proffered them on the same terms that Heaven is how greedily would they lay hold on them If a rich man should say to them Love but this Gold more than the Dirt under your feet and you shall have it Oh how quickly would they purchase it and never think the condition hard If the poor man was enjoyned to prefer bread bfore a stone and to desire it more and then it should be given him do you think he would ever bee without it And yet when the blessed God offers them ten thousand times greater mercies upon such terms as these they refuse them as if they were requir'd to do some great thing for that which was not worth their labour What doth God command us but to love himself more than empty creatures To value an everlasting Kingdome before the frail comforts of this short life And yet we will not do it He bids us but love our best part even our Souls more than these vile bodies and to take most care for that which deserves most as being the more excellent When hee enjoyns us to fly from sin and embrace holiness it is as if he should say Beware of that which will do you the greatest mischief and close with that which will do you the most good Accept of Liberty and freedome and do not lye in Prison and Fetters bee in Health and not in Sickness and yet men will not bee perswaded When God saith prefer my pleasant service before the bondage of the Devil and thou shalt be happy for ever he doth as it were say Be but heartily willing to accept of happiness here and thou shalt have it hereafter but the most are unwilling And upon this it is that not only God but all the world yea themselves will for ever lay the blame of their destruction by their resolvedness and willfulness in the waies of sin they are merciless murderers of their own Souls The Devil may tempt and the world may allure but they cannot not force them to sin There is not one of all those millions that perish who can truly say that hee was unfeignedly willing to have sav'd himself but could not But as for those that perish from amongst Christians they have least of all to plead in their own excuse For they have been exhorted and besought again and again to put away their evil-doings to renounce their lusts and turn to the good waies of God and yet they would not hearken What though the Devil entic'd them to wickedness did not Gods Spirit also move upon their hearts to have drawn them to holiness But they who knew not how to resist the Devil as they were commanded could resist and grieve and offer despight to the Spirit of Grace Whilst they knew not how to reject nor get away from a sinful Companion they could put off their Ministers and godly Friends with flat denials if not with contempt and jeers What though the flesh was craving for forbidden fruit unlawful pleasures and satisfaction Yet did not Conscience contradict and check it Why then should flesh which had no reason for its desires be hearkned to and obeyed whilst Conscience which is the voice of God must be slighted and silenced Tell me whoever thou art that makest a Trade of sin and livest in the neglect of thy Duty to God that made thee and keeps thee alive not accounting it the business of thy life to serve and honour him but goest from one day to another without the serious thoughts of his glorious Majesty and all his wonderful works and mercies thou who seest no need of hearing or reading Gods Word of constant Prayer or receiving Sacraments that puttest off the thoughts of Death and Judgement and art careless of making preparations for the same Tell me I beseech thee what 's the reason of such a wretched sinful course as this Is it because thou knowest no better Was 't thou never told how thou oughtest to behave thy self Didst thou never hear who it is puts men upon sin and what wages they have for it at length Didst thou never read nor hear of a Saviour that came to call men to repentance and holiness and laid down his life to save all that will be his faithful followers and Servants It 's very strange indeed if thou hast lived in any such dark corner that thou wert never acquainted with these matters But it is most likely thou hast heard them again and again but all hath been to no purpose What dost thou not know who made thee and why thou wast made There 's few Children but can answer such questions as these and yet how few men that consider them or that live as if they knew them There are indeed many to be found especially of the meaner sort who tell you they cannot read nor are Book-learned and therefore they hope God will hold them excused and not require much of them but yet these people have learning enough to look to their business in the world and if they be sick they 'l seek for help or if they are wronged they 'l look out for relâ—ef And what have they not learning enough to know what they must do to be saved Have they been idle and unwilling to learn so much as to read plain English and do they think this will serve their turn to plead for their ignorance and neglect of Duty and wilful Rebellions against God What were they taught or commanded such difficult things that none but Scholars can understand or do them They can tell as simple as they are that the light of the Sun is greater than the light of a Candle that Gold is better than Brasse that a King is above a Constable that its better to have an estate of their own which they shal enjoy as long as they live than to be Tenants to another to be turned out when he will Do they know these things and is it any harder to know that God who made all things and put that goodness into them which they have is better than all those things which he made and therefore should be preferred before all Creatures That he who is Lord of all should be obeyed above all that to be like him is better than to be like the Beasts that a certain everlasting Glory is more worth than short uncertain comforts here below Again these men knew well enough how to eat and drink and to take heed of what might hurt their bodies they could avoid the persons and places that were infected if the house was on fire they would run out of it and call neighbours to help to quench it if they are upon the way and are told of quicksands and quagmires they can avoid them And yet have they not learning enough to do good to their souls and to take heed of that which will destroy them for ever and hearken to others that warn them of their danger They can be diligent enough to please those that do them
you have a greater evidence of the graciousness of his nature than that very mercy which you are going to remember even his giving his only Son to die for us whilst we were yet ungodly and enemies And did he of his own free grace without our asking and against our deserving provide a Saviour for us and is he yet unwilling to save us did he find out a means for our reconciliation to himself and is he now backward to be reconciled Does he importune us to take that which he is unwilling to give us Be not I beseech you of such an easie belief of the Devil 's grosse fallacies and so hardly drawn to believe what God hath not onely said but done so much to make it past all doubting See the Apostle arguing much after the same manner Rom. 5.6 7 8 9 10. Oh let your hearts then be fill'd with admiration of that love which God hath herein exprest to men the wondrous greatnesse whereof is such that it almost surpasseth our Faith and doth farre surpasse our full comprehension That there should be a way for the recovery of self-destroying sinners contrived by him whom they had offended and brought about by the death of his own Son that they might be raised to the highest happinesse even an eternity of the most ravishing joys in nearest communion with the Divine Majesty and all this to be had for a cordiall thankfull acceptance This is the Lords doing and well may it be marvellous in our eyes Great things hath the Lord done for us whereof let our souls be glad If an host of Angels came from heaven to proclaim these good tidings of great joy to all people shall not the Congregations of Christians eccho back their Glory be to God in the highest who hath sent on earth peace and shewn such good will to men Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good and his mercy endureth for ever Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy Oh do you praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderfull works to the children of men who hath shewn mercy to such as sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death and hath broken the gates of brasse and cut the barres of iron in sunder and hath sent his word and healed you and delivered you from destruction Oh do you sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoycing Psal. 107. Call upon your souls with the Psalmist in another place Blesse the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits who fogiveth thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases who redeems thy life from destruction and who crowns thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies Psal. 103. at the beginning Oh think what a deplorable condition we had been in if God had left us in the hands of Satan to whom we had enslaved our selves and had never lookt after us more Oh what a dungeon had this world then been where we should have lived in darknesse and fetters in horrours and torments and all as but an inlet and passage to miseries infinitely worse and altogether unavoidable But oh blessed and for ever praised be his Name who hath visited the earth with his goodnesse and caused the rejoycing light to shine in dark and disconsolate places and hath proclaimed liberty to the captive and shewn a strong hold to which he hath called the Prisoners â—f hope to turn themselves having laid help on one that is mighty sending forth the prisoners out of the pit by the blood of the Covenant Zach. 9.11 This is that blood which by the Wine in the Sacrament is represented to you yea which is thereby put into your hands and given you to drink in remembrance of that which was once shed for you And shall not the hearts-blood of your dearest Lord warm and revive your souls enflame and advance your love Will you not now begin that new song of the heavenly Chore ascribing blessing honour glory and power to him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever who by his blood redeemed us and makes us kings and priests unto God Rev. 5. This is that blood to which you owe all that you have or hope for This quencht those flames which else had fed upon you for ever This satisfied that justice which else had laid hold on you for your disobedience This purchast an inheritance which silver and gold could not buy This purgeth the conscience from dead works and makes the soul fruitfull unto God This pacifies the Conscience and appeaseth the disturbances that sense of guilt is apt to raise By this blood of the Lamb it is that the Saints in all their conflicts do overcome And can you withhold the most affectionate hearty thankfulnesse for this precious all-healing blood Methinks we should even be pained in our selves as not knowing how to give vent enough to our affections especially when our bleeding Lord is set before us Oh let him wholly possesse your thoughts and do you view that transcendent love which he manifested in his whole course but chiefly in the close of it that all may beget in you some answerable returns of love Read as you have leisure those heavenly discourses which were his Farewell Sermons to his Disciples and his last prayer for them which you may find in the 14 15 16 17. Chapters of John and see there how love breathes in every line Follow him to the Garden and there hearken to his groans and behold his bloody sweat which proclaims him to be sick of love of a love that would not be quencht by those crimson streams No still he goes on and go thou after him with the Women that followed him to his Crosse and weep not if thou canst forbear whilst there thou seest him die for love even for love of thee poor soul who do'st sincerely love him Art thou not astonisht at the thoughts of it What could the Lord Jesus see in such miserable worms as we that should incline him to undergo all this on our behalf Nay there 's the wonder he saw nothing and therefore he underwent it Nothing did I say yes he saw our guilt and defilement for which he might have justly loathed us But he seeing all this our misery was rather moved to a compassion for us Such a compassion as never dwelt in a mortall 's breast that he should pity those who pittied not themselves and die to recover those who had even murdred themselves yea that he should die to make them happy whose sins were the cause of his Death and even merit mercy for such as had no mercy on him and give life to them who took his away All this was voluntarily done by the Son of God who became Man on purpose that he might die and do all this for the
sons of men Let Plays and Fictions be hist off the Stage let Romantick follies be shamed into obscurity for here is that which alone deserves the name of Love here 's such Truth as commands our belief such worth and weight as calls for our regard and such stupendious greatnesse as may raise our wonder Here behold the power of love in the fairest display of it that ever was made to the world since its foundations were first laid beyond which imagination it self cannot ascend nay which falls vastly short of it how vastly short then doth expression fall but yet oh that we could feel as much as that little which we speak Was it ever before known that the Shepherd should lay down his life for his sheep not for innocent sheep but to reduce wilfull straglers to his Fold that he who was Lord of all should die for his Subjects not for obedient Subjects but for Rebels appointed to the slaughter Thus continue thy meditations till they have so good an effect upon thee that if Christ should appear to thee at this instant as thâ—u art got alone and should call thee by Name as once he did Peter and ask thee Soul Lovest thou me thou mightest be able truly to return his answer Lord thou knowest that I love thee And then to affect thee yet mâ—re consider of Gods saving love in Christ parâ—icularly revealed to thy soul that he was pleased to say to thee when thou wâ—â—st in thy blood Live Calling thee out of darknesse into his marvellous light laying hold on thee by his Spirit and recovering thee to himself when thou wast running farre away from him and many a tiâ—e preventing and restoring thee by his grace when otâ—erwise thou hadst utterly ruin'd thy self Oh praise him that he left thee noâ— in Satan's kingdome under the power of thy lusts but with a strong hand and outstretched arm brought thee out of that house of bondage and magnifie his name when thou beholdest that blood wherein thy sins were drowned as the Egyptians in the Red-Sea Oh blesse his name that he did not suffer thee to remain dead in trespasses and sins yea that he did not strike thee dead in them and sentence thee to the second death after which there is life no more This is a fit season for recollecting all the special mercies of thy life which God hath shewn either to soul or body to thy self or thine all which thou art to look upon as vouchsaft through Christ which makes the mercy infinitelie greater And when you have thus endeavoured to get your hearts brim-full with love and joy come and let them rise higher and boil over at the Table of the Lord. Let no sadnesse appear in your looks nor a tormenting thought by your good will seize upon your hearts this day Come loathing sin as much as you are able but come loving Christ as much Have as low thoughts of thy self as thou wilt and be as humble as thou canst in remembrance of all thy vilenesse but yet let thy Soul magnifie the Lord and thy Spirit rejoyce in God thy Saviour Thy gracious Lord will not upbraid thee with any former unkindnesse and neglect of his love which thou art heartily asham'd of and sorry for Wherefore though thou maist come blushing and weeping yet come not into his presence daunted and despairing He died on purpose to ease your souls of all those fears which make you all your life time subject unto bondage Will not you receive comfort for whom he hath shed his blood that it might be your Cordiall Let him see you then improve it this day to that purpose for your health and pleasure if it be solid is his delight And if he would have your joy at any time in this World full now it is If you must ever more rejoyce this I am sure is a fit season This is our most solemn Thanks-giving Feast Oh wonderfull That the commemoration of the Master's death should be the Servants Feast It is his pleasure to have it so and let us thankfully comply therewith Instead of his Vinegar and Gall he gives us Bread and Wine and better things than they Here he hath made according to his promise Isa. 25.6 A Feast of fat things a Feast of Wines on the Lees of fat things full of marrow Wines on the Lees well refined And you may be sure the Master of this Feast who entertains his guests with an affection as great as their fare is costly would not have them sit there sad and dejected as if they liked not their provisions or thought themselves not welcome Would it please you to see your friends in such a posture at your Table Oh question not your welcome all yee lovers of Christ but when you are there assembled imagine that you heard him saying to you Eat oh friends drink yea drink abundantly oh beloved Here he hath brought you into his Banquetting-House and his Banner over you shall be love Here will he comfort you with Heavenly Manna and stay with Flaggons all you that are sick of love You Children of Abraham that come from the slaughter of your lusts here doth your Lord meet you as his type Melchizedeck met your Father Gen. 14.18 Setting before you the Bread and Wine for your refreshment And here will he blesse you He shall cause you to sit under his shadow and his fruit shall be sweet to your tast Here may you expect the most comfortable commâ—nion with Christ that is to be had in this lower World Here then believing in and loving him whom you have not seen but whom you may here see represented do you rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory 8. That your hearts may be more heavenly in this work and so more apt to be fill'd with joy and to break out in praise let me earnestly desire you here to have an eye to a glorified as well as a crucified Christ to remember not only his humiliation but his exaltation It was the minde of Christ that his Resurrection rather than his birth or death should consecrate a weekly thanksgiving to be observed by the Churh in all ages which should be call'd the Lords own day and be spent in his praise and service This being the accomplishment of his labours his finall victory over death and the grave and all Enemies that did assault his own person the memorial whereof must therefore needs be most rejoycing to his servants And as his Resurrection cannot be remembred without his birth and death which must of necessity precede it no more can his death be here rightly remembred without we also bear in mind his Resurrection and Ascension to Glory Can we remember what he was and not think what he is Sad meetings had we made indeed if our Lord had been held under the power of death if such a thing may be imagined All the World then might well be in the disconsolate posture of the two Disciples that were
to be faithfull and obedient Even thus hath it pleased the Lord Jesus Christ the Redeemer of rebeâ—lâ—ous degenerate mankind to proclaim free and full pardon to all that will heartily repent of and turn from their wicked ways and take him for their Lord and Saviour and submit to his directions for their attainment of happinesse and withall he hath commanded all that will thus become his disciples first to be listed under him by Baptisme whereby they are visibly entred amongst the number of professing Christians and afterwards they who were baptized in infancy are to come to this Sacramental Feast and there to joyn with their fellow-believers in a personall profession of their willingness and resolution to stand to that Covenant whereinto they were engaged by Baptisme in testimony whereof they eat the Bread and drink the Wine whereby the Body and Blood of Christ is represented as I shall further shew anon Now would it not in like manner be a strange piece of folly and monstrous hypocrisie for any man to rest satisfied with his having been baptized or his receiving the Lords Supper and think himself therefore a Christian good enough without taking care to perform those promises which he then made but rather encourage himself in sin by the consideration of what he had done as if he might the more safely rebell against God because he had expresly vowed against all such rebellion Could there be a more desperate dangerous wickedness than to make such a wilfull mistake And yet I wish there be not thousands guilty of it Alas alas how few that have taken the earnest-peny and wear Christs Colours that ever think to any purpose what they are hereby bound to How many in effect renounce their Baptisme by their ungodly lives and either neglect the Lords Supper or come to it to pacifie their Consciences that they may sin the more freely rather than to strengthen and engage themselves against every sin As for Bapâ—isme I shall not insist on it though I grant that this is the leading Sacrament appointed for the testimony of our being first devoted to God which engagement we ought to call to remembrance and renew at the Lords Supper whereof according to my promise I now come to speak CHAP. II. What it is to doe this to celebrate the Communion in reremembrance of Christ. And I. That it includes the true knowledge of him AND being desirous to contribute some assistance to those that need it to bring them through Gods blessing to a conscientious performance of this great duty I observe there are two sorts of persons faulty herein either such as neglect it or that miscarry and fail in the manner of doing it Those that neglect it are either such that doe it out of meer wilfulness as the grossely vicious that will not come to this Sacrament because they think this would lay an obligation upon them to forsake those sins which they never intend to part with whatever come on 't and the stupid sensless ones that know not the worth nor see the need of this Ordinance or any other duties of Religion who live as heathenishly as if they had never heard of God and Christ and another world nor doe they care to be instructed in these points as if they were not at all concerned in them or else they are such that abstain from it out of doubting and fear not thinking themselves worthy or not knowing whether they are worthy or not Of this sort there are many excellent Christians who too much indulge to their own melancholy and despondent apprehensions and also many weaker but I hope honest well-meaning people who seem to have a great esteem for this Sacrament but having always heard what a dangerous thing it is to receive it unworthily dare not venture upon it not being well acquainted wâ—th the nature and reason of it and being doubtful whether they are fit to come or not being also I fear too languid and heartless in desiring after it or in making preparation for it and for such as these principally doe I intend my Directions By those that are guilty of miscarriage in the doing of this duty I mean such as rush upon it ignorantly and rashly not well weighing what they doe and who notwithstanding their customary attendance at the Lords Table continue their old sinfull course of life These also I hope may receive some benefit from the following Discourse together with the most profane and ignorant whilst I shall endeavour plainly to shew the intention of this Sacrament and perswade them to attend thereupon in a regular manner For since in behalf of those for whom especially I write this my great business is to shew who it is that is worthy to partake of this Ordinance and wherein this worthiness doth consist the method I will â—ake shall be this namely to shew for what purpose it was appointed by Jesus Christ and thence to discover those qualifications and graces which are required in the Communicants that they may receive it aright to those purposes for which it was appointed and after I have done this I shall lay down some arguments or motives to quicken all to come to and celebrate it in this due manner and then briefly direct those that intend to come As to the first what was the reason and end why this Sacrament was appointed I know not whence we should be better informed than by looking back to the time of its first appointment and to see what Christ tells us he did ordain it for and this we may find expresly set down Luke 22.19 when he had broke the Bread and distributed he addes This doe in remembrance of me And the same words he used also after the delivery of the Wine as appears by the Apostle S. Paul's relation who delivered unto them what he had received of the Lord 1 Cor. 11.24 25. where after the giving of the Cup is added This doe ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me and so again ver 26. saith the Apostle As often as ye eat thâ—â— Bread and drink this Cup ye doe shew the Lords Death till he come that is you publish and represent it to the world you acknowledge and commemorate it So that by this it is plain that the great end of this Sacrament to which all others may be reduced is that by the celebrating thereof we may remember Jesus Chrâ—st and especially that we may keep up the memory of that inestimable mercy to mankind his dying for us a mercy which should never be forgotten by those on earth and shall never be forgotten by those in heaven Now hence it follows that they who are in a capacity and fitness rightly to remember Christ and his Death are worthy to partake of this Sacrament which was set apart for that purpose wherefore without going any farther I shall shew what is necessarily required to contained in or immediately flows from this remembrance of Christ that
takes Scripture to be the word of God and acknowledges that Christ is the Son of God and the promised Messiah of whom the Prophets all along in the old Testament foretold But though there are few who openly deny or seem to doubt of these things yet I fear there is a great defect and too common even in this part of Faith which consists in an assent to the truth of the Gospel For many there are who take little pains to settle their belief upon sure foundations which would bear a shaking if any assault should be made and can give little reason why they are of this Religion or opinion rather than any other except because this is that they learnâ— of their parents and is profest by their neighbours and set up and countenanced by the Laws of the Land and surely these are but weak arguments But here let me adde as before that granting you doe believe all that the Gospel reveals yet this is not enough except your belief prevail with you to doe what the Gospel requires in order to your salvation And this is indeed the surest way to get your Faith well strengthned and confirmed even by yielding obedience to the truth and trying by your own experience what benefit comes by conforming your selves to the will of God revealed in his Gospel whether you can find the promises made to such obedient ones in any measure fulfilled to you and when you have found this you will say with the Apostle You are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because you have begun to find it to be the power of God to salvation Our Lord himselfe tells us Joh. 7.17 That if any man will doe his will he shall know of his doctrine whether it be of God or not This is like a mans tasting of Honey which will give him more assurance of its sweetnesse than all arguments could doe and this will make him confidently to affirm it though the cunning'st Sophister should endeavour by subtle arguments to perswade him to the contrary his experience will confute them all This is the reason why great Wits and profound Schollars sometimes turn Atheists and Infidels whilst the honest weak Christian that hath relisht and well digested the truths of Religion holds them so firmly in his heart rather than brain that he can die for that which he cannot so well dispute for Thus far then I hope you see its manifest that to your right remembrance of Christ so to make you worthy Communicants its necessary that you know who this Christ is and what you have to doe with him and to believe that he is indeed the Redeemer of mankind and that all that Scripture speaks of him is true CHAP. III. II. A right remembring Sin the occasion of his death Of Repentance with Considerations to work and promote it IT may as easily be understood that if at the Sacrament you keep up a Remembrance of Christ and in an especiall manner shew forth his death till he come then you must needs Remember what was the occasion of his dying and that was the sins of the world Had there been no Sin we had needed no Saviour Had we continued in our first estate we had needed no Restorer Now hence it will naturally follow that no man can duely celebrate the Sacrament whose eyes have not been opened to see the exceeding great evil that is in sin and to be convinced of his own sins so as to lament and hate and resolve against them For is it possible for that man to to Remember Christs Death as he ought that sees no hurt in that which put him to death Nay that loves the very Nails and Spear that were thrust into his hands and feet and sides and intends to crucifie him afresh when he is gone away And all this doth he that never yet saw the odiousnesse of Sin and that is not heartily set against it but secretly retains and cherishes it Can he rightly Remember Christs death who sees no great need he stood in of it nor is sensible of any great advantage that comes to him by it but rather thinks Christ might have kept his bloud to himself and that it would be a disadvantage to him to attain the ends and benefits of his bloodshed And such wretched blasphemous thoughts in effect hath he that sees not his sad estate by reason of Sin and that thinks it would be to his losse to part with it Wherefore since it evidently appears that true Repentance is so absolutely necessary to qualifie and fit a man for this Ordinance where it is to be renewed and to which he must come with an humble broken heart let me desire thee to put the question to thy own heart whether thou know'st by experience what it is to repent of and be truly humbled for Sin And that thou maist the better know what I mean let me ask thee Didst thou ever yet seriously consider what thy condition is by nature and by reason of thy carelesse sinfull life And hast thou found thy self sensibly affected and stirred with this consideration so that thou hast been verily perswaded that thou art in thy self a lost creature and except there be a way for mercy art like to perish for ever And hast thou been convinc'd that Sin is the cause of all this misery and danger which thou art liable to And hast thou hereupon heartily griev'd for and bewail'd thy wretched miserable state Hast thou been humbled for the Sin thou broughtst into the world with thee and for all the sins which thou know'st by thy self and canst remember thou hast at any time committed Hast thou been carefull to search into thy heart and to look back upon thy life past that thou might'st find out what thy particular sins are that thou maist confesse them before God and forsake them And hast thou indeed been so sensible of the evil of Sin chiefly as it is rebellion against that God who made thee and hath sent his Son to Redeem and Spirit to Sanctifie thee and hath daily given thee so many mercies to engage thee to please him hast thou I say seen so much vilenesse and basenesse in thy dishonouring and provoking so good a God that this consideration hath melted and broke thy heart and wrought thee into a bitter hatred and loathing of every known sin so that thou hast earnestly desired to be delivered from it which is so odious in its self and so mischievous to thee And hast thou been therefore deliberately resolved by the help of God without any more delay to put away far from thee whatever is displeasing to God and to return to him from whom thou hast faln and to an obedience to those Laws which thou hast violated and contemned Examine thy self faithfully whether thou hast ever experienc'd such a change of thy mind as this I have described which may well be call'd Repentance unto life Or rather on the other hand dost thou not
thou dar'st not affirm either of these beware how thou mincest and lessenest thy sins when thou should'st repent of and bewail them for by so doing thou dost in effect thus blaspheme God Oh then let sin be call'd to the barre indict it for a murtherer as well thou mayst accuse it as guilty of the bloody death of the Lord of Life shew all the wounds and stabs that it gave him and see that thou pronounce sentence against it even utter death without any pity or remorse and heartily lament thy own basenesse in having so long given loving entertainment to such a monstrous murtherer and traitour And when ever thou find'st any favourable thoughts of sin arising in thy breast call to mind what it did against Christ and let that make thy heart rise against it and even boil with an holy hatred and desire of revenge And let the frequent remembrance of those streams of blood which thy sins fetcht from him open thy eyes to shed streams of tears or however work thy heart to an unfeigned sorrow for all thy iniquities for which thy Saviour was thus wounded 2. The next thing I would have have thee to enlarge thy meditations upon in the sufferings of Christ in order to the bringing of thee to a kindly repentance is that unspeakable love which is hereby manifested to the lost sons of men when I speak of Repentance I mean not meerly thy shedding of a few tears but an inward change of thy mind as I before shewed that thou should'st turn from Sin to the love of God and I know not what can be more likely to produce this than to shew thee the intolerable evil and mischief of sin that thou maist turn from it and the infinite goodnesse of God that thou maist be drawn to him Both these the Crosse of Christ most admirably holds forth so that well might the Apostle call Christ crucified the wisdome of God and the poweâ— of God 1 Cor. 1.23 24. How it shews the evil of sin to bring us to loath and leave it I have already shown and shall doe more in two following particulars That which I would now set thy thoughts upon is the inconceivable love of God in giving Christ for us and of Christ in being willing to lay down his life that as many as believe in him might not perish but have everlasting life Consider seriously how the great God hath sent after thee a poor worm the God whom thou hadst sinn'd against makes thee offers of peace the God who needs thee not yet appears desirous of thy happinesse when he might have poured out everlasting wrath upon thee he was willing to shew his compassion And see what he hath done in order to thy recovery He hath sent his own Son made of a woman made under the Law and delivered him to death for our offences and accepted of the satisfaction he hath made on the behalf of all that shall by him come to that God from whom they are faln and by his death not onely pardon of sin and deliverance from hell but a glorious Kingdome that shall never fade is purchast for all true Believers So that here 1. Thou seest plainly there is hope of pardon and acceptance upon thy hearty sorrow for and resolutions against sin And whom would not this encourage to come in freely acknowledging and protesting against their former backslidings and rebellions If indeed thou wast past hope it were as good keep thy sins while thou maist and make thy best of them But this is not yet thy case and if it hereafter should be thou maist thank thy own wilfulnesse For Jesus Christ hath brought in a better hope there is by him liberty proclaim'd to the captive freedome to all that are bound ease and rest to all that are burdened a pardon to all that are penitent And what will not this make thee stirre Is a golden Scepter held forth and wilt thou not lay hold of the opportunitie Is God willing to put up all the affronts he hath received from thee if thou wilt now come and submit thy self and will not this bring thee in Is he ready to be reconcil'd and art thou backward what dost thou rather hold off because he doth so invite and importune thee to him Because he is pleased with so much earnestnesse and compassion to call thee off from sin to himself dost thou the more securely run on in wickednesse Oh base ingratitude and meer madnesse Because there is hope of pardon discovered by the Gospel as procured by Christ therefore even therefore doe wretched sinners harden their hearts and embolden themselves to continue at a distance from God as if it was a matter of nothing to get their peace made with him or as if he must of necessity pardon and save them let them live as they list Thus vilely doe they pervert the very design of the Gospel Whereas were they ingenuous and reasonable they would acknowledge it to be a most forcible motive and engagement to cast away sin to hear that there was hopes of having forgivenesse and favour from God If a company of Subjects should rebell against their Prince what course would be more effectuall in all probability to reclaim them than to assure pardon to all that would throw down their arms But if they should be so base as to abuse the mercy of their Prince and think because he was so compassionate they might the safelier persist in their rebellion it is but just they should be destroy'd If thou love thy soul then beware how thou abusest the grace of God Wilt thou put away from thee the evil of thy doings wash thee and make the clean and so with humility and submission flie to God for mercy if so this mercy through Christ shall be assuredly thine But otherwise know there is not a word of comfort for thee in the whole Gospel nothing but what may strike thee with terrour For remember well that the death of Christ gives all the encouragement in the world to Repentance but not the least to Sin Yea it hath done more to destroy sin than all the terrours and threatnings of the Law Well then though thou art a lost sinner departed from God once without hope yet behold the God of heaven and earth takes pity on thee he would not have thee utterly perish though thou hast done so much to destroy thy self He calls thee back to him if thou wilt hearken and obey and humble thy self before him for thy departure from him and for all the dishonours done to his holy Name and wilt now at length devote thy self to his fear thou need'st not doubt of his favour So then here 's hope of mercy that may encourage all that hear it to Repentance 2. And in the next place there is so much love and goodnesse manifested in that way whereby this mercy is procured and tendered that may serve to work upon the hearts of all but flat
Christ as may prevail with all that love themselves to make out after it and depart from sin which alone can keep them from it And that 's the second Consideration which the Death of Christ helps us to in order to the working of a kindly Repentance namely the great goodnesse of God hereby revealed to poor sinners 3. From all that hath been said will more clearly appear the hainous nature of sin as a farther motive to Repentance in that it is a contradiction to all this love of God and an undervaluing of the greatest mercy that was ever bestow'd upon the world being in effect a trampling under foot of the blood of the Lord Jesus whereby we should be sanctified And hereby I mean those sins which have been committed since men heard of the Gospel For as the evil of sin did appear in the greatnesse of those sufferings which Christ underwent to procure a pardon so these his sufferings doe exceedingly aggravate their sins who have continued in them after they have been told again and again what their Saviour hath done to make satisfaction for them if they would not undervalue and despise it Oh how have you made a shift so often to hear and read of the life and death of Christ and yet have done all that in you lies to crosse the end of his coming into the world and to make his Death of none effect to you whilst yet you pretend to believe that his design was wholly for your good Oh unthankfull wretches to make such a requitall for such unvaluable love As if you studied how you might most dishonour and displease him who thought not his own life too dear to lay down for you Could you see him upon the Crosse wounded torn and bruised for your sakes and could you think of no other recompence but to give him fresh wounds by your wilfull sins Did he once despise the shame and endure the crosse for you and could you find in your hearts again to put him to an open shame and as it were crucifie him afresh Did he indeed deserve such dealing as this at your hands Bethink thy self Reader whether this hath not been thy case Hast thou not liv'd in those sins which Christ died to deliver thee from And what hast thou thereby done lesse than proclaim That there is more to be got by thy lusts than by thy Saviour that its better to remain in thy polluted corrupt estate than to be washt in the blood of Christ whereby our consciences are purged from dead works to serve the living God And did they vilifie Christ more that contemn'd him jeer'd him and put him to death If thou take thy fleshly pleasures and worldly profits to be of greater advantage than any thing that can accrue to thee by Christs Death dost thou not think as basely of him as any of his Crucifiers did And hadst thou been there with this frame of heart is is not most likely thou would'st have joyn'd with them what ever thou maist now think As they hated Christ because he told them the truth and reprov'd them for sin and therefore did all they could to rid themselves of one whose preaching and presence was such a burden to them so dost thou appear in effect an hater of Christ his life and doctrine whilst thou walkest so flatly contrary thereto And what 's this lesse than desiring that there was no God nor Christ to govern and judge thee no such Rule as the Gospel to be thy guide Nay let me tell thee thou who hast profest thy self a Christian and yet hast behav'd thy self thus unworthily toward Christ thou art herein more guilty than the Jews themselves for what they did was very much out of ignorance but thou after thou hast known that he is the Son of God and that he laid down his life for our sins hast manifested all thy contempt of him and rejected him from being thy Saviour whilst thou would'st not be saved by him from thy reigning lusts which thou hast loved more than him as Judas loved the money for which he was hired to betray him After thou hast known of that friendship which by the Crosse of Christ was shewn to the ruined world yet thou hast been an enemy to this crosse whilst thou hast made thy belly thy God and minded earthly things whilst thou hast delightfully liv'd in the practice of any known sin What then were the Jews prickt to the heart when they were convinc'd that they had crucified that Jesus whom God had made Lord and Christ and shall it not have the same effect on thee to consider thou hast been guilty in some sort of the same wickednesse and hast shewn forth the very same spirit that was in them For think not thy self more blamelesse because thou never saw'st Christ nor hadst any hand in his Death nor didst joyn with his enemies in accusing condemning and reproaching him but criest out against them as monsters of men that persecuted the most spotlesse Innocence with such savage fierceness for all this while thy guilt may be as great as theirs whilst thou hast as great an enmity against the image of Christ and the Law of Christ as they had against his person And that thou dost not wound him and spit in his face is not from the goodnesse of thy nature but because he is out of thy reach for were he now before thee and could it gratifie thy lusts so to deal with him it s much to be feared thou would'st not stick at it Whilst the Pharisees condemned their fore-fathers for killing the Prophets they followed them in the very same sin And suppose a Father had two Sons the one at mans estate the other an infant and the elder of these by following wicked courses should break his Fathers heart and occasion his death and the younger when he was grown up should lead the very same life that the other did but yet should take on him very much to condemn his Brother for being so disobedient and hard-hearted as to bring his Father to the grave is it not plain for all this that had he been in his Brothers stead he would have done the same that he did since he also takes those courses which were so grievous to his Father Thus it is to be remembred that Sin was that which put Christ to death as well as the Jews and this Sin is it thou lovest though thou seemest to hate them And as those Jews put his body to pain by their cruelties so dost thou grieve his Spirit by thy wickednesse And know he takes it as hainously from thee that thou should'st thus displease him as he did from them that they should persecute him to the death Nor art thou like to get a pardon at any easier rates than they even no other way than looking on him whom thou by thy sins hast pierced and bitterly mourning for this thy bloodinesse and ingratitude What saist thou then after all
they converst with and after some time this King taking pity on his banish'd Subjects should agree with his onely Son that if he would venture upon the hazards and troubles of so long a journey he should take a chief Officer along with him and go to these rebels with proclamation of pardon to all such who should acknowledge their crime and were willing to return into their own land there to live in the obedience and favour of their Soveraign and in order hereto would come to this Officer to be taught by him the language of their Countrey and how to behave themselves so as they might please their King and be fit to be in his presence when now the King's Son should come to these men and shew them his Commission and perswade them to be ruled by him who is come so tedious and dangerous a journey to free them from the miseries of banishment proposing the terms on which he will deliver them all those that believe he speaks true and hath power to help them and being willing to be delivered upon his conditions doe put their trust in him by his means to be restored to the favour of their Prince and their former habitations they doe by this very action manifest their love to their native Countrey and their willingnesse to live in obedience to their King whom they had displeased and doe hereby also engage to accept of this Officer that accompanies the Prince to teach them the language and manners of the Countrey they are about to return to The application of this to the matter in hand is very easie for in the same manner doth Faith in Christ and our acceptance of him implie our love to God and desire to live for ever in his favour which is that Christ offers us and by his death hath purchased for true Believers and it implies also our willingnesse to be sanctified by his Spirit that we may be made meet to live for ever in the love of God Oh hearken then and give ear all you lost sinners somewhat to pursue the former comparison all you that are the posterity of sinfull Adam who by his transgression banish'd himself out of Paradise you that are wandring up and down in this wildernesse and have even forgot the heavenly Countrey as if you were made onely to be inhabitants of this lower world here to live with the Beasts a miserable life for a while and hereafter to die like Beasts that perish and accordingly make it your onely work to run and ride to labour and toil for such things as are needfull for this present life without regarding that which is to come whilst you are thus estranged from God forgetfull of and daily running farther and farther from him behold a message of glad tidings and great joy is dispatch'd to you from heaven The great God that made you takes pity on you and is even grieved to see what a misery you have plunged your selves into when he made you so happy He is by no means pleased that such noble Creatures lately raised out of nothing for such glorious ends should through their own folly and the subtlety of the tempter be debased into such a wretched sordid slavery Wherefore in pursuance of his gracious designs for your recovery and to shew how his bowelâ— yearn over you he hath sent his own Son out of his bosome who is one with himself to take our nature upon him and to become one with us that he might be every way fit to be a Mediatour betwixt God and us that he might teach us by his doctrine encourage us by his example and make attonement for us by his death Accordingly all this is done the Son of God is come into the world and hath abundantly evidenced his Commission from the Father to treat with lost mankind about their reconciliation to him for the procuring of which reconciliation he laid down his life and being risen again he furnished his Ambassadors with authority to assure all that life was given to the world and this life was in the Son so that he who hath the Son hath life And this is that message which the Ministers of the Gospel at this day and to the end of the world are to proclaim to the sons of men This Sirs is the joyfull sound that is now in your ears If you will but trust your souls with Christ and consent that his Spirit should teach you the language of Canaan and work in you an heavenly nature and disposition suitable to the state and place he would bring you to then shall you be happy with God for ever What say you then shall Chriâ—â— be your Redeemer to bring you to glory upon these terms or not What have you to object against him Doe you think he does not mean as he speaks or that he cannot doe what he promiseth Dare you question his power his willingnesse or his truth If you will not believe his Word yet give credit to his Death Does not that tell you he is in good earnest with you and fully bent upon the Redemption of mankind And beside the miracles wrought by and upon him which fully witnesse for him let his Resurrection put you out of doubt that him hath God the Father sealed to this Office of Mediatour by this is assurance is given to all men that he is the Judge of to be world and therefore that all are delivered into his hands to save or condemn as he shall think fit and he hath plainly declared that to those who receive him he will give power to become the Sons of God but as for those who reject him upon them the wrath of God abides for ever But these things I shall branch out into two or three particular considerations to perswade you if it may be to accept of Christ the Prince of peace who comes with the tender of peace to your souls to accept of him I say to wash you in his Blood and sanctifie you by his Spirit that at length he may present you without spot or blemish into the presence of his Father CHAP. V. Perswasions to accept of the Redeemer and give up the Soul in Covenant to him 1. AND first consider I am onely perswading you to be Christians which you professe your selves to be And will you not indeed be what you professe Why doe you embrace the name if you dislike the thing I know you have false measures whereby you judge of Christianity and think perhaps that all who are Baptized and keep their Church and call themselves Christians are so indeed but you should rather say such doe professe themselves so to be but they are not so in Gods account except they are true to this profession He that wears a Noble-mans Livery seems to be his Servant but if he will not acknowledge him to be his Master by doing what he commands him you will scarce say such a one's his Servant however not a Servant to be
wrath which thou art treasuring up for thy self against the day of wrath Thou liest wholly at his mercy whom thou art daily provoking to fury In all thy ways which are so defiled the holy God beholds thee in anger and even loathes thee for thy filthinesse And he alone knows how short a while he is determined to wait on thee thy glasse is running his patience is expiring death and judgement are hasting hell is ready burning and thou canst not promise thy self a moments safety Whilst thou art sleeping or waking eating or working talking and laughing the heavy doom hangs over thy head and thou hast every day reason to expect the dreadfull vengeance of the Lord to seize upon thee nothing but meer mercy hath kept it off this while which will not always last At night when thou goest to bed it s a great hazard but thou maist awake in flames and never more see the comfortable light or when thou goest out of doors it 's a question whether thou maist not with Judas go to thy own place the infernall mansions before thou returnest home For ought I know or thou either this may be the last Book that ever thou maist read this may be the last warning that ever thou maist have Think a little whether this be a comfortable case for a man to continue in and what wise people they are that venture all upon a Repentance hereafter Moreover in all the troubles thou maist meet with in the world I know not what support what comfort can be administred to thee for there 's none to be given thee from God I am sure whilst thou art a resolved enemy to him What shift thou makest to get a little ease and relief at such a time I cannot but wonder onely the remnants of thy carnall comforts and the hopes thou hast of seeing things better its like may help thee to some false peace But alas poor man Death will shortly arrest thee Death that will strip thee of all that thy heart delighted and trusted in Death that will break the neck of all thy fond hopes and utterly frustrate thy expectations Death that will carry thee out of thiâ— beloved world into a place to which thou hast been a meer stranger not thinking of it at all or but coldly and seldome or with horrour and aversenesse this Death I say will shortly lay hold on thee and then whither wilt thou look for comfort who art a stranger to God and Jesus Christ Into whose hands wilt thou commend thy departing soul who would'st not whilst thou wast living resign thy self to the God who made thee bought thee with his Sons blood Canst thou expect Christ should now receive thee who would'st not be perswaded to receive him What receive a rebel into the kingdome of peace A filthy Swine into the communion of Saints No never expect it And if he will not receive thee who must If heaven may not hold thee what place will Thou canst easily answer these questions And when by a resurrection to condemnation thou art made with all the rest to stand in the presence of thy Judge how wilt thou then appear before him For the Lord's sake yea for thy own sake poor sinner thou that canst not be brought to like of Christ nor his holy Laws and ways not the sanctifying work of his holy Spirit put these questions as thou readest them close to thy heart What wilt thou then say to Jesus Christ for this thy contempt and dislike of his person and government Darest thou then justifie thy unbelief and impenitence when he calls thee to answer for it Or who wilt thou get to plead for thee when the onely Advocate shall condemn thee Who wilt thou make thy friend when he who alone could and would have been so is through thy own fault become thy greatest enemy Dare Angels or Saints speak a word for him against whom their Lord shall speak Or would they if they durst No they will approve his righteous sentence Will the Devil take thy part dost thou think Hath he any power there to secure his followers Why it 's he that is thy accuser and if need be would rather aggravate those faults which he drew thee to Wilt thou then hit him in the teeth with the large promises he made thee and call on him to make them good Alas he 'll but laugh at thee and scorn thee and make thee acknowledge that most justly are all they so served who would trust to the Devils delusions rather than to Gods promises Or dost thou expect relief from thy companions in torment Ah poor creatures they would rather help themselves if they could but cannot Oh then with what an heart with what a countenance wilt thou hear that last dolefull sentence Depart from me ye cursed when thou shalt look round about and see no help no hope but that down thou must lie in that burning lake which the breath of the Lord's fury like a stream of brimstone doth kindle what a posture will thy soul be in I can tremble to conceive it easier than I can expresse it And when thou hast lain some thousands of years in that place of torments what then will the workings of thy heart be when thou hast felt that tribulation and anguish which comes upon those that work evil what thoughts wilt thou have of the ways that brought thee thither what would'st thou not doe for the least dram of hope in that miserable despairing state for the least glimmering of light in that gloomy darknesse But there is none to be had no nor ever will be through a whole eternity the force of which word eternity and the meaning of Hell is now known and felt in another manner than when careless sinners could laugh at the mention of them or sleep whilst they were preacht on But what canst thou not perswade thy self that there are any such torments prepared for unbelievers If not it s to be feared thou art one of those unbelievers for whom they are prepared But if Scripture may convince thee read amongst other places 1 Thes. 1.8 9. Mat. 25.46 Joh. 3.36 and then tell me thy judgement Now indeed all this is but talk Hell 's out of sight and the most terrible words are but wind and therefore it is there is so little care in the world to make sure his favour who can save them from this misery which because it 's neither seen nor felt is sleighted and forgotten Should a King take a company of men out of prison who had committed some fault worthy of death and offer pardon to those that would be sorry for their crime and promise never to be guilty of the like but threaten Death to those that would not and withall should shew them pardons ready sealed and great hopes of money to be given to the penitent but racks and gibbets and fires ready kindled for the execution of the obstinate Doe you think this would not easily
any other condition than forsaking them If bare confession and begging of mercy might serve turn or if coming to the Sacrament might serve turn and yet still they might live as they list few would go without a pardon But remember God nowhere assures pardon to any man absolutely but upon a certain condition which except we perform we cannot look for the promised mercy What this condition is I have before told you even that you should repent of and give diligence to forsake all sin and receive Christ to be your perfect Saviour upon no other terms therefore expect to have a pardon confirmed to you by the Sacrament which will no farther avail you than as it receives power and efficacy from the promise without which it is a seal to a blank paper that will warrant you to claim nothing Suppose a Landlord should make you a Lease of an House upon condition that you would own your self his Tenant yearly pay him some small quit-rent should set his seal to this Lease all this would stand you in no stead if you denied that you was his Tenant and refuse to pay the Rent he required Wherefore to know whether your hope of pardon be upon good grounds and such as will not fail you examine whether you are such kind of persons as I have before described whether you are humbled for and brought out of love with every sin and doe with firm purpose of heart cleave to the Lord Jesus To bring you thus to depend upon Christ for a pardon in a right manner and upon sure grounds the considerations I laid down under the last particular may be of use since this is one part of that faith in Christ which I there exhorted you to that was an acceptance of him in all his Offices this hath a peculiar respect to his Priestly Office and is called Faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 Onely to adde a word or two more for the quickning of all such who have not much laid it to heart how to get their sins pardoned as if they thought it was a thing of no great consequence Consider I beseech you whether the Incarnation Life and Death of Christ was not a matter of huge importance to the world and tell me Reader dost not think thou art as much concerned herein as any other man Hadst not thou as much need of his Death as any And therefore doth it not stand thee upon to see whether thou sharest in the benefits of it as much as it doth any man breathing And tell me farther if all this preparation in the Gospel had been made for thee onely and Christ had come down from heaven and suffered on the Crosse for thy sake alone that thou mightest be saved by him on the same terms that now thou maist and should have sent thee a message calling thee by thy particular name assuring thee of all this and beseeching thee to accept of these offers of life dost thou think all this would have convinced thee of the greatnesse of Divine love and of thy need of mercy And would it have awakened thee to make out after the same and to doe all that was required to obtain it If so why then wilt thou not now be perswaded to the same care Since the Gospel speaks to thee as particularly as if it named thee and the mercy is as great and thy need of it as much as if thou alone wast concerned in it and thou shalt never have the lesse benefit nay rather more by having others to share with thee in it but thy misery if thou misse of a pardon will be never the lesse for having many companions in the same sad case with thy self Once again let me ask thee thou who now art so insensible of thy need of a pardon that thou wilt not take pains to get it in the way thou art commanded wouldest thou be contented at any rates absolutely and expresly to part with all hopes and expectations of it If thou might'st be hired with a thousand or ten thousand pounds would'st thou for such a summe of money professe thou didst renounce all right and title to Jesus Christ and all hopes of mercy through him Or would'st thou give this under thy hand in writing to the Devil or to any man that would help thee to a great Estate what would'st thou think of those who should doe thus would'st thou not look upon them as most wretched forlorn creatures Why be it known to thee if through negligence and stupidity thou seek not out after an interest in Christ that thou maist be pardoned and saved by him thy condition will at length be found as miserable as theirs If there should be certain acres of ground in Ireland promised to any one that would go thither to possesse them he that would not take the pains to go over would have no more advantage by them than he that should formally renounce his righâ— thereto Even so by carelesnesse and sloth maist thou lose all benefit by Christ as certainly as those poor creatures that are drawn to make compacts with the Devil and sell away their souls for a thing of nought To conclude if nothing I have hitherto said will move thee consider I entreat thee whether this thy undervaluing of pardoning mercy will remain always Sins thou hast I know thou wilt acknowledge yea many and great sins such as would sink thee to the lowest hell if they be laid to thy charge Dost thou not grant this And thou canst not but know that there will at length come a day of reckoning for these thy sins and dost thou think when thou must stand before the Judge and give up thy account that thou shalt not earnestly desire a pardon then will it then seem as indifferent a thing as now it does Then I say when without it thou must be sentenced to keep company with the Devils in the midst of scorching flames for ever and ever And thou canst not sure be so ignorant as not to know that none shall have a pardon then but those who got it now that 's a day for examining and declaring what our estates are whether good or bad that we may be dealt with accordingly not a time for getting them made better if they were naught before Wherefore if thou beest not a very bruit onely to mind what 's before thee if thou hast any foresight any belief of this Judgement-day that thou art going to now rouze up thy self and with all speed and industry labour to get that pardon which within a while to thy own most lively sense will be so needfull and stand thee in so much stead And when thou art wrought to such a sight of thy misery as makes thee desire after mercy and to such a loathing of thy sins as fits thee for it then thou maist be assured that God for Christ sake will be gracious to thee and thou maist comfortably addresse thy self to the Sacrament and take
hid but rather use all means to supply them whilst they are afforded And as there is required in all Receivers an earnest longing after sanctifying grace which is here vouchsafed so the other qualification suitable hereto I told you is a Resolution to improve this grace that is to lay it out and shew forth the fruit of it in an holy conversation This is an effect of the former and indeed necessarily flows from the nature of grace which is no way desirable but for use and exercise not is it possible that in should ordinarily lie still in the heart and not be brought forth into act and shewn in the life He that desires patience humility purity temperance to what purpose is it but to overcome the temptations which he meets with in the world to the contrary vices and to shew forth these fruits of the Spirit in all his converse Whence it appears that no man is worâ—hy to come to the Lords Table who is not resolved by the grace of God to live an holy life and to be led by the Spirit in all his ways He that hath got any sin which he is resolv'd to keep is not like to have any desire after that grace which should mortifie and quell his sin nor any mind to remember that Death which was to deliver us from this present evil world He 's like to be far from a right remembrance of Christ who will not be perswaded to imitate him for certainly that 's one end of our remembring his Death that we may thereby be drawn to follow his example which he gave us then as well as in his life by his constancy patience charity to his enemies and ready resignation of himself to his Fathers will As he walked so ought we to walk and from his very death may we fetch directions for our life This resolution for holinesse which I am speaking of is indeed one branch of our Faith in Christ being no other than our consent to take him for our King to guide and govern us in all our thoughts words and actions and therefore having said something to it under that Head as also the former of Repentance I shall at present passe it over CHAP. VIII The third benefit is eternall happinesse with God 3. THE last of those benefits which I named obtained for us by the death of Christ and to be remembred at the Sacrament is eternall happinesse It is by his resurrection from the dead and consequently by his death that Believers have a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in the heavens for them 1 Pet. 3.4 It was his blood that redeemed them to be Kings and Priests to God Rev. 5.9 10. He gave his flesh for the life of the world Joh. 6.51 By Jesus Christ God calls us to eternall glory 1 Pet. 5.10 He opened the entrance into Paradise which sin had shut up It was his will not onely that they who believe in him should be kept from the place where Satan was but that they should also be with him where he is Joh. 17.24 This he pray'd for this he died for and is gone before to prepare a place for them and keeps them here to prepare them for that place and being ready they shall enter into the Kingdome He receives their Spirits when they die and will raise up their bodies at the last day Now their life is hid with Christ in God and when he appears then shall they also appear with him in glory Coll. 3.3 4. Be we sure then this Death of Christ cannot be remembred as it ought if the glory purchast thereby be forgotten How can we remember a dying Christ but withall we must call to mind that he vanguisht this death is risen again and ascended into glory whither in due time he will exalt his people Moreover that Covenant which is sealed to by this Sacrament promiseth an everlasting Kingdome to Believers and can any man forget such a benefit even whilst he is receiving a confirmation of his right to it Again here is that grace given out which is the pledge the seed the beginning and forecast of glory here is the meat which endures to everlasting life and who can forget his Journeys end whilst he is taking food to strengthen him for his travell To conclude here 's a communion of Saints which does in some measure shadow out and signifie that perfect communion which they shall have one with another when all the Elect shall be gathered from the four corners of the earth and with Abraham Isaac and Jacob shall sit down and for ever remain in the Kingdome of God Now hence it appears that the worthy Receiver must be one who hath taken the heavenly glory for his portion who hath got a treasure above and there placed his heart and his hopes for none but such a one can with any life and raisednesse remember this glory which is to be revealed He that is wont to solace himself with the contemplation thereof will rejoyce in every thing that hath a relation to it much more in the remembrance of that price that was paid for it But how can the earthworm whose soul lies groveling upon the dust bring himself to any affectionate thoughts of hidden treasures which cannot be got into his bags not coffers which he cannot so much as get a sight of Nor can the swinish voluptuous sinners that feed upon none but the muddy delights of sense take any comfort in the forethoughts of pure and spirituall pleasures such as are prepared for exalted purified souls Any whoever they be that place their chief conâ—entment on earth are not like with any pleasure to think of that time when they must leave this earth and enter upon another state where are no such sensuall enjoyments as here they blest themselves in Ignorant narrow souls have no heart to think of what shall be thousands and millions of years to come These poor sordid spirits are so glewed to the little trifles of the world that they look not so high as after Crowns and Scepters which Christ hath in store for his faithfull followers And they who never took much pains to secure or clear up their evidences for heaven but have taken it for granted that they must needs go thither at last or counted it an indifferent thing whether they doe or not will be farre from those lively apprehensions of the greatnesse of that love which purchast it and of the excellency of the blisse it self which are necessary for him who can rightly remember either Now to bring those who are yet strangers hereto to such an apprehension of the glory to come by Christ that they may chuse it as their portion and so be joyfully taken up in the expectations thereof in one word I would desire thee whoever thou art that hast but so much common reason as to distinguish between good and evil to consider well whether thou hast not
or Jew but there ought to be in us beside a general love to all mankind which makes us desirous of their good a peculiar tender love of all Christs faithfull servants which causeth us to take delight in them as such in whom we behold the image of God shining forth in their holy conversations and begets in us unfeigned desires for their good both of soul and body and makes us willing to contribute our assistance thereto according to our ability and their necessities inward or outward and it inclines us to rejoyce in their good in some measure as if it was our own and hereby our hearts are so knit to them that we hold greatest familiarity with them and take pleasure in their society and conference and more especially in joyning with them in the worship and service of God This is a most sweet affection and the exercise of it is exceeding pleasant to a gracious soul which was it more common in the world would reform it from a wildernesse into a kind of Paradise and the perfection of it will be one great part of our future happinesse But this true Christian love can dwell in none but such in whom God dwells who is love Onely they who are recovered out of the selfish carnall state and are brought home to God by Jesus Christ are the men that are capable of this sincere love to their brethren for which many clear reasons might be given was it needfull and pertinent But this may suffice for all that this affection is grounded upon and follows our spirituall relation and therefore a man must first be in Christ himself before he can love another purely as his brother in Christ as a fellow-member of the same body He that hath not submitted himself to his Prince cannot love another upon account of his being a fellow-subject with him to the same Soveraign And hence it is we find this given in as a character of our Regeneration 1 Joh. 3.14 Hereby we know we are past from death to life because we love the brethren Most certain it is that they who find not in themselves a love to any people in the world upon account of their being made like to God in Holinesse are destitute of true love to God himself Wherefore I would advise you to try your selves by this note look into your own hearts and look abroad amongst those you hold your dearest friends and examine what it is that draws out your love towards them Are they therefore dear to you because they appear to you to be lovers of God and such as have a great zeal for his glory because they are of pious exemplary lives and therefore so farre as you can discern of gracious spirits Doe you love them as those that are bought with the same blood and sanctified by the same Spirit with your selves As such who are helpfull to your souls or receive help from you and walk in the same holy way and with whom you hope to live for ever in the same glory Or is not all your affection founded upon carnall reasons and bestowed onely upon your kindred or such that have done you courtesies in worldly matters but as for the rest you see no reason why you should love one more than another Nay farther doe you not find your hearts secretly rise against such holy persons as I before mentioned so that you had rather be in any company than theirs and could even wish the world rid of them because their blamelesse lives doe condemn and shame yours and sometimes their loving admonitions check and disturb you as Lot was a trouble to the Sodomites Are you not so farre from a reverent esteem of godlinesse that you can rather scoff at it though peâ—haps under oâ—her names and are prone to think it nothing else but fancy and folly to be so shy of sin and so extream carefull to please God If it be 〈◊〉 for certain you are no better than haters of God himself as he is holy and just though it may be you think not so much by your selves He that loves the Father will love the child also so farre as he 's like him he that loves the person will love his picture He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 Joh. 4.20 Wherefore see to get your hearts deeply affected with the glories and excellencies of the blessed God and you will find your selves carried out to a great esteem of any shadows and resemblances of these in his people Let Christ be once the chiefest of ten thousand to your souls altogether lovely and desirable and then you will count those in whom he hath copied out himself and shed abroad his own Spirit to be the onely excellent ones upon earth in whom you will take great delight You will then so fall in love with his image wherever you discern it that in comparison thereof you will even disdain all those worldly excellencies which doe so dazle the eyes of short-sighted mean-spirited ones That humility purity reverence of the divine Majesty gentlenesse goodnesse and all other fruits of the Spirit which display themselves in the behaviour of the truly sanctified will make them appear more honourable in your eyes and render them farre more dear to you than those who have nothing to commend them to your esteem but that they have great Estates wear brave clothes and have high titles conferred upon them Though you must not be wanting in those respects that are due to outward greatnesse yet if you be Christians of a right stamp you will be such as David mentions when he describes a Citizen of Zion Psal. 15.4 One in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. Yea farther you will see more reason for your love to those that are holy than to your brethren or nearest kindred in the flesh or than to those that are onely of the same opinions and principles that you your selves are of which doe lamentably confine and regulate the affections of the most But the right Christian temper is farre more generous and large for being derived from the bowels of Christ it begets the same disposition in the souls wherein it dwells according to their capacity that is in Christ himself And therefore they hate none they envy none as for the wicked miserable ones they pity and even mourn over them as we find Christ did and with patience and meeknesse are ready to give them all the help they can to bring them out of their uncomfortable dangerous estates but all whom they have reason to believe Christ loves that walk as he hath enjoyned all his friends to doe these they dearly love And such errours or infirmities which will not cause Christ to withdraw his favour from them will not take off their affections for they dare not pretend to greater strictnesse than their Lord least what they might call pure
zeal for him should be found pure selfishnesse And therefore they dare not make their own private apprehensions which they find not in the Creed nor in the Gospel the standard and measure of such as must passe for godly and be thought worthy their regard and esteem which is the constant note of one addicted to a party but I say they would have their friendship as large as their Lord and Masters since 't is for his sake that they have any friends at all Such is the affection which Gods Spirit works in his people and with which they are possest so farre as they are fram'd and moulded by his Spirit But moreover the charity requisite in Communicants consists not onely in a cordiall love to the godly whom they are to reckon upon as dearest friends but also in forgivenesse of injuries to all that are their enemies and have done or endeavoured to doe them wrong which temper is of flat necessity to all that would come worthily to this Ordinance Hither men come expecting a pardon and can he look for a pardon of his many and hainous sins from the great God of heaven and earth who will not forgive some small offence that he may have received from his fellow-creature Small I say for the greatest injury that can be done us by another is exceeding small and not worthy our notice so farre as we our selves onely are concerned therein Selfish men will never believe this but it 's a certain truth and so plain that many sober heathens doe with great earnestnesse inculcate it Alas what can they doe but a little hinder out thriving in the world or deny us that respect we would have by their carelesse carriage or speak meanly or falsly of us to lessen our credit Such like trifles as these are the worst that we shall ordinarily meet with from our bitterest enemies And are these such unsufferable injuries that by all means we must seek to be revenged Surely such a wicked spirit cannot enter into the breast of a Christian that remembers what he hath done against God and yet what he expects from him and what he hath already received And indeed there is nothing more likely to bring us to the performance of this duty to our brother than the serious consideration of the infinite mercy God hath shown to us in sending his Son and freely tendering forgivenesse through him This we find prest upon us Eph. 4.32 And be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 3.13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye And to engage us the more our forgiving of others is made a condition of being forgiven our selves Mat. 6.14 15. For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses How hard-hearted must that Servant be who when his Lord hath forgiven him ten thousand talents takes his brother by the throat and casts him into prison for an hundred pence How just is it that all the former debt should be charged by his Lord upon such a servant as you may find in the parable at large Matth. 18. from 23. to the end where after Christ had told how terribly that unthankfull cruell servant was dealt with he addes ver lâ—st So likewise shall my heavenly Father doe also unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespâ—sses To love God above all and our neighbour as our selves are the two great Commandments whereon depend the Law and the Prophets and which comprehend all our duty and to both of these we have the greatest help and strongest obâ—igation by the Death of Christ that ever could be thoâ—ght on Shall we not love him that hath thus loved us And shall we not shew pity and compassion to others who have received so much our selves Yea who shall be shut out from mercy if we be unmercifull No spirit in the world is so contrary to the Gospel as that of malice and revenge and retaining a secret enmity and spight against any person whatever As thou would'st escape the society and portion of Devils hâ—reafter beware how thou now entertainest this devilish nature than which nothing is more frequently forbidden in the Gospel and nothing more flatly enjoyned than the contrary temper Gal. 5.20 Now the fruits of the flesh â—re manifest which are these adultery fâ—rnicâ—tion c. hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders ver 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse fâ—ith meeknesse c. Col. 3.8 But now you also put off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy c. v. 12 13. Put on therefâ—re as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-sâ—ffering When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to rectifie the disorders they were guilty of in reference to the Lords Supper the first thing he falls upon is the Divisions that were amongst them 1 Cor. 11.18 That composednesse of soul that humility self-abasement and humble dependance upon free mercy which are so absolutely necessary for him that would profit by this Ordinance do all call for a quiet charitable frame of spirit toward our brethren when we betake our selves thereto And thus by Gods assistance have I in some measure shewn from the nature and design of this Ordinance which is to keep up the Remembrance of Christ how those persons must be qualified who can duly attend thereupon To repeat their description once again They who are furnisht with the knowledge of the necessary fundamentall truths of Christian Religion and doe believe them to be indeed truths being so verily perswaded that Christ is the Saviour of the world that they heartily consent to take him for their Saviour and therefore being humbled for and resolved presently to turn from all their evil ways doe humbly expect or at least earnestly desire the pardon of their sins from the mercy of God for his sake and are truly willing to have their hearts sanctified by the Spirit of God given out through him that they may lead an holy life and doe depend upon him to bring them to everlasting glory in the enjoyment of God upon whom they have set their dearest love and chose him as their onely portion being sincerely thankfull for the manifestations of his wonderfull love in Christ and by the power of this love are in charity with all men forgiving their enemies and having a peculiar affection to the members of Christ These and onely these are fit to partake of the Lords Supper Wherefore I entreat thee whoever thou art that would'st not wilfully delude thy own soul and rush upon this duty to thy hurt take thy self to task and
he ascended from them into heaven in remembrance of him and his Death But to put the matter past doubt we have the practice of the Apostles after Christs Death and Ascension telling us how they understood this command and I hope we shall find none so impudent as to say they misunderstood it Now though it was always wont to be accounted profanenesse to violate the commands of Christ yet there are a sort of men in the world that would make it a piece of religion forsooth to contemn this his injunction and their disobedience to his Law must passe for a sign of their perfection But if they stand condemned by all impartiall men who not onely in name but in deed would bring more Sacraments into the Church than Christ hath done giving the same honour to and pleading for the same efficacy and necessity of their inventions as of Christs own institutions wherein the Papists are grosly guilty what doe they better who would cast forth of the Church of those Sacraments which our Lord hath ordained as if they were uselesse unnecessary things which is the doctrine of our Quakers If there was nothing else to be said in answer to the unreasonable pretences of these men is it not enough that we have a plain command of Christs to oppose to their Fancy He saith to all his followers Do this and they say Do it not which should we rather hearken to And hereby judge what spirit that is which riseth up in such flat contradiction to the voice of Christ But farther can they or any man else shew that this command is founded upon such reasons as makes it of lesse force and obligation to us than to those whom it was first given to Doe not all the grounds of this duty which were then still remain the same as I shall shew more afterward Wherefore let them either shew where Christ hath repealed the precept which he once gave or let them beware of falling under the woe denounced against such as not onely break his commands but teach others so to do And little lesse guilty than these are they who though they will grant Christs command in force yet give not obedience to it and though they will not say this Sacrament is unprofitable yet by their neglect receive no profit from it All you that have been long since at years of discretion and have had frequent opportunities to come to the Lords Table and yet have not cared to inform your selves what it is you should doe there what good you should get by it and so have taken no care to make preparations for this duty but from year to year have neglected it what think you of this course I beseech you Stay a while and reflect upon it Did you never hear of a command given by the Lord Jesus that all true Christians should meet together at this Supper and there in remembrance that his body was broken and his blood shed for them eat Bread and drink Wine set apart for that purpose Hath he given a command to this purpose or hath he not That it was spoken to the Apostles I have told you hinders not but that it belongs as well to you since if you be sincere Christians as they were you have the same cause to doe this that they had When Christ bids them deny themselves love one another and pray to the Father in his name doe not these precepts reach you and I as well as those particular persons to whom he spake them And tell me if you can why the case is not the same as to that command of his which I have even now mentioned that we should Do this receive this Sacrament of his Supper in remembrance of him He that hath commanded you to mortifie your lusts to love God above all he it is hath enjoyned you to do this and if you think he ought to be obeyed in one thing why not in all So then since you cannot but grant that such a command there is what can you say for your selves who have disobeyed it Are you not hereby guilty of contemning the Authority of the Law-giver what say you Doe you think you have herein behaved your selves as you ought Can you imagine that this your negligence and disobedience is acceptable to the Lord Jesus Or doe you not care whether it is or not I hope it is not all one with you to please or to provoke him Does not then your Conscience by this time smite you for your carelessnesse If not I doubt it is seared and sencelesse if it does then let me ask you what you intend for the time to come Will you hold on that course which you dare not justifie which your own Conscience condemns you for Dare you still persist in the breach of a known law Have you any thing to say against the law it self or against him that made it Is it not the law of Christ the Son of God your Redeemer And hath not he power to enjoyn you what he pleaseth Hath not he right to govern you upon account of his Redeeming you And are not all things delivered into his hands by the Father Yea does not the Father himself speak to you in and by him Does not he himself tell us that the words which he spoke were the Fathers that sent him John 14.10 and 24. Can you then gainsay Christs authority If not how dare you resist it Doe you indeed take him for your Lord or not Answer me one way or other If you doe not then call your selves no longer Christians for this your subjection is essentiall to your Christianity as I have before shewed If you doe then pray tell me how can this consist with wilfull violation of plain precepts Doe you take him for your Master if you will yield him no reverence nor fear Will you not be as subject to your Lord as the Centurions servants were to him to whom if he said but do this they did it Let this be the triall whether you will or not Behold Christ saith to thee in the Gospel and now in his name and with power from him I charge thee Do this come and pâ—rtake of his Supper which he hath prepared for his friends and followers Here now is a Dâ—e this wilt thou obey it or not If thou wilt not consider well whether Christ be like to reckon thee amongst his faithfull servants at last and what thou would'st think of a servant of thy own that should carry himself thus towards thee What thy usuall shifts and evasions are I shall take notice anon and give thee an answer Onely at present let me make hast to entreat thee not to mistake me and deceive thy self as if I was thus earnest and importunate with thee for nothing else but to go with thy neighbours sometimes when a Sacrament is administred and there take a bit of Bread and a sup of Wine with a little seeming reverence without any due consideration before
Consider whether by this thy contempt of the Ordinances of Christ thou maist not provoke him justly to withdraw them from us and to bestow them upon a people that will more prize and frequent and better improve them than we have done If Children be so indifferent to their food that they play with it or throw it away it 's fit it should be taken from them When people are wanton and curious that they know not how to be pleased but upon the least dislike reject their spirituall food it 's a sign they want that best of sawces a good stomach which it's just they should be brought to by being kept short Or if they be so lazy that they think it more adoe than needs to be diligent in those exercises of religion which our Lord hath appointed and take the greatest priviledges for burdens is it not just they should be eased of them for who will continue kindnesses to those who take them for injuries Yea can they expect any other than ere long to be removed into a world where they shall never more be troubled with such heavy impositions You that are now ready to say what a stirr's here with Sermons Prayers and Sacraments and think all your time lost that 's spent in them and are vext to think that you must have so many inâ—erruptions from your sins or worldly businesse be content a while and you shall have no cause long to complain of these things you now judge so grievous There 's none of this adoe in the Hell your ungodlinesse leads to but whether there be not sadder doings there your experience e're long is like to give you full conviction if nothing sooner will convince you Do but judge reasonably must it not needs be an high displeasure to God to see his Creatures contemn the most precious mercies as if they were nothing worth How would you take it if when out of courtesie you had invited a poor man to your Table and had made ready the best that could be had for him he should find fault with your meat and ask you why you troubled him to come from home to such a poor Dinner as this would you think he deserved to have the worst bit there If your Landlord or any rich neighbour should bid you to a Feast would you send word by his Servant that he nothing worth coming for but that you could provide for your self better at home Or if you should send such word do you think you shoâ—ld be invited twice And yet thus sawcy and unthankfull have you been toward the great God whilst you have kept away from his Table notwithstanding which he hath again and again sent forth his Servants to invite you thither in that way and to those ends which he hath revealed But oh Sirs do no more so foolishly so impudently I beseech you least at length you should move God to withdraw from you the mercies you trample on and you when it is too late should be put to seek with tears those blessings which once you cared not for and therefore must never have 8. Is it not a very great sign that you forget Christ himself whilst you can thus quietly passe from year to year without Remembring him at the Sacrament Could you possibly do thus if you bore him upon your minds and were sensibly affected with the frequent thoughts of all his love towards you Would you not then take all opportunities to expresse this your thankfull sense of his kindnesse The Children of Israel we read were enjoyned to keep the Feast of the Passeover as a memoriall of their deliverance out of Aegypt and if when they were come into Canaan they should after a few years have left it off might not God justly have taxt them with forgetting their deliverance it self And is not the case much what the same here So we find Exod. 12.26 27. that when their Children should see them keep this Feast and ask what the meaning was they were to answer It is the sacrifice of the Lords Passeover who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel in Aegypt in that night when he smote the Aegyptians and delivered our houses If now these Children when they were of capacity should refuse to keep this Feast as they were commanded is it not a sign that either they believed not what their parents told them or else thought there was nothing in it worth the remembrance Thus if any of you should demand what 's the meaning of our assembling together at certain times to eat and drink Bread and Wine in so serious a manner it may be answered you This is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper which he appointed in the night wherein he was betrayed for a memoriall of that Death whereby he destroyed the kingdome of Satan and delivered his people If you now take this to be true and think it deserves so solemn a Remembrance come as you have been directed and joyn with the rest in this work if you refuse this you can never sure have the face to say that you doe in your hearts Remember Christ. If one that had bestowed some great matters upon the Town he lived in should order at his death that the inhabitants of that Town should upon a certain day in the year meet together at a Feast to keep up the memory of his bounty if they neglected this might it not well be said they forgot their Benefactour And does not your neglect of this Sacramentall Feast as plainly shew a forgetfulnesse of your great Benefactour who ordained it Oh wonderfull that ever men who have heard who Jesus Christ is and what he hath done should be thus unmindfull of him Ah Sirs read the history of his Life think soundly of his Death and consider then whether he thus deserve to be forgotten by you Had he had no more thought of us where had we now been and what had become of us for ever Hath he done so much for you even without your seeking and when he requires so little of you is he denied If but a dying friend should take his Ring off his Finger and put it on yours and bid you look on that Ring and remember him should you not easily do it But much more if this friend had upon any account given up himself to die for your preservation and should onely engage you by remembring him to beware of that fault whereby your life was endangered and his was lost would not the memory of such a friend be ever fresh and precious with you if you had any humanity any sense of friendship and kindnesse And would not your bowels be even turned within you whenever you beheld his Ring But alas how farre comes this short of the kindnesse which Christ hath shewn to poor sinners in many circumstances as might easily be shewn And yet how is all disregarded with the most How few obey this that was one of his last injunctions to his followers
more welcome than to be freed from any outward afflictions you may lie under All you that are sincere and to such only I am now speaking cannot but acknowledge that the frame of your soul is such as I have been enquiring after how harshlie soever you may conclude of your selves notwithstanding And if such as you that love God and holinesse hate sin and are humbled for it have not right to the promises of mercy through Christ I wonder who have Why therefore will you not come to receive the seal to those promises which do so evidentlie belong to you or none But after all perhaps you 'l crie you cannot believe and therefore dare not come hither since this is a Sacrament provided for believers only This objection I suppose ariseth principallie from your mistake of the nature of saving faith Wherefore tell me I pray what do you mean when you say you cannot believe Do you not reallie believe that the witnesse which the Scripture gives of Christ is true Whatever temptations you may have to infidelitie yet is not this the prevalent perswasion of your mindes that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah by whom the fallen World is to be recovered out of its ruines Do you not believe him furnisht with full power and authority to accomplish this design Do you not believe that his death was sufficient for the ransome of the World and all other truths concerning him that you finde revealed in the Gospel And then are you not resolved that this Jesus shall be your Saviour and none but he Doe you not from your hearts acknowledge your selves miserable lost creatures altogether unable to restore your selves or to do any thing that may satisfie Gods justice or in it self deserve recompence or acceptance So that you are convinc'd if ever you are sav'd it must be through Christ And are you not earnestlie desirous of this above all things that God for his Son's sake would pardon and save you Yea more than that are you not sincerelie willing that Christ should rule in your hearts and guide you by his spirit and frame you according to his will Do you not accompt his commands holy just and good And do you not desire strength from him your head to obey them and to conquer all temptations from within and without that would draw you aside Do you not believe the promises which he hath made and the threatnings which he hath denounc'd to be certainly true And do you not desire more that you may have a share in these promises than enjoy any created good And do you not fear his threatned wrath more than any outward sufferings Is it thus with you as I am confident it is and yet will you cry out that you cannot believe What can you not believe Why alas you cannot believe you shall ever be sav'd by Jesus Christ. Is that it then which your belief onlie sticks at But suppose it does you are not therefore presently Unbelievers in Scripture-stile or in God's account For this is not that which is so much prest upon you observe well the language of the Gospel which â—uns thus Believe in Christ and thou shalt be saved not Believe that thâ—u shalt be saved by Christ. This absolute perswasion of thy own salvation is not so much enjoyned thee however not in the first place but rather thy acceptance of Christ that thou mayest be saved by him And yet methinks if thou weigh things well thou maist be rais'd to such well grounded hopes of thy own particular happinesse as may very much conquer these doubtings and fears which thou complainest of under the name of unbelief For let me ask thee seriouslie why is it thou canst not believe thou shalt be saved by Christ It is not I know because thou doubtest of the sufficiencie of his satisfaction or of the truth of his promises or the graciousnesse of his nature For art thou not fullie perswaded that he will save all those who trulie believe in him I make no doubt but thou art wherefore hence it is plain that thy fears of perishing arise from an opinion that thou art not a true Believer But this from thy own acknowledgments I have made evident that thou art whilst thou believest that Christ is the only Saviour of Mankind and art as willing he should take away thy sins from thee as prevent wrath from falling upon thee So that it is rather for want of a clear knowledge of thy self than for want of faith in the promises that thou canst so hardly believe thou shalt be saved Wherefore once again I ask thee art thou not willing that Christ should deliver thee both from the dominion and condemnation of sin If thou art and wilt shew it by using the means he hath afforded for this end then be assured thou art a true believer and as such shalt be own'd and crown'd by the Lord that bought thee And therefore with great alacritie come along with thy fellows to the thankful remembrance of that eternal redemption obtain'd for you by the blood which ratified the everlasting covenant betwixt God and his people 2. What ever your weaknesses corruptions temptations are let them not detain you from but rather send you with more speed to this Ordinance For you know not but this may be the means which God will bless for the removall of them And take this for â— certain truth whilst you have no sin but what is the burden of your soul and which you labour and long to be freed from you have no sin that makes you unfit for the Sacrament nay more this your sense of sin makes you rightly fitted for it And then there is lesse ground of doubt as to the fears and sadnesse you may labour under or any temptations with which you are troubled You cannot sure be so weak as to think your selves upon any of these accounts unmeet for your Lords Table For you must remember he never made this the qualification of his guests that they should come wanting nothing but he calls hither the necessitous to supplie their wants You come not hither only to be thankfull for what you have received but to receive farther what your souls stand in need of You would think he argued at a very silly rate that should tell you you must not go to a feast till your hunger was satisfied nor come to the Fire till you are warm and yet no better is the sophistry of Satan whereby he would perswade you that whilst you feel so many imperfections cleave to you and lie under such great doubtings you must stay away from the Sacrament when as this is one means appointed by God for your relief here 's both physick and food administered to the sick and fainting And God may take this season of revealing himself to you and satisfying those doubts which you could no other way get rid of Thus hath it been with many a soul why may it not be so with you