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A53963
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A practical discourse upon the Blessed Sacrament shewing the duties of the communicant before, at, and after the Eucharist / by Edward Pelling ...
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Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing P1089; ESTC R20512
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120,778
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284
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Promises at his hands THIS is enough to shew what a becoming and suitable posture Kneeling is at this Great Solemnity and how Naturally it follows where People entertain right Notions of it and come unto it with humble Minds Nor can I sufficiently admire that of all the Usages in the Christian Church this so Significant so Decent a Ceremony should ever become a stumbling-block and matter of Dispute Certainly it must be an ill sign of very Lofty Imaginations when there is such stiffness in Mens Knees BUT it is high time for me to proceed CHAP. XII Of our Behaviour after Receiving WHEN we have thus devoutly employ'd this blessed hour we must not imagine that our great Business is at an end that we may now drop those Religious Considerations which hitherto took up our time and thoughts that we may now go home leaving our Vows and Resolutions behind us in the Church much less may we think our selves free to fall afresh upon our former course of Life I must tell you the greatest part of our business is yet before us and to stop and rest here in the performance of those things which have hitherto employ'd our minds is the ready way to unravel our whole work and to defeat the design of this Heavenly Ordinance For this Rite of Eating and Drinking at the Lord's Table though it be of admirable use yet it is not naturally and intrinsecally good as those Acts and Dispositions of the Mind are wherein the Substance and Excellence of Religion doth consist but it iâ— a Relative thing instituted by our Saviour as a Means to promote and carry on that Noble End for which the Grace of God hath appeared unto all Men that denying all Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Tit. 2. 12. Here indeed we lay the Foundation of a life of Virtue by devoting unto God the Powers and Faculties of our Souls and the Members of our Bodies but as the Ground-work is in order to a Superstructure so are our Actions now in order to the further edifying and perfecting of us that we may be built up more and more in our most Holy Faith and being sitly framed together and compacted may grow and rise up by degrees to an Holy Temple for the Lord to be an Habitation of God through the Spirit THIS you will easily perceive if you observe 1. The Nature of the Ordinance it self It is first a Representation of the very Death of Christ a Representation exhibited to our Sences by the breaking of the Bread and the effusion of the Wine And what doth this mean but to awaken our Fears by shewing us the Terror of the Lord who for the expiation of the World's Guilt spared not his own Son nor would be reconciled to the World at a lower rate than by delivering him up to Torments and Death for us all What doth it mean but to set our Zeal a work upon mortifying all our Lusts and Affections and upon perfecting Holiness in the fear of God because Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and Purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works What doth it mean but to make us ever watchful and circumspect lest we tread under foot the Blood of the Son of God Because if we sin wilfully after we have received the Knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sin Heb. 10. 26. It is secondly a Memorial of Christ's Love Love stronger than Death that made him give his life a ransom for the ungodly And what doth this mean but to kindle in our Hearts the most ardent Affections to Him again who so loved us as to die for us The greatest Affection this that 't is possible for any Mortal Man to express to lay down his Life for the Brethren But yet infinitely short of that which the Son of God expressed upon the Cross for his Enemies In this he commended his Love towards us above all proportion and comparison in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us the Just for the Vnjust It is thirdly a foederal Solemnity whereby we renew the Covenant we entred into at our Baptism Vowing Promising and Engaging over the Symbols of Christ's Body and Blood and Swearing as it were with our Hands laid upon the Redeemer of our Souls that we will henceforth walk in Newness of Life And what doth this mean but to bind us with the most Solemn Securities and under the most dreadful Penalties to renounce the Devil and all his Works to deny all the Lusts of the Flesh so as not to follow or be led by them and not only to offer up our Hearts and Spirits unto the God of Purity but to present even our Bodies a living Sacrifice Holy and Acceptable to him And for the farthering of all these Noble Ends this Mystery is in the Fourth place the very Means of Grace and Salvation an Instrument that conveys to us the present Possession of all necessary and suitable Assistances and a Title under Seal to all the Evangelical Promises and particularly to this that he that persevereth unto the end the same shall be saved and that to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality God will render Eternal Life Rom. 2. 7. And what doth this mean too but that we should grow in Grace that we must not grieve the good Spirit of God whereby we are Sealed to the day of Redemption but that we should be strong in the Lord and in the power of his Might and give all manner of diligence to make our Calling and Election unto Grace sure and effectual by adding to our Faith Virtue or Courage and to Virtue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity Charity in the highest degree to all Mankind and even to our Enemies Thus you see the nature of the Ordinance it self is such that it is not only highly useful for the present but of mighty Importance for the future it hath a tendency forward and it drives at mighty Ends which our endeavours are to be employ'd about after the Celebration of it is over that we may be more and more Partakers of the Divine Nature and come every day nearer and nearer to the Life of God TO confirm this still we may observe Secondly That those very Preparations which are required in order to our worthy Communicating do all look the same way and have a direct tendency to the same purpose Thus Faith or the hearty belief of the truth of our Religion upon those Evidences and Motives it carries with it is naturally productive of constant Obedience to the Precepts of it throughout the whole course of our lives For as it discovers to us the Folly the Shamefulness and the bitter Fruits of Sin so it shews
Corruptions of Soul along with them And never is it more necessary for Men to lay their Impurities aside than when they come to this Christian Sacrifice The Body of the Lamb was a Type and Figure of the Flesh of Christ and as we cannot refuse Eating without being Guilty as well as Foolish and Improvident so neither can we be Innocent if we Eat with our Uncleannesses about us this is no other than to Eat and Drink Judgment to our selves 1 Cor. 11. 2. BESIDES 2dly the Nature of this Great Mystery is well to be considered for as I have shew'd it is the Covenant Feast under the Gospel even as the Paschal Supper and other Sacrifical Banquets were under the Law And Repentance is indispensably required of all that come to Contract with God There is a remarkable place in Psal 10. 16 17. Vnto the Wicked God saith why dost thou Preach my Laws and takest my Covenant into thy Mouth whereas thou hatest to be Reformed The Psalmist doth manifestly allude to an Ancient Custom of making Covenants with God by Sacrifice as it is v. 5. For the Offering being made upon the Altar and part of it being burnt as God's Portion the remainder was taken away by the Covenanting Parties as their share and their manner was to Eat it together before the Lord thereby testifying that they were now in Communion and Fellowship with him And this the Psalmist calls the taking of God's Covenant in their mouths for it was the Eating of his Sacrifice which was a Sign and Token of the Covenant Now what they did of Old when they did Communicate of the Flesh of Beasts That the very same thing we Christians do now when we partake of Bread and Wine we do Solemnly Profess that we are in Covenant with God and Solemnly Confirm this Covenant at his Table Now the Terms of the Covenant under the Gospel are these on our part that we will serve God in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Life and if our inward intentions be not according to our outward Profession but we hate to be Reformed what horrible Presumption is it to take the Symbol and Seal of God's Covenant into our Mouths All this is Mockage and Hypocrisie a Solemn and Theatrical kind of jeer if Men do not stedfaly resolve and purpose in their Hearts to become New Men and for ever to please God in Newness of Life 3. ADD to this in the third place that the Blessings tendred us at this Sacrament are such as do require a Sincere Repentance from dead Works as a Qualification and Disposition to make us meet to be Partakers of them For here Christ is tendred with all the Fruits and Benefits of that Sacrifice which he once for all offered up to his Father upon the Cross And of these Forgiveness of Sin is one great Blessing But there is no Pardon to the Wicked to such as are still in Love with their Abominations and intend to persist and go on in their Wickedness In order therefore to a due Celebration of this Mystery as every Knee should bow so every Heart must be broken and every filthy Lust Mortified For Conversion goeth before Forgiveness as the Condition that Capacitates the Receiver and the Dominion of Sin must be Conquered before the Guilt of it can be removed it being impossible for Vice and Grace to Reign together or that God and Belial should sit together in the same Throne 'T is Repentance that Prepares the way for Mercy and makes room for that Pardon which we beg for at the Altar and that we may be sure of Forgiveness we must so Condemn all our Impieties as to forsake them and so to grieve for them as to detest and abhor them For Christ is not an Absolute but a Conditional Saviour Nor doth he Ransom any by his Blood from Eternal Death but whom he Redeems first by the assistance of his Grace from those Iniquities whereof Death is the Wages All that Bliss and Happiness which is reserved for us in Heaven and whereof we have a foretast and earnest at this Sacrament is the Portion of Holy Souls only that Love the Lord Jesus in Sincerity and resolve to Obey him CHAP. VI. Of the Degrees and Measures of Repentance According as Mens Sins are Of Unwilful Sins THIS being enough to shew the Necessity of Repentance in order to a due Communion I proceed in the next place to shew what Measures and Degrees of Repentance are necessary For the clearing of this too we must of necessity consider the different Degrees and Measures of Sin because Repentance must bear some Proportion to the Offence and as a Man's Sins are of a greater or a lesser Nature so must his Repentance be also NOW considering that the Act and Consent of a Man's Will is that which renders an Action formally Sinful and the more wilful any Sin is the more it riseth and swelleth in greatness we must first distinguish between Wilful and Vnwilful Sins for so it will the more fully and evidently appear what degree that Repentance must be of which is to be proportionable and suitable to both WILFVL Sins then are such as are committed with a Man's full Approbation and Choice when he deliberates upon it or at least hath means and time to deliberate and resolves with himself to do the thing either for the gratifying of some Lust or for the procuring of some worldly end though he knows the Action to be contrary to God's Law and might refrain from it if he would make a due use of that strength which God hath either fixed in his Nature or added by his Grace Such an Action is rightly said to be wilful because a Man's Will hath the greatest hand and stroak in it For we suppose in this case that the Understanding is or may be sufficiently informed and that the Inclinations are not so strong nor the Temptations so great but that they might be Victoriously Resisted if the Party would but give his mind to it and set his Heart to employ his Power and Abilities And therefore the Sin is called Wilful because though some little fault may perchance lye both in his Understanding and Affections too yet the main blame lyes upon the Will for carrying the Action on with Resolution and Obstinacy because he is set upon frowardness VNWILFVL Sins are such as have not the Consent or not the full Consent of the Will but proceed rather from some Natural and Hereditary Imperfection either from a defect of Knowledge by means whereof a Man either wants light in his Understanding or looks upon things in a wrong light and then 't is a Sin of Ignorance or else it proceeds from a defect of Strength from some Inability and Lameness of Humane Nature by means whereof his own corrupt Inclinations within are too quick for him or some Temptations from without are so sudden so thick so violent against him that he cannot hold out against himself as