the outward Signs or Symbols viz. Bread and Wine which though they are not changed into the Body and Blood of Christ as the Papists Teach yet are they not naked bare or empty things but such as really exhibit yea Seal Christ and all his Benefits to a Believing Soul No other Bread nor Wine in the World though a drop a bit were worth a Kingdom are to be compared hereunto The Internal Matter is Christ and all his Graces these are signified resembled exhibited and applyed by the outward Elements The Form is that which gives a Being and perfection to the Matter without the which this Bread and Wine would be but Common Bread and Wine This also is External or Internal the External Form consists in the Lawful Administration and participation of it according to God's Word the Internal Form is the Union between the Sign and the thing signified Now this Sacramental Union is an Act of God's Spirit by whose virtue Christ his Merits and Benefits are not only resembled and presented to the mind but are really made one with the Elements yet this Union is not Natural according to place for there is no mutation of the Sign into the thing signified neither is the thing signified included or fastened to the thing signifying it cannot be a local Union that Christ's Body should be locally present with the Sign for Christ's Body though Glorified cannot be in all places at once Neither is it a Physical Union as if of two United losing their proper Forms should by a mixture make a third but 't is a Spiritual Union whereby the Lord Jesus is really conveyed to the Soul for besides his Divine presence and the presence of his Spirit he is present with his Body and Blood not locally but Sacramentally he is Symbolically present to the mind he is present Spiritually by the Eye of Faith Efficaciously present though absent in Place yet we find the fruit of his presence in our Spirits the Ends of the Sacrament are the confirmation of our Faith the Sealing of the Covenant of Grace and to be a Badge or Note of our Profession to be a pledge of our Obedience to and Communion with Christ and a Testimony of our Society with the Church and may seem as a Prospective Glass to view Christ afar off In the Covenant God promises to be our God and the God of our Seed and sets to his Seal and we Seal the Counterpane and ingage that we and ours will Serve the Lord and by virtue of this Covenant so mutually entred into all the Promises and Benefits of the Covenant are ours so that you see a right receiving of this Sacrament is of very great Concernment and the unworthy Receiving is very dangerous Here is Manna for a believing Soul but Poyson to an unworthy Receiver This nourished Peter but Poysoned Judas it feeds the good but kills the bad it makes some better and some worse some more Holy and some more Prophane it increaseth Grace where Grace is but increaseth Guilt where Grace is wanting 'T is like the Sun when it shines upon a Garden of Herbs it makes them smell more odoriferously when upon a Dung-Hill it makes it smell more fulsomly 'T is like the passing through the Red Sea safe to Israel dangerous to the Egyptians he that brings strange Fire he shall be burnt by it Lev. 10.3 God will be Honoured by those that draw near to him he that comes without a Wedding Garment shall go away not with Grace in his Heart but with Bolts upon his Heels Mat. 22.12 According to a mans preparation such is like to be his Entertainment He that Sows nothing shall Reap nothing and he that Soweth Vanity shall Reap Folly and he that Sows sparingly shall Reap little 2 Cor. 9.6 He that taketh most care and pains is like to have the best Crop Me-thinks there needs no more Motives to perswade you than the benefit of worthy Receiving and the danger of the contrary the one hath his Grace increased the other his sin the one hath his Salvation Sealed up the other without Repentance his Damnation He hath God's Curse under Seal and they Eat and Drink their own Damnation and are guilty of Christ's Death 1. Direct If thou wouldst partake of the Sacrament worthily thou must Examine thy self whether thou hast those Habitual Qualifications which are requisite for so Holy a Duty There are several Graces that must be Exercised at this time but how can a Man Act Grace that hath it not He that comes to the Wedding Feast without a Wedding Garment is not like to be a welcom Guest Mat. 22.12 Without Grace in Exercise this Ordinance will do thee little good Thou mayst indeed eat the Bread and drink the Wine these are bodily Actions but without Faith thou canst not feed upon Christ in the Ordinance and what good will a bit of Bread or a sup of Wine do thee Faith is the Hand that receives him the Mouth that feeds upon him and the Stomach that digests him and sucks sweetness from him Try whether thou hast Spiritual Life a Man by Nature is dead in sins and Trespasses and without Regeneration he remains thus and what good will a Feast do to a Dead Man If you put Meat into a Dead Man's mouth what is he benefited by it Will it nourish him Can he eat it swallow or Digest it when he cannot Exercise any Act of Life without which Food will be in vain No more can this Sacrament nourish till a Man be Regenerated and new born and have a Principle of Spiritual Life put into him A wicked Man is a Stranger to the Covenant of Grace he hath not the required Qualifications neither doth he intend to keep the Condition and what then hath he to do with the Seal Or what hope can he have of the Priviledges If a Man hath Evidences for Lands mutually Signed and Sealed if he fail in the Covenants on his part how can he expect another should make good his A wicked Man is Uncircumcised in Heart and those that were not circumcised were not permitted to eat the Passeover to which the Lord's Supper Answers Exod. 12.43 Now these Habitual Qualifications are such as the Scripture requires and such as make up the Wedding Garment And a Man should have Evidences to shew before he lay claim to such an Ordinance he should be in Covenant before he receive the Seal of the Covenant This Ordinance is not for the begetting but for the strengthening of Grace The Apostle to this End bids a Man Examine himself and so let him eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup 1 Cor. 11.28,29 For he that eateth this Bread and drinketh this Cup of the Lord unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself not discerning the Lords Body The word Examine signifies to take a strict Account of himself and make a diligent search into himself as whether he be Gold or dross whether he be chaff or Wheat
House but he propounds some End for so doing otherwise 't is an irrational Enterprise The skilful Archer shoots not at random but the Mark is in his Eye The skilful Pilot propounds to himself the wished Haven as his End and all his endeavour tends thither Every one incoming to the Ordinance propounds one End or other but if thou propound a wrong End take what pains thou wilt thou wilt like the Pharisees Mat. 6.1,2 c. lose thy Reward if thou perform with them a Commanded Duty and aim not at God's Glory but thy own thou must look a Reward elsewhere and not from God The Papists as they Corrupt this Sacrament in leaving the Institution and making Additions and detractions of their own devising which never came into the mind of God so they pervert it to wrong Ends to further their own Hellish designs as to Murder Kings blow up Parliaments Massacree Protestants and conceal their Hellish Plots c. and many others I fear come with base low and unworthy Ends to this Sacrament Custom brings some shame others fear of the Law a third sort c. and coming in their sin with unprepared Hearts and vicious Lives They make the Table of the Lord the Table of Devils as the Apostle complains and instead of Sealing the Covenant with God they Seal a Covenant with the Devil to remain his Slaves and have the Curse of God and their own Damnation under Seal Now the Principal End which Christians should aim at is God's Glory in the Remembrance of the Death of Christ 1 Cor. 11.24.26 Do this saith Christ in Remembrance of me By eating this Bread and drinking this Cup we shew the Lord's Death till he comes These Elements set apart and Sanctified to this Holy Use being thus taken we profess and in a manner Preach to others the Death of Christ and the Benefits thereby procured which is the sum of the Gospel This Sacrament is unto Christians as the Pillar of Stone Erected in the midst of Jordan by Joshua for a Memorial of the wonderful passing of Israel over Jordan or as the Pot of Manna commanded to be kept in a Memorial that Israel was forty Years fed in the Wilderness with Bread from Heaven So is this Sacrament to be Received even to the End of the World in a Memorial of Christ's Death and Bloody Passion and the Benefits procured to the Church by it And if Israel had sufficient Cause to keep the Passeover for a Memorial of their Deliverance from the Egyptian Bondage much more and greater cause have Christians to keep this Feast for a Memorial of their Deliverance from this Hellish Pharaoh the Devil and his Slavery This is one End why God left us Sacraments that whenever we did partake of them we might Remember this Deliverance and bless God for it this should put us in mind what Christ hath done for us His Life his Doctrine his Miracles his Death and Passion and the whole work of our Redemption But alas many Men when they have the Sacrament in their Mouths have the Devil in their Hearts they seldom mention God's Name except in an Oath or vain speech But these Mens damnation sleepeth not Another End is the Sealing of the Covenant between God and us as I have often mentioned God on his part ratifies it and assures us by his Seal he will make it good And we on our part Dedicate our selves to his Service and annex our Seal He promises to be our God and we promise to be his People But many are not in the Covenant and have nothing to do with the Seal for this is not a begetting Ordinance but confirming those that are begotten such as these Seal a Covenant with Death and Hell Isa 28.15 This Sacrament is like the Water of Jealousie mentioned in the Law if a Woman that drinks of it were pure it would make her fruitful if defiled it would make her Thigh to rot and her Belly to swell Another End is for the increasing Faith and other Graces 't is not for the begetting but increasing Grace and therefore pre-supposeth Grace to be there as also for the maintaining Communion with God and Love one with another they being Members of the same Body and Heirs together of the same Glory 4. Direct If thou wouldst receive the Sacrament profitably examine what it is thou standest in need of and what thou wouldst have God to give thee or do for thee for the Sacrament was Ordained to supply our wants and heal our Diseases 'T is the Souls Market day now when a Man goes unto the Market he considers what he wants and what he needs to buy Now a Christian's wants which he here comes to supply are principally in his Graces 'T is Spiritual wants Soul wants that are here supplyed if Grace be wanting there is no supply promised but if it be weak there is Food may nourish a weak Man and make him stronger but it will not give Life to a dead Carkass The Sacrament is not a begetting but a nourishing Ordinance and God gives none leave to sit at his Table but such as are his Children Who will invite a dead Man to a Feast Now though all God's Children have the Truth of Grace yet have they many defects in Grace A Child that hath Life must have Food to maintain Life and to bring him to his Maturity and full growth Now the wants we should examine before the Sacrament are either defects in Grace and decays of Grace for here is a supply to be had for both if we make a right improvement of this Ordinance Defects in Grace are often discerned by the prevailing of Corruption examine thy self well concerning the state of thy Soul cast an Eye over the several passages of thy Life and bring thy Thoughts and Words and Actions to the Rule and compare them with the Word of God hereby thou maist see what is strait what is crooked look into this Glass of the Law and thou wilt see thy own spots when thou comparest it with the Rule thou wilt see thy Deviations and wilt find where thou hast come short and where thou hast gone out of the way Make a Catalogue of thy sins especially those since thy Conversion and since thy last renenewig thy Covenant with God by this Sacrament and consider thy sins with their several aggravations and when thou seest what thou shouldst have done and what thou hast done compare the one with the other and compare the difference and see how short thou comest 't is the Direction of the Holy Ghost Jer. 3.40 Search and try your ways and turn unto the Lord. Come then to God with shame in thy Face and sorrow in thy Heart and if possible with Tears in thine Eyes confess these thy sins with their aggravations Aaron was Commanded to lay his Hands upon the Head of the Scape-Goat and confess over him all the Iniquities of the Children of Israel and all their transgressions and
the Sacrament but without Faith they cannot be laid hold upon 6. Direct Having shewed you what Preparation is necessary and also what Qualifications and how thou shouldst stand affected when thou comest to this Ordinance I shall next shew thee how to demean thy self in the very Act of Receiving For thy External behaviour or outward demeanour it should be such as is suitable to the Ordinance and to the presence of the Great God Reverent Grave Seemly and such as bespeaks Humility and self-abasing not Light and wanton and gazish but such as becomes a Guest at such a Table yet beware of such Voluntary or Superstitious Humility such as the Papists and some others use which hath no Footing in the vvord of God the surest way is to take the Scripture for our Guide But for thy Inward Carriage which is most to be regarded be sure thy Heart be not wanting for God cannot endure Heartless Service if this Instrument be not in Tune the Musitioner is bad here if any where God calls Son give me thy Heart and nothing else will serve turn but the Heart and the Heart broken and bleeding Come with the Heart humbled God cannot endure a proud Person especially in an Ordinance that hold forth that which may humble thee here is Christ Crucified and his Blood shed for thy sin thou wast the Traytor that betrayed him the Judge that Condemned him and the Executioner that put him Death and will not this work upon thee Is it nothing to have Blood lying upon thee the Blood of the Innocent the Blood of a Friend the Blood of a King yea the Blood of the Son of God What ingenious Spirit but would melt at such a Consideration Every Sacramental Action of the Minister may further thy Meditation and help thee up to Heaven in thy Contemplation When thou beholdest the Minister who stands in the place of God setting apart and Consecrating the Bread and Wine by the Word and Prayer will not this bring to thy Mind the Love of God to thy Soul Who from Eternity set apart his only Son Jesus Christ to be thy Mediator and Advocate thy Surety and thy Saviour well may it be said God so Loved the World c. May not the thoughts of this furnish thee with Heart-raising Heart-warming Meditations And when thou seest thee Bread broken and the Wine poured out doth not this Lively represent the bitter Death and bloody Passion of the Son of God Jesus Christ thy sweet Saviour and Redeemer his Body was broken his precious blood was shed for the Remission of thy sins which otherwise could not have been forgiven Ah! what a wicked thing then is sin when nothing would satisfie Divine Justice but the death of the only begotten Son of God When the Bread and Wine thus separated thus set apart from common use are held forth to thee apprehend God himself giving Christ yea Christ offering himself with all his Treasures to be thy Husband thy Surety thy Mediator and thy Saviour Ah! what Soul-refreshing thoughts may this produce Well mayst thou say with David Lord what is Man that thou art mindful of him Or rather Lord what am I that thou regardest me and hast provided such a Feast of Fat things for me with Wine on the Lees When thousands are laid aside as good as I by Nature And when thou receivest the Elements at the Ministers hand let thy Faith lay fast hold and clasp fast about the Lord Jesus Christ and take him as given by God to be thy Husband and Resolve that the Devil and all his Instruments shall never draw off thy Affections from him but thou wilt all others being forsaken prove his faithful Spouse And when thou Eatest and Drinkest the Bread and Wine let thy Faith feed upon those Spiritual dainties hereby represented upon this Nectar and Ambrosia this Bread and this Water of Life Receive him and all the Benefits of the New Covenant by Faith and in the whole Action let thy Heart Close with God Father Son and Holy Ghost and let the whole bent of thy Soul be set upon him and by such Meditations stir up thy Heart to bless God and praise him for his Mercy and to Love him above all and to vow Obedience to him and as thou lookest upon thy sin with one Eye to hate and abominate it so look upon Christ with the other to keep thee from despair as he is offered up in the Sacrament a Sacrifice to satisfie Divine Justice and beg of God humbly yet believingly that he will accept of this Sacrifice as satisfactory for thy sin and pardon what is past and give thee power against Sin for the time to come Consider also the giving and receiving of this Sacrament is a further ratification of the Covenant as I said before wherein God offers Christ and all his Benefits and promises to be thy God and the God of thy Seed And thou promisest that thou and thine will Serve the Lord. Let this strengthen thy Faith in his Promises for he will never break his word and let it strengthen thy Resolution that thou wilt never break with him then this will be to thee an Happy Ordinance 7. Direct If thou wouldst receive Benefit by the Sacrament behave thy self well after thou hast received it All thy work is not done nay most is to be done when thou hast turned thy back upon the Congregation 't is not the making a Vow but the making it good the fulfilling of it that is the most of the work 't is not the preparing for the Duty or carrying thy self well in the Act of Receiving though this be necessary that is sufficient God expects some after-work A Servant that is refresht with wholsom meat and drink ought not to be Idle nor to spend his time vainly there is a greater tye lyes upon him to diligence and pains taking So he that comes from such a Feast and is refreshed with such Dainties should be more Active Lively Quick and Disposed to Spiritual Exercises plung not thy self too suddenly into worldly business distract not thy thoughts about things here below for as in sweats 't is dangerous to cool over-suddenly So 't is here when the Affections are raised to Heaven let them not suddenly grovel upon the ground when they are heated let not the cold wind of the World suddenly benumb them And when thou dost set about Worldly business remember there is a business of greater concernment lyes upon thy Hands and therefore do all in Subordination to God Redeem some time for Divine Meditation to consider what thou hast been about and with whom thou hast had to deal Thou hast been renewing that Covenant between God and thy Soul which was made in Baptism and therefore look to it that thou make it good It is better not to Vow than to Vow and not perform Consider whether God makes good his Promise Sealed by this Sacrament if not doubtless the fault is thine own God
Laws of God to follow the dictates of Man yea makes God's Laws of no Effect Mark 7.8 It makes them do all in way of Merit which the Scripture denies Luke 17.10 When you have done all that is Commanded say yc are unprofitable Servants Rom. 6.23 The Wages of sin is Death but the Gift of God is Eternal Life Rom. 4.6 8.18 9.16 2 Cor. 4.17 Where we see all we enjoy is of free Grace and no room left for mans Merits Such vows as these therefore have no footing in the Scripture and therefore are not for our imitation 5. Direct If thou wouldst by thy vows Glorifie God or benefit thine own Soul thou must look at the manner as well as the matter for this also is to be regarded many a Duty materially good is spoyled by the ill performance as we see in Sacrifices and Oblations and in the Observation of the New Moons and Solemn Assemblies all appointed and Commanded Duties so spoyled in the doing that God would not own them yea his Soul did abominate them Isa 1.10 c. And 66.3 He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a Man and he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he Cut off a Dogs Neck he that Offereth an Oblation as if he Offered Swines Blood he that burneth Incense as if he Blessed and Idol c. We see Commanded Duties may be grievous Sins when ill performed Now a vow as well as an Oath for a vow is a Promissory Oath to God should be made in Truth in Judgment and in Righteousness In Truth and so it should be made with a sincere Heart without fraud deceit aequivocation or Hypocrisie For as God requires the Heart in all Service so likewise in this A Promise made to him with Guile and Hypocrisie is but a mocking of him that will not be mocked 'T is like Annanias and Sapphira their Devoting the price of their Land to God and afterwards keeping back part of the price to themselves and by this lost themselves A notable Example we have of a serious vow worthy our Imitation we may read 2 Chron. 15.14,15 where we find Judahs entring into Covenant with God 't is said they sware unto the Lord with Trumpets and shouting and with the Cornet and all Judah rejoyced at the Oath for they had sworn with all their Hearts and sought him with all their desires c. And how acceptable this was to God we may find in the following words he was found of them and the Lord gave them rest round about But take heed of being like those Jer. 3.10 that turned to God But it was feignedly saith the Lord But 't is better not to Vow than to Vow and not perform for God will avenge the Quarrel of his Covenant And as a Vow should be in Truth so it should be voluntary not by constraint for it should be with a willing mind and therefore 't is called a free-will Offering and God expects it should chearfully be performed Deut. 23.23 That which is gone out of thy Lips thou shalt keep and perform the Free will Offering according to what thou hast Vowed unto the Lord which thou hast promised with thy Mouth Though God do not Command thee to Vow as in the Verse before If thou shalt forbear to Vow it shall be no sin in thee yet when thou hast engaged thy Soul he expects the performance for as a Vow is free so should the performance of it also This shews when Young Persons are put into Monasteries Nunneries or Religious Houses as they are called and forc'd there to take the required Oaths of Single Life Regular Obedience c. and that against their wills 't is not of Gods Devising but of the Devils Invention And likewise when Children against their Parents wills are inticed or allured to take such Oaths and Vows and so alienate themselves from their Parents Obedience this is no pleasing Service to him See his mind Mat. 15.5,6 Parents must not be wronged upon Religious Accounts And as Vows should be in Truth so likewise in Judgment blind Sacrifices were never acceptable to God Men should well understand what they do and know the nature of a Vow and the Lawfulness of the thing Vowed and the profitableness thereof and how it conduceth to their main design before they engage There are some things God will not have devoted to him as the price of a Dog or the Hire of a Whore Deut. 23.18 Those that Vow also should know their ability to perform and not make them and be forc'd to break them for ultra posse non est esse God delights not in the words of such Fools Eccl. 4.5 A vow should tend also for some Profit for Body or Soul as Jacob's did but what profit is there in voluntary Poverty Pilgrimages in vowing Oyl Candles c. to Saints departed no man was ever yet able to find out It should be made in Righteousness also and should be at their own dispose as before was said to vow that Service to one which is due to another is a point of injustice and no Law of God requires it It must be of fit things also we must not Serve God with what is not our own it must in a word be in that which may conduce to God's Glory and the furtherance of our great design or otherwise 't is either sinful or foolish 6. Direct When thou makest a Vow look to it that thy Ends be right for that denominates the Action to be good or bad though the Duty be never so Glorious in the Eyes of Men they are abominable in the sight of God if done for base or by-ends Now the end should be in this as in all other Duties the Glory of God convinc'd with our own or others good this should be our ultimate end and aim A Gracious Soul in every Duty should be able to say propter te propter te Domine this I do for thee and for thy sake and with the Psalmist Psal 115.1 Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be the Glory A Christian in all his Duties should follow the Direction of the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether ye Eat or Drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the Praise and Glory of God Col. 3.17 Whatsoever ye do do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus c. Though Vows are not strictly any part of God's Worship yet are they helps and furtherances in it and therefore should be carefully made and faithfully performed We read I know of Believers that have made Vows unto God for the performing of Spiritual Duties which they must not have neglected though they had not vowed it but this makes it not Worship but a help to Worship and if they are of things indifferent yet are they not part of God's Worship but that which conduceth to the better performance of Worship I know the Papists they say they are part of his Worship though they are made of