observed the Passover in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt and as a type of his own suffering presently to follow and of the Redemption of mankind thereby The matter and outward rites of it namely the taking blessing breaking and giving Bread to his Disciples bidding them to take and eat it and telling them it was his Body broken for them as likewise his taking and blessing the Cup or Wine and bidding them drink it telling them that Cup was the New Testament in his Blood being also dear significations of his Body broken for 〈◊〉 and his Blood shed for us as he also himself informeth us and the end of it being by himself expressed to be the remembrance of him what more clear than that our Lord and Saviour hereby sets before us that he Christ as come in â—he flesh and his Body as broken with sorrows and sufferings for our sins to the Death is the true Bread of Life and that the believing mindfulness thereof and of the love testified therein is the way for us to be nourished up in the hope of Eternal Life and to be strengthned to serve God by him and suffer with and for him And also that his blood as shed his Sufferings and Sacrifice as indured and presented unto God for us and hath obtained for us the remission of our sins and confirmed the promises of God for giving us forgiveness the Holy Spirit and Eternal Life and the love and grace of God and Christ therein testified towards us is Drink indeed fit to exhilerate and chear the heart more than the choisest Wine and to fill it with Spiritual Consolations As also that he would hereby instrict us to love one another as Brethren and as he hath loved us walking together as partakers of the same grace and laying down our selves for the good of one another as he hath given us example Neither doth this Ordinance witness to any goodness in us though we in eating and drinking together in remembrance of Christ do therein profess our belief of those things therein set before us and oblige our selves to cleave to him and one another but rather of our want and sitter inability to live in the favour and service of God but by the faith of Jesus and so by him as yielding therein conâ—â—â—al nourishment and strength to us And therefore also though it behoves men to come and Eat and Drink worthily meetly and so as becomes the grace in the Ordinance set before us even Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ that is to say to have our hearts minding the grace set before us and to consider and owne our own vileness and unworthiness as therein discovered to us that we may neither be puft up in our selves or Eat by virtue of any goodness or worthiness found in us or be puft up one against another yet it is to be exposed to and pertook of by all that profess the Name of Christ and that seek salvation by him being capable of discerning the Lords Body and the grace therein set before them in some measure and so of examining themselves according thereunto Yea the Baptised and Professors of Christs Name are to be instructed and called upon to remember the grace of God in Christ towards them and not because of weakness to be kept there from for which we have no president to warrant us only in case any after profession of Christ and desire to seek him do walk scandalously such are to be withdrawn from and may be secluded for a time till they be ashamed and confess their fault and at least profess repentance of the same as well for their amendmendment as also to vindicate the Society of Worshippers from the scandal of alowing and tolerating evil doers in their prophaness and evil living This Ordinance also instituted but the night before Christs suffering is to be continued till his coming again even till he come in the Clouds of Heaven to raise the Dead and to take his Servants into fellowship with himself in his Glorious Kingdom in which they shall be ever with him and eat and drink of his Consolations with him for ever Till then his Death never to be forgotten nor then neither because of the great Testimony of His and his Fathers Love and the great Procurer of all our good and happiness but till then it is in this Ordinance to be remembred and shewed forth by us And these two Ordinances Baptism and the Supper are what he hath appointed to us since his coming in the flesh to be generally observed and practised by us his Death and Resurrection having put a period at least as to us Gentiles to all the rest before observed by the Jews As for prayer and thanksgiving and the like they were in force at all times and so will be at least till Christs coming again if not after also its sure thanksgiving will And its clear they have as now to be performed their foundation in Christ and what he hath done and is become for us and are to be offered up through him unto God in and by his Spirit but because these are not instituted with any visible Rites to signifie the Grace of Christ to us except kneeling and lifting up our hands and eyes to Heaven be judged such which yet are not commanded though commendably practised implying our â—â—se of our own vileness and our humbling of our selves before God and hope in his mercy but rather are exercises that the sense of our own wants and belief of Gods goodness and grace leads us as it were naturally to I shall not say any thing more to them but after I have a little digressed to take notice of the rabuses of these Ordinances too generally through mistake observable in all ages I shall speak a little of the other way of Gods witnessing to his truth and so conclude this Chapter also SECT 9. Of the too General mistake of the mind of God in his Ordinances and mens abuse of them in all Ages ZEal is good if it be ordered with discretion and guided by right judgement and understanding otherwise it is very hurtful it being like fire which kept within its bounds and discreetly ordered is very useful but out of its due place is often very damageable kept within the Hearth it 's serviceable but in the Thatch destructive Now zeal is then right and profitable when it springs from and is ordered by the knowledge of God 〈◊〉 and Christ and so is mainly for and 〈◊〉 bout the great matters of his Law Judâ—ment and the Love of God as Luke 11. 〈◊〉 but when those things are not known regarded but the eagerness of the Spiâ— is exercised and spends it self about thâ— superstructures and matters of lesser mâ—ment it produces no good Fruit but tenâ— to much Confusion onely And yet heâ— generally hath this been and yet is thâ— way of the World even of those that wâ— be or seem to be some bodies
God Self Sin or the like And 4. A causing the Mind or Spirit of a man to view or reflect upon the Objects discovered as upon the sinfulness weakness worthlesness discovered in themselves in and by that light or truth discerned the sinfulness of their ways and works the bootlesness or unprofitableness of their righteousness the unsafety of their conditions c. which are more properly his judgings and reprovings of them in and by that Light The Light at once both representing or discovering the Nature of things and passing judgment or causing the Mind to pass judgment the judgment of Truth upon them either by way of approving what is commendable and excellent or of reproving what it discovers as empty and evil whence it 's said The Gentiles not having the law are a law to themselves which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts the mean while accusing or excusing one another Rom. 2.14 15. 2. In and by the same light truth and spirit judging and reproving or convincing men God is also affording his â—erting operations yea those conâ—cements tend to Conversion and are â—ered to that end that men might be â—verted from the Evils they are conâ—ced of and reproved for to God 〈◊〉 those good things they are convinced 〈◊〉 and that are evidenced and commendâ— to them as may be seen in what our â—iour and the Apostle Paul say of men 〈◊〉 smother those convincements They 〈◊〉 closed or winked with their Eyes Matth. 13.15 Act. 28.27 〈◊〉 they should see with their eyes and hear 〈◊〉 their ears and be converted c. â—plying That the things presented to â—m in those convincements and reâ—oss the Grace set before them which 〈◊〉 had some capacity afforded them to â—re seen and heard and to have under 〈◊〉 would have converted them it 〈◊〉 to such ends and Purposes and they â—d some perception of it and fearing â—h a thing least it should draw them 〈◊〉 from their Lusts and Idols they supâ—st it turned from it and refused to See 〈◊〉 and Understand it which also is â—plyed in that wisdome in her reprovâ— adds Turn ye in or at my reproofs 〈◊〉 1.23 The goodness of God thereâ— evidenced leading to Repentance 〈◊〉 2.4 And this is joyned in Act. 26. 〈◊〉 With the opening of the eyes of 〈◊〉 blind viz. the turning them from darkâ— to light and from the power of Satan 〈◊〉 God And it hath in it over and 〈◊〉 what is mentioned in his convincings though in them this always too 〈◊〉 vouchsafed viz. 1. A more intimate or express hintinâ— or discovering some better Object thaâ— what our hearts are set upon and posseâ— with some better good to be sought oâ— imbraced than we are imbracing or seeking after as God or Christ some righter way to walk in for seeking them then that in which men walk Prov. 1 2â— Joh. 15.26 27. with 16.7 12 13 14 15. 2. An exerting some Divine Power or stretching forth the hand thereby drawing the Heart and Soul off from those â—nities discovered and reproved to or â—ter that better Object represented and 〈◊〉 the representation whereof the other vaâ— and evil things are reproved Prov. 1 2â— Hos 11.3 Yea and often a kind 〈◊〉 driving men off from what is reproveâ— to what is â—ommended even from the Idols to the living and true God by hedâ—ing up as it were the way of the Soâ— with Thornes so as not to suffer it to fiâ— any thing but rentings and prickings aâ— pains convincements and horrors in 〈◊〉 following after Prov. 23.29 33. Luk. 15.16 pursuing or retaining own thoughts ways and enterprises in Hos 2.6 7. and 6.5 and therewith alâ— 3. A bending bowing and inclinâ— the heart to let go the vanities discovâ— and reproved Hos 5.15 and 6.1 Act. 26.18 28. Matth. 21.30 and to turn to God Christ exalted and commended Psal 1â— 36 Though oftentimes the heart 〈◊〉 sulting with flesh and blood recoyls agâ— and withdraws like him that said I go Sir and yet went not thence that complaint of Ephraim that was brought to â—ay Come let us return to the Lord c. 〈◊〉 Ephraim what shall I do to thee thy goodness is as the morning cloud and as the â—arly dew it goeth away Hos 6.1 2 3 4. And I drew them with the cords of a man with the bands of love but they refused 〈◊〉 return Hos 11.3 4 5. But then 4. In the bowing and inclining of the â—art God-ward there is also a strengthing helping incouraging and furthering of it as in the Father of the Prodigal being him afar off and running and meeting him and bringing him home to himself even to his House Luk. 15.20 25. And as is asserted 2 Cor. 6.1 2. In the excepted time I have heard In the day of â—ation I have helped thee Of which â—ore in Sect. 5. Such his Converting perations 3. Then there are Renewing Regeâ—rating Operations which though they 〈◊〉 initially in the converting operations â—nd the convincing operations tend to â—em too yet are more properly found 〈◊〉 the Converted Soul though it may be â—uly said too That the Soul is further â—onverted in them and they may be imâ—ed in that sanctifying by Faith in â—rist mentioned in Act. 26.18 As a â—nsequent of the being turned unto God 〈◊〉 very effecting the Faith in Christ and 〈◊〉 sanctifying therethrough may be as I conceive included therein for the Soul wrought upon in the Converting Operations to look toward God and Christ as presented to the Soul in that beholding him to which in the Converting Operations also it is moved and begotten by the power of the same grace it is strengthned begot and framed to close with believe in and depend on God in Christ in which it s made a New Creature as to its State with God and as to its receipt of new Principles of Spiritual Life in which it lives and acts from to and for God being acted by the Grace and Spirit of God that takes Possession of it Indeed Regeneration fully is the begetting and bringing forth the whole Man to God by the Spirit and Power of God and so is a continued work in which men go on gradatim step by step and is not compleated till the Adoption be in the Redemption of the Body in the Resurrection of the Dead As appears in Matth. 19.28 Ye that have followed me in the Regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit upon the throne of his glory shall sit on twelve thrones c. Where those words in the Regeneration are so placed as they may either be referred to the words before Ye that have followed me in the Regeneration and so it signifies That Regeneration is a progressive work as the following of Christ also is a thing as daily in doing a thing in which Christ is to be followed that it may be donâ— more and more in us even as also seeing and
even by his own Death and sufferings which concludes against all flesh yea against the ability of all creatures to have helpt us much more against our own sufficiency to have helped our selves for if there had been a law that could have given life then doubtless God would have spared his Son and righteousness should have been by that Law if either our sins had not been infinitely displeasing unto God but that he could have passed them by without any great satisfaction to his truth and holiness and to his righteous law Or if we or any other creature for us could have helpt us or given the satisfaction requisite he would not have taken such a course for our deliverance But in this glass iâ— seen at once both sins hainousness and mans helplesness yea Gods infinite power love and goodness toward us yea and further our deadness in our selves to help or animate our selves and so the falseness of that conception that man hath free will by nature to any Spiritual good or that such a conceit or opinion springeth from the bowels of such a doctrine as makes Gods good will to be towards all men and Christs Death for all is hereby plainly discovered also for if we by nature had or have any such sparks or principes of life and liberty to what purpose was it that Christ dyed for us to procure into himself for us in the nature of man the power and Spirit of God that living therein he might call and quicken us and cause the dead to hear his voyce that in hearing they might live John 5 25. So that no doctrine so clearly bears witness against man that he is dead in sins and trespasses by nature and hath no sufficiency of himself as of himself so much as to think a good thought as that doth upon which the odium of the contrary conception is usually but falsely fastened we thus judge not as the denyers of those truths infer that if one dyed for all then all must needs be eternally saved but with the Apostles that if one dyed for all then were all deâ—d 2 Cor. 5.14 3. The unspeakableness and certainty both of the happiness of all those that accept of this Grace of God Submit to him and seek their Righteousness and Salvation in and through Christ seeing he hath done so much for all while Sinners that men through him might be Saved And his Son is such a Mighty Merciful and Compleat Saviour as hath been shewed set up on purpose that whosoever Believes in him might assuredly be saved and have everlasting Life John 3.14 15 16 17. and 6.40 Rom. 5.9 10. and 8.32 33 34 c. And also of the Misery and Destruction of all that after all this done for them reject and rebel against him and persist so doing till the day of Grace be out with them In as much as they despise the riches of God's goodness and forbearance that is leading men to repentance and after their impenitent hearts treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath c. Yea are guilty of treading under foot the Son of God counting the Blood of the Covenant shed for their sanctifying an unholy thing and do despite to the Spirit of Grace And therefore as on the one hand if being enemies he hath reconciled us to himself by the death of his Son Faith leads us to reason or infer how shall we not much more be saved by his life so on the other hand it leads to say How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation And of how much forer punishment than Death without mercy as the Law inflicted on the despisers of it shall he be counted worthy of who hath trampled under foot Christ and done such indignities to God and to his Grace as were before mentioned Rom. 2.4 5. and 5.9 10. Psal 68.19 20 21. Heb. 2.3 4. and 10.26 27 28 29. and 12.25 c. Vse 2 2. Again It may move provoke and incourage us to many things As 1. With thankfulness and gladness of heart to receive the tydings of so great Grace and acknowledge it and bless God for it and for all procured for us and streamed forth to us Acts 8.8 Psal 100. and 117. 1 Tim. 1.15 2. To betake our selves to him in Christ to seek him wait upon him hope in him yeild up our selves to him in the obedience of faith and love required of us by him Be reconciled to him Deny ungodliness and worldly lusts living soberly righteously godly in this present evil World living to him that dyed for us and rose again both in our bodies and spirits which are his being bought with so great a price as the Death and Blood of his Son to glorifie and serve him with all chearfulness and faithfulness pressing after the hope set before us in him and taking heed that we incur not those terrors or terrible judgments of the Lord prepared for scorners that that Doctrin presents us with to warn us of sin and arm us against and deter us from sin Isa 55.1 to the 7th Psal 100. 2 Cor. 5.10 11 15 19 20 21. and 6.1 2. Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. Heb. 12.15 16 17 25 28 29. 3. To exercise Love and Charity to others both as it evidenceth such love and goodness in God towards our selves more unworthy of it from him than any others can be of love from us and as it evidences them loved and pitied of him even when yet sinners and unconverted and in a possibility of salvation So it leads us to be followers of God pitying the ignorant and those out of the way and indeavouring their helpfulness as he hath and doth pity help us and hath provided help for them and is graciously extending means of it unto them also embracing and owning those that embrace and own him as we our selves and they are embraced by him doing good to all but chiefly to those of the houshold of Faith and not to retain such a selfish and Cainish disposition as to say Am I my Brothers keeper So be it I know Christ dyed for me what need I care for knowing whether he dyed for my neighbour as if my neighbours welfare pertained nothing to me yea and furnisheth us with matter of truth and goodness to propound to them in all cases both for instructing them in knowledge what to believe and how to walk and for incouraging them in the way of faith and obedience by minding them what they may expect and shall meet with therein and for comforting them in distress and admonishing and warning them of and reproving them for sin and wickedness propounding Gospel Terrours to them without turning them to the Law of Works 1 Joh. 4.9 10 11 12. Eph. 5.1 2. 2 Cor. 5.10 11 14 15 16 19 20 21. Prov. 22.17 18 19 20. And so Vse 3 3. It is also a good Directory to Preachers what to hold forth to the People both for matter of and motive to Faith