and therefore as one principall benefit that all their iniquities for Christs sake shall be forgiven them Even as the Minister who is here in Gods stead offers them the Bread and Wine whereby a crucified Christ with the blessings he purchast are signified so doth God make over all these to a believing soul which doth as really and truly though in a spirituall manner receive Jesus Christ by consenting to take him for his Lord and Saviour as with his hand he takes and with his mouth eats and drinks the Bread and Wine Now in answer to that particular priviledge pardon of sin which hereby is assured to us there is required in us a dependance upon Christ for this pardon that is an expectation and hope that God for his Sons sake will pardon our sins that they shall not be charged upon us to condemn us at the great judgement day but that we shall then be cleared from all accusations and secured from those miseries into which the ungodly shall be sentenced and this we are to look upon as sealed to us by the Sacrament And it is to be considered that this dependance upon Christ for a pardon is one part or an effect of our saving faith in him for they who believe that he is the Redeemer of the world and are willing to be saved by him from their wickednesse and so from hell they will rely on him to obtain forgivenesse by him and according to the knowledge they have of their Repentance and Faith the conditions of this mercy they will the more confidently expect it But as it is oftentimes difficult to bring the truest Believers to this act of faith in that measure as may give them comfort so is it more difficult to beat the most negligent out of this refuge who would cheat themselves with a conceit that to hope for mercy through Christ is all that 's required of them But know the pardon which God offers is not barely upon condition of our willingnesse to accept of Christ to teach and guide to sanctifie and save us which I have oft mentioned as that believing in Christ which the Gospel calls for and entails salvation upon and then they in whom this willingnesse is wrought are bound to believe that all Gods promises made to such as by his grace they find themselves to be shall be fulfill'd and therefore particularly they ought to believe that according to his promise he will blot out all their transgressions for his sake who was bruised for them and upon the strength or weaknesse of this perswasion doth their comfort very much depend though not their safety so much since the want of it commonly proceeds from an ignorance of themselves rather than an unbelief of the promises to which I shall say something hereafter least any should think they must not come to the Sacrament because they have not a confident perswasion that their sins shall be pardoned and therefore think they have no Faith Now from what hath been said it farther appears That none but penitent Believers are worthy Receivers for to such and none but such doth God in the Covenant of Grace promise pardon and therefore to them onely it is that he conveys and assures it by the Sacrament which is a seal of that Covenant and ratifies no more than what that promiseth And indeed none but such doe in good earnest desire or seek after a pardon for none but they are soundly convinced of their need of it by reason of their breach of that Law which doth accuse and condemn them Ignorant sencelesse sinners that run on desperately in their wicked courses without any thought or fear of those judgements that are ready to be executed upon them and never take to heart how they have incensed the Divine Majesty against them doe not use much to busie their thoughts how they should turn away this wrath and prevent this misery The fear of sicknesse poverty disgrace or the like temporall evils doth much more take them up than the fears of hell and accordingly their daily care is to avoid those rather than this He that is sick prizes the Physician whilst he that is in health or thinks that he is so cares little for him or his medicines A poor prisoner that hath newly heard the sentence of condemnation from the Judge's mouth and knows he 's a dead man in Law what would not he doe to get a pardon from the King Or oh how thankfull would he be to the man that should doe it for him Whilst another that knows not himself to be guilty though he may really be so would take himself little beholden to any one that should make him such an offer to wit of the Kings pardon Even thus should you come to a stupid sinner and be able to assure him that God was reconciled to him he would be very little moved with the tidings for this is not a matter whereof he used to make much doubt or greatly concern himself one way or other but could you surprize him with the news of a great Estate being faln to him oh what an extasie of joy would you cast the poor man into I confesse when these carelesse ones come to be awakened on a death-bed or by a fit of sicknesse then they doe indeed earnestly desire that their sins may be forgiven them Notwithstanding the great affection they had to the Devils drudgery they have no mind to receive the wages which he affords them Though they have loved sin so well that they would never part with it whilst they could keep it yet since now they can keep it no longer by no means are they willing to go to that Hell to which their sins directly led them Loth they are to take leave of their lusts till they come to the very mouth of the grave but then fain they would rid their hands of them for they know if they go together one step farther they are like to rue it for ever Whilst they could cast the pleasures of sin they wallowed securely in it but now sicknesse hath spoil'd their tast and put them out of temper they seem somewhat more indifferent to it but especially fearing least they have already had all the sweetnesse and that nothing but bitter dregs are at the bottom of the cup therefore now at length they would throw it out of their hand And this I fear is ordinarily the best of a Death-bed Repentance which many build their hopes so much upon They may be in good earnest afraid of being damned and therefore are sorry that they have brought themselves into such danger but what 's this to an ingenuous sorrow for having offended a good and gracious God and to a loathing of sin for its own vilenesse which are necessary to make our Repentance right And not onely at death its like but in time of health also there are many who would be very willing to have their sins pardoned if it might be upon
A TREATISE OF Sacramental Covenanting WITH CHRIST SHEWING The ungodly their contempt of Christ in their contempt of the Sacramental Covenant And calling them not to a profanation of this holy Ordnanice but to an understanding serious entire dedication of themselves to God in the Sacramental Covenant and a Believing Commemoration of the Death of Christ. By M. M. LONDON Printed for J. Sims at Gresham-Colledge-Gate in Bishops-gate-street 1667. TO THE READER Readers UPON the perusal of this Treatise I finde the Subject of it to be needful and seasonable the Design of it high and excellent the Stile exceeding plain and pressing purposely suited to the capacity of the Ignorant for whom it is written Concerning all which I think it meet to inform you at the entrance as foreseeing that in all these it is not unlike to be much mistaken 1. Some think that a Sacrament is a narrow and barren and not very necessary Subject to be treated of But such understand not that it is the most great and noble Subject as being the very Summary and kernel of all our Religion for it containeth in it the whole Covenant between God and Man wherein he giveth himself to us as our GOD our reconciled Father our Saviour and our Sanctifier and we give up our selves answerably to him and thankfully accept his gift upon his terms For the two Sacraments are the solemnizing of this sacred Covenant wherein we profess with seriousness resolvedness and fidelity to dedicate and devote our selves entirely to God our Father our Redeemer and our Regeneratour Which if we do sincerely the saving benefits of the Covenant are ours In which sense the Ancients truly taught That Baptism certainly washeth away all sin 2. Therefore this Doctrine must needs be seasonable at a time when our lamentable differences about Sacraments have with great numbers both of the consciencious and the careless brought them under abuses omission or contempt Many persons whose desires are to worship God according to his will beleive that it is their duty to hold the communion of Saints in Churches which have a more holy constitution guidance Discipline and administration than most of our publick Churches have from which because the Law restrains them some of them communicate now here but in secret and some so seldome there as is next to a total omission The more ignorant people seeing these shun the publick communion encourâ—ge themselves the more in their careless omission and contempt of it Some of them think that it is but a thing indifferent and a Ceremony which may well enough be spared without any danger to the Soul And others have some reverence for it and think that it is not to be approached without Repentance and great Preparation But they do the more negligently and quietly omit this preparation and the Sacrament it self when they see it omitted by so many whom they esteem above themselves But what Is it the design of this Treatise to drive all these men in their impenitency and ignorance to this Sacred work And to draw them to imitate such of the same Herd as do it only to avoid the penalty of the Law I know many that read but the Title of this Book will say Is it now a time to draw the ignorant multitude to the Sacrament Were it not fitter to seek that stricter discipline might keep them from it till they are prepared and know what they do 3. To this I answer That the design of this Treatise is not to perswade any to eat the Body of Christ and drink his Blood in an undiscerning profane or unworthy manner Nor doth it tempt men to Covenant with their lips and leave their hearts behinde them But it teacheth men to understand what the Sacrament is and what a holy and solemn Covenant is there to be renewed with God And how essentially knowledge Faith and Repentance and resolutions for a holy life are necessary for that Covenant And because most ignorant ungodly people are so strange to their own hearts that we cannot convince them of their sottish contempt of Christ and holiness by any proof but what is palpable and past denial therefore the Authour taketh advantage of their profane neglect of this Ordinance to convince them And while a superficial Reader will think he is but drawing them to the Lords Table the truth is he taketh this but as an advantage to draw them to the Lord himself The main design of the Book is to convince poor impenitent unholy souls of the absolute necessity of a speedy resolute faithful consent to the Covenant of Grace and a sincere devoting of themselves to God through Jesus Christ and then that they will solemnize and seal this Covenant in this holy Sacrament No one that Readeth the Book will think that there is any 〈◊〉 of sufficient warning against the profanation of the Sacrament Blame him not for drawing men to Christ and to Conversion and you will finde here no cause to blame him for immethodical drawing them to the Communion of the Church 4. And the great plainness and largeness of the style which to some will seem tedious must be imputed to the Authours earnest desire to save mens souls which makes him studiously condiscend to their capacities The more men understand already the fewer words will serve their turns and to such an accurate and sententious stile wil be most acceptable But the Ignorant must not only have plainness but copiousnesse and much Repetition and inculcating of the same things They understand not that which is briefly and accurately delivered though the terms be never so common and familiar and those that have due compassion on the Ignorant will best like that stile which most promoteth their information and conversion and will judge of the means by its aptitude to its proper end The Lord give the Reader the saving benefit and the worthy and faithful Author the comfort of these earnest exhortations in a plentiful success And O that the judgeâ—â—nt which hath turned so many thousand excellent Books of late into ashes may warn the negligent to use such holy instructions with faithful diligence while they have them in order to their preparation for the hastening day which will cast the earth and all its Glory into more terrible Flames Amen Come Lord Jesus Acton the Year and Month of Londons Flames Sept. 1666. Richard Baxter THE CONTENTS CHapter 1. The Introduction lamenting the ignorant vulgars contempt of their Salvation and shewing the design of this Treatise Pag. 1 Chap. 2. What it is to do this to celebrate the Communion in remembrance of Christ And I. That it includes the true knowledge of him Pag. 34 Chap. 3. II. A right remembring Sin the occasion of his Death Of Repentance with considerations to work and promote it Pag. 48 Chap. 4. III. A right remembring of the great end of the death of Christ to Redeem us from all iniquity and sanctifie us Of Faith and Covenanting with Christ.
common stick Wherefore if you would not be lamentably wanting to your selves and Enemies to your own comforts I beseech you all you that love the Lord Jesus know your own priviledges and fix these things firmly on your mindes and let not the greatnesse of them hinder your belief since they are as sure as great but see that you apprehend a reality in all that is done at this holy Table See Christ himself in the Minister see also the benefits that come by Christ in the Bread and Wine and stedfastly believe that these are given you by Christ as verily as the Elements are given you by the Minister For pardâ—n and right to eternal life are things to be believed not felt so that it is by believing that you must perceive the comfort of them Wherefore beg of God to clear up these things to your apprehensions to remove doubtings to strengthen your faith and to joyn the inward seal of his spirit to the outward administration of his Ordinance And do you take the boldnesse though with the greatest humility to professe to God that you take this Sacrament as an earnest of all those mercies which you hope for from his bounty as hereby you deliver up your selves and all you have and are to his will and pleasure And as an earnest engageth both the Servant and Master to do according to their agreement so is God graciously pleased hereby to engage himself to his Creatures so that not only from his bounty but from his justice and faithfulnesse may you expect whatever he hath promised to do for you There being thus a sacred Covenant transacted betwixt God and your souls see only that you be not treacherous and Heaven and Earth shall sooner fail than God will depart from one tittle of all that he hath said With confidence may you look upon God as your Father Christ as your Head and Husband the Holy Spirit as your Comforter and Guide the Angels as your friends ready at Christs command to do you service the Saints in both Worlds as your Brethren and the full enjoyment of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in the joyfull communion of Saints and Angels your assured everlasting portion 6. Since you in your selves are poor impotent creatures who without Christ can do nothing but must be beholden to that grace which drew you to this Covenant to hold you in it and to help you to perform your part and since there is of this grace even now to be given but to the prepared soul Let it be your care to get very sensible of your spiritual wants and to come hither earnestly desiring and expecting a supply Consider well with your selves what graces you finde weakest and most wanting what duties you are prone most to fail in and humbly beg suitable help and assistance Examine what temptations you are most exposed to and oftnest overcome by what corruptions you finde yet strongest in you and especially what those sins are to which you are inclined most by nature and custome or are most in danger of by your employments or converse in the World and represent all this in your prayer before God and beg of him more power and strength against them and now by this Ordinance to convey it to you Look round about and consider well the work you have to do the difficulties you are to grapple with the several relations wherein you stand and the duties they bring along with them and noâ—â—ue out for direction and assistance in all And for your encouragement remember what I told you that God hath engaged himself to all you his Covenant-people to afford you whatever may conduce to your happiness now since you stand in present need of the supplies of his grace you may confidently expect the same He that will bring you to the end will give you the means As if a King should call some of his poor subjects to give them great possessions in another Country which he had conquered and should also furnish them with store of money and provisions for the way even thus bounteously wil God deal with you oh Believers Hee 'l put strength into your feet and revive your fainting spirits that you may hold on in your way you that wait upon the Lord though you have no power or might in your selves yet shall renew your strength and run and not be weary and walk and not faint till you come to your journies end By faith in Christ we are engrafted into him as a branch into the Vine and are related as a Member to the Head so that he is become the root of our life and from him shall sap and nourishment be communicated to our needy souls He is the dispenser and fountain of Grace and his Ordinances are as Conduit-pipes and conveyances of the same And of this nature is the Lords Supper Here Believers are made to drink into the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 Which words have a plain reference to this Sacrament Baptisme being mentioned at the beginning of the verse Come hither then oh yee thirstie souls and be refresht with the waters of life that shall flow in upon you in abundance Open your mouths wide and they shall be filled Be not straitned in your selves for the bowels of Christ are not straitned towards you Bring hither capacious enlarged hearts and you shall carry away accordingly The anointing of thâ— Spirit which is shed abroad upon you is like the Widdows Oyl 2 Kin. 4.6 It will not stay running whilst there is room to receive it Oh why is it then that we are so empty The fault is not in Christ we must needs acknowledge But let us examine whether we have not stuft our hearts with other things that leave little or no room for grace to be poured in there Are we not fill'd with the love of earthly things Is not our delight most of all in profits and pleasures And our desires eagerly carried out after them Do not Creature-comforts so possess and fill us that they even thrust forth the Holy Spirit from his habitation Do we not grieve him by our carnal joys and cause him to with-draw from us Oh! for shame let it be no longer thus with us Alas how little can these narrow hearts of ours contain of the fullness of God though they were widened to their utmost present capacity And shall we pinch and straiten them yet more by entertaining every trifle there This is that room which the King of Heaven would have entire to himself and shall every common guest every Beggar be lodged there Is it fit that Money-changers and Merchants should fill the house of God That it should be a thorow-fare for every Vessel every common and unclean thing Oh let your hearts then be consecrated as Temples for the Holy-Ghost not Dens of such Thieves as rob God of his due and draw away those desires and affections which he claims as his own And now let the gates of these Temples
after the contents of it will he excuse them afterwards to say they never heard any invitations to lay down their arms Nor farther canst thou truly say that Christ requiâ—ed harder things of thee than this willingnesse of heart to be saved by him for wast thou once brought to this whatever else he requires from thee would appear easie So farre as thy will is made conformable to his there will appear no more difficulty in obeying his commands than â—n â—ungry man finds in eating or than a dutifull child finds in pleasing a loving Father To doe his will would then be thy great delight thou wouldest find a new nature within thee carried forth with a mighty power and sweetnesse to all those acts of obedience that flow from a willing soul. But yet farther for thy conviction Suppose a Noble-man should offer to a Beggar that if she would put off her rags and wash her self and put on the apparel he had provided and leave her vagrant life to come and dwell with him and be his loving and faithfull Wife that then he would marry her and instate her in all his honour and riches would'st thou say there was any thing required of this woman besides her willingnesse to become his Wife I hope to throw away her rags and leave her wandring companions and live like a person of honour does not look like the paying of a Portion or doing difficult works And this is thy very case poor and naked the Lord Jesus finds thee onely covered over with rags and filth these he bids thee to strip off to wash thee and make thee clean and put away the evil of thy doings to renounce thy lusts to forsake thy sinfull courses and companions to put on the white Robes which he hath provided for thee to be cloathed with his perfect righteousnesse that the guilt of thy sins may not appear and to be adorned with the graces of his Spirit that thou maist be lovely in the sight of God having thus put on Christ and he offers to espouse thee to himself and become thy Husband and Head and make thee a Joynture of heaven it self if thou wilt continue in love and faithfulnesse to him all thy days Where then is the Dowry that must be given him No he asks for none 't is thy self he desires and bids thee come boldly without money or price What easier terms what fairer offers would'st thou desire Shall I then prevail with thee or not Even as Abraham sent his Servant to seek a Wife for his Son Isaac so doe I now addresse my self to thee from my Lord and Master Jesus Christ earnestly desiring to espouse thee to him as a chast Virgin With Commission from him I make these tenders to thee Behold this hour a message of infinite concernment and greatest favour is sent to thee Christ Jesus the King of glory offers himself with all he is and hath to thee and by me his Servant thy consent is now demanded What answer dost thou give me Wilt thou be married to him or not Wilt thou not give me that comfortable answer that Rebeckah did to Abraham's Servant Gen. 24.58 I will go with thâ— man Shall I make up the match this day betwixt Christ and thy Soul If thou saist no God that stands over thee will witnesse thy own Conscience will witnesse yea these very lines shall witnesse against thee that Christ did freely offer himself and salvation to thee and thou didst perversly reject him But God forbid thou should'st doe thus foolishly in the bowels of Christ let me beseech thee not to turn the deaf ear to this message Doe not read these things sleightly as if they concern'd thee not but rather stay a while and let thy thoughts dwell upon the matter If there be not all the reason in the world for what I urge thee to sleight it and spare not but examine things well and see thou contradict not thy own reason nor undoe thy self by inconsideratenesse Once again then I ask thee art thou willing to betroth thy self to Christ forsaking other Lovers that have sued for thy heart Wilt thou promise to cleave to him at all times and in all conditions and through the assistance of grace to be faithfull and constant in thy love and obedience to thy lives end If thou say yes and art sincere in this resolution then doubt not but it will be accepted and ratified in heaven what thou hast done this hour will be recorded by God himself and remembred for ever And doe thou make hast to thy private chamber there more expresly and solemnly to professe this thy engagement to Christ and come to the Lords Table there to seal to and confirm this marriage-Marriage-Covenant and let it be thy care all thy days to continue stedfast therein and then doubt not but Christ will perform his part to a tittle 5 That I may be yet the more likely to bring thee to this saving faith in Christ which is nothing else but thy consent to be married to him to receive him for thy Lord and Saviour as I have before explained it let me entreat thee to consider the advantages thou shalt hereby receive from him If thou ask me what these are I may answer they are so great that I cannot tell thee they are such as thou must not thou canst not fully know till thou art possest of them He that was perfectly acquainted with them all might be to all eternity in revealing them for so long shall the true Christian be in enjoying them But yet least thou should'st think these were but words to draw thee on and deceive thee know that I am able out of the Book of God to tell the so much of thy gains by Christ in a line or two as will certainly bring thee to him if thou wilt be rul'd by the truest reason and perswaded to chuse what is best for thee In one word then be assured thou shalt have all that may make thee truly happy in this world the next for ever Psal. 84.11 1 Tim. 4.8 Rom. 8.28 And what can thy heart wish for more That very day wherein thy soul is thoroughly brought over to Christ thou hast right by virtue of his rich promise to all that is in heaven and earth that may be for thy good and accordingly shalt enjoy it as thou com'st to need it and art made meet to receive it So soon as by faith thou art united to Christ the guilt of all former sins is done away and for the future thy services shall be accepted and thine imperfections forgiven for God is become thy reconciled Father and will love own and blesse thee as his Child And canst thou want any thing who hast God to be thy Father who owneth all things yea who hast him to be thy portion who is better than all things All his attributes his wisdome power truth and goodnesse will be engag'd on thy behalf and employ'd for thee his works his
prepared for rebellious sinners should not be poured out upon thee who thus scornest and abusest thy compassionate Saviour By this time I hope thou art convinced that there is abundant reason why thou shouldest accept of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring thee to the salvation he hath prepared for his people in that way which he himself hath prescribed That thou mightest not want arguments of all sorts I have plainly told thee what 's like to come of thy obstinate refusall And now after all I again demand of thee whether thy heart be brought thus thoroughly to consent that Christ shall be thy Saviour and take his own way with thee to keep thee from misery and bring thee to true blessednesse Art thou resolved to give up thy self to him and follow his directions or not Shall all that hath been said doe nothing to encline thee thereto Dost thou think it better to be commanded to go from Christ hereafter than to come to him at his command for salvation here Canst thou bear his heaviest indignation rather than his easie yoke light burden Is there any thing in becoming Christs faithfull servant worse than being the Devils everlasting bondslave Bethink thy self whilst thou hast leisure and cease not these thoughts till thou arrivest to a true sense of the things that concern thee and at length art firmly resolved without any more baffling or dallying to bind thy self over to Christ by a firm Covenant to be wholly his never to depart from him but in all things sincerely to comply with him and be guided by him that thou maist escape the vengeance thy sins have exposed thee to and obtain that glory to which he will assuredly bring thee This is that Covenant with Christ or faith in him which I have been all this while perswading thee to wherein I told thee is contained thy Covenant with God the Father to love and honour him above all as thy Maker Ruler and End and with the Holy Ghost to be sanctified and led by him Which Covenâ—nâ— every man must be cordially entred into that he may be fit to partake of the Lords Supper whereby he doth professe to consecrate himself to the Father Son and Holy Ghost that is to be a true Christian as by his Baptisme he stands engaged And this is third qualification which is requisite to all Communicants And if I should name no more hence it may sufficiently appear who is fit to come to this Ordinance even he that being acquainted with the Doctrine of the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ believes all that is there related to be true and is sensible of and deeply humbled for all his sins being stedfastly resolved by Gods assistance presently from this time forward to forsake them and is unfeignedly willing to receive the Lord Jesus to be his Saviour upon the terms of the Gospel that is as I shall next speak particularly he that relies upon him alone for the pardon of his sins and is willing to be sanctified by his holy Spirit that he may be made fit for an everlasting communion with God upon whom he hath placed his highest love This is the man whom Christ will bid welcome to his Table Wherefore Reader if this be a description of the state of thy soul let not Satan or thy own fearfull misgiving heart perswade thee that thou art unfit to partake of the priviledges held forth to Believers but with a chearfull boldnesse addresse thy self to this Feast which thy gracious Lord hath appointed for thy refreshment and strengthning till he take thee to himself into his heavenly Kingdome Since I have already thus farre discovered what kind of persons Communicants ought to be from the nature of this Ordinance as it is for a Remembrance of Christ and his Death which cannot be without the knowledge of him repentance for sin and believing in him I may therefore be briefer in the particulars that follow in shewing what more is included in Remembring Christ at the Sacrament since they serve but farther to illustrate and confirm what I have already mentioned concerning the qualifications of the Receivers and since I may repeat some of them in directing those that intend to Communicate CHAP. VI. IV. A right Remembring the benefits procured for us by the Death of Christ. 1. Justification HE that Remembers Christs Death as he ought cannot but Remember what were the benefits purchast by his Death for those that believe in him which benefits are held forth and represented in the Sacrament and by it conveyed and assured to the worthy Receivers and doe call for suitable dispositions and affections in them as I shall shew particularly Of these benefits I shall name three which are the principall and contain all the rest And these are Justification Sanctification and Glorification 1. The first is Justification or the pardon of sin for the difference betwixt them is so small that I shall here take no notice of it which pardon Christ hath obtained by the satisfaction he made to divine justice by his perfect obedience and grievous sufferings for the sake whereof Believers are releast from the rigour and curse of the Law received into the favour of God and preserved from those miseries which otherwise had according to their desert befaln them Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Heb. 1.3 When he had by himself purged our sinâ— c. Heb. 9.26 But now hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Rom. 3.23 24. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ with multitudes of the like places And the Bread and Wine set apart for the Sacrament do represent Christs Body that was given and broken for us Luk. 22.19 1. Cor. 11.24 and his Blood which was shed to procure our pardon as you may read expresly Mat. 26.27 28. And he took the Cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it For this is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins That is This Wine doth signifie and represent my Blood in which the new Covenant betwixt God and man is founded and establisht and by which remission of sins and all other consequent benefits of this New Testament or Covenant are purchast And those Sacramentall actions of giving and receiving the Bread and Wine to eat and drink it doe hold forth and confirm the mutuall Covenant betwixt God and man As it seals to the Covenant on mans part that he will receive Christ as he is offered and be devoted to him and to God by him I have spoken to it under the foregoing Head and to all who sincerely doe thus God hereby seals to them that he will be their God reconciled to them through his Son and that Christ with all his benefits shall be theirs
A very Heathen anciently when he gave an account of the practice of the Christians said of them that they did sometimes in their assemblies by eating and drinking together engage one another to abstain from theft murder adultery and all kind of wickednesse so right a notion he had of the design of this duty Imagine then you heard Christ saying All that will hearken to me and become such as I would have them both in their hearts and lives let them come and take this Sacrament as a witnesse of their resolutions to cleave to me And let the voice of your souls in answer be Lord I am willing to hearken to thee to take thee for my Redeemer and Lord and it is my unfeigned desire to be holy as thou would'st have me and it is my resolution from this time forward by the help of thy Spirit to yield a sincere obedience to all thy commands and not allow my self in any known sin whilst life shall last and in witnesse hereof I take this holy Sacrament which thou hast call'd me to And thus thou do'st plight thy troth to Jesus Christ by partaking of these consecrated Elements as friends are wont to break a piece of silver betwixt them to bind each other the faster to the promises they make or as the Man and Woman expresse their consent to a Marriage by their use of the Ring And hereby thou do'st in effect professe that thou expectest salvation by Christ upon no other terms than as thou shalt be found faithfull in making and keeping this Covenant with him Thou maist easily perceive this is no trifling matter and therefore good reason there is I should advise thee to be serious and deliberate in it least by thy hypocrisie thou should'st even bind over thy self to damnation for if thy heart will not consent to such a Covenant as I have described think not I go about to perswade thee to dissemble with God But yet remember there is nothing in all this that may afford any ground of hesitation or doubting whether thou should'st do it or not unlesse thou art in a doubt whether thou hadst best be sav'd or damn'd for except thy heart be brought to such a subjection to and closure with Christ it 's impossible thou should'st ever be sav'd by him This Wedding-garment of Faith and Obedience which I would have thee put on is as necessary for thy being received into Heaven as for thy being a welcome guest at this Table And by the way consider how you have endangered your souls you who have from time to time received Sacraments and never thought of any such engagement as this which yet the very action it self lays upon you nor ever took care to be faithfull thereto In what a daring manner have you laid your selves open to vengeance And how great is that patience which hath hitherto born with you even whilst you have been wilfully guilty of most horrid perjury I mention not this to drive you to despair no there is yet hope of mercy concerning this thing if now at length you are but sensible of your miscarriage and will carefully reform it for the future Whoever you are that do now from your very hearts render up your selves to God by your Redeemer doubt not of a gracious acceptance you that with such designs do assemble to this Supper and none else are fit to come there of you will Christ say when he looks upon you as once of his Disciples who sat about him Behold my mother and my brethren Mark 3.34 for as he there addes ver 35. whosoever shall do the will of God the same is his Brother Sister and Mother Yea to you will the Lord Almighty say I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters 2 Cor. 6.18 and and safely may you regard your selves in this comfortable nearnesse of relation to him which brings me to the next 5. You that are thus truly humbled for sin and turned from it to God by Jesus Christ upon good grounds may and ought to believe that God will make good all the promises of his Covenant which he hath wade to such as you are Whereupon you may with an holy boldnesse beg the same at his hands and accordingly do it Humbly beseech him to deal with you according to those gracious promises wherein he hath caused you to trust And for the strengthning of your faith consider some of the chief of them and plead them with God in prayer and beg the blessings contained therein Pray earnestly that the Blood of Christ may cleanse you from all unrighteousnesse that your iniquities may be remembred no more but that you may have peace with him being freely justified by his grace Beseech him to give you his Holy Spirit to carry on the work of faith with power to enable you against temptations of all sorts to fill you with peace and joy to lead you in the way wherein he would have you to walk and to perform that good thing he hath begun in you to the day of Jesus Pray that you may be found in Christ at that great approaching day and may stand before him with boldnesse and be discharged from all accusations and set with the sheep on his right hand and with that little Flock be received into the Kingdome which he hath promised to all that love him And since you are as yet in the body which stands in need of outward comforts and supplies and are in a World where you have relations friends and affairs wherein you are concern'd you have promises touching these also and may therefore confidently beg your heavenly Father who knows what you need to take care of you and yours and furnish you with what he sees convenient for you to direct you in all difficulties and by his providence so to order all your affairs as may tend most to his glory and your good Ask these things of God and what ever you perceive necessary and doubt not but they shall be given into you more abundantly than you can ask or think and look upon them as confirmed to you by the Sacrament But remember alwaies that it is for Christs sake that these mercies are confer'd upon you so that you are to acknowledge your selves unworthy of the least of them and confesse if you had your own desert you should be stript of all comforts and be laid under the greatest miseries Professe therefore that all you hope for is on the account of Jesus Christ who hath purchast all things needfull for the happinesse of his people after a forfeiture was made of all by the fall of Adam through him are these good things promised and these promises fulfilled In the new Covenant founded in his blood they all accompany his Person and are ascertained to those that cordially receive him as the Wife by taking a Nobleman to her Husband is made partaker of his estate and honours So that having Christ to be
yours all that is in Heaven or Earth to do you good is yours also by vertue of that Covenant which shall never fail faithfull is he that hath promised and will do it Wherefore this Sacrament which you are about to receive being a seal of that Covenant you are to take it as an assurance and pledge that all the blessings of it such things as I directed you to pray for shall be bestowed upon you in that time and order which God sees best Here then you see is work for faith if you would receive the comfort which this Ordinance holds forth And more particularly I shall tell you in two words what it is for principally and in what manner you are here to exercise faith 1. Look upon the Sacrament as sealing to you a full and free pardon of all the sins you stand guilty of whether by nature or practice so that none of them shall be laid to your charge so as to condemn you at judgment And for your clearer proceeding herein you are to apprehend the Sacrament as joyn'd to the promise of pardon in the Gospel and so to look upon it as a Seal annext to a Writing that promiseth mercie to Rebels that submit themselves And if a King should send his Officers with many such Writings to a Companie of Men that were risen up in Arms against him and the Officer should tell them Sirs here 's a gracious message sent you from the King here are Papers under his own hand wherein he assures a Pardon to such of you that will now come in and here 's also his own Seal put to them for your greater assurance all which for your security I 'le put into your hand presently if you submit your selves They who upon this come in and take these Papers have a pardon thereby given them which they may boldly produce if afterward they should be accused Even thus are you to conceive God's Embassadour saying to you Aâ—l you that are willing to receive Jesus Christ to rule over you and save you he hath promised in his Gospel to forgive all your sins and beside that of Baptisme hath ordained the Sacrament of his Supper as a Seal of this gracious promise his Instrument of pardon and here I stand by his appointment to give out the same You now who find your selves willing thus to receive Christ are to take this Sacrament as an assurance that this promise shall be made good to you and so look upon it and with this quiet your conscience when it is unjustly clamorous and silence Satan when he haunts you with temptations to despair Then say within thy self Here 's the word of God assuring forgivenesse to all that take Christ for their Lord and Saviour which by his grace I finde my self inclined and enabled to do and he hath bound this word with his oath and to both he hath added his Sacraments as Seals and shall this three-fold cord be broken what should give me satisfaction if this do not wherefore be gone Satan shall I not rather believe thou art a liar who tellest me repent and believe and do all that I can my sins are so great they can never be forgiven than once suspect that the most true God will ever revoke that which he hath said and sworn and sealed to And at the great Judgment Day of Christ will own his Hand and Seal and then solemnly acquit thee whom he now pardons by his Gospel Safely then maist thou triumph with the Apostle Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It 's God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth It 's Christ that died c. And this Christ with his whole purchase is made over to thee oh believing soul. Even by this Sacrament is his blood as effectually made thine to wash off all the guilt that cleaves to thee as if thou hadst been bath'd in his warm blood to that purpose yea much more effectuâ—lly 2. The other Direction I would give you is That you take the Sacrament as an earnest of the everlasting glory which shall shortly without question be vouchsaft to you who remain stedfast in your Covenant with God Here in like manner you are to look upon the Gospel as a Deed of Gift whereby through Christ an Inheritance in the Heavens is setled upon you to which Deed also the Sacrament doth Seal Even as an House is made over by the delivery of a Key and Land by a Turf so there is a kinde of conveyance of Heaven it self made to you by the delivery of the Sacramental Bread and Wine into your hands And when you receive them imagine you heard God saying to you Here poor soul take this in earnest of that eternal life which I have prepared for and will bestow upon thee And if the heavenly Kingdome be thus assured to you on condition of your continuance in the love of God you need not question but all things needfull for your passage thither are herein comprehended If you shall have glory given you then be sure you shall have that grace which may fit you for and bring you to it whereof I shall speak particularly under the next head And if you are thus richly provided for as to your souls do you think your bodies shall be neglected No never fear it whatever shall be found really good for you shall be vouchsaft What shall you have Christ and his spirit grace and glory And do you question whether you shall have food and raiment Will the Father make his Son Heir of all when he comes to age and will he not afford him a maintenance till then only refer all your concernments to God to deal with you as he shall think fit and question not but hee 'l dispose of all to your contentment if you be reasonable The whole World is in the hands of your Father and it is not for want of power or love if you have not the greaâ—est share in it but it is from his wisdome and mercy which will rather give you the best He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for you and hath given him to you how shall be not with him freely give you all things Rom. 8.32 Would you have a larger word Is there any thing you want not contained in this The like you may see 1 Cor. 3.21 22. Things present and things to come all are yours yee being Christs And as godlinesse thus hath the promises of this life and that which is to come so both sorts of promises are here confirmed to you by the Sacrament which is a seal of that full Covenant wherein blessings both of the right hand and of the left are given to Believers You may see then I hope by this time that this is no common Bread and Wine which is appointed for so great purposes If a tuig was given into your hands whereby some great estate was conveyed to you you would value it sure above a
more have mercy upon me He I am sure will be true to his promises and shall I be false to mine and so fall under his threatnings And after this manner quicken your selves to duty when ever you are apt to grow listlesse to any part of God's service and also quiet your spirits when they are ready to rise up in tumult and discontent under any cross that befalls you Then think I have resign'd up my self to God as to a loving Father let him do with me what he please therefore be still my heart and rebell not against nor murmur at his righteous will If you can but thus finde your selveâ— more strongly bent against sin and better able to put off â—emptations to it this is the surest evidence you can have of profiting by the Sacrament And beware of imagining that any space of time can wear out the force of that obligation which is here laid upon you which as unreasonable as it is one would think was the opinion of mâ—ltitudes for they 'l be very demure and solemn a little before they go to the Communion and a day or two after but within a very little while all seems forgotten and they are just such as they were before But for certain God forgets not their promises though they do nor will he forget their breach of them as they will one day finde to their cost if they take not another course The bonds you are entred into to render homâ—ge and obedience to God will never be cancel'd For this is a debt you will owe as long as you live though you are alwaies paying it Baptism will be as strong an engagement upon you to godlinesse when you are sixâ—y as when you are but sixteen And the same strictnesse the Lords Supper binds you to for a day to the same doth it bind you all your days Think now what an horrible thing it would be to run into drunkenness whoredome or quarrelling the same day you have received it and know your sin is little lesse hainous though it be a Month or two or twenty after it for this breaks your oath as well as that If the Wife be guilty of Adultery twenty years after her marriage her crime is as great as if it had been within a week after for she had oblig'd her self to conjugall fidelity as long as she and her husband should live And thus your Covenant with God is not for a Month or Year only but for your whole lives If you should never but once have opportunity to receive the Sacramet this would ever after remain a forcible engagement upon you but yet God in his wisdome and good providence hath ordered that this duty should be frequently repeated that it might the more work upon and affect our mindes who are prone to be so forgetfull and dull Remember then the matter is now out of your hands you have given away your selves to God and cannot revoke this gift since indeed you gave him nothing but what was his own before After these vows there is no inquiry to be made whether they should be kept or not Yet this much I 'le say to you if you can finde a greater portion and surer friend than God a better Master than Christ better work than his service better wages than life eternal you may take your choice for I would wish you to nothing for your hurt or losse nor doth God you may be sure that blessed Beeing who wants nothing out of himself nor envies his Creatures any thing that 's truly good for them but till you can thus better dispose of your selves keep your first love and if you will keep it till then I shall never question your perseverance to the last And as you are thus to improve this Ordinance to quicken you to and help you in your duty so may you make advantage of it for your comfort by remembring how God stands engaged to you by that Covenant to which he hath here set his seal and which he will be sure to perform to you that depart not from him With this consideration repell all temptations to excessive doubtings and despair When the remembrance of former sins is ready to overwhelm you have recourse to your sealed pardon and confidently take the comfort it affords you When you finde the remnants of corruption yet so strong within you that you are afraid you shall never hold out remember the Holy Ghost is in Covenant with you to assist you in your combat and will bring you off Conquerour if you throw not away your weapons And let this encourage you the more to beg his assistance yea in all your addresses to God let it strengthen your faith to apprehend him as in covenant with you And if you are surprized by any sin yet whil'st it's matter of grief and shame to you and you are resolv'd to be more watchfull for the time to come let it not cast you into such a sorrow as tends only to disquiet and consume your spirits but remember God hath assured you through Christ the forgiveness of such weaknesses and they shall not put you out of Covenant with him but know if you are hereupon a whit the more encouraged to aâ—y sin it is a very great sign that this promise of pardon at present belongs not to you In a word whatever difficulties you are plunged into relating to soul or body let this still uphold you to consider that God hath engag'd himself to be with you in all estates and conditions and to order all things so that the issue of them shall be for your advantage And thus by a frequent consideration of your own engagements at the Lords Table and of the priviledges thereby confer'd upon you you will finde your selves not only comforted and cheared but very much advantaged for the walking on more steadily in the ways of holiness 2. And to the same end my next counsel is That the Lord Jesus whom you have here been remembring may ever live fresh in your thoughts Let not your remembrance of him be confin'd to Sacrament-seasons but let him ever dwell in your heâ—rts by faith and love Set his example before you and labour to walk as he walkt who counted it his meat and drink to be doing his Fathers will Behave your self as you believe he would have done was he in your case Consider how meek and lowly he was how little he regarded yea how much he contemned the riches honours and applause of the World and learn â—ou to valâ—e them at the same rate Consider how patient he was in sufferings how courteous and gentle to all to the vilest siâ—ners and his bitterest enemies doing hurt to none but seeking the good of all Copie out this lesson also Willingly deny your selves take up your cross and follow him Grudge not to be conformed to hâ—m though in suffering it self and complain not till you are in a worse case than he was who had not where to