A VVORTHY Communicant OR A TREATISE Shewing the Due Order of Receiving the Sacrament of the LORDS Supper By IER DYKE Minister of Epping in Essex Levit. 10. 3. I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me Cypr. de Can. Dom. Nec se judicant nec Sacramenta dijudicant Petr. Bles Epist. 40. Vide ne Dominus dicat de te Ecce manus tradentis me mecum in mensa Dederunt in escam meam fel. LONDON Printed by R. B. for R. Dawlman and L. Fawne at the Brazen Serpent in S. Pauls Church-yard 1636. TO the Right Honourable LORD THOMAS Earle of Winchilsea And to the Right Honourable the Lady CECILL Countesse of Winchilsea his most Pious Consort Right Honourable IT was a salt and a smart speech which one Melancthon spake unto an Italian Vos Itali vnltis Deum habere in pane quem non creditis esse in coelis Melch. Adam in vit Melanch You Italians will have God to be in the bread in the Sacrament whom ye beleeve not to be in Heaven It were to be wished that many amongst our selves were not under the guilt of somewhat the like incongruity It is an high opinion that men generally have of the Sacrament and reason good it should be had in pretious esteeme but that which is sad to consider they partake of that Ordinance with such irreverence carelesnesse and prophanenesse of spirit as if they beleeved not there were a God or as if in that Ordinance they had not to do with the God of Heaven That which was once injoyned the Dominican Priests in memory Morn myst Iniq. prog 56. and hatred of that heinous act of one of their fraternity in poysoning the Emperour Henry the seventh in the Hoast That they should communicate only with the left hand may bee feared to bee the case of too many thorow their owne negligence that they are no better than left-handed Communicants It matters not before God with what hand the Sacrament be received the right-hand or the left so the heart be right and the work done in a right order But yet in a spirituall sense to be left-handed receivers is a matter not only of disgrace but of danger It is all one in Scripture phrase to be left and to be lame-handed And to be sure to be left-handed in this worke is to be lame-handed The lame and the blinde who knowes not in what ill esteeme they were with God The lame and the blind had no acceptance with God And wherein concernes it men to be more solicitous for acceptance than in the solemne service of receiving the Sacrament No acceptance is to be had but when it is well done If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted sayes the Lord to Cain It was good which Cain did in offering Sacrifice but if thou do well shalt thou not be accepted It must be a good thing and a good thing well done which shal find acceptance That speech of Aarons in his case would be a very seasonable thought for men before the Sacrament Behold this day such Lev. 10. 19. things have befallen me and if I had eaten the sin-offering to day should it have beene accepted in the sight of the Lord Happy were it that before the Sacrament men would thus say with themselves Behold this day week this moneth c. such things have befallen me and I have fallen into such sinnes as have made my person guilty mine heart hard and dead and if I should in such a case before I have prepared my self by faith and repentance eat the Supper Lord should I be accepted in the sight of the Lord They were crosses and afflictions which by Gods providence befell Aaron in the death of his Sons and the sorrow and mourning that followed thereupon that indisposed and unfitted him for eating the flesh of the sin-offering Sanctified things were not to be eaten in a mans mourning Deut. 26. 14. They be sins that men thorow their owne corruption fall into that they live and lye in and the want of sorrow and mourning for them that unfit men for eating the Sacrament With spirituall sorrow and mourning for sin should these sanctifyed things be eaten And for want of this and other due dispositions it is that this holy Ordinance that men seeme to think so highly and reverently of is so much abused and profaned Conceiving it therefore a worke of charity to direct people to a preparation and a performance suitable to the holinesse and excellency of the Ordinance I have published this small treatise And such as it is I present it to your Honours as a publike testimony of that thankfulnesse service and due regard I owe unto you and your Noble Family the which deserves so much the more honour from men by how much the more it is honoured by God They were ill Si quis ex nobilibus ad Deum coÌ„verti caeperitstatim honorem nobilitatis amittit Religio ignobilem facit Si honoratior quispiam religioni se applicueâ—it â—llico honoratus esse disistit Salv. de Provid lib. 4. times that Salvian lived in and complained of when religion and godlinesse were thought staines and blemishes of Honour as if Religion made Noble Persons vile and ignobled Greatnesse But that which GOD cals Glory and Honour let no man account shame and basenesse It is most true which S. Bernard writes to Sophia a religious Noble Woman Thou art the more Insignior plane atque illustrior quod de paucis facta es quam quod orta de magnis Illud namque Dei munere tuum est Hoc tuorum Porro quod tuum est tanto carius cst c. Bernard Ep. 113. illustrious that thou art made one of few aluding to that of Paul Not many Noble than that thou art borne of Great Ones That by Gods gift is thine owne this namely her Birth and Noble Parentage thou art beholding to thy Parents for That which is thine owne is so much the more deere by how much the more rare Who shall finde a vertuous woman much more a vertuous and Noble one God indeed is no accepter of persons yet I know not how it comes to passe yet to passe it comes that vertue in a Noble person is more pleasing peradventure because it is more shining As light is more glorious in the Stars of greater than of lesser magnitude It is a most sure thing what ever the world may judge that nothing so enobles as Christ grace and being in the Covenant I have blessed Ishmael sayes the Lord twelve Princes shall he beget But my Covenant will I establish with Isaac Account it your greater Honour Gen. 17. 20. 21. to be in the Covenant than to have Seed Royall issue out of your loynes or to have Bloud Royall runne in your veynes Then are persons truly Honourable indeed when pretious in Gods sight Since thou wast pretious in my sight thou hast beene honourable So may You
might these things already mentioned be to make us carefull to come to the Sacrament after the due Order with preparation But because our carelesse hearts are not so easily wrought upon try we yet a little further what we may be brought unto by shame or feare of danger for to come to the Sacrament without due preparation is both a shamefull and a dangerous thing Rogo vos fratres diligenter attendite si ad mensam cujusque potâ—ntis hominis nâ—mo presumit cum vestibuâ— conscissis inquinatis accedere â—uâ—nto mâ—â—is c. Aug. De temp Ser. 251. 1 First it is a matter of shame It were a matter of soule shame for a man to come and sit downe at a great mans Table in rags and tatters in his nastinesse and filthinesse and in such a case how would we take and tucke up such an one Art thou not ashamed to come to such a mans Table in so base a fashion What an uncivill fellow art thou in such a garbe to come into such a presence And is it not then a matter of fouler shame to come rudely unpreparedly and unbeseemingly Quid vero annon vides vasa abluta adeo nitida splendida His longe mundiores oportet esse animas his sanctiores splendidiores Quare Quoniam illa propter nos fiunt talia Illa eum qui inest non participant non sentiunt Nos autem participamus sentimus Nunc autem vase quidem sordido uti nolueris sordida autem immunda accedis anima 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in Ephes 1. hom 3 unto the Lords Table Consider that 2 Chron. 30. 15. The Priests and the Levites were ashamed and sanctified themselves And why were they ashamed because they had so long deferred their sanctification and preparation and therefore at length for very shame did sanctifie themselves It was a matter of shame then that they had so long put off their sanctification They have cause of shame that sanctifie not themselves in due time for holy duties And if it be a matter of shame to deferre it though done at the last then how much more is it a shame to neglect it altogether and not to doe it at all If a foule cloath should be laid on the Communion Table if the Napkin wherein the bread is laid were not cleane if the Cup Vessels in which the Wine is put were not made handsome and decent men wold cry shame of it and would say that it is an arrant shame that the linnen and vessels be in such a case that it is an arrant shame that these things are not provided and prepared to be in more decent and cleanly order And a shame it were indeed there ought to be an outward decency in these things Our Saviour made no choise of any room at adventure to eat the Passeover in but of a decent handsome furnisht roome Luke 22. 12. He shall shew you a large upper roome furnished there make ready Now then were it a shame that the vessels and linnen should not in their kinde be fitted and decently prepared what a foule shame then not to have our soules and hearts prepared what is a foule cloth or a sullied vessell to a foule and an unprepared soule Oh shame that men will offer to come to Gods Table with sluttish and unprepared spirits should not we much more be prepared than the vessels They containe but the outward elements for our use but we come to receive the body and bloud of Christ Will we have the vessels prepared and can we for shame come with unprepared hearts 2 Secondly it is a matter of great danger to come unprepared to the Table of the Lord that eating of the Passeover of theirs otherwise than it was written 2 Chron. 30. 18. it was a dangerous thing and Hezekiah was faine to make speciall suite for mercy for them And yet that want of theirs was but an omission of some Legall Ceremony How much more dangerous had it beene if for the inward substance of preparation they had done it otherwise than it was written To come to the Sacrament without such preparation is dangerous indeed The dangers are these 1 First that which the Apostle speakes of 1 Cor. 11. 27. Whosoever shall eate this bread and drinke this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. The end of the Sacrament and our comming to it is to shew forth the Lords death But now if we come unpreparedly to it we make our selves guilty of the Lords death We come to the Sacrament to drink the Lords bloud but if we come unpreparedly to it wee come to shed the Lords bloud and so instead of drinkers prove shedders of Qua ratione reus fit indigne assumens perinde nimitum ac si ipse sanguinem Domini effundat Vt n. qui tum pupugerunt Christum non ut biberent effuderunt veruÌ„ ut effunderent sic indigne bibens nihilque inde commodi referens frustra ac temere profudie sangumem Theophil in 1 Cor. 10. Chrys 1 Cor. 11. hom 27. Christs bloud An unworthy receiver is guilty of Christs bloud how so because he doth so as if he shed his bloud he doth so as the shedders of Christs bloud did For looke as they that crucified pierced Christ powred not forth his blod that they might drinke it but onely that they might powre it forth and shed it So he that doth unworthily and unpreparedly drink his bloud receiving thereby no profit nor benefit he hath rashly and in vaine shed his bloud Now do but sit downe and consider how fearfull a thing it is to be guilty of Christs bloud It is a fearefull thing to be guilty of any mans bloud yea to bee guilty of a wicked mans bloud how much more then to be guilty of the bloud of the Sonne of God of the bloud of God Deliver me O Lord from bloud-guiltinesse cryes David Psal 51. It is a very heavie thing to have an hand in mans bloud That same is a sad Text 2 Sam. 3. 28 29. I and my kingdome sayes David are guiltlesse before the Lord for ever from the bloud of Abner the Son of Ner let it rest on the head of Ioab and on all his Fathers house and let there not faile from the House of Ioab one that hath an issue or that is a Leaper or that leaneth on a staffe or that falles on the sword or that lacks bread What an heavie Imprecation was this upon Ioab and that for the bloud of Abner who was none of the best neither And if so heavie a curse upon Ioab for being guilty of Abner's bloud how much more heavie will the curse be upon him that shall be guilty of the bloud of Christ God will require the bloud of a man at the hands of a beast Gen. 9. 5. The Ox that killed a man must be stoned to death and his flesh must not
now that yee have washed your selves by faith in Christs bloud now come come after this order and welcome So that all that came to these sacrifices and services without faith washing themselves in CHRISTS bloud came not in due order So it is in the case of the Sacrament Come without faith and God will say unto you To what purpose is your frequent receiving of the Sacrament To what purpose is the multitude of your Communions Who hath required this at your hands to sit downe at my Table Come no more at the Sacrament yee trouble me I am weary of your Communions and your receiving it is iniquity But let us get faith and wash and sprinkle our selves with Christs bloud and then will God say come now This is to come after the due order Now that you come after the due order come and welcome No man ought to come till he come in due order and no man can come in due order till hee come washed in CHRISTS bloud and there is no being washed in CHRISTS bloud but by faith Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neare with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and our bodyes washt with pure water We saw before that Gods Ordinance and order must goe together We must come to the Sacrament that is Gods Ordinance but wee must come with faith that is Gods order As it is an heynous sinne to neglect Gods Ordinance so it is no lesse heynous and dangerous to neglect and contemne Gods order and Gods due order is that every Communicant come prepared with faith So that it is no lesse sinne nor danger to come without faith then not to come at all He sinnes dangerously that comes not at all He sinnes as dangerously that comes and yet comes without faith Consider againe that same passage Matth. 22. 4 5. There were some invited to that feast that came not They made light of it what tell you them of CHRIST of the excellencies to be had in CHRIST to be had in the Word or ministery of the Gospel or in the Sacrament They made light of it but was this a light sinne They found it an heavy sinne to them in the end verse 7. Well after this there is a second and a fresh invitation and the wedding was furnished with guests ver 9 10. The feast being furnished the King comes in to see and view his guests and one he spyes that had not a wedding garment The man was come he was not guilty of the contempt of the Ordinance but yet was guilty of the neglect of Gods order In he was come but not after the due order Well but what is his entertainment Friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment verse 12. that is how haps it that thou art come in and not after the due order That was a question that silenced him smote him starke dumb But yet that is not all See v. 13. Take him binde him c. and do but compare that with the seventh v. and doe but consider which of the two verses sound sadliest And see that it is no lesse dangerous to neglect Gods order then his Ordinance But wherein was his neglect of the due order Not having a wedding garment that is not having faith or the righteousnesse of faith He that coms to the Sacrament without his wedding garment comes not after the due order and he that comes to the Sacrament without faith comes without his wedding garment Doe but consider foure specialties in that parable that will serve to our purpose 1 When the ghuests were come in the King comes in to see them So doth the Lord with all that come to the Sacrament Take notice of that all ye that come to the Sacrament When you are come together unto the Table of the Lord you have one that comes in to overlooke you and to view you that comes with an examining searching eye Let a man sayes the Apostle examine himselfe and so let him eate c. And there is great reason why a man should so do for when we come to the Lords Table the Lord will come in to see to search to examine his ghuests God is not satisfied that men come to his Ordinance but God will examine and see whether they bee come after the due order If indeed God should not come in to see his ghuests then might they be the more remisse and carelesse but beleeve it hee will come in and see them and looke narrowly on them too and therefore I thinke it neerely concernes men to looke to themselves and to see to it before they come that they come after the due order 2 The whole house was full of ghuests and there was amongest them all but onely one man that wanted a wedding garment In such a crowd and company one would thinke that happily one might have skulked and have lyen hid and not have been spied out and yet that one man was not hid but was found out So if but one man come to the Sacrament and come not after the due order God wil finde him out The crowd and multitude cannot hide him from Gods eye And if one could not bee hid in a multitude how much lesse shall twenty forty or more bee hidden from him 3 That his fault was the want of due order in comming and his want of due order was his want of faith So not a man comes to the Sacrament without faith but God spies him and singles him out with this question friend how camest thou in hither not having the grace of faith 4 That this man not comming after the due order with faith to that feast meets with a breach and a blow verse 13. Such will the case be of all such as come to the Sacrament without faith Is is nothing to be examined by God To be smitten dumbe Is it nothing to bee bound hand and foot and be cast into utter darkenesse If this bee any thing then it is some thing to come to Gods supper without a wedding garment He that comes in without a wedding garment on his backe shall not go out without chaines and fetters on his feete So that all this considered we see how necessary it is that he that will come to the Sacrament in due order must come with faith And that we may yet be further convinced of the necessity of bringing faith with us consider these things following 1 First a mans greatest care should be so to come to the Sacrament that his comming and his performance of the duty should be acceptable As good absent as present without acceptance who cares to come to his neighbours table unlesse he may be welcome Who had not rather bee absent than be lowred upon and to be entertained with sowre and darke cloudy lookes now it is not possible to finde acceptance without faith No mans performance of any service is acceptable till his person be accepted
repentance Mat. 3. Iohn did baptise the people that came unto him but he first preaches repentance to them Vers 2. and they professe repentance unto him before they be baptised Vers 6. They were baptised of him confessing their sins And so Acts 2. 38. Repent and be baptised first repent and then come to the Sacrament of Baptisme It is so also with the Sacrament of the Lords Supper repent and receive the Lords Supper first repent and then come to the Lords Supper And therefore 1 Cor. 11. 31. he wishes us to judge our selves before we come to the Sacrament which is a speciall worke of repentance In the Sacrament wee draw nigh to God and we desire to have the Lord draw nigh to us If therefore we would draw neere to God or have him draw neere to us we must come after the due Order If we draw neere to God and do it disorderly he will not draw neere to us nor have any fellowship with us Now what is Gods Order and the due Order wherein he would have us draw neere unto him we finde Iames 4. 8 9. 10. Draw nigh to God and hee will draw nigh to you But after what Order must we draw nigh to him Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie CHAP. 5 your hearts you double minded be afflicted and mourne and weepe c. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord. This is the Order after which wee must draw neere to God namely prepared and fitted for fellowship with him by unfained repentance Hezekiah proclaimed a solemne Passeover to be kept at Ierusalem and the Order after which they kept it is worth the observing and is for our imitation before we come to the Sacrament First the Priests they cleanse the Temple and brought out all the uncleannesse that they found in the Temple of the Lord into the court of the House of the Lord and the Levites tooke it to carry it out abroad into the brooke Kidron 2 Chron. 29. 16. And as the Priests and Levites doe their parts in purging uncleannesse out of the Temple so the people doe theirs in purging the Citie They arise and take away the Altars that were in Ierusalem and all the Altars for incense tooke they away and cast them into the brooke Kidron 2 Chron. 30. 14. And marke what followes Vers 15. Then they killed the Passeover namely when all uncleannesse was fetcht out of the Temple and all the Altars knockt downe in the Citie and were thrown into the brooke Kidron as it were into the Towne-ditch Then they killed the Passeover First there was a purging a cleansing out of filthinesse first al the baggage and uncleane stuffe throwne into Kidron and then a killing of the Passeover This must bee our Order in comming to the Sacrament first purge our hearts and lives of al manner of uncleannesse that may be found in them by repentance and by repentance throw it all into the brooke Kidron and then come to the Sacrament then receive the Lords Supper So must men come to the Lords Table as the Priests came to the services of the Tabernacle When the Priests came to performe holy services in the Tabernacle see in what Order they must come Exod. 30. 18 21. They must wash their hands CHAP. 6 and their feet at the brazen laver when they went into the Tabernacle or when to the Altar to minister there The equity of it reached farther than to the Priests David was no Priest yet Psal 26. I will wash mine hands in innocency so will I compasse thine Altar He alludes to the ceremony of the Priests washing at the brazen Laver before they ministred at the Altar to let us see that though this ceremony belonged onely to the Priests yet the morality belongs to all and that there is a washing that concernes all before they meddle with holy services and so with the Sacrament As the Priests were to wash themselves so some parts of the Sacrifices also were to be washt Levit. 1. 9. But the inwards and his legs he shall wash in water The same Order must be observed in comming to the Sacrament every sinner is an uncleane person and uncleane ones must be washed before they offer to have fellowship with the GOD of Purity There is a double washing with which wee must bee washed before we can come in due Order First the washing of our selves in Christs bloud by faith And secondly the washing of our selves by repentance He that will come in due Order must wash by repentance as well as by faith yea he must wash both his inwards and his feet His inwards must be washt Ier. 14. 4. Wash thine heart O Ierusalem how long shall thy wicked thoughts lodge within thee All inward and secret lusts must be washt out by repentance And the feet must bee washt also Iohn 13. 10. As we walke in our daily wayes we gather a great deale of soile and this same soile of our outward actions must also bee washt away by repentance Why must the inwards and the feet or legs of the Sacrifices be washt above all the rest The reason is given because the inwards or intrailes are the vessels that containe the filth and excrements of the Beast and therefore were they to be washt And the legs CHAP. 5 or feet to be washt because they tread in the dirt and mire and so are more defiled then any other part of the body And all this was to teach that when wee draw neere to God wee should specially wash there where most filth is readiest to bee contracted Our inwards our hearts and consciences what abundance of excrements and filth have they what dunghils of filthy lusts lye in our hearts our legs our feet how doe we defile them by walking and treading in foule wayes Even he that is washed already still and daily needs to have his feet washed Iohn 13. 10. Now then for us to come to the Lords Table with such inwards with such feet is not to take heed to our feet nor to come in due Order It were disorderly to sit downe at a mans Table in so slovenly a fashion as with unwashen hands therefore more disorderly to sit downe at the Lords Table with unwashen hearts The Pharisees quarrelled with our Saviours Disciples Matth. 15. 2. Why say they doe thy Disciples transgresse the tradition of the Elders for they wash not their hands when they eat bread But to such Communicants as come to the Lords Table without repentance it may be said upon better ground Why doe ye transgresse the commandement of the Lord For yee wash not your hands nor your hearts when ye eat bread at the Lords Table Quest But what is that repentance wherewith a man must come How must a man repent before he comes Ans This is indeed a thing worth the inquiring after because many that come to the Sacrament that yeeld to it that there must be a preparation before they come yet fouly deceive
themselves in their repentance Repentance it stands in a sorrow for sin and an actuall renouncing and forsaking of sin so as to have no further communion with it And here is that wherewith many gull themselves do mock God and their owne soules CHAP. 6 Their consciences tell them that their lives are so vile that there must bee somewhat done before they come and therefore there must bee at least some sorrow or shew of sorrow at least before their receiving and therfore haply they will hang down their heads not for a day or two that is somwhat too long to but for an houre or two like a bulrush will confesse their sinnes to God and make a shift to be sad and demure for a while and all this is but to stop the mouth of conscience But yet all this repentance is not worth a bulrush because there is no abdication no forsaking and putting away those sins but the duty once over and past and the Sacrament a little forgotten upon the next occasion offered they are as ready for their sinnes as ever before They do with their sinnes when they come to the Sacrament as Abraham with his servants when hee went to Sacrifice Isaac Gen. 22. 5. And Abraham said to his young men abide you here with the Asse and I and the Lad will goe yonder and worship and come againe to you So say many in effect in this case to their sins and their lusts Stand you awhile aside I must goe to the Sacrament and receive the communion doe but stand by a while and when the Sacrament is over or at furthest as soon as the Sacrament-day Soror in Christo amabilis rogo ut audias prudentiam Serpentis Serpens enim cum coeperit ire ad bibendum antequam veniat ad fontem evomit omne venenum Imitare tu charissima hunc serpentem in hac parte ut antequam venias ad fontem id est communionem corporis sanguinis Domini evomas omne venenum scilicet odium iram malitiam invidiam malam voluntatem noxias cogitationes ex corde tuo Bern. de modo benevivendi c. 28. is over I will come again to you But this is meere mockery in that repentance which must duly prepare a man for the Sacrament there must be an utter departure from and a forsaking of our evill wayes Before we come to the Sacrament to eat and drink there we should do as the Serpent is said to doe and in this case should be wise as Serpents The Serpent before he goes to drink at the Fountaine first vomits up all his poyson so should we before we come to eat and drinke at the Lords Table vomit up and cast out all the poison of our lusts and so vomit them up as never with the dog to returne to our CHAP. 5 vomit againe cast up and cast away all our poison before we come to meddle with these holy Mysteries We saw in that case before how they did before the Passeover 2 Chron. 30. 14 15. Then they killed the Passeover Then when When that was first done in the 14. Vers They arose and tooke away the Altars c. and cast them into the brooke Kidron It had beene but a folly to have killed and have eaten the Passeover those abominations standing and remaining therefore they do not onely professe a sorrow for those abominations as it is like enough they did professe a sorrow but before they come to the Passeover they take them away first and make sure worke with them they cast them into the brooke Kidron So must our repentance bee before wee come to the Sacrament not only a repentance that sorrowes for sin and yet keepes sin in the bosome still but such a repentance that casts them quite out even into the brook Kidron CHAP. 6 That is the right course which they tooke Ezra 6. 21 22. Marke there who did eat the Passeover not all not every man that would but only such as had repented and so had prepared themselves for it How did their repentance appeare by their actuall separation of their sinnes from them All such as had separated themselves from the filthinesse of the Heathen of the Land It had beene an hainous and horrible thing for them to have come to the Passeover in the filthines of the Heathen But they onely that did separate themselves from that filthinesse of the heathen did eat Thus must it be also with a man that will eat at the Sacrament it is not enough for him to confesse his sinnes to shed some teares and blubber for them but he must separate himselfe from the filthinesse of the heathen What is swearing whoring drunkennesse profanation of the Lords-day and other Holy-dayes but the filthinesse of Heathens What are these but heathenish filthinesses Therefore whosoever is polluted with any such filthinesse or the filthinesse of any other sin must first separate himselfe from that filthinesse before he come to the Lords Table Let a man separate himselfe from his filthinesse and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. And the way to separate our selves from our filthinesse and sins it is by repentance Sin separates us from God but repentance separates sinne from us and so fits us for fellowship with GOD in his Ordinance And this is that thing which was typified in purging out of leaven before the Passeover Exodus 12. 15. They are forbid to cat leavened bread nay that would not serve the turne but Exod. 12. 19. There must be no leaven found in their Houses They must not onely have no leaven in their mouthes but there must be no leaven in their houses seaven dayes shall there no leaven bee found in your houses not onely no leaven to be eaten but no leaven to be seene Exo. 3. 7. And there shall no leavened bread be seene with thee neither shall there be leaven seene with thee in all thy quarters No leaven in the mouth in the house in all their quarters And the Iewes were exceeding precise in purging out leaven We reade Iohn 19. 14. of the preparation of the Passeover which was the day before the Passeover Now on that day the father of the family with other men lighted wax-candles searched all corners to purge out all remnants and crums of leaven And their Scribes taught that a man was to search after leaven in secret places and in corners and to search it out by the light of a candle out of all holes and corners So that a Iew before the Passeover would not have left a crum of leaven in a crany or blinde corner of his house Leaven typified sin and wickednesse 1 Cor. 5. 8. And all this teaches us that exact care we should have to purge out and cast out all our sinnes before we come to the Sacrament There was no Iewes house had so many darke holes blinde corners and crannies as have our hearts and therefore wee should take the light
and candle of the Word Psal 119. 105. Thy word is a light a Lampe And by the light of this candle search and ranscke the blinde corners and secret crannies of our hearts and out with all the very crums of leaven So that as the Apostle speakes in that case 1 Cor. 5. 7 8. Purge out therefore the old leaven Therefore let us keepe the feast not with old leaven c. So let us doe in this case of comming to the Sacrament This is to keepe our Passeover after the due Order If we will eat of the Lambe we must have no leaven if Lambe no leaven if leaven no Lambe if Christ in the Sacrament no sins and lusts favoured if sins and lusts favoured no Christ There bee that expound that Text Cant. 7. 2. of the two Sacraments Thy navell is like a round goblet which wants not liquor thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with Lilies By the navell they understand the Sacrament of Baptisme the navell serves for the nourishment of the babe in the wombe and baptisme nourishes infants and new borne babes in the Churches wombe By the belly like an heape of wheat they understand the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for the aboundance and store of excellent spirituall nourishment therin and marke with what this heape of wheat is set about set about with Lilies signifying Christians of holy and godly life To be sure such they should bee by repentance that come to this Sacrament they should be Lilies pure and white Lilie-white that are set about this heape of wheat It is not after the due Order when stincking weeds hemlock nettles and such trash are set about this heape of wheat when scandalous and profane persons common swearers customary drunkards c. thrust in and set themselves downe at the Lords Table It is a case much to be lamented to see the desperate boldnesse of many in comming to the Sacrament swearers habituall drunkards uncleane persons make no more bones of comming to the Table of the Lord than of sitting downe at their owne ordinary Tables sweare this day receive the next be drunke on the eve and receive the Sacrament on the morrow Herein dealing as the Harlot in that case Prov. 30. 20. She eats and wipes her mouth and saith I have done no wickednesse I am as honest a woman as the best of my neighbours So these eate and drinke at the Sacrament and wipe their mouthes and who hath any thing to say to them they hope they are as orderly faire Communicants as the best That therefore men may bee awakened to bee more considerate and may bee provoked to come prepared with repentance let them a little thinke seriously on these following particulars First hee that comes to the Sacrament and not after this order prepared with Repentance shall be sure to meet w th no blessing benefit or comfort There is a great deale of comfort and joy to bee had in the use of the Sacrament provided a man so come to it as he ought provided that a man come prepared with repentance Marke that passage Ezra 6 22. They kept the Feast of unleavened bread seven dayes with joy What are civill Feasts without joy and what are holy Feasts without joy A Feast is made for laughter and wine makes merry Eccl. 10. 19. Little comfort in this Feast and Wine in the Sacrament unlesse it make a mans heart merry and joyfull Ioy is that which GOD promises to the right users of his Ordinances Isay 56. 7. I will make them joyfull in mine house of prayer So God makes men joyfull in the house of preaching and joyfull at the Table of his house They kept the Feast with joy How so For sayes the Text the Lord had made them joyfull But observe who they were whom God made joyfull at that Feast and Passeover namely those who had separated themselves from the filthinesse of the heathen of the land Such as come with true Repentance God makes joyfull in the use of his Ordinance A man may be bold to challenge impenitent persons that come in their sinnes and to charge them with it that they have no joy in their receiving God joyes them not makes them not welcome As in the Gospell so at the Sacrament God makes a Feast such a Feast as the Feast of the Gospell is Isay 25. 6. A Feast of fat and sweet things a Feast of Wine a Feast of things full of marrow But who must eate of that Feast who must be feasted with that wine and marrow How must they bee prepared that eat of this Feast They must come in due Order that come to that Feast and that due Order is to come with repentance for marke what God subjoynes there Vers 7. And I will destroy the face of the covering the veile that is spread c. So that they that will be partakers of that Feast must first have the veile the covering taken away they that come veiled and covered come not after the due Order and therfore shall not taste of the sweetes of this Feast But what is that veile then that must be taken away before they shall eat of that Feast We may see what it is by that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. 14 15 16. The veile is the hardnesse of mens hearts and that veile is taken away when men turne to the Lord. Repentance takes away that veile when men are humbled for their sinnes and doe truly repent then is the veile taken away And when the veile is taken away then are men prepared to come to that Feast of fat things The Sacrament is a Feast of fat things also and they that will come to this Feast in the Sacrament must come with their hearts unveiled It is a Feast of fat things but they that will eat of this Feast of fat things must not come with fat hearts They that come with fat hearts will finde it a Feast of leane things will finde neither sweet nor comfort in the use of the Sacrament Goe make the heart of this people fat Isay 6. that is Goe make their hearts hard and impenitent Psal 119. 70. Their heart is fat as greasse fat hearts shall not be feasted with these sweet things A leane heart that mournes that pines that grieves for sin that heart shall eate of these fat things Psal 22. 26. The poore shall eate and shall bee satisfied The man that is humbled and abased he shall eat unto satisfaction so that they onely have benefit taste the sweet and the marrow in this Feast that come prepared with repentance But let a man come without repentance and humiliation and he receives no benefit at all at the Sacrament but findes a leane and a drie Feast of it It is in this case with a man as it was with the Prodigall when once he came to himselfe and was soundly humbled for his folly and fals to confession Father I have sinned against thee and against
heaven then see what followeth Luke 15. 22 23. bring hither the fatted Calfe let us eate and bee merry Now that he repents he is fed and feasted with fat things the fat Calfe must be killed and prepared But look upon him in his impenitency whilest he is in his sinnes and how fares hee then alas he then eats husks feeds with the Swine and his belly not filled neither whilest he was in a Swinish condition he was fitter to feed at a Swines trough than to feed at his Fathers Table and then he is fed with nothing but with empty huskes It is just so here If men come to God and to his Table with confession and contrition of spirit with true and sound repentance then God sayes Come bring the fatted Calfe make a Feast give this repenting sinner my Sons flesh and bloud his spirit let him eat marrow glut his heart with the comforts of my spirit with the sweetnesse and goodnesse of Christ But when men come in their swinish and brutish lusts come no better than Swine without repentance for their sins then GOD sends them to the trough What doe you a company of swinish adulterers and drunkards at my Table get you to the trough the trough is fitter for you than the Communion-Table And though such persons in their impenitency will thrust and crowd in to the Lords Table yet they shall be fed but with husks Impenitent persons find their food in the issue no better they receive but the huske of the Sacrament bare Bread and Wine the naked Elements they never taste a whit of the fatted Calfe they eate not a whit of CHRISTS flesh and bloud God feeds Swine onely with huskes huskes are good enough for Hogges And what are impenitent persons better than Hogs to whom Pearles must not bee given Observe how the Prodigals father speakes to him after his re-repentance Come bring the fatted Calfe let us eate and bee merry A man can never so eate at the Sacrament as to bee merry till hee eat of the fat Nehemiah 8. 10. Goe your way eat the fat and drinke the sweet neither bee yee sorry that is be you merry and joyfull eating the fat and drinking the sweet cheeres and makes the heart merry But when sayes his father let us eat and bee merry Now after hee saw his Sonne to bee sorry when hee saw his soule humbled and afflicted with sorrow for his sinnes he saw him truly penitent Now let us eate and bee merry It is to little purpose to eate at the LORDS Table unlesse wee may so eate that wee may bee merry that wee may bee cheered refreshed rejoyced Now hee that would eate and bee merry at the LORDS Table Lords Table must weepe and be sorry in his owne private Chamber and Closset And when we have made our selves sorry God will make us merry when we have sadded our soules by repentance God will glad them with the comforts of his Spirit dispersed to us in the Sacrament And the greater our sorrow is before we come the greater will our mirth be when we be come But contrarily when we come to the Lords Table and have not beene sorry have not beene humbled have not repented then may we come and eate but we cannot eate and be merry we can have no comfort no joy in our receiving because GOD feeds us in such a case with nothing but huskes Huskie food will never make the heart merry and where repentance is wanting it makes the Sacrament proove to a man no better then an husky banquet Where repentance is wanting a man in receiving receives nothing but bare bread and bare wine neither is it any more with God then if a man did eate common bread and drinke ordinary wine at his owne Table It is in Sacraments as it was with sacrifices When men came to the sacrifices and offerings without repentance see how God esteemed of them Hos 9. 4. For their bread for their soule shall not come into the house of the Lord. Zanch. in Locum The bread for their soule that is the bread for their life their daily bread for the sustinance of their bodily life He speakes of that meate offering Levit. 2. 5. That meate offering was appointed of God for a spirituall use and yet it is called the bread for their life or livelihood Because they using those Ordinances without Repentance though the meate offering were appointed for a spirituall use God esteemed no other then common meate as their ordinary bodily bread they fed upon to susteyne bodily life In the same sense it is that Iere. 7. 21. the Lord in a kinde of scorne calls their sacrifices flesh Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eate flesh There wanted repentance in the offerers and therefore God reckons them but as other ordinary flesh in the Shambles And being so what had they more at their meate offerings then at their owne Tables what at their sacrifices more then might have beene had at the Shambles And no wonder for God intends not his Ordinance to such God calls not invites not such and he will not welcome those whom he invites not Consider those Canons which were for eating the Passeover Exod. 12. 43 44 45. This is the Ordinance of the Passeover there shall no stranger eate thereof But every mans servant that is bought for money when thou hast circumcised him then shall he eate thereof A forreyner and an hired servant shall not eate therof Here be three Canons First no stranger must eate thereof Suppose he had yet surely should he have had no Communion with God God would have beene a stranger to him Secondly no hired servant must eate thereof suppose he had certainly God would not have accepted his service Thirdly no uncircumcised one must eate thereof If an uncircumcised person had eaten thereof could he have looked for a blessing Now all these three Canons make against an impenitent sinners comming to the Sacrament For an impenitent sinner is all these He is a stranger to God Psal 58. 3. The wicked are estranged from the wombe And Psal 54. 3. David calls the Ziphims who were notwithstanding of Israel strangers for what so estranges a man from God as doth sinne He is an hyred servant a servant to Satan and his lusts Iohn 8. 34. Whosoever commiteth sinne is the servant of sinne 2 Pet. 2. 18. They themselves are servants to corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage And who will set his servant at his Table with him The servant abides not in the house for ever Iohn 8. 35. and therefore sits not down at Table at any time He is an uncircumcised person Iere. 4. 3 4 Breake up the fallow ground circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the fore skine of your heart What is the circumcision of the heart but the breaking up of the fallow ground verse 3. So that a repenting heart is a
circumcised heart and contrarily an impenitent is an uncircumcised heart Acts 7. 51. Ye stifnecked and uncircumcised in heart So that an impenitent person is an uncircumcised person And what wonder then that an impenitent person meets with no blessing at the Sacrament when he comes to eate against the Canon being a stranger a servant an uncircumcised person The Israelites Manna was Sacramentall and there is Manna in the Lords Supper and in the use of the Sacrament the Lord gives that hidden Manna Apoc. 2. 17. But it is to be observed that the Israelites did not eate Manna presently so soone as they were out of Aegypt but first of all Sicut populus Israel ante transitum maris nonpotuit manna comedere sic nemo valet ante baptismuÌ„ corpus redemtoris accipere Anselm in 1 Cor. 10. Nondum baptizati vel eriam adhuc excommunicati c. arcebantur a communione Centuriat Magdeb. Cent. 10. cap. 6. they passed through the red Sea and that passage was a Baptisme See therfore Saint Pauls order 1 Cor. 10. 1 2 3. Our fathers all passed thorow the Sea And were all baptised in the Sea And did all eate the same spirituall meate So that before they did eate that spirituall meate they were first baptised in the red Sea There must be a baptisme before the Manna may be eaten None ought to receive the Lords Supper till he be first baptised It were utterly against Gods owne order to have a man receive the Communion before he be baptised That very order teaches that there must be repentance before we come to the Lords Table For baptisme is the baptisme of repentance Luke 3. 3. Iohn came preaching the baptisme of repentance So that where no repentnace there the Sacrament belongs not to men and they can have no benefit by it to whom it belongs not As in that case Bethsheba speakes Pro. 31. 6 7. Give strong drinke to him that is ready to perish and wine to those that be of heavy hearts or bitter of soule let him drinke and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more So it holds good here God would not have this wine to be given to every man it is not for profane and impenitent sinners to drinke this wine but when men are by repentance in poverty of spirit bitternesse of soule heavie in heart then the Lord would have this wine given them and such as come to drinke it with such hearts they shall have their hearts cheered refreshed and sweetely comforted against the sense of their poverty and misery Repenting sinners goe away with the sweetnesse and comfort of the Sacrament The Prophet speakes of a cup of consolation that was wont to be given to some Iere. 16. 7. That cup of consolation was not given to every one But when any had buried some deere friend and was in heavinesse and sorrow mourning and in bitternesse as Zechariah speakes Zech. 12. Then their friends did invite them to their houses and give them a cup of consolation So that that cup of consolation was for sad and sorrowfull persons only only for mourners The cup in the Sacrament is a cup of consolation but this cup is prepared for mourners for sin and when men receive it prepared with repentance then it is indeed unto them a cup of consolation But no cup of consolation at al to such as in impenitency of spirit come to the Sacrament 2 He that comes to the Sacrament and not after this order prepared w th repentance he not only meets with no blessing but with a blow and a breach And that in a double respect First Such an one shall not onely not be the better but farre the worse for his receiving in his sinnes and impenitency Some have a conceit that though they be such sinners as they are yet the comming to the Sacrament will mende and heale them and may doe them good But such are deceived they shall be so farre from being the better that they shall be worse That as our Saviour speakes of a Pharisees Proselyte Mat. 23. 15. that when he was made he was made twofold more the childe of hell then themselves so is it with impenitent receivers by their receiving they make themselves twofold more the children of hell and the Divell then they were before as having added both to the guilt of their impenitency the fresh guilt of the profanation of Gods Ordinance and having doubled their hardnesse and increased their strength to follow sinne with the more greedinesse Such an one meetes with an heavy curse a spirituall curse upon his soule so as the receiving of the Sacrament shall doe his soule mischiefe Sacraments worke according to that disposition wherein they finde such as receive them Such as are the Receivers so prove the Sacraments unto them It is in this case as it was with the woman under Iealousy and suspicion of uncleannesse drinking the cursed waters Numb 5. 27 28. And when he hath made her to drinke the water then it shall come to passe that if she be defiled and have done trespasse against her husband that the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter and her belly shall swell and her thigh shall rot and the woman shall be a curse amongst her people And if the woman be not defiled but be cleane then she shall be free and shall conceive seede Looke then as the woman was such was the worke of the water If she were cleane the water did her no hurt nay it did her good she conceived seede she became fruitfull but if she were defiled and uncleane it wrought with a mischiefe her belly did swell her thigh did rot she became a curse It is so in receiving the SacrameÌ„t As men Quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis are that receive it so is the worke and efficacy of it either for good or hurt either for bane or blessing If a man be prepared with repentance and so be cleane then the Sacrament brings a blessing it makes a man fruitfull But if a man be defiled and uncleane Ideo nemo malo prodest quia quicquid ad illum pervenit id pravo usu corrumpitur Quemadmodum stomachus morbo viâ—iatus quoscunque accepit cibos mutat omne alimentum in causam doloâ—is trahit ita animus caecus quicquid illi commissâ—ris id onus suum et perniciem et occasionem miseriae facit Senec. de benef lib. 5. c. 12. as every impenitent sinner is then it banes and mischiefes him it proves as cursed water it rots his soule he proves a more rotten and wretched sinner then before An unwholsome and diseased stomach what ever food it receives it alters and rather nourishes the disease then the body and turnes wholesome nourishment to matter of griefe and vexation So an impenitent soule comming to Gods Ordinance in its sins and defilement doth but turne the wholesome nutriment of the
Sacrament to the feeding of its diseases and the increasing of its owne sorrow and mischiefe as the water that made the cleane woman fruitfull made the uncleane woman swell and rot God curses the Sacrament to an impenitent defiled person and so makes a sad breach upon him in stead of a blessing Secondly such an one as comes in his impenitency shall meete with a breach in another kinde with Gods heavy wrath falling upon him at the Sacrament That same is a terrible Text and worthy to be well thought upon by every man before he comes to the Sacrament Lev. 7. 20 21. But the soule that eats of the flesh of the peace offerings that pertaine to the Lord having his uncleannesse upon him even that soule shall be cut off from his people Moreover the soule that shall touch any uncleane thing as the uncleannesse of man or any uncleane beast or any abominable uncleane thing and eate of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offerings even that soule shall be cut off from his people Their peace offerings were eucharisticall offerings Now suppose a man had defiled himselfe and should have come and with that uncleannesse upon him have eaten of the flesh of those offerings what had the issue beene surely it had beene better for that man to have beene a bed and asleepe for that soule shall be cut off from his people that man shall be destroyed destroyed by GODS hand and from before his face as Lev. 22. 3 That soule shall be cut off from my presence Nay marke yet further ver 21. That if a man did but touch any uncleane thing uncleannesse of man or beast or any abominable uncleane thing and then in that case after such a touch before he be clensed shal offer to eate of the flesh of the peace offering he should be cut off from his people What If no more uncleannesse upon him then came by a touch must he yet be cut off Must he be cut off that eates but with a touch of uncleannes What then will become of him that not touches but wallowes and tumbles in uncleannesse In the uncleannesse of whordom drunkennes If he must be cut off that touches the uncleannes of a man what will become of him that wallowes in the uncleannesse of the Divell If he must be cut off that touches but the uncleannesse of a beast then what will become of him that is an uncleane beast an uncleane adulterer an uncleane drunkard or any other uncleane sinner See how our Saviour speakes Matth. 10. 12 13. When you come into a house salute it And if the house be worthy let your peace come upon it but if it be not worthy let your peace returne to you If the Apostles came to an house that was worthy then upon their salutation the blessing they prayed for came upon that house but if an unworthy house the blessing fell not upon it but returned to them againe So is it in the receit of the Sacrament When it is received if he bee worthy that receives it then comes a blessing from GOD upon a man but if the person be unworthy then comes neither blessing nor peace Now who is worthy Iudge in your owne consciences are impenitent sinners that live and lye in their sins Are customary profaners of Gods Name Are habituall drunkards Are loathsome Adulterers covetous earth-wormes are these worthy If these be worthy who then is unworthy Either these or none are unworthy Therefore no peace nor blessing can come upon them Nay that is not all not only no blessing but a curse shall come upon them If he will shew himselfe a worthy man saies Salomon of Adonijah there shall not an hayre of him fall to the earth 1 King 1. 52. but when after he carried himselfe unworthily it cost him his life If men come worthily to the Sacrament so prepared by repentance as they ought they meete with no hurt but with a great deale of good But if wickednesse be found Mutet ergo vitam qui vult accipere vitam Nam si non mutet vitam ad judicium accipiet vitam magis ex ipsa corrumpitur quà m sanâ—tur magis occiditur quà m vivificatur Aug. Ser. de Temp. 1. in men as Salomon there speakes and so men come unworthily God will curse them for so comming He that eates and drinkes unworthily eates and drinkes his owne damnation And who doth it unworthily but he that doth it impenitently And what can such unworthy impenitent persons expect but a breach with a witnesse The Israelites had a wondrous strange minde to flesh Numb 11. 4. They wept and said who shall give us flesh to eat And as great a minde have many to come to the Sacrament but yet it fares no better with them at the Sacrament than it did with Israel at their Quailes Psal 78. 30 31. Whilst the meat was yet in their mouthes the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smote downe the chosen men of Israel And so whilest many have the bread and wine in their mouthes the wrath of God comes upon them But why so Because it is with them at eating the Sacrament as it was with Israel in another case Verse 30. They were not estranged from their lusts but whilest the meat was in their mouthes the wrath of God c. So many come to the Sacrament but are not estranged from their lusts their whoring drunkennesse worldlinesse c. but come in impenitency without sorrow and reformation and therefore whilest the Sacramentall elements are in their mouthes the wrath of God comes upon them and so instead of eating Christ they eat wrath And all because they comming in their impenitency provoke GOD to wrath It may be thou feelest no wrath for the present but yet wrath may be inflicted insensibly on thy soule And though thou feele it not yet thou mayest heape and treasure up wrath against the day of wrath A man that brings every day but a fagot or two to the stack may in time make a great heap every day a stick to the pile may make such a pile as being fired at once will make a dreadfull fire Thou feelest no wrath for the present but every Sacrament thou receivest thou bringest a fagot to the heape and makest such an heape as at last will make the fire so much the greater so much the hotter at the day of wrath And then shalt thou feele that wrath which now thou heapest up Thou greatenst thine heape now and the greater the heape the greater the fire Now the reasons why God thus sadly makes a breach upon impenitent sinners are specially two 1 Because every impenitent sinner defiles the Lords Table and the Sacrament Holinesse becomes thine house O Lord and so no lesse holinesse becomes thy Table O Lord. As God himselfe is holy so his word Sicut sanctum Canes non sanctificat nec margaritae porcos nutriunt sed contra Canes
coinquinant sanctum porci margaritas confringunt Sic si hom inibus caninos vel porcinos mores habentibus sanctum dederis nec sanctum illos sanctificat sed contra ipsi sanctum coinquinant Chrys hom 17. oper imper and Sacraments are holy and therefore an horrible thing to polute and defile the Sacrament Now every impenitent sinner doth so An impenitent sinner is a filthy person and he befilths every thing he meddles withall He is an uncleane person Now to the uncleane all things are unclean holy things sanctifie not them but they pollute holy things under the Law an uncleane person defiled the Campe Num. 5. 2 3. Put out of the Campe whosoever is defiled that they defile not their Campes He defiled every bed he lay on and every thing hee sate on Levit. 15. 4. He defiled every man he toucht Lev. 15. 7. His very Saddle he rode upon was uncleane Lev. 15. 9. He defiled the Tabernacle of the Lord. Num. 19. 13. He defiled bread potage wine oile c. Hag. 2. 13. Thus an uncleane sinners pitch touches nothing which it defiles not He defiles Word and Sacraments the Lords Tabernacle and his Table Is it any wonder then that comming to the Sacrament he meets with a breach and a curse If any man defile the Temple of the Lord him shall God destroy 1 Cor. 3. 17. Put Table in stead of Temple and it is as true if any man defile the Table of the Lord him shall God destroy He that defiles the Tabernacle of the Lord shall be cut off from Israel Num. 19. 13. And whosoever defiles the Table of the Lord as well as the Tabernacle of the Lord shall God cut off from his people Their sinne was foule and hainous Mal. 2. 12. that said the Table of the Lord was polluted what is their sin then that doe not say the Table of the Lord is polluted but doe pollute and defile it GOD sorely complaines of it that their common Tables in their houses at which they did eat and drinke and take their common repast that they were defiled with drunkennesse and gluttony Isa 28. 8. All Tables are full of vomit and filthinesse so that there is no place cleane An horrible thing to defile a mans owne Table with the vomit filthinesse of drunkennesse what an horrible thing then to pollute Gods Table with such filth And what doth that man better that when he hath defiled himselfe with drunkennesse and with the vomit and filth of it yet before hee hath humbled himselfe with sorrow for it and before he hath utterly forsaken and renounced it doth presume in that filthy case to come to Gods Table How horrible a thing were it to defile the Lords Table with the vomit of drunkennesse now let all that defile themselves with drunkennesse bethinke themselves how they can before God free themselves from it And so all that live in other foule sins let them consider how they can wash their hands from the guilt of this sin Therefore when God sees his Ordinance defiled by them his wrath is kindled and he smites them with a curse Incense from foule hands is an abomination Isa 1. 13 15. not only no sweetnesse in it but a filthy Incensi odor de immundorum manibus reputatus est profaetore iâ—am non gratiam praesumptio meruit Cyp. de caen Dom. stench in it yea such an offensive savour from it as provokes God to wrath If a beast touch the Mountaine it must be stoned or thrust through with a dart Heb. 12. 20. If such severity against a Beast how much more shall it be against a Man that by his base and brutish lusts makes himselfe a Beast and yet will dare not only to touch the Mountaine but to goe up into the Mountaine Any beast that had toucht the mountaine must have died for it though it had beene a clean beast how much more if it had beene an uncleane beast That man that by his base and brutish courses becomes a beast he is not only a beast but an uncleane beast If a sheepe had toucht the mountaine it must have been stoned or thrust through with a dart much more then should a Dog or an Hog if they had toucht the Mountaine O that they would seriously consider this who in the guilt of their sins smoaking and reeking thrust in themselves unto the Table of the Lord and that their hearts would tremble to thinke how dreadfull a thing it is to pollute Gods Ordinance Is it a small thing in your eyes to defile Gods Table Is it nothing with you to pollute holy things It was a smart and piercing speech of Ambrose to Theodosius offering to come in the guilt of that slaughter at Thessalonica Istasne adhue stillantes injustae caedis cruore manus extendes iis sanctissimum Domini corpus prehendes Vel tu pretiosum sanguinem Domini admovebis ori tuo Magdeb. Cent. 4 cap. 6. What wilt thou reach forth those hands of thine yet dropping with the bloud of unjust slaughter and with them lay hold upon the most holy body of the Lord or wilt thou offer to put that precious bloud to thy mouth So may it bee said to many comming to the Sacrament What will you reach forth those hands of yours defiled with bloud with the bloud of oppression These fingers of yours defiled with iniquity Isay 59. 3. and with these hands and fingers touch these holy mysteries with these lips of yours that have spoken lies that daily drivell forth such a deale of obscene filth that with so many foule oathes and bloudy blasphemies have dishonoured God with these mouthes with which you have so often swine-like swilled unto drunkennesse with which you have drunke of the cup of divels with these lips and mouthes will ye offer to drinke the precious bloud of Christ Is it not sin and guilt enough that with your sins you have already defiled your hands fingers lippes mouthes but that now also you will needs come and defile the Lords Table it is more than you can answer that you have thus defiled your selves why will you double your sin and your damnation in defiling also these sacred Mysteries Consider this with trembling-hearts all impenitent persons and you especially that dare impudently croud into the Sacrament when you come piping hot out of your sinnes and provocations 2 Secondly because a man comming in his impenitency hee brings his sinnes along with him and they put God in minde to doe justice upon him There is a prayer for their King Psal 20. 3. The Lord remember all thine offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifice That is a speciall thing we should aime at in all our services that God would remember them that they may come up in remembrance before God Now when a man lies in his sinnes and brings them with him to any holy service they will rise up in remembrance against him at that very instant and so
that it be only out of joynt it cannot thrive and prosper till it be set in joynt againe So it is here in the body Mysticall it is a growing body every member thereof growes and increases Col. 2. 19. It increases with the increase of God But how comes it to increase All the body by joynts and bonds having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God So that unlesse the body bee knit together by joynts and bands it cannot increase by the ministration of nourishment But now what are these joynts and bands and what is it that knits the parts of the body so together as that it increases That the Apostle layes downe somewhat more fully Ephes 4. 16. From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplies makes increase of the body unto the edifying of it selfe in love These words are taken and translated from the naturall body and the Apostle shewes that it is in the Church the mysticall body of Christ as in a naturall body Now in a naturall body first there be diverse and small members which goe to the making of it up secondly these members are fitly joyned and compacted together thirdly there is a conjunction of them after an excellent manner and that thus all the severall parts they have their bones the solid parts of those members Now these bones are coupled by the joynts so as the end and the round part of one bone goes into the hallow end of another This is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4. 16. Col. 2. 19. But this is not all but as the joynts are fitted and suited each to other so as the round part of one joynes to the hallow part of the other so also that there may be a sure coarticulation there be certaine ligaments and bonds that grow fast to the end of each bone in the joynt that fasten bone to bone this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2. 19. There is not only a fitnesse by which one bone suites with another in the joynt but there a fastnesse also by vertue of that bond that knits bone to bone This is a compaction by that which both the bones in the joynt mutually minister fourthly the parts of the body thus sweetly fitted and suited together and thus firmely fastened they all by their nourishment received thrive and grow and so the body increases which it could not doe if there were a dis-union or a dislocation or ◠luxation of those parts Now thus it is in the Church the body of Christ 2. There be many and sundry members to make up this body 2. They are all joyned and compact together 3. Their conjunction is after the same manner The mindes and spirits of beleevers are so coupled together as that one mans spirit doth as it were insinuate it selfe into anothers and that this conjunction joynt may be the surer there be certaine bonds and ligaments that knit these members together and these bonds are two first The Spirit of God they have all one and the same spirit Ephes 4. 4. One body one spirit and by this one spirit Christians are knit in this one body 1 Cor. 12. 13. Secondly The bond of love and peace and every joynt or member supplies and ministers this bond each to other whereby they are knit each to other Ephes 4. 3. Endeavouring to keepe the unity of the Spirit that is endeavouring to be of one spirit and minde as two bones meeting at a joynt are coupled in the unity of the joynt there is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that spoken of Rom. 12. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is a fit joyning together and this is added in the bond of peace There is the compaction of both by that which each joynt supplies each Christian supplying and ministring the bond of peace and love doe thus knit and joyne together themselves members in the same body this is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2. 19. there is mention not only of joynts but of bonds And Col. 3. 14. love is called The bond of perfection that is a bond which doth perfectly binde together the members of the mysticall body each ministring and supplying love to another as the ligaments that knit bones together are mutually ministred from both the bones so that the compaction of the members is by the ligament of love as the Apostle expresses it Ephes 4. 16. Fourthly the body of the Church thus compacted increases it selfe and is edified and growes up Epes 4. 16. Maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it selfe in love The body encreases and edifies when the severall parts doe and they doe increase and grow when joyned together and knit together in love So that all this serves to shew the necessity of love in such as come to the Sacrament we come to the Sacrament to be nourished to grow to increase none of these can be done without love A man comming to the Sacrament out of charity is a member out of joynt yea as a member disunited It is not possible such a member should bee nourished and thrive As therefore a man would finde nourishment and increase with the rest of the body so it concernes him to come prepared with love 4 God requires that men should eat their bodily food with love mutual charity There is little contentment in bodily Feasts when men sit down at one Table with divided hearts and affections we may see Acts 2. 46. how the Primitive Christians did eat their common bread at their common Tables Breaking bread from house to house did eat their bread with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart the which they could not have done if they had not met at their Houses and Tables as they did in the Temple in the same Verse with one accord or unanimously They could not have eaten with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart if they had not eaten together in love For there can be neither gladnesse nor singlenes of heart where love is wanting And if they came together with such love affection to their common tables to take their bodily repast how much more think we did they come with love and all good mutual affection one to another to the Lords Table Therefore it was that before the Sacrament they had their love-feasts to testifie with what affection they came to the Lords Supper The sweet and sauce of common repast is love Prov. 15. 17. Better is a dinner of greene herbes where love is than a stalled Oxe with hatred love makes a few green herbes farre better cheere than the greatest fare that is eaten with hatred and malice If love therefore be required at our own Tables that when wee eate together wee should eate in love how much more then will God require it in those that come to sit downe at his
Table Saint Augustine would not endure any at his Quisquis amat dictis absentum rodere famâ—m Hanc mensam indignam noverit esse sibi Posid de vita Aug. cap. 22. Table that should shew any malice against others in backbitings or detractions and had two Verses written on his Table to bee Monitours to such as sate thereat that in such cases that Table was not for them And how much lesse will the Lord endure any at his Table that come thither with malice and hatred against their brethren Such must know that they are utterly unworthy to come to the Lords Table To come to the Sacrament in malice and to eat it in distemper of spirit is not to eate the Lords Supper that is such as so come do not so receive it in regard of the benefit and blessing as if they received so holy an Ordinance as the Lords Supper see 1 Cor. 11. 20. When ye come together therefore into one place this is not to eat the Lords Supper The particle Therefore carries the words to some thing before to that Vers 18. When you come together in the Church I here there be divisions amongst you when ye come together therefore in one place this is not to eate the Lords Supper Therefore when men come together and there be divisions amongst them this is not to eate the Lords Supper for such persons eat not the Lords Supper in regard of the benefits and blessings that are received at the Lords Supper because they eate not after the due order This is not to eate the Lords Supper sayes the Apostle for verse 21. in eating every one takes before other his owne Supper and one is hungry and another is drunken So it may bee sayd in this case to come in malice to the Lords Table this is not to eate the Lords Supper which is a Supper of love for how doe they eate the Lords Supper when in eating one mans heart swells against another one man is sicke with envy another is filled with malice and hatred They eate my people as they eate bread Psal 14. 4. Ye bite and devoure one another Gal. 5. 15. Thinke wee when men eate up one another and devoure one another that they be fit to eate at the LORDS Table or to eate the LORDS Body or if they doe eate the Sacrament thinke wee that they doe eate the LORDS Supper That they suppe with CHRIST and have any fellowship with him It is a good disposition in one sense to eate the Supper of the LORD in bitternesse with bitternesse of sorrow for sinne but to come in bitternesse of spirit in regard of hatred and malice this is that which will so imbitter the Ordinance unto us that we shall have little comfort in the action The Sacrament is a seale and in the right use of it the spirit seales up a mans redemption to him Now he that would at any time be sealed by the Spirit of God especially in the use of the seale of the Sacrament must take heede that hee grieve not the Spirit of GOD And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of Redemption Ephes 4. 30. If we grieve him how shall we looke to have him seale us Specially when we come to the Sacrament I but what is it that grieves him so that he will not seale Iudge by that which immediately followes verse 31. Let all bitternesse and wrath and anger and clamour and evill speaking be put away from you with all malice Therefore bitternesse wrath and malice they grieve the sealing Spirit of God We loose our errand when we come to the Sacrament and goe away unsealed we goe away unsealed when we grieve the Spirit we grieve the Spirit when we come to the Sacrament with a malicious and an imbittered Spirit Therefore as at all times it is good counsell to put away bitternesse and malice so it is especially when men come to the Sacrament There is a leaven of malice and the feast must not be kept with that leaven 1 Cor. 5. 8. This must be purged out as old leaven That same of the Apostle 1 Co. 14. 20. may serve for a rule for comming to the Sacrament Brethren be not children in understanding how bee it in malice bee yee children How many come to the Sacrament as children in one sense and not as children in another As children in an ill sense and not as children in a good sense for knowledge as very children to come thus like children is a dangerous thing But to come as children in regard of malice as free as voyde of it as children thus to come like children is an happy thing And as our Saviour speakes in another case of receiving the Kingdome of GOD so in this sense it is true of receiving the Sacrament Luke 18. 17. Verily I say unto you whosoever shall not receive the Kingdome of GOD as a little childe shall in no wise enter therein So whosoever shall not receive the Sacrament as a little childe in regard of freedome from malice he shall reape no fruit by his receiving Therefore as Saint Paul speakes of charity in the generall so I close this point concerning charity in this particular to fit a man for the Sacrament 1 Cor. 13. 2 3. Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries c. and have no charity I am nothing And though I bestow all my goods to feede the poore c. and have not charity it profits mee nothing So in this case though thou often and frequently receive these holy mysteries and yet have not charity thou art nothing and thy receiving is nothing Though thou receivest the Sacrament every day in the weeke and givest liberally at the Sacrament to the poore and yet hast not charity it profits thee nothing So much wrong they doe themselves that come not in due Order to the Sacrament with that Love and Charity which GOD requires Chap. 8. The Necessity of obedience in an Orderly Communicant CHAP. 8 THe last thing remaines requisite in Habituall preparation to the Sacrament and that is obedience to GOD and his Commandements Hee that will come after the due order must bee such an one as Psal 50. 23. That orders his conversation aright That he doth that walkes orderly according to the rule of Gods Word and in obedience thereto Such an orderly man must he be that will be an orderly Communicant It is impossible for him to be an orderly Communicant who is a disorderly man He walkes disorderly that walkes disobediently 2 Thes 3. 7. That walkes disorderly Who is he that doth so verse 14. If any man obey not our word And if it were possible to have all the former things without this yet the want of this would marre all For CHAP. 7 what though a man had all knowledge and all understanding that can fall within a mortall capacity yet what is it all if obedience were wanting
puzzle in his worke And therfore the master bids his servant first gird himselfe and then serve him It is just so in all Gods services and so in this service of receiving the Sacrament God requires a preparednesse to and an handinesse in the worke And therefore this girding up of our loines is exceeding necessary before our comming to the Sacrament First because God lookes that when we come to the Sacrament we should be ready to doe the worke he there requires If the loines of our mindes be ungirt and we come to the Sacrament with loose spirits distracted with a company of earthly cares we shall be unready to doe the worke of receiving CHRIST which he there commandes He will command us there to take and receive CHRIST Now if we come with loose hearts and mindes we must make God stay our leasure before we can doe it we must first have some time to gird up our loynes and to tucke up this tatter and that ragge and the other danglement that hangs about our heeles before we can take and receive CHRIST And so we must be girding and tucking when wee should be receiving Secondly because if we come with ungirt loines with loose spirits and doe Gods worke so we shall doe it puzlingly and fumblingly Our long garments hanging loose about our sides and heeles we shall make but poore worke of it If a master had commanded a Iewish servant with his loines ungirt to have gone to plow or to have digged in his vineyard how awkely would he have done these workes He could not have followed his Plough but he would ever and anon have been treading upon his loose garment and have beene ready to have fallen upon his face he could not have set his foote upon his spade but he would have beene treading upon the loose skirt of his garment which would have exceedingly hindred and troubled him in his worke he could not have been expedite in his businesse so long as his garments hang about his feet It wil be no better with us comming to the Sacrament with ungirt hearts and mindes our loose thoughts will be so troublesome that it will be impossible for us ever to make good worke of it And therefore looke how God would have that first Passeover eaten so must it be in eating the Sacrament Exod. 12. 11. And thus shall yee eate it that is after this order with your loines girded And thus shall you eat the Lords Supper with your loines girded And this is one maine part of girding our loines the setting aside putting by al our secular thoughts and imployments We shall finde two cases that made a man unfit for eating the Passeover Numb 9. 10 13. Vncleannesse by a dead body and being in journey a far off If a man had touched a dead body it made him uncleane and so unfit for the Passeover It was not fit an uncleane person should meddle with so holy an Ordinance But observe that not onely a man uncleane by a dead body was unfit for the Passover but a man that was in a journie a farre off Why was such a man unfit Like enough being in a journey his minde and thoughts would be so taken up with the businesse of his journey or being in a journey a farre off his minde would be so upon home and he would be so taken up with such cares and feares as usually men are filled withall when they are farre from home that he by reason of those thoughts and distractions would be utterly unfit for the Passeover Many are in the minde that if they be free from a dead body that if they have not defiled themselves with some grosse sinne of drunkennesse uncleannesse and the like that they are very fit for the Sacrament but in the meane time come to the Sacrament whilest they are in their journies with hearts undischarged of earthly businesse and cares and having their hearts in journies travelling up and downe after one worldly businesse or other even when they are at the LORDS Table Therefore let men take notice that a journey may unfit for the Lords Table as well as a dead body That he is unfit to come to the Sacrament that hath a company of earthly cares and thoughts pestering his minde as well as he that hath defiled himselfe with some grosse sinne It is lamentable to consider how many men bring their servants and the Asse even to the very mount how many are called away from the Lords worke to meete with their Sanballats and Geshems how many are in their journies when they are comming and when they are come to the Sacrament When our Saviour CHRIST overtook the two Disciples going to Emmaus he asked them this question Luke 24. 17. What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walke So let one but aske men What manner of thoughts are they that you have in your hearts over night before the Sacrament What manner of conferences and communications be they that they have one with another the night before nay the very morning as they walk together to the publique assemblies to receive the Sacrament How happy were it that they could answer as the two Disciples did there verse 19. Concerning Iesus of Nazareth concerning the benefits and the ends of the Sacrament and the preparation required to it But it is nothing so If their communications and conferences be not vaine foolish and froathy yet at the best they are but mercate communications conferences about Sheep Oxen about the prices of graine c. and with these conferences come they to the very Church doores when they come to receive the Sacrament Is not this worse then to have received the Sacrament of the Passeover a man being in a journey Is not this a pitifull preparation to this holy service When men come to the Sacrament piping hot out of the world out of their worldly conferences and from their worldly thoughts and have not some convenient time before discharged and disburdened their hearts of them must not that frame of heart and bent of spirit needs come along with them to the Lords Table And must they not needs be tumultuous and troublesome Must they not needs make such a noyse and such a dinne as must cause distraction in this holy service And how can such a frame of spirit agree with the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 7. 35. That you may attend upon the Lord without distraction Which is a rule as well for receiving the Sacrament as for all other services of God What doe such men bring upon themselves but the Aegyptian plague of the flyes The flyes came into Pharaohs house and the houses of his servants so as the Land was corrupted by reason of the flyes Exod. 8. 24. But in the Land of Goshen where Gods people were there were no swarmes of flies verse 22. It should be with the Lords people at the Sacrament as in Goshen there should be no flyes
action to bee against credit profit his sensuality headstrongly headlonging him upon its satisfaction but yet not between wil and will affection and affection minde and minde no strife in the same faculty as in a beleever And there may bee a victory that an unbeleevers minde and his judgement may have over his sensuality pleading to him his losse of credit profit friends c. which is but a bare restraining of corruption in some one particular but this is far from a victory subduing and mortifying the power and body of sin to bring it into a languishing consumption which is the worke of faith Sin may live yea and rebell in a beleeving heart for it is with lusts in a beleevers heart as with those beasts Dan. 7. 12. As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time They had their lives for a time prolonged but their dominion was taken away So in a beleever his lusts have their lives prolonged for a time but yet their dominion is taken away they live but they live slaves and they dye gradually both they and their rebellions 4 Fourthly True faith growes and increases 2 Pet. 3. 18. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ yea it growes exceedingly 2 Thess 1. 3. Your faith growes exceedingly and Rom. 1. 17. The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith Graines of mustard-seed grow to the procerity and spred of trees in which the fowles of heaven may nestle Men may try themselves by this So much growth so much truth of faith But how would it puzzle the most to find any such growth They have beleeved ever since they can remember and yet what beleeve they more now than at the first The faith that grows not lives not the faith that lives not is dead Most mens faith therefore is fit for the grave Lord saies Martha of Lazarus Hee by this time stinketh for he hath beene dead foure dayes And what is theirs then but a carrion faith that hath beene dead more than so many yeeres for what more spirituall strength have they then at first what more experience of Gods dealing what neerer acquaintance with Christ or what sweeter communion with him Not a jot therefore not a jot of true faith 3 Thirdly Effects respecting our brethren and they are these 1 First Mercy Love Compassion and beneficence to the members of Christ in necessity Gal. 5. 6. Faith workes by love as by love to God so also to our brethren Therfore so often joyned together as an individuall paire 2 Thess 1. 3. Psal 5. 1 Tim. 1. 5. And therefore when Tyrus should be converted to the faith she should leave hoarding and heaping up her wealth and should find another manner of imployment for it namely to feed and cloath Gods Saints Isay 23. 18. Her merchandise shall not be treasured nor layed up for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord to eat sufficiently and for durable cloathing When Tyrus should once beleeve she should trade in a new kind of merchandise she should trade in workes of mercy and bounty in releeving and refreshing the necessities of Gods Saints Faith is full of bowels tender-hearted and open-handed to Christs members in want She is a right Dorcas Acts 9. 39. that makes coates and garments to cloath and keepe warme the backs and loynes of Christs servants in want If we finde such compassionate bowels in us hands ready to the good workes of mercy to do poore Christians good for Christs sake in those bowels there lyes faith If we do love a Saint because a Saint that love is of faiths working How doth this one thing damne the common faith of the world They beleeve in Christ that they do but how love they a godly man Is there any whom they more disaffect distast or against whom they shew more imbittered malice This malicious spitefull faith is not the faith of Christians Thus divels beleeve they beleeve and are malicious This is a divelish faith the divels so beleeve as that they tremble and yet tremble not to be malicious against those that doe beleeve And what is their bounty and mercy Alas they are not only close fisted but with the man in the Gospell they have a withered hand not able to stretch out their hand in any worke of compassion Such a creeple and same-handed faith is not the faith that will passe with God 2 Secondly a desire and an endeavour to bring others to the faith It having once tasted and found the sweetnesse and goodnesse that is in Christ and in the wayes of God it cannot rest but it must seeke others to bring them to participate of the same goodnesse with it selfe Phil. 6. That the communication of thy faith Faith is a communicative grace and a generative grace S. Paul once come to the faith hath Timothy his own son in the faith 1 Tim. 1. 2. When Andrew hath found Christ he cals Peter when Philip hath met with he must bring Nathaniel Faith indeed in one sense doth impropriat Christ and speakes as Thomas My Lord and my God but yet though in its application it make Christ her own yet not so as it would exclude others but knowing the all-sufficiency of Christ doth desire to make him common to as many as it can and in that regard sayes Our Lord and our God So far forth then as thou endeavourest to bring on others to faith in Christ so much evidence hast thou of faith in thy self But if others specially such as neere unto thee may be what they will for any care or endeavour of thine it is an evill signe that thou thy selfe wantest that to which thou hast no care to bring others Many other trials might be added for the discerning of our faith but these shall suffice referring the Reader to the larger treatises of such as have bestowed their profitable paines in this argument Chap. 12. The examination of Repentance CHAP. 12 HOw faith is to be examined we have seene let us now see how we may try and examine the truth of repentance How true repentance may be discerned we may know by that speech of Iohn Baptist Mat. 3. 8. Bring forth fruits therefore worthy of repentance fruits meet for repentance such as become and evidence repentance where true repentance is there bee ever such fruits And those fruits are these 1 First shame for sin True repentance is ever accompanied with shame Ier. 31. 19. I was ashamed yea even confounded c. Ezek. 16. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed yea it so individually goes with repentance that it is put for repentance it selfe 2 Thess 3. 14. That they may be ashamed that is that they may repent and reforme their evill course The Heathens said That blushing was the colour of Vertue meaning that it was a good signe to see a
fulnesse and satisfaction whose teeth would not water after such curious delicates Bring longing hungry enlarged desires and fat and marrow shall be our portion For herein hath spirituall hunger an advantage above bodily Bodily hunger a man may hunger withall and yet his hunger helpes him to no meat nor satisfaction But spirituall hunger doth as having the promise of satisfaction Christ out of his compassions will liberally releeve all hungry Ecce pauper venio ad te divitem miser ad misericordem ne recedam vacâ—us vel contemptus Esuâ—iens incipio te quaereâ—e ne deserar â— te jejunus Famelicus accedo ne â—ecedam impastus Et si antequam comedam suspiro da vel post suspiria ut comedam August lib. medit c. 39. soules that with desire seek after him Excellent is that place Mat. 15. 32. Then Iesus called his Disciples unto him and said I have compassion on the multitude because they continue with me now three dayes and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way He that would not out of his compassions send away the multitude with fasting bodies lest they should faint how much more thinke we will he compassionately regard an hungry soule and not send it away fasting from the Sacrament lest it should faint Christs compassions will not suffer him to send away an hungry soule fasting Alas he knowes it would faint if it should come empty and goe away empty if it should come hungry and goe away hungry 3 Thirdly the more strength in our desires the more hunger in our spirits the more aboundant and the more plentifull satisfaction The more our hearts are inlarged in our desires the more Gods hand will be inlarged in his bounty Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it God hath an open hand for all that have an open mouth God hath an hand wide open for such as have their mouthes wide open A mouth wide opened shall be a mouth full filled A wide mouth shall be a full mouth God will inlarge himselfe to all that come to him with inlarged hearts Gods admeasurements of grace and spirituall good are suitable to mens inlargements and dilations of their spirits Three things fit a Vessell to receive a great measure of liquor 1. When it is of large capacity A small Vessell may be filled but yet a small Vessell cannot have so much infused into it as a Vessell that is of larger capacity The larger the bucket is that is let downe into the Well the more water it brings up 2. When it is an open Vessell Though a Vessell be of sufficient capacity yet if the Vessell bee shut and the mouth of it closed up though it be throwne into the Sea where there is water enough yet it fils not 3. When it is wide open Though the mouth of a Vessell be open yet if it be not wide open it doth not fill so readily Take a Bottle or a narrow-mouth'd Glasse and dowse it under the water and yet it may bee pulled up againe with little or no water in it though it bee of great capacity because the narrownesse of the mouth hinders the ready and quick passage of water into it A wide-mouth'd Vessell as a Paile or Bucket is no sooner under water but it is instantly filled because the mouth of the Vessell is wide and broade So when we come to Gods Ordinances to the Sacrament wee should come so as to be filled wee should come to get as liberall largesses as possibly we can The way to doe that is to have our hearts Vessels of competent capacity to have them opened to have them wide opened The way to doe these things is to have our hearts inlarged with hungring and longing desires Such enlarged desires open the mouth open it wide and when our mouthes are opened God will open his hand his filling hand As therefore we desire to have the Lord fill our mouthes when we come to the Lords Table so let us get our mouthes wide open When wee come to the Sacrament why come wee Is it not that wee may eat our fill of Christs body and drink our fill of his bloud Is it not that we may go from the Lords Table as Christ went from Iordan full of the Holy Ghost As we desire to have full mouthes so let us bring opened wide opened mouthes When men come to the Sacrament with hearts enlarged and hungring desires Christ will give such a Commandement to the Sacrament as he did to those servants concerning the water-pots and it shall doe as they did Iohn 2. 7. Iesus said unto them fill the water-pots with water And they filled them up to the brim So in this case will Christ say Loe here be men come with inlarged hearts with earnest and strong desires I see they have opened their mouthes wide fill them with my Spirit with my vertues and efficacies fill them with spirituall strength against their corruptions fill them with power to walke in obedience and upon this command of Christ the Sacrament shall empty it selfe with an aboundant blessing upon their soules yea it shall fill them up to the brim What an happy thing is it to be full brim-full of Christ A mouth wide open will be a meanes to fill the heart full brimme full of Christ That man comes happily to the Sacrament indeed that can say after his being at the Sacrament as they did in that case Psal 126. 2 3. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad Now wouldest thou be able after a Sacrament to say When I was at the Sacrament then was my mouth filled with laughter my tongue with signging and mine heart with spirituall comfort and joy The Lord hath done great things for me whereof I am glad Wouldest thou after a Sacrament be able thus to say Why then when thou goest to the Sacrament Open thy mouth and open thy mouth wide and GOD will fill thy mouth with laughter and thine heart with spirituall joy It is true that a great many goe from the Sacrament and their mouthes are not filled with laughter but with complaints with sad complaints of the little good they receive at the Sacrament Many come from the Sacrament with empty mouthes empty hearts And what may the reason of it be Is not God as bountifull as he was wont to be Yes surely he is the same God that ever his hand is not shortned but the very reason is that men come with shut mouthes or at lest with their mouthes but narrowly opened and shut mouthes and narrow mouthes must needs be empty mouthes Wee open not therfore God fils not we open not wide therefore God fils not full Is the Sea empty because a stopt Vessell is not filled when throwne into it Is there no water in the River because a narrow mouth'd
we not be glad to see Christ to have him look graciously upon us to have communion with him to have him invite himselfe to us to have him be a guest in our hearts Would we not be glad to have it thus with us Surely there is little comfort in the Sacrament when it is not thus with us Word and Sacrament both are but dead and dull services when Christ is not seene in them when we heare not his voice see not his face in them Therefore when we are to come to the Sacrament looke to that and provide for it before-hand that when we are come we may see Christ have him see and owne us But how may that be done Set thine heart first strongly to desire to see Christ and then though thou may have discouragements that there is a multitude and a crowd of duties to be done and that thy stature and strength is very little and therefore no great hope that thou shouldest get the sight of Christ in the Ordinance yet for all that hold on thy desires to see Christ and run before and get up and though it cannot be done without much adoe yet climbe up into the Sycamore Tree and thou shalt see Christ and have communion with him from the top of that Tree I but what is that Sycamore Tree what is this running before what is this climbing up It is out of a desire to see and enjoy Christ in his Ordinance an industrious paines-taking in private duties of preparation examination excitation and renewing of faith and repentance and striving in prayer with God This is running before this is climbing up into the Sycamore Tree And whosoever takes paines before-hand in the fore-named and forehandled duties of preparation he runs before he climbes up into the Sycamore shall speed as happily as Zacheus did shal from the top of that Sycamore so painfully climbed see Christ and enjoy fellowship with him All that come to the Sacrament say they desire to see Christ and injoy him there and yet to how many doth Christ say in effect at the Sacrament as the Lord speakes to Ezekiel Ezek. 12. 18. Son of man eat thy bread with quaking and drink thy water with trembling So Son of man eat thy Sacramentall bread with quaking and drinke the Sacramentall wine with trembling Go get your wayes home with a drooping and an heavie heart But why should they so do because they see not Christ nor Christ looks not at them vouchsafes no fellowship with them in his Ordinance Go thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart sayes he Eccles 9. 7. for God now accepts thy workes but contrarily may it be said to many Go thy way eat thy bread at the Sacrament with sorrow and drink thy wine at the Sacrament with an heavie heart for God accepts not thy work nor thy service herein Christ doth not looke upon thee doth not invite himselfe to thee And what may the reason of it be Men say they desire to see and injoy Christ in the Sacrament but they doe not run before they doe not take paines to climbe up into the Sycamore Tree Their desires are idle lazie slothfull there is no industrious preparation no industrious examination no industrious renewing faith and repentance there is no industrious praying and painfull seeking of God before hand And hence is our mischiefe and miscarriage we run not we climbe not and therefore we see not So long as Zacheus kept on the ground he saw not Christ nor could see him but when he had run before and climbed then he doth more than see him Our desires keepe on the ground we spend no time wee take no paines the week and the day before and therefore we misse the comfortable sight of Christ in the Sacrament But let our desires be once running and climbing desires let them once get up in the Sycamore Tree and they shall finde fruit worth the running and the climbing for Pro. 27. 18. Whoso keepes the Fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof so he that climbs the Fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof We must not thinke that these Figs will drop into our mouthes they must climbe for them that will have them and climbing is painfull They that will take Zacheus's paines shall reape Zacheus's gaines A little faith a faith of as small a stature as Zacheus if it be industrious and will take paines before-hand will helpe a man to great benefit and comfort from Christ in his Ordinance Though industrious preparation examination prayer c. be teadious and wearisome to sloathfull flesh and that pretends a presse and a crowd of earthly businesses that must be lookt to and a crowd of duties to be done that will keepe a man off from a possibility of seeing Christ yet all the wearisomenesse notwithstanding and presse of secular businesse notwithstanding hold thy selfe closely to this worke there will come that comfort and that sweet in the Sacrament that will pay for all Though it were troublesome to run before though it were a matter of trouble and difficulty to climbe and clamber into the Sycamore Tree yet findes Zacheus that precious fruit therein that richly payd him for all his paines Now besides all this paines in our own personall preparation we must also know that we must have a care to prepare others as wee stand charged with them in their severall relations to us Ministers must not onely prepare themselves but must do their best to prepare their people As Iosiah speakes to them 2 Chron. 35. 6. Sanctifie your selves and prepare your brethren so it may be said to Ministers sanctifie your selves and prepare your people so to Parents sanctifie your selves and prepare your children so to Masters and Governours sanctifie your selves and prepare your servants and your Families See Exod. 12. 26 27. It shall come to passe that when your children shall say What mean you by this service that ye shall say It is the Sacrifice of the Lords Passeover c. And Vers 48. When a stranger shall sojourne with thee and will keepe the Passeover to the Lord let all his males bee circumcised c. Such whom it concerned must looke that he were prepared before he came Thou therfore that hast others under thy charg have a care to prepare them instruct them direct them call upon them to have a care to come in due Order If thou know'st any sin or evill in them admonish them and advise them to repentance for it and to a resolution to a reformation of it before they come to the Sacrament And thus much for preparation to the Sacrament Ob. But when I have done all that I can I must say I am an unprofitable servant When ye have done all those things which are commanded you sayes our Saviour say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do The Lord then be mercifull unto me for if when I have done all
he had beene the Gardiner and accordingly inquires of him as of the Gardiner Where hee had laid Christ But yet before an answer could be returned her she turned her selfe from him for when Christ speakes to her Vers 16. She turnes her selfe to him Therefore she had turned away from him as thinking it a bootlesse businesse to stand talking with him and inquiring of him about finding of Christ And just when she as hopelesse of finding Christ by him turnes her selfe from him Christ calls her by her name Mary So that a man may often finde Christ when he least hopes for it Therefore though thou hast but little hope to finde Christ at the Sacrament yet turne not from it but come to Christ in his Ordinance even then when thou least hopest for it mayest then heare so gratious a compellation from CHRIST as may make thy soule joyfully eccho backe againe Rabboni Chap. 19. Meditation and exercise of Repentance at the Sacrament CHAP. 19 A Communicant being thus fitted and prepared and being now come to the Lords Table it followes to consider what behaviour is there required of him It is not enough for a man to dresse and trime up himselfe in his handsomer apparell before he comes to a great mans table but there is a great care also to be had of that carriage and behaviour that beseemes such a mans table and person Though a man come handsome and cleanely apparel'd to a great mans Table yet hee may there carry himselfe so rudely unmannerly and uncivilly that hee may give great offence As therefore wee must have a care to get our hearts into an holy and fitting frame before we come so no lesse must our care bee to have them in a convenient frame during the time of the whole action Though a man have bestowed much paines with his heart before his comming yet if there bee not a care of due behaviour in the action all his former paines may bee lost Though the Priests had been carefull to have washed themselves and to put on their Priestly garments yet might they be guilty of irregularities at the Altar in not placing the wood or the parts of the sacrifice in due order Leviticus 1. Therefore as the Apostle speakes in the generall so it may be said in this particular 2 Iohn 8. Looke to your selves that wee loose not those things which wee have wrought c. So looke to your selves when yee have bestowed a great deale of time and paines in preparation that by a loose and carelesse carriage in the duely doing you loose not the things you have done There must bee a care therefore of the duties to be done in the Action Duties convenient There bee some duties in which the whole congregation joyne together in which we must take heed of all loosenesse and evagation of spirit especially exprest in idle gazing about have a care to hold the heart close to all those duties in which all joyne together But I meane not to insist in these There are therefore some speciall and personall duties that every one is particularly by himselfe to performe and those have a speciall care of The duty in generall to be done at the Sacrament 16. The offering up of our selves to God in an holy and spirituall disposition in receiving of the Supper This generall branches it selfe into diverse particulars And they are these 1. First solemne serious and deepe meditation A leading duty to others that follow and that which onely furthers them There must bee an heart enlarged with godly sorrow for sinne there must be compunction and contrition of spirit It is meditation that must fit for it and bring that and lay that to the hâ—â—â—â— which must bruise it Meditation gives a man Meditatio siquidem pascit scientiam scientia compunctionem compunctio devotionem Inter opera August l. 3. de Spir. anima a sight and knowledge of himselfe of his sinnes of the riches of Gods mercies in Christ and such knowledge is it which workes compunction of spirit We are to be taken up in duties of Thankesgiving and to bee more than ordinarily enlarged therein There is no such way to enlarge the heart in that duty as by meditation to heate and warme our hearts So Psalme 104. 33. 34. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praise unto my God whilest I have my being my meditation of him shall bee sweete I will be glad in the Lord. There is nothing so feeds spirituall joy and so maintaines and holds up that holy flame that should be in a mans heart in the duty of thankesgiving as doth meditation That is the Oyle and the Fuell that keepes such fire burning The sweeter our meditation is the more is the heart prepared and enlarged to prayses thankesgiving and joy in the Lord. Therefore a speciall duty to bee done at the Sacrament is to take up our hearts with serious meditation And for the better raising and feeding meditation it is good when we are come to the Lords Table to doe as Solomon wishes us to doe in that case Proverbs 23. 1. When thou sittest to eate with a Ruler consider diligently what is before thee He advises it for a mans better caution if hee be a man given to his appetite that hee may not be desirous of such dainties as are set before him But in this case it is good to consider what is set before us to provoke our appetite and to stirre up in us a longing after those dainties Consider therefore what is set before thee what is done before thee Consider the Sacramentall elements the sacramentall promises and sacramentall actions Here then wee see Bread and Wine set before us and not bare bread and wine but the sacramentall Body and Blood of Christ This is my Body This is my Blood Behold then what a Feast God hath prepared for us such a feast as that Isa 25. 6. A feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well refined Alas how leane are our soules What hunger-starved spirits have wee But here be fat things full of marrow to feed and fat our leane soules How dead and dull are our hearts but here is wine upon the lees here is wine that goes downe sweetly that will cause the lips of those that are asleepe to speake that will refresh sweetly quicken our spirits Here wee see this Bread broken this Wine powred out Here we see Christ crucified before our eyes now we see him hanging and bleeding upon the crosse wee now see him pressed and crushed under the heavie pressure of his Fathers infinite wrath Now we see him in the Garden in his bloody sweate Now may wee behold him under the bitter conflict with his Fathers Celebrantes coÌ„monemur quasi ungulam findens â—â—minanâ— pecus â—â—vocaâ—e ad fanceâ— minuâ—atim commolere Dominicae institutionis exemplum ut
Sacrament as Lamen 3. 15. Hee hath filled me with bitternesse hee hath made me drunken with wormewood It should bee with us at the Sacrament as with them Zech. 12. 10. They shall looke upon him whom they have pierced And how shall that sight affect them And they shall mourne and bee in bitternesse for him as one that mournes for his only sonne as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne How bitterly will such a man mourne So bitterly shall they mourne when they looke upon Christ whom they have pierced And great reason for is it not a matter of greater sorrow to pierce the only Son of God the first borne the first begotten from the dead then to loose one onely or first begotten sonne So here in the Sacrament we looke upon Christ whom wee have pierced this sight should fill our hearts with bitternesse should make our hearts full of sorrow Not only with an Historicall sorrow or a sorrow of naturall compassion when wee heare or see some sad or sorrowfull event this is nothing but Homini non est necessarium ut ChristuÌ„ in ipsius passione deploret sed magis seipsuÌ„ in Christo Luther with a practicall sorrow with an unfained sorrow of heart that wee by our personall sinnes have had our hands imbrued in the bloud of the Sonne of GOD that our sinnes envenomed those thornes those nayles that pierced him and by their venome made them put him to such bitter anguish Have we hearts conformeable Si vis ipsum cognoscere sicut se fregit ita te frange quia qui dicit se in Christo manere debeâ— sicut ille ambularit ipse ambulare Bern. hom de duob disâ—euntib ad Em. to the Christ wee see in the Sacrament Thou beholdest a broken Christ thou beholdest a bleeding Christ thou beholdest a bleeding Christ behold him therefore with a broken heart with a bleeding heart with a pierced spirit So behold Christ in the Sacrament as the Virgin Mary his Mother beheld him on the Crosse And how was that Woman sayes Christ behold thy Son How did shee behold him Simeon tells her Luk. 2. 35. That a sword shall passe thorow her soule Then did a sword pierce thorow her soule when she beheld him pierced on the Crosse that sight was a sword through the heart of her So when wee see him pierced in the Sacrament it should be as a dagger in our hearts Oh wretch that I am that my sinnes have beene thornes on his head nayles in his hands and feete a speare in his side LORD saies David when he saw the people slaughtred by the Angels sword loe I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheepe what have they done 2 Sam. 24. 17. So say Electe puer Dei mei quid tanta amaritudine quid tanta confusione dignum commiseras Prorsus nihil Ego perditus homo totius proditionis tuae causa extiti Ego domine unam acceâ—bam comedi dentes tui obstupuerunt quia quae non rapuisti tunc exvolvebâ—s Bernard Serm. de pass Dom. here lo I have sinned I have done wickedly but this Innocent and Immaculate Lambe what hath he done It is I that have sinned and it is thou Oh LORD that hast smarted It is I that have sinned and it is thou Oh Lord that hast suffered It is I that have put thee to all these sorrowes my oathes my uncleannesses my lusts my covetousnesse my drunkennesse c. These were the Iudasses that betrayed thee these were the Iewes that crucified thee Lord I have eaten the sowre grapes and thy teeth were set on edge LORD I plaid the thiefe and thou restoredst the things thou tookest not Doe this sayes Christ in Remembrance of me Hee would have the Sacrament appointed to renew and refresh the remembrance of his sufferings that in the remembrance of his sufferings wee might remember our owne sinnes the causes of them and bee deepely humbled for them That as the Prophet speakes in that case Lamen 3. 19 20. Remembring mine affliction and my misery the worme-wood and the gall my soule hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in mee So in â—â—is case remembring Christs affliction and his misery the gall and the worm-wood our soule should still have them in remembrance and be deepely humbled in us what a sweete temper were it to bee at the Sacrament with a melting heart Mine eye saith the Prophet affecteth mine heart Lam. 3. 51. how happy that our eye could effect our heart we have Christ crucified for our sinnes in our eye at the Sacrament ô that that which our eye sees could affect our heart with such sorrow for sinne as becomes That our vide quomodo his qui Christi commemorant passionem inter sacra officia quasi per quosdam canales de interioribus fontibus egrediantur torrentes super omnes delicias lachrymis nectarijs anima delectetur Ros matutinus est de caelestibus stillans quasi unctio spiritus mentem deliniens Gemitus illos pietas excitat se sanatam sanctificatam agnoscens fletibus se abluit lachrymis se baptizat Cypr. de caen Dom. eye could affect our heart and our heart could affect our eye that whilest wee behold Christ shedding his bloud for our sinnes we could be affected with such sorrow upon the sight of our eye that our heart could melt out at our eyes and shed teares for those sinnes for which wee see Christ shed his bloud That we could turne the Sacrament of the Supper into a baptisme of teares and could wash and baptise our selves with the teares of Repentance as Saint Cyprian speakes It was layde to the charge of those unkinde husbands Malach. 2. 13. that by their unkindnesses they caused their wives when they should have been cheerefull in Gods service to cover the Altar of the Lord with teares with weeping and with crying out insomuch that he regarded not the offering any more nor received it with good will at their hands But how happy were it with us that wee could so bee affected with our unkindnesse to CHRIST our Husband that we could cover the Lord's Table with our teares with weeping and with crying out how then would the Lord regarde our service the more and receive our receiving with good will at our hands Vere potest conscindere cor meuÌ„ miserum sanguineis lachrimis madefacere quia ecce creator meus pro me sanguineo rore prefunditur nec levi quidem sed decurrente in terram Vae misero cordi quod taâ— tanto â—udore non madescit perfusum Bern. de pass DoÌ„ tract c. 37. Alas alas for the hardnesse of our hearts that we can see our Lord all in his gore bloud for our sins his bloud shedding upon the earth and that our hearts cannot be rent and bleed teares of bloud that this bloud moystens not and softens not our hard hearts Consider yee and call
with all his benefits Take eate drinke I see then God offers me Christ to be taken His body to be eaten His bloud to be drunke Here then must faith Actuate it selfe and set it selfe on worke striving with all it's might to take Christ to eate and drinke Christ offered Lord Christ as verily as I take and eate and drink these outward Sacramental elements so verily doe I by my faith receive thy selfe into my soule and feede upon thee for spirituall nourishment Christ is offered to us offers to come in and enter into our hearts The Act of faith now then is that Psalm 24. 7. Lift up your heads ô yee gates and be yee lift up yee everlasting doores But why must these gates and doores of their hearts be thus lift up And the King of glory shal come in Christ is come and he makes an offer to come into your hearts open therefore the gates of your hearts lift them up even from off the hookes that faire and full way may be made for his ready entrance when a great man specially a King comes to a mans house he will not only open the small wicket his little doore but he sets open his great gates throwes them wide open to make spatious way for his entrance Now Christ in the Sacrament offers Himselfe to come to us the King of glory offers to come in Here then let thy faith busily bestirre it selfe in widning the passage and opening thine heart to make Christ way now strive might and maine to stretch open thine heart to such a breadth and largenesse as a fit way may be made for the King of glory to enter Doe in receiving Christ at the Sacrament as Zacheus did in receiving him into his house Luk. 19. 5. Zacheus saies Christ Make hast and come downe for to day I must abide at thine house Here Christ offers Himselfe to Zacheus and upon the offer made instantly Zacheus made haste and came downe and received him joyfully Think upon that gratious offer of Christs how Zacheus bestirred himselfe with what haste he leaped down from the Tree with what readinesse and heartinesse he brought CHRIST home with what sweetnesse of affection he claspes about CHRIST when he entertained him into his house Christ makes thy soule the same offer at the Sacrament now let thy faith as busily bestir herselfe as Zacheus did hasten open claspe embrace welcome and receive CHRIST thus offered to thee Secondly In the Sacrament wee have Sacramentall promises This is my body This is my bloud This is my body which is given for you my blood which is shed for you Shed for the remission of sinnes Take Eate Drinke saies our Saviour Well what if we doe so what shall we get by it What shall we be the better for it A great deale the better for this is my body my bloud I promise you in the use of this Ordinance you shall receive my body and my bloud that body which was once crucified and offered for the redemption of the world that bloud which was shed for Recon 〈…〉 n and Remission of sin and you by being made partakers hereof sâ—â—ll receive efficacious vertue of my quickning death So that these are Sacramentall promises So that here is that which may abundantly set faith on worke for the promises are the most proper object for faith to worke upon Well then CHRIST saies This is my body given for you my bloud shed for you shed for the remission of sinnes Let faith now beleeve these promises Lord I beleeve that thy body was given for me thy bloud shed for me thy bloud shed for the remission of my sins Lord I cheerefully and gladly beleeve that I am now made partaker of thy body and bloud and that my sinnes are pardoned in thy bloud Faith must doe here as David doth Psal 60. 6 7. God hath spoken in his holinesse that is hee hath made me a gracious promise that he will bring all the land under mine obedience Here David hath Gods promise marke now what followes I will rejoyce saith he I will divide Sechem I will mete out the valley of Succoth Gilead is mine Manasseh is mine See how hee actuates his faith upon Gods promise so as to rejoyce so as to take possession of Sechem Succoth Gilead and Manasseh So Christ hath spoken in or by his holinesse This is my body which is given for you this is my bloud which is shed for you for the remission of your sins Here be Sacramentall promises Now upon the view of these promises should a man Actuate his faith and say I will rejoyce I will eate Christs flesh I will drinke his bloud Christ is mine His death is mine His Resurrection is mine Remission of sin is mine Pardon and Heaven are mine And thus by this Actuation of faith should a man with Iohn leane on CHRISTS bosome Iohn 13. 23. When he is at the Sacrament so participating of him as to have communion with him in all his benefits Thus leane wee on our beloved Cant. 8. 5. when at the Sacrament Againe This is my bloud shed for you for the remission of sinne Loe here is that bloud offered me to drinke and promised to me in the Sacrament by the shedding wherof remission of sin was purchased yea here is remission of sin not onely offered me and promised me but of fered and promised under seale Now then Actuate thy faith and say Lord I accept Lord I beleeve this sealed pardon of my sin And faith thus Actuated will make good unto us the Sacramentall promises for as it is true in case of prayer Mar. 11. 24. What things soever you desire when yee pray beleeve that ye receive them and yee shall have them so is it as true in case of receiving What things soever ye desire when ye receive doe but Actuate your faith and set that on worke for them beleeve that yee receive them and yee shall have them Thirdly In the Sacrament we have Sacramentall representations There is in the Sacrament a visible remembrance of CHRISTS death and in the breaking of the bread and powring out the wine there is a representation of Christs death and Passion When I see the wine powred out it represents unto me the shedding of Christs bloud here I see Christs bloud shed on the Crosse What is to be done now when I see this bloud in the Sacrament Do but consider that same Exod. 24. 6 8. Moses tooke of the bloud of the Sacrifices and put it in basons and he tooke the bloud that was in the basons and sprinkled it upon the people haply with a bunch of hysope as the manner was to which David alludes Psal 51. Purge me with hysope Now so must it be here The bloud of our burnt offering which was shed for us the Lord hath put in basons in the basons of the Word and Sacraments and out of these basons it must be sprinkled The Sacrament of the Supper is one bason
reached forth to receive Christs body at the Sacrament shold afterwards be stretched forth to oppression and violence that those mouthes and lippes that have drunke Christs bloud at the Sacrament shold be after and specially the same day defiled with the slabbering drivell of oathes filthy obscaene speech and rotten communication The Habassines after the receiving of the Sacrament thinke it not lawfull for them to spâ—t that day till the setting of the sun Brerew enquir cap. 23. 166. It is no better then superstition in them but yet their superstition will rise up in Iudgement against the monstrous profanenesse of many amongst us They that hold it unlawfull to doe so much as spit that day would they out of excesse of drunkennesse spue that day They that will not spit that day would they endure the Divells drivell to fall from their mouthes that day in ungodly oathes and unsavory rotten communication They that will not spit that day would they in that day spit in Gods face as common profane swearers and blasphemers doe But yet some againe there are that have so much reverence to the Sacrament and so much respect to the Ordinance that upon that day they receive they will carry themselves fairly and demurely If they be tempted by their companions to any irregular carriage they can answer Oh fie by no meanes I have beene to day at the Sacrament I may not so much forget my selfe And it is a good answer But yet that day once over the next day or a few daies after let out themselves and take their former sinfull liberties Now here let men a little consider themselves Doth the sacramentall efficacie last and doth the sacramentall covenant binde but for a day If because thou hast beene at the Sacrament to day it be a good argument that thou must not sin and breake out to day why is it not as good an argument for the next day for the next weeke for the next month the next yeer Is the efficacy the bond of the Sacrament stinted to a day Nay if thou returne to thy sins seven yeeres twenty yeeres after thou hast received if in so long a time thou shouldest not or couldest not receive againe yet still the bond is as strong upon thy conscience as if thou hadst received the Sacrament but this present day There is one and the same reason in both Sacraments The Sacrament of Baptisme is but one administred and that in our infancie and yet I know our Baptismall vow and covenant binds to the day of our death though we should live an hundred yeeres yea though wee should fulfill Methusela's daies The same covenant and vow wee make in Baptisme we renew at the Supper and the bond in this as binding and as lasting as in the other Sacrament That is true or should at least be true of both the Sacraments which Paul speakes of the Rocke 1 Cor. 10. 4. They dranke of that spirituall Rocke that followed them or went with them They dranke of the materiall Rocke which is called a spirituall Rocke because it was a type of Christ The Israelites did not onely drinke of the Rocke when they were at it but after they were removed and gone from it they still dranke of it But how could that be yes the Apostle saies The Rocke followed them That is the water that issued out of the Rocke followed them as they journyed and streamed after them in their removes So the Rocke followed them virtually the vertue and benefit of the Rocke followed them and went along with them So is it so should we have a care it should be that the Sacraments should not onely be efficacious when we are present at them and in the act of receiving them but their efficacy and vertue should follow us and streame after us all the while wee are travelling in the wildernesse of this world till we come into Heaven When we come to the Sacrament and doe not shew the efficacy and power of it doe not keepe our covenants and walke the more religiously and fruitfully after it there followes upon it these two evills 1 First God accounts such receiving no service done to him The Sacrament received without following and answerable obedience he reputes and accounts as no service at all to him Looke how God contests with his people Zech. 7. 5. 6 7. Did yee at all fast unto me even to me And when yee did eate and when yee did drinke did yee not eate c Should yee not heare the words c As if hee had said yee have kept many fasts for many yeeres but yee did no service to me in all your fasts for your fasting was no more service to me then when yee did eat and drink for your selves and for your owne pleasure and delight But how so Because with your fasting yee joyned not your obedience to me and my words there followed no obedience in your lives and therefore you fasted not unto me Did yee at all fast to me to me So likewise will God contest with such communicants as doe not expresse the power of the Sacrament and keepe not their sacramentall covenants in following obedience When yee received the Sacrament in the first second third and every moneth in the yeere did ye at all performe any service unto mee unto me And when yee did eat and when yee did drinke did yee not eat for your selves and drinke for your selves Should yee not heare the words which the Lord cries by his Ministers Your eating and drinking at the Sacrament is no more service to me then when yee eat and drinke at your owne ordinary tables for your selves and your owne pleasures so long as after your receiving and eating and drinking at my Table there followes no expression of the power of mine Ordinance no conscience of keeping your covenants in yeelding obedience to my words in your lives Now what comfort can we have in our having received the Sacrament if God accept it not as a service done to him Nay it is so farre from being a service accepted of God as done to him that he accounts it treachery against him It is true here which Hoseah speakes Hos 6. 7. But they like men transgressed the Couenant There have they dealt treacherously against me There that is in the very Covenant they have plaid false with me where they thought they did God great service there they abused him where they thought to please God there they provoked him to anger there they dealt treacherously against me It is in it selfe a service to God to receive the Sacrament and to make a Covenant with him And many thinke they doe God good service herein but they are deceived because like deceitfull false hearted men they transgressed the Covenant There there in the very Covenant they deale treacherously against GOD. And so it is no service but a provocation to the Lord For what can provoke more then treachery And what is it but treachery to transgresse so solemne a Covenant 2 Secondly we horribly pollute and take Gods Name in vaine and make our selves guilty of spirituall perjury before God What thinke we of perjured and forsworne persons What think we wil become of them When we take an oath solemnely at the Lords Table to forsake our sins to walke in obedience in the performance of such holy duties and then afterwards live in those sins still and in the neglect of those duties still Are we not forsworne If we sweare Siquidem vovens non solvens quid nisi peiero Bernard de Precept Disp c. 20. to doe such a thing and doe it not doe we not forsweare And is it a light thing with us to be forsworne and that by the breach of an oath and covenant made solemnely with God Doe but consider how heavily God threatens Zedekiah for breaking his oath and covenant with the King of Babylon Ezek. 17. 12. 21. Reade and well observe the whole place Zedekiah made an oath to Nebucadnezzar and brake it And what followes upon it Vers 15. Shall hee escape that doth such things or shall he breake the Covenant and be delivered Vers 19. As I live surely mine oath that he hath despised and my Covenant that hee hath broken even it will I recompense upon his owne head But how He should die for it in the midst of Babylon Vers 16. and it first cost him the losse of his eyes so soone as he had seene his children slaine before his eyes So smart vengeance hath God for perjury God hath sworne that he will be revenged upon such as are forsworne verse 19. And though men will yet GOD will not bee forsworne Now then will the Lord be so heavily avenged for breach of oath and covenant with a man nay with an heathen man and an Idolater Woe then to that man that breakes covenant with the great God of heaven and earth who will not be mocked who will not bee baffled withall who will be a swift witnesse and a severe Iudge against all such as grossely take his glorious Name in vaine and so foulely pollute his holy Ordinance And thus a man doing the duties required before in and after the Receiving of the Sacrament comes to the Sacrament after the due order And he that walkes after this Rule peace shall be upon him and all the Israel of God FINIS