in being and well-being He that made the world is still upholding all things by the word of his power 2. Governing and disposing all Creatures and all their actions even the least and smallest of them all The LORD hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdome ruleth over all Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father but the very hairs of your head are all numbred 3. Oâ—dering and directing all creatures and al their actions to his own glory and his peoples good Ioseph said to his brethren God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance So now it was not you that sent me hither but God Ye thought evil against me but God mean't it unto good c. So didst thou lead thy people to make thy self a glorious name For of him and through him and to him are all things As for Gods special Creation of man and Providence over man in his fourefold state viz. of 1. Creation 2. Corruption 3. Restitution and 4. Perfection They will come farther to be considered in the next branch the knowledge of our selves Hitherto of the first branch of knowledge requisite in some competent sort before communicating viz. The Knowledge of God 2. Knowledge of our selves Knowledge of our selves is the next point of Knowledge necessary to a worthy Communicant Christians eyes and apprehensions should be like the windowes of the Temple widest inward narrowest outward far more dispoâ—ed to look home then abroad better acquainted with themselves then with others And not like Plutarch's Lamiae or Witches that put on their eyes when they went abroad but put up their eyes in boxes when they came home The necessity of this Self-Knowledge hath before been evidenced The particulars of Self-Knowledge follow We are principally to know our selves 1. What we were in Adam before the fall 2. What we are in Adam since the fall 3. What we should and may be in Iesus Christ the second Adam I. What were we in Adam before the fall Answ. Before the fall Adam was the happiest creature under the Sun enjoying many surpassing Priviledges And all mankind being then in his loyns enjoyed in him the same happinesse and Priviledges viz. 1. A reasonable and immortall soul personally joyned with a suitable body both of them fearfully and wonderfully made yea curiously wrought according to divine Consultation of the blessed Trinity Adams soul was so rationall that he knew the nature of all the creatures which God brought before him and named them accordingly And so immortal that it cannot die a natural death as many Scriptures intimate But the souls of all other sublunary creatures besides man are irrationall and die with their bodies 2. A most pleasant Habitation God planted a Garden Eastward in Eden and there he put the man A garden is the glory of the fields A garden of Gods planting the glory of all gardens Herein grew every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food And a Quadripartite or four-streamed river to water the garden Oh what a garden of delights what an earthly Paradise Here man was placed to dresse this Garden Man must not be idle no not in Paradise 3. Liberall Provision Man was allowed freely to eat of every herb and of the fruit of every tree in the Garden except only the tree of Knowledge of good and evil His food therefore was most various and delicious 4. Vniversal dominion over the creatures Let them have dominion over the fish of the Sea and over the fowle of the air and over the cattell and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth This dominion was not supreme but subordinate to Gods dominion Adam was Monarch of the earth God the sole Monarch of all the world Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him the Son of man that thou visitest him Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet So that all sublunary creatures were to do homage unto Adam 5 Conjugal society with his wife created out of Adams side while he was asleep She was thus taken out of man that she might be a meet help for man and become affectionately dear to man as bone of hâ—s bone and flesh of his flesh Man is naturally a sociable creature and loves society And Marriage-society is the sweetest of all natural societies 6. Innocency God made man upright As man came at first out of Gods hands he was spotlesse undefiled and wholly without sin Hence that state is stiled The state of innocency Except Christ never man on earth was perfectly without sin as Adam was in his first Creation The holiest Saints in this life have sinne in them though sin reigne not over them We were without sinne in the earthly Paradise and shall be without sin in the heavenly Paradise How happy is a sin-less state 7. The image of God God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him There was not only an utter absence of all sinfulnesse but also a presence of all due righteousnesse in him in which regard he was perfectly conformable to the will of God This image of God in man seems principally to consist in 1. Knowledge 2. Rigâ—teousnesse and 3. True holinesse or as the Greek phrase is Holinesse of truth This image of God in Adam made him ful of divine beauty whereby he was all glorious within surpassing all sublunary creatures 8. A Covenant-state with God In all times and states of the Church God hath pleased to deal with his people by way of Covenant Adam before the fall being perfect and without sin had perfect ability given him to keep that Covenant with God in which he was naturally enstated The Covenant into which Adam was admitted with God was the Covenant of Works the substance whereof is the Morall Law or Ten Commandements The Morall Law was perfectly written in Adams heart for the substance of it so that he was fully able to know and keep it for even since the fall the Gentiles which have not the written Law do by nature the things contained in the Law which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts Much more was the Law written in Adams heart before the fall This Covenant of Works the substance whereof is contained in the Morall Law required personal perfect and perpetual obedience under the severest penalties Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Vnto this Covenant of Works with Adam seem to be annexed two Sacraments viz. The Tree of Life assuring him of life upon his keeping Covenant and eating of that
tree And the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill assuring him of death upon breach of Covenant and tasting of that Tree 9. Finally Adam enjoyed sweet Peace and Communion with God all the while he continued in this his pure primitive state God familiarly conversed with him he with God in the Garden of Eden receiving from God no expressions but of love and favour This Peace and Communion with God was the Eden of Eden the Paradise of Adams Paradise Object These were Adams Priviledges before the fall and they were excellent But what is all this to us Asw. All this is very much to us For all Adams Priviledges were our Priviledges Adam being a publick person the generall Parent Root and Stock of Mankinde and we all at that time in his loyns Therefore as Levi is said to pay Tithes in Abram unto Melchizedech because Levi was in his father Abram's loyns when Melchizedech met him So we may be truly said to enjoy all the Priviledges of the state of innocency in Adam because at that time we all were in Adams loynes when he injoyed them Oh therefore How happy a man was Adam and how happy were all we in Adam before the fall Thus we should know our selves and our primitive state what once we were in Adam before the fall Next we should know what we now are by nature since the fall II. What are we now in Adam by nature since the fall Answ. As the pillar of cloud between the Israelites and Egyptians had a light side and a dark side Giving light by night to Israel but being darknesse to the Egyptians So our state before and after the fall had a bright side and a dark side I have already shewed you the bright side of the cloud Now I shall represent unto you the dark side We were not once so happy before the fall but we are now as miserable since the fall And this chiefly two ways 1. Through the Privation and Absence of all good which we had 2. Through the Position or presence of all evil which we had not 1. By the fall of Adam we have lost all the good we had all the happinesse we enjoyed in our first estate 1. Our reasonable and immortall soules are become brutish in the things of God and liable to die everlastingly 2 We are banished out of Paradise our pleasant Habitation 3 We are deprived of Edens liberall Provision In the sweat of our browes we must now get our bread and though we toyle never so much Yet the earth yields not its strength but brings forth thorns thistles 4 We have lost much of our dominion over the creatures many of them rebeling against us 5 The sweetness of Marriage-society is imbittered The wives subjection to her husband becoming grievous Her sorrows in Conception and bringing forth being greatly multiplied and both of them being exercised with cares and troubles in the flesh touching their children one another 6. Our innocency and spotlesnesse is swallowed up with nocency and sinfulnesse 7. We are disrobed of Gods beauteous image Having sought out many inventions till Christ the second Adam repair Gods image in us 8. We have brok Covenant with God by eating the forbidden fruit and so have debar'd our selves of all benefit of the Tree of Life 9. And finally we lost our sweet Peace and Communion with God sin defiling our consciences with guilt clothing us with shame and filling our hearts with fear and horrour at the presence of God our â—irst Parents and we in them endeavouring to hide our selves from Gods presence among the trees of the Garden Thus by the fall we are quite stript of all our glory and happinesse wherein we were created 2. By the fall of Adam we are also implunged into all manner of evil which we had not before viz. 1. Evil of sin 2. Evil of punishment 1 The evil of sin is most grievous upon us divers wayes Principally in regard 1. Of Adams sin whereof we are guilty 1. Of Original sin wherein we are naturally drowned 3. Of Actual sin of all sorts and degrees whereunto we are naturally disposed 1. We are all guilty of Adams sin of Adams fall For we all being in the loyns of Adam the publick Root of mankind we stood with him and we fell with him Hence it is said By one man sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned And again By one mans disobedience many were made sinners So that Adams fall and first sin together with all the sinfull ingredients aggravations thereof As Vnbelief Pride Disobedience Rebellion Vnthankfulnesse Intemperance Murder Apostacy Hypocrisie c. may all most justly be laid to our charge And this is sin enough were we guilty of no more to sink us into everlasting death 2. We are all drowned in Original corruption For even Infants from Adam to Moses that lived not so long as to sin Actually as Adam in his Apostacy did even they were brought under death for their guilt of Adams sin and of Originall corruption of their natures Death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression And David thus laments himâ—elf Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me This the common lot of all Adams posterity even of David among the rest Yea Iob long before David said Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one So then Adam by the fall becoming unclean all Adams children naturally and by ordinary propagation descending from him are naturally unclean also This sinful uncleannesse of nature we call Original sin or Original corrupâ—ion That we may the better discern the venome and sinfulnesse of Original sinne Let us a little consider 1. The names 2. The Nature 3. Thâ— Aggravations of it Thâ— Names given to Original sin in Scripture are divers and very observeable It is called 1. Sin by way of Emphasis as being the sin of sins the mother sin In sin did my mother conceive me 2. Sin-dwelling-in-us Because it hath its continual abode in our natures while we continue in these Tabernacles whether we wake or sleep c. As Ivy abides in an old wall till the wall be pulled down Hence Paul It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me 3. The easily-encompassing-sin Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily-beset us By weight Beza seems rightly to understand all burdensome worldly impediments which hinder us in our Christian course By Sin easily-encompassing Original corruption of our natures that like snares besets us before behinde and on every side tangels our Mindes Consciences Wills Affections and all our members is as fetters to our feet manacles to our hands c. so that we cannot run
most great and precious All Yea and Amen in Christ And all the godly mans peculiar inheritance That soul cannot be poor that hath faith to trade with God in his promises 6. All things are ours if we be Christs whether the world or life or death or things present or things to come All are ours if not in actual possession yet in Evangelical right unto them in Christ and we shall actually enjoy all that shall be good for us 7. Finally Co-operation of all things for our good crosses and comforts losses and gains pains and ease sicknesse and health c. life and death Every winde shall blow us profit We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them that are she called according to his purpose These and the like are their Priviledges that obtain Jesus Christ. Hitherto of the second point of knowledge viz. The Knowledge of our selves requisite to prepare for worthy communicating 3. Knowledge of Iesus Christ. Knowledge of Iesus Christ our Mediatour is the next branch of knowledge requisite to a worthy Communicant How necessary a competent knowledge of Jesus Christ is hath been formerly shewed Christ being the Author Matter and End of the Lords Supper without due knowledge of whom we cannot possibly discern the Lords body But what are we principally to know touching Jesus Christ in order to worthy communicating Answ. We should especially know these seven particulars 1. That there is but only one true Christ and Mediatour 2. That Iesus the Son of the Virgin Mary is the only true Messiah true Christ. 3. That this Iesus Christ is God and man in one Person 4. That Iesus Christ God-man hath in order to sinners salvation taken upon himself the office of Mediatourship betwixt God and man 5. That Iesus Christ is a Mediatour All-sufficient 6. That this All-sufficient Mediatour Iesus Christ saves none but those to whom he is actually applyed 7. That Iesus Christ is the substance and marrow of all Sacraments Promises Ordinances and of the whole Sâ—riptures I. That there is but one only true Christ and Mediatour and no more There are many counterfeit Christs false Christs fore-prophesied of able if it were possible to deceive the very Elect. But if any shall say lo here is Christ or lo there is Christ believe them not For unto us as there is but one God so there is but one Lord Iesus Christ. There is one God and one Mediatour between God and man the man Christ Iesus Neâ—ther is there salvation in any other for there â—s none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved II. That Jesus the Son of the Virgin Mary is this onely true Messiah true Christ and Mediatour that should come into the worâ—d to save sinners according to the prophecies and promiâ—es of God in the whole Old Testament This is evident three wayes 1. By certain Testimonies As To him that is to Iesus of Nazareth give all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remissâ—â—â— of sins But those things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his Prophets that Christ should suffer he hath so fulfilled And Paul professeth himself to be separated unto the Gospel of God Concerning his Son Iesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David decording to the flesh and deâ—â—â—red to be the Son of God with power c. By the Genealogie of Jesus Christ. The â—ine or Pedigree of Jesus Christ the Son of the Virgin Mary is described by Matthew and Luke and drawn down from David Abraham yea Adam himself to Ioseph and Mary from generation to generation and principally for this end to evidence That thiâ— Iesus is the onely true Messiah promised under the Old Testament Matthew describes Iosephs line the supposed father of Christ because he was the Virgins husband and shews that he came from David for it 's said Iacob begat Ioseph the husband of Mary Luke delineates Maries line the mother of Christ how she also descended from David c. So that Matthew sets down Christs legal Luke Christs natural line For he saith Iesus being as was supposed the son of Ioseph which was the Sun of Eli. Ioseph was the natural son of Iacob who begat him as Matâ—hew shewes the legal son or son in law of Eli by marrying Mary the daughter of Eli as Luke imports Iosephs name is put in both the Genealogies because the Iews were wont to reckon their Genealogies by the men and not by the women So that Jesus descended of Abraham and David according to Gods promise both by father and mother c. therefore is the very Christ. 3. By the Histories of the four Evangelists describing Christs Birth Life and Death in all points so exactly agreeing with the prophecies and promises of Christ of old as may appeare by comparing the Prophets and Evangelists together it's clear that Jesus the sonne of the Virgin Mary is the very and only Christ indeed If we hold not fast this point That Iesus the Son of the Virgin Mary is the only promised Messiah we overthrow all the New Testament and the whole frame of Christian Religion III. That this Iesus Christ the onely true Messiah is God-man that is is true God and perfect man in one person The humane nature of Christs soul and body being personally united to the Sonne the second person in the God-head The Word viz. the substantial Word the Son by whom God makes his will known to us as man utters his minde by a word was God There 's his Divinity And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us there 's his humanity When the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman This is The great Mystery of godlinesse God manifest in the flesh A great Mystery indeed that the most glorious God infinitely above all created beings should stoop so low as to become personally one with dust and ashes and that frail dust and ashes should be advanced so far above Angels as to become personally one with the onely blessed God We cannot fully comprehend this Mystery let us faithfully apprehend it Consider here three things 1. Why was it needful Christ should be God and Man in one person Answ. Christ became a middle person betwixt God man 1. That he might be a fit Mediator reconciling God and man His office is founded in his person 2. That God might accept and the godly apply to themselves the properties and peculiar works of each nature as the properties and works of Christs whole person 2. Why was it requisite that Iesus Christ â—hould be man Answ. Christ our Mediator must needs be man 1. That he might exalt and sanctifie our nature which we had debaâ—ed and polluted 2. That he might be our Kinsman
and other Reprobates may have such faith and yet be rejected of Christ at last as Workers of Iniquity 3. It is not an imaginary faith whereby a man may imagine that Christ is his his state good c. without any due Scripture-ground for it himself mean-while continuing in his meer carnal state bringing forth no fruits of faith This Iames calls a dâ—ad faith which cannot save a man And indeed this is plain down right Presumption 4. Finally it is not a temporary faith which goes beyond all the rest whereby a formal Hypocrite Believes for a time For this faith at last vanisheth like a Comet and he that hath it falls away when temptation trouble and persecution ariseth because of the Gospel Therefore unless a man have a faith beyond all these he cannot be fit for worthy communicating Affirmatively It is onely the true saving faith in Christ the true justifying faith that will sufficiently fit and prepare a man for the Lords Supper which may be thus described what it is True saving faith is a grace of the regenerating Spirit whereby a man knowing and assenting to the truth of Gods Record touching Christ accepts him upon his own termes for salvation In this description of faith consider the generall nature and the special difference of it The Generall Nature of it wherein it agrees with all true saving grace is expressed in theâ—e words True saving faith is a grace of the regenerating Spirit See this proved Faith is Gods gift By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God A grace of the Spirit The fruit of the spirit is love goodness faith And also a grace of the Regenerating Spirit Them that believe on his Name which were born not of blood nor of the wâ—ll of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God So that believers are regenerate persons and believing originally flowes from Regeneration and Regeneration is the work of the Spirit The special difference whereby Faith is distinguished from all other saving graces is in these words whereby a man knowing and assenting to the truth of Gods record touching Christ accepts him upon his own terms for salvation Herein are expressed the three graduall acts of faith viz. Knowledge Assent and Application 1. Knowledge which is the first and fundamental act of faith We must know Gods Record before we can assent to it we must assent before we can apply Faith is sometimes therefore expressed by knowledge By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many that is by faith in Christ whereby we know him it is by faith that we are justified This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent 2. Assent to the truth of Gods Record touching Christ. This Act is the same with Historicall faith He that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son And this is the Record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son The whole Scripture is Gods book of Record touching Christ that he will save sinners by him that will believe in him 3. Application of Christ when after knowledge and Assent a man accepts Christ upon his own terms for salvation The applying Act is accepting or receiving of Christ. To receive Christ is to believe To as many as received him gave he power to become the Sons of God to them that believe on his name The manner of this applying and accepting Christ is upon his own termes viz. Self-deniall bearing the Crosse and following Christ If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Crosse daily and follow me The end of this accepting Christ is for salvation by him That believe to the saving of the soul Believe on the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved This now is that true saving faith fitting them that have it for worthy receiving of the Lords Supper 2. How needful this true faith is to worthy communicating This saving faith is necessary before communicating 1. For due qualifying of our persons and actions 2. For discerning Christs body and other Sacramental mysteries 3. For applying Sacramental mysteries discerned 4. For enabling duely to walk afterwards And doubtless no one grace is more absolutely necessary in all these respects for the Lords Supper then this Faith is which is as a Queen among the graces 1. For due qualifying of our Persons and Actions Without faith it is impossible to please God Without faith we cannot please him in our persons nor in our actions Faith is the soul and life of our souls and duties the salt that seasons all our spiritual sacrifices 2. For discerning Christs body and other Sacramental mysteries in the Lords Supper Not to discern judge distinguish and apprehend aright of Christs body dashes upon that fearful Rock of eating and drinking damnation to our selves And a Christians principall discerning faculty in this business is his faith This faith is the Eagles eye whereby a man pierces through the Clouds and shadows of the outward Elements to those heavenly Mysteries in and beyond them Christs body and blood Faith is that acute spiritual sense whereby a Communicant can taste and relish Christ crucified in the Lords Supper Faith is tha spiritual Prospective by which the soul can behold Christ sweating drops of clotted blood in the Garden suffering many cruel things in the High-Priests Palace and dying a painful shameful and cursed death betwixt two theeves upon Mount Calvary And further faith can read and discern many strange Mysteries in Christ crucified of high concernment to Christians both in the Lords Supper and in his whole life viz. The efficacy sweetness victories triumphs satisfactions expiations purchases priviledges c. of his Crosse for our sakes Our liberty in his imprisonment Our acquital in his accusation Our peace in his perplexity Our healing in his stripes and wounds Our honour in his Reproach Our Exaltation in his Humiliation Our Comfort in his Crosse Our blessing in his Curse Our Mannah and Honey in his Vinegar and Gall Our strength in his weakness Our purity pardon and peace in his blood Our justification in his condemnation Our life in his death and in his Crown of thorns our Crown of glory Faith can discover these mysteries when all carnall reason wit and policy cannot discern them 3. For applying sacramental mysteries discerned As faith is the spiritual eye whereby we discern Christ crucified and the mysteries of his death in the Lords Supper so faith is the spirituall hand whereby we take Christ tendered in the Elements The spirituall mouth and stomack whereby we eat and digest Christ received Take ye and eat take ye and drink What must we take eat and drink in this Ordinance Answ. Not
and whilest in that wretched state Whilest yet without strength when sinners whilest enemies whilest enmity it self against God when they were dead in trespasses and sins in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity Even then when there was nothing but unworthiness and abominableness in them was Christ given for them And this whilst Christ was not given for the Reprobates of the world for whom Christ would not so much as Pray much lesse die yet these in no worse condition by nature then those for whom Christ died How doth this heighten the mercy 4. The motive or impulsive why Christ was bestowed was not any thing at all in the creature but meerly the free Grace and Love of God Vpon these and like considerations what estimation hast thou of Christ 2. Dost thou esteem Christs Death The Mystery of the Lords Supper Christ is the matter but how Christ as crucified as Broken as slain for us in that respect Christ is the matter his Death therefore is the Mystery of it How dost value Christs Death Dost thou estimate it according to the true valuableness of it viz. 1. Esteemest thou Christs death according to the love evidenced in it Greater love then this hath no man then that a man lay down his life for his friends But greater then this Christ shewed in laying down his life for enemies Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Was ever love like this love The Apostle prayes for the Ephesians and his expressions are admirable That they may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge He measures Christs love by 4 Dimensions Philosophy knows but three Length Breadth and Depth Divinity adds a fourth Heighth intimating that Christs love is far beyond all ordinary measures and dimensions There 's Depth in it without bottom Heighth in it without top Breadth in it without side and Length in it without end Yea it utterly passeth knowledge Christs warmest love to sinners flowed with his blood out of all his wounds Esteemest thou his Death according to Christs love in dying 2. Esteemest thou Christs death according to the sufficiency of it Christs death was an Odour of a sweet smell most acceptable to God He by once offering up of himself hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified So that there needs now no more Sacrifice for sins The infinite dignity of his person so infinitely dignified his passion Hence Christ by his short suffering prevailed more for our salvation then all men on earth or Angels in Heaven could have done if they should have suffered to eternity 3. Esteemest thou Christs death according to the many inestimable benefits of it Hereby Sinners are justified sins purged away Hereby Enemies to God are reconciled Hereby death he that had the power of death the Devil with all Principalities and powers are subdued Hereby eternal Redemption from spiritual thraldom is obtained In a word hereby we have accesse with boldnesse and entrance into the Holiest of all Heaven it self Christs blood is Heavens Key Oh what soul can truly taste these saving purchases of Christs death and not admire it 3. Finally doest thou aright esteem the Lords Supper it self It deserves high estimation 1. For the mysteries in it Christs death and all the benefits of it The New Covenant and all the promises of it Communion with Christ and all the comforts of it 2. For the familiarity of it Herein Christ deals familiarly with his members He stoops to their senses below that their senses may lift up their faith to him above He represents highest mysteries under meanest elements and actions Thus he condescends to our earthliness that we may aseend to his heavenlinesse 3. For the Firmnesse of it In right use the Lords Supper doth as surely signifie seale and exhibit Christ crucified and all his benefits to us as we partake the outward elements there being such a Sacramental union betwixt signes and things signified Do these and like considerations raise up thy thoughts to an high estimation of this Ordinance 3. Retribution or rendring again according to the benefit received acknowledged and esteemed is the third and highest act or degree of thankfulnesse When David was most enlarged unto thankfulnesse he saith What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me And because King Hezekiah recovered of his â—â—knesse at his prayer rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem If non-rendring be â—o dangerous then how dangerous is it to render to God evil for good But what can we or ought we to render again for Christ for his Death for his Supper which are the eminent benefits that immediately call for thankful returns or rendrings when we communicate Answ. What should we not render again for these benefits All we can render is farre too little We should râ—nder 1 Triumphant praises Thus David resolved to render I will take up the cup of salvations and call on the name of the Lord. That is I will take up the Cup of Thanksgivings for Gods salvations and deliverances and will pray and praise God or preach abroad Gods mercies For Israel offered for mercies receied Thank-offerings eating thereof with joy before the Lord and in their eating were wont to take up the Cup of wine and blesse God to this custome David alludes In like sort we should be much in Praises and Thanksgivings for Christ his death c. As Paul notably thanks Christ not only for calling him to the Apostolical Ministery but also and especially for coming into the world to save sinners and himselfe chief of sinners making him a pattern of his grace to all that after should believe 2 Indeared affections Christ pardons the womans many sinnes this was one fruit of his Death Hereupon She loved him much and testified the same by washing his feet with her teares wiping them with the hairs of her head kissing them and anointing them with oyntment She hath nothing too good nothing good enough for Christ. Hath Christ loved thee and given himself for thee leaving this Sacrament as a legacy of his love Oh how should'st thou love him again that thus loved thee first 3 True hearted repentance and reformation Christ came into Zacheus's house to dine with him yea rather into Zacheus his heart there spiritually to feast his soul presently Zacheus the Arch-publican penitentially reformes Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I restore him fourefold And Christ testifies This day is salvation come to this house forasmuch as he also is the sonne of Abraham Sâ—ul