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A53963 A practical discourse upon the Blessed Sacrament shewing the duties of the communicant before, at, and after the Eucharist / by Edward Pelling ... Pelling, Edward, d. 1718. 1692 (1692) Wing P1089; ESTC R20512 120,778 284

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our Saviour's Body was on Earth Locally though a Medicinal Vertue went out of it so that they who did but touch the borders of his Garment were Healed of their Diseases yet it did not operate effectually without some previous Preparation of Faith In Matth. 15. 28. He told the Woman of Canaan that would not be put off before he had taken Compassion upon her Child O Woman great is thy Faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt And when the Woman with a Bloody Issue had but touched his Cloaths though she was afraid for her Presumption being at last discovered yet received she this Gracious Answer Daughter be of good Comfort thy Faith hath made thee whole Matth. 9. 22. On the contrary you shall find that the Incredulity of People did as it were bind up the Hands of his Omnipotence and shut up the Bowels of Compassion so that his Miracles were very few where their Faith was very rare A clear instance we have in Matth. 13. in his own Country at Nazareth he did not many Mighty Works because of their Vnbelief v. 58. some indeed he did for he Healed a few Sick Persons who had Faith to be Healed but St. Mark tells us that many mighty works he could not do there Marc. 6. 5. Now to bring down this Consideration to our present Business The Body of Christ doth still cast like Influences and Virtues from Heaven and his Spirit doth Dispense them at this Sacrament but he Dispenseth them according to his good Pleasure and he is not pleased to work Miracles on such as do not Believe but every one Receiveth it according as he is Prepared by Faith We see the Sun darteth his Beams into the bowels of the Earth insensibly and maketh every Plant to Bud and Germinate and Shoot forth but yet his Rays have no Power over Roots that are Dead and Rotten And yet there is a Natural and Irresistible power over things below whereas the Influences which flow down from the Man Christ Jesus do not act Physically and after an uncontroulable manner neither is there that intrinsick Power in the Sacrament or such Virtues of the Spirit going along with it as to work upon Hearts that are not opened to its Operations by a Lively Faith No the Sacrament is the outward and Ritual Means but Faith is the Moral and inward Instrument of bringing Christ to the Soul and every Man's Receipts are according as he Believes And therefore among other things which we are to search and enquire into we must be careful to look well into our Creed and in the first place Examine our selves whether we be indeed in the Faith as St. Paul speaks 2 Corinth 13. 1. Meaning that we must approve our Faith unto God and our Consciences and see that it be such as the Gospel requires and our Hearts must bear us Witness that we Believe as we should do before we presume to Eat of this Bread and to Drink of this Cup. 2. NOW because no Man is able to approve his Faith or to make any Judgment of it at all unless he doth first know what his Faith ought to be and how far it is required to extend therefore I shall proceed to the second thing I promised to shew viz. What it is that every Communicant is obliged to Believe that you may be satisfied in your Minds whether you are sufficiently Prepared for the Communion in this respect And this I shall do the rather because many have spoken very loosely and extravagantly upon this Theme as if none could be a Worthy Receiver except he be perswaded in his Mind that God Elected him to Salvation from all Eternity and except he be assured that all his Sins are certainly Pardoned and that he shall be Absolutely and Infallibly Saved in the day of the Lord. Which Conceits I am confident have served to deter thousands from this Admirable and Heavenly Ordinance who though they had never such good Meanings and honest Purposes and were as we may believe Sincere in their Hearts yet because they could not find themselves thus perswaded have refrained coming to the Lord's Table to the great disquiet and prejudice of their Souls Therefore to remove this rub out of the way be pleased to take notice that it is not absolutely necessary for a Man before he goes to the Sacrament to be confidently assured of his present Forgiveness or his Future Felicity We do not deny but all Men must be assured of the Truth of God's Promise in the general Nor do we deny but that every one is to believe in particular that he himself may be Pardoned and shall be Happy on Condition that he Sincerely and Honestly endeavours to observe the Precepts of the Christian Religion We do not deny neither but a strong assurance there may be in some Eminent Members of the Church especially when they come to Dye But that every one is bound before he doth Communicate to be Absolutely and Peremptorily assured of his Happiness is a very Extravagant and groundless Conceit And that for these two Reasons 1. BECAUSE the Scripture saith nothing of this or that Man 's particular Condition God hath not made any such Revelations in his Word and therefore we are not bound to be assured of the thing For the Word of God written is the Adequate Rule of our Faith So we rightly affirm against the Romanists with respect to their Traditions and so we are to affirm against all Enthusiasts too with reference to their Airy and Confident Opinions The Holy Scriptures are our Guide and what they do not say is not necessary for any of us to Believe Quod de Scripturis non habet autoritatem eadem facilitate contemnitur qua probatur as St. Jerom said meaning that whatsoever cannot be proved by the Authority of the Scriptures ought not to be Believed as a Necessary Article of Faith Now look into the Bible and see if you can find your Names written there or in the Book of Life if you can any where find it said that your Sins are Pardoned or if you can discover any Absolute Decree that you shall Infallibly be Saved 'T is true the Word of God gives us all many Excellent Promises many great and comfortable Hopes but still it speaks in General that they who Believe shall not Perish that they who Repent shall be Forgiven and that they who persevere in well-doing unto the end shall be Saved But it saith not in particular that I am such or that I shall fare so Onely indeed I may draw Particulars out of Generals by way of Argumentation and Rational Discourse and I may Judge of my self by measuring my self with the Rule and by comparing my Condition and State with the Gospel-terms and so I may have very comfortable and strong Hopes enough to quiet my Mind and Spirit that I am in a State of Grace and that God will shew Mercy unto me in that day but to go farther and to