hereby his spirits being brought so low that there appeared an Angel from heaven strengthening him With this Agony probably Christ was so weakened that the next day he was not able to bear his Cross but Simon was compelled to bear it after him And immediatly after his Agony Iudas betrayes him to the multitude of the Jews with a kisse who apprehended him bound him and led him away to the High Priests House Thus as the first Adam sinned in a Garden the second Adam suffered in a Garden Now then when thou art at the Lords Table Remember Christs Garden-sufferings think so lively of them as if thy self hadst been in the Garden with the Disciples imagine thou hadst heard him pray so earnestly against his bitter Cup thou hadst seen him sweat drops of clotted blood so lamentably in his woful Agony that the earth was all besprinkled with his blood and that thou hadst lookt on to see him betrayed so villainously by Iudas his own Apostle into the hands of his enemies 2. In the High Priests Palace and the judgement-Hall How was Christ denyed by Peter How was he mocked â—mitten blindfolded buffetted spit upon crowned with Thornes having a Reed in his hand being scornfully bow'd unto and derided with haile King of the Iews cruelly scourged blasphemously intreated falslely accused causelesly exclaimed against by the people and unjustly condemned by Pilate against his own conscience When thou art at the Lords Table Remember those passions of thy Saviour Imagine thou hadst stood by all the while and sadly beheld all these passages his cheeks swoln with buffetting his face defiled with spitting on his head wounded with thornes his back torn with scourges c. Oh behold what a woful spectacle 3. In Mount Calvary in that filthy Golgotha how woful and tragical was his end His body was stripped of his garments His limbs were cruelly stretched upon the Cross His hands and feet pierced with rugged nails and fastened to the cursed tree He was ranked betwixt two crucified thieves as if he were the Arch-malefactor he hanged from the sixth till the ninth houre most painfully upon the tender wounds of his hands and feet He was forsaken by his disciples and friends derided by his enemies by the very thieves that were crucified with him being a thirst in his pains abused with gall and vineger given him to drink And which was heaviest of all he was in a sort deserted of God so that he bitterly cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and so he yielded up the Ghost after which a souldier with a spear piercing his side and heart there gushed out water and blood Now when thou art at the Lords Supper â—emember all those sad passages Think thou hadst stood with Mary and Iohn under â—is Crosse and hadst seen and heard his intolerable reproâ—ches his bleeding wounds his tortured body his bitter cries his dying groans think thou hadst his dead body all besmeared in his own blood like Ioseph of Arimathea in thine armes Remember this story of Christs death and remember it seriously pathetically Imagine The Sacrament-day to be as Christs Agony-day His Condemning-day His Crucifying-day The Lords Table to be as the Crosse whereon he was crucified And the breaking of the bread as the breaking of his body with all these mortal Sufferings This is the first Act or degree of thy Remembring Christ crucified to remember him Historically 2. Mysteriously Remember the Mystery of Christ and of his Death This is a farther and an higher degree of remembring Christ crucified at the Lords Supper Christs Death was not a common and ordinary Death full of miseries only but a speciall and extraordinary Death full of Mysteries also Among other Mysteries of Christs death The Causes and Effects of his death are singularly mysterious Remember them in communicating 1. Causes of Christs death were either 1. meritorious or 2. impulsive 1. Meritorious procuring causes of Christs death were the sins of Gods Elect imputed to him Christ in himself was totally without sin no guil was found in his mouth He was a Lamb without blemish without spot He was Holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners Pilate his Judge cleared him saying I finde in him no fault at all The condemned thief justified him We indeed justly but this man hath done nothing amisse But Christ becomming Surety for sinners even for all his Elect that were ruined by Adam's sin stood charged with their whole debt which they were no way able to satisfie for in the least degree And so all their sins were at once imputed to him and death the due wages of their sins was inflicted upon him that his Elect might be fully acquitted and discharged Hence those passages He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Admirably the Evangelical Prophet Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him strieken smitten of God afflicted But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheâ—p have gone astray we have turned every man to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him Heb. hath made to meet on him the
died for us Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Hence Christ in the Institution of the Supper saith This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins God justifies us efficiently Christ justifies us by his blood and obedience meritoriously by his Resurrection evidentially evidencing the full vertue and victory of his death Faith justifies us instrumentally good works justifie us declaratively in the sight of men declaring our faith to be lively and true that brings forth good works 4. Victorie over our spiritual enemies Naturally by the fall we are in the bond of iniquity and through fear of death all our life-time subject to bondage and led captive by Satan at his will Israels bondage and slavery in Egypt or Babylon no way comparable to this spiritual bondage But Christ by his death Hath condemned sin in the flesh Hath overcome death and destroyed him that had the power of death the Devil having spoâ—led principalities and powers and triumphed over them openly by his Crosse. 5. Finally Entrance into Heaven Though our sin had cast us out of Paradise and from all hope of Heaven yet Christ by his death and blood hath opened to us the gate of the heavenly Paradise We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Iesus by a new livâ—ng way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh Theâ—e are some of the glorious fruits of Christs death Redemption Reconciliation Justification Victory over our spiritual enemies and entrance into the holiest of all Remember theâ—e at the Lords Supper that sweet Memorial of Christs death Thus remember the Mystery of his death 3. Energetically Remember Christ and his death the History Mystery of his death so as to work this remembrance with energy force and efficacy upon thine heart and spirit Let this remembrance of Christ make some savory practical impressions upon thy soul which may dwell and fix there for thy good How may that be done Answ. Thus 1. Remember Christ and his death so as to lay to heart the deep sinfulness and misery into which the first Adam plunged us by his fall Judge of the extremity of the malady by the eminency of the remedy No lesse then death then such a death and that of such a person as Christ who was God-man could eâ—er have expiated that sinfulness or haâ—e remoâ—ed that misery If all the men on earth and all the Angels in heaven had died and that eternally they could never have satisfied Gods justice for one sin For Gods justice offended is infinite and all that mere creatures can do or endure are as themselves meer finite but Christs person being of infinite worth in respect of his God-head satisfied to the full Think not Adams sin to be small It murdered himself and all his posterity It cost Christ his dearest hearts blood And Adams first sin was thy sin for thou wast in his loyns when he fell Lay this to heart proportionably 2. Remember Christ and his death so as to admire Gods infinite 1. Wisdom 2. Iustice and 3. Love therein toward sinners 1. Admire his wisdom in contriving this strange way for saving of sinners which men and Angels could not have contrived or imagined That the eternal Son of God should become man personally uniting the humane nature to his divine person That as man he might suffer as God he might satisfie for sinners Here 's Chrâ—st crucified the wisdom of God indeed God! 2. Admire his justice Christ his dear and only Son must be sacrificed that we his utter enemies might be spared Christ his spotless Son who knew no sin must be condemned that we sinners who knew nothing but sin might be cleared Christ who was thâ— life it self must die that we who were dead in sins might live Who would not count it an unrighteous Act if any King should put to death his own obedient Son to save the life of a Traytor or condemn the innocent knowingly for the nocent Oh then how infinite is this Justice of God in giving Christ the righteous to die for us unrighteous It is such justice as seems to have a shew of injustice but that God is so righteous that he can do nothing unrighteously 3. Finally Admire his love God so loved us as to give his own Son his only Son his righteous Son the Son of his love to die a painful shameful and cursed death for us worthless loveless sinners dead in sins enemies enmity it self against God O the depth and heighth and length and breadth of this love of God in Christ which passeth knowledge Say be astonished O my soul at this love which passed all love 3. Remember Christ and his death so as to lament and hate those sins for which Christ thus suffered When thou seest the bread broken think how Christs body was broken wounded for thy sins And then fill thine heart with grief and indignation against those sins Shall Christs body be so broken and his heart pierced for thy sins and shall not thy heart be pricked and broken for thine own sins Shall thy sins derive Gods wrath upon Christ and shall not thine hatred and wrathful indignation be kindled against thine own sins Dost thou count those sins small or light which Christ found so heavy and heynous that he sweat great drops of blood falling down to the ground and cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Dost thou think much to shed a few penitential tears for those sins for which Christ shed all his hearts blood Canst thou love or be reconciled to those corruptions for which Christ was so hated to the very death Say to thy soul O my soul consider thy sins aright For those Christ bled wilt thou not bleed for them for those Christ died and wilt thou live in them â— c. 4. Remember Christ and his death so as to resolve more effectually to conform to Christ and to his death Then we aright remember Christ crucified when we resolve and endeavour to resemble Christ crucified In this Supper so think upon Christ dying as to be willing to die with him But how shall I die with him or be conform to Christ crucified Answ. By dying to sin By being crucified to the world And by suffering for Christ. 1. By dying unto sin Christ died for sin that we who are dead in sin might die unto sin Whilest we are dead in sin we can do nothing else but sin but when we die to sin we habitually live not any longer therein nor thenceforth serve sin How should we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Hence the Apostle urges our death
to sin from Christs death That as Christ died and rose again so we should die to sin and live to God And Peter saith Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh arm your selves likewise with the same minde for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin c. Was Christ wounded for thy transgressions and bruised for thine iniquities and wilt thou wound and bruise him afresh by these iniquities Had not Christ sorrows and sufferings enough for thy sins of old that by renewed offences thou wilt tear open his wounds afresh and crucifie him again If thou knowest not what sin is go to the Garden of Gethsemane the High Priests Palace the Judgement-Hall and to the Mount Calvary and there see what it cost Christ. Oh the Worm-wood and the Gall Kill those sins that have killed thy soul let not them live that would not let thy Saviour live When thou art ready to commit sin then imagine thou didst meet thy crucified Saviour all bathed in his own blood and beseeching thee by all his wounds and blood to forbear thy sin and would not this disswade thee 2. By being crucified to the world Christ dying forsook this world and went up in his soul that day into Paradise And Christ instituted this Supper when he was now the same night readie to be betrayed Let this Supper remember thee to be crucified with Christ to the world As Paul gloried in the Crosse of Christ whereby the world was crucified to him and he unto the world Let thy spirit mount up after Christ into Paradise that thou mayst live above this world having thy conversation in Heaven Let thine heart be wholly in Heaven whilst thou art at this heavenly Feast 3. By suffering with Christ and for Christ or at least being resolved and prepared for suffering wâ—th him thou becomest conformed to Christ crucified In this Supper in the breaking of the bread for thee thou hast represented the breaking and suffering of Christ for thee Christ most worthie was broken for thee most unworthie Did Christ so willingly bear all his sorrows for thee and dost thou grudge to bear any sufferings for him was he so reproached for thy sins and dost thou think much to be reproached for Christs righteousness Art thou treacherously used by friends Christ was betrayed by his own Apostle Art thou imprisoned Christ was apprehended Art thou in bonds Christ was bound Art thou belied Christ was falsely accused Art thou unjustly censured Câ—rist was more unjustly condemned Art thou spoiled of thy good Christ was stripped of his very rayment and they cast lots for his vesture Art thou put to death Christ Jesus the Prince of life was put to death before thee Grudge not to pledge Christ in his bitter cup. He hath suffered for thee giving thee an example that thou shouldst follow his steps 5. Remember Christ and his death so as to enflame thine heart with love to Christ dying for thee Christs death for thee is the highest expression possible of his love unto thee as was before evidenced And this Sacrament is Christs Love-token to his Church for perpetuating of the memory of Christs death that high discovery of his love When therefore thou comest to the Lords Supper call to mind Christs infinite love and stir up thy self to love him again Love breeds love as fire breeds fire Shall Christ love thee so as to die for thee so as to wash thee from thy sins in his own blood And wilt not thou love him with all thine heart and soul and mind and might Was Châ—iâ—â— so fastened on the Crosse for thee and shall he not be fastened in thine heart by thee Shall thy sins pierce his heart and shall not his love pierce thine heart 6. Remember Christ and his death so as to comfort thy self in the sufficiency of Christs death and thy propriety in it As in this Supper is tendred a sufficiency of bodily nourishment both against hunger and thirst here being both bread and wine So in Christs Death hereby represented there 's a sufficiency of spiritual nourishment His flesh being meat indeed and his blood drink indeed And he that eats his flesh drinks his blood hath eternal life For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and so is able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by him And as the sufficiency of Christs death is set forth in the Lords Supper so Christ endeavours by this Ordinance to assure every worthy Communicant of his particular interest and propriety in Christs death as certainly as he eats this bread and drinks this cup. Therefore at the Lords Supper thus think How all sufficient is Christs death for my salvation There 's more righteousness in it then unrighteousness in me There 's more merit and pardon in it then sin and misery in me There 's more Reconcilement Redemption and Justification in it then enmity slavery and condemnation in me His person being an infinite God I being but a finite creature And all this sufficiency is as surely mine as this bread and wine mine Therefore why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Trust in Christ and his death herein is more for thy consolation then in thy self or sins for thy disconsolation 7. Remember Christ and his death at the Lords Supper so as to provoke thy self to all true thankfulness for Christ crucified This Sacrament is called the Eucharist as was formerly noted It is the Christians solemn Thank-offering Christ gave thanks in instituting it and we should give thanks in celebrating it For what for Christ for his death for all the fruits and benefits of his death Oh what great and manifold matter of thankfulness Say with David Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who healeth all thy diseases pardoneth all thâ—ne iniquitâ—es redeâ—meth thy soul from death c. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me â— I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vowes unto the Lord c. Thus should we remember â—hrist and his death at the Lords Supper and this will be to communicate indeed VII Finally Carefullie avoid all dâ—straction throughout the whole Sacramental Administratâ—on From the beginning to the end keep thine heart and thoughts closely fixed on the mysteries in hand Let not thine eye wander but intentively behold the pledges and memorials of Christ crucified Let not thy thoughts rove but be glued to these heavenly objects laid before thee Here 's enough in Christ crucified fully to take up thy utmost meditations at this Feast Think upon them from point to point as the Sacrament ministreth occasion In this and all duties we should attend
Vera Effigies FRANCISCI ROBERTS in â— Magistri Pastoris Ecclesiae apud Augustinian LOND Tho Cross Sculpâ— A COMMVNICANT INSTRVCTED OR Practicall Directions FOR Worthy Receiving OF THE LORDS-SUPPER By Francis Roberts M. A. Pastor of the Church of Chriâ—t at Wrâ—ngton in the County of Sommerset The third Edition reâ—ised and corrected by the AVTHOR 1 Cor. 11.28 29. Let a man examine himseâ—f and so let him â—at of that Bread and drink oâ— that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthâ—ly eateth drinkâ—th damnâ—tâ—on to himself not diâ—câ—rning the Lâ—rds Body London Printed by I. Streâ—ter â—or G. Calveâ—t and are to be â—oâ—d at the Sâ—gn of the Half-Moon in the new Buildings in Pauâ—s Church yard neer the little North-Door 1656. To the Church of Christ in the Parish of Wrington in the County of Somerset Grace Mercy and Peace from the Father of Mercies and the God of all Consolation Men Brethren and Fathers entirely beloved in the Lord. THe substance of these practical Directions for worthy receiving of the Lords Supper I have represented to your eares in preaching That before I administred unto you this heavenly Communion I might according to my duty instruct you in right Communicating Now I offer them to your eyes in Printing And by both Preaching and Printing to your Hearts that they may be unto you as a continual Sermon before every Sacrament When first I treated of this Subject I had no thoughts of printing it in any other Book than in your breasts O that your hearts and lives were living Books wherein the whole Doctrine of Christ were printed in Capitall Letters that he that runs might read Then should â—ou be The Epistle of Christ written not with â—nk but with the Spirit of the living God Yet since that I have been induced to make these familiar Directions more publique upon these Considerations 1. That I might gratifie your pious request in publique to me That these Instructions might be printed which you apprehend might be of such frequent use and advantage to you and yours before in and after every Lords Supper 2. That I might help on your Edification and Consolation and happily others also in reference to that sweet fellowship which Christ affords his Members with Himself and his Death in this Ordinance For hereby your understandings may be farther cleared your memories confirmed your Hearts affections raised upwards your Graces acted unto higher perfections your Sacramental Duties regulated so as to seek the Lord herein in a right Order And I perswade my self that those things which were so acceptable to you in my Sermons will be the more profitable to you in my Book If your souls prosper my heart shall rejoyce I shall count it my Crown and glory to promote your Grace and Glory It will be my Heaven here to help you forward towards Heaven hereafter And in order hereunto I hope I shall willingly preach print and bestow my pains in publique or private amongst you that I may more and more endeare you and espouse you unto Iesus Christ For I trust I may truly say with the Apostle God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Iesus Christ. And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all sense That ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Iesus Christ unto the glory and prayse of God 3. That I may preach unto you not onely whilest I am with you but even after the Lord shall have taken me from you As Abel by his faith he being dead yet speaketh So these lines may live when I shall be dead and they may speak to you when I shall be silent in the Grave I am here but a Pilgrim and my abode with you can be but momentany at the longest for our life is but a vanishing vapour our dayes a declining shadow our years as nothing we have here no continuing City but seek one to come Therefore by this publication I will endeavour that you and yours may be able after my decease to have these things alwayes in remembrance Thus Moses the ProPhets Christ and his Apostles preach unto us the whole Church of Christ still though they are all in Heaven by their Doctrines writings left behinde them 4. That I may testifie this way my true love and affection to you in the Lord Iesus And to let you know that ye are in mine heart to live and die with you For you have not only loved deservedly honoured my Reverent learned and pious Predecessor now sleeping in the Lord thereby shewing your selves very eminently exemplary to all the Congregations round about you but you have also declared your singular respect affection unto me the unworthiest Labourer in the Lords Vineyard ever since my first entrance amongst you both in your ready accepting of my Ministery diligent attending upon the Ordinances willing compliance with such pious proposals as I have laid before you and in other demonstrations of your kinde dispositions towards me to this day And therefore I have cause to be the more affectionately desirous of you and I am willing to impart unto you not the Gospel of God onely but also mine own Soul because ye are dear unto me The Lord maintain and increase the Spirit of love still betwixt us whilest we have a day or an houre to live together Upon these Motives especially I have been inclined to commit theâ—e ensuing Meditations to the Presse And I dedicate them unto you especially most earnestly beseeching the Lord that they may be abundantly useful and beneficiall both to you and others Now our Lord Iesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us hath given us everlasting consolation good hope through grace comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work And fill you with all grace that may fit you for everlasting glory So prayeth Your truly loving Pastor who longs for your salvatition FRAN ROBERTS From my Study in Wrington in Somersetshire June 12. 1651. The INTRODVCTION or PREFACE to the DIRECTIONS GOds Covenant of Grace for salvation of lapsed sinners by Iesus Christ is the principal Subject of the Holy Scriptures The New Covenant and Testament is the Complement or compleat fulness of the Covenant of Grace Baptisme and the Lords Supper are the Lords nâ—w Covenant Tokens or Great Seals of his New Testament And Jesus Christ is the Kernel Marrow and Soul of them all In the whole Scriptures Chrâ—st is reâ—eâ—led In the Covenant of Grace Christ is tendered vâ—z As promised under the Old Testament As performed under the New In the Sacraments of the New Testament especially in the Lords Supper Chrâ—st is evidently as it were
onely bread and wine these the least matters But also Christs body and blood and all the benefits thereof So that we must here take A lively memorial of Christs death A rich banquet for our inward man A sealed pardon of our sins A blessed bond of our communion with Christ crucified A sensible ratification of the New Testament with all its promises and priviledges These things we must take eat and drink in the Lords Supper and wherewith shall they possibly be thus taken and applied but by true saving Faith alone 4. Finally faith is necessary for enabling us duely to walk after communicating This Sacrament affords heavenly nourishment Conâ—equently after it we should walk as nourished strengthened comforted enlivened c. Now it 's faith especially that acts moves ruleâ—+ doth all in a Christian from Christ assisting Faith in Christ being the very Lâ—fe of a Christian. Thus of the necessity of faith before communicating â— How this saving faith thus necessary may be typed and examined before we come to the Lords Supper This is the last branch to be considered touching Faith We may try and examine whether we have true saving faith or no Partly by the former description of true saving faith See if thou hast such a faith Partly by these ensuing properties and qualities of faith 1. True saving faith notably softens supples and melts the heart It thawes and dissolves the most stony hard adamantine spirit into streams and floods of penitential sorrow I wâ—ll pour upon the house of David the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced there 's faith and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his onely son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first-born In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon c. The Spirit of grace shall make men look upon Christ by faith as Israel looked upon the type of Christ the brazen Serpent in the wilderness and looking shall melt them make them mourn How mourn Mourn with a witness for their sins whereby they pierced Christ They shall mourn they shall be in bitterness there shall be a great mourning As for an only Son As for a first-born as for that peerelesse King Iosiah in Hadadrimmon Emphaticall expressions Naturally mans heart is closed up as a compacted Rock of Flint or Marble Faith comes as another Moses smites this Rock and brings forth Rivers of waters Faith brings the soul to Christ crucified sets him as it were with Mary under his Crosse in Golthotha makes him view the transcendent anguish agonies bitterness and torments of his sufferings and all this for our sins his thy my sins in particular For he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities c. The Lord hath made to meet on him the iniquities of us all He was made sin for us who knew no sin Oh how this strikes to the believers heart How this makes him sigh with Christ lament with him smart with him bleed with him cry out with him as it were die with him nothing melts the heart so kindly as faith looking on Christ pierced for our sins particularly Here faith reads the intolerable sinfulness of sin that could not be expiated but at so dear a rate Here in Christs sufferings faith reads the sinners doom If this befell the surety what was due to the principal If sin imputed be so plagued what might have been expected for sin inherent If this be done to the green tree what would have be fallen the dry Here faith reads the boundless Ocean of Gods matchless love in Christ What such a God give sitch a Jewel as his only Son to such a death and that for such worthless loveless hopeless godless sinners Greater love then this hath no man Oh the breadth and length and depth and height of Christs love passing knowledge Oh how do these and like considerations of faith pierce the heart break the spirit imprint contrition and overcome the soul 2. True saving faith having pierced the heart purifies the heart Purifying their hearts by faith Faith cleanses not only the outward but the inward man not onely the actions but the fountain of those actions the heart and affections washes not onely the outside but the inside of the cup and platter makes a man forbear not only outward grosse acts of sin but inward imaginations and impure inclinations to sin A true believer as truly makes conscience of and laments for the vileness of his heart and thoughts in the sight of God as the enormity of his life and actions in the sight of men But how doth faith cleanse and purifie the heart Answ. 1. By Augmentation from the word against sin which discerns the odiousness and danger of sin How shall I do this wickedness which God so forbids and abhors c. In this respect the Word hath a sanctifying efficacy Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth 2. By application of Christs blood and death Christs blood is that Fountain opened for sin and for uncleannesse to wash in And faith is that hand which puts us into this Fountain applies Christs death and makes us conformable thereunto That as Christ died for sin so we die to sin 3. By inward efficacy and operation Faith is not only an Instrument of Justification but an eminent part of Sanctification and so doth of its own nature purge out sin as wine works out the Dregs Honey the Drosse or as fire purifieth unwholsome aire Shew now thy faith by thy purity A faithfull soul cannot have a foul heart As that soul that by faith looks upon Christ pierced for his sins cannot chuse but be wounded and pierced with Christ so that soul that 's pierced for piercing Christ by sin cannot but abandon and abhorre all those sins for which Christ was pierced Faith having endeared the heart to Christ embitters the heart against sin Sin being the Iudas that betrayed Christ the Pilate that condemned him the Crown of Thorns nails and spear that pierced him 3. True saving faith makes a man sincerely obedient and fruitful in good works This is a duty charged upon the faithful This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works This is an intrinsecal property of faith To work by love and Love is the fulfilling of the Law therefore the nursing-Mother of all good works And that faith that is without works is dead as a body without a soul. A workless faith is a worthless faith And this the faithful in all ages have practised the alacrity of their obedience hath born witness to the integrity of their faith as in
life from sin to God This is the truth and life of Repentance when it brings us to a converting change Vnchanged men are impenitent men In repentance there 's a double conversion and change wrought viz. 1. Of a mans Heart and Person 2. Of his life and Conversation His person and heart is brought to a new state Make you a new heart and a nâ—w spirit His life and conversation is brought to a new course That we should walk in newnesse of life A mans peâ—son and heart is changed when he is brought from a state of sin to a state of grace Now a man is brought from his carnal to a spiritual state 1. When he is converted from the darknesse of sin ignorance and spiritual misery to the light of holinesse knowledge and spiritual happinesse To turn them from darknesse to light Ye were sometimes darknesse but now are ye light in the Lord. 2 When he is conâ—erted and raised from death in sin to life in Christ. You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses sins wherein in time past ye walked The father said of the repenting Prodigal This thy brother was dead and is alive again was lost and is found 3. When he is converted from the reign of sin and power of Satan to God and Christ and brought under his dominion To turn them from the power of Satan unto God Ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you Being then made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousnesse Now we are free from the reign of sin 1 When we obey it not in its lusts 2 When we yield not our members as weapons or instruments of unrighteousness unto sin And we are delivered from the power of Satan 1 When The Prince of the air works not in us as in the children of disobedience 2 When we are not led captive by Satan at his will but resist him and fight against him and yield up our selves wholly as spiritual sacrifices to God Try whether thine heart and person be thus changed from the state of sin to a state of grace A Mans life and Conversation is changed when he is brought from a sinfull to a gracious course Now a man is then truly and effectually brought from a sinful to a gracious course of life 1. When he converts from sin to Sanctity sincerely forsaking sin because it is sin and contrary to God and his holy Law â— following holinesse for holinesse sake because it is most agreeable to God and his Will As Ioseph How shall I do this greâ—t wickednesse and so sin against God 2. When he converts from sinfulnesse to holinesse of life compleatly He that hates sin because sin hates all sin and he that follows holinesse because holinesse follows all holinesse Repent and turn from all your transgressions Cast away from you all your transgressions As obedient childrenâ— not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance But as he that hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation Yea he that truly turnes from all sin turns from every special sin whereunto he is inclined by Nature Calling or Temptation more peculiarly I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity 3. When he turnes from sinfulnesse to holinesse of life continually Hypocrites though they seem to repent yet they are again intangled and overcome of their corruptions turning from the holy Commandment as the Dog turneth to his own vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire But the true Convert returns not to his vomit but becomes dead to sin and alive to God through Christ. Whereupon the Apostle thus argues How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer herein And where there 's no living in sin any longer there 's a continual converting from sin to sanctity of life Both heart and life are converted truly unto God 1. When we accept God as our God in Covenant and we become his people according to the tenouâ— of the New Covenant as was formerly shewed 2. When heart and life are acted ruled and guided by God inwardly and outwardâ—y by his Spirit and Word Then we yeeld our selves unto God as servants of God And being led by the Spirit of God we are the Sons of God Gods Testimonies also being our delight and Counsellers 3. When heart and life tend to God as their ultimate End When our desires love delight c. are towards God more then to any thing in Heaven or Earth Whom have I in Heaven but thee and in Earth there is none that I desire besides thee And when our hearts and affections desire love or delight in other things in order and subordination unto God And when both heart and life Persons and Conversations are devoted unto God and to his Glory Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods None of us liveth to himself and no man dâ—eth to himself For whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords This is to be truly converted in heart and life from sinne to God IV. NEW OBEDIENCE which is an immediate fruit effect of Repentance is another qualification requisite in a worthy Communicant And therefore in the next pâ—ace consider 1. The Necessity of it 2. The Tryall of it 1. The Necessitie of New Oâ—edience to Qualifie a Christian for worthy communicating appears divers wayes For 1. Without true Obedience All outward Professions of Religion seeming love to Gods Ordinances and outward performances of service are dis-regarded of God as vain hypocritical and abominaâ—â—e They profess that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and dâ—sobedient and unto every good work reprobate Conâ—equently Receiving of the Lords Supper will be in vain without new obedience 2. The Lords Supper being a Token and Seal of the New Covenant The New Testament in Christs blood is also a Bond and Obligation to New Obedience whereby we solemnly engage our selves to fear and obey God for ever as his Covenant-people And so oft as we renew the Lords Supper so oft we renew this Bond of Obedience without true Obedience communicating is but dissembling 3. In the Lords Supper we have a solemn Record and Memorial of the rarest and highest obedience in the world viz. The Obedience of Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God and that to the Death for our sakes Such obedience of such a person to such a death even the death upon the Crosse and all for such sinners as we are How admirable and incomparable is that obedience Christ herein
in his veins but shed and actually severed from his body and these represented under the familiar elements of bread broken and wine severed from the bread and all this for us sinners What greater love can be imagined then to die for sinners The benefits intended us by this ordinance also speak love abundantly For why was it appointed but for nourishing our faith and all the graces of the inward man for assuring us of the remission of our sins for stablishing our interest in the New Testament and all its promiâ—es and priviledges for endearing us more and more to Christ and to one another in spiritual Communion and for perpetuating the memorial of Christ's death and love to us till his second coming O what a torrent of love flows towards us from Jesus Christ in this sacred channel of the Lords Supper Now shall we come to a Banquet of love a true love-feast and have no love Shall Christ come to â—eal such love to us and shall not we reciprocally seal love to him Surely then we shall be but dissemblers and Iudas's when we come to his Table Thus of the Necessity of our true love to Christ for worthy communicating 2. The tryall and Examination of the truth of our love to Christ may be dispatched 1. By the grounds 2. By the degrees 3. By the properties of true love to Christ. 1. The grounds and causes of our true love to Christ are especially these three viz. 1. Christ Aâ—â—ablenesse 2. Faith in him 3. Experience of him 1. The Amiableness and Lovelinesse of Christ is that attractive loadstone that draws the hearts and affections of his people after him Christ is most lovely both in his person offices and the benefits of his offices He is fairer then the sons of men grace is poured into his lips As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood so is Christ among the Sons He is the Rose of Sharon the sweetest The Lilly of the valleys the fairest He is white and ruddy the chief among ten thousand See there how admirably the Church paints him our and concludes with theâ—e words as if all particulars came short of him His mouth is sweetnesses yea whole He is delights as the Hebrew phrase signifies This is my beloved and this is my friend O daughters of Jerusalem Now as lovlinesse breeds and inciteth love â—o Christ's most of all Because his lovlinesse surpasseth all No sooner had tâ—e Church described and laid open Christs beauty and lovelinesse to the daughters of Ierusalem but presently they are taken and enflamed with him and they enquire after him Whither is thy beloved gone O thou fairest among women whither is thy beloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee Dost thou love Christ for his loâ—eliness not for his loaves or for his bag or for the worldly advantages thou mayâ—t haâ—e by him but for his excellency beauty amiableness c. This is to loâ—e Christ aright for this is to love Christ for Christ this is to love Christ for himself 2. Faith in Christ is another cause of true love to Christ. Peter speaking of Christ â—aith Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye reâ—oyce with â—oy unspeakable and full of glory Seeing breeds loving but here 's a loâ—ing without corporal seeing A loving of Christ which ariseth from believing in him And such a loving as increaseth to rejoycing and that rejoycing both unspeakable and gâ—orious Faith sees not at all and yet best of all Not at all corporally best of all spâ—ritually Faith sees Christ enthroned at Gods right hand sending down his Spirit ruling all things for his Churches good preparing heaven for us and hastening to come to judgement and fetch his Church and members home to himself to be eâ—er with the Lord. Christ was alwayes loâ—eâ—y even in his humiliation but thrice so loâ—ely now in his exaltation Faith eyes this inâ—isible loâ—elineâ—s of Chrâ—st clearly and drawes the heart to love him entirely 3 Experience of Christ or experimental acquaintance with him enkindleth true love unto him A spirituall savour of Christs fragrancy a spirituall taste of his sweetnesse is enough to ravish the soul with him Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee Christs good ointments are the graces and gifts of the Spirit wherewith as Mediator he was anointed above all his fellows which oyle of gladness in some sort runs down to all his members yea to the very border of his garment His Name is either his doctrine or any other attributes titles c. of Christ whereby he makes himself known as a man is known by his name Now these ointments poured forth made known do send abroad such a sweet sent and savour of Christ that all who experimentally savour them indeed cannot chuse but love Christ with a chaste Virgin-love The Church saith I sate down under his shadow with great delâ—ght and his fruit was sweet unto my taste He brought me to the banquetting-house and his banner over me was love Here 's her heavenly experiences of Christ. Stay me with Flaggons comfort me with Apples for I am sick of love Here 's her love to Christ flowing from that experience Yea she is so tranâ—ported with loâ—e to him that she calls hastily for cordials to keep her from â—ainting and wouning being love-sick for Christ. Thus the Penitent woman in the Gospel had much experience of Christs rich grace and mercy to her in pardoning her many sins therefore she loved him much and she testified it most affectionately she stood at his feet behinde him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and did wipe them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with oyntment But the Pharisee that at that time had invited Christ having no such spiritual experience of Christ testified no such love to Christ. Christ saith to him Simon seest thou this woman I entred into thine house thou gavest me no water for my feet but she hath washed my feet with teares and wiped them with the hairs of her head Thou gavest me no kisse but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kisse my feet Mine head with oyle thou didst not annoâ—nt but this woman hath annointed my feet with oyntment Wherefore I say to thee her sins which are many are forgiven For she loved much Without spirituall experience of Christ who can love him And who can chuâ—e but love him that have true experience of him Doth thy love to Christ arise from these grounds Thou lovest Christ because he is lovely because thou believest in him because thou hast such experience of him This is well-grounded love to Christ. 2. The Degrees or Gradual steps by which our true love to Christ riseth and by which it may be tryed
were tendered I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the house of the LORD He had a lively appetite he was an hungry soul that was gladned with such spiritual invitations Hence some think the sound of the Silver Trumpets which was among other uses for calling together the Assemblies and solemnity of their sacrifices was called The joyful sound because it made them joyfull that had true appetites to the publick Ordinances Now then art thou glad when the Sabbath comes when the Sacrament approaches when they say to thee Come let us go to the Table of the Lord c Here 's a signe of a good appetite But they that say When will the Sabbath be gone the Sacrament be done c. having no kindly affectionate movings shew their appetite is extream dull and diseased if any at all 4. A good stomach retaines and closes fast with the food received that it may conâ—oct it When the stomach returnes and casts up its morsels there is not only no appetite but the Party is dangerously distempered So here the soule that 's truly a thirst for Christ when he hath received him in the Sacrament or any other Ordinance how doth he clasp and close with him that he may digest and turn him into life blood and spirits to the inner man by Faith Prayers and Meditation He holds fast his death and the benefits thereof labours to walk as one in Communion with Christ and refreshed therewith And charges all as the Church did once the daughters of Ierusalem I charge you that you stirre not up nor awake my love untill he please But when men presently disgorge the Sacrament forget Christ his Death his New Testament and Communion with him unto which they have sealed in the Lords Supper returning to their lusts covetousnesse worldlinesse drunkennesse c. as soon as they have turned their backs of the Lords Table they have no true spiritual appetites but are wofully diseased 6. Finally A man of a good appetite not only retains food received but also findes strengthening refreshment comfort and much benefit by food retained His hunger is slaked thirst quenched crudities expelled fainting spirits revived and decayed strength restored whereby he becomes active for all imployments So here he that hath a true spiritual appetite to the Lords Supper and to Christ crucified herein he will extract and derive much spiritual strength comfort and refreshing from that banquet Faith and all the graces in the inner man will be nourished â—latulencies of corruptions corrected Evidences of sin's pardon Communion with Christ and interest in the New Testament will be farther confirmed and cleared and spiritual strength improved for all heavenly services That the Communicant may walk in the strength of this food many dayes like Elijah till he come to the Mount of God This the very Scope of the Lords Supper thus to strengthen stablish nourish comfort a Christian in his inward man Perhaps for present these benefits may not be so evidently discerned at communicating as afterwards As in the corporal repast the stomack is oft-times little refreshed yea sometimes becomes more sick by eating yet afterwards the body is much advantaged by the food Thus we may examine our Communion-Appetite And hitherto of our Due Preparation by Self-examination for the Lords Supper before we communicate Next consider we of The Right use of the Lords Supper whilest we are Communicating II. Directions touching the Right Use of the Lords Supper in Communicating That thou maist rightly use and handle the Lords Supper in the Act of Communicating so as to be welcome and well-pleasing to Christ and to reap benefit thereby to thine own soul carefully observe and follow these few insuing Directions I. Approach to the Lords Table in an humble Sense of thy Self-unworthinesse rather then with uncharitable censoriousnesse of others Jesus Christ who invites us to this Feast is a great Lord and a Mighty King even Lord of Lords and King of Kings And we are but sinful lumps of dust and ashes What self-abasing thoughts therefore should dwell upon our hearts in all our approaches to him Christ was meek and lowly of heart and loves that we should learn of him to be meek and lowly also that thereby we may finde rest to our souls He justified the self-debasing Publican when he condemned the Self-applauding Pharisee Thou knowest worse by thy self then by any other have therefore meanest thoughts of thy self be vilest in thine own eyes cast the first stone at thy self say with Paul I am least of Saints but chief of sinners Say with the Canaanitish woman Truth Lord I am a dog yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters Tables Say not this person is ignorant that scandalous that unworthy c. but say Lord I am ignorant I am unworthy to come unto thee I am no more worthy to be called thy son make me as one of thy hired servants The Apostles at the Supper censured not one another but every one most suspected himself saying Lord is is I II. Propound to thy selfe and actually level at right not wrong ends in Communicating Good Ends cannot justifie a bad Action but bad ends will corrupt and condemne a good Action Good Ends are the crown and glory of good Actions Come not to the Lords Supper for these wrong Ends viz. 1. Not to make the Sacrament a bond of iniquity As the bloody Papists abused the Lords Supper to confirme themselves more strongly in carrying on the horrid Gunpowder-Treason To take the Lords Supper to strengthen a mans resolutions in any evil practice is blasphemously to make Christ a Patron to our sins and the Sacrament a stalking-horse to our corruptions 2. Not for Superstitious purposes as in Popery for Idolatrous Adoration of the Elements carrying them about in Procession Reservation of them for healing of diseases in man or beast for casting them into dead mens graves c. These are abominable fooleries to be abhorred utterly besides the intention of the Lords Supper 3. Not for Conversion or breeding Grace in a gracelesse heart True a man may possibly be converted at the Lords Supper by the Word then opened and applied but not be converted precisely by the Lords Supper For this sacrament was intended by Christ as a spiritual Feast The Lords Supper Therefore not to convert and give life to them that are spiritually dead but to confime and nourish them that are spiritually alive Not to breed Grace where there is none but to feed Grace where there is Again Who shall be converted by the Lords Supper either they must be Pagans from Paganisme to Christianity or professed Christians from a carnal to a spiritual state in Christ but neither of these are converted by the Lords Supper Not Pagans for they are to be converted by preaching the Gospel before they may be baptized till after
iniquity of us all For the transgression of my people was he stricken By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities And he was numbered with the transgressors and he bare the sin of many Thus Christ who in himself had no sin was crucified for the sins of his Elect who had nothing but sin The guiltless for the guilty the innocent for the nocent the Pastor for the flock the Master for the servant the Captain for the Souldier the Physician for the Patient the King for the people the workman for the work and he that was God himself for man Christ was betrayed but our sins the Iudas that betrayed him Christ was condemned but our sins the Pilate that condemned him Christ was crucified but our sins the nails that fastned him to the Crosse Christ had Gall and Vineger given him to drink but our sins were the Vineger and the Gall Christ was pierced but our sins were the Thorns and Spear that pierced his head and heart Remember these things when thou receivest the Sacrament of Christs death call to minde thy sins the procuring causes of Christs death Say in thine own heart to Christ as Augustine I am the stroke of thy grief I am the fault of thy killing I am the desert of thy death I am the offence of thy revenge I am the grievousness of thy passion I am the toil of thy torment O wonderfull condition of censure and ineffaeble disposition of the mystery The unjust sins and the just is punished the guilty transgresseth and the guiltless is beaten the impious offends and the pious is condemned What the bad deserves the good suffereth what the servant perpetrates the Lord payeth what man commits â—od undergoeth Whither O Son of God whithe◠〈…〉 humility whither flamed thy charity whither proceeded thy piety whither increased thy benignity whethtr reached thy love whither came thy compassion For I have done unjustly thou art punished I have dealt heinously thou art â—evengefully smitten I have committed the fault thou art tortured I have been proud thou hast been humbled c. Thus remember that thy sins were the procuring causes of Christs sorrows 2. Impulsive or inward moving causes of Christs Death were only the free grace self-propension and love of God Christ to sinners The Souldiers had never fast'ned Christ to the Crosse had not our sins first fast'ned him there our sins had never fixed him to the tree if his Love had not first fixed him Love moved God to give his Son Love moved Christ to give himself Love brought him down from Heaven râ—frus Love brought him upon the Crosse foâ—ous Love made him pray sweat and bleed and die for us God so loâ—ed us as to give his Son for us God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perâ—sh but have everlasting life Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were â—et sinners Christ died for us And Christ so loveâ— us as to give himself to death for us I am the good Shepherd The good Shepherd gâ—veth his life for the sheep No man tâ—keth it from me but I lay it down of my self Greater love hath no man then this that a maâ— lay down hâ—s life for his friends Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down hâ—s lâ—fe for us Vnto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in hâ—s own blood Hence Paul experimentally saith The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me In Communicating remember this love of God and Christ to thee But for this love God had never died for thee 2. Effects fruits and benefits of Christs Death are manifold and most excellent In this memorial of Christs Death especially remember these fruits of his death viz. 1. Redemption We by the first Adams fall were utterly enslaved and enthralled under sin the curse of the Law Death and all the powers of darkness By the second Adam's Death we are redeemed from them all But Christ by his own blood entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal Redemption for us Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation c. but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us and Christ hath by his death triumphed over all our enemies and deliâ—ered us from them Hence Christ is said to be made of God to us Redemption 2. Reconciliation By the first Adam's Apostasie we are not only enthralled under sin death Satan and all our spiritual enemies But we are become utter Enemies to God and to all true spiritual goodness yea the carnal minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God And being at enmity with God we are consequently at enmity with all his creatures every thing is against us But by the blood and death of Christ the second Adam we are reconciled again to God For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell And having made peace through the blood of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death c. Hence God is said to be in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them And the Gospel is called The word of Reconciliation 3. Iustification and Pardon of sin By reason of our fall in Adam we have lost all our original righteousness our persons are become sinners our natures principles and actions unrighteous and our selves are become guilty of death before God Now Christ is made of God righteousness unto us He is The Lord our righteousness For God imputing all our unrighteousness to Christ and all Christs righteousnesse active and passive to us through the merit of Christs death and obedience our sins are freely remitted our guilt removed and our persons are accepted as righteous before God Christ was offered to bear the sins of many While we were yet sinners Christ
upon the Lord without distraction Distractions will deprive us of all the sweetness of this Ordinance As the Fowls that fell upon Abrahams sacrifices would have pickt torn and â—poiâ—ed his Sacrifices had he not driven them away So will Distractions and wandrings deface and spoil this spiritual Sacrifice therefore driâ—e them all away Be thou wholly with Christ crucified whilest thou art at the Sacrament of Christ crucified Hitherto of the right use of the Lords Supper in Communicating In the last place consider we of that Christian Course of life suitable to the Lords Supper after we have Communicated III. Directions touching our Christian Conversation suitable to the Lords Supper after we have Communicated When the Lords Supper is ended all the worthy Communiâ—ant's work is not ended Nay he hath stronger obligations upon him unto all Christian duties then before For the Lords Supper is not onely on Christs part a pledge and Seal of his benefits to us but also on our part a bond and obligation of our duties towards him It 's not enough that we duely Prepare before Worthily Act in but we must also Suitably walk after Communicating How are we to converse and walk suitably to the Lords Supper after we have Communicated Answ. We should carefully order our conversation as followeth viz. 1. Rest not in the work done Think not that Sacraments will work like Physick such a Receit will have such an effect whether we wake or sleep c. The bare act of Receiving doth not confirm or convey Grace but the right Receiving with Gods blessing Rest not therefore in the bare work done Nay rest not in the work done though done never so well Applaud not flatter not thy self therein through a secret pang of spiritual pride If thy heart be lifted up hereby take heed thou losest not all that thou hast wrought When thou hast done all say I am an unprofitable servant I have done no more then was my duty nay I have come far short of duty How many wayes have I failed before and at the Lords Supper O let not the Lord lay to my charge the iniquity of my holy things Oh I can no way answer him for all my Sacrament-sins 2. Abâ—â—ndon and crucifie all sin more then ever At the Lords Table thou hast beheld as it were Christs body broken and his blood shed for thy Sins Return not therefore after the Sacrament to thy sins and lusts afresh to thy cursing swearing Sabbath-breaking adultery uncleannesse injustice drunkennesse c. like the dog to the vomit or the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire But hate thy sins for which Christ was hated deny thy sins for which Christ was denied crucifie thy sins for which Christ was crucified Shall Christ bleed and die for thy drunkenness c. and wilt thou wallow and live in thy drunkenness c Hast thou received the Lords Supper as a Seal of the remission of thy sins and dost thou after the Lords Supper fall afresh to the commission of the same sins Is not this to prophane the blood of the Covenant as an unholy thing What Is the Lords Supper a Protection or Toleration for thy sins Rather contrariwise As it is a Memorial of Christ crucified so let it be a Remembrancer to thee for hating abhorring and crucifying all thy corruptions and abstaining from all appearance of evil for which Christ was crucified 3. Walk on in the strength of this Spiritual food continually till thou comest to perfection Grow stronger and stronger in all Grace and exacter in all gracious exercises This is stiled The Lords Supper therefore a Feast able through the Lords blessing to nourish sustain and strengthen the Lords people both in habits and acts both in graces and duties and with all might both in the inward man and outward life That the weak may become as the house of David and the house of David as the Angel of the Lord. Therefore 1. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might in the inward man Labour after growth in every Grace after this Sacrament That Faith may be more strong and lively Hope more full of expectation Love more ardent and affectionate Patience more able to endure Integrity more upright Humilâ—ty more humble and every Grace more gracious 2. Be more active and exact in all spiritual duties and performances As corporal food makes the body able and active for all corporal imployments So should this Sacramental Spiritual food make the Soul strong and active for all Spiritual exercises After thou hast been at the Lords Table Hear the Word more heedfully Pray more fervently Keep the Sabbaths more exactly Watch over thine own heart and wayes more diligently c. In a word shew thy self more holy pious towards God more just and righteous towards man more sober and temperate in thy self Improve thy times more profitably imploy thy Talents more fruitfully Give up thy self soul and body more cheerfully unto God as a living Sacrifice in all Christian obedience Think nothing too dear for him that thought not the onely Son of his love too dear for thee But walk worthy of Christ of the Coâ—enant of tâ—e Sacrament of the Kingdom Gospel and Grace of God unto all well-pleasing 4. Maintain and cherish Dear Communion with Christ crucified In the Lords Supper thou hadst Communion with Christ crucified and all the blessed fruits of his Death signified sealed and exhibited to thee Walk on in this Communion from day to day Endear thine heart and affections unto him more and more and draw vertue and benefits from him and his death more and more He bare thy diseases Take thou his healing He endured thy wounds drink thou the Spiritual balsome that sprang out of his wounds He took upon him thy sins clothe thou thy self with his righteousness He endured thy pains and torments come thou to him and take his rest to thy soul. He embraced thy Curse and condemnation do thou embrace his blessing justification and salvation Let there be a reciprocal communication of affairs betwixt Christ and thee This Communion with Christ is the Saints Heaven on Earth It 's good for thee to be here Delight still to be sitting under his shadow still to be tasting his sweet fruites still to be eating hidden Mannah still to be drinking the water of life from this Rock still to be solacing thy self in his banquetting-house and Galleries of love and still to be lodging in his bosome of dearest love If he hide his face by desertions rest not till thou findest him If thou findest him hold him fast let him not go disturb him not out of thine heart by thy corruptions Highly prize his presence deeply lament his absence joyfully entertain his return and speedily open to him at every knock at the door of thine heart He lives like a worthy Communicant that thus maintains Communion with Christ. 5. Delight thy self in spiritual
the description of it cleared by Scripture p. 128. to 131. Repentance Tried 1. By Conviction and Sense of sin two wayes p. 131 132. 2. By Contrition and sorrow for sin three wayes p. 132 133 134. 3. By Conversion of heart and life from Sin to God divers wayes p. 135. to 138. Right to the Lords Supper is Outward and Inward p. 4 5. May be tryed by our Right and Interest in the New Covenant p. 5. c. See Covenant S. SAcraments Men may partake them and yet be displeasing to God five wayes Preface God in all ages deals with his people by way of Sacraments and that for three Reasons p. 90 91. Sacraments are not Natural but Instituted worship p. 92. All Sacraments since the fall Seals of the Covenant of Grace and Represen Christ as crucified p. 93. Sorts of Sacraments p. 94. 2. Parts in Sacraments and a Sacramental union p. 95. â—5 Supper of the Lord. 3 Sorts of Directions for right managing of it viz. 1. By Preparation 2. By Right use 3. By suitable Conversation Preface 1. Directions for due Preparation before Communicating p. 1. to 197. â— For Right use of the Lords Supper in Communicating p. 197. to 235. 3. For suitable walking after Communicating p. 235. to 243. See Preparation and Examination Our Right to the Lords Supper cleared p. 4. to 1â— Our Need of it in five respects p. 14. to 26. Our Fâ—tnâ—ss for the Lords Supper Tried by 7. Qualifications p. 26. to 197. What the Lords Supper is p. 95. The Author Matter Form and Ends of the Lords Supper particularly described p. 69. to 99. Four false Ends of the Lords Supper to be avoided p. 199. Six right Ends of the Lords Supper to be intended by worthy Communicants p. 200. to 203. The Institution opened p. 204. to 209. Sin original 7. Names given it in Scripture p. 58 59. The Nature of it consists in three things p. 59 60. our Aggravations of it p. 60 61. Sin Actual Our proneness to it p. 62. Sins pardon Five Signes that our sins are pardoned p. 11 12 13. T. THankfulness How necessary it is to sit for worthy Receiving of the Lords Supper in three regards p. 178. to 181. How it may be tried by three eminent Acts or Degrees of it viz. 1. Acknowledgement of mercies recâ—ived p. 181. 2. Estimation of benefits acknowledged p. 182. c. Here how we are to esteem Christ in four regards p. 183. to 185. Christs Death in three regards p. 185 186. The Lords Supper in three regards p. 187. 3. Retribution or rendring again for mercies esteemed Here of six things to be rendred again by way of thankfulness p. 187. to 191. W. VVRiting Gods law in our hearts See Law Works of God See God FINIS Books Printed and are to be sold by G. Calvert CLavis Bibliorum The Key of the Bible unlocking the richest Treasury of the holy Scripture By Francis Roberts Believers Evidences for Eternal life Taken out the first Epistle of St. Iohn By the same Author Ius Divinum Regiminis Ecclâ—siastici Or the Divine Right of Church Government to prove the Presbyterian Government to be according to the Word of God By the London Ministers Sir Philip Sydnies Arcadia the tenth Edition with Additions newly Printed Medulla Bibliorum Or The Marrow of the Bible By Will. Ainsworth a 1 â—or 11.20 b 1 cor 10.16 c Heb. 6.1 d 2 Cor. 3.2 â—â— e Phi. 1.8 to 12. f Heb. 11.4 g Ps. 39.12 h Jam. 4.24 i Ps. 102. ii k Ps. 39.5 l Heb. 13.14 m 2 Pet. 1.15 n 2 Cor. 7.3 o 1 Thes. 2.8 p 2 Thes. 2.16 17. a Joh. 5.19 b 1 Cor. 10.1 to 6. c Gal. 4.29 d Rom. 9.13 e Act. 8.13.21 23. f â—oh 13.2 21 16 27. g 1 Cor. 11 30 31 32. h 1 Cor. 11.20 i Isa. 1.13 14. k 1 Cor. 11.27 28 29. John 13 2 27.36 l 2 Chron. 30 18 c. 1 Cor. 10.5 7 8 9 10. 11.30 m 1 Cor. 11.29 n 1 Cor. 10.1 to 6 o 1 Cor. 12.28 p 1 Cor. 11.23 q Heb. 7.26 r Rev. 2.23 s Rev. 1.14 t John 5.22 with Mat. 28.18 u Rev. 22.12 x 1 Cor. 11.20 y 1 Cor. 11.24 25 26. z 1 Cor. 11.20 24 25. a Mat. 26.28 b 1 Cor. 10.16 c Mat. 26.28 d 1 Cor. 10.17 e 1 Cor. 11.27 f 1 Cor. 11.30 31 32. with 1 Cor. 10.5 g 1 Cor. 11.29 h Mat. 26.28 i Luke 22.20 1 Cor. 25. k Jer. 31.34 Heb. â— 11 l Gal. 4.1 2. m 2 Cor. 3.24 Col. 2.3 o John 7.38 39. * Iâ— Calv. Com. in Ier. 31.34 â—n Heb. 8.11 * Dav. Pareus in Heb. 8.11 p Eph. 5.8 q John 6.45 r 2 Coâ— 3.18 s Jer. 31.33 Heb. 8.10 t Ezek. 36.26 u 2 Cor. 5.17 x Ezek. 36.26 y Psal 40.5 z Jer. 31.33 24.7 30.27 c. 32.38 with Heb. 8.10 a Jer. 31.34 33.8 b Heb. 8.12 10 16.17 c Prov. 28.13 d Isa. 1.16 17 18. e Isa. 55.7 f Rom. 5.1 g Luke 7.38 47. h 2 Sam. 12.13 i Ps. 51.1.2 7 8 12. k Ps. 103.1 2 3. l Jer. 32.40 m Pro. 27.7 n 1 Cor. 13.12 o Phil. 3.12 p Gal. 5.17 q Rom. 7.21 22 23. r 1 Cor. 11.20 s Mat. 6.12 t Ps. 51.12 u Job 13.23 24. x Vers. 26. y Job 14.16 17. z Mat. 26.28 a Cant. â— â— b John 15.13 c Rom. 5.6 8.10 d Ps. 103.1 2. e Gen. 40.23 f Cant. 1 7 g 1 Cor. 1.30 h Rev. 1.5 i Col. 1.20.21 22. k Gal. 3.13 l Col. 2.14 15. Heb. 2.14 15. m Heb. 9.12 n Heb. 10.19 20. o Luke 22.19 p 1 Cor. 11.25 r Joh. 20.27 s Cant. 2.4 t Mat. 17.1 2 3.4 u Cant. 5.2 3 4 5. x Rev. 2.4 5 y Ps. 51. â— 12. z Cant. 5.6 7 8. c. a 1 Cor. 10.16 b Joh. 15.1 c 1 Pet. 2.4 5. Eph. 2.19.20 21 22. d 1 Cor. 12.25 26 27. e Eph. 4.1 to 7. f 1 Cor. 1.10 g Ps. 133.1 c. h Act. 4.32 i 1 Cor. 1.11 12 13 k Gal. 5.19 20 21 22. l 1 Cor. 3.1 3. m Gal. 5.15 n 1 Cor. 10.17 o 1 Cor. 11.29 p Act. 17.23 q Luk. 23.34 r Mat. 26.28 s Heb. 8.10 1 Cor. 11.23 u 1 Cor. 11 2â— â—5 x 1 Cor. 21.26 y Mat. 26.28 z Heb. 11.6.30 a Deuâ— 6.4 b 1 Cor. 8.4 5 6. c Thes. 1.9 Jer. 10.10 d Joh. 5.7 e Mat. 28.10 See also Mat. 3.16 1â— 2 Cor. 13.13 Ps. 33.6 f â—oh 1.14 18. g Joh. 15.26 14.6 h Joh. 4.24 2 Cor. 3.17 i 1 Tim. 1. k 1 Tim. 6.16 l Joh. 4.24 m Deut. 4.15 16. n Luk. 24.39 o Acts 14. â—1 with 15. p â—en 17.1 See also Gen. 35.11 28.3 â—8 3 Ex. â— 3 q Mal. 3.6 r â—am 1.17 s Ps. 147.5 t â—er 23. â—3 24. u 1 Kings 8. â—7 x Ps. 139.7 to 13. 〈…〉 〈…〉 Eph. 1.11 Verse 5. a 〈…〉 16. 〈◊〉 6.10