Blessed Saviour But our remembrance of it must be 1. Affectionate and vigorous as we remember the death of a dear friend that died and died in our quarrel and defence who at once shed his blood for us and for the truth How passionately can we rehearse the praises and preserve the memory of such an one as this 'T was thus with our dearest Lord he fell a Sacrifice at once for the testimony of the truth and for the sake of our precious Souls He died that he might rescue us from eternal misery and death And this we must remember when we do remember the death of our Blessed Lord. 2. With all thankfulness to God for so unspeakable a mercy Let us awaken our Psaltery and Harp all our powers and faculties and all that is within us to praise his holy name Let us have our hymn of praise Matth. 26.30 'T is an heavenly feast we are going to and who goes to a feast with a sad countenance or heart Let us be filled with the spirit Speaking to our selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs and making melody in our hearts to the Lord Ephes 5.18 19. We are Gods guests at this time and God loves we should be chearful and rejoyce He would have the Jews so in their Festivals Deut. 16.11 14. And certainly we have more reason to be so than they God having provided some better thing for us Heb. 11.40 This Sacrament is an Eucharist or service of praise and as such was observed by the first Christians Who breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favour with all the people Act. 2.46 47. 3. It must be such a remembrance as works in us a detestation against our sins which put our Blessed Saviour to death Coâ—â—â—â—ve you saw him hang upon the Cross and saw the nails pierce his hands and feet that you heard him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And that you saw the blood he sweat and the thorns he wore That you saw the Sun darkened the Dead arise and the rocky Earth rend in pieces certainly if your hearts were not more hard than the rocks you would relent especially when you consider that all this was for your sins and that he died that you might live 'T was thy Covetousness that betrayed him Thy Iust that made him bleed Thy unbelief and wickedness that loaded Him with the Cross that crowned Him with thorns that nailed his hands and pierced his side and filled his Soul with horror and amazement This should work in us a great indignation against our Sins as that which crucified our dearest Lord. Should a tender Mother lose a Child by a knife or some other instrument that is but the occasion of its death Surely she would not endure to see that instrument in her sight If we loved our Saviour we should hate our sins which made him bleed and bow his head Since 't is a most certain truth that he that commits sin does more displease i. e. does that which is more against the mind and will of Christ than Judas that betrayed him and those that hanged him upon his Cross And therefore as you pity your Saviour add not to his sorrows as you have any compassion to Him add not to the bitterness of his Soul Bring not with you instruments of crâ—â—lty when you pretend to remember his love â—e shewed in his death But think thâ—◠〈◊〉 that if God did not spare his Son that 〈◊〉 might not go unpunished that he will mucâ— less spare you who go on in your sins and love them III. Another great end of this Sacrament is that Christians might by it be united together in the strictest bond of love and charity It is indeed a feast of love and that which does not only joyn us to God but firmly cements us also to one another This indeed is the great Commandement of our Blessed Saviour that we should love one another as He hath loved us John 15.12 Nay he hath made this the mark by which his followers shall be known from the rest of the World By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another Joh. 13.35 And in the early days of Christianity the Heathen World took notice how the Christians loved one another Nay the Holy Scriptures tell us that in the beginning of Christianity The multitude of them that believed were of one Heart and of one Soul Act. 4.32 And they shewed their love to one another by making all things common that there might be no lack and wants among them Acts 2.44 45. But then 't is added when it was that they loved one another thus greatly viz. While they continuing daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart verse 46. Whiles there were frequent Communions in the Church of God there did remain a fervent Charity among Christians But when they were but seldome celebrated Charity also grew cold For indeed this Sacrament was appointed for the keeping up a fervent charity among the followers of Jesus And very plain methinks are the words of the Apostle to this purpose We being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread 1 Cor. 10.17 i. e. We that partake of this Heavenly feast are by that made one we are of one kind and 〈◊〉 just as Bread and Wine though they be made up of several grains and grapes yet are made up together into one similar body all whose parts are homogeneous and of the same sort or kind so we that are Christians tho as men we differ from one another and have our several affections and designs distinct from each other yet for all this by the death of our Saviour and by the participation of the Sacrament of our Lords Supper we are made one we are reconciled to the same designs and interests acted by the same Spirit and by this Sacrament united into one Spiritual body However we are other wise divided it is the intention of this Sacrament to make us One. And therefore the Ancients called the Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. a Collection or gathering together into one those who were otherwise divided The partaking of this Feast makes the partakers of one mind and heart where they do receive it worthily What is said of Pilate and Herod when our Saviour was about to suffer That they were the same day made friends together who before had been at enmity between themselves Luke 23.12 The same is true of all true Christians that do aright partake of this Sacrament of the death of Christ they are now united and reconciled and made of one heart and mind And this seems to be the great design of the Eucharist to unite Christians together in the closest bond of unity and
glory that he might shew us the way to it And by his sufferings and death hath become the Author of Eternal salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 Indeed God wrought many deliverances for his people the Jews by the hands of his servants Moses and Joshuah and the Judges and Kings of Israel but all these together did not work so great a deliverance as our Blessed Saviour did when he made his soul an offering for sin when he despised the Cross and the shame of it and wrought an Eternal Redemption for us They delivered Gods People from their ill Neighbours our Saviour hath delivered us from our sins and from the evil men our selves They delivered them from Tyrants he hath delivered us from the power of the devil and from an eternal slavery They saved their bodies from slavery and bondage Our Saviour saves our souls from sin and death They fought for their people our Saviour suffered and dyed They delivered them for a time our Saviour for ever They saved the Jews but our Lord is the Saviour of mankind Jacob in his last words to his sons tells them what shall befal them in the last dayes and when he comes to Dan he tells him â—e shall be a serpent by the way an Adder in the path that biteth the horse heels so that his rider shall fall backward Gen. 49.17 This the Jews understand to be foretold of that great deliverance which Sampson of this Tribe of Dan should be an instrument of who wrought a great deliverance of his people from the Philistines V. Targ. Hierosol Jonath in locum But then Jacob presently adds in the next words I have waited for thy salvation O Lord v. 18. The meaning of which words according to the same Jews is this as if Jacob when he had foreseen the deliverances which should be wrought by Gideon and Sampson had said thus I do not expect the deliverance of Gideon and Sampson which will be but a temporal deliverance but thy salvation O Lord is that which I expect for thine is an eternal salvation They were indeed deliverers of Gods people but none of them could do that which our Saviour does who saves his people from their sins Mat. 1.21 And blâ—sseth us in turning away every one of us from our iniquities Acts 3.26 So great a salvation hath our Saviour wrought for us so great a love hath he shewed in laying down his life for us that it ought never to be forgotten as long as the World endures And that it might never be forgotten our Saviour hath appointed the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to be a standing memorial of his great love in dying for us Do this says he in remembrance of me We are indeed ready to receive mercies and also very ready to forget that they are bestowed upon us And therefore God hath taken this care that we might never forget them He did so with the Jews who were a very unthankful people and very prone to forget him that had done so many kindnesses for them Lest that people should forget their Creator God appointed the Sabbath-day to be observed in memory of the Creation of the World Exod. 20.11 When he brought the Israelites out of Egypt he ordains the Passe-over in memory of that deliverance Exod. 12. And besides that he obliges them severely to observe that feast and frequently by his servants puts them in mind of that deliverance and over and above appoints the Sabbath-day also which was at first commanded upon another score as a weekly remembrancer of that great deliverance Deut. 5.15 But he that delivered them out of Egypt did also carry them through the Wilderness and in memory of that mercy in redeeming them from the travels and pilgrimage of the desert he appoints an Anniversary feast viz. the feast of Tabernacles Lev. 23.43 Other Festivals there were and divers memorials of the mercies of God shewed to that people and to their fathers They who were so apt to forget Gods mercies were provided with such services as should put them fairly in mind of them God hath done thus mercifully with us also He hath not only given his Son to die for us than which there cannot be a greater mercy but he hath ordained this Sacrament as a perpetual memorial of so great a love And as among the Jews those services which God required were very proper remembrancers and monitors of the mercies they had received so it is in the case that is before us Their Sabbath which did succeed their six days labour put them in mind of Gods creating the World and ceasing from those works Their Pass-over brought to their mind the mercies of God in their Redemption from Egypt Their feast of Tabernacles plainly shewed them the estate of their Fathers in the Wilderness And so the Sacrament of the Lords Supper does after a lively manner represent unto us the Death of our Blessed Saviour He died indeed a great while since and at a place far remote from us there could be but few that were eye-witnesses of what was then and there done but few in proportion with those that would be concerned in his death And therefore God out of his great mercy to us hath ordained this service that what we could not see done at first we might see repeated in the Sacrament afterwards Here we have Christ crucifyed represented to us The Bread and Wine put us in mind of his Body and Blood And when we see the Bread broken and the Wine poured forth we are taught to remember the Passion of our Lord how his body was broken and bruised and his blood was shed for us God would have us lift up our hearts from these symbols and signs to that which is signified and represented by them And if we do so we may by our Faith see Christ crucified before our eyes And that which was done so long ago and so far off will be anew represented unto us The Apostle tells his Galatians that before their eyes Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth and crucified among them Gal. 3.1 Yet certain it is that Jesus Christ was crucifyed at Jerusalem a place very far remote from the Country of the Galatians But yet he that was crucified at Jerusalem may well be said to have been evidently set forth before the eyes of the Galatians Vers Syriac and crucified among them also i. e. Jesus Christ crucified was as it were painted and most lively represented unto them They did not see him indeed hanging on the Cross at Jerusalem but yet by the preaching of the Gospel and celebration of this Sacrament they might behold Christ crucified and that which was done at so great a distance would by these means become as if it had been done before their eyes But it is not a bare historical remembrance that will serve our turn neither It is no hard thing to be able to remember the history of the passion of our
bestow upon all those who perform the conditions of the new Covenant God is not only pleased to make a Covenant with us and plainly to declare his readiness to perform his part but also gives us his seal and so does abundantly assure us of his own stedfastness and constancy For such is our weakness so great our unbelief that we need very great supports and an abundant assurance to buoy up our sinking and incredulous hearts And on the other hand so great is the meroy and condescension of our gracious God that he is ready to consider our frame and to give us the greater security assurance He does not only promise us the pardon of our sins in his New Covenant but he also gives us his seal to it besides That so by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Heb. 2.18 Thus gratiously does God deal with Mankind He gives them his Covenant and his Seal too He not only gives out his decree in the expresses of his will but he signes and seals it also that we may be assured that it is unalterable as it is said the Law of the Medes and Persians in that case was Dan. 6.8 God makes a Covenant with Noah and his sons that he will no more destroy the earth by a flood but to give them still a greater assurance he sets his bow in the cloud as a token of this Covenant between himself and them Gen. 9. And when God makes a Covenant with Abraham and with his seed he does command Circumcision as a token of this Covenant between himself and them Gen. 17.11 God does not only give us his Word but his Sacrament the token of his truth This God does because he is gracious and because our wretched unbelief is so great that we need the utmost assurance And this certainly is one great end of the Sacrament that we might have alwayes with us a sure pledge of the favour and grace of God that we might not miscarry through our unbelief that we might have a full assurance that God would pardon our sins if we do on our part perform the condition of the New Covenant Our Saviours words are plain to this purpose This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Matth. 28.26 This Sacrament is the instrument of conveyance the Seal that gives us right and title to this great grace and mercy of God We receive in this Sacrament the Body and Blood of Christ and the benefits of his Death The pardon of our sin is here made over to us God hath given us visible pledges of his readiness to forgive our sins And because we are very jealous and suspicious very unapt to believe that such wretches as we are should be received into Gods favour he hath given us this abundant assurance He receives us to his own Table gives us under the symbols of Bread and Wine the Body and Blood of his Son who died for our sins and entertains us with this food of heaven In that God hath given us his Son and given him up to death and this death he underwent for our sins we have a great assurance that with him he will give us all things and that he is ready to pardon those sins for which our Lord hath shed his blood But then this blessed Sacrament is greatly efficacious towards the obtaining of this pardon because it is the ministery of the Death of Christ by which our pardon was procured But then we must be careful that we do not think that our pardon is procured by any inherent vertue of the outward elements of Bread and Wine or that our partaking of these alone will procure this remission of sins For the pardon of sin is procured by the blood of our Saviour and we attain not to it without a lively faith and a performing the conditions of the Gospel But if we do this we have good assurance of pardon when we partake of this Sacrament which is the Ministery of the Death of Christ But then we must have a faith in Christ that is as we eat the outward Element of Bread and drink the Wine so must our Souls receive our Lord Jesus Christ They must entertain him with all his precepts and in all his offices Our hearts must receive him as our Prophet to instruct and teach us as our Lord to rule and govern us as well as our Priest to make a satisfaction for us to the Divine Justice And as we hunger and thirst for our bodily food so we must hunger after the Spiritual provisions that Christ hath made for our Souls We must earnestly breathe after righteousness and purity of heart There must be in our Souls an hunger and a thirst they must receive and feed and not our bodies only It is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing John 6.63 As our mouth eats the outward element so faith must eat too And it is not a notion not an empty nothing that will feed a lively faith It conveys as real a supply to the Soul as the outward Elements do nourishment to the body The body receives the outward symbol the Soul the inward grace We eat and drink the Element but 't is the Soul that feeds on the thing signified and represented And therefore let not the sinner who lives in his sin and loves it think to obtain his pardon by partaking of this Sacrament This Sacrament will not avail such a man as this is for the death of Christ will profit him nothing if he lives in his sins and loves them and therefore this Sacrament can avail him nothing it being but the Annunciation of the Death of Christ and therefore it cannot save that sinner whom the death of his Lord does not avail It is a vain thing for such a sinner to take sanctuary here If there be not in our souls a principle of new Life it is not the outward Elements of Bread and Wine that will help us God is ready to forgive our sins and we may see it clearly in this Sacrament but while we love our sins we are uncapable of this grace of God 'T is the burdened and the ladened sinner that shall find this favour 'T is he that hates his sin and strives against it These are those whom Christ came to seek and save 'T is not the outward work will save us if there be not in us the grace of God There is no pardon in the Gospel for the obdurate and impenitent sinner and therefore we may not look for it in any of the exterior offices of Religion And therefore let no man deceive himself in this matter He that comes in his sins out of hopes of a pardon will be so far deceived that instead of obtaining a pardon for his former guilt he will contract
the true Penitent forbears his sin because he finds in his Soul an antipathy against it and not only because it is forbidden Such a Repentance as this must we find in our Souls before we can be fit to partake of these holy Mysteries And well it will become us to be greatly humbled for our sins and to abhor them when we do commemorate the death of our Lord and Saviour For he died for sin and endured the shame and sorrow of the Cross that he might no longer abide in us And if we come with our sins to this holy Table we do crucifie our Lord afresh we do trample upon his precious blood and count it a common and unholy thing 5. To what hath been said this must be added that when by our sin we have not only offended God but also injured and wronged our neighbour we are strictly and indispensably obliged to make him restitution as well as to beg the forgiveness of God We can expect no pardon from God if we do not make amends to our neighbour whom we have wronged If the wicked restore the pledge and give again that he had robbed c he shall surely live and not die Ezek. 33.15 But then if he do not this or sincerely resolve to do it assoon as he is able to do it he shall surely die and not live And his partaking of this holy Table shall be so far from saving him from the anger of God that it will encrease his guilt and add to his sin Let no man think that God will hear him if he do not make his brother amends for the wrong he hath done him Herodot Clio. We have a story in our Books of one Halyattes that his Soldiers did set on fire the Corn of the Milesians and that the fire by the violence of the wind caught hold of the Temple of Minerva and burnt it down It happened sometime after this that Halyattes falls sick and sends to the Oracle to know what would be the success of his disease but the Messengers were told by the Oracle that they must not expect any answer till the Temple which they had burnt were first repaired Most certain it is that we shall have no return of our prayers from Heaven when we confess and beg the pardon of our sin unless we do first make restitution where we have wronged our brother It cannot be thought we have repented if we do not restore There is no sacrifice will expiate our crime if we do not also make restitution Under the Law of Moses he that had wronged his brother was obliged indeed to bring a sacrifice for his atonement but then at the same time he was obliged to make a full restitution to his neighbour whom he had wrong'd and to add also a fifth part to the principal before he could be forgiven Levit. 6. He that wronged his neighbour was by that Law sometimes liable to restore double v. Maimon Hal. Shevuoth c. 8. Exod. 22.4.9 Sometimes times four and five fold ver 1. where the Trespasser was convicted But then where the offender became penitent and confessed his sin v. L' empereur in Bava Kam C. 7. S. 1. yet in this case he was obliged to make restitution to add a fifth part v. Jomd c. 8. Mishn 9. Shulchan Aruch H. Jom Kippu and to bring his offering Numb 5.7 His Repentance nor his offering would not serve his turn unless he also made amends to his neighbour whom he had wronged Nay the day of expiation as the Jews teach us would not avail to take away the guilt which we contracted by doing wrong to our brother And we must remember that we are obliged to make restitution not only where we have done an open and forcible injury As the robber and thief and violent oppressor are bound to restore what they have wrong'd their brother of by their violent injustice But we are also obliged to restore what we have by any means unjustly got the possession of And there are more ways than one by which we may become guilty of injustice He that overreaches and out-wits his brother in a bargain he that in his trading deals fraudulently and insincerely he that hides and conceals from his neighbour his just rights and dues such men as these are obliged to make restitution as well as open the robber and the thief There are indeed very many things which the Laws of the Land do not take notice of which yet we are obliged to in the Court of Conscience And we are before we do receive this Sacrament very severely to examine our own Consciences Whether in our dealings with men we have done as we would be done by and have not detained and with-held our neighbours due from him Indeed we are come to that pass that we are not afraid of doing an unjust action if we can but do it cautelously and slily Nay we are ready to rejoyce when we have cunningly circumvented our brother and men look upon it as but a little fault if any at all when they do craftily circumvent even him that attends upon holy things But certain it is whoever does wrong his brother and him that Ministers at Gods Altar he deceives himself most and must never look for pardon from God till he have repented of his sin and made restitution for the wrong he hath done And what hath been said hitherto of the necessity of making restitution must not only be understood of the wrong we have done to our neighbour as to his goods and estate but of all other wrongs whatsoever And particularly of that wrong we have done to his name and credit We ought to judge the best of all men and to make the most charitable construction of all the actions of our neighbour And therefore if we have done otherwise we are obliged to Repentance and to restitution for the wrong which we have done If we have openly slandered our brother or more closely and slily undermined his credit and good name we are obliged in this case to make as far as we are able a reparation That is we are obliged to unsay what we have said and by our words do him honour as we have endeavoured before to do him a discredit In a word we are bound to make him such an amends as we are able or such as may satisfie him to whom we have done the wrong And when we have done this we must humble our selves greatly in the sight of God for this sin and be very careful that we sin no more Thus must we cleanse and purge our Souls before we dare to come to this holy Table We must purge out our old leaven that we may be a new lump Otherwise we shall meet with death there where we might else have found Life And we ought therefore to be very careful and solicitous lest we should by our remisness and hypocrisie expose our selves to the greatest curse As we love our
the necessity of the duty as well as upon little objections which are brought against it which are so small that they might otherwise have been prudently omitted But so it is now that we are put upon the proof of those things which our forefathers did not deny And we have now a double task upon us To prove the truth of our Religion first and then to perswade to the practice of it It might otherwise seem a strange thing that any man should be operose in proving that it is our duty to partake of this Sacrament when the command for it is so plain I have this moreover to desire of the Reader that he would when he reads this Discourse be careful to lay aside all prejudice It will be no hard matter to find the truth in the case here discoursed of if we seek it sincerely The good God open our eyes and lead us at once into the paths of truth and peace And grant that we may be reconciled to him and to one another I have nothing farther to beg of the pious and Christian Reader but this one request that he would pray to God for the Author that his labours may not always be in vain The CONTENTS CHAP. I. THE nature of this Sacrament That is best known from the ends of its institution which were First to renew the Covenant which we made in Baptism Secondly to preserve the memory of Christs love in laying down his life Thirdly to unite us to each other in the strictest Bond of Charity Fourthly to assure us of Gods readiness to pardon our sins Pag. 1. CHAP. II. Several practical Inferences drawn from the foregoing discourse pag. 37. CHAP. III. The danger of coming unprepared That the doing so deprives us of the benefits which are annexed to worthy Communicating and involves us in a curse c. p. 48 CHAP. IV Concerning the preparation which we are to make First in general and then more particularly p. 57. CHAP. V. Of Examination And particularly of searching after our sins How this is to be done Of the degrees and circumstances which our sins are attended with p. 65 CHAP. VI. An inquiry into the nature of true Repentance Of the necessity of restitution p. 81. CHAP. VII Of resolutions of amendment of life Of the way of judging of the sincerity of these resolutions p. 96. CHAP. VIII Of a true and lively Faith Of the rules by which we are to judge whether or no we be endued with such a Faith That the bare assent to the Articles of the Christian Faith is not a Faith sufficient to salvation A consideration of those Scriptures which are urged in this case p. 106 CHAP. IX Of Brotherly love or Charity The wayes by which we are to judge of the sincerity of this love Of forgiveness of enemies and the necessity thereof p. 139. CHAP. X. Some farther advice by way of supply towards our better preparing our selves What a man is to do in case he doubt of his own fitness what things are to fall under our consideration when we do examine our selves Of the right way of judging of our state towards God Of designing against our most prevailing sin That we are to prepare as if we were preparing for death p. 154. CHAP. XI Of our behaviour when we do Communicate Of lifting up our hearts to God How we ought to be affected and demean our selves when we approach to the Holy Table and when we see the Bread broken and the Wine poured out when we receive the Bread and when we receive the Cup. p. 163. CHAP. XII Of our behaviour after we have received Of mercy to the poor Of After-Examination Of Prayer and praise Of the danger of relapsing p. 176. CHAP. XIII Of the necessity of Communicating This proved by sundry arguments which are not to be answered p. 182. CHAP. XIV An answer to several Objections by which men excuse themselves from Communicating First that they are not worthy This is answered by shewing wherein this worthiness does consist and how far it is from being a just excuse Secondly that because there is danger in receiving unworthily that therefore it is most prudent not to receive at all An answer to this objection and the folly of it exposed Thirdly against mixt Communions This Objection fully answered Fourthly am Objection against Kneeling A particular answer to the whole force of that Objection p. 195. CHAP. XV. The Conclusion of this Treatise p. 230. To which are now subjoyned The Heads of Self-Examination A Prayer before the Sacrament Some Ejaculations at the receiving it and afterwards A Prayer after receiving A Morning and Evening Prayer for a Family A plain and familiar DISCOURSE Concerning the LORDS SUPPER SHEWING At once the Nature of that Sacrament as also the right way of preparing our selves for the receiving of it CHAP. I. The Nature and true Notion of this Sacrament IT is my intention in this following Discourse not to trouble my Reader with Questions and Controversies about the Sacrament of our Lords Supper of which there are too many in the World already but to direct him how he may partake worthily as well as shew him the danger in not partaking at all And for the better gaining of the first of these ends I think it necessary to premise something of the nature and true notion of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper That so we may perform a reasonable service and not give the Sacrifice of Fools who consider not that they do evil Eccles 5.1 And that we may not eat and drink damnation to our selves not discerning the Lords Body 1 Cor. 11.29 Now for the better understanding the nature of this Sacrament it will be necessary the great ends and purposes for which it was ordained by our Blessed Saviour should be duly considered Now the ends of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper are these that follow I. The renewal of that Covenant which we entered into in our Baptism The Vow which we made in our Baptism we ought very seriously to reflect upon By our Baptism we were received into the Family and Church of Christ and by the Vow which we then made we are obliged to obey all the commands of Christ What the Apostle says of Circumcision I may truly say of Baptism I testifie to every man says he that is Circumcised that he is a debtor to the whole Law Gal. 5.3 And by the same reason every man that is Baptized is obliged to obey all the Precepts of the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl in loc The same Apostle tells us That they that have been Baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 That is surely they are obliged to be as he was to be that by grace which he was by nature to bear his image into whose name they are Baptized In Baptism we gave up our names to Christ and by that Sacrament listed our selves under him as the only Captain of our Salvation we
so not vouchsafing to eat together hath been also taken for an argument of estrangedness and a great difference Thus we read that the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews for that is an abomination to the Egyptians Gen. 43.32 And the Apostle when he would have the sincere Christian not so much as to countenance the debaucht and lewd Professor of Religion he will not permit him so much as to eat with him 1 Cor. 5.11 By what hath been said it does appear that eating and drinking together hath been a mark of kindness and hath been used when Covenants and Agreements have been made between men Now when we partake of the Lords Supper we have fellowship with God himself 1 Cor. 10.20 21. We eat at his Table and do become his guests But because we can have no fellowship with him when we walk in darkness 1 Joh. 1.6 therefore we cannot partake aright of this Supper of our Lord unless we put away the evil of our doings unless we put on the Wedding-Garment and renew that Covenant which we did once make with God and which we have so greatly broken 2. That this Sacrament was ordained for a renewal of our Covenant with God appears from the words of our Saviour when he did first institute and appoint it When he gave his Disciples the Cup he adds This is my blood of the New Testament or Covenant as that word signifies which is shed for many for the remission of sins Mat. 26.28 For the better understanding of which words we may remember that it was an antient custom in the World Tacit. Annal. l. 12. when men entered into Covenant with one another that they did it by shedding of Blood they did slay a beast and pour out its Blood and thus they did ferire faeduâ— strike a Covenant with one another In token I suppose that he that should fail of performing his part of the Covenant which they entered into should perish as the beast did which was slain before them Nor was this a custom among the Gentiles only but also a custom that God made use of among the Jews his own people For so we read that when God gave his Law to that people and that Law had been read in the audience of the people and the people had promised obedience to that Law that they entered into Covenant by blood For it is added that Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said behold the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Exod. 24.8 This was the blood of that Covenant which God made with that people To these words our Saviour may be thought to allude when he was ready to lay down his Life and shed his Blood for our Remission he gives his Disciples the Cup and tells them This is my Blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins That blood which Moses sprinkled was the blood of beasts but this is the blood of Jesus that was the blood of a Covenant but of the old but this is the blood of the new and better Covenant That was shed for the Jews only but this is shed for many for Jew and Gentile for all that believe The blood of the Law of Moses did not expiate for all sins but this blood is shed for the Remission of sins yea of those sins which could not be remitted by the Laws of Moses For by Jesus we have the forgiveness of sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses Act. 13.39 So that as the Blood which Moses sprinkled was the blood of that Covenant which the Jews entered into so is the blood of Jesus which he shed for us the blood of the New Covenant and he that drinks of this blood renews his Covenant and doth most solemnly take upon himself the observation of the Lawes of Christ When Moses had read the Law to the people and they had promised Obedience then does he sprinkle them with the blood of the Covenant and by that federal rite they are received into Covenant with God And so when our Blessed Saviour had taught his Disciples the will of his Heavenly Father and was ready to shed his blood for our remission he ordains this Sacrament of his blood which when we do partake of as we should lays a strict obligation upon us to obedience of the Laws of God which are made known to us in the Gospel When we drink of this Cup we renew our Covenant with God and do most solemnly bind our selves to a faithful and sincere Obedience we do as it were take a Sacramental Oath of Allegiance and if we be treacherous and false we are perjured persons and make our selves guilty of the blood of Jesus II. Another end of this Sacrament is that we should remember the love of our Lord Jesus Christ in laying down his life for us This do in remembrance of me Luk. 22.19 As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come 1 Cor. 11.26 The Jewish Passover was appointed for a memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt Exod. 12.14 And this Christian Passover was instituted for a memorial but of a greater deliverance than from the bondage of Egypt of our Redemption from sin and death So great a mercy as the deliverance out of Egypt might not be forgotten much less may this Redemption which our Lord hath wrought And as the Passover was commanded that they might not forget their freedom from Egypt so is this Sacrament appointed that we might never forget a greater freedom which our Lord hath purchased for us from the tyranny of sin and the bitterness of death There was a mercy in that deliverance but in this a miracle of mercy God in that shewed his love to his people but in this there are all the dimensions of love here 's breadth and length and depth and height here 's a love which passeth knowledge Eph. 3.18 19. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Joh. 15.13 But our Saviours love hath out-stript this and exceeded it greatly for he died for his enemies And God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 Our Books tell us many stories of the great love that one friend hath shewed another Lucian Toxarseu de Amicitia but none of them tell us of such a kindness to enemies as what our Saviour shewed in his Death Here 's a love that out-strips not only all the Laws but all the examples of friendship nay a love that surpasses the love of Women Our Saviour became poor that we might be rich he died that we might live he became a son of man that we might be made the sons of God and left his
service Now before I proceed to shew what we are to do towards the preparing our selves I shall shew the necessity of a preparation in general or the danger of coming unprepared And that I shall do in the following particulars 1. He that cometh unprepared loseth all those benefits which are annexed to a worthy partaking of this Sacrament Certainly the blessings which we receive when we come prepared are very many and very great We receive the pardon of our sins and power against them we have here a sense and experiment of the love of Christ to us and increase of our charity and love to one another We receive here the joys of pure Religion and the foretasts of Heaven an increase of our love to God and a demonstration also of the love of God to us This is a most excellent instrument and very available to the killing of our sins and the reviving of our graces It makes us more fit to live and both more ready and more willing to die We are here reconciled to God and also perfectly reconciled to one another 'T is the great instrument of pardon and peace of love and joy of faith and holiness He that comes prepared finds it both food and physick It nourishes his graces and it purges away his sins But whatever blessings he finds the unprepared finds none He receives no pardon of his sin nor yet any power against it And it were well for the unprepared if this were all for he does not only not receive a blessing but 2. He that comes unprepared receives a very great curse he contracts a very great guilt and condemnation to himself And if he would know how great a curse it is let him consider the words of the Apostle who tells him that he is guilty of the body and blood of Christ 1 Cor. 11.27 That he eateth and drinketh damnation to himself v. 29 Nor is this all neither but he brings upon himself bodily distempers aye and death it self The Apostle adds for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep ver 30. We have enough said to awaken us in these words if any thing be enough Sickness and death are the greatest plagues that we dread in the World and these are consequents of unworthy receiving but these are the least still He that comes unprepared as he is guilty of the greatest sin in that he is guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ so is he liable to the greatest severity and wrath of God in that he eats and drinks damnation to himself If we would avoid sickness or an untimely death if we would not be guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ and not be liable to damnation we must prepare our selves for this service We think Judas a wretched sinner that betrayed his Lord and Pilate that delivered him to death and the Jews that crucified him we esteem most miserable sinners what are we then if we do all this over again if we crucifie our Lord afresh and tread under foot the Son of God and count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing and all this we do if we come unprepared and in our sins And are so far from being less sinners than the Jews who crucified our Lord that we are indeed therefore greater than they in that we do this despite to him whom we know but they though they crucified him yet they did not know him to be the Lord of Glory The receiving of this Sacrament serves to some great purpose or other it does set us forward either to Heaven or Hell it conveys a great blessing or else it brings upon us a great curse And as the blessings it brings are great to them that are prepared so are the curses to him that comes unfit We either receive Christ or else Satan enters into us And all this is as we come fitted and prepared Nor is it to be wondred that it should be so for it is not the work done but the manner of the doing of it that turns to our account God deals with us not as with stocks and stones but as with reasonable Creatures We receive his blessings as we are sitted for them God waits that he may be gracious He waits on us till we sit our selves to receive his mercy The Soul that is unprepared is not sit for the blessings that are here bestowed 'T is our unfitness to receive that makes us miss of the blessing 'T is so in all our religious services We receive no benefit because we are not fitted for them nay instead of a blessing we receive a curse We do not profit by the preaching of the Word we say The cause is because we are not prepared hearers Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly Micah 2.7 We are worse after the Word we hear and the Sacrament we partake of because we are unprepared And that is the true cause of it We have an Axiom in Logick That every cause does act according to the disposition of the subject 't is true in Spirituals I am sure That which is to one a great blessing turns to the mischief of another One man receives life when he eats of this bread and drinks of this cup another man through his own default eats and drinks damnation to himself The same heat of the Sun that dissolves the ice and melts the wax yet hardens the clay The same herb or flower may afford honey to the Bee and poyson to the Spider The Red Sea that gave a passage to the Israelites did for all that drown the Egyptians Obruitur Pharaoh patuit via libera Moysi Prudent It was the same seed was sown Matth. 13. but not the same ground which received it Semen Sator culpa vacant terra damnanda est We know the Ark of God was the glory of Israel and a great blessing to the House of Obed Edom but yet the Philistines found it an intolerable scourge to them Nay Christ himself that unspeakable gift who is to them that believe the power of God and the wisdom of God yet was he to the unbelieving Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness 1 Cor. 1.23 24. Signum caventi non caventi scandalum Hunc sternit illum dirigit So that it concerns us greatly to fit and prepare our selves for so great a service It will be unto us as we are prepared for it Our unfitness will turn life into death and the greatest blessing that God hath to bestow into the greatest curse There is a great danger before us as well as a great benefit And the effect of this consideration should be that we be very diligent in fitting and preparing our selves We are apt to make an ill use of it and that is this that because there is danger in coming unworthily therefore it is the safest course not to come at all But certainly we never learnt this from the Apostle for he after he had told
cleanse his heart He that believes it as he ought endeavours to be holy as God is holy Again the Gospel tells us that we must not swear at all Matth. 5.34 Nay more than that that we shall give an account at the day of judgement for every idle word we speak Matth. 12.36 Now certain it is that there are many who swear in their ordinary conversation and others also who forswear themselves and whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness And who can think that such men as these are do believe the Gospel as they should do He believes aright who does practise those precepts which he professes the belief of He that does not that is an unbeliever He may profess that he knows God but in works he denies him Tit. 1.16 and they that do so the Apostle reckons among the unbelieving ver 15. Our Saviour tells us that he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life i. e. he that obeyeth the Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he presently adds he that believeth not the Son or he that obeyeth not the Son as those words may well be rendred shall not see life Joh. 3.36 And when the Apostle tells us that God sware to some that they should not enter into his rest he adds that it was to them who believed not so we render the words but they might be rendred to them who obeyed not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And then he presently infers we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief Heb. 3.18 19. To believe on the name of Christ is to receive him Joh. 1.12 But if we receive him as we should we must receive him and acknowledge him in all his Offices as our Prophet Priest and King That is we must believe the truth of his Doctrine as he is our great Prophet and that Teacher who came from God and then we must obey his Precepts as he is our Lord and our King as well as expect pardon from him as he is our Priest and our Atonement We must receive him as he is offered to us in the Gospel and not only confidently expect our pardon from him but we must receive him as God hath sent him and God hath sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities Act. 3.26 Now that it is such a Faith in Christ as I have been speaking of which the Scriptures require of us in order to our eternal Salvation will appear 1. If we consider the great end of the manifestation of Jesus Christ or the great purpose for which he was sent into the World Now we must not think that Christ came into the world and did and suffered those great things which we read of him only to procure our pardon and indemnity we must not think that the only end of all this was that we might be delivered from the evil effects and bad consequents of our sins he would be certainly a welcome Saviour to the worst of mankind upon this score For provided we may enjoy our sins we are content that he should suffer for them We are very willing that he should bear the blame provided we may but have the liberty to commit the fault Though we love our sins well yet are we not fond of the sorrows which they bring with them We are willing enough that Christ should pay our scores and well pleased to live in our sins and take it kindly that Christ would die for them But certain it is that Christ appeared and suffered for us too that he might deliver us from the power and dominion as well as from the guilt of our sins He did not die for sin that we might live in it He never came to discharge us from our duty we think unworthily of our Saviour and of our Religion if we think thus He came to plant the divine life in our hearts to make us better and more like unto God Let the holy Scriptures speak in this matter His name is called Jesus because he should save his people from their sins Matth. 1.21 It is ridiculous to say that by sins is meant no more than the punishment of them Nor can we think that Christ came into the world for no other end He would then have taken away the effect and left the cause remaining This would be to remove the less evil and to let the greater continue as if a Physician should only project how to remove or abate the symptom and take no care to suppress the disease and remove the morbifick matter which is the cause of it Certainly we think meanly of our Saviours design if we think this was all his business in the World He came to save us from our sins and they are a greater evil sure than the effects of them This is a nobler conquest than to deliver us from death And this sure was the great purpose of our blessed Saviour When God promised the Messias no less blessing was contained in that promise than this that we might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our Life Luk. 1.74 75. The Apostle certainly understood the great end for which Christ appeared He tells us that for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8 And that this was one great end why our Lord laid down his life no man can deny that gives any credit to the Holy Scriptures There we are told that he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 Again it is said that he gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil World Gal. 1.4 And that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5.15 He dyed for his Church indeed but then he gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be Holy and without blemish Eph. 5.25 26 27. The same Apostle tells his Colossians that Christ hath reconciled them in the body of his flesh through death to present them holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight Col. 1.21 22. Besides what hath been said we are from the death of Christ exhorted to an Holy Life 1 Pet. 4.1 2. Rom. 6.3 4. 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Which certainly we could not so effectually have been had our Saviour only dyed for our Indemnity and to procure our pardon But since he dyed for sin that we might not live in it well may we from his death be exhorted to an Holy Life and Conversation Which if we do not lead we do then frustrate and make void the
we are in misery or want we shall be glad of our Neighbours compassion and relief and when we love him as our selves we shall as readily afford him ours We shall be very ready to preserve our Neighbours credit to put a fair interpretation upon his actions to relieve his wants to bewail his misery to farther the Eternal welfare of his Soul if we do love him as our selves And indeed it will not avail us that we do pretend to love our Neighbour if we do not help him and do him good If a Brother or Sister be naked and destitute of daily Food and one of you say unto them depart in peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the Body what doth it profit Jam. 2.15 â—6 Certainly we are devoid of love to Our Neighbour if we do him not good as we have an opportunity Whose hath this Worlds good and seeth his Brother have need and shutteth up his Bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him 1 Joh. 3.17 If we love our Neighbour we shall most readily do him good and we shall always stand ready to do good offices to all with whom we shall converse And Secondly we must forgive the evil which our Neighbour does to us This we must also heartily do before we can worthily partake of this Holy Sacrament And I shall shew 1. what it is to forgive and 2. what great reason we have to do it when we partake of this Sacrament First what it is to forgive or what kind of forgiveness the Gospel requires of us and of this I shall speak 1. Negatively 2. Positively Negatively 1. Forgiveness implyes more than a bare profession of kindness This is a very common thing and may well be supposed to take place amongst those that yet remain very great enemies It is common to make great protestations of an hearty reconcilement Our Saviour requires that we forgive one another from our hearts Mat. 18.35 2. Forgiveness implyes more than a bare abstaining from making spiteful returns There may be a secret malice where there is no visible injury done We are obliged to love our enemy 't is not enough that we do him no harm 3. Forgiveness implyes more than doing kindnesses to our Brother It does indeed require a readiness to do this but yet the doing kindnesses to our enemy is no certain argument that we have forgiven him We may be bountiful and liberal and yet devoid of Charity 1 Cor. 13.1 We may give and yet not forgive And perhaps we may do our enemy a kindness out of pride and vain-glory or else we triumph over his misery and rejoyce that he who was before the object of our envy is now become the object of our pity Positively 1. He that forgives a right does it universally That is he forgives every man and every Trespass and at every time We easily forgive little offenders and the smaller faults of our Neighbour But the sincere Christian does more than this he forgives not only a professed enemy but a treacherous and false friend not only him that despises him but the most curseing Shimei that reproaches him to the face His Charity beareth all things 1 Cor. 13.7 2. He is so far from taking revenge that his mind is free from all the intention of it The leaven of malice is quite purged out of his heart he is so far from watching an opportunity of mischief that he desires it not And so far from doing evil that such is his Charity he thinketh no evil 1 Cor. 13.5 3. He does heartily pity his Enemy and pray for him And in this is a follower of the Precept and of the example of his Blessed Saviour Mat. 5.44 Luke 23.34 He does not only not requite his enemies with evil but he returns him good As for me when they were sick my clothing was sackcloth I humbled my Soul with fasting and my Prayer returned into mine own bosom I behaved my self as though he had been my Friend or Brother I bowed down heavily as one that mourneth for his Mother Psal 35.13 14. 4. He does not only forgive but forget He is most willing to let the remembrance of the injuries he hath received pass away And as a proof of this he is most ready to do his enemy a kindness and that out of no other design at all but a sense of his duty and a real Love which he finds in himself towards him He does not do it out of ostentation nor with a purpose to upbraid him with ingratitude or enhance his guilt but meerly because he loves him and desires his welfare with no less sincerity than he does his own And still as a farther demonstration that he forgets the injury received he is most ready to restore his enemy to the same degree of Love which he had before he did the wrong He is willing to admit him to the same kindness which he enjoyed before aye and to the same trust and confidence also upon his Repentance or the probable indications of it In one word he does not retain any thing of malice or ill-will but on the other hand finds in himself a most sincere love and good will and by all his actions does shew the great sincerity of it No less than such a forgiveness does the Gospel require no less does the true Christian find in himself And certainly it cannot be any thing short of this For we must forgive as we desire God to forgive And sure I am we desire from Heaven no less than such a forgiveness and must therefore think our selves obliged to do no otherwise by our Brother than we would that God should do by us For in this matter that is the Rule we are to go by we are to imitate God to forgive our offending Brother Even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us Eph. 4.32 Secondly I come to shew what great reason we have to forgive our brother when we come to this Sacrament Now that I shall shew in the following Severals 1. Because in this Sacrament we keep in remembrance the death of Christ This was one great end of its Institution and this does strongly oblige us to forgive our brother Whether we consider the death of Christ 1. In it self as obliging us to put away all our sins for which he dyed It is but reason we should put away our sins which put our Lord to death And if he dyed for sin then ought we by no means to live in it If we do we crucifie our Lord afresh and are more cruel to him than Judas or Pontius Pilate We make his pains of no effect and shew our selves void of all pity to our bleeding Saviour They were our sins that put him to his shame and to his sorrow and if we retain them we do but trample upon his precious blood we are very wretched Creatures if we maintain his enemies and add to
his sorrowes He did not dye for sins that we might live in them but that we might dye to them His Death is a very forcible argument against the life of our lusts and a great motive to obedience We little regard our dying Lord if we at once remember his Death and break his Lawes 2. Again our Lord at his Death gave us a very great example of forgiveness of enemies and therefore when we remember his death we have very great reason to forgive our offending brother Our blessed Lord met with great enemies and such as had the greatest reason to be his friends He that eat of his bread lift up his heel against him He was betrayed by his own Disciple delivered to death by him that pronounced him innocent scourged and mocked by a rude and heady multitude He is numbred among Transgressors who had committed no sin He was hanged on the Tree who had never tasted the forbidden Fruit. He was put to death by those whom he came to seek and to save He had done them many kindnesses whilst he was among them He healed their sick fed their hungry restored their blind dispossessed their Daemoniacks and raised their dead He offended none of their Laws He paid Caesar his Tribute took care the Priest should have his Offering observed their customs went to their Festivals and was so far from profaning their Temple that he shewed a great zeal for defending it from common uses There could be nothing said against his Doctrine nothing against his Life His enemies that bare witness against him could not agree and it was infinitely plain that he was innocent And yet his Countrymen thirst after his blood and prefer a Murderer before him They want patience when our Lord wanted none They cry out Crucifie him crucifie him And what does our Lord do he cryes out too but not for Vengeance but for Mercy Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luk. 23.34 Certainly then we should be ashamed to remember these things with malice in our hearts well may we forgive our enemies when our Lord hath forgiven his We must not dare to remember the Death of Christ and to remember our Neighbours unkindness together We may not think of revenge when our Lord shewed so much mercy We cannot rightly remember Christs Death when we do not imitate his example He taught us what we should do by what he did himself We shall look very unlike our Lord if we retain our malice and ill-will 3. If we consider that Christs Death was not only for sins but also for our sins we shall still find a greater obligation upon us to forgive one another God gave his Son to dye than which there cannot be a greater miracle of Love and if God so loved us we also ought to love one another 1 Joh. 4.11 It was for us our Saviour laid down his life and who are we Had we deserved this love were we his friends that he was at this pains and cost No surely but we were sinners and enemies and yet he laid down his life for us Rom. 5.8 10. If then Christ dyed for his enemies we ought to forgive ours and then especially we are obliged to do it when we pretend to remember the Death of Christ How can we now pull our brother by the throat for a few pence when our Lord hath forgiven us so many Talents We are very ungrateful for our Lords kindness if we are unkind to one another Did we but consider Gods mercies to us we should think our selves obliged to be merciful to one another And methinks it should be easie for us to forgive our Neighbour if we did but consider how very much we need Gods forgiveness and how far we are from deserving it If our Lords eye have been so good to us why should ours be evil to one another what miserable wretches should we be if Gods mercies to us had not been greater than ours is to one another He hath forgiven us our great scores let us not retain then our grudges to our brother For shame then let us purge out this leaven of malice when we keep this Feast Let us shew our selves kind to each other when we do remember the kindness of our Blessed Saviour Besides our brothers offences against us are small in respect to ours against God We offend against an infinite Majesty we transgress the Eternal Laws of Reason How coldly do we pray to him for the greatest Blessings How insensible are we of his many mercies How very stupid and incorrigible under his severest judgments How void of the love of him who hath loved us so much If he should mark iniquities how should we be able to stand We are not able to answer for one of a thousand But yet we hope for Mercy upon our Repentance and our Faith We expect pardon from God for all these amisses And had we not this hope we should be of all men the most miserable We have then very great reason to be reconciled to our brother when we stand in so great need that God should be reconciled unto us and when we hope for the pardon of our sins from God which we do from Christs death and at this time when we do commemorate it we have a sufficient motive to forgive our brother Especially our Saviour having said If you forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will aso forgive you But if ye forgive not men their Trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Mat. 6.14 15. 2. Another great end of this Sacrament is that Christians may be knit together in the strictest bond of Love and Charity It is as I shewed you before a Feast of Love It was designed to bring us together and to make us all of one heart And a very effectual instrument it is were it rightly understood and used to that end and purpose It would soon make us one again It would bring together those who now are separated from one another When Communions were frequent in the Church Christians loved one another and kept together But when they became more seldom selemnized then the feuds among the professors of Christianity grew also For indeed this Sacrament was intended to maintain us in Love and Charity And therefore if we do not heartily forgive our brother we do destroy also this end of its Institution It is very indecent to see men at odds that eat and drink at the same common Table But it is a great wickedness to come to this Holy Table with malice and ill-will to our brother in our hearts We must not keep this feast of love with the leaven of malice VVe cannot partake of this Sacrament but we must profess a kindness to our brother and if we mean it not we are like Judas that gave his Master good words when he was ready to betray him and shall be miserable as he was into whom the Devil and the morsel entered at
that I may be able to weep bitterly as he did It will well become us when we commemorate the death of our Saviour to be very deeply humbled for our sins which put him to death 4. When thou receivest the Bread renew your Covenant with God Consent heartily to receive thy Saviour in all his Offices of Prophet Priest and King Desire earnestly to be joyned to thy Lord in the strictest bond Resolve to give thy self up intirely to the obedience of his Holy Laws Beg of him that he would dwell in thine heart give him the full possession of thy self Tell him thou art his for the time to come and that thou dost willingly give him entrance and possession of thy whole heart Say to him Lord I do heartily and joyfully entertain thee And though I am unworthy that thou shouldest come under my roof yet since it is thy condescension to visit me a poor sinner I do most joyfully receive thee Grant that I who eat of thy Bread may never lift up my heel against thee And that though many Lords have ruled in me I may henceforth only make mention of thy name Strengthen my feeble Soul that I may perform my Vows Help me that I may now be thine and that I may continue in thy love Be thou that to my Soul which bread is to my mortal and frail Body Grant that my Soul and Body may be separate and for ever set apart to thy service suffer me not to profane and unhallow what is thus solemnly consecrated to thee I offer thee my heart Lord unite it to thy fear and service Grant it may no more run astray from thee that it may not be seduced by the deceitfulness of sin by the allurements and blandishments of this wicked world but continue constant and stedfast in thy Covenant Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right or constant spirit within me Psal 51.10 5. When we receive the Cup let us again renew our consent that Christ shall rule over us And let us particularly meditate upon the great danger of revolting and sliding back This is the blood of the New Covenant the blood of the immaculate Lamb of God which was shed for us It was an ancient custom of entring into League and Covenants by slaying of beasts and shedding their blood this was in token that he that failed to perform his part did devote himself to the like destruction Oh consider then what a wrath hangs over thy head if thou trample upon the blood of Jesus There will remain nothing but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation And therefore consider well how greatly dangerous it will be for thee to disobey thy Lord for the time to come Say thus within thy self I am now renewing my Covenant with God I do now undertake to obey the Laws of Christ and make him a solemn promise of Obedience for the time to come And that I may bind my self the faster to my Lord I take the Sacrament upon it I drink of this blood of the new Covenant So that I am now bound in a stricter bond than ever I have professed a service to him a great while I have now listed my self and as it were taken a Sacramental Oath that I will be faithful This blood of my Saviour will witness against me if I fall back and so the blood of Jesus will be upon me if I prove unfaithful And therefore O my Lord look in Mercy upon me Grant that I may not after all my other sins be guilty of the blood of Christ That I may never have the blood of my Saviour to answer for Then will my case be worse than that of the Jews who Crucified him but yet knew him not to be the Lord of Glory But I know him and am dedicated to his service My sin for the future will be of a deeper dye Grant Lord that I may not be guilty of the blood of Christ that I may not put him to death that came to save my life that his innocent blood may not cry to Heaven against me and be laid to my charge What a wretched Creature shall I be if my Saviour shall be my Accuser Thus may we meditate when we receive the Cup. And indeed it will be a very seasonable meditation we shall be very wicked indeed if we do now return to our sins and evil wonts when we have not only eat the flesh but drank the blood of Christ The blood of Christ was shed for our remission and our pardon but how sad will it be with us if it be laid to our charge if that blood from whence we expect our pardon shall cry for vengeance against us There is a saying among the Jews Vi. Buxtorf Lexicon Talmud in voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is used proverbially Wo be to that man whose advocate becomes his accuser And 't is very applicable to the matter in hand Our Lord is our Advocate 1 Joh. 2.1 but if we refuse to obey his Precepts he becomes our Accuser and our Judge The blood of Jesus pleads for us if we continue obedient to his Precepts but if we trample on his blood it will speak no better things than the blood of Abel and certain it is that Abels blood called to Heaven against him that shed it And how miserable is that man who instead of receiving pardon from Christs blood receives a greater guilt from it and falls under that curse which the Jews called on themselves when they said His blood be upon us and our children 6. This will be a very fit season to intercede with God for others we shall do well to pray at this time for the whole Church of God and particularly for that part of it which is planted among us especially for all Christian Kings and Governours who do greatly need our Prayers and may very justly expect them also And here we shall do well while we are attending upon this service to pray for our friends and relatives and for those who have desired our prayers This is a Feast of love and a greater expression of our love to our brother we cannot give than to intercede earnestly for his Soul and as we are alwayes obliged to do it so are we more particularly bound to do it at this time when we commemorate the great love of our dying Saviour which he expressed to the Souls of men And we shall do well at this time to send up Ejaculations to God for them Nor must we forget to pray for those who are our enemies without a cause This our Saviour did when he was upon the Cross and when we remember his Agonies we must not forget to do as he did Let us heartily pray for them that God would forgive their sins and that he would turn their hearts We are obliged to this both by the precept and by the example of our dearest Lord Nor may we expect pardon for
that he refused to wash and be clean according to the advice which the man of God gave him And his servants spake wisely to him when they said My father if the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing wouldest thou not have done it How much rather then when he saith to thee wash and be clean 2 King 5.13 If there be any thing hard and difficult which our Saviour hath commanded for he tells us that his yoke is easie and his burden is light yet sure I am this is not So far is it from being impossible that it is indeed not difficult to him that is a sincere and diligent Disciple of our Lord and Saviour What hath been said makes it evident that that worthiness which is required in the Communicant does not imply merit or desert but only such a fitness and sincere and holy disposition of Soul as God does require and will accept And we may be worthy partakers of this Table when we are very sensible of our own demerits And indeed to think meanly of our selves does very much dispose us to receive the benefits of this Sacrament And therefore when we say we are not worthy and make this excuse our meaning must be that we are not fit and prepared for this Holy Table Now if this be all we have to say that we are not fit and prepared and therefore we do not approach to this Table we shall find that this is no just excuse For if it were we might with the same case excuse our selves from the practice of the other Laws of Christ Whereas we are commanded to give to the poor we might by the same reason excuse our obedience and say that we cannot do that because we are not charitable and besides that we cannot give alms as we ought because we are proud and love to be seen of men and to receive their praise and therefore rather than do it amiss we will not do it all Thus may we excuse our selves from works of mercy from acts of piety and the services of Religion We may by this method excuse our selves from serving God and doing good to our Neighbour We are not willing our servants should do by us as we do by God We expect they should do as we bid them nor shall it serve their turns to say that they are not disposed to do what we command We justly look that they be ready to obey us and that they do not indulge themselves in their sloth and contumacy We may be ashamed to serve God at that rate which we should not accept from our servants The Jew might easily have avoided the Passover if this slender excuse would have served his turn But God commands him to keep it and he must take care to do it as he ought If he fail in either of them he is liable to be cut off from among his people There was no such excuse to be admitted Again when you say you are not fit let me ask you whether or no you have done all you possibly can to fit your selves I wish you would put this question home to your Consciences and deal sincerely in it Have you laboured greatly to fit your selves have you to that purpose set aside some time in order to the examining of your Consciences Have you earnestly prayed to God for his aid and assistance Have you done it frequently Have you advised with your spiritual guides about this weighty matter Have you used as great a care as men are wont to use in clearing their title to their Estates and worldly Possessions Do you do as much for your Souls as you do for your Bodies and Estates You are not fit to receive the Sacrament you say but have you laboured greatly that you might be fit Have you done all you can possibly do And after all this is it the grief of your heart that you are not fit and do you continue to labour that ye may Consider whether it be thus or no with you Do not dare to mock God nor think that you shall be able to deceive him Have a care how you dissemble with the God of Heaven and Earth If you are not fit nor yet striving to become so you are indeed in a very miserable condition He that commands you to partake of this Table commands you to be fit to do it also We are not only required to eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup but in order to that to examine our selves If we neglect to fit our selves that will not excuse us from neglecting the receiving of this Sacrament unless we think one fault will excuse another Again we shall do well to consider what it is that renders us unfit Have we not some secret sin which we are not willing to part with We know the danger to be great if we bring with us a love to our sins then indeed we eat and drink our own Death Let us then cast our eyes inward and see what that sin is which we are so fond of I doubt not but men may many times easily find where the true reason lies which renders them unfit Perhaps we are not willing to forgive our Enemy or else we are not ready to make restitution to our neighbour whom we have injured or we live a prophane and ungodly life and are not reconciled to the ways of piety and holiness It may be that we are not willing to part with our sensual and worldly lusts and we are afraid of being too severely and strictly bound up to a life of Religion and Mortification This is much to be suspected for certainly if we loved our Religion and hated our sins we should be very glad of any opportunity that would engage us more strictly to do well and to depart from evil Sure I am that to him that is truly good and labours sincerely to be better the tydings of this Sacrament is welcome news He does gladly embrace this blessed opportunity of becoming good For the truth of what I say I dare appeal to the Conscience of devout and religious persons And therefore it is much to be feared that the cause which makes us unfit is this because we love our sins more than we love our God And if it be thus I would wish such people to consider How unfit they are to dye For in this case that which makes them unfit to receive this Sacrament renders them unfit to dye also Now his condition is very dismally dangerous who dares to live in that state of things in which he would be afraid to dye We may indeed refuse to Communicate when we have an opportunity offered us but we shall not be able to put by the stroke of death When God calls us out of this World and how soon we may be called we cannot tell we must go not only whether we be willing but also whether we be fit to go out or not we shall not find that any of our excuses will be
Souls then we must not only find out our sin but we must put it away also and before we presume to eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup we must find in our Souls such a repentance as is never to be repented of CHAP. VII BUT as we must come to this Sacrament with a sincere and hearty Repentance for our past sins so we must also come with full purposes and resolutions of Amendment of Life for the time to come Now because our Resolution like our Repentance is many times weak and insignificant it will therefore well become us to examine these purposes and resolutions of newness of life which we so frequently pretend when we make our approaches to this holy Table For it is very evident that there are very many men that give good words and make fair promises of Amendment of Life upon the bed of sickness or at the approach of this Sacrament who yet are so far from making their words good that they do sometimes run into a greater excess of folly and wickedness than they were guilty of before We shall therefore do well to try our purposes and resolutions and narrowly to examine them whether they be such as are like to hold or not and to that purpose we may consider the following Severals 1. We have little reason to give credit to rash and sudden purposes of Amendment of Life The sinner does now and then resolve vehemently against his sin but it is when he hath newly surfeited upon his folly and defiled himself with his sin then indeed he is sick of it for a while and resolves to lay it aside Or perhaps some great and amazing affliction falls upon him and this brings his sin to remembrance and he suddenly resolves he will put away his sin and lead a new life but when this tempest of sorrow is over and his appetite returns anew upon him he does easily embrace his folly again and is as much the child of Satan as he was before Such a man is troubled at the mischief which his folly hath betray'd him to and is sick of his sin for a while because he hath tasted of the bitterness which did attend it But when he hath forgotten the trouble and the pain his sin hath put him to then he returns to it again There are those in the world that do frequently resolve against their sins and yet do as constantly commit those very sins which they so passionately resolve against and that because it was not their sins which gave them so much trouble but the evil effects and consequents which did follow upon them For when their sin courts them and smiles upon them when it follows them officiously and pleads for a reconcilement they readily yield themselves up to their slavery again 2. We have little reason to trust to that resolution which we have formerly found so very ineffectual If we find that we have often resolved as much as now we do against our sins and yet that for all that when the solemnity hath been over we have forfeited our good promises we have very little reason to trust our selves That man who hath been often a partaker of this Sacrament and hath as often made his resolves to become better and as often broken them hath no reason to believe himself nor to communicate again till he find a change in himself For it is to be suspected that such a man's resolutions of Amendment are but formal and of course and that he is only over-awed with the greatness of the approaching Solemnity and not truly out of love with his sins which he pretends at this time a defiance to The best evidence of the sincerity of our Resolutions is this that we do as we have resolved Unless we do this there can be nothing more insignificant than our Resolutions are And sure it is in every thing else we judge thus Not he that resolves but he that fights couragiously gets the victory Our resolving does not alone set forward any work 't is the putting our Resolutions into practice which does avail us 3. He that resolves as he ought to do must resolve not only upon the end but also upon the means which lead to it We are forward to resolve for Heaven at large but consider not of the way and means which will bring us thither We are generally willing to be happy but yet we do readily excuse our selves from the difficulties and severities of an holy life He that resolves to be temperate must also resolve to avoid his evil Company that drew him to that excess to pass by the door where he is wont to be drawn in He that resolves to be chast must also resolve to decline the house of a whorish Woman and to set a watch upon himself that he be not ensnared with her enticements He that resolves against his sin must resolve also against every thing which leads him to it and he will shew himself sincere in his Resolutions by his use of such means as would gain his end There is nothing more ridiculous than our Resolution if we resolve upon the end and not upon the means also which lead unto it We think so in other things we do not think we shall ever be rich by a resolving only to be so We must be provident and frugal as well as resolute before we can attain our end 'T is not Resolution makes a man learned unless he add endeavours to his Resolution We may resolve what we will but we shall be never the nearer to our end unless we use the means as well as resolve upon the end We never heard of any man that gained his end by resolving upon it unless he used means for the accomplishing his intention Resolution does us no good when it is alone It sets us forward greatly when we use proper means but unless we do that we are not at all advanced by it 4. He that resolves as he should do places before his eyes the difficulties and inconveniences which he is like to meet with in his way Like a wise builder he does forecast his charge before he begin his work or like a prudent Commander he does well consider his number and strength before he fall upon the army of his adversaries Luk. 14.28 He that resolves to part with his sin must resolve to be for ever deaf to its allurements for the time to come to subdue all his affections to it to bid it an eternal farewell And he may do well to think before-hand what difficulties and labours this will expose him to He will do well to think that he cannot do it unless he be always upon his watch and denying the cravings of the sensual life He must be content to cross his own impetuous desires to displease his companions and familiars to be houted and laughed at as fool and coward He must resolve to persevere in an holy life although he displease his greatest friends although