and that not in the Sacrament onely but also in that which we have to deliver Thirdly suppose there be no particular sinne suppose the grace you have be acted when you come to receive the Sacrament yet there is a third thing required a third qualification that must be found in the heart of him that will be a worthy receiver and that is to observe well what distance is growne betweene the Lord and him ever since the time that he hath in a more particular manner beene reconciled to him This is another thing than what wee named before to consider what rust hath growne upon his soule what soyle his heart hath contracted by conversing in the world and by medling with worldly and earthly things for the soule gathers soyle with medling with them even as the hands doe now thou must thinke with thy selfe when thou commest to the Lord and drawest neere to him in this or any other duty thou must recover that distance againe and bring thy heart neerer to the Lord thou must draw neerer to him thou must get thy heart to a more close and neere and inward conjunction with him thou must labour to have that hardnesse that thou hast contracted as it will be in a little continuance of time thou must labour I say to have that tooke away and remooved to have thy heart softened to have the rust rubbed off thou must labour to have all these things done For thou must know this That though there be not a particular sinne committed yet as we see the outward man is subject to a wasting though there be no wounds though there bee no sicknesse though a man be in perfect health and all is well with him and hee observe all the rules of dyet yet I say you see the outward man is subject to wasting to fainting to weakenesse and decay and therefore there must be a renewing of dyet and of strength or else it cannot bee able to hold out So it is with the inward man though there bee no particular sinne though a man did keepe some good course in the wayes of godlynesse without running out emenently or evidently yet he is subject to a secret decay so that sometimes hee must have some speciall meate some speciall feast which the Lord hath appointed for that purpose for he doth nothing in vaine And if this Sacrament could bee spared that a man might keepe the strength of the inward man without it the Lord would not have put you to this trouble but he seeth it necessary and therefore he hath appointed it to be received and that often that you might feed upon the body and blood of Christ that you might eate his flesh and drinke his blood and gather new strength from it that when there is a decay of grace in your hearts you may goe to this Fountaine and fill the Cisternes againe to recover strength For when a man comes to the Sacrament as hee ought hee gathers a new strength as a man doth from a feast his heart is cheered up as it is with Flagons of wine hee is refreshed his hunger and thirst is satisfied That is the desires of his soule that long after Christ after righteousnesse and assurance are quickned and refreshed And this is the third thing Fourthly besides all this First the stirring up of the graces and the acting of the habits Secondly making thy peace and reconciliation with God and remooving of any particular offence that is betwixt God and thee Thirdly this scouring off the rust this remooving the distance betweene God and thee the softning of that hardnesse which thy heart hath contracted this recovering the strength that thou hast wasted There is besides all these a fourth thing required which is that there be an Intention a particular increase of thy will in taking Christ of thy desire to Christ and of every grace that knits thee and Christ together For there are certaine sementing graces certaine glewing graces that joyne Christ and thy soule together as Faith and Love these are the two maine graces there are a great traine of graces that follow them but these are the chiefe and these I say must bee intended For what is the end of the Sacrament Is it not to knit the knot stronger betweene Christ and us to make the union more full and perfect is it not to increase our willingnesse to take and receive Christ for you know all the acts of the soule may be intended Put the case there be a resolved act in the heart and soule of any man whereby he saith thus with himselfe I am resolved to take Christ and to serve and love him for the time of my life yet this resolution of his though it bee perfect and sincere may receive intention when a man is willing to doe to a thing truly there may be degrees added to that will when there is light in a roome when thou bringest in more candles that light may be increased so it may in this so may your faith love by faith I mean nothing but the resolution of the heart to take Christ I meane not the beleeving part but the taking part the act of the will taking Christ or receiving him which is nothing else but the choise of the will that resolves to take him I doe but touch this by the way because it is a point I have handled already at large the thing I ayme at is this I say the glewing graces are these two Faith and love whereby you thus take Christ for your Lord and Saviour Faith is like the part of the compasse that goeth about and doth the worke and love is that cementing grace whereby we are more knit unto the Lord They have both their office and their place You know love is an uniting affection therefore this is the definition of it It is a desire of union with that it loves Now when thou comest to receive the Sacrament or to pray or put up any speciall request when thou comest to have to do with God to make use of any priviledge thou hast in Christ thy chiefe busines is to intend this faith love at such a time to draw thee neerer to make the union perfect You will say how is this increased and how is it intended I answer Two wayes in the Sacrament one way is the very repetition the very renewing the covenant the very doing it over againe the resolution of taking him for there is a mutuall covenant you know betweene Christ and us it is confirmed to us in the Sacrament hee confirmes his and wee confirme ours as the freindship betweene Ionathan and David was increased by the renewing of the covenant or else why was it repeated They very repetition of the act intends the habit the habit is increased by the repetition of the act though it were no more so the renewing of the covenant exerciseth thy faith it sets a worke thy faith and thy loue when thou comest to
receiue the Sacrament the very intention is increased but this is not all There is another thing in the Sacrament that much increaseth it and that is a thing I would have you chiefely to take notice of That is the very Sacrament it selfe the elements of bread and wine delivered to thee with the very words of the minister Take and eate this is my body that was broken for thee Take and drinke this is my blood that was shed c. For when these words are spoken to us if wee did consider well of them and thinke thus with our selves These words that the Lord him himselfe hath appointed the Minister to speake for therein is the force of them that they are of the Lords own institution therefore the strength of every Sacrament lies in the institution That is a rule in Dininity the Papists themselues who haue added fiue other Sacraments cannot deny but that every Sacrament must haue an immediate institution from Christ himselfe even from his owne mouth or else there is no strength in it so that even as it is with all things that are symbolls of other things as take markes in feilds that stand for the division of severall mens rights take counters that stand for Thousands and Hundreds the very essence of these things stands in the very institution of them So in the Sacrament except these words were from the Lords owne mouth that delivered it this very delivering of the bread and wine being a signe to you of the forgiuenes of your sinnes except the Lord had thus instituted it there had beene no force in it I say consider they are words that the Minister speakes not in an ordinary course but he is appointed by the Lord himselfe to speake them and now when these words make a new impression upon thy heart it addes an intention to thy faith and loue For example to make it a little more cleare to you that you may understand it distinctly The Lord hath said this he will forgive the sinnes of all those that come unto him hee will forgive them that forsake their sinnes and take Christ Iesus and love and feare him for the time to come The Lord might have suffered it to goe thus in generall that he hath delivered it unto you and no more But hee thought good to goe further and say thus to mankind It s true I have said it but I will not content my selfe with that but will adde certaine seales and symbolls certaine externall signes that thou shalt see and looke on and I say to thee this covenant haue I made with thee and when thou seest the bread and wine delivered by the Minister know this that the thing that thou seest is a witnesse betweene thee and me That as it was said by Laban and Iacob when they made a covenant This stone be witnesse betweene us And God said to Noah when I looke upon the rainebowe it shall bee a signe that I will destroy the earth no more after this manner when the Lord hath said it and hath appointed this outward Symboll that thine eyes looke upon I remember the covenant and this is a signe betweene us this shall bind mee to it and him likewise Now when this is done anew it may be every month this is a wondrous great mercy this is a marvellous great helpe if it be rightly understood to strengthen our faith Doth it not helpe us when we see the Rainebowe which the Lord hath appointed to put him in mind of his covenant I will remember my covenant when I looke on the Bowe in the Cloud it shall confirme me and I will not breake my covenant to destroy the world with a flood So this administration of the Sacrament when the Lord lookes upon it hee cannot but remember his promise and his covenant of pardoning our sinnes And when thou lookest on it thou art assured of it for hee hath said it it shall bee a signe and a witnesse betweene us Now I say that new impression that these words thus contrived and understood and delivered by the minister make upon the heart intends our faith and love as indeed it is a great matter to haue it spoken to us by a Minister of the Gospell sent from Christ from his owne mouth Take and eat this is my body that was broken for you and this is my blood that was shed for you and for many for the remission of sinnes This is the fourth qvalification that is reqvired that our faith and love bee intended and our union increased that the will resolution and purpose of taking Christ for our Lord receive more degrees that so we may be more fast and firmely united and knit to him which I say is done partly by the repetition on both sides for the very repetition doth it and partly by a new impression that these words take eat c make on the soule Now I adde the last thing which is required still remember the maine thing wee are upon that it is not enough for thee to be in Christ but if thou wilt bee a worthy receiver thou must haue these foure qualifications in thee that I have named already Thou must reconcile thy selfe anew thou must rub off the rust from thy soule which it hath gathered Thou must recover the distance that is growne betweene God and thee Thou must adde an intending and an increase Thou must adde more degrees to thy faith and love and after all these Fiftly and lastly this is also required which is much for our benefit and comfort namely to put up thy request when thou comest neere to the Lord in the Sacrament Now thou must not only do this but thou must also make some use of the covenant which the Lord hath made with thee for his part so that thou mayst thinke this with thy selfe When I come to receive the Sacrament I have but two workes to doe one is to recovenant with the Lord and to renew my repentance and to set all eaven and the other is to remember the Lords covenant You will say what is the Covenant It 's a Covenant that consists of these three things or points Iustification I will forgive thy sins Sanctification I will make you new hearts and new spirits and the third all things are ours that is I have made you heires of the world heires of all things you have all the promises belonging to you that belong to this life and that which is to come this is the Covenant which the Lord hath made Now thou art bound when thou comest to receive the Sacrament not onely to remember this Covenant Doe this saith hee in remembrance of Mee and not barely of mee and of my being crucified for thee and of all the love that I have shewed unto thee but also in remembrance of the Covenant and of those gracious promises which are the particulars of which that Covenant is the summe and therefore thus
THREE SERMONS VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER By the late Faithfull and Worthy Minister of Jesus Christ IOHN PRESTON Dr. in Divinity Chaplaine in Ordinary to his Majestie Master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne LONDON Printed by Thomas Cotes for Michael Sparke and are to be sold at the blue Bible in Greene Arbor 1631. I Iohn 5. 14. And this is the assurance which wee have in him that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us THe scope of the holy Apostle in this chapter is to set forth some of those principall priviledges we have by Iesus Christ. One maine and principall which is the greatest of all the rest is that through him we have eternall life And therefore saith he know this that when you have the Sonne once you have life in the 12. ver He that hath the Sonne hath life and he that hath not the Sonne hath not life Therefore saith he have I written this Epistle to you for this purpose that you might consider well what gaine you have by Christ Iesus These things have I written saith hee in the verses before this that I have now read unto you to you that beleeve in the Name of the Sonne of God that you may know that you have eternall life After this he names another great priviledge that wee have by Christ mentioned in this verse that I have now read unto you This saith he is the assurance we have in him that whatsoever wee aske according to his will hee heareth us This is the second great priviledge we have by Christ we shall be heard in all our requests it is no more but aske and have put up what petition you will if you be in Christ once you have this assurance that hee heareth you but he delivers it with this condition you must first be in him We have this assurance in him saith he that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth vs. So that you see here are two plaine poynts lying evidently before us 1 That except a man be in Christ he must not hee ought not to apply to himselfe any of these spirituall priviledges that wee have by him if we be in Christ this and all other are ours if you be in Christ saith he then you have this assurance for wee have that assurance in him The second point that the verse affords us is 2 That whosoever is in Christ whatsoever he askes he shall have it Now my full intention was onely to have handled that which is mainely aimed at in the verse for the other you see is but touched by the way which is this great priviledge that belongs to all Christians that whatsoever they aske in prayer according to the will of God they shall bee heard in it But because I understand you had a Sacrament appointed for this day I have altered a little that course the hearing of that hath somewhat diverted mee and caused mee at this time to pitch upon the other point which I named to you That except a man be in Christ be ought not to apply any priviledge to himselfe if hee be I say all belongs to him When you come to receive the Sacrament it is a very great priviledge to meddle with those holy mysteries to have those simboles given to you of the love and favour of God in Christ but yet you must remember this that except you be in Christ you have nothing to doe with him and therefore it is a fitte and necessary point for this season For when the Apostle would give directions to the Corinth what they should doe to prepare themselves to the Sacrament that they may be worthy receivers hee gives it in this short precept Let every man saith he examine himselfe and so let him eate this bread and drinke this cup. Now what is a man to examine himselfe of Surely every one that comes to the Lords Table is to examine himselfe concerning these two things 1 Whether he bee in Christ and so whether he hath any right at all to come neere to him in that holy ordinance 2 Though he be in Christ yet he must examine himselfe whether hee bee particularly prepared quickned and fitted whether his heart bee put into such a trance of grace or fashioned so as it ought to bee when hee comes to the immediate performance of such a duty as that is Now because I handle this point but onely for this particular occasion I will not enter into such a manner of handling of it as I was wont to doe at other times but onely take up so much of it as may serve for the present occasion Therefore because I say this to you That except a man bee in Christ hee ought not to take any priviledge to himselfe wee will First exhort every man to consider whether hee be in Christ for this is the present question which any mans heart would aske when hee heares this propounded Why if all the priviledges bee suspended upon my being in Christ my maine businesse is to examine whether I be in Christ or no. Now because a man may bee in Christ and yet be suspended by some interveniall sinne by some indisposition of minde and heart that may grow on him from the actuall injoying of the present fruit and benefit of that priviledge which belongs to him Therefore we will first give you rules to examine your selves whether you be in Christ or no. It is very usefull to all that now are to receive or at any other time its usefull you know too not onely upon such an occasion as this but upon all occasions and therefore a point though peculiarly belonging to this time being taken up for preparation for the Sacrament which we may the more boldly venture upon and you ought to attend it more diligently I will give you but these two maine notes or rules by which you shall try it Whosoever is in Christ there must passe a double act one on our part another on Christs part My beloved is mine and I am his wee take Christ and Christ takes us wheresoever you find these two acts such a man is in Christ There must be an act of our part something the heart and mind of a man must doe to take Christ. Secondly the Lord sends and puts forth something of his he doth put forth an act of the Holy Spirit whereby he comprehends and takes us Now if thou finde in thy selfe these two things First that thy heart hath exercised that act of taking the Lord Iesus Secondly that he hath sent forth a vertue and put forth an act of his to take and to comprehend thee then certainely thou art in Christ and if it be so all the priviledges belong to thee if not thou hast nothing to doe with this holy Sacrament Now for the cleare discerning of that act which is on our part you must consider these things
there is a faith required in the promises of God there is a faith required in the providence of God to thinke that every particular thing is ordered by it There is also a faith in all the threatnings of God Now for the manner of propounding when the Scripture comes to propound any thing it propounds it thus and no more as you see in Moses he writes nothing but In the beginning God made heaven and earth c. And so the Apostles write Such a thing was done Iesus Christ was borne of the Virgin Mary Thus and thus he did Now when the naked object is propounded other writers what they deliver or write is rationall They use Reasons and arguments to convince men of those things which they deliver But when the Scripture sets downe any propositions of faith it doth but barely propound them for there is the Majesty of God and authority of God in them to confirme them But now here you will demand the proposition being but nakedly laid downe in the Scriptures what will enable a man to beleeve it I answer that certainly there is a mighty power that goes out from God from Christ that enables thee to beleeve with this efficacy that where the obiect is set before thee there goes out a power from him to worke faith in thy heart whereby thou truly beleevest it and so it appeares in thy life we thinke we beleeve those things but our lives doe manifest the contrary namely That there is not a powerfull faith wrought in us for all the errours of our lives though we observe them not arise from hence that these Principles are not throughly beleeved if they were it could not bee that there should bee such inconveniences in the lives of men Therefore consider if this faith be wrought in thee whether such a power hath gone out to worke such a faith that hath changed thy whole course as it will doe if it bee once wrought in thee by the power of Christ So also consider whether there hath a vertue gone out from him to worke love in thy heart to the Lord for otherwise it is certaine that there is no man in the world that is able to love God or to come neere him for all love riseth from Similitude there must bee an agreement and similitude betweene those two that love Now every man by nature is as contrary to Gods pure nature as fire is to water and without an almighty power to change his nature and to worke a particular affection of love in him he can never be able to love God therefore it s the baptisme of the holy Ghost I will baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire that is with the holy Ghost which is fire I will multiply thy sorrowes and thy conceptions That is the sorrowes of thy conceptions Now love is as fire in the heart and one fire must beget another And therefore you have it in the common proverbe Love is a thing that cannot be bought with mountaines of gold and silver yet if thou bee in Christ there goes out a vertue from him that stampes upon thy heart this holy affection that breedes in thee this holy fire of love so that thy heart cleaves to him thou lovest him with as true with as genuine as naturall and as sensible love as thou lovest any friend as thou lovest any creature in the world Consider if this bee wrought in thee or no. And so for thy knowledge there is also a power in it consider whether any such vertue hath gone out from Christ to make the knowledge which thou hast powerfull You will say what is that That is to bring on these truths which thy heart assents unto to bring them with that evidence and fulnesse of demonstration that thou shalt yeeld unto them and practise them according to thy knowledge Beloved there is much knowledge among us but who practiseth according to his knowledge We know God but wee glorifie him not as God and the reason is because there hath not gone a power with that knowledge to make it lively and effectuall to passe through all the faculties of the soule and to overrule them for if there were such knowledge it would alwayes draw affection and practise with it So likewise consider whether there hath gone a power from him to mortifie thy lusts Whosoever is in Christ hath crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts not to lay them asleepe onely but to mortifie and subdue them See likewise whether there hath a power gone out from Christ to helpe thee to overcome the world The lusts of thine eyes the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life for whosoever is in Christ overcomes the world and all that is in the world The world hath many things to worke upon us and to resist and oppose us It hath persecutions it hath disgraces it hath slanders and reproches which it casts upon holy men and upon the holy wayes of God And the men that are actours in this are the divels factours though they thinke not so as the Apostle Iames expresseth it Their tongues are set on fire of hell to devise slanders and false reports and to fasten them upon holy men especially upon the Ministers of the Gospell and so upon all the wayes of God I say they are the divels factours though they thinke not so and those that beleeve them are the devils receivers the one hath the devill in his tongue the other in his eare But the Lord hath appointed this This is one thing whereby the world fights against the wayes of God to discourage men and to hinder them that they might be stumbling blockes to them So it was with Christ he was the falling of many in Israel by reason of this so was Paul as a deceiver and yet true c. Consider if thou hast this efficacy put into thy heart that thou art able to overcome this that thou art able to overcome all the offences and persecutions all the slaunders and reproaches that are cast upon the wayes of God and notwithstanding that to think well of them and to walke in them and practise them Likewise as it hath these things on the one hand so it hath pleasures preferments glory riches credit and all things of that nature on the other art thou able to overcome all these So to shut up this point prosecute it no further thus you shall know whether you be in Christ for that is the point We have assurance in him that if wee aske any thing wee shall be heard but first we must be in him now to know whether we be in him as you haue heard there must be an act of ours and secondly an act of his which is this power that goes out from him to change to take and comprehend us So much for the first thing Now for the second if a man will apply or
1 Whether you make Christ your chiefest Excellencie 2 Whether you make him your chiefest Treasure 3 Whether you make him you chiefest Ioy and Delight 4 Whether hee bee your chiefest Refuge to whom your hearts retire on all occasions 5 Whether you set him up in your hearts for the chiefest Commander My Beloved if you finde all this done by you then out of doubt Christ belongs to you They are all severall but they meet in one center and serve together to make up one rule of triall to know whether you have tooke Christ to you or no and I will handle them all distinctly as I have named them to you 1 Therefore consider whether Christ be thy chiefest Excellency for it is naturall to every man to seeke some excellency or other Indeed beasts so they may have that which is necessary for the life and service of nature it is enough for them and it may be it is enough for all brutish men whose soules are buried in their bodyes that are but sepulchers of men in whom that spectacle of excellency which is rationall belonging to a man is quenched in sensuality These men it may be seeke no excellency at all but so they may live in pleasures so they may have that which belongs to their bodies and to this present life it is enough for them But a man who hath any thing of a man in him as hee is a man considered in these higher parts of his soule his mind and his will hee seekes another excellency sutable to these parts hee serves a higher a more spirituall immateriall substance such as the soule is and according as mens mindes are of divers fashions so they are in a way of seeking severall excellencies for themselves yet according to their different ages Children delight in childish things and so doe men likewise from whom this childishnesse is worne yet according to their severall fashion and understanding so they seeke a severall excellency Some seeke learning knowledge and excellency in their profession this is the excellency they would have Some seeke great places of authority and command and if they had their wish that is the excellency they would have Some seeke the favour of the Prince Some to have a great estate that men may say hee is worth so much he hath such Lordships such faire houses lands belonging to him if he had the excellencie he desires these he would have Every man in his owne kinde according as mens understandings are stronger or weaker according to their different education as it hath beene more noble and ingenious according to the severall companyes they keepe where they finde such and such things magnified according to the severall ages they live in As wee say something is in request is one age in one company something in another I say according to these severall occasions so every man seekes a severall excellency to himselfe Now consider what is the excellency thy heart desires above all thing else whether it bee Iesus Christ to be in him to excell in grace to have a new draught of Gods Image in thy soule or whether some such thing as I have named Consider what is the proper vertue thou wouldest have thy soule to excell in for there are severall vertues every thing hath some vertue or other which is proper to it as the vertue of a knife is to cut well the vertue of a horse to goe well the vertue of a souldier to fight well and the vertue of a Christian to be a holy man to bee holy gracious and unblameable in his conversation Now what is the proper excellency thy heart aymes at what is that thou esteemest thy vertue that if thou wert put to thy choyse that thou mightest have a wish granted thee thou wouldest most desire whether wouldest thou desire this to excell in grace and holinesse to have thy sinfull lusts mortifyed to have thy heart put into a holy frame of grace or whether if thou wouldest deale impartially with thy selfe is it not some other excellency that thy heart runnes upon that thy thoughts and affections are most set upon Consider when thou lookest upon others what seemes most gracious in thy sight by what thou doest most value the excellency of another man for it is likely thou so esteemest thy selfe also Consider therefore I say what thou measurest thy selfe and others by A man that is in Christ sets so much by himselfe and by every man as he is in Gods booke as you see men are rated and their wealth esteemed according as they are in the Kings bookes See what thy heart saith to this whether thou settest so much by thy selfe and by every man else as he is in Gods favour as he hath the eminency of grace and holinesse above others or whether it bee something else by which thou ratest thy selfe and others Consider what is that outward Badge that Livery that Cognizance thou desirest to weare which thou wouldest boast of among men you shall see it in Paul saith he When I come amongst you I doe not regard the excellencie of naturall wisedome I care not to come with that The time was when I prized it as you prize it now but now saith hee it is another excellency which I seeke which I desire to weare as it were When I come amongst you to preach the Gospell saith hee I care for nothing else I care not to bee thought to know any else than Christ crucifyed Consider with thy selfe now what thou wouldst have most eminent in thee in the eyes and eares of men that which thou wouldest weare in the view of all the world whether it be the Livery of Christ to professe the feare of God to excell in grace and holynes though the world disgrace despise and hate thee for it Is this that thy heart desires If so it s a signe thou seekest Christ for thy excellency Consider likewise what it is that thou esteemest thy chiefest wisedome for it is the disposition of men before they bee in Christ before they have experience of the wayes of God before they be regenerate when they look upon those wayes in others they reckon them folly they are foolishnesse to every naturall man but when they are once in Christ then they are wisdome unto them that is they reckon him the wisest man that excels most in these foolish courses as before they deemed them It is the Lords expression Deu. 4. 6. This shall bee your wisdome before all people to keepe my Lawes and Commandements Consider now what is that thou reckonest thy chiefest wisedome before all people whether that which before thou thinkedst folly and weaknesse and hadd'st a disposition in thy heart to contemne and scorne whether now settest thou it at a higher price and dost in truth thinke it thy wisedome and art willing that all the world should know that thou thinkest so By this you shall finde whether you make Christ your excellency by considering