from the Crowne would bee so idle as repaire to the King for they are excluded If the Parliament grant the King a subsidie from his subjects no man that knowes himselfe to bee no subsidie man would prepare any such money for the King for the businesse concernes him not So is it here The Lord calls his free-denizons by spirituall baptisme to renue the Assurance of their pardon peace and adoption at his supper and promiseth there to all such a further increase in the graces of his covenant should then any be so madde as claime a part in this Sacrament who never have beene or baptized called and partakers of the Spirit of grace at all Now then how shall that be discerned True it is those that are free borne and true members know it or may doe as Paul quickely could tell Lysias he was a Romane But who shall stoppe the mouthes of Aliants and strangers such as are of Ashdod and Cham when they come to plead themselves Israelites I meane when hypocrites come to the Sacrament pleading themselves to be Gods people doubtles there must bee some Rules of Triall which will not deceive they must be urged to proove their Genealogie or else bee convinced to bee counterfeits Answer 2 But be it granted that this triall of estate concernes also such as are Gods people yet it followeth not that they cannot use it but they must by and by bee anxious and perplexed about their condition No farre be it from any to thinke so The Lord affords all his To stand fast in their liberties and to be above the bondage not onely of Popish or Iewish ceremonies Gal. 5 1. but of unbeleefe especially and to walke according to that they have received For peace shall bee to all that walke according to rule even the Israel of God Yea as its ridiculous for any such to seeke new grounds to build upon so is it sinnefull to stagger about the old because the covenant of God is with us as the Covenant of Noe as the Covenant of the Sunne and Moone Esay 54 8. yea everlasting after these shall have an end Farre other use are Gods people to make of this tryall at the Sacrament First many know not all such grounds as their faith rests upon although they beleeve unfeignedly ignorance may hinder them Againe although they have had them in a readinesse yet by Satans deluding them with other diversions to worldly objects or by forgetfulnesse or being dazeled by some secret love of evill or by the errour of others these things may be growne strange to them darke and to seeke Besides although it be not so yet may it bee a sweete exercise for a beleever to bee well skill'd in his best Evidences and it may joy him to have the things revived in his spirit which hee hath knowne before and especially at the Sacrament when they may most encourage him Men doe looke upon their evidences of lands for more ends than feare of their Titles And yet I will not deny but that as the case may stand the triall of a mans estate at than Sacrament may and ought to bee anxious and sollicitous yea and that so that for the time he were better desist than proceed viz. when having snared himselfe with some lust which hee cannot easily bee rid of hee questions his estate thereupon and till God have eased the hardnesse and despaire of his spirit through unbeleefe perhaps hee can neither perceive nor yet rellish his evidences as hee hath done This may be one case in which this tryall may bee used with some doubting and distemper Howbeit neither is this so ordinary but to be sure not the onely case Therefore this objection is of no force To proceede then 2 Sorts of tryall of estate 1 Our first calling This tryall of our estate I would call to these two heads as breefly as I can First to a mans first calling home to God Secondly to some essentiall markes either accompanying or following the same Concerning the former of these it shall not be amisse to give the reader a short generall view of calling before I mention any triall in speciall belonging thereto In a mans calling therefore In calling 3. things 1 from what consider first from what secondly unto what thirdly to what end God calls First the Lord calles a soule from an estate of woe and misery through sinne and curse common to it with all the posterity of Adam wherein shee lay plundged deadly from a covenant I say with sinne death and hell wherein shee was wrapped This hee doth by the Ministery of the Law which Eph. 5 â— crying a dismall and lowd alarme in the eares of a drowsie and sleepie sinner awakens him from the dead Being rouzed out of this sleepe it beholdes a deepe gulfe set betweene the Lord and it selfe so that it cannot come at him By this meanes the soule is broken off from all her rotten proppes either naturall through secure ignorance or Religious through conceit of knowledge or the old covenant of workes and performances And whether Publicane or Pharisee before this Law putting no difference condemnes and kills a sinner in point of all his former life and jollitie in sinne holding him under the Arrest of Iustice in an estate of bondage till it be brought to utter despaire in him selfe more or lesse of any redresse Secondly the Lord calles the soule to an estate in grace through the Lord Iesus 2. To what And this hee doth by a most sweete voyce of the Gospell spoken in the eares of it while it lyeth in this Pit of selfe despaire The which doth let in by degrees a Spirit and Covenant of grace into it first in susteyning it from extremities by an hope of possible Deliverance Secondly by presenting the soule with an encreasing light and sight of the All-sufficient price of grace and reconciliation in Christ the satisfyer of wrath and procurer of peace Thirdly by declaring himselfe fully appeased by this satisfaction so that former anger is turned into welpleasednesse Fourthly by expressing his placable and pittifull heart to a sinner in an offer of a covenant with him adding moreover that hee would have him to be reconciled and receive his promise as freely as hee makes it Lastly by enlarging his promise in the apprehension of the sinner both in respect of the infinite many good things contained in the same as also the most free full gracious faithfull heart of the promiser loving strong and sure which cannot lye I say by all these presentments of grace in a most apt sweete and powerfull manner hee workes in the soule such preparations of meditation desire esteeme inquisition restlesnesse of heart and unweariednesse of meanes using That at last this seede breakes out into fruit so that the soule weighing all duly in the ballance to wit the worth of grace offered the mercy of the offerer beyond exception and her unavoidable condemnation in refuzing it
know what a promise is what saying faith in a promise is what the Spirit of the Lord Iesus is which is the worker of this faith Answer 4 Fourthly the promise depending upon the Merit and Satisfaction made to justice without which God should be a lyar in promising to be reconciled to the soule most necessary it is and that above all other things that a man know who it is who hath satisfied the justice of God the angry judge what the Lord Iesus is both in his obedience and death how by vertue of both the Father having accepted a ransome from his Sonne offereth most freely and faithfully the fruit of it to a sinfull wretch Answer 5 Fifthly this reconciliation presupposing an estate of enmity and wrath necessary it is that the soule know by what meane wrath is discovered to belong by nature to every soule And that is the Law of God Also by what meanes the Law brings the soule to stand seaz'd before God as guilty of this wrath and that so as it may bee plunged into utter woe by it in respect of any ability of it selfe to wade out Answer 6 Sixtly because wrath in God and enimity in us presupposing in us some cause by which we contracted it which is sinne needefull it is that the soule know what it is and how it came upon us by whose sinne and what viz. The Rebellion of Adam and how that becomes setled upon us how unavoidable it is and what a staine and guilt it hath brought upon all flesh none excepted Answer 7 Lastly least it should be thought that God made man thus corrupt to damne him its necessary to know man was not made thus sinfull and cursed at the first but created in integrities of nature in all the parts and in the Image of purenesse and holinesse even his who made him and so should hee and wee have continued to this day had not wee wilfully forsaken and defaced it by revolt from God Conclusion of the answer By this draught of the truth of God its apparent upon what principles the Sacrament and the knowledg of it depends viz. immediatly upon the knowledge of the meanes of salvation next upon the knowing of the state of regeneration next upon the knowing of the worke of faith and a promise next upon a satisfaction and the Lord Iesus the worker of it next upon the worke of the Law convincing of the curse next upon the knowledge of sinne next upon the knowledge of creation I goe backward that the simplest may understand the coherence so that by this cheine of doctrine the last linkes whereof that is creation and the fall are the first in order and so downeward every one may see that a meere receiver is not onely to know the nature and use of the Supper But of sinne of the Law of pardon Christ and the new creature without which a Sacrament severally considered is a meare shred an Idoll an object of blinde devotion To apply what I have sayd both negatively and affirmatively Application of it This I sayd That although in all these seaven som-what there is which every receiver comprehends not fully yet the substance of truth in generall is to bee knowne by him except he will come to he knowes not what nor why For example Perhaps some poore soule distinguishes not the meanes of Salvation one from another Publicke private ordinary extraordinary in the name and nature of each one yet its necessary that he know the Supper to bee a meane of Gods ordeining for his growing in grace So againe perhaps every one cannot distinguish betweene the habite of a New creature and the operations of holinesse issuing thence yet its necessary that hee know all Gods people must be holy Say againe All cannot tell how many kinds of faith there are By what steps faith is wrought What is conteined in a promise What Christ hath in speciall obey'd in or suffered what the severall workes of the Law are how many kindes of sinne there bee and by what meanes Adams is derived to us yet necessary it is that he be convinced of all these in their natures generally and finde them wought in himselfe particularly And surely if none may receive at all save he who is in the state of grace needes it must follow that the lesser must bee where the greater must be I meane that knowledge there must bee of all these where faith must be to give a man his speciall portion in them Howbeit because now wee are about the triall of knowledge apart from the other and doubtlesse many both ministers and people teach and heare this point of knowledge as a thing sufficient to enable a Receiver though I abhorre their opinion as shall appeare in the sequele yet I would by this I have sayd stoppe the mouth of any such as dreame of a knowledge which is not competent to salvation Sure it is a knowledge incompetent for salvation cannot bee competent for the Supper A demand Some might here perhaps aske how they might bee directed to know these points soundly to wit of the Supper and Sacraments and all Those doctrines which they depend upon Answere I answere that belongs not to this chapter but the Reader shall finde them all handled in my Practicall Catechisme at large and briefly toucht in the second Chapter of this second Treatise And the doctrine of the Sacraments especially the Supper is handled at large in the former Treatise the three last Chapters to which I send the Reader with this caution That I handle these things at large here and there not to the end that my booke should never come into their hands save when they come to the Sacrament for to what purpose were that but that they duly exercise themselves in reading of the whole That noting those especiall things whiâ—h they most neede in the matter of knowledge and tryall they may be able to turne to them and make use of them familiarly when they come to the Supper I should now come to the third branch how a man may try himselfe about this knowledge But I consider that this will better come in in the use of exhortation I will referre it therefore to that place and being the breefer in other uses insist somewhat more fully in that Vses 1 First then let this doctrine teach us to abhorre the wofull superstition of Popish Sacraments and the wofull ignorance of Popish Receivers Exhortation with confutation who not onely in practise but even in doctrine maintaine ignorance to be the mother of devotion and so hatch in their bosomes all ignorant ones as principall members of their cursed Synagogue And to say truth their sacrifice of the Masse being it selfe a masse of confusion having no colour of bottome out of the word who but the blind are meete for it Who but the deceived as willing to be led by blind guides as they are to leade them would endure a Sacrament in an
to proove the former trialls to bee sound It s not enough that a man bee Religious and know his wants But he must also be furnisht and in readinesse with those graces which are to bee exercised for the receyving of the Supper aright A work-man must not onely bee skilful of his trade but likewise have al his tooles fitt to worke in his trade ready whetted and sharpned for the nonce It s not enough that hee who wil buy a purchase bee a man of ability but that hee have his moneys ready to tender upon the surrender or taking possession Quest 2 2. Question Why these five Why are these five culled out from among the rest Are not all other sanctifying graces of the spirit as essentiall as these Answ I Answre All are as essentiall to a Christian as these bycause hee ought to bee no stranger to any gift of sanctification in his measure Howbeit all are not so Sacramental as I may say bycause all doe not so immediately concerne the Act of receyving as these mentioned As it is needful that who so useth any other Ordinance have al grace for kind yet some one is more directly excercized in fasting another in hearing in Conference Quest 3. Are al these 5. equally necessary to receiue well Quest 3. Are al these of equal necessity Answ Answer No not in the Act of it for faith is the most cheefe and immediate Grace of all the rest for this worke bycause its the Appetite Stomack and hand of receyving Christ to the soule Yet all the rest are also needfull in their kind partly as Graces antecedent partly as Attendant and Consequent for neither can Faith stand without Knowledge nor bee approoved without Repentance The 2. Againe in the Sacrament are more Relations than one there is one from GOD to us to give us his Sonne another from us to him to renue our covenant a third from each of us to another That is to encrease in communion No wonder then that in so many respects many graces are alike not equally necessary As in the act of going to a feast there are many complements required for the better doing of it as attire decent comely carriage love and curtesie but appetite is the principall so here Quest 4 Question 4. Are these graces thus called as if onely serving for the Sacrament and then out of date I answer Answ No they are to be used according to their object Christ Iesus and the promise Heb. 13.8 yesterday to day and for ever But in speciall then because there Christ is sealed to the soule though the soule is alway to feede upon him as promised both for daily pardon and strength Hee that will have his Armor to show at the Training or that will bring it into the field in the day of battle must have it lye by him all the yeere long The odds is At the time of use he must put it to scouring and buckle on in closer manner and in good earnest than at other seasons These generals premised I come to the first of these Graces viz. Knowledge Touching which I would handle these three points Three points to be handled First why knowledge is to bee had and tryed for the Sacrament 1 Why is knowledge to be had Secondly what knowledge for kinde or measure is to bee had Thirdly how should a man cry himselfe about his knowledge After which the use shall bee applyed of all the three Reason 1 For the first Knowledge must be had and revived at the Sacrament Wee know wee offer up to the Lord a sacrifice of prayse for the Lord Iesus Is it a sacrifice and shall it have no eyes Exod. 12.5 Durst any Iew have brought a Pascall Lambe to GOD maymed halt evil favoured but especially blind say but one eye had beene out especially if both How dare we then bring a service to God without the eye of knowledge Reason 2 Againe if it be an Eucharist or a thanksgiving 1 Cor. 10.18 how shall we praise God for that we know not If wee know not Christ nor his Sacrament how shall we thanke God or remember his death Reason 3 Further if the eye be blind and darknes which is the light of the whole body how fearefull is that darknesse Mat. 6.23 What a Sacrament is that which requiring light in every part thereof for the receiving it well yet hath no knowledge at all brought unto it to enlighten the mystery of it and to discover each corner clearely Reason 4 Besides if the putting out of the right eye of the body was such a reproach to all Israel what then is the spirituall putting out of both to the communion of Saints 1 Sam. 11. â— Salomon tells us that without knowledge the heart is naught Pro. 19.1 Who dare goe to the Sacrament with a naughty heart when God calls there as much as in any duty My sonne give me thy heart Pro. 23.26 If we reade the 1 Cor. 11.20 wee shall see that when Paul went about to reforme the abuses of Corinth in their love feasts hee doth it by the light of the ordinance 1 Cor. 11.20 q. d. If yee can finde any such corruption in the first institution goe on but if knowledge convince yee leave off your corruption Excellent is that of Iosiah 2 King 23.21 2 King 23.21 Where he bid them keepe the Passeover according to all which is written in the booke of the covenant If the patterne of the covenant must be before their eye so oft as they come to eate the Passeover and no doubt the Priests Levits dids then take occasion to reade over and revive the booke of the Law and the institution especially how much more ought the knowledge of the will of God and of the Supper by name be planted in all that receive it And if that of the Apostle hold true in the smallest duties how much more in this Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 meaning of sound knowledge And there is good reason of it also Other reasons First the Supper is Christ in a mystery there are more mysteries in Christ Sacramentall than verball Not to speake of all those things which I have noted in the former treatise consider this The Supper conteines the union of Christ Emanuel God made flesh The mystery of Sacramentall union of Christ with the Elements The mystery of Christ Sacramentall united to a beleeving soule The mystery of faith in apprehending to it selfe those particular benefits offred in the Sacrament whereof not one is seene to the eye but onely by a promise Now tell mee doe all mysteries of naturall civill trades arts require such skill ere wee can bee better for them and can wee looke to receive this mystery without knowledge Secondly The second knowledge is the key of all other things needefull for preparation How shall a man examine himselfe in
generall try his estate by law or Gospel or search out his wants save by knowledge of them Not to insist in the graces that follow whereof faith consisteth partly of a speciall convincement of the understanding and desire of the Sacrament presupposeth a knowledge of some thing amiable to the soule of unknowne objects there is no desire So I might say of the rest knowledge therefore is essentiall to the Sacrament When Paul prayes that the Ephesians might encrease in faith hee begins with the enlightning part of the soule Chap. 1. Verse 17. Ephe. 1.17.18 That yee being enlightned saith he in your mindes may acknowledge him and the hope of his calling c. So that true knowledge is the roote of all true savour of the grace or graces of God If thou knewest the gift of God Iohn 4. Iohn 4.10 thou wouldst have done so or so So if a man knew the Sacrament how would he love it But not to know it includes a necessity of not beleeving or well receiving it The third Thirdly the fearefull penalty threatned in the word against bad receivers is by name annexed to the not discerning of the Lords body 1 Cor. 11.29 Now though I grant there is more in that than meere ignorance yet that is one mother root of not discerning For what is that which causeth popish prophane ones yea hypocrites to come to the Sacrament as to common bread and wine in the shop or cellar save that all colours are alike in the darke and ignorance puts no difference betweene naturall things and spirituall If knowledge then teach to discerne the body of the Lord and to quit the soule of all this threat and vengeance how needefull is it The fourth Fourthly the Lord hath no doubt ordeined and the Church most wisely made use of this second Sacrament of groth that by occasion of it shee might take notice of the thrist of her Children in the doctrine of the foundation and by name of Baptisme and so consequently of such things as they have bin taught in the ministry Alas The Preacher followes not nor can all such to their house as have heard him catechize or preach to demand an account of his labours as were to be desired If then there were not some awe and bridle put upon men by the Church which yet alas few make use of among our Ministers how should the Minister know the plight of his poore people from their baptisme to their grave Though I grant private visitation is needefull but what one of an 100. looke after it of themselves till their deathbed Now the Sacrament is so holy an act of worship that few are so basely vile as not to confesse that there ought to be some more than common scrutiny and search what knowledge they and theirs have gotten Which confession prooves knowledge to be most necessary But as the slothful are curious so the ignorant are cavillers Objection 1 first they object that devotion would do better with the Sacrament than knowledge especially for meane folkes who have their trades to looke after and being unbook-learned cannot comprehend such depths as these And therefore it were better that they did adore them with devotion than search into them Answer I answer still Cursed is all devotion with God which is without knowledge the heart of such is as saplesse barren of good and as full of rottennesse as the most profane mans is in Gods esteeme Good meanings and devotion if it lye in Gods way and be full of eyes not blind and ignorant are most pretious things But without knowledge selfe-deniall and faith to enlighten the soule Iudg. 16.21 devotion is as Sampsons bestirring himselfe when his eyes were put out hee was fit for nothing save to runne the round and grind in the Mill. So doe devout ones they are ever in motion and never the nearer Devotion of this kinde is fittest for Papists who are under a strange language and a worship of mans braine having no footing in the word Ier. 4.12 Eccles 5.1 its best for them that know not what sacrifices they offer but like fooles they know not that they doe evill It s fit for the Masse and for such like trash But for the Sacrament its most unsavory Objection 2 And as for their cavill they are unlearned and have trades to looke to I grant it and therefore wee require not of all the like measure of knowledge so there be a teachable heart willing to learne Answ If these men could from their trades argue as strongly against Ale-houses and drinking it were well Sure it is if the time which they spend there were spent in getting knowledge as meane as they are their trades would not keepe them from it But what basenesse will not men stoope to yea abase themselves to hell in their cavills Esay 2. so they may live still in their profanenesse I doe not allow any who are weary of their trades under pretence of hearing or getting knowledge but I say trades neede not hinder from a diligent attendance upon the meanes if the heart bee good And as for the mysticalnesse of the Sacrament it is so to such as plow not with Gods heifer Iudg. 16. nor submit their carnall reason to the revealing of the Spirit Otherwise God bee thanked there is greater obscurity at this day in matters lesse essentiall than the most weighty So that were it not for the meere sloath and profanenesse of men there neede bee no such conplaint of religious difficulty But the contempt of men to whom Christ is hidden 2 Cor. 4.3 might justly both deprive them of meanes and streighten the spirit in the meanes that so they might complaine for somewhat But to end one would thinke that these men should reason contrarily and say If I bee so seely and the Sacrament so darke what an honour and prayse were it for mee a simple man to have more skill and knowledge in it than others above my ranke Surely in other matters of hardnesse men dispute so onely in these they are content to let all goe beyond them yet God be thanked There want not even among the seeliest Christians many whom God hath made wiser in his matters than their ancients and betters in worldly wisedome 1 Cor. 1.12 Psal 119 99 100. that by these the cavills of the other might be confuted Objection 3 To conclude others alledge For ought they see they who have most knowledge of religion and can talke of it best are as bad in their lives as they who have none Therefore they thinke the matter rests in conscience not in knowledge Answere I answer It is true that they who know and obey not doe lay a great blocke in the way of the ignorant But let them speake Is it their ignorance that makes them better No surely Well then neyther is knowledge in the fault that the other are so bad No man shuns money because the