A VVORTHY Communicant OR A TREATISE Shewing the Due Order of Receiving the Sacrament of the LORDS Supper By IER DYKE Minister of Epping in Essex Levit. 10. 3. I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me Cypr. de Can. Dom. Nec se judicant nec Sacramenta dijudicant Petr. Bles Epist. 40. Vide ne Dominus dicat de te Ecce manus tradentis me mecum in mensa Dederunt in escam meam fel. LONDON Printed by R. B. for R. Dawlman and L. Fawne at the Brazen Serpent in S. Pauls Church-yard 1636. TO the Right Honourable LORD THOMAS Earle of Winchilsea And to the Right Honourable the Lady CECILL Countesse of Winchilsea his most Pious Consort Right Honourable IT was a salt and a smart speech which one Melancthon spake unto an Italian Vos Itali vnltis Deum habere in pane quem non creditis esse in coelis Melch. Adam in vit Melanch You Italians will have God to be in the bread in the Sacrament whom ye beleeve not to be in Heaven It were to be wished that many amongst our selves were not under the guilt of somewhat the like incongruity It is an high opinion that men generally have of the Sacrament and reason good it should be had in pretious esteeme but that which is sad to consider they partake of that Ordinance with such irreverence carelesnesse and prophanenesse of spirit as if they beleeved not there were a God or as if in that Ordinance they had not to do with the God of Heaven That which was once injoyned the Dominican Priests in memory Morn myst Iniq. prog 56. and hatred of that heinous act of one of their fraternity in poysoning the Emperour Henry the seventh in the Hoast That they should communicate only with the left hand may bee feared to bee the case of too many thorow their owne negligence that they are no better than left-handed Communicants It matters not before God with what hand the Sacrament be received the right-hand or the left so the heart be right and the work done in a right order But yet in a spirituall sense to be left-handed receivers is a matter not only of disgrace but of danger It is all one in Scripture phrase to be left and to be lame-handed And to be sure to be left-handed in this worke is to be lame-handed The lame and the blinde who knowes not in what ill esteeme they were with God The lame and the blind had no acceptance with God And wherein concernes it men to be more solicitous for acceptance than in the solemne service of receiving the Sacrament No acceptance is to be had but when it is well done If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted sayes the Lord to Cain It was good which Cain did in offering Sacrifice but if thou do well shalt thou not be accepted It must be a good thing and a good thing well done which shal find acceptance That speech of Aarons in his case would be a very seasonable thought for men before the Sacrament Behold this day such Lev. 10. 19. things have befallen me and if I had eaten the sin-offering to day should it have beene accepted in the sight of the Lord Happy were it that before the Sacrament men would thus say with themselves Behold this day week this moneth c. such things have befallen me and I have fallen into such sinnes as have made my person guilty mine heart hard and dead and if I should in such a case before I have prepared my self by faith and repentance eat the Supper Lord should I be accepted in the sight of the Lord They were crosses and afflictions which by Gods providence befell Aaron in the death of his Sons and the sorrow and mourning that followed thereupon that indisposed and unfitted him for eating the flesh of the sin-offering Sanctified things were not to be eaten in a mans mourning Deut. 26. 14. They be sins that men thorow their owne corruption fall into that they live and lye in and the want of sorrow and mourning for them that unfit men for eating the Sacrament With spirituall sorrow and mourning for sin should these sanctifyed things be eaten And for want of this and other due dispositions it is that this holy Ordinance that men seeme to think so highly and reverently of is so much abused and profaned Conceiving it therefore a worke of charity to direct people to a preparation and a performance suitable to the holinesse and excellency of the Ordinance I have published this small treatise And such as it is I present it to your Honours as a publike testimony of that thankfulnesse service and due regard I owe unto you and your Noble Family the which deserves so much the more honour from men by how much the more it is honoured by God They were ill Si quis ex nobilibus ad Deum coÌ„verti caeperitstatim honorem nobilitatis amittit Religio ignobilem facit Si honoratior quispiam religioni se applicueâ—it â—llico honoratus esse disistit Salv. de Provid lib. 4. times that Salvian lived in and complained of when religion and godlinesse were thought staines and blemishes of Honour as if Religion made Noble Persons vile and ignobled Greatnesse But that which GOD cals Glory and Honour let no man account shame and basenesse It is most true which S. Bernard writes to Sophia a religious Noble Woman Thou art the more Insignior plane atque illustrior quod de paucis facta es quam quod orta de magnis Illud namque Dei munere tuum est Hoc tuorum Porro quod tuum est tanto carius cst c. Bernard Ep. 113. illustrious that thou art made one of few aluding to that of Paul Not many Noble than that thou art borne of Great Ones That by Gods gift is thine owne this namely her Birth and Noble Parentage thou art beholding to thy Parents for That which is thine owne is so much the more deere by how much the more rare Who shall finde a vertuous woman much more a vertuous and Noble one God indeed is no accepter of persons yet I know not how it comes to passe yet to passe it comes that vertue in a Noble person is more pleasing peradventure because it is more shining As light is more glorious in the Stars of greater than of lesser magnitude It is a most sure thing what ever the world may judge that nothing so enobles as Christ grace and being in the Covenant I have blessed Ishmael sayes the Lord twelve Princes shall he beget But my Covenant will I establish with Isaac Account it your greater Honour Gen. 17. 20. 21. to be in the Covenant than to have Seed Royall issue out of your loynes or to have Bloud Royall runne in your veynes Then are persons truly Honourable indeed when pretious in Gods sight Since thou wast pretious in my sight thou hast beene honourable So may You
institution excellency efficacy benefit and comfort Nay is it not in many regards above and beyond it and shal our preparation be lesse than theirs When we are invited to our neighbours Tables to feast with them how doe we spruce up our selves in our comelier and cleanlier apparrell and how much rather will we choose to be absent then to come in undecent and homely attire When we come to the Sacrament we come to the Lords Table to a Feast of his preparing and therefore should be no lesse carefull to dresse trim and spruce up our soules then we are to trim our bodies when we goe to the Tables of men It is a sad thing to consider what little care and conscience men generally have of this duty and how rudely and rashly men thrust themselves into Gods presence and unto his Table Many have the civility and the manners not to offer to sit downe at a Noblemans Table because they doe not judge themselves persons of that rank and quality who are fit to sit downe at such a mans board But who is it that doth not thinke himselfe as fit and as worthy to sit downe at Gods Table as the holiest and the best prepared person that is Our Saviour put a question to those Disciples Mat. 20. 22. Are ye able to drinke of the cup that I shall drinke of And we know how roundly but yet withall how rashly they answer We are able So put the like question to most men Are yee able and ready fitted and worthy to drink of the Cup of the Lords Table and you shall have as round and as rash answer Wee are able wee are fit and worthy and yet the Lord he knowes they never have bestowed one poore houre in preparation they are so far from foure dayes they have not foure houres preparation so farre from a preparation-day that there is not so much as aâ— preparation-houre with theÌ„ The preparation specially of the younger sort is to put on their best dresse their finer apparell and to be a little braver when they come to the Sacrament than at other times But for a spirituall preparation of the heart to fit it for so holy and solemne a service it is a thing that is never once lookt after nor thought upon To quicken men then to this Duty consider these things 1 First According to a mans preparation such is his profit and benefit God proportions every mans profit by the Sacrament according to his preparation to the Sacrament The more diligent and serious preparation before we come the greater benefit and profit when we come Preparation is the seed time receiving is the harvest every man reapes proportionably to what he sowes He that sowes nothing reapes nothing No preparation no profit Hee that sowes little reapes not much reapes but little 2 Cor. 9. 6. Hee that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly He that is sparing and slight in his preparation shall reape but slightly and sparingly in matter of benefit little preparation little profit But the more we prepare our selves and the more time paines and diligence we spend therin the greater benefit and comfort we shall meet with in receiving for he which sowes bountifully shall reape bountifully It is in the duty of receiving as in the duty of praying The more prepared the heart is to pray the greater is a mans returne from heaven Psal 10. 17. Thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine eare to heare To have our heart prepared is the due order of seeking God in prayer And the more God gives a man an heart to prepare himselfe to pray the more God prepares his owne eare to heare So in the case of receiving thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine hand to give God so enlarges his hand as we enlarge our hearts and nothing furthers the enlargement of the heart more than solemne preparation Then may a man expect a liberall and plentifull blessing in the use of the Ordinance when he comes with a sufficient preparation and sanctification of himselfe Hezekiah his passeover which he appointed to be kept could not bee kept at the appointed time but was put off to the second moneth and the reason is given of it 2 Chron. 30. 3. For they could not keepe it at that time because the Priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently which implyes that when the Passeover was to be celebrated the Priests were not only to sanctifie themselves but to sanctifie themselves sufficiently And so it holds good for people also that when they come to the Sacrament they must have a care not only to sanctifie themselves but to sanctifie themselves sufficiently There may be an insufficient preparation and where the preparation is insufficient there cannot be expected such a sufficient measure of spirituall good and blessings as we desire The more sufficient our preparation is the more effectuall the Sacrament shall be The efficiency of the Sacrament is ever sutable to the sufficiency of our preparation Fill the mens sacks with food as much as they can carry sayes Ioseph to his Steward Gen. 44. 1. Look how they came prepared with sacks Beasts so they were sent back with corne the greater and the more sacks they had prepared the more Corne they carry away if they had prepared but small sacks and a few they had carried away the lesse A prepared heart is a vessell that shall be filled at the Sacrament Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Psal 81. 10. Now the more or lesse the heart is prepared the greater or lesser is the Vessell According to the size and capacity of the Vessell shall it be filled Fill such mens hearts with spirituall blessings with vertue from Christ with the comforts of the Holy Ghost says the Lord at the Sacrament fill them with spirituall food as ful as they can hold as much as they can carry What a sweet comfort is that Who desires not to carry away froÌ„ the Sacrament as much as may be Then be carefull to prepare our hearts and prepare Sacramenta sunt fodinae gratiae Dispositio est vasculum gratiae pro majore dispositione affectu tuo majorem reportabis Euseb Neâ—eml then to the purpose The larger is our preparation the larger is our Vessell the larger our Vessell the larger is our largesse and doale at the Sacrament If we carry not away as much as we would it is our owne fault that by preparation we did not furnish our selves with a more capacious vessell The poore pittances that many goe from the Sacrament withall make them droope when they are gone They may thank themselves for if Iosephs brethren had brought small sacks they could not have carried away much corne out of Egypt Let men come with hearts so prepared as they should and they shall be laden and filled with as much as they can carry 2 Secondly when we come to the Sacrament We come to meet God and to serve God We
come to meet God Now it must be in cases of meeting God in mercy as it must be in cases of meeting him when he is displeased Amos 4. 12. Prepare to meet thy God O Israel In cases of justice and displeasure God will meet with men though they prepare not yea and because they prepare not but in a case of blessing in the use of an Ordinance no preparation no meeting They Note 1 that will meet God in an Ordinance must draw neer to him Iam. 4. Draw neere to God and he will draw neere to you There must be a mutuall drawing neer betweene God and us if ever we will meet If God draw neere to us yet if we draw not neere to him we cannot meet him Now unlesse we first prepare our selves to an Ordinance we cannot come neere unto him but when prepared then we are in a disposition and qualification to come neere unto him Marke how Hezekiah speakes to the Levites 2 Chron. 29. 31. Now ye have consecrated your selves to the Lord Come neere and bring Sacrifices and Thank-offerings into the house of the Lord. The preparation of a mans selfe is the consecration of a mans selfe and when by preparation a man is consecrated and sanctified then may a man come neere and draw neere and so meet with God But if no preparation no consecration if no consecration no drawing neere if no drawing neere no meeting with God To the same purpose is that Exod. 12. 48. When a stranger shall sojourne with thee and will keepe the Passeover to the Lord let all his males be circumcised and then let him come neere and keep it So that first there must be circumcision before he must come neere An unprepared person is uncircumcised and such an one may not come neere and how can he meet with God that may not come neere So when we come to the Sacrament we come to serve God it is a speciall service of his Name Now no service can be done to God without preparation 1 Sam. 7. 3. Prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him So that if no preparation no service Vnprepared persons in comming to the Sacrament doe God no service at all The very Heathens saw that by the light of Nature that God was not to be served at an adventure or by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. way but that men should come on purpose to worship him and come prepared from their houses If therefore we intend God a service in the receiving of the Sacrament Come we prepared All Gods services require a precedent preparation Thirdly it is a comfortable signe of uprightnesse and sincerity of heart to prepare our selves religiously for the receiving of the Sacrament and the more forwardnesse and readinesse in preparation the greater signe of uprightnesse of heart When the Sacrifices and the rest of that service of God was to be performed 2 Chron. 29. we find that Vers 34. The Priests were too few and the Levites were faine to helpe untill the other Priests had sanctified had prepared themselves but what was the reason the Levites were forwarder to sanctifie themselves than the Priests were The reason is laid downe in the end of the Verse Because they were more upright in heart therefore by proportion it followes that they that are most forward and most carefull to sanctifie and prepare themselves for the Sacrament are the most sincere and upright in heart And as in all Ordinances so especially in the Sacrament it is good to come with an upright heart We come thither that it may doe us good and that we may receive good from God in it with the more sincerity we come the more may we looke for good Psal 125. 4. Doe good O Lord unto those that bee good and to them that are upright in their hearts God will doe good in the Sacrament to all such as come to it with an upright heart And they that come duly prepared come with upright hearts Fourthly no man can come so worthily as hee ought nor so fit as he ought when wee have prepared our selves the best that we can yet alas what a deale of deadnesse and dulnesse of spirit what a deale of hardnesse of heart will come along with us But here now is one singular encouragement to seeke God in this Order of preparation Though a man may have many wants may come much short of that he should have and be yet if the Lord see that a man sets himselfe seriously to prepare himselfe and that he takes paines in the duty that he may seeke God sincerely in the use of the Sacrament he will winck at beare with and passe by many failings and they shal prove no hinderance at all to his profitable and comfortable receiving Consider that passage 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20 21. There were diverse of them that had eaten the Passeover otherwise than it was written that is indeed a fault for that was not to eate the Passeover after the due Order and their faile was That they had not cleansed themselves they failed in some legall and ceremoniall purification but yet though they failed in outward preparation yet they were carefull of the inward and spirituall preparation of their hearts That being done though the other were overslipped Hezekiah prayes for them on this manner The good Lord pardon every one that prepares his heart to seeke God the Lord God of his Fathers the he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary As if he had said Lord though these men have not purified themselves with outward purification yet in as much as they have prepared and purified their hearts so long as the main and materiall thing is done be pleased to pardon this faile impute not this want unto them neither let it be any barre to thy blessing but that faile notwithstanding let thine Ordinance be powerfull effectuall unto them And see what the successe was V. 20. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people And Vers 21. There followed great gladnesse of heart in the people they kept the Feast of unleavened bread with great gladnesse See then how gracious God is to passe by all wants and weaknesses to heale them and hide them when people are carefull of the maine to prepare their hearts to seeke God in an Ordinance There followes gladnesse and joy of spirit upon it that was a signe of Gods being wel pleased with them And that is ever the fruit of preparation a prepared heart shall be a joyfull heart See 2 Chron. 29. 35 36. So the service of the house of the Lord was set in Order And Hezekiah rejoyced and all the people that God had prepared the people Here was Gods service set in Order and Gods servants set in Order their hearts prepared and set in Order and Hezekiah and all the people rejoyced Chap. 3. Of the great danger of comming to the Sacrament without preparation CHAP. 3 SVfficient
might these things already mentioned be to make us carefull to come to the Sacrament after the due Order with preparation But because our carelesse hearts are not so easily wrought upon try we yet a little further what we may be brought unto by shame or feare of danger for to come to the Sacrament without due preparation is both a shamefull and a dangerous thing Rogo vos fratres diligenter attendite si ad mensam cujusque potâ—ntis hominis nâ—mo presumit cum vestibuâ— conscissis inquinatis accedere â—uâ—nto mâ—â—is c. Aug. De temp Ser. 251. 1 First it is a matter of shame It were a matter of soule shame for a man to come and sit downe at a great mans Table in rags and tatters in his nastinesse and filthinesse and in such a case how would we take and tucke up such an one Art thou not ashamed to come to such a mans Table in so base a fashion What an uncivill fellow art thou in such a garbe to come into such a presence And is it not then a matter of fouler shame to come rudely unpreparedly and unbeseemingly Quid vero annon vides vasa abluta adeo nitida splendida His longe mundiores oportet esse animas his sanctiores splendidiores Quare Quoniam illa propter nos fiunt talia Illa eum qui inest non participant non sentiunt Nos autem participamus sentimus Nunc autem vase quidem sordido uti nolueris sordida autem immunda accedis anima 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in Ephes 1. hom 3 unto the Lords Table Consider that 2 Chron. 30. 15. The Priests and the Levites were ashamed and sanctified themselves And why were they ashamed because they had so long deferred their sanctification and preparation and therefore at length for very shame did sanctifie themselves It was a matter of shame then that they had so long put off their sanctification They have cause of shame that sanctifie not themselves in due time for holy duties And if it be a matter of shame to deferre it though done at the last then how much more is it a shame to neglect it altogether and not to doe it at all If a foule cloath should be laid on the Communion Table if the Napkin wherein the bread is laid were not cleane if the Cup Vessels in which the Wine is put were not made handsome and decent men wold cry shame of it and would say that it is an arrant shame that the linnen and vessels be in such a case that it is an arrant shame that these things are not provided and prepared to be in more decent and cleanly order And a shame it were indeed there ought to be an outward decency in these things Our Saviour made no choise of any room at adventure to eat the Passeover in but of a decent handsome furnisht roome Luke 22. 12. He shall shew you a large upper roome furnished there make ready Now then were it a shame that the vessels and linnen should not in their kinde be fitted and decently prepared what a foule shame then not to have our soules and hearts prepared what is a foule cloth or a sullied vessell to a foule and an unprepared soule Oh shame that men will offer to come to Gods Table with sluttish and unprepared spirits should not we much more be prepared than the vessels They containe but the outward elements for our use but we come to receive the body and bloud of Christ Will we have the vessels prepared and can we for shame come with unprepared hearts 2 Secondly it is a matter of great danger to come unprepared to the Table of the Lord that eating of the Passeover of theirs otherwise than it was written 2 Chron. 30. 18. it was a dangerous thing and Hezekiah was faine to make speciall suite for mercy for them And yet that want of theirs was but an omission of some Legall Ceremony How much more dangerous had it beene if for the inward substance of preparation they had done it otherwise than it was written To come to the Sacrament without such preparation is dangerous indeed The dangers are these 1 First that which the Apostle speakes of 1 Cor. 11. 27. Whosoever shall eate this bread and drinke this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. The end of the Sacrament and our comming to it is to shew forth the Lords death But now if we come unpreparedly to it we make our selves guilty of the Lords death We come to the Sacrament to drink the Lords bloud but if we come unpreparedly to it wee come to shed the Lords bloud and so instead of drinkers prove shedders of Qua ratione reus fit indigne assumens perinde nimitum ac si ipse sanguinem Domini effundat Vt n. qui tum pupugerunt Christum non ut biberent effuderunt veruÌ„ ut effunderent sic indigne bibens nihilque inde commodi referens frustra ac temere profudie sangumem Theophil in 1 Cor. 10. Chrys 1 Cor. 11. hom 27. Christs bloud An unworthy receiver is guilty of Christs bloud how so because he doth so as if he shed his bloud he doth so as the shedders of Christs bloud did For looke as they that crucified pierced Christ powred not forth his blod that they might drinke it but onely that they might powre it forth and shed it So he that doth unworthily and unpreparedly drink his bloud receiving thereby no profit nor benefit he hath rashly and in vaine shed his bloud Now do but sit downe and consider how fearfull a thing it is to be guilty of Christs bloud It is a fearefull thing to be guilty of any mans bloud yea to bee guilty of a wicked mans bloud how much more then to be guilty of the bloud of the Sonne of God of the bloud of God Deliver me O Lord from bloud-guiltinesse cryes David Psal 51. It is a very heavie thing to have an hand in mans bloud That same is a sad Text 2 Sam. 3. 28 29. I and my kingdome sayes David are guiltlesse before the Lord for ever from the bloud of Abner the Son of Ner let it rest on the head of Ioab and on all his Fathers house and let there not faile from the House of Ioab one that hath an issue or that is a Leaper or that leaneth on a staffe or that falles on the sword or that lacks bread What an heavie Imprecation was this upon Ioab and that for the bloud of Abner who was none of the best neither And if so heavie a curse upon Ioab for being guilty of Abner's bloud how much more heavie will the curse be upon him that shall be guilty of the bloud of Christ God will require the bloud of a man at the hands of a beast Gen. 9. 5. The Ox that killed a man must be stoned to death and his flesh must not
to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth Therefore no salvation but where there is the knowledge of the truth No knowledge then and not yet in the state of salvation and what have we to doe with the Sacrament that not in the state of salvation That man that is fit for the Sacrament and duly prepared for it is fit and prepared for Heaven and that man that is unfit for Heaven is unfit for the Sacrament and that man is unfit for Heaven that is without the knowledge of God 3 Thirdly consider what is the end of our comming to the Sacrament The end of our comming is to have Communion with God in his Ordinance And therefore there is a necessity of comming with knowledge He only comes comfortably and profitably to the Sacrament who therein hath communion with God and one speciall way to have communion with him is to have the knowledge of him Iâ—â— â—4 7. I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord And they shall bee my people and I will bee their God when we are his people and he our God then we have communion with him and this cannot be that he should be our God and we his people till we know him We have nothing to do with the Sacrament nor with fellowship with God therein till we be his people and his people we cannot be till we have an heart to know him A man will not have communion with any with whom he hath not acquaintance with such as are strangers to him We doe decline familiarity with strangers where the knowledge of God is not there men are strangers to God Ephes 4. 18. being alienated estranged through the ignorance that is in them And so no knowledge of God no fellowship with God no knowledge no communion And to what end is it to come to the Communion without communion with God A Communion without Communion with God is but a comfortlesse Communion As therefore we desire to have Communion with God when wee come to the Communion so come with knowledge Knowledge it is true that a man may have and yet have no communion with God but Communion with God can no man have unlesse he have knowledge A man is not fit to partake of the Sacrament till he be fit to partake of the Covenant and that which is required to make a man fit for the participation of the covenant is no lesse required to make a man fit for the participation of the Sacrament Now knowledge is necessarily required for the participation of the covenant Heb. 8. 10 11. For this is the covenant I will make for all shall know mee from the least to the greatest That which is required to make us partakers of the covenant is required to make us fit for communion with God and that which is required to make us partakers of the covenant must needs be as much required to make us partakers of the seale of the Covenant Such a necessity of knowledge there is in him that receives the Sacrament 4 Fourthly consider how utterly unfit a man is whilest he is in ignorance That appeares in these particulars 1 First No man is fit to be a partaker of the seale of the covenant who is not in the covenant of grace neither can say that he is so Ignorant persons cannot say that they are in the covenant of grace for such as are in the covenant of grace have received an anointing which teaches them of all things 1 Iohn 2. 27. And they that be effectually called are taught of God Iohn 6. 45. And they that are in covenant with God they all know him from the least of them to the greatest of them Ier. 31. 33 34. Therefore they that know not God that are not taught of God they that are not anointed are not in covenant with God Such are all ignorant persons they be persons unanointed they be persons untaught of God they know not God therefore are they not in covenant with God and being not in covenant have nothing to doe with the Sacrament for in the use of the Sacrament there is a sealing of the covenant unto us Now a man can have no right to have the covenant sealed unto him till he be in the covenant and ignorant persons are not in covenant with God so that the ignorant mans receiving is but the having of a seale to a blanke And what is a man the better for that What is a man the better for having the Kings broad-Seale to a Parchment that hath nothing written in it He hath nothing but a peece of Parchment and wax he hath neither land nor living sealed and conveighed to him thereby Iust so it is in this case 2 Secondly none have any benefit by the Sacrament but such as are real and actual members of Christs body The Sacrament is spirituall food and all the members of Christs body receive nourishment and growth by the use of this food but yet they must bee members of the body or else no nourishment growth or life Ignorant persons are not actuall members of Christs body They are captives of Satan fast in the Divels clutches and possession 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. They that know not the truth are in the snare of the divell and are taken captive by him at his will Ignorance is the very power of the divell Acts 26. 18. To turne them from darknesse to light from the power of Satan unto God That which is called darknesse in the first is called the power of Satan in the latter clause so that the divell having and holding a man in ignorance hath and holds him in his power And are such the members of Christs body that are wholly in the power and possession of the divell Have they any thing to doe to participate of Christs body in the Sacrament that are no members of his mysticall body Are such as are Satans slaves vassals and captives fit to come to the Lords Table and have fellowship with the God of heaven 3 Thirdly an ignorant person is utterly unfit for the Lords Table God forbad to offer the blinde the blinde was an abomination to him And what difference betweene a blinde offering and the offering of the blinde A blinde offerer that hath the eyes of his mind out is worse and more abominable then a blinde offering The Law denyed a Leaper the benefit of civill Society therefore much more of holy Communion in publike services and sacrifices Now an ignorant person is a kinde of leaper he hath one perillous symptome of leaprosie namely that same Levit. 13. 44. The Priest shall pronounce him utterly uncleane his plague is in his head Therefore when a man hath a plague in his head he is utterly uncleane and therefore to bee shut out of the campe verse 46. Much more therefore from holy society An uncleane man is not fit to come to the Lords Table and every ignorant person having a plague in his
repentance Mat. 3. Iohn did baptise the people that came unto him but he first preaches repentance to them Vers 2. and they professe repentance unto him before they be baptised Vers 6. They were baptised of him confessing their sins And so Acts 2. 38. Repent and be baptised first repent and then come to the Sacrament of Baptisme It is so also with the Sacrament of the Lords Supper repent and receive the Lords Supper first repent and then come to the Lords Supper And therefore 1 Cor. 11. 31. he wishes us to judge our selves before we come to the Sacrament which is a speciall worke of repentance In the Sacrament wee draw nigh to God and we desire to have the Lord draw nigh to us If therefore we would draw neere to God or have him draw neere to us we must come after the due Order If we draw neere to God and do it disorderly he will not draw neere to us nor have any fellowship with us Now what is Gods Order and the due Order wherein he would have us draw neere unto him we finde Iames 4. 8 9. 10. Draw nigh to God and hee will draw nigh to you But after what Order must we draw nigh to him Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie CHAP. 5 your hearts you double minded be afflicted and mourne and weepe c. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord. This is the Order after which wee must draw neere to God namely prepared and fitted for fellowship with him by unfained repentance Hezekiah proclaimed a solemne Passeover to be kept at Ierusalem and the Order after which they kept it is worth the observing and is for our imitation before we come to the Sacrament First the Priests they cleanse the Temple and brought out all the uncleannesse that they found in the Temple of the Lord into the court of the House of the Lord and the Levites tooke it to carry it out abroad into the brooke Kidron 2 Chron. 29. 16. And as the Priests and Levites doe their parts in purging uncleannesse out of the Temple so the people doe theirs in purging the Citie They arise and take away the Altars that were in Ierusalem and all the Altars for incense tooke they away and cast them into the brooke Kidron 2 Chron. 30. 14. And marke what followes Vers 15. Then they killed the Passeover namely when all uncleannesse was fetcht out of the Temple and all the Altars knockt downe in the Citie and were thrown into the brooke Kidron as it were into the Towne-ditch Then they killed the Passeover First there was a purging a cleansing out of filthinesse first al the baggage and uncleane stuffe throwne into Kidron and then a killing of the Passeover This must bee our Order in comming to the Sacrament first purge our hearts and lives of al manner of uncleannesse that may be found in them by repentance and by repentance throw it all into the brooke Kidron and then come to the Sacrament then receive the Lords Supper So must men come to the Lords Table as the Priests came to the services of the Tabernacle When the Priests came to performe holy services in the Tabernacle see in what Order they must come Exod. 30. 18 21. They must wash their hands CHAP. 6 and their feet at the brazen laver when they went into the Tabernacle or when to the Altar to minister there The equity of it reached farther than to the Priests David was no Priest yet Psal 26. I will wash mine hands in innocency so will I compasse thine Altar He alludes to the ceremony of the Priests washing at the brazen Laver before they ministred at the Altar to let us see that though this ceremony belonged onely to the Priests yet the morality belongs to all and that there is a washing that concernes all before they meddle with holy services and so with the Sacrament As the Priests were to wash themselves so some parts of the Sacrifices also were to be washt Levit. 1. 9. But the inwards and his legs he shall wash in water The same Order must be observed in comming to the Sacrament every sinner is an uncleane person and uncleane ones must be washed before they offer to have fellowship with the GOD of Purity There is a double washing with which wee must bee washed before we can come in due Order First the washing of our selves in Christs bloud by faith And secondly the washing of our selves by repentance He that will come in due Order must wash by repentance as well as by faith yea he must wash both his inwards and his feet His inwards must be washt Ier. 14. 4. Wash thine heart O Ierusalem how long shall thy wicked thoughts lodge within thee All inward and secret lusts must be washt out by repentance And the feet must bee washt also Iohn 13. 10. As we walke in our daily wayes we gather a great deale of soile and this same soile of our outward actions must also bee washt away by repentance Why must the inwards and the feet or legs of the Sacrifices be washt above all the rest The reason is given because the inwards or intrailes are the vessels that containe the filth and excrements of the Beast and therefore were they to be washt And the legs CHAP. 5 or feet to be washt because they tread in the dirt and mire and so are more defiled then any other part of the body And all this was to teach that when wee draw neere to God wee should specially wash there where most filth is readiest to bee contracted Our inwards our hearts and consciences what abundance of excrements and filth have they what dunghils of filthy lusts lye in our hearts our legs our feet how doe we defile them by walking and treading in foule wayes Even he that is washed already still and daily needs to have his feet washed Iohn 13. 10. Now then for us to come to the Lords Table with such inwards with such feet is not to take heed to our feet nor to come in due Order It were disorderly to sit downe at a mans Table in so slovenly a fashion as with unwashen hands therefore more disorderly to sit downe at the Lords Table with unwashen hearts The Pharisees quarrelled with our Saviours Disciples Matth. 15. 2. Why say they doe thy Disciples transgresse the tradition of the Elders for they wash not their hands when they eat bread But to such Communicants as come to the Lords Table without repentance it may be said upon better ground Why doe ye transgresse the commandement of the Lord For yee wash not your hands nor your hearts when ye eat bread at the Lords Table Quest But what is that repentance wherewith a man must come How must a man repent before he comes Ans This is indeed a thing worth the inquiring after because many that come to the Sacrament that yeeld to it that there must be a preparation before they come yet fouly deceive
and candle of the Word Psal 119. 105. Thy word is a light a Lampe And by the light of this candle search and ranscke the blinde corners and secret crannies of our hearts and out with all the very crums of leaven So that as the Apostle speakes in that case 1 Cor. 5. 7 8. Purge out therefore the old leaven Therefore let us keepe the feast not with old leaven c. So let us doe in this case of comming to the Sacrament This is to keepe our Passeover after the due Order If we will eat of the Lambe we must have no leaven if Lambe no leaven if leaven no Lambe if Christ in the Sacrament no sins and lusts favoured if sins and lusts favoured no Christ There bee that expound that Text Cant. 7. 2. of the two Sacraments Thy navell is like a round goblet which wants not liquor thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with Lilies By the navell they understand the Sacrament of Baptisme the navell serves for the nourishment of the babe in the wombe and baptisme nourishes infants and new borne babes in the Churches wombe By the belly like an heape of wheat they understand the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for the aboundance and store of excellent spirituall nourishment therin and marke with what this heape of wheat is set about set about with Lilies signifying Christians of holy and godly life To be sure such they should bee by repentance that come to this Sacrament they should be Lilies pure and white Lilie-white that are set about this heape of wheat It is not after the due Order when stincking weeds hemlock nettles and such trash are set about this heape of wheat when scandalous and profane persons common swearers customary drunkards c. thrust in and set themselves downe at the Lords Table It is a case much to be lamented to see the desperate boldnesse of many in comming to the Sacrament swearers habituall drunkards uncleane persons make no more bones of comming to the Table of the Lord than of sitting downe at their owne ordinary Tables sweare this day receive the next be drunke on the eve and receive the Sacrament on the morrow Herein dealing as the Harlot in that case Prov. 30. 20. She eats and wipes her mouth and saith I have done no wickednesse I am as honest a woman as the best of my neighbours So these eate and drinke at the Sacrament and wipe their mouthes and who hath any thing to say to them they hope they are as orderly faire Communicants as the best That therefore men may bee awakened to bee more considerate and may bee provoked to come prepared with repentance let them a little thinke seriously on these following particulars First hee that comes to the Sacrament and not after this order prepared with Repentance shall be sure to meet w th no blessing benefit or comfort There is a great deale of comfort and joy to bee had in the use of the Sacrament provided a man so come to it as he ought provided that a man come prepared with repentance Marke that passage Ezra 6 22. They kept the Feast of unleavened bread seven dayes with joy What are civill Feasts without joy and what are holy Feasts without joy A Feast is made for laughter and wine makes merry Eccl. 10. 19. Little comfort in this Feast and Wine in the Sacrament unlesse it make a mans heart merry and joyfull Ioy is that which GOD promises to the right users of his Ordinances Isay 56. 7. I will make them joyfull in mine house of prayer So God makes men joyfull in the house of preaching and joyfull at the Table of his house They kept the Feast with joy How so For sayes the Text the Lord had made them joyfull But observe who they were whom God made joyfull at that Feast and Passeover namely those who had separated themselves from the filthinesse of the heathen of the land Such as come with true Repentance God makes joyfull in the use of his Ordinance A man may be bold to challenge impenitent persons that come in their sinnes and to charge them with it that they have no joy in their receiving God joyes them not makes them not welcome As in the Gospell so at the Sacrament God makes a Feast such a Feast as the Feast of the Gospell is Isay 25. 6. A Feast of fat and sweet things a Feast of Wine a Feast of things full of marrow But who must eate of that Feast who must be feasted with that wine and marrow How must they bee prepared that eat of this Feast They must come in due Order that come to that Feast and that due Order is to come with repentance for marke what God subjoynes there Vers 7. And I will destroy the face of the covering the veile that is spread c. So that they that will be partakers of that Feast must first have the veile the covering taken away they that come veiled and covered come not after the due Order and therfore shall not taste of the sweetes of this Feast But what is that veile then that must be taken away before they shall eat of that Feast We may see what it is by that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. 14 15 16. The veile is the hardnesse of mens hearts and that veile is taken away when men turne to the Lord. Repentance takes away that veile when men are humbled for their sinnes and doe truly repent then is the veile taken away And when the veile is taken away then are men prepared to come to that Feast of fat things The Sacrament is a Feast of fat things also and they that will come to this Feast in the Sacrament must come with their hearts unveiled It is a Feast of fat things but they that will eat of this Feast of fat things must not come with fat hearts They that come with fat hearts will finde it a Feast of leane things will finde neither sweet nor comfort in the use of the Sacrament Goe make the heart of this people fat Isay 6. that is Goe make their hearts hard and impenitent Psal 119. 70. Their heart is fat as greasse fat hearts shall not be feasted with these sweet things A leane heart that mournes that pines that grieves for sin that heart shall eate of these fat things Psal 22. 26. The poore shall eate and shall bee satisfied The man that is humbled and abased he shall eat unto satisfaction so that they onely have benefit taste the sweet and the marrow in this Feast that come prepared with repentance But let a man come without repentance and humiliation and he receives no benefit at all at the Sacrament but findes a leane and a drie Feast of it It is in this case with a man as it was with the Prodigall when once he came to himselfe and was soundly humbled for his folly and fals to confession Father I have sinned against thee and against
circumcised heart and contrarily an impenitent is an uncircumcised heart Acts 7. 51. Ye stifnecked and uncircumcised in heart So that an impenitent person is an uncircumcised person And what wonder then that an impenitent person meets with no blessing at the Sacrament when he comes to eate against the Canon being a stranger a servant an uncircumcised person The Israelites Manna was Sacramentall and there is Manna in the Lords Supper and in the use of the Sacrament the Lord gives that hidden Manna Apoc. 2. 17. But it is to be observed that the Israelites did not eate Manna presently so soone as they were out of Aegypt but first of all Sicut populus Israel ante transitum maris nonpotuit manna comedere sic nemo valet ante baptismuÌ„ corpus redemtoris accipere Anselm in 1 Cor. 10. Nondum baptizati vel eriam adhuc excommunicati c. arcebantur a communione Centuriat Magdeb. Cent. 10. cap. 6. they passed through the red Sea and that passage was a Baptisme See therfore Saint Pauls order 1 Cor. 10. 1 2 3. Our fathers all passed thorow the Sea And were all baptised in the Sea And did all eate the same spirituall meate So that before they did eate that spirituall meate they were first baptised in the red Sea There must be a baptisme before the Manna may be eaten None ought to receive the Lords Supper till he be first baptised It were utterly against Gods owne order to have a man receive the Communion before he be baptised That very order teaches that there must be repentance before we come to the Lords Table For baptisme is the baptisme of repentance Luke 3. 3. Iohn came preaching the baptisme of repentance So that where no repentnace there the Sacrament belongs not to men and they can have no benefit by it to whom it belongs not As in that case Bethsheba speakes Pro. 31. 6 7. Give strong drinke to him that is ready to perish and wine to those that be of heavy hearts or bitter of soule let him drinke and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more So it holds good here God would not have this wine to be given to every man it is not for profane and impenitent sinners to drinke this wine but when men are by repentance in poverty of spirit bitternesse of soule heavie in heart then the Lord would have this wine given them and such as come to drinke it with such hearts they shall have their hearts cheered refreshed and sweetely comforted against the sense of their poverty and misery Repenting sinners goe away with the sweetnesse and comfort of the Sacrament The Prophet speakes of a cup of consolation that was wont to be given to some Iere. 16. 7. That cup of consolation was not given to every one But when any had buried some deere friend and was in heavinesse and sorrow mourning and in bitternesse as Zechariah speakes Zech. 12. Then their friends did invite them to their houses and give them a cup of consolation So that that cup of consolation was for sad and sorrowfull persons only only for mourners The cup in the Sacrament is a cup of consolation but this cup is prepared for mourners for sin and when men receive it prepared with repentance then it is indeed unto them a cup of consolation But no cup of consolation at al to such as in impenitency of spirit come to the Sacrament 2 He that comes to the Sacrament and not after this order prepared w th repentance he not only meets with no blessing but with a blow and a breach And that in a double respect First Such an one shall not onely not be the better but farre the worse for his receiving in his sinnes and impenitency Some have a conceit that though they be such sinners as they are yet the comming to the Sacrament will mende and heale them and may doe them good But such are deceived they shall be so farre from being the better that they shall be worse That as our Saviour speakes of a Pharisees Proselyte Mat. 23. 15. that when he was made he was made twofold more the childe of hell then themselves so is it with impenitent receivers by their receiving they make themselves twofold more the children of hell and the Divell then they were before as having added both to the guilt of their impenitency the fresh guilt of the profanation of Gods Ordinance and having doubled their hardnesse and increased their strength to follow sinne with the more greedinesse Such an one meetes with an heavy curse a spirituall curse upon his soule so as the receiving of the Sacrament shall doe his soule mischiefe Sacraments worke according to that disposition wherein they finde such as receive them Such as are the Receivers so prove the Sacraments unto them It is in this case as it was with the woman under Iealousy and suspicion of uncleannesse drinking the cursed waters Numb 5. 27 28. And when he hath made her to drinke the water then it shall come to passe that if she be defiled and have done trespasse against her husband that the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter and her belly shall swell and her thigh shall rot and the woman shall be a curse amongst her people And if the woman be not defiled but be cleane then she shall be free and shall conceive seede Looke then as the woman was such was the worke of the water If she were cleane the water did her no hurt nay it did her good she conceived seede she became fruitfull but if she were defiled and uncleane it wrought with a mischiefe her belly did swell her thigh did rot she became a curse It is so in receiving the SacrameÌ„t As men Quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis are that receive it so is the worke and efficacy of it either for good or hurt either for bane or blessing If a man be prepared with repentance and so be cleane then the Sacrament brings a blessing it makes a man fruitfull But if a man be defiled and uncleane Ideo nemo malo prodest quia quicquid ad illum pervenit id pravo usu corrumpitur Quemadmodum stomachus morbo viâ—iatus quoscunque accepit cibos mutat omne alimentum in causam doloâ—is trahit ita animus caecus quicquid illi commissâ—ris id onus suum et perniciem et occasionem miseriae facit Senec. de benef lib. 5. c. 12. as every impenitent sinner is then it banes and mischiefes him it proves as cursed water it rots his soule he proves a more rotten and wretched sinner then before An unwholsome and diseased stomach what ever food it receives it alters and rather nourishes the disease then the body and turnes wholesome nourishment to matter of griefe and vexation So an impenitent soule comming to Gods Ordinance in its sins and defilement doth but turne the wholesome nutriment of the
that it be only out of joynt it cannot thrive and prosper till it be set in joynt againe So it is here in the body Mysticall it is a growing body every member thereof growes and increases Col. 2. 19. It increases with the increase of God But how comes it to increase All the body by joynts and bonds having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God So that unlesse the body bee knit together by joynts and bands it cannot increase by the ministration of nourishment But now what are these joynts and bands and what is it that knits the parts of the body so together as that it increases That the Apostle layes downe somewhat more fully Ephes 4. 16. From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplies makes increase of the body unto the edifying of it selfe in love These words are taken and translated from the naturall body and the Apostle shewes that it is in the Church the mysticall body of Christ as in a naturall body Now in a naturall body first there be diverse and small members which goe to the making of it up secondly these members are fitly joyned and compacted together thirdly there is a conjunction of them after an excellent manner and that thus all the severall parts they have their bones the solid parts of those members Now these bones are coupled by the joynts so as the end and the round part of one bone goes into the hallow end of another This is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4. 16. Col. 2. 19. But this is not all but as the joynts are fitted and suited each to other so as the round part of one joynes to the hallow part of the other so also that there may be a sure coarticulation there be certaine ligaments and bonds that grow fast to the end of each bone in the joynt that fasten bone to bone this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2. 19. There is not only a fitnesse by which one bone suites with another in the joynt but there a fastnesse also by vertue of that bond that knits bone to bone This is a compaction by that which both the bones in the joynt mutually minister fourthly the parts of the body thus sweetly fitted and suited together and thus firmely fastened they all by their nourishment received thrive and grow and so the body increases which it could not doe if there were a dis-union or a dislocation or ◠luxation of those parts Now thus it is in the Church the body of Christ 2. There be many and sundry members to make up this body 2. They are all joyned and compact together 3. Their conjunction is after the same manner The mindes and spirits of beleevers are so coupled together as that one mans spirit doth as it were insinuate it selfe into anothers and that this conjunction joynt may be the surer there be certaine bonds and ligaments that knit these members together and these bonds are two first The Spirit of God they have all one and the same spirit Ephes 4. 4. One body one spirit and by this one spirit Christians are knit in this one body 1 Cor. 12. 13. Secondly The bond of love and peace and every joynt or member supplies and ministers this bond each to other whereby they are knit each to other Ephes 4. 3. Endeavouring to keepe the unity of the Spirit that is endeavouring to be of one spirit and minde as two bones meeting at a joynt are coupled in the unity of the joynt there is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that spoken of Rom. 12. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is a fit joyning together and this is added in the bond of peace There is the compaction of both by that which each joynt supplies each Christian supplying and ministring the bond of peace and love doe thus knit and joyne together themselves members in the same body this is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2. 19. there is mention not only of joynts but of bonds And Col. 3. 14. love is called The bond of perfection that is a bond which doth perfectly binde together the members of the mysticall body each ministring and supplying love to another as the ligaments that knit bones together are mutually ministred from both the bones so that the compaction of the members is by the ligament of love as the Apostle expresses it Ephes 4. 16. Fourthly the body of the Church thus compacted increases it selfe and is edified and growes up Epes 4. 16. Maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it selfe in love The body encreases and edifies when the severall parts doe and they doe increase and grow when joyned together and knit together in love So that all this serves to shew the necessity of love in such as come to the Sacrament we come to the Sacrament to be nourished to grow to increase none of these can be done without love A man comming to the Sacrament out of charity is a member out of joynt yea as a member disunited It is not possible such a member should bee nourished and thrive As therefore a man would finde nourishment and increase with the rest of the body so it concernes him to come prepared with love 4 God requires that men should eat their bodily food with love mutual charity There is little contentment in bodily Feasts when men sit down at one Table with divided hearts and affections we may see Acts 2. 46. how the Primitive Christians did eat their common bread at their common Tables Breaking bread from house to house did eat their bread with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart the which they could not have done if they had not met at their Houses and Tables as they did in the Temple in the same Verse with one accord or unanimously They could not have eaten with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart if they had not eaten together in love For there can be neither gladnesse nor singlenes of heart where love is wanting And if they came together with such love affection to their common tables to take their bodily repast how much more think we did they come with love and all good mutual affection one to another to the Lords Table Therefore it was that before the Sacrament they had their love-feasts to testifie with what affection they came to the Lords Supper The sweet and sauce of common repast is love Prov. 15. 17. Better is a dinner of greene herbes where love is than a stalled Oxe with hatred love makes a few green herbes farre better cheere than the greatest fare that is eaten with hatred and malice If love therefore be required at our own Tables that when wee eate together wee should eate in love how much more then will God require it in those that come to sit downe at his
puzzle in his worke And therfore the master bids his servant first gird himselfe and then serve him It is just so in all Gods services and so in this service of receiving the Sacrament God requires a preparednesse to and an handinesse in the worke And therefore this girding up of our loines is exceeding necessary before our comming to the Sacrament First because God lookes that when we come to the Sacrament we should be ready to doe the worke he there requires If the loines of our mindes be ungirt and we come to the Sacrament with loose spirits distracted with a company of earthly cares we shall be unready to doe the worke of receiving CHRIST which he there commandes He will command us there to take and receive CHRIST Now if we come with loose hearts and mindes we must make God stay our leasure before we can doe it we must first have some time to gird up our loynes and to tucke up this tatter and that ragge and the other danglement that hangs about our heeles before we can take and receive CHRIST And so we must be girding and tucking when wee should be receiving Secondly because if we come with ungirt loines with loose spirits and doe Gods worke so we shall doe it puzlingly and fumblingly Our long garments hanging loose about our sides and heeles we shall make but poore worke of it If a master had commanded a Iewish servant with his loines ungirt to have gone to plow or to have digged in his vineyard how awkely would he have done these workes He could not have followed his Plough but he would ever and anon have been treading upon his loose garment and have beene ready to have fallen upon his face he could not have set his foote upon his spade but he would have beene treading upon the loose skirt of his garment which would have exceedingly hindred and troubled him in his worke he could not have been expedite in his businesse so long as his garments hang about his feet It wil be no better with us comming to the Sacrament with ungirt hearts and mindes our loose thoughts will be so troublesome that it will be impossible for us ever to make good worke of it And therefore looke how God would have that first Passeover eaten so must it be in eating the Sacrament Exod. 12. 11. And thus shall yee eate it that is after this order with your loines girded And thus shall you eat the Lords Supper with your loines girded And this is one maine part of girding our loines the setting aside putting by al our secular thoughts and imployments We shall finde two cases that made a man unfit for eating the Passeover Numb 9. 10 13. Vncleannesse by a dead body and being in journey a far off If a man had touched a dead body it made him uncleane and so unfit for the Passeover It was not fit an uncleane person should meddle with so holy an Ordinance But observe that not onely a man uncleane by a dead body was unfit for the Passover but a man that was in a journie a farre off Why was such a man unfit Like enough being in a journey his minde and thoughts would be so taken up with the businesse of his journey or being in a journey a farre off his minde would be so upon home and he would be so taken up with such cares and feares as usually men are filled withall when they are farre from home that he by reason of those thoughts and distractions would be utterly unfit for the Passeover Many are in the minde that if they be free from a dead body that if they have not defiled themselves with some grosse sinne of drunkennesse uncleannesse and the like that they are very fit for the Sacrament but in the meane time come to the Sacrament whilest they are in their journies with hearts undischarged of earthly businesse and cares and having their hearts in journies travelling up and downe after one worldly businesse or other even when they are at the LORDS Table Therefore let men take notice that a journey may unfit for the Lords Table as well as a dead body That he is unfit to come to the Sacrament that hath a company of earthly cares and thoughts pestering his minde as well as he that hath defiled himselfe with some grosse sinne It is lamentable to consider how many men bring their servants and the Asse even to the very mount how many are called away from the Lords worke to meete with their Sanballats and Geshems how many are in their journies when they are comming and when they are come to the Sacrament When our Saviour CHRIST overtook the two Disciples going to Emmaus he asked them this question Luke 24. 17. What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walke So let one but aske men What manner of thoughts are they that you have in your hearts over night before the Sacrament What manner of conferences and communications be they that they have one with another the night before nay the very morning as they walk together to the publique assemblies to receive the Sacrament How happy were it that they could answer as the two Disciples did there verse 19. Concerning Iesus of Nazareth concerning the benefits and the ends of the Sacrament and the preparation required to it But it is nothing so If their communications and conferences be not vaine foolish and froathy yet at the best they are but mercate communications conferences about Sheep Oxen about the prices of graine c. and with these conferences come they to the very Church doores when they come to receive the Sacrament Is not this worse then to have received the Sacrament of the Passeover a man being in a journey Is not this a pitifull preparation to this holy service When men come to the Sacrament piping hot out of the world out of their worldly conferences and from their worldly thoughts and have not some convenient time before discharged and disburdened their hearts of them must not that frame of heart and bent of spirit needs come along with them to the Lords Table And must they not needs be tumultuous and troublesome Must they not needs make such a noyse and such a dinne as must cause distraction in this holy service And how can such a frame of spirit agree with the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 7. 35. That you may attend upon the Lord without distraction Which is a rule as well for receiving the Sacrament as for all other services of God What doe such men bring upon themselves but the Aegyptian plague of the flyes The flyes came into Pharaohs house and the houses of his servants so as the Land was corrupted by reason of the flyes Exod. 8. 24. But in the Land of Goshen where Gods people were there were no swarmes of flies verse 22. It should be with the Lords people at the Sacrament as in Goshen there should be no flyes
judgement of his own fitnesse and an examined heart that upon examination hath found it selfe fit is able to charme all troublesome doubts and can say to them Be stil trouble me not for I have throughly examined my selfe and upon serious and sincere examination I know that I am a fit and a worthy Communicant Doubts they trouble the heart examination prevents doubts and settles the heart and puts things out of doubt When Christ after his resurrection appeared to his Disciples they were terrified and affrighted Luke 24. 37. but see how Christ answers them Vers 38. Why are yee troubled and why do doubts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arise in your hearts They should with all gladnesse have received and imbraced Christ but contrarily they were troubled And whence came the trouble of their spirits Why doe doubts arise in your hearts Mark then that doubts trouble the heart and unfit it for the receiving of Christ They doubted whether hee were Christ or not and were so troubled with these doubts that as yet they received him not But afterwards their doubts are turned into joy V. 41. They rejoyce at the sight and presence of Christ but how came these doubts to be removed and to be changed into joy Christ puts them to the examination and triall of himselfe Vers 39. to put them out of doubt Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my selfe and when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands and his feet As if he had said I see you are much troubled with doubtings whether I be Christ or not examine and try me view me feele me handle me and you shal find by examination that I am not as you think a spirit And so in probability they examining him w th their eyes and with their hands found him to be no spirit found him to bee Christ and had their doubts removed and joyfully received him for Christ indeed Thus as this examination removed cleered their doubts that troubled them so examination of our selves would prevent the doubtings that are ready to trouble us in receiving the Sacrament If we would behold and see if we would look into our hearts and feele and handle our owne hearts yea search and dive into them by examination how should we prevent our troublesome doubtings and how should we meet with joy comfort instead of doubtings We come to Christ in the Sacrament In one sense in regard of that awfull respect wee should have unto his blessed Majesty we should come to Christ as that woman did Mark 5. 33. The woman fearing and trembling came and fell downe before him but in another sense namely when it rises from an ignorance of our own estate whether we be fit to come to his ordinance or not and from the doubtings of conscience that we are not prepared as we should be thus to come with feare and trembling is not good examination would prevent feare By examination we should finde out the truth of our condition we should finde out whether we be fit or not And upon examination finding our selves fit we should come with an holy boldnesse and confidence of spirit to Christ in his Ordinance As therefore we desire to have our hearts discharged of troubles and doubts when wee are drawing neere to the Lords Table as we would not have conscience pester us with disquieting scruples and unseasonable disputes reasonings whether we may come or no so beforehand bestow some time and paines in a private scrutiny and search of our selves examination wil prevent all these and we shall be able to hush and still them all if wee can say I have examined mine heart I have sincerely tried my selfe and I find upon good examination that I have good leave to come to the Lords Ordinance 2 Secondly it is better a great deale to examine our selves before we come then to be examined by God God wil examine such to the purpose that wil not be at the pains trouble to examine themselves It was a sharp kinde of examination by which Saint Paul should have beene examined Acts 22. 24. The chiefe Captaine commanded that he should be examined by scourging Certainly when men neglect selfe-examination God will himselfe examine them but it will be an examination with scourging Every interrogatory and question that God puts to us shall be as a smarting lash with a scourge yea as a stinging lash with a Scorpion The man that came to the Feast without his wedding garment never examined himselfe before he came whether he had a nuptiall garment to goe in or not God therefore examines him but it is with a scourging question that made his heart smart Friend how carnest thou in hither not having a wedding garment It was a scourging question that drew bloud on his conscience When a man comes to the Sacrament and hath not examined himselfe and God comes to him and sayes as to Eliah 1 Kings 19. 13. What doest thou here Eliah So what doest thou here at my Table How will such a question pinch the conscience what a girding lash will it be to a mans heart Those are lashing interrogatories Isa 1. 12. Who required these things at your hands to tread in my Courts Isay 58. 5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen Psal 50. 16. What hast thou to doe that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth Ier. 7. 9 10. Will yee steale murder and commit adultery c. and come and stand before me in this house These be scourging examinations that fetch bloud at every stroake with such kind of questions and such kind of interrogatories will God examine men that come unself-examined to the Sacrament Now when God shall come to such examinations who may abide the day of his comming and who shall stand when he appeares as Malachi speaks in another case Mal. 3. 2. How terrible a thing will it be to be thus examined were it not good for every one to take a course to prevent so sharpe an examination There is a way to doe it and that is before wee come to the Sacrament let a man examine himselfe for as the Apostle sayes 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our selves we should not be judged namely of the Lord so if we would examine our selves we should not be examined of the Lord. But if we examine not our selves then shal we be both examined and judged of the Lord. When a man hath examined himself he needs not feare Gods examination nay a man may then be willing to come under Gods examination David puts himself upon Gods examination Psa 139. 23 24. Search me O God and know mine heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there bee any wicked way in me Certainly David never durst have beene so bold as to have put himselfe upon Gods examination if he had not first examined himselfe But having first examined himselfe and thereupon knowing his own conscience throughly well now he
We shall finde David in great anguish and distresse of spirit Psal 25. 17. 18. The troubles of mine heart are inlarged oh bring thou mee out of my distresses wringing pressing anguishes looke upon my affliction and my paine Here be troubles of heart distresses of spirit affliction and paine But what is it now that thus wrings distresses and paines David See the last words And forgive all my sinnes not forgive all my punishments Davids sin not his punishment was his paine Wee shall see the like in him 2 Sam. 24. 10. I have sinned greatly I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant hee mentions not the taking away of any smart nay Vers 17. He is willing to beare it I have sinned let thine hand be against me He begs that the punishment may be laid upon him but begs that his iniquity may be taken away Let God be pleased to take away his iniquity and he is nothing solicitous for the punishment the offence of GOD troubled him more than his personall smart So that Gods heart were but towards him in the pardon of his sinne he did not care though Gods hand were against him in smiting him with temporall chastisement And this will better appeare if wee doe but compare Pharaoh with David Ex. 8. 8. Intreat the Lord that hee may take away the Frogs from mee the Frogs troubled him more than his sin against God Take away the Frogs but no mention at all of taking away his sin And when afterwards a confession of sin is extorted from him yet was it not his sin that disquieted him Exod. 9. 27 28. not take away my sin but take away the thunderings and the haile Lord sayes David Take away the iniquity of thy servant oh sayes Pharaoh take away these filthy Frogs and this dreadfull thunder A repenting heart is more troubled at sin then at thunder and Frogs It sees more filthinesse in sin than in Frogs or Toads or what ever else can bee presented more ugly to it A repenting sinner hath his eye upon God and upon his Law Hee sees the holinesse of God that he is a God of pure eyes that cannot behold iniquity Hab. 1. 13. Hee sees him a good gracious patient Father and so it cuts him to the heart to have offended such a Father and God He looks upon the Law and sees it to be Holy just and good and this gals him to the heart to have violated so holy and so pure a Law Now wicked men they looke wholly at the justice and wrath of GOD at the curse of the Law and so nothing troubles them but the feare of hell and death If these might be avoided the offending of an holy and good God the violating of an holy and a good Law would not a whit afflict or disquiet them Nay it is remarkable in David that though hee had upon Nathans message to him confessed his sin and Nathan upon his confession had pronounced the pardon of it yet after this he cries out My sinne is ever before me against thee only have I sinned Marke then that even pardoned sinne forgiven sin vexes and disquiets a true repenting heart It pinches him and disquiets him though it be forgiven it grieves him that he hath so played the foole and that ever he was such a beast to offend so gracious a God When the Prodigals Father sees him comming a far off he runs to meet him shewes compassion to him fals upon him and kisses him That kisse was the seale of his pardon as if he had said Behold I forgive thee all thy sin as when David kissed Absalom and Esau kissed Iacob they both did it in token of full reconciliation And yet for all this see how the Prodigall speakes he sayes not O Father from the ground of my heart I unfainedly thanke thee oh how great is my Fathers goodnesse thus to pardon me c. but Father I have sinned against thee I but his Father had kissed him and thereby testified that he had freely forgiven him what need hee confesse his pardoned sin Why is he not rather in the confession of praise than in the confession of sin Oh no A repenting sinner is so affected and grieved with the offence of God in his sinne that though God have pardoned and forgiven it yet he cannot but mourne for it and be afflicted with it that so holy a Law hath beene broken by him that so good a God hath beene offended by him Psal 25. 6 7. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies remember not the sinnes of my youth If God remember mercy hee forgets and forgives sinne If God forget it why doth David remember the sins of his youth Yes so will a true repenting heart doe it will remember the sin that God forgets it will mourn for the sin which God hath forgiven Now hereby may men try the truth of their repentance Pharaoh can say I have sinned yet was he not to be trusted and Saul can say so too as well as hee I have sinned and Iudas can say I have sinned as well as them both and yet not a true penitentiary of them all We may say as much and make large confessions before the Sacrament too and yet be farre from true repentance Deale honestly if thou be grieved indeed what is it that grives thee sinne or smart Such as is the object of thy griefe such is thy repentance As in the case of feare of sin so is it in the Qui Gehennas meluit non peccare metuit sed ardere Ille autem peccare metuit qui peccatum ipsum sic ut Gehennas odit August â—ep 144. case of griefe for sin In the case of fear Augustines saying is true He that feares hell feares not to sin but to burne But he feares to sin who so hates sin it selfe as hell To feare hell is to feare burning not sinning he feares sinning that dreads sinning as he dreads burning It is so in case of griefe he that is sorry because of hell is not sorry because he hath sinned but because he shall burne He is truly sorry for sin that is more grieved for sinning than he is afraid of burning If then sin meere sin without relation to hell be that which doth disquiet us and this be the thing that mainly troubles us that we have beene such beasts to offend God there is a cause of great joy in such sorrow it is an evidence of thy true repentance But if dread of hell and the feare of being damned bee the thing that workes this sorrow and griefe in us there is little cause of comfort in such repentance So may our repentance be tryed by the object of our sorrow 2 Secondly the depth and greatnesse of this sorrow will serve to try the truth of our repentance The sorrow of repentance is not a slight overly superficiall griefe but a deepe and an hearty sorrow That as David speaks of in that case Ps 73. 21. Thus
was mine heart grieved or thus was mine heart leavened that is his griefe was so great that his heart was leavened with it A little leaven leavens the whole lumpe therefore much leaven doth it much more his whole heart was sowred with the leaven of sorrow Such is the griefe and sorrow of repentance it is a leavening griefe that leavens the whole lumpe of the heart it seasons and affects all the whole heart Therefore the mourning of repentance is called a great mourning Zach. 12. 11. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Ierusalem How great as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo As great as was the mourning for the untimely losse of Iosiah How great that was see 2 Chro. 35. 24 25. So deepe is the sorrow and so great is the sorrow for sin in repentance Yea it is a bitter mourning Zech. 12. 10. And they shall mourne for him as one mournes for his onely Sonne and shall bee in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne A man that looses his first-borne and his only sonne how bitterly mournes that man Repentance mournes so bitterly Peter went out and wept bitterly they be waters of Marah that flow from the eyes of repentance Nay though it be a bitter sorrow which is for the losse of an only son and the losse of deere friends yet in repentance God lookes for a geeater sorrow than that is which is for the death of dearest friends therefore Isay 22. 12. The Lord called to weeping mourning and baldnesse God in speciall manner prohibited baldnesse in their mournings for the dead Deut. 14. 1. Yee shall not cut your selves nor make any baldnesse betweene your eyes for the dead and yet God that forbad it in mourning for the dead cals for it in mourning for sinne To teach how great our sorrow for sin should be that there ought to be a greater sorrow in repentance for sin than of naturall affection for the losse of our dearest friends by death It was a great sorrow that of Davids for Amnons death 2 Sam. 13. 36 37. The King wept very sore or with a great weeping greatly and David mourned for his son every day He wept He wept with a great weeping and with a great weeping greatly And he mourned daily Such is the sorrow of repentance a deepe and a daily sorrow till God allay it with some answers of peace Hence it is that it manifests it selfe with such outward expressions The Publican smites upon his breast Luke 18. And Ephraim smites upon his thigh Ier. 31. 19. And Ezra rends his garment plucks the haire off his head and beard Ezra 9. 3. All but to testifie the deepe and hearty sorrow for sin By this may men take a triall of their repentance If thou hast had a leavened spirit an imbittered spirit hast lamented after the Lord 1 Sam. 7. 2. whom thou hadst lost by thy sin as thou wouldest have lamented after a deere lost friend if thou hast beene in the waters of Marah the greater thy griefe hath beene the greater cause of comfort hast thou in the truth of repentance But so formall so slight is the sorrow of many hearts for sin that it is a cleere case they are strangers to repentance 3 Thirdly A forsaking an utter Post luctum poenitentiae non redeas ad peccatum non iterum facias quod iterum plangas Non est paenitens sed irrisor qui adhuc agit unde paenitent Bern. de modo bene vivendi ejection and rejection of all our former sinfull lusts and wayes Prov. 28. He that confesseth and forsaketh Repentance not only confesses but forsakes the confessed sin Iob 34 32. If I have done iniquity I will doe no more That is the language and the resolution of true repentance Ephes 4 28. Let him that stole steale no more True repentance makes men doe as God did when he repented him Gen. 6. 6 7. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on earth and it grieved him at his heart but that was not all And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth both man and beast c. for it repents me that I have made them Nay repentance in man goes further one Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and hee was spared from the common destruction but here not one lust or sin finds grace in the eyes of a man that truly repents but all must be drowned in the floud of the teares of repentance It is with a man that hath the griefe of true repentance as it was with Nehemiah Neh. 13. 7 8. I came to Ierusalem and understood of the evill that Eliashib had done for Tobia in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God and it grieved mee sore but he rests not there but goes further therefore I cast forth all the houshold-stuffe of Tobiah out of the chamber What should Tobiah doe with a chamber there Therefore he not onely outs Tobiah but out goes all his stuffe too So doth repentance when it considers all the evill that Satan and corruption have done and how they have taken up chambers in the heart that should be the house of God it is grieved sore and thereupon it outs Satan and all his stuffe neither Satan nor his stuffe shall bee chamberd there any longer So doth repentance dispossesse Satan of the soule as Christ dispossessed his body of him Marke 9. 25. Thou dumbe and deafe spirit I charge thee to come out of him and enter no more into him so repentance casts Satan and filthy abominations out of a man that they enter no more they are cast out for ever Teares of repentance are not onely wetting but washing teares Isay 1. 16. Wash you make you cleane Davids teares washt his couch Psal 6. and so much more washt himselfe Baptisme is called the Baptisme of Repentance Luke 3. 3. In baptisme there is a washing away of sinne And how is baptisme the baptisme of repentance if in repentance there were not the doing away of sinne If a man could shed a sea of teares yet if he doe not drowne his sin in that sea what were he the better If a man should weepe his eyes out yet if he weepe not his sins out to what purpose were it Wheresoever repentance is there must necessarily follow this forsaking and casting off our sins because with true repentance these two things ever goe first an abomination and loathing of sin the man that repents horribly loathes his sins by which he hath offended Iob 42. 6. I abhorre my selfe and repent Ezek. 20. 43. Ye shall loath your selves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed Secondly an indignation against sin 2 Cor. 7. What indignation Hosea 14. 8. Ephraim shall say what have I to doe any more with Idols Now that which a man loathes and that
had the wind in their wings Wings and wind in their wings to note as Iunius observes their readinesse in their obedience Thy will bee done in earth as it is in heaven The Angels in heaven are exceeding ready and speedy in their obedience and therefore mention also is made of their wings It was Lots fault to linger Gen. 19. 16. There be that say they will repent and they will reforme their wayes Obedience makes haste delayes not Where there be delayes where there is lead in the heels or the wings be pluckt or clipt where men put off obedience to the time to come they may justly question the truth of their obedience 3 Thirdly true obedience is free willing unconstrained Psal 110. 3. Thy people shall come willingly Psal 40. 8. Then I said loe I come to doe thy will Obedience is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 9. 7. nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not grudgingly or of necessity not sad nor forced but Col. 3. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Rom. 6. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the soule and the heart His commandements are not grievous 1 Iohn 5. 3. To wicked men the word of the Lord is a burthen Ier. 23. 33. Cords and bonds Psal 2. 3. Yokes and bonds Ier. 5. 5. Now according to all these things frame Articles and Interrogatories and put thy conscience to examination This in briefe may suffice for the triall of the truth of grace Chap. 15. The growth of grace and our wants examined CHAP. 15 THe second thing to be examined followes the growth of our Graces It is a point that concernes a man at all times to looke to the growth of his Grace as that which must evidence the truth of it for where there is no growth of Grace there is no truth of Grace True Grace is growing grace There is a growing in knowledge 2 Pet. 3. 18. A growing in wisedome Luke 2. 40. A growing in faith 2 Thess 1. 3. All true grace growes There bee counterfeit and false graces and this is a maine thing that differences true and counterfeit ones True grace growes counterfeit grace growes not There is a great deale of difference betweene a true Tree and a pictured Tree betweene a true child and the statue or Image of a childe A true childe growes but the Image growes not it is no taller nor bigger at an hundred yeeres end than it was the first day it was made Where there is truth of grace there is life of grace and life will put forth it selfe and cause a growth as we see in living Trees and living men that are not yet come to the fulnesse of their growth they grow because they live And to shew that true grace growes we shall finde in Scripture severall ages of Christianity and religion which are the severall degrees of spirituall growth the severall degrees of the growth of a Christian ye have 1 His conception and the forming of him in the wombe Gal. 4. 19. 2 His birth 1 Peter 1. 23. 1 Peter 2. 2. 3 His childe-hood 1 Cor. 3. 1 2. Heb. 3. 13. 1 Iohn 2. 13. His infancy 4 His well-growne age or youth when he is past the spoone 1 Iohn 2. 13. Young men 5 His full growne age Ephes 4. 13. when he comes to mans estat Heb. 5. 6 His old age Mnason an old Disciple Acts 21. 16. when a man is growne a gray-headed experienced Christian 1 Iohn 2. 13. when men be grown Fathers Such as Psa 92. 12 13 14. All to shew that where there is grace in truth there will be growth And therefore it concernes us at all times to try the growth of our grace But though at all times it concernes us to examine the growth of grace yet in speciall manner doth it concerne us before we come to the Sacrament As the Sacrament of Baptisme is the Sacrament of our new birth so is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the Sacrament of our spirituall nutrition and growth And therefore is this a reason why baptisme is but once but the Supper is often administred and received because a man is born but once but after he is borne he stands in need to be fed often for his nourishment and growth And spirituall growth is a maine end and fruit of this Ordinance What makes the body grow more than the use of food in eating and drinking In the Supper there is provision of spirituall food to make us grow So that in this respect I may allude to that Zech. 9. 17. How great is his goodnes how great is his beauty corn shal make the young Man grow c. Gods goodnesse is great in the Sacrament he gives bread and wine and with them to every faithfull receiver the Body and Bloud of his Sonne that by the bread of his flesh and the wine of his bloud hee may cause Christians to grow So that it concernes us much to examine our growth that we may know what good our former receiving hath done us It is a great helpe to our profit in receiving the Sacrament to examine our selves how we have profited formerly Then may we know whether we have profited when we know whether wee have growne Such and so much as is our growth such and so much is our profit And when we finde that we have profited then may we comfortably still expect the like blessing upon our use of the Ordinance A man must needs go with little cheerefulnesse to the Lords Table when he knowes not whether he shall get any good by going or not That man that knowes not whether ever hee have received any good or no by his former receiving can have little hope of receiving any good by his future receiving But when a man sees he is growne by the use of the Ordinance then he must needs goe full of hope to the Ordinance The way to know a mans growth is examination and that by the signes of growth And they be these 1 First spirituall strength The more growth the more strength in spirituall things In nature strength followes growth Trees in their first beginings are weake will bend and bowe every way but as they grow they grow stronger and grow to that strength that they are fit for Timber and the strongest services When a Man is new borne and a Babe how weake and feeble a creature is he but as he growes up so he is stronger and stronger and is at last fit for man-like services So it is in spirituall growth A man at first is weake Rom. 14. 1. but growth brings strength The man that growes in grace growes so strong that he can wrestle with a spirituall enemy A babe or a childe cannot wrestle with a Man much lesse with a strong Man but a growne Man he can wrestle with a strong Man and haply can make his part good with him foile him and lay him on his backe So a growne Christian can wrestle with Powers and
world Here is an old tongue But Psal 37. 30. The mouth of the righteous speakes wisdome and his tongue talkes of judgement Prov. 31. 26. She openeth her mouth with wisdome and in her tongue is the law of grace Col. 4. 6. Let your speech be alwayes with grace Ephes 4. 29. That it may minister grace to the hearers Here is a new tongue here is a change of the voice and a signe of growth Looke then upon thine owne complexion thou shalt see by it whether thou hast grown in grace by thy former receiving the Sacrament Dan. 1. 12 13 15. Give thy servants pulse to eat and water to drinke Then let our countenances be lookt upon And their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children c. By the looking upon Daniels countenance and the rest it appeared that they thrived and prospered with their pulse and water So much more by mens countenances carriages and behaviours if they be looked upon whether they thrive and grow with their Sacramentall food formerly received But mens old visages and ill-favoured complexions are ill signes how little growth there is With too many it is as with Pharaohs seven ill-favoured Kine they ate up the well-favoured and the fat but were still as ill-favoured as before Many come to the Sacrament after Sacrament and eat and drinke at the Lords Table but what alteration in their lives Are not their lives as ill-favoured still as before Listen to their voices and as little change shall you finde there as in their lives Thus may we examine the growth of grace in generall But besides this there must be a speciall examination of the growth of the grace of faith and that may briefly be thus discerned A growne faith is a great faith O Woman great is thy faith Mat. 15. Great faith is seene 1 First not only in obedience but in great obedience Great faith does great workes of obedience It was a great worke of Abraham to sacrifice his son No wonder he did it who was a man of so great faith as he hath the honour to bee the father of the faithfull I am 2. 5. Rich in faith 1 Tim. 6. 18. Rich in good workes It is a signe that a man is Rich in faith when rich in good workes A poverty or beggery in good workes cannot stand with a riches in faith 2 Secondly in great victories and conquests over great lusts where corruptions and lusts are strong and get head faith is little Mat. 6. 30 31. Mat. 16. 8. O ye of little faith But where faith growes great it fetches downe the greatest lust the most radicated corruptions As faith of miracles a graine of it removes Mountaines Mat. 17. 19 20. Plucks up trees by the roots Luke 17. 6. So much more doth justifying faith when growne and great Many talke of a great faith yet cannot remove Mole-hils nor pluck up small twigs Many will sweare by their faith how swearing and beleeving will stand together I leave it to them to scanne I but this is they will say a small matter a matter of nothing to sweare by a mans faith The smaller a matter it is the greater evidence that such have not a great faith because that would get great victories over great evils therefore much more over small ones It is no great faith that cannot remove so small a Mole-hill that cannot pluck up so small a twig 3 Thirdly In this that it can and will beleeve on God as a man may say with reverence whether God will or no. It will beleeve in an angry God in a killing God Though he slay me yet will I trust in him It will beleeve in a forsaking God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why hast thou forsaken me and yet my God It will not bee beaten off not damped nor discouraged with silence nor with sad answers Matth. 15. 28. O woman great is thy faith A signe it was great or else such great discouragements had overcome it 4 Fourthly great confidence and strength of heart in the midst of dangers and feares Psal 112. 7. Hee shall not be afraid of evill tydings why so His heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. A fixed heart in such a case a signe of great faith Much feare is an argument of little faith Mat. 8. 26. Why are ye so fearefull O ye of little faith Had they not reason to be fearefull It was a great danger they were in Vers 24 25. True but yet if they had had great faith they would have had great courage and confidence in that great danger For faith foresees dangers hath a quick eye to discerne a storme before it comes and so gives a man the liberty of himselfe to provide against the worst and so that errour is taken off which suddennesse brings with it And besides when a danger is come faith doth as the bloud of the body doth in time of feare it gets to the heart and succours and strengthens it Iohn 14. 1. Let not your heart bee troubled yee beleeve in God beleeve also in me Great faith is full of great quiet great comfort great courage and confidence in the middest of great feares and dangers Thus in briefe may a man know the growth of faith But if a man cannot finde his faith so growne yet is it no barre to his accesse to the Ordinance If a man find his faith weak yet may he come yet must he come that hee may helpe it hereby in its growth But the more our faith is growne the more comfort shall we have in comming and the more benefit shall wee carry away with us Optima dispositio ad Sacramentum Eucharistiae est non nisi ea qua pessime es dispositus e contra tunc pessime es dispositus quando aptissime Quod sic intelligitur quod quando sentis te miserrimum egenum gratia jam co ipso capax es gratiae idoneus maxime Luther from the Sacrament 3 The third thing wherein our examination must be is our wants A speciall end of our comming to the Sacrament is to have our spirituall wants supplied If we will have our wants supplied we must come purposely with that intention We cannot do that unlesse we know distinctly and directly what our wants are We cannot know what our wants of grace are unlesse we looke into our soules by examination Wee should doe in this case as we see such doe as go or send to market at the market there is a supply to be had of all the wants of the family if there want bread if there want food if any other houshold necessaries be wanting they are to be had at the market therefore when any is to be sent or to goe to the market there is an inquiry what is wanting in the house Is there bread or bread-corne enough in the house Is there not such and such a necessary wanting do you not need such a
provision into the house So when we are to go to the Lords Table should we doe with our selves The wants of the soule are not a few There is nothing that the soule can want or wish but it may bee had aboundantly in Christ and in him in his Ordinance Now therefore should the soule before the Sacrament bee inquisitive into its owne wants Say to thy soule I am now going to the Sacrament there is abundance of spirituall commodity to bee had now then what is it that thou wantest Doest thou not want assurance of thy pardon Doest thou not want strength of faith Doest thou not want power against such a speciall lust that hath haunted thee and pester'd thee a great while Doest thou not want some healing vertue to staunch some bloudy issue Doest thou not need some quickning in thy spirit Thus labour to search and find out what be the wants of thy soule and what be thy particular necessities In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wee goe to CHRIST IESVS to have him helpe us in our wants and necessities Now CHRIST IESVS will first have us know our wants and be particularly sensible of them before he will supply them Hee councels the Church of Laodicea to buy of him gold raiment eye salve Apocal. 3. 18. But first hee convinces her of her wants of her poverty nakednesse and blindnesse that shee comming to him in a particular sense of those wants and making that her errand to him shee may have them supplied It was one would thinke a strange question that our Saviour put to that man Iohn 5. 6. Wilt thou bee made whole was there any question to be made of it whether that a man that had beene sicke eight and thirty yeeres would be willing to be made whole It is sure he desired nothing more why then doth Christ aske him that question purposely to affect him with the sense of his want to make him the more sensible of his necessity So will Christ have men affected with the sense of their wants that would have a supply of their wants from him It will not serve a mans turne in the generall to know he wants benefit from Christ but he will have a man in particular be sensible of that speciall want wherein he would have his helpe That is a remarkable place to this purpose Luke 18. 35 36. The blinde man hearing that Christ past by he cries out Have mercy on me O Lord thou Son of David and hee cries so againe Vers 39. At last Christ cals him to him Vers 40 41. and said What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee Did not Christ see he was blinde and did not hee know what mercy it was he beg'd Yes questionlesse But yet he would first have him particularize his wants and in what particular it was he would have him shew him mercy before hee would doe it Have mercy on mee was a general suit many wayes might mercy be shewed therefore Christ presses him to instance in his particular want What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee what is the particular mercy thou standest in need of that thou wouldest have me help thee withall and then followes his answer Lord that I may receive my sight Lord I am blinde in this particular I have need of thee to open mine eyes And then Christ saith Receive thy sight And he received his sight They then that come to Christ to receive any thing from him with a sense of the want of that they would receive they are they that are like to speed in their receiving what they desire to have from Christ I doubt whether hee should have had that mercy if he had only still beg'd for mercy in generall but when once he comes with a particular sense of his want then hee findes Christ ready to helpe him It must be thus with us when we come to the Sacrament if ever we will have good by it Many they come that they may receive good by it but doe not pitch upon such particular good as they need and all because they know not what particular good from Christ they want and that is not knowne for want of examination There is nothing more prejudiciall to mens benefit by the Sacrament than this one thing that men before they come doe not finde out their wants and so in the sense of them seek to Christ in his Ordinance They comming without the sense of any particular want they come without the desire of any particular grace or benefit from Christ And comming without desire goe as they come As our Saviour speakes to his Disciples Luke 22. 35. When I sent you without purse c. lacked ye any thing And they said nothing So if a man should aske many When ye went to the Sacrament lacked ye any thing did you want any thing in your own particular feeling they may answer nothing And what received they then just as much as they lacked just nothing Therefore it should be a mans wisdome so to examine his owne wants that if Christ should say to him when he is come to the Sacrament what is it that thou wouldest I should doe for thee thou mightest be able out of a privity to thine own wants upon examination to answer Lord that my pardon might bee sealed Lord that I may receive the vertue of thy death that such a rebellious lust might be mortified Lord that I may receive thy Spirit that mine uncleane heart might be sanctified that I might bee enabled with more strength to performe such a duty c. And Lord upon this very errand and for this end doe I come now to thee in thine Ordinance to have help in this or that particular from thee If once we could come thus with the sight of our wants to receive then would Christ answer and say Receive the mercies thou feelest the want of receive my Spirit receive power against thy lusts receive strength to obedience They that come for they know not what goe even away with they know not what Chap. 16. Habituall graces to be quickned and renewed before the receiving of the Sacrament CHAP. 16 THus have wee seene the second thing in which actuall preparation stands namely examination The third thing followes and that is the quickning and renewing of our habituall graces That which S. Paul wishes Timothy to doe and which is needfull for Christians to do at all times is of speciall use and needfull to be done before the Sacrament namely that 2 Tim. 1. 6. I put thee in remembrance that thou stirre up the gift or grace of God that is in thee that thou blow up and cause to kindle the grace of God Fire that lyes raked up in the ashes here and there a coale wil not on a sudden kindle and burne out into a flame but if a man before-hand gather the coales together and lay on some small sticks and blow those coales and kindle those sticks then when a
desire towards his son It is said that after Absoloms three yeeres exile that Ioab perceived that the Kings heart was towards Absalom 2 Kings 14. 1. Thus seemes this Fathers heart to be towards his sonne yea that his desire such as if he sate in some higher place watching to see when he should come that he might no sooner bee within ken but hee might spie him according to that Iohn 30. 18. The Lord will wait that he may be gracious unto you I see then the Lord stands waiting and watching that we can no sooner be upon our way to come but he sees and spies us to bid us welcome 2 Secondly I see that he saw him whilest he was yet a great way off He was but yet in the beginning of his way in comming His Father might have let him alone till he had beene come quite home to his house and it had beene singular mercy to have welcomed him then But it is done whilest he is yet a great way off Is the Lord thus ready to welcome mee when yet a great way off what will he be if I be come neere to him Certainly the Lord that will draw nigh to such as yet a great way off will much more draw nigh to those that draw nigh to him 3 Thirdly I see his Father had compassion on him I see his bowels yerne worke and stir within him at the sight of his sonne at the sight of him afarre off Gods bowels yerne within him towards a beleeving repenting sinner It is said of that Harlot 1 Kings 3. 26. That her bowels yearned or were hot upon her son So when the Lord sees a sinner come to him his bowels wax hot and yerne within him Ier. 31. 18. 20. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him God hath not only mercy but bowels of mercy Luke 1. 78. And these bowels be sounding bowels or a multitude of bowels Isay 63. 15. He delights in loving kindnesse Ier. 9. 24. And he pardons sin because mercy pleases him Mic. 7. 18. 4 Fourthly I see that his Father ran How rich and aboundant mercy had it beene in his Father to have stood still till he had come at him but what mercy is this that he will goe towards him and give him a meeting Oh mercy that his Father ran not from him but what mercy call you this that his Father runs to him If hee would needs goe meet him why might it not have served the turne to have walked towards him with a softly and grave pace No no I see that serves not the Lords turne When a sinner comes to the Lord mercy not only comes and goes a foot-pace but mercy runs Mercy comes upon the wings Gods rowling bowels sets his feet on running That as David speakes of Gods readinesse to helpe him when he called upon him in his danger Psal 18. 6. 9. 10. He rode upon a Cherub and did flye yea he did flye upon the wings of the winde So when a sinner comes to God mercy comes to him not walking but running not on foot but riding riding on the wings of the wind That looke as Gabriel came with an answer to Daniels prayers Dan. 9. 21. Hee being caused to flye swiftly or with wearinesse of flight he not only came but came flying not only flying but flying swiftly yea so swiftly as hee had wearied himselfe with the swiftnesse of his flight to make haste So comes mercy to a man comming to Christ it is caused to flye swiftly with wearinesse of flight The Father ran mercy comes full speed Nay what a difference doe I see betweene the offending son and the offended Father The sons pace is He arose and came he came walking on towards his Father The Fathers pace is And hee ran The son most needed to have run his belly was pincht with hunger yet he onely walkes but the Father runnes Bowels troubled with mercy out-pace bowels pinched with hunger God I see then makes more haste to shew mercy than we make to receive mercy Whilest we doe but go towards him he runs towards us Whilest misery goes but a walking mercy comes a running pace God who is slow to anger Psal 103. 8. is swift to mercy He ran And why then O my soule shouldest thou bee slow of heart to beleeve up and run to him that will come running with his mercy and his Christ to thee 5 Fifthly I see him falling upon his neck And fell on his neck that is he hugged and imbraced him How Fell upon his necke and imbraced him Who would not have beene loth to have toucht him yea to have come neere him Is he not in his loathsome stinking rags Smels he not of the Swine he kept Could a man come neere him without stopping his nose Would not a man be ready to lay up his stomack upon such an imbracement Certainly a sinner is a loathsome verminous person not onely clothed in rags but in stinking and vile rags Isay 64. 6. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags What then are our unrighteousnesses What loathsome rags are they And yet let a sinner come to the Lord and the Lord will fall upon his neck will hug him and imbrace him Isaac smelt the savour of Iacobs raiment and he blessed him Gen. 27. 27. That was a sweet savour The smell of my sonne is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed no wonder that Isaac blesses him But here is one in such an unsavoury pickle that when his Father should smell the savour of his garments one would have thought he should have cursed him because his smell was as the smell of a Swine as the smell of a Gaole But yet for all that his Father claspes him in his armes and blesses him with an hearty welcome Mercy then I see is not squeamish is not nice and dainty but let a sinner have beene what he will let him be as filthy as unsavory as he can yet if once he loath himselfe God will not loath him if hee once come to God God will claspe him with the armes of mercy The Prodigall comes to his Father with the savour and in the habit of a loathsome rogue and yet his Father fals upon his neck O the stupendious and astonishing mercies and goodnesse of God to a sinner that comes unto him And will God thus imbrace a Prodigall in his loathsome rags and will he not imbrace him much more afterwards when he hath put the best robe upon him Oh the welcome then that they shall finde with God that have put on Christ and are clothed with the sweet smelling garment of their elder brother that have the whole raiment of Christs righteousnesse upon them 6 Sixthly but yet behold a greater wonder than all the rest I see him kissing his son And he kissed him Who could have brooked to have imbraced a person in so filthy a pickle much more who could have brooked to have
kissed such an one What! kisse those lips that had beene lately lapping in the Hogs trough Kisse those lips that had so often kissed those base and baggage Harlots of his Kisse him A man would have thought he should rather have kickt him than have kist him and yet his Father kisses him There is a passage somewhat like this Gen. 33. 4. Esau ran to meet Iacob and embraced him and fell upon his neck and kissed him A strange and a wonderfull thing that he that had threatned to kill him and came now upon that errand to kill him and all his that his heart should so strangely bee altered by God that killing should be turned into kissing It was very strange that Esau should kisse Iacob but it is more strange here that this Father should kisse this Prodigall It is an observable thing in that place Gen. 33. 4. That over that word kissed in the Hebrew Text there be set three extraordinary pricks or markes to put the Reader in minde that he should observe this matter well as a very strang thing Now how much more might three such pricks nay three times three such markes be set over this word here He kissed him Here is a matter of greater wonder worthy greater observation that such a Father should kisse such a son in such a filthy pickle It had beene much if he might have kist his Fathers hand but he gives him not his hand but his mouth to kisse Was it not much that Christ would suffer that sinfull woman Luke 7. who had defiled her lips w th many an adulterous kisse to kisse his feet but Christ gives not his feet but his mouth his lips to be kissed by beleeving repenting sinners Cant. 1. 1. Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth Behold then the ineffable goodnesse of God to all that come to him Though this son a Prodigall yet his Father kisses him gives him a kisse the seale and pledge of his pardon and remission See then oh my soule what here is to excite and stir up thy faith and to quicken it mightily Behold God hath an eye of mercy he sees a farre off Hee hath bowels of mercy Hee had compassion Hee hath feet of mercy He ran to him He hath armes of mercy He fell upon him and imbraced him He hath lips of mercy And he kissed him Wouldest thou not come to God if he would looke upon thee He will see thee whilest yet a great way off Wouldest thou not come if God will compassionate thee He will draw forth the bowels of his compassions to thee Wouldest thou not come to him if he would meet thee Behold he will run to meet thee Wouldest thou not come if God would imbrace thee Loe he will fail upon thee and claspe thee in the armes of his mercy Wouldest thou not come if he would pardon thee He will seale thy pardon with a kisse Oh my soule up come to Christ receive and imbrace him without any more adoe Thus by considering GODS promises and weighing his sweet mercies in Christ faith cannot but receive much life and quickning So may a man doe with other like places and with promises whereof the Word is full This shall suffice for instance to direct us and let us see how much the consideration of the promises would conduce to the quickning of our faith 2 Secondly it is not enough for a man to have repented in his first conversion nor to have it renewed it upon some sin since fallen into but it is required that before the Sacrament there be alwayes a fresh renewing of repentance So oft as the Priests went into the Tabernacle they washt their hands and their feet at every fresh entrance a fresh washing Exod. 40. 31 32. When they went into the Tent of the Congregation and when they came neere unto the Altar they washed as the Lord commanded Moses So must it be here there must be a fresh washing in the laver of repentance before the receiving of the Sacrament And that upon these reasons 1 First though wee bee well washed before one Sacrament yet before another it is a great deale of soile that our soules gather Though wee wash our hands well this morning yet because a man is medling with this businesse and medling with that worke it cannot bee but his hands will bee sullied before next morning againe Men have many occasions of businesse in the world meet with many snares and tentations have many slips and treadings awry and so contracting fresh pollutions there is need of fresh purgations Wee desire at the Sacrament to have CHRIST make a fresh entrance into our hearts therefore there must bee a fresh trimming and dressing up of the house as when wee looke for ghests though our houses bee tollearably handsome already yet we doe afresh dresse up our houses for their entertainment and make them more than ordinarily handsome every roome is swept washed rubbed strewed and garnished How much more should there be a fresh trimming and dressing up of the roomes of our hearts for the entertainment of so glorious a ghest as the LORD CHRIST is Looke as it is said of Sathan in his kinde Mat. 12. 44 45. That when he findes his house swept and garnished then hee enters and dwels there so it is true of the LORD CHRIST in his kinde that when he findes his house swept and garnished then he enters and dwels there He will not enter into nor dwell in a sluttish undrest heart Repentance renewed before the Sacrament it sweeps and garnishes the heart and so fits it for Christs entrance The entertainment wee should give the Saints of God should be much more given to Christ himselfe How should the Saints of God be entertained see 3 Iohn 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deo convenienter sayes Beza It is a phrase hard to be englished Agreeably to God as one would say Christ is God blessed for ever and therefore when we entertaine him we must entertaine him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with such entertainment as beseemes God Then wee doe so entertaine him when the heart is swept and garnished That is done by the fresh renewing of our repentance when we come to receive him in the Sacrament 2 Secondly when wee come to receive the Sacrament wee come to renew our acquaintance with the Lord. Now what it is that helpes to bring us into acquaintance the renewing of that must renew our acquaintance What is it that helpes bring us into acquaintance with God see Iob 22. 21. 23. Acquaint now thy selfe with him If thou returne to the Almighty Repentance a great meanes of acquaintance with God and so renewing of repentance a great meanes to renew acquaintance with God Since therefore in the Sacrament there is a renewing and a refreshing of our acquaintance with God there must necessarily be a renewing of our repentance before the Sacrament 3 Thirdly the Scriptures speake of a sealing with the holy Ghost 2 Cor. 1.
fulnesse and satisfaction whose teeth would not water after such curious delicates Bring longing hungry enlarged desires and fat and marrow shall be our portion For herein hath spirituall hunger an advantage above bodily Bodily hunger a man may hunger withall and yet his hunger helpes him to no meat nor satisfaction But spirituall hunger doth as having the promise of satisfaction Christ out of his compassions will liberally releeve all hungry Ecce pauper venio ad te divitem miser ad misericordem ne recedam vacâ—us vel contemptus Esuâ—iens incipio te quaereâ—e ne deserar â— te jejunus Famelicus accedo ne â—ecedam impastus Et si antequam comedam suspiro da vel post suspiria ut comedam August lib. medit c. 39. soules that with desire seek after him Excellent is that place Mat. 15. 32. Then Iesus called his Disciples unto him and said I have compassion on the multitude because they continue with me now three dayes and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way He that would not out of his compassions send away the multitude with fasting bodies lest they should faint how much more thinke we will he compassionately regard an hungry soule and not send it away fasting from the Sacrament lest it should faint Christs compassions will not suffer him to send away an hungry soule fasting Alas he knowes it would faint if it should come empty and goe away empty if it should come hungry and goe away hungry 3 Thirdly the more strength in our desires the more hunger in our spirits the more aboundant and the more plentifull satisfaction The more our hearts are inlarged in our desires the more Gods hand will be inlarged in his bounty Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it God hath an open hand for all that have an open mouth God hath an hand wide open for such as have their mouthes wide open A mouth wide opened shall be a mouth full filled A wide mouth shall be a full mouth God will inlarge himselfe to all that come to him with inlarged hearts Gods admeasurements of grace and spirituall good are suitable to mens inlargements and dilations of their spirits Three things fit a Vessell to receive a great measure of liquor 1. When it is of large capacity A small Vessell may be filled but yet a small Vessell cannot have so much infused into it as a Vessell that is of larger capacity The larger the bucket is that is let downe into the Well the more water it brings up 2. When it is an open Vessell Though a Vessell be of sufficient capacity yet if the Vessell bee shut and the mouth of it closed up though it be throwne into the Sea where there is water enough yet it fils not 3. When it is wide open Though the mouth of a Vessell be open yet if it be not wide open it doth not fill so readily Take a Bottle or a narrow-mouth'd Glasse and dowse it under the water and yet it may bee pulled up againe with little or no water in it though it bee of great capacity because the narrownesse of the mouth hinders the ready and quick passage of water into it A wide-mouth'd Vessell as a Paile or Bucket is no sooner under water but it is instantly filled because the mouth of the Vessell is wide and broade So when we come to Gods Ordinances to the Sacrament wee should come so as to be filled wee should come to get as liberall largesses as possibly we can The way to doe that is to have our hearts Vessels of competent capacity to have them opened to have them wide opened The way to doe these things is to have our hearts inlarged with hungring and longing desires Such enlarged desires open the mouth open it wide and when our mouthes are opened God will open his hand his filling hand As therefore we desire to have the Lord fill our mouthes when we come to the Lords Table so let us get our mouthes wide open When wee come to the Sacrament why come wee Is it not that wee may eat our fill of Christs body and drink our fill of his bloud Is it not that we may go from the Lords Table as Christ went from Iordan full of the Holy Ghost As we desire to have full mouthes so let us bring opened wide opened mouthes When men come to the Sacrament with hearts enlarged and hungring desires Christ will give such a Commandement to the Sacrament as he did to those servants concerning the water-pots and it shall doe as they did Iohn 2. 7. Iesus said unto them fill the water-pots with water And they filled them up to the brim So in this case will Christ say Loe here be men come with inlarged hearts with earnest and strong desires I see they have opened their mouthes wide fill them with my Spirit with my vertues and efficacies fill them with spirituall strength against their corruptions fill them with power to walke in obedience and upon this command of Christ the Sacrament shall empty it selfe with an aboundant blessing upon their soules yea it shall fill them up to the brim What an happy thing is it to be full brim-full of Christ A mouth wide open will be a meanes to fill the heart full brimme full of Christ That man comes happily to the Sacrament indeed that can say after his being at the Sacrament as they did in that case Psal 126. 2 3. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad Now wouldest thou be able after a Sacrament to say When I was at the Sacrament then was my mouth filled with laughter my tongue with signging and mine heart with spirituall comfort and joy The Lord hath done great things for me whereof I am glad Wouldest thou after a Sacrament be able thus to say Why then when thou goest to the Sacrament Open thy mouth and open thy mouth wide and GOD will fill thy mouth with laughter and thine heart with spirituall joy It is true that a great many goe from the Sacrament and their mouthes are not filled with laughter but with complaints with sad complaints of the little good they receive at the Sacrament Many come from the Sacrament with empty mouthes empty hearts And what may the reason of it be Is not God as bountifull as he was wont to be Yes surely he is the same God that ever his hand is not shortned but the very reason is that men come with shut mouthes or at lest with their mouthes but narrowly opened and shut mouthes and narrow mouthes must needs be empty mouthes Wee open not therfore God fils not we open not wide therefore God fils not full Is the Sea empty because a stopt Vessell is not filled when throwne into it Is there no water in the River because a narrow mouth'd
come to the Sacrament with our eyes to Christ and to his promises expecting his making good his promises to us hee would not cause our eyes to faile Thus therefore resolve Christ hath promised to give in the Sacrament his body and his bloud to give the benefits of his death he hath promised to seale pardon to manifest himselfe to give power against lusts c. I will therefore now go to this Ordinance with a particular expectation of such and such a particular blessing as my soule stands in need of And most sure it is that the want of this duty proves very prejudiciall to us How come many from the Sacrament without any benefit or good at all How fals it out so They have as much as they expected as they went expecting nothing so they come away receiving nothing God will not drop downe his blessings upon oscitant and negligent hearts We our selves will not give unto others where wee know there is no such thing expected from us Chap. 18. God to be sought in speciall manner by prayer before the Sacrament CHAP. 18 THere remaines now onely the sixth and last thing to be done in actuall preparation and that is the solemne and serious seeking of God in prayer Indeed prayer is a common preparative duty to all services of God yea to all workes we take in hand Col. 3. 17. And whatsoever ye doe in word or deed doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus that is calling upon the name of the Lord and seeking first to him by prayer It is layed to their charge as a great sin Isay 30. 2. That walke to go downe into Egypt and have not asked at my mouth No businesse especially businesse of weight and concernement should be undertaken without prayer And what businesse of greater weight what businesse wherein we stand so much in need of God and his helpe as in the worthy receiving of the Sacrament If common and ordinary businesse must not be medled withall without prayer for direction and blessing how much lesse should this great businesse of receiving the Sacrament How needfull a duty this is will thus appeare 1 First this duty neglected it will cast a dampe upon all other our preparations This failing in the last act will marre all that hitherto wee have done neither can a blessing be expected upon all the rest in the want of this We know Solomons Proverbe Prov. 16. 1. The preparations of the heart are in man but the answer of the mouth is from the Lord. The meaning of it is that though a man have studied hard and have well provided and prepared himselfe what to say yet he hath need of Gods help to deliver the thoughts of his mind and that a man cannot bring forth his conceptions without the obstetrication of Gods assistance A Minister when he is to preach spends time in preparation for the work now when he is thus prepared yet he needs the helpe of God for a doore of utterance Is it not therefore exceeding necessary for a Minister though he have ever so well prepared himselfe by study to seeke to God by prayer that utterance may be given unto him that he may open his mouth as S. Paul desires to be prayed for Eph. 6. 19. Though a man by study be well and sufficiently provided yet if a man without prayer to GOD for his assistance should up into the Pulpit might not such an one feare that his mouth might be stopt and God should silence him in the Pulpit Or could he looke at lest that his tongue should so speake as that the preparations of his heart should go to the hearts of others For al a Ministers preparations notwithstanding he stands in need of Gods speciall assistance and therefore it neerely concernes him together with his preparations to seeke to God by prayer for that helpe and assistance of his Iust so it is in the case of the Sacrament The preparations of the heart are in man but yet ability and power to do the work at the Sacrament is from the Lord so that if God helpe not and assist not all preparations come to little And it cannot be expected that God should helpe when he is neglected and not sought to and intreated to helpe We need Gods helpe in all things but specially in holy duties What was the bearing of the Ark on the Priests shoulders to the receiving of the Sacrament One would think there should have needed no such speciall help to that work of bearing the Arke besides the generall concourse of Gods providence And yet it is said 1 Chron. 15. 26. That God helped the Levites that bare the Arke yea it was such speciall helpe that they offered sacrifices upon it And if they needed the helpe of GOD to beare the Arke of the Lord how much more do we need the helpe of God in this solemne action and service of receiving the Sacrament And if such need of helpe is there not then as much need of prayer Will helpe come from God without prayer Will the Lord helpe us if we seeke not for his helpe nothing lesse Nay so farre from helping us that we may rather feare he will curse our performances For upon our preparations before specified to come to the Sacrament without speciall seeking God in prayer what is it better than a trusting in our selves and in our preparations Assuredly God will blast all selfe-confidences and all confidences in our owne preparations Therefore never thinke thy selfe duly prepared till to all the rest thou hast joyned solemne and earnest seeking of God by prayer 2 Secondly it should bee a mans great care both to sanctifie himselfe to the Ordinance and to have the Ordinance sanctified to him Sanctifie your selves sayes Iosiah 2 Chron. 35. 6. to the Levites Now prayer is the way to doe both It sanctifies us to the Ordinance and the Ordinance to us 1 Tim. 4. All things are sanctified by the word and prayer All things both persons to the Ordinances and Ordinances to the persons not only meats and drinkes but Ordinances Sacraments are sanctified to our uses by prayer Where prayer is neglected neither is the person sanctified to the Ordinance nor the Ordinance to the person 3 Thirdly what an happy and a joyfull thing is it when a man comes to the Sacrament and it shall as it were say to a man as Ananias said to Saul Acts 9. 17. Brother Saul the Lord hath sent me unto thee that thou mightst receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost So when the Sacrament shall come with such commission to us how blessed a thing is it The Lord hath sent mee unto thee that thou mayest receive comfort and be filled with the Holy Ghost Now there is a course to be taken that the Sacrament may bee sent with such a Commission But what may that course be Doe as Saul did Vers 11. Ananias goe inquire for Saul c. for behold he prayes Saul was
he had beene the Gardiner and accordingly inquires of him as of the Gardiner Where hee had laid Christ But yet before an answer could be returned her she turned her selfe from him for when Christ speakes to her Vers 16. She turnes her selfe to him Therefore she had turned away from him as thinking it a bootlesse businesse to stand talking with him and inquiring of him about finding of Christ And just when she as hopelesse of finding Christ by him turnes her selfe from him Christ calls her by her name Mary So that a man may often finde Christ when he least hopes for it Therefore though thou hast but little hope to finde Christ at the Sacrament yet turne not from it but come to Christ in his Ordinance even then when thou least hopest for it mayest then heare so gratious a compellation from CHRIST as may make thy soule joyfully eccho backe againe Rabboni Chap. 19. Meditation and exercise of Repentance at the Sacrament CHAP. 19 A Communicant being thus fitted and prepared and being now come to the Lords Table it followes to consider what behaviour is there required of him It is not enough for a man to dresse and trime up himselfe in his handsomer apparell before he comes to a great mans table but there is a great care also to be had of that carriage and behaviour that beseemes such a mans table and person Though a man come handsome and cleanely apparel'd to a great mans Table yet hee may there carry himselfe so rudely unmannerly and uncivilly that hee may give great offence As therefore wee must have a care to get our hearts into an holy and fitting frame before we come so no lesse must our care bee to have them in a convenient frame during the time of the whole action Though a man have bestowed much paines with his heart before his comming yet if there bee not a care of due behaviour in the action all his former paines may bee lost Though the Priests had been carefull to have washed themselves and to put on their Priestly garments yet might they be guilty of irregularities at the Altar in not placing the wood or the parts of the sacrifice in due order Leviticus 1. Therefore as the Apostle speakes in the generall so it may be said in this particular 2 Iohn 8. Looke to your selves that wee loose not those things which wee have wrought c. So looke to your selves when yee have bestowed a great deale of time and paines in preparation that by a loose and carelesse carriage in the duely doing you loose not the things you have done There must bee a care therefore of the duties to be done in the Action Duties convenient There bee some duties in which the whole congregation joyne together in which we must take heed of all loosenesse and evagation of spirit especially exprest in idle gazing about have a care to hold the heart close to all those duties in which all joyne together But I meane not to insist in these There are therefore some speciall and personall duties that every one is particularly by himselfe to performe and those have a speciall care of The duty in generall to be done at the Sacrament 16. The offering up of our selves to God in an holy and spirituall disposition in receiving of the Supper This generall branches it selfe into diverse particulars And they are these 1. First solemne serious and deepe meditation A leading duty to others that follow and that which onely furthers them There must bee an heart enlarged with godly sorrow for sinne there must be compunction and contrition of spirit It is meditation that must fit for it and bring that and lay that to the hâ—â—â—â— which must bruise it Meditation gives a man Meditatio siquidem pascit scientiam scientia compunctionem compunctio devotionem Inter opera August l. 3. de Spir. anima a sight and knowledge of himselfe of his sinnes of the riches of Gods mercies in Christ and such knowledge is it which workes compunction of spirit We are to be taken up in duties of Thankesgiving and to bee more than ordinarily enlarged therein There is no such way to enlarge the heart in that duty as by meditation to heate and warme our hearts So Psalme 104. 33. 34. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praise unto my God whilest I have my being my meditation of him shall bee sweete I will be glad in the Lord. There is nothing so feeds spirituall joy and so maintaines and holds up that holy flame that should be in a mans heart in the duty of thankesgiving as doth meditation That is the Oyle and the Fuell that keepes such fire burning The sweeter our meditation is the more is the heart prepared and enlarged to prayses thankesgiving and joy in the Lord. Therefore a speciall duty to bee done at the Sacrament is to take up our hearts with serious meditation And for the better raising and feeding meditation it is good when we are come to the Lords Table to doe as Solomon wishes us to doe in that case Proverbs 23. 1. When thou sittest to eate with a Ruler consider diligently what is before thee He advises it for a mans better caution if hee be a man given to his appetite that hee may not be desirous of such dainties as are set before him But in this case it is good to consider what is set before us to provoke our appetite and to stirre up in us a longing after those dainties Consider therefore what is set before thee what is done before thee Consider the Sacramentall elements the sacramentall promises and sacramentall actions Here then wee see Bread and Wine set before us and not bare bread and wine but the sacramentall Body and Blood of Christ This is my Body This is my Blood Behold then what a Feast God hath prepared for us such a feast as that Isa 25. 6. A feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well refined Alas how leane are our soules What hunger-starved spirits have wee But here be fat things full of marrow to feed and fat our leane soules How dead and dull are our hearts but here is wine upon the lees here is wine that goes downe sweetly that will cause the lips of those that are asleepe to speake that will refresh sweetly quicken our spirits Here wee see this Bread broken this Wine powred out Here we see Christ crucified before our eyes now we see him hanging and bleeding upon the crosse wee now see him pressed and crushed under the heavie pressure of his Fathers infinite wrath Now we see him in the Garden in his bloody sweate Now may wee behold him under the bitter conflict with his Fathers Celebrantes coÌ„monemur quasi ungulam findens â—â—minanâ— pecus â—â—vocaâ—e ad fanceâ— minuâ—atim commolere Dominicae institutionis exemplum ut
semper passio sist in memoâ—ia c. Cypr. de caena Dom. Mâ—dâ—tâ—â—io â—uminat â—â—vores vulne 〈◊〉 fixuâ—as â—la vorum lanceam ut acetum persecutoâ—uÌ„ faeviâ—iam Apostoloâ—um fugam moâ—â—em â—urpissimam corporis sepulturum Bernard Hom de dâ—ob Discip eâ—nt ad Eâ—â— wrath upon the crosse Behold the man saies Pilate That is our duty to doe now by meditation to represent unto our selves the bitternesse of Christ's passion Exod. 24. 8. And Moses tooke the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant So here Behold the Lambe of God that takes away the sins of the world Ioh. 1. and behold the blood of that innocent and spotlesse Lambe yea behold him now shedding his precious blood to take away the sinnes of the world and looke upon him as the Scape-goat bearing and carrying our sinnes upon him Represent we unto our selves in our meditations as lively as wee are able all the sorrowes of Christ's passion Ps 26. 6. How prodigious a darkenesse was there at Christ's passion for three houres together Surely a speciall end of this darknesse was to shew the dreadfull and horrible wrath of God against his owne Sonne now hanging on the crosse a sacrifice for the worlds sinnes was it nothing or was it but a small matter that God did manifest his wrath against him by letting loose the tongues and hands of all his carnall enemies against him but that the Lord himselfe from heaven would reveale his wrath against the unrighteousnesse of the world which now lay upon him Now stood Christ in our stead we should have suffered the horrour of darkenesse for ever even that blacknesse of darknesse as Iude calls it Now Christ undertaking for us he suffers darknesse And God by this as by a visible signe would testifie that the blacknesse of darkenesse caused by Gods wrath for sin was upon him Thereby conceive wee in some sort the sad plight and wofull agony in which Christ then was God causes the Sun to shine upon the Iust and the unjust Mat. 5. 45. But now that Christ is a sacrifice for our sinnes and to suffer his Fathers wrath for them he must not have so much as the common comfort of the light of the Sunne but as if hee were of all vnjust ones the most unjust the very light of the Sunne shall be taken from him and hee be left in horrid darknesse Do but looke upon Christ on the crosse under all our sins lying upon him and how heavie a presse how ponderous a waight was that But consider besides this how many were the paines of his body by their inhumane and barbarous usages what was the bitter exacerbation of his Spirit by so many base and ignominious reproches of all his malignant opposites what was it nothing to be scourged to give his cheekes to the smiters to be spitefully intreated to be spitted on and indure all those outragious insolencies of his enemies before and at his crucifying Oh! how bitter were these things But consider besides all this to have all the power of Hell against him and all those Lyons Bulls Vnicornes and Dogs to be taken up and imployed in assaulting and afflicting him Oh! how past all conception of the understanding of man was the smart of this misery Heere was Earth against him here was Hell against him And yet Earth and Hell not enough but Heaven it selfe against him After all this to have God his Father from Heaven by this prodigious dreadfull and long darkenesse to testifie his wrath against him here was that which added waight and perfection to all the rest To be three whole houres together under a visible signe of the darkenesse of Gods countenance under the darkenesse of the sense of his wrath witnessed from Heaven by the darkenesse of the Sun how bitter and sharp a conflict was this above all the rest Thus represent we to our selves Christ hanging on the crosse thus Behold the Lambe of God rosting in the fire of wrath yea further After that we have seene Christ thus for three houres space in deepe silence conflicting in this time of darknesse with all these sorrowes Now as not able any longer to hold his peace thinke wee that we heare him by that formidable cry manifesting the bitternesse and unutterable extremity of his passion My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me All these three darke houres was Christ drinking this bitter cup and now at the third houres end was he come to the dregs and lees of it This was the sharpest paroxisme and fit of his passion Now were the envenomed arrowes of the Almighty shot up to the heads in his soule And how can we see and heare Christ suffering all this for us and not withall in our meditations stand astonished at the heynousnesse and hideousnesse of our sinnes for which no other way of expiation could be made but by this bitter passion of Christ Behold in the passion of Christ as in a glasse the greatnesse of sinne Thinke we sadly with our selves Surely sinne against God must needs be more than men commonly esteeme it It could be no small matter for which the deare Sonne of God did suffer such horrible and dreadfull torments on the crosse Let we out our hearts therefore here in the meditation of the greatnesse of our sinnes And withall Ad victimam illam pendentem in cruce nos conferemus Ibi vere contemplabimur Deum ibi in ipsum cor Dei introspiciemus quod fit misericors quod nobis mortem peccatoris c. Luther in Gen. 19. let we out our hearts especially in the meditation and admiration of such unmatchable love and goodnesse as God hath shewen in the worke of our Redemption Labour to comprehend what is the bredth and length and depth and height and to know and see the love of Christ which passeth knowledge What heart is able sufficiently to admire the depth of the riches the bottomelesse depth the unfadomable depth of the riches of Gods love and mercy in Christ How may wee with David cry out Lord what is man that thou art mindefull of him Psalm 8. 4. and upon a better ground with Iob Iob 7. 17. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him especially that thou shouldest so be mindefull of him that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him as to give the Sonne of thy love to suffer the cursed death of the crosse to make us cursed children firebrands of hell damned hell-hounds heires of blessings and eternall life Is not here matter of meditation and admiration to take up all the thoughts and hearts of men and Angels And how should such love fire and inflame our hearts with holy love to God and Christ How should our hearts grow warme and hot within Tribue ut concaleat cor meum intra me in meditatione mea exardescat ignis Aug. medit c. 17. us That as David
Sacrament as Lamen 3. 15. Hee hath filled me with bitternesse hee hath made me drunken with wormewood It should bee with us at the Sacrament as with them Zech. 12. 10. They shall looke upon him whom they have pierced And how shall that sight affect them And they shall mourne and bee in bitternesse for him as one that mournes for his only sonne as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne How bitterly will such a man mourne So bitterly shall they mourne when they looke upon Christ whom they have pierced And great reason for is it not a matter of greater sorrow to pierce the only Son of God the first borne the first begotten from the dead then to loose one onely or first begotten sonne So here in the Sacrament we looke upon Christ whom wee have pierced this sight should fill our hearts with bitternesse should make our hearts full of sorrow Not only with an Historicall sorrow or a sorrow of naturall compassion when wee heare or see some sad or sorrowfull event this is nothing but Homini non est necessarium ut ChristuÌ„ in ipsius passione deploret sed magis seipsuÌ„ in Christo Luther with a practicall sorrow with an unfained sorrow of heart that wee by our personall sinnes have had our hands imbrued in the bloud of the Sonne of GOD that our sinnes envenomed those thornes those nayles that pierced him and by their venome made them put him to such bitter anguish Have we hearts conformeable Si vis ipsum cognoscere sicut se fregit ita te frange quia qui dicit se in Christo manere debeâ— sicut ille ambularit ipse ambulare Bern. hom de duob disâ—euntib ad Em. to the Christ wee see in the Sacrament Thou beholdest a broken Christ thou beholdest a bleeding Christ thou beholdest a bleeding Christ behold him therefore with a broken heart with a bleeding heart with a pierced spirit So behold Christ in the Sacrament as the Virgin Mary his Mother beheld him on the Crosse And how was that Woman sayes Christ behold thy Son How did shee behold him Simeon tells her Luk. 2. 35. That a sword shall passe thorow her soule Then did a sword pierce thorow her soule when she beheld him pierced on the Crosse that sight was a sword through the heart of her So when wee see him pierced in the Sacrament it should be as a dagger in our hearts Oh wretch that I am that my sinnes have beene thornes on his head nayles in his hands and feete a speare in his side LORD saies David when he saw the people slaughtred by the Angels sword loe I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheepe what have they done 2 Sam. 24. 17. So say Electe puer Dei mei quid tanta amaritudine quid tanta confusione dignum commiseras Prorsus nihil Ego perditus homo totius proditionis tuae causa extiti Ego domine unam acceâ—bam comedi dentes tui obstupuerunt quia quae non rapuisti tunc exvolvebâ—s Bernard Serm. de pass Dom. here lo I have sinned I have done wickedly but this Innocent and Immaculate Lambe what hath he done It is I that have sinned and it is thou Oh LORD that hast smarted It is I that have sinned and it is thou Oh Lord that hast suffered It is I that have put thee to all these sorrowes my oathes my uncleannesses my lusts my covetousnesse my drunkennesse c. These were the Iudasses that betrayed thee these were the Iewes that crucified thee Lord I have eaten the sowre grapes and thy teeth were set on edge LORD I plaid the thiefe and thou restoredst the things thou tookest not Doe this sayes Christ in Remembrance of me Hee would have the Sacrament appointed to renew and refresh the remembrance of his sufferings that in the remembrance of his sufferings wee might remember our owne sinnes the causes of them and bee deepely humbled for them That as the Prophet speakes in that case Lamen 3. 19 20. Remembring mine affliction and my misery the worme-wood and the gall my soule hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in mee So in â—â—is case remembring Christs affliction and his misery the gall and the worm-wood our soule should still have them in remembrance and be deepely humbled in us what a sweete temper were it to bee at the Sacrament with a melting heart Mine eye saith the Prophet affecteth mine heart Lam. 3. 51. how happy that our eye could effect our heart we have Christ crucified for our sinnes in our eye at the Sacrament ô that that which our eye sees could affect our heart with such sorrow for sinne as becomes That our vide quomodo his qui Christi commemorant passionem inter sacra officia quasi per quosdam canales de interioribus fontibus egrediantur torrentes super omnes delicias lachrymis nectarijs anima delectetur Ros matutinus est de caelestibus stillans quasi unctio spiritus mentem deliniens Gemitus illos pietas excitat se sanatam sanctificatam agnoscens fletibus se abluit lachrymis se baptizat Cypr. de caen Dom. eye could affect our heart and our heart could affect our eye that whilest wee behold Christ shedding his bloud for our sinnes we could be affected with such sorrow upon the sight of our eye that our heart could melt out at our eyes and shed teares for those sinnes for which wee see Christ shed his bloud That we could turne the Sacrament of the Supper into a baptisme of teares and could wash and baptise our selves with the teares of Repentance as Saint Cyprian speakes It was layde to the charge of those unkinde husbands Malach. 2. 13. that by their unkindnesses they caused their wives when they should have been cheerefull in Gods service to cover the Altar of the Lord with teares with weeping and with crying out insomuch that he regarded not the offering any more nor received it with good will at their hands But how happy were it with us that wee could so bee affected with our unkindnesse to CHRIST our Husband that we could cover the Lord's Table with our teares with weeping and with crying out how then would the Lord regarde our service the more and receive our receiving with good will at our hands Vere potest conscindere cor meuÌ„ miserum sanguineis lachrimis madefacere quia ecce creator meus pro me sanguineo rore prefunditur nec levi quidem sed decurrente in terram Vae misero cordi quod taâ— tanto â—udore non madescit perfusum Bern. de pass DoÌ„ tract c. 37. Alas alas for the hardnesse of our hearts that we can see our Lord all in his gore bloud for our sins his bloud shedding upon the earth and that our hearts cannot be rent and bleed teares of bloud that this bloud moystens not and softens not our hard hearts Consider yee and call
for the mourning women and send for cunning women that they may come saith the Prophet Ier. 9. 17 18. that they may come And let them make haste and take up a wailing for us that our eyes may runne down with teares and our eylids gush out with waters So when ye be come to the Lord's Table consider ye consider ye O lacrymae ubi yos subtaxistis O lacrimae ubi estis Vbi estis fontes lachrymarum Movemini obsecro ad fletum meum fontes lachrymarum fluite super faciem meä Rigate maxillas meas Date mihi planctū amarum Ber. de mod ben viv serm 27. Miserum me quomodo sic insensata facta est anima mea Miserum me quomodo sic induruit cor meum ut oculi mei uon indesinenter producant flumina lachry marum Aug. med c. 34. Percute Domine percute obsecro hanc durissimam mentem meam sic de capite meo educ aquam immensam de oculis meis verū fontem lachrymarum Aug. med c. 37. what is before you Call for mourning hearts call for mourning affections call for sad and sighing spirits call for teares that your eyes may run downe with teares and your eylids gush out with waters Say with the same Prophet Ier. 9. 1. Oh that mine head were waters and mine eyes a fountaine of teares that I might weepe c. Ah our rocky hearts harder then the neither milstone that cannot dissolve into rivers of teares upon the view of so sad a spectacle as the sight of CHRIST hanging crucified on the Crosse for our sins Smite LORD thou that canst bring water out of the rockes and canst turne the flint into a standing poole LORD smite thou this rocky heart breake thou this heart of flint and make the waters gush out abundantly And this is the first exercise of repentance at the Sacrament 2 The second exercise of repentance at the Sacrament is in a solemne renewing of our vowes and covenants Plinius sub Trajano scripsit solitos stato die convenire Christianos ante lucem carmenq Christo quasi Deo cōmuni voce dicere Postea se Sacramento obstringere non in scelus aliquod sed ne furta ne latrocinia ne adulteria committerent ne fidem fallerent ne depositum appellati ab negarent Centur. Magdeb. Cent. 2. c. 6. with GOD to hate forsake and renounce all our former sins lusts vanities unprofitablenesse and to walke more closely and watchfull then ever before The word Sacrament is a latine word that signifies an Oath to receive the Sacrament is to take and receive an Oath And when we receive the Sacrament we should binde our selves in a solemne Covenant with God to forsake all our sins and to walk in new and better obedience before GOD. And that practice of repentance rises thus In the Sacrament I see CHRIST crucified for my sins And was CHRIST crucified for my sins Surely then I resolve and vow too and covenant with God that I will use my sins as I see they have used CHRIST They pierced him I will pierce them they killed and put him to death LORD I will doe by them as they have done by thee I will kill crucifie and put them to death LORD CHRIST thou gavest thy selfe for me Behold here I am and here I give my selfe to thee That same is to be done in the Sacrament which we finde Deut. 26. 16 17 18. This day the Lord hath commanded thee to doe these Statutes c. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God and c. And the Lord hath avouched thee this day c. So may it bee said of a Sacrament day This day the LORD thy GOD hath commanded thee to keepe his Statutes c. And this day thou hast avouched the LORD to be thy GOD and to walke is his wayes c. And this day the LORD hath avouched thee to be one of his There should be in a Sacrament a mutuall avouchment between GOD and his people When wee come to the Sacrament as wee come that GOD may avouch us for his people so we should come to avouch him for our GOD and that we will keepe his Commandements We can have no comfort in the use of the Sacrament unlesse in it God avouch us for his people And wee have no reason to thinke that God will avouch us for his people unlesse wee will avouch him to be our GOD and covenant with him the renoucing of our lusts and yeelding him obedience This therefore is to be done in the Sacrament Lord avouch me for thine as I avouch and covenant my selfe to be thine in all obedience to thy Commandements It must be with us at a Sacrament as it was with the Iewes of ancient in a Sacrifice In Sacrifices the people did not onely offer their oblation and performe that service but withall they did in Sacrificing renew and make their covenants afresh the covenants of offering up themselves a living and acceptable Sacrifice of mortification of their brutish lusts of an holy and obedient life So much implyes as that Rom. 12. 1. So that place Psal 50. 5. Gather my Saints together those that have made a covenant with me by Sacrifice Therefore in Sacrifices there was a making of covenant with GOD. The same must be done in the Sacrament of the Supper wee must there renew our Baptismall covenant For in the Sacrament there is and must be a mutuall stipulation and sponsion betweene GOD and the soule of a Communicant that as we expect GOD should binde himselfe to us so hee expects that wee should binde our selves to him As David joynes the cup of salvation and the paying of his vowes together Psal 116. 13 14. I will take the cup of my salvation I will pay my vowes unto the Lord so should wee joyne the cup of blessing and the making of our vowes together I will take the cup of blessing I will make my vowes unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people And thus in these two things must there be a practice of repentance at the receiving of the Sacrament Chap. 20. Faith to bee Actuated and exercised in the Sacrament An exercise of Thankesgiving Love and Mercy CHAP. 20 3 THe third thing in which the spirituall and holy disposition in receiving the Sacrament stands is an exercise of faith Now must a Communicant speake to his faith as Deborah doth to her selfe Iudg. 5. 12. Awake Awake Deborah Awake Awake utter a Song So Awake Awake oh my faith Awake Awake and now bestirre and rouse up to do the speciall and maine worke of the Sacrament in the receiving of Christ now offered and tendered in his Ordinance The great and chiefe work of the Sacrament comes now to be done in the Actuating of faith so as to fetch forth the fat and marrow of the Ordinance For the better conceiving and practising of this point we must know these foure things
in which this bloud is put This bloud is held forth in this bason This is my bloud Now when this bloud is held forth to us in this bason wee should sprinkle our selves with this bloud That must be done by Actuating our faith and by the act of faith applying that bloud of Christ unto our selves We finde mention Rom. 3. 25. of faith in Christs bloud there is not onely faith in Christs Name but faith in his bloud Faith when Christs bloud is holden out to us either in the Word or Sacrament puts her hand into this bason or dippes the hyssope into the bloud in the bason and so besprinkles a mans soule therewith Faith applying CHRISTS bloud to a mans selfe doth put her hand into the bason doth dip the hyssop into the bloud in the bason ye doth with Thomas put her hands into the wounds of CHRIST and take bloud thence and besprinkles the soule withall When therfore we see CHRISTS bloud in the Sacrament we are to take it and besprinkle our selves with it that is we are to have faith in his bloud and by faith to apply the merit of Christs death unto our owne soules And this application is the Actuation of faith Nay that is not all faith seeing the wounds and the bloud of Christ not Cruci haeremus sanguinem sugimuâ— intra ipsa Redempturis nostri vulnera sigimus linguam Cyp. de Coen Dom. onely puts her hands into Christs woundss or into the bloud in the bason but faith layes her mouth to these wound and to this bloud and suckes these wounds suckes in this bloud with an holy greedinesse A faith Actuated in the Ordinance is a bloud-sucking faith Prov. 30. 15. The horse-leech hath two daughters which cry Give give Such an eager and holy greedinesse hath faith in sucking in Christs bloud It cannot be satisfied but still cries Give give Lord give me evermore of this bloud give me of this bloud to sprinkle my unrighteous soule Give me of this bloud to staunch the bloudy issues of mine heart Give me of this bloud to heale my leprose spirit Give me of this bloud to helpe subdue and mortifie my lusts Give me of this bloud of Christ crucified to crucifie old Adam and all my rebllious lusts Thus when a man suckes in earnestly the bloud of Christ whom he sees crucified and shedding his bloud in the Sacrament and suckes it in for his severall and speciall necessities then is faith Actuated in the use of the Sacrament And thus also may and must a man Actuate his faith for his comfort In this bason of the Sacrament I see Christs bloud Christs bloud is a reconciling bloud Rom. 3. 25. Col. 1. 20 21. It is justifying bloud Rom. 5. 9. We are justifyed by faith How by faith By faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. It is a pacifying bloud Col. 1. 20. Ephes 2. 13 14. A pardoning bloud Mat. 26. 28. Eph. 1. 7. It is a sanctifying bloud Heb. 13. 12. A purging bloud from dead workes Heb. 9. 14. A cleansing bloud 1 Ioh. 1. 7. It is a mortifying bloud such a bloud as fetches out the heart bloud of old Adam and delivers from the dominion of sinne The bloud of Christ crucified is crucifying bloud Rom. 6. 2 3 6. Gal. 6. 14. It is a bloud that sets prisoners free Zech. 9. 11. It is a bloud that makes men Kings and Priestes Apoc. 1. 5 6. It is a softning molifying bloud that makes the heart tender it supples a stony heart and Illa invicta vis duarum violentissimarum naturae rerum ignis ferti contemptrix hircino tamen â—sipitur sanguine faedissimo Animalium Plin. makes it a heart of flesh Zech. 12. 10. Goats bloud some say breakes the Adamant which neither Iron nor fire can doe but to bee sure the bloud of this Goat Lev. 16. the bloud of this Lambe breakes the Adamant heart of a man which nothing else can breake It is a quickning bloud that brings life and strength with it Therefore represented by wine in the Sacrament It is life-bloud bloud full of CHAP. 21 spirit that fills the soule with excellent vigour to holy performances Heb. 13. 20 21. Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Iesus c. typified by that Exodus 24. 7 8. Now what a deale of comfort may faith draw from all this Alas my person is unrighteous but LORD thy bloud is Iustifying bloud mine heart is uncleane but thy bloud is sanctifying bloud my lusts are many and mighty but LORD thy bloud is Mortifying bloud Mine heart is wondrous hard but Lord thy bloud is softning bloud mine heart is exceeding dead but Lord thy bloud is quickning bloud In this bloud of thine I beleeve this bloud of thine I thirstily drinke downe this bloud of thine I heartily apply with a comfortable expectation of all these blessed benefits Be of good cheare oh my soule here is pardoning bloud to comfort thee against thy guilt here is sanctifying bloud to comfort thee against the pollutions of thy nature CHAP. 20 here is crucifying bloud to comfort thee against thy lusts here is following bloud to helpe thee against thy hardnesse quickning bloud to helpe thee against thy deadnesse He was wounded for our transgressions Isa 53. 5. And here in the Sacrament we may see his wounds and faith must looke upon them as healing wounds With his stripes are we healed Isa 53. 5. what sweete comfort may faith fetch hence Looke upon the wounds of Christ on the Crosse as on the Cities of refuge whither thy pursued soule by the avenger of bloud may flye for safety and Sanctuary Indeed I am a grievous sinner I have wounded my conscience Feccavi peccatuÌ„ grande turbatur conscientia sed non perturbabitur quoniam vulnerum Domini recordabor NeÌ„pe vulneratus est propter iniquiâ—ates nostâ—â—â— Quid tam ad mortem quod non Christi moâ—te salvâ—tur Bernard â—iâ—p Can. Serm. 61. with my transgressions but behold my Saviour here wounded for my transgressions I have â—â—â—se to be troubled in my conscience for the wounds my transgressions have made therein but yet my conscience needs not sinke in a despondency of spirit whilest I looke at these wounds of Christ Here be wounds for wounds healing wounds for stabbing wounds curing wounds for killing wounds He was wounded for our transgressions what wound so deadly that cannot or may not be healed by his death and wounds what comfort is here for faith in the wounds of Christ crucified whose death is represented in the Sacrament a FoderuÌ„t manus ejus pedes latusque lancea foraverunt per has rimas licet mihi sugere mel de petra oleum de saxo id est gustare videre quoniaÌ„ suavis est dominus At clavis reserans clavis penetrans factus est mihi ut videaÌ„ voluntatem domini Quidni videaÌ„ per foramen clamat câ—edens sit
in Christo muÌ„dum reconcilians sibi patet Arcanum coâ—dis per foramina corporis Patent viscera misericordiae Dei Quidni viscera per vulnera pateant In quo enim clarius quam in vulneribus tuis eluxisset quod tu domine suavis multae misericordiae c. Ego vero sidenter quod ex me mihi deest userpo mihi ex visceribus domini quoniam misericordia affluunt nec desunt foramina per quae affluant Bernard sâ—p Cantic Ser. 61. They pierced my hands and my feete Psal 22. 16. They pierced his side with the speare and there came out water and bloud nay there comes out of those wounds honey and oyle unto faith By these passages may our faith sucke honey and oyle out of the rocke and may taste how good and sweete the Lord is The nayles the speare the wounds all preach unto faith a reconciled God that God is in Christ reconciling the world to Himselfe The Lords bowels are laid open by these CHAP. 21 wounds so as throughout them wee may see the tender bowels of his mercy and so as through them mercy flowes from those bowels unto us Oh my Dove that art in the clefts or holes of the Rocke Cant. 2. 14. Some of the Ancients understood those clefts of the Rock the wounds of Christ in which the Dove the Church hides and shelters her selfe However it may be alluded to and that should be no work of faith at the Sacrament when it sees those clefts of the Rocke opened like a Dove to betake her selfe therunto for shelter and security against all feares and distresses Tuta requies est infirm is peccatoribus in vulneribus salvatoris securus illic habito Patent mihi viscera per vulnera August Mannal Miles aperuit mihi latus Christ lancea ego intâ—ali ibi requiesco securus Aug ibid. that wrath and guilt may put the conscience to Doe any feares of wrath trouble thine heart Doth any Conscience of guilt disquiet thee with the feares of hell Why now in the Sacrament for thy comfort behold the holes in the Rocke where thou mayest be sheltred Dwell now in the rock and be like the Dove that makes her rest in the sides of the holes mouth Ier. 48. Nessell thy soule now at the Sacrament in the clefts of this Rocke See and fully beleeve thy peace to be made with God in Christs bloud and look upon him wounded for thy transgressions with such a faith as may fill thine heart with an holy security against all such feares faith thus Actuated cannot but send thy soule from the Sacrament with much comfort And thus much for the Actuation of faith which is the third thing in that holy disposition requirrd in the receiving of the Sacrament The fourth thing followes which is an exercise of thankesgiving to God for the great worke of our Redemption by the death of Christ And this must rise from an heart affected and enlarged in the use of the Ordinance the heart being warmed and growing hot with the sense of Gods goodnesse a man should breake out and give vent to his heart in magnifying CHAP. 20 the mercy of God for the death of Christ represented in this Ordinance and the fruit thereof is communicated to us therein In the use of our naturall foode there followes a cheerefulnesse of spirit Act. 14. 17. Filling our hearts with foode and gladnesse Now when the heart is cheered and refreshed with the creature it should then let out it selfe in thanksgiving to God Nehem. 9. 25. So they did eate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodnesse Psalm 22. 26. The meeke shall eate and be satisfied they shall praise the Lord that seeke him So when the heart is cheered with the sense of the sweetnesse of an Ordinance of the Sacrament when the Lord hath filled the heart with spirituall foode and gladnesse when we have beene filled and have delighted our selves in Gods great goodnesse in the Sacrament then let we out our hearts to blesse and praise the LORD See it in David Psal 63. 5. My soule shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse That blessing he looks for in Gods ordinances and what should then follow And my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull lippes When men are excessively filled with Wine they shout and make a noyse and sing and take on The Prophet alludes to it Psalme 78. 65. like a mighty man that Fons vitae replementem meam torrente voluptatis tuae inebria cor meum sobria ebrietaâ—e amoris tui Aug. medit c. 37. shoutes by reason of wine Such excesse and such drunkennesse the Apostle forbids Ephes 5. 18. Be not drunk with wine wherein is excesse But yet there an holy and a sober Inebriation the Apostle allowes and calls for But be filled with the spirit Drinke deepe of that Wine And where is that Wine to be drunke As in other Ordinances so in the Sacrament Here Christ makes merry with his people Eate O friends drink ye drink abundantly ô beloved or be drunken with loves Now when a man hath liberally Cant. 5. 1. drunke of this Wine of the spirit at the Sacrament what should follow That which followes in that CHAP. 21 Text Ephes 5. 19. Speaking to your selves in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall songs singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. When a Quo interius exteriusque rubricati a sapientibus hujus saeculi judicamur amentes man is made Red with this wine within and without as St. Cyprian speakes then should a man let out his heart in holy Iubilitions and Thankesgivings Haec ebriâ—tas non accendit sed extinguit peccatum c. Cypr. de caen Dom. unto God Doe this in remembrance of mee that is in remembrance of the great worke of your redemption wrought by me and doe it in a thankfull remembrance So remember it as to have your hearts in special manner enlarged in all thankefulnesse unto me for this worke And from this it is that this Sacrament beares the name of the Eucharist as being the Sacrament of Thankesgiving for the work of Redemption in the remembrance whereof it is celebrated Our Saviour gave a patterne of this Matth. 26. 30. When they had sung an Hymne So then they sang an Hymne together An Hymne is a Psalme of praise So the Iewes in the celebration of the Passeover did sing the 113. Psalme with the five following Psalmes which they called the Great Hallelujah which they began to sing after that cup of Wine which they called Poculum Hymni seu laudationis the Cup of praise And thus it should bee with us in receiving the Sacrament At all times upon all occasions wee should sing Hallelujahs to GOD but at the Sacrament wee should sing a Great Hallelujah at all times wee should thankefully blesse GOD for the worke of our Redemption but at the Sacrament we should have our hearts greatly
sense of our unworthinesse and thereupon awaken our selves to quicken the Ordinance to our selves the Sacrament shall be ready afterwards to empty it selfe with blessings upon our soules and shall prove effectuall and comfortable unto thee The first Sacrament of the Supper the Disciples received it is not like they found the efficacy of it for the present for they then knew nor understood nothing of CHRISTS death neither could it sinke into their heads that he should dye but yet afterwards when they came more cleerely to understand the mysteries of Redemption and the whole doctrine of Christ no question but they reaped the benefit of that Ordinance which then they fully understood not Physicke doth not alwayes worke when it is taken but many times a good while some dayes after It is with the Sacrament as it is with the word Many a man heares the word and minds it but for the present it hath no work at all It is possible that seven yeares twenty yeares after it may worke a Sermon preached seven yeares before may prove the meanes of a mans conversion seaven yeares after wee have an example in that kinde Iohn 10. 41 42. And many resorted unto him and said Iohn did no miracle but all things that spake of this man were true and many beleeved on him there Iohn had preacht of Christ before they did not there upon beleeve in Christ when hee preacht Iohn was dead and gone but now when Christ comes amongst them they upon Iohns former Sermons preacht a great while before doe now beleeve Iohn was dead but his word was not dead that now workes when he lyes in his grave Thus also may it be with the Sacrament it doth not alwayes presently worke it may and doth work some longer time afterwards when a Communicant humbled for his unprofitablenesse in the duely endeavours by after-diligence and Humiliation to quicken and put life into it And if such a course may quicken a Sacrament some time after then why not much more on the same day What hinders but it may bee in the case of the Sacrament of the Supper as in the Sacrament of Baptisme The efficacy and force of Baptisme doth not presently appeare no not presently upon the yeeres of discretion Many an one lives vitiously in sinfull course a swearer adulterer c. but yet afterwards if God give once a man the heart to bee toucht with the sense of his owne unworthinesse and hee beginnes to bestirre himselfe to secke GOD by faith and Repentance the Lord quickens a mans Baptisme and makes it as powerfull and efficacious as if that very day administred So in this case possibly a man that hath beene at the Lords Table and hath more then once beene an unworthy receiver but yet if a man shall come once to bee humbled of that unworthinesse God will make sacraments so oft unprofitably received to become efficacious unto him For though hee were unprepared to receive yet God was not unprepared to dispense the benefit of them Therefore if wee have miscarried in our preparations and dispositions so as we have found no benefit no comfort yet here is a remedy and an help take this course by after-diligence and after-Humiliation to fetch life into that Ordinance in which thou wert dead and which was dead unto thee in the Administration It is a frequent and foule fault amongst many that so soone as the Sacrament is done and the duty ended in publike they never once looke after it more They leave the Sacramentall disposition and devotion in the Church there they shake hands with it and bring not a whit of it home with them When the Sacrament is done all is done with them and as they come to it so they goe from it without any examination at all It is never once more thought upon And thereupon no Humiliation for deadnesse hardnesse and indisposition in the duty and no care to make up that by after diligence wherein they were wanting in the present performance 2 Secondly If upon this examination we finde that we were refreshed had our hearts enlarged had vertue from and communion with Christ and that GOD was very good to us then doe these two things 1 First Blesse God with all thy soule for his mercy shewed unto thee acknowledge with all thankefulnesse Gods gracious dealing with thee in the communication and manifestation of himselfe to thee in his Ordinance 2 Secondly Be carefull and watchfull to keepe up and maintaine that holy and gracious frame of heart in thee which thou acquirest in and bringest from the Sacrament with thee A man when he findes enlargement and a gracious disposition of spirit in the Ordinance should be of Peters mind when in the Mount with our Saviour in his transfiguration Master It is good being here It is good to be here as long as may bee when therefore in the Sacrament wee have gotten holy affections by degrees wound up to some spirituall height have gotten them up to more than an ordinary and common pitch our care should be to keep and maintaine so long as we can what we have gotten at the Sacrament to keepe the sweete meates wee bring from this banquet It is true indeed that wee cannot hold them up in that height and pitch to which we have wrought our hearts in holy duties and in the heate of holy exercises but yet wee should endeavour it what we can and so long as is possible by after private duties of prayer meditation good conference and the like That as David prayes for the people in that case 1 Chron. 29. 18. when he saw them in a floate of good affections their hearts sweetely and graciously enlarged O Lord saies he keepe this for ever in the Imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare or stablish their heart unto thee As if he had said Lord thou seest what a good frame of heart is in them at this present oh that thou wouldest keepe and maintaine this frame of heart in them ever So when we finde a good frame of heart wrought in us at the Sacrament wee should pray and endeavour that this frame of heart might bee still upheld and continued in us See an excellent example of this after a Sacrament 2 Chron. 30. 21 22. They finde their hearts comfortably and sweetly enlarged in the use of Gods Ordinance and loath they are to let this frame of heart sinke in them faine would they keepe it up still and therefore see ver 23. what they doe And the whole assembly tooke counsell to keep other seaven dayes and they kept other seaven dayes with gladnesse This was done to keep up still this gladnesse of heart which they had in keeping the first seven daies And this by way of proportion serves to teach us what a speciall care we should have after the receiving of the Sacrament to looke wisely to our selves to keepe alive as long as may be that holy fire that