Name than a Supper could be given to an Entertainment of Grace now in the Evening of the World The Days of the Gospel are in Scripture styled peculiarly the last Days 2 Tim. 3.1 Heb. 1.2 There is a careful Father which provides in Heaven who will have a Supper for his Children upon the Earth in these last Times to feast them upon Gospel-Grace before they go to Bed that is before the Day of the World or their own Day ends Isa 57.2 when they must go and rest in their Beds each one walking in his uprightness I handle it after this nature in the end of the Discourse And bade many Luk. 14.16 last words God doth not make Provisions of Grace in vain or prepare a Great Supper and then have none to eat it He sends first to the Seed of Abraham and bade many Jews These had been a long while invited to accept of Christ and be in a readiness to embrace the Messiah as soon as that promised Seed came The Jews had notice of this Approaching Supper very early in the Morning they had warning at the first Dawn of that Star of Jacob to get ready Num. 24.17 and come in unto it And sent his Servant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 17. That is says * Servum illum unicum nempè Filium Dei Poli Synops Critic in loc one sent his only Son whom before he called his Servant Isa 42.1 Behold my Servant whom I uphold mine Elect or Chosen in whom my soul delighteth This of whom the Prophet speaketh was none other than the Christ the Chosen of God 1 Pet. 2.4 Thus Luke speaks of no more than one Servant and of him as the Messenger of the Covenant Mal. 3.1 Joh. 1.14 last words who was also the only Begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth but Matthew uses the Term plurally Chap. 22.3 sent forth his Servants i. e. his Ministers and Ambassadours after the Mission of his Son * Christ thô a Son by Nature yea a Servant by Office of Mediation for our sakes Pemble upon Zech. p. 410. to press the same Thing Luke relates the Parable as Christ was sent in Person to treat with Sinners and Matthew writes as the Ministers of Christ were employed to come forth afterwards successively in the same Treaty even to the end of the World still inviting Sinners This two fold Testimony of Matthew and Luke is not self-contradicting or guilty of the least inconsistency It is no such Testimony for Christ as that was found against him Mar. 14.59 where neither so did their Witness agree together * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 At Supper-time In the Hour of Supper it is read Christ came out of the Bosom of the Father in the Time of Love to Souls and the Dispensation of the Gospel is that Supper-season in which Christ is now given and sent by the Father to treat in the Ministry of the Word with Sinners This is the Hour when the Gospel is made ready This is the Evening-Time at which we may find that all is ready drest and waits for Guests to come The Readiness of the Things is not delay'd beyond the Supper Hour To say to them that were bidden As they had been before invited so now the Servant is sent to inform them 't is High-Time to come And therefore the Message is Come This supposeth a Distance which they that are bidden stand in to God he sends a Call to overtake such as were yet afar off The Grace of God did once find all that are now in Christ so Eph. 2.13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the Blood of Christ And as there was a Distance in such as are now made nigh so there is a mighty Distance still in the All that are afar off Acts 2.39 even the many that the Lord our God shall call Now the Gospel-Invitation which supposeth a Distance from God begins with a Call unto him Come For all things are ready Not a Priviledge not an Encouragement not any kind of Gospel Grace excepted Dost thou want Pardon Peace Light Strength Joy in the Lord yet whatever thy Soul lusteth after who cryest after God it is all ready for thee Come Here is a Rich Feast refuse no longer to be a Poor Guest Here is All and All will be enough for thee Where is the Tongue of that Israelite that cryed out Psa 78.19 Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness Who can question the Power of Jehovah to prepare a Table when they see all Provisions ready And Now ready The Supper of the Gospel is no such Banquet as requires any further care to make it The Law indeed made nothing perfect Heb. 7.19 but the Gospel needs no higher or clearer Revelations to perfect its own Discoveries God hath in these last dayes spoken to us by his Son Heb. 1.2 but from the Beginning when he multiplyed Visions and used Signs and revealed his Counsels in Dark Speeches then it was not so The Provisions were reserved in store and he hath kept the good Wine untill now In the Words there are 1. Plentiful Provisions made All things ready 2. An Invitation made unto Sinners to partake of these things Come 3. A quickning Motive urg'd from the Season of Readiness to prevail with the Guests to come Now ready I shall endeavour accordingly to manage the Discourse under these three Doctrines Doct. The Gospel is a large Feast stor'd with all kinds of Spiritual Provision in it Doct. God makes an Invitation unto Sinners to come in to this Feast Doct. The Gospel is a Feast or Supper that hath all its Provisions now ready Doct. The Gospel is a large Feast stor'd with all kinds of Spiritual Provision in it All things ready In the Management of this Doctrine I would handle it in the following Method under these Nine general things To shew Wherein the Resemblance of the Gospel to a Feast appears I. In what respect it is a large Feast II. What Things we have need of against the Feast III. What is the Bill of Fare IV. What excellent Properties there are in the Provisions of this Great Supper V. What suitableness from God appears in them to the Case of Man VI. Why it is a Feast with all things in it VII What Hindrances do make it to many ineffectual VIII To Apply it IX The First Thing is to open the Resemblances of the Gospel unto a Feast I. First 1 Resemblance The Gospel resembles a Feast in the entireness of it A Feast doth not consist in one kind to yield Meat only and withhold Drink or to afford Drink and not provide Meat but it makes Both ready Dr. Tho. Fuller Pisgah-sight p. 134. 1st pt Esculents and Beverage too as one terms them The Feast is not intire but incompleat if either part be wanting Thus
part Indeed Solomon's Provision for one day amounted to a large Bill of Fare 1 Kings 4.22.23 Thirty measures of fine Flower and threescore measures of meal ten fat Oxen and twenty Oxen out of the Pastures and an hundred Sheep beside Harts and Roe-bucks and fallow-deer and fatted fowl But the Supper of our God is in a Richer and more abundant store than that as will appear when serv'd up in this following Account viz. Milk for Babes Meat for strong men the true Bread from Heaven Living water Flesh to eat Blood to drink the Lamb of God the fatted Galf for Prodigals the Marrow of rich Forgiveness the food of Knowledge the nourishment of Faith the feast of Holiness or the bunch of Hyssop in Sanctification of the Spirit the hidden Manna of Election the Royal Dainties of Assurance the Evangelical honey comb dropping Free Grace the fatness of God's house in Ordinances the Supplies of the Spirit of Jesus the morsel of Hope for them that fail not to sit with the King at meat the full meal of Contentment for them that have left all and followed Christ the Refreshments of the Peace of Conscience the Oyl of Joy the Cup of Consolation with the Wine of the Kingdom running over the continual Diet of Perseverance in the sure mercies of David and the Fruit of the Tree of Life 1. Milk for Babes even the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sincere Milk of the Word which the weakest of God's Little ones may lye at the Breasts and suck On this wise speaketh the Apostle Peter in his Exhortation 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born Babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby The Holy Scriptures are made ready in the Plainest Truths for a Hungry Infant that will not be quiet till it finds the Breast out Lam. 4.4 The Tongue of God's sucking Children would cleave to the Roof of their mouth if they could not get to the Word and there be as one that hath sucked the Breasts of his Mother Cantic 8.1 Heb. 5.12 The first Principles of the Oracles of God are compar'd to Milk because the first sort of Truths that young Converts Learn and are wont at the beginning of the New-Birth to be most affected with The Apostle Paul speaking of the Infancy of his Corinthian Church tells them in his Epistle which he first wrote unto them 1 Cor. 3.2 I have fed you with milk and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it neither yet now are ye able * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fed you with Milk I have given you a Liquid Food you might swallow easie Others have drank what I have given you to eat as the Milk of Babes may by strong men be eaten or drunk either Not with meat ye were not able to bear it That is ye could not digest the stronger and higher sort of Doctrines neither yet now are ye able 1 Cor. 14 20. Children in understanding must have the Food of their Souls as their lack of Age requires it Philemâ—â— 9 and such a one as Paul the aged knew it Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ had such weak Disciples with him that he forbore a while feeding them with strong meat and stays till more cubits were added to their Spiritual Stature before he weans them from the milk of Babes Joh. 16.12 I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now He dealt with them proportionably to their present state and weaker Capacities in Christianity So young Converts must be fed with Food convenient Prov. 30.8 not only convenient in the Quantity and Measure as Agur meant it but convenient in the Quality and Nature of it and not too strong for them Weaker Christians must be fed with weaker Diet that their Souls may digest it and be made the better for the Truths they take in Now the Gospel hath its Milk in Doctrines easie to be understood 1 Cor. 14.9 Come ye therefore says the Evangelical Prophet Isa 55.1 and buy milk It is a sort of Victuals treasur'd up in our Fathers House that when ye rceive the Kingdom of God Mark 10.15 as a little Child I mean with a very Childish and low Capacity you may meet with Provisions therein suited to you Isa 60.16 Our Babes in Christ may suck the Milk of the Gentiles that is those plain Revelations of the Son of God who is now believed on in the World 1 Tim. 3.16 They can milk out from these Breasts of consolation Isa 66.11 till they are delighted with the Abundance of her Glory Jerusalem God's Church the Mother of us all Gal. 4.26 hath Breasts given her which her Children shall never draw dry The Holy Ghost stoops in very low Expressions 2 Tim. 3.15 that from a Child a Believer may know the Holy Scriptures Its Doctrines are suited to the Understanding and Capacities of the meanest The Gospel hath a Plenty that will furnish all sorts Heb. 5.13 The Vnskilfull in the Word of Righteousness is not left destitute but may receive the Word of his Grace and use it's Milk while he is a Babe Tho' like Zaccheus Luk. 19.3 you are Little of Stature yet you may reach of the Fruit when you cannot climb the Tree of Life before you The Gospel abounds with a Treasure of Holy Learning which some have received tho' never brought up at the * Act. 22.3 Chap. 19.9 Feet of Gamaliel or the School of one Tyrannus You may be taught the Truth as it is in Jesus Eph. 4.21 Luk. 2.46 and know the Master of the School that sat among the Doctours tho' you be not rankt among the wise and prudent I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Matth. 11.25 The Word of God indeed hath its Depths where there is no passing over without swimming beyond your reach but yet it hath its shallowes where going lower you may wade or foord thro' 1 Tim. 3.16 Tho' it be the Mystery of Godliness yet a Mystery so revealed that the ordinary Readers or Hearers may be taught to profit by it Exod. 8.19 There be plain Truths written with the Finger of God and clear Truths copied out as with a Sun-beam from Heaven God's Word is a Text-Hand and he that runs may read it In a word Isa 7.22 it hath the Abundance of Milk for Babes to nourish even the least in our Father's House 2. Meat for strong men or the strong Meat of the highest Gospel-Mysteries Sublime and spiritual Doctrines may be set forth by Meat as the Apostle doth in that forementioned place 1 Cor. 3.2 and strong meat as he calls them Heb. 5.14 which belongeth to them that are of Full Age that is above New Converts the Adult who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern
at the Right Hand of God It is the Merit of his Blood he carried up with him and which he still in his Intercession as a Priest pleads there So that the Notion of Christs reconciling us to God by an absolute Power in Heaven without any reference to his Blood shed on Earth is a Socinian Dream which with every one that is awake and stands up from the Dead will vanish The Gospel had been a Dry Feast whatever Socinians think of it if He that made it had not given us Blood to drink In a word Phil. 3.18 they are Enemies to the Cross of Christ who will not know him Crucifyed And we must contend earnestly for the Faith Jude 3. and for the Faith in his Blood since a whole * Vt priùs School of Prophets would rob us of the Cup of the New Testament in Christs Blood considered meritoriously Luk. 22.20 as well as a Colledge of Jesuites deprive us of the same Sacramentally by denying the Cup in the Lords Supper 7. The Lamb of God Christ is still represented in the Scripture by a copious variety at his Supper of the Parable As we have the Blood of Christ provided so it is of the Lamb * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immaculate 1 Pet. 1.19 a Lamb without Blemish and without Spot The word signifies one so perfectly every way accomplisht that a carping Momus which finds fault with every thing or the very Herodians that lye in wait to catch him shall yet find out no Righteous Charge against him this Dish at our Feast was Typically represented by the Paschal Lamb For so we read in the Institution of the Jewish Passover Exod. 12.8 That all the Congregation of Israel were to take every man a Lamb Exod. 12.5 according to the house of their Fathers a Lamb for a house This male of the first year taken out from the Sheep or from the Goats was a very apt representation of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the World as we read in the Salutation of John when he seeth Jesus Joh. 1.29 In the Passover the Lamb was entire and undivided in the Gospel it is a whole Christ prepared his entire Humane Nature united to the Godhead his whole Body and his whole Blood set forth collectively under one as before we had him all distributively under two that is Bread and Water Flesh and Blood apart We may behold him here in the Lamb as an entire mess that is served all in at once We read it particularly express'd that when Samuel entertained Saul and his Servant there was a single joynt provided 1 Sam. 9.24 and indeed one was enough for Saul who had no portion with David The Cook took up the shoulder and that which was upon it and set it before Saul but God required the Jews to make ready their Lamb as it consisted of every joynt whole not so much as the Legs or Appurtenances thereof excepted Exod. 12.8 to signifie a Redeemer that was not to be parted but to be given all away This is the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World Rev 13.8 latter part that is he was determinately slain in the Counsel and Fore-knowledge of God being infallibly ordained to it and therefore lookt upon by God that hath yesterday to day and for ever always present before him as if it had been done from thence actually and he was slain virtually for Adam had the benefit thereof from the beginning when God promised the seed Gen. 3.24 before he drove out the man as much as if the Act had passed Well the Table of the Gospel hath this most Glorious Provision on it of the Lamb slain and slain actually for the Entertainment in these last Days Heb. 1.2 Lo God hath pitied the Lost Sinner like that poor wayfaring man and hath not spared to dress of the Lamb that lay in his own Bosom for him 2 Sam. 12.3 This Lamb of the first year this Firstling of the Flock is brought as a Lamb to the Slaughter to be serv'd up in meat for them to whom it is the Fathers good pleasure to give the Kingdom Isa 53.7 Luk. 12.32 This Lamb was a richer present from the King of Heaven thô One than that which the King of Moab rendred unto the King of Israel in one hundred Thousand Lambs 2 King 3.4 and as many Rams with the Wooll It is true of Believers on Earth as well as spoken of such in Heaven the Lamb shall feed them Rev. 7.17 8. The Fatted Calf for Prodigals The Gospel and the Blessings of it by Christ in the sumptuous Provisions made ready are set forth in a Parable by Christ under the very same Resemblance We need not be any ways asham'd of Christ or his words Mark 8.38 in this adulterous and sinful Generation nor think it low Divinity to preach or speak as Christ teacheth us He tells us Luke 15.13 of a younger Son that gathered all together and took his Journey into a far Countrey and there wasted his Substance with Riotous living and that he had * V. 14. spent all tho' he went off at first with never so great a Stock and he began to be in want but yet afterwards when he * v. 20. arose and came to his Father his Father when he was yet a great way off saw him hath compassion on him embraceth him bringeth him into his House and presently ordereth a sumptuous costly Entertainment to treat him at coming home * v. 23. Bring hither the Fatted Calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry This is the Parable this is the Letter but let us see how the Spirit giveth more life 2 Cor. 3.6 last words The Great God in the dispensation of the Gospel deals after the same way with Sinners We Foolish Gentiles were once like this younger Son happy and wanting nothing in our Father's House God made man upright Jews and Gentiles were both in Adam perfect But we quickly grew Prodigal and run into a great excess of riot Eccl. 7.29 we sought out many Inventions Acts 11.18 But nevertheless under a new Covenant God hath granted Repentance unto Life Heb. 2.10 in the bringing of many Sons and Daughters unto Glory and he hath brought forth an Entertainment upon his receiving of poor Gentiles home These tender mercies of our God were displeasing to the Elder Son Luk 1.78 and grievous in the sight of the Jews These had tho' the Parable doth not expresly note it Gen. 21.11 12. been taken first after the Revolt in Adam into their Father's House they had been brought into a Church-state a great while before and treated so well with the Fatness of the Olive they had forgot the Poverty and Distress of the younger Brother and grew angry to see how these Gentiles are treated with the Riches of the Gospel Rom. 11.17 whereas he had
sin you do not spy out more in your own Iniquities than you do in the very Grace of God to receive you graciously Hos 14.2 4 and love you freely And beware that you do not fancy a deeper Red different from other Death-colours in your own Body of Death than is seen in the Blood of Jesus Christ An Unacquaintedness with the true Notion of the Gospel is a Hinderance to the Gospel-Feast 3. Remaining Vnbelief in the Actings of slavish Fear Reigning Unbelief indeed is the Property of Sinners but Remaining Unbelief is a great Hinderance hanging in the way of Saints There are Remnants of this Sin to bring you under spiritual Sickness and Infirmities when there be no Ruling Signs-that it is unto Death upon you There is much Fluctuation in our Hearts an unsteddy rolling too and fro like the Waves of the Sea sometimes carried out towards the Shore in Hope then driven back again to Sea in Fears whereas our Rock is the same for ever tho' we roll aside Oh! were our Faith says (z) Dr. Sibb◠Bruised Reed p. 23 24. one as firm as our State in Christ is secure what manner of Men should We be A Saint may be brought many ways low but he shall be brought no ways under Now by how much the less it is you live in the Exercise of Faith 〈◊〉 2.20 i. e. By the Faith of the Son of God by so much the less in your spiritual State will you thrive by Gospel-Grace As you want any measure of Faith to digest the Food of God's Word so much the less of Nourishment and Sweetness you will find in any Morsel of it Jesus said unto him if thou canst believe All Things are possible unto him that believeth Mark 9.23 If you have not Oh weak Christians a stronger Degree a higher Measure of Faith your Fears will make you jealous and suspect the Love of God every time you try to eat and drink in his Kingdom It is observed of Peter he never sank in the Waters 'till he sank first in Fears when he saw the Wind boisterous he was afraid and upon this followeth his beginning to sink Matth. 14.30 Fears will suggest nothing but such wrong and uncomfortable Thoughts as these Well this Feast of the Gospel is too great for such poor Dust and too good for so vile a Worm as I therefore it belongeth not to me But Oh! take heed of this let not Unbelief carry it without a check in thy Soul when it calls the Bread of Life Poyson or tells thee thou art damn'd if thou venturest so far as to meddle with it 4. Lastly Refusing to be Comforted God's People sometimes will not tho' we take his own words be satisfied The Consolations of God are so small with them Job 15.11 that they will not take this Cup of Consolation down Jer. 16.11 Psa 77.2 last words My Soul refused to be comforted let me hear what I would it was all one with me That was Good Asaph's case a while Now what will All Things avail when no thing shall be allow'd to comfort you but you will choose to go down into the Grave mourning Gen. 37.35 What signifies Moses to tell the Children of Israel that God had looked upon their Affliction and Bondage and to assure them of Deliverance that it was now even at the Door Mat. 24.33 whenas they hearkened not unto Moses for Anguish of Spirit and for cruel Bondage Exod. 6.9 It is observable indeed that at the first Newes of their Deliverance which Moses brought them from God they are hugely affected with it Chap. 4.31 The People believed and when they heard that the Lord had visited the Children of Israel and that he had looked upon their Affliction then they bowed their Heads and worshipped Oh! how glad and comforted do they seem that there comes any Relief to alter their Afflicted case at last Well but God will yet try their Patience under their Burdens and Adversity a little longer in the next Chapter Pharaoh comes and He multiplies their Burdens still more and more and lo now the Double Labour of their Bricks and the Stripes of their Task masters upon their Backs beat them quite out of Heart insomuch that at last Moses with all his Arguments and Perswasion could no ways still them for they are resolved to hear to wait to trust no longer they hearkened not c. Thus some of God's Children will seem to be born up notably when God comes first into their Souls with Comfort but alas if God to try them lays them again in the lowest Pit in Darkness Psa 88.6 in the Deeps immediately their Mountain is overturned their Sun is set and the Rainbow of the Covenant blotted out of Their Cloud They refuse to be comforted and seem loth to look out towards the Everlasting Hills again Psa 121.1 Now hence it is that the Gospel hath been very often in part ineffectual for a Time to some of God's own Children To conclude therefore in a word your Meat will not strengthen you to flee as a Bird to your Mountain Psa 11.1 so long as with Ephraim you remain a silly Dove without Heart Hos 7.11 And so much for the Doctrinal Part. The Ninth and last Thing propounded in the General method was the Application of this Doctrine IX The Vses I design to make by God's further Assistance are the Three following Information to discover such Truths Humiliation to bewail such Sins and Exhortation to beswade to such Duties as naturally flow from it First I. Vse by way of Information in these Thirteen Particulars 1. 1 Inf. We may learn the Fitness of Earthly Comparisons to bring down Heavenly Truths to our Capacities I say the Fitness of Earthly Comparisons for in this Body of Flesh we have more Earth than Spirit and need to put on Spectacles to help our weak Eyes It is a piece indeed of condescending Workmanship in our Maker to blow up the very Earth and the Things of it into a Glass and then shew us Heaven and the Things thereof thro' it which made the Apostle use the same Metaphor when he was comparing the Knowledge of Believers here with that perfect Sight they should have in Heaven 1 Cor. 13.12 Now we see thro' a Glass darkly but then Face to Face Thus the Holy Ghost declares I have used Similitudes by the Ministry of the Prophets Hos 12.10 (a) Deus se quodammodò transformat in verbo suo in quo non loquitur pro su◠Majestate sed prout congruere videt modulo nostro infirmitati Rivet in loc Vol. 2. p. 774. col 2. ultim Obs When God speaks to instruct us in his Word he doth as it were transform himself not speaking according to his own Essential Majesty but agreeably to the measure of our Frailty The Scripture often instructs us in Metaphors and sets forth our State Priviledges and Duty by
the Gospel-Feast alone Why sit we here until we die was the Language of those four Leprous Men that were ready to perish with Hunger at the entring of the Gate of Samaria 2 Kings 7.3 last words They could not live in so Black a Famine as we read preavailed Chap. 6.25 where an Asse's Head in this extremity perhaps not common yet Legally unclean was sold for fourscore pieces of Silver i. e. (g) See Mr. Pool's Engl. Annot in loc If we compute those Pieces by the common Estimation or the common Shekel which was half the value of the Shekel of the Sanctuary and reckoned at Fifteen pence then being multiplyed Eighty Times will amount to Five Pound as the Price of an Asse's Head in that extraordinary Famine And it follows the fourth Part of a h The Kab answers to our Quart Dr. Fuller's Pisgah-sight p. 399. mispag'd on the other fide 397 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This contained 24 Eggs and held proportion with our Quart Goodwyn Moses and Aaron lib. 6. Heb◠Measures p. 262. See also Weymse Hebr. Weights and Measures Vol. I. p. 136 137. But Others think this meafure by Egg-shells must be very uncertain because of the Disproportion to be found in Eggs and therefore are not so exact to adjust the measure to our Quart Saith one This way of dealing with Eggs in measures I doubt will make nine measures of ten prove addle Lee's Temple of Solomon pag. 110. Kab which was the least Hebrew-measure of Dove's Dung i.e. no more of this Dung neither for Food than they say could be contain'd in six Egg-shells that is the fourth part of once 24. 24 being reckoned the entire measure of the Kab and these six Egg-shells of Dung too at no lower rate than five Pieces of Silver or as is estimated according to the value of our English Coins at 6 s. and 3 d. Well this Durum Telum necessitas this mighty strait makes these four Leprous Men resolved to quit their Post in the Gate and venture out into the Camp of their very Enemies to find better Quarters They had starv'd if they had not sought supplies or had lookt that the Stones of their Gate should be turned into Bread Indeed these Distressed Hungry Lepers must be fain to put it to the issue as the History relates v. 4. whether they should get their Bread upon the Place where they agreed to go forth They are not Invited to any Entertainment but must venture upon their Enemies Swords to get their Bread with the Peril of their Lives But lo Lam. 5.9 necessity spurr'd them on Why sit we here until we die was Argument enough to venture any where to live Why so there is the same necessity for our coming to the Gospel-Entertainment We die if we have not this Feast this Food to keep our Souls alive And lo we are more abundantly encouraged to seek our Bread than They These Lepers sought it of Bloody Syrians we may of a Saviour that hath shed his own Blood for us They of their Enemies and we of the best Friend we have They ventured to the King of Syrta's Camp we may approach to the King of Sion's Court. They ventured without inviting we are bid to come And shall we not go shall we not gird up our Loins and run 1 Sam. 17.29 Is there not a Cause And shall we starve our Souls to indulge our sitting still We have nothing left by Nature no Bread under our Hand to feed us 1 Sam. 21.4 and tho' we are Prodigals that have wasted our first Allowance we cannot find our second Keeping in any far Countrey or upon the Husks that any Swine do eat We must be nourisht in the King's Houshold under the Roof of his Loving Kindness or we pine and die in the open Field with Hunger Oh! wo unto us we are undone if we make not out to our Father There 's a mighty Famine in the Land and we are Strangers in the Earth Psa 119.19 and from below we have neither inward Grace nor outward open Vision And is it not necessary we should come Shall we slight a Feast of Plenty Shall we hear the Calls shall we smell the Entertainment shall we see the Provisions served up before us And yet shall we hear shall we see Shall we do any Thing but come and taste that the Lord is good Psa 34.8 3. Lastly It is necessary to come to maintain the Healthful and Vigorous Constitution of the Soul with the nourishment of Grace continually Coming to the Gospel Feast is necessary not only to preserve our Life but to encrease our Strength which is also one of the Proximate and Immediate Ends of Eating according to Eccles 10.17 Blessed art thou O Land when thy (i) Inferiour Rulers and Officers of State Pemble Analytical Exposition of Ecclesiastes p. 333. Princes eat in Due Season for (k) Ad Corporis robur animi vires ut vivant valeant Cartwright Homil. in Eccles Strength and not for (l) Ad reficiendum non ad Luxuriam Mercer Drunkenness As the Tables of the Greatest Men should be spread to no other end than the Refreshment and Supplies of Nature so the Table of our Great God must be furnished and we partaking of it as a means of Nourishment and Encrease of Grace If we would have strength in our Souls Judg. 16 5 we must come to the Provisions where our great strength lyes When Grace hath put a new Healthful Constitution into the Soul it procures a Diet to preserve that same Blessed Temper If we would be strong and lively and wait upon the Lord to renew our strength Isa 40.31 if we would mount up with Wings as Eagles if we would run and not be weary and walk and not faint in our Journey towards the New Jerusalem as the Holy Ghost hath promised and spoken by the Mouth of his Servant Isaiah Isa 40.31 we must come to a Feast that hath Healthy Diet in it 'T is by means we obtain the End Waiting running walking as the Means before strength and not fainting as the End Would you be strong in the Lord Eph. 6.10 you must first accept of his Invitation and partake of strong that is Soul-strengthening meat This is the way by which you may come to be strengthened with all might according to his Glorious Power Col. 1.11 So much for the Doctrinal Part. The Last Thing is the Vse IV. only in some Few Truths we may learn from it 1. Inf. If we must Come Oh! what need then of the Spirit of God to bring us we need a Real Aid and a mighty wise and holy Guide with us We must have a Principle of Internal Spiritual Assistance wrought by the Holy Ghost first to enlighten our Ignorance and then to strengthen our Impotence we cannot stir if the Spirit do not strive with us Psal 143.10 Thy Spirit is Good lead me into the