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knowledge_n godliness_n grace_n temperance_n 1,804 5 11.7669 5 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A44513 The crucified Jesus, or, A full account of the nature, end, design and benefits of the sacrament of the Lords Supper with necessary directions, prayers, praises and meditations to be used by persons who come to the Holy Communion / by Anthony Horneck ... Horneck, Anthony, 1641-1697. 1695 (1695) Wing H2823; ESTC R35435 411,793 617

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Industry of the Husband-man The End must ever be procured by the Means and they only betray their Folly and Simplicity that talk of adding to their Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Godliness and to Godliness Patience that have not escaped the Pollutions of the World through Lust 2 Pet. 1. 4 5. This is to invert the Method of Grace and to expect that a Tree should begin to grow at the Top before it hath a Root or that Bread should be baked before the Oven be heated These Pollutions must first be removed and the Ground being cleared of the Rubbish you may go and superstruct the intended Edifice 4. To eat and drink unworthily is to eat and drink without sincere Resolutions of Obedience This is consequent to the former Article for Obedience is a necessary Concomitant of Repentance and when the Repentance ends not in Obedience the Repentance is a Cheat. A Man may by some Reasons and Arguments be prevail'd with to part with Sins that are of the bigger sort when he thinks of coming to this Sacrament but except he at the same time seriously resolves to obey Christ in every thing he commands him and particularly in things which are levell'd against his Worldly Interest and is heartily willing to endeavour after those Vertues which are the proper Characteristicks of his Disciples he certainly deceives his own Soul To shake Hands with scandalous Sins and to think that now the Work is done without an holy Readiness to venture on those Graces which render'd the Apostles and the Primitive Believers what they were i. e. amiable in the Sight of God such as Humility Meekness Overcoming the Evil with Good c. In a Word to lop the most luxuriant Branches of the evil Tree and not to take care that it may bring forth good Fruit is to do the Work by halves and the Way to eat and drink unworthily For 1. Such Persons continue in Rebellion against God What is Rebellion but not to obey when we know his Will and have all possible Opportunities to know it If God will have me do a thing and I pass it by as if I heard him not and when it is often inculcated and pressed upon me in Sermons and my Memory refreshed with the Duty and yet still I look upon it as needless or a thing which doth not concern me what is this but Obstinacy And I need not tell you that Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft 1 Sam. 15. 22. Thus Samuel tells Saul upon his Disobedience to the Command of God of extirpating the Amalekites 'T is probable Saul had his Excuses and thought God might not mean it in that rigid Sense that the Prophet's Words imported or that if he executed part of the Order it would be sufficient But these are not things that avail much with God notwithstanding all this the Prophet calls his Neglect Rebellion I know and am sensible that a very worthy Communicant may sometimes ignorantly neglect a Duty and yet preserve an Interest in God's Love because as soon as he comes to know his Errour he doth not encourage it in himself but reforms it But this differs very much from Disobedience to things peremptorily commanded and which every Day that we hear or read the Word are represented to us as necessary Here not to resolve to do those things is opposing our Wills to God's Will and though we do not do it openly yet in effect we do it and whereas God thinks such a Vertue necessary to Salvation we will not think it so and notwithstanding his assuring us that without such Accomplishments we cannot inherit Eternal Life we fancy we may And what is this but crossing the Will of God And how much does this want of Rebellion and thinking our selves wiser than God And surely these are not very good Qualities to dispose a Man to eat and drink worthily at this holy Table 2. Such Persons discover their Desires to be their own still their own Masters their own Governors and at their own dispose contrary to the express Assertion of the Holy Ghost That they who pretend an Interest in Christ's Blood are their own no more And the Reason is exceeding strong for saith he ye are bought with a Price 1 Cor. 6. 19. 20. He that redeems a Slave out of Turkish Captivity redeems him with this Intent That for the future he shall not do his own Will but his Master 's that hath ransom'd him The same we must think of the Son of God who we may suppose would never have freed us from the Devil's Yoak by a voluntary Death to give us leave to do what we list but that we might be at his beck and act like Persons that have in a manner nothing to do with our selves but are to mind only what our Master who bought us would have us do Now he that comes to this Sacrament without sincere Resolutions to obey Christ in those commanded Virtues which may cross or go against his Interest discovers his Regret at the Mystery of Redemption dislikes Christ's redeeming him for this End that he might not be his own betrays his Wishes and could have been contented that he had redeemed him upon softer and more favourable Terms and in a manner declares and expresses his Desire that he would be his own still after that wonderful Price that was paid for him which though unthinking Men do take no notice of yet he that searcheth the inward parts of the Belly doth and cannot look upon such a Person as a worthy Receiver 5. To eat and drink unworthily is to eat and drink without a Speculative Esteem of Christ Jesus Where Men are not satisfied or not persuaded that his Love deserves sacrificing all to his Interest and in case Times of Trouble and Persecution should come are unresolved to hate Father and Mother Wife and Children Lands and Houses even Life it self for Christ and with this Irresoluteness come to this holy Sacrament they certainly want that which must make them worthy Receivers For 1. He hath expresly told us that he that loves Father or Mother more than him is not worthy of him Matth. 10. 37. And if such a Person be not worthy of him how can be worthily receive him in the Sacrament Not to be worthy of him is to have no part in the Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and reserved in Heaven for his faithful Servants It is to have no Share in his Intercession no Right to his Comforts no Right to the Act of Indemnity he hath published for the Benefit of those who adhere to him in all Dangers no Right to his Promises no Right to the Privileges he communicates to those that continue with him in his Temptations no Right to the exceeding Greatness of his Power towards them that believe And how can Christ dwell in such a Person that looks upon the Pelf of this World and his outward Accommodations as greater