giving them rich Legacies At a Sacrament we may and should view Jesus Christ the Blessed One nailed to the Cross loaded with a Curse and dying an accursed Death that we might escape it Thus we owe our Peace to his Sacrifice our spiritual treasure to his will and testament our blessed hope and life to his accursed Death and by particular reflections on these we should awaken exercise and improve our graces The facilitating this work and the attaining this effect is the design of the following Discourse which doth first endeavour to promote grace by a particular improvement of Christ's Dying a Sacrifice for us let us then the other two having their due place begin with this great truth Our Lord Died a Sacrifice for us and under this notion ought we to commemorate his Death and in meditating thereon we may make an improvement of grace That I may proceed distinctly I resolve the whole subject into these following particulars 1. The general proof and confirmation of his DYing as a Sacrifice or Victim for us Cap. 1. 2. How this could be that a man should be a Sacrifice for us Cap. 2. 3. What particularly is contained in this being made a Sacrifice and so dying Cap. 3. 4. That these are fit foundation to lay for Sacramental graces and how our graces may be increased awakened confirmed and acted in due meditation on Christ our Sacrifice Cap. 4. seq CAP. I. Christ died a Sacrifice for us prefigured THE Holy Scriptures do abundantly testifie to us that Christ our Lord died our Sacrifice and Victim and so do the writings of all Christians who have treated of our Redemption and Salvation by Christ if you would have forein testimonies you require what is not needful and should we attempt to seek them we should lose our time and labour for no other Pen maketh mention of this but the Scriptures and the Pens which write after this Copy Now among other arguments the Scripture affordeth us these five for proof of Christ's Dying a Sacrifice 1. The Type 2. Prophecies 3. Promises 4. Historical declaration of it 5. Assuming it as a matter unquestionably true and certain of all which briefly in their order Sect. 1. This manner of Christ's Death viz. as a Sacrifice was prefigured and foreshewn in the Type thereof The very enemies of this Doctrine do not quite deny this though they doubt Socin lib. 2. c. 8. de Servatore or deny some particular places to refer hereto Let us however look to some few places of Scriptures where we may find Christ our Sacrifice in his Death typified out to us 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passover is slain for us The allusion used by the Apostle proves that the old Paschal Lamb was a type of Christ and that Christ was the Antitype of the Paschal Lamb. Again Joh. 1.24 The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world whether in reference to the Lamb daily offered or whether to the Paschal Lamb it altereth not the case It is a Lamb and a Lamb that must be slain in Sacrifice yea in an Expiatory Sacrifice to take away the sin of the world We are assured Heb. 9.22 that without sheding of blood there is no remission and we are sure 't is not every sheding of blood but it is the sheding of the blood of a Sacrifice which procureth remission of sins and this blood-sheding was not by opening and breathing a vein but by dying to take away sin The Baptist then applying unto Christ that antient and lively type telleth us that Christ was prefigured in his state life and death by it And that Heb. 9.23 24. tells us of patterns of things in the Heavens v. 23. and of figures of the True v. 24. yea v. 8 9. the whole Tabernacle and the service of it were a figure for the time then present Among other services that of Sacrifices is specified as a figure serving for the present until Christ should come and enter into the Holy Place without blood of Bulls and Goats but by his own blood v. 11 12 14. In a word the whole of Mosaical positive instituted service was a figure and type This part of the Law had the shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. v. 1. In Sacrificiis id manifestissimum quae Sacrificium expiationem Messiae praesignificabant Joh. Hoornbeek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de convertend Judaeis lib. 7. c. 1. pag. 452. This very thing is most manifest in the Sacrifices which did presignifie the Sacrifice and Expiation of the Messiah as the Learned Hoornbeek hath rightly observed to our hands from all which I do not ill to conclude that he died a Sacrifice to take away sin who was praesignified by the Dying Expiatory Sacrifices under the Law Sect. 2. Secondly It was foretold and by the Prophetick impulses of the infallible Spirit of God revealed to the Church of old that the Messiah should die and particularly that he should die a Sacrifice to expiate sin in this cause we have among others the testimonies of the Prophet Isaiah Isa 53.7 cap. 53.7 He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter where possible may be more than a general symbolizing between the Innocency Humility and Sufferings of the Lamb slain and Christ typified thereby like enough there is a particular symbolizing between them both as they were Sacrifices the footsteps whereof I might trace out somewhat in 1. the word slaughter which Prov. 9.2 seemeth to be determined to the slaying of a Sacrifice And 2. in the word he is brought which Isa 18.7 expresseth the bringing of a present to the Lord. But much more in the word 3. Lamb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used Lev. 5.7 12.8 22.28 Deut. 18.3 which is the very word that expresseth the Paschal Lamb Exod. 12.3 5. which was a Lamb to be sacrificed Deut. 16.6 And 4. from the place which parallel to this Act. 8.32 He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what kind of slaying this was A pecudum mactatione 72. alio nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocarunt Amos 5. v. 25. Cloppenb Schol. Sacrif pag. 3. let Rev. 13.8 determine where it is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world Isa 53.10 If this be not full enough to our purpose yet the 10th verse affordeth a plain and express Prophecy of the Messiah's dying a Sacrifice Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin Indeed the Hebrews read it conditionally if or when but then adds a promise what shall be the fruit and effect of his Dying a Sacrifice Now we do see the promise fulfilled in the numerous seed of Christ therefore with reason we conclude the condition performed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si posuerit hostiam pro peccato reatu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proprie est dâ—lictum per Metonymiam significat oblationem pro delicto
in a case little different from this I say to you cast not away your Obedience for it hath great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 It is a harvest for its abundance and riches It is a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge will give to them that finish their course 2 Tim. 4.7 8. It is a Crown of Glory which fadeth not away as the Apostle St. Peter hath it 1 Pet. 5.4 A Kingdom that cannot be shaken Heb. 12.28 Let us then have grace let us be so ingenuous and thankful to our Lord as to serve him to all well pleasing the Apostle argueth from the expectation of such a reward to the reasonableness of our serving the Lord with fear and trembling the renewed thoughts of this ample glorious eternal recompence of our sincere Obedience will surely renew our purposes and endeavours of bettering our Obedience what then should you and I do at the Lord's Supper but meditate on the greatness of the Legacies he hath given and with David demand of our selves What shall we render to the Lord for all his benefits Psal 116.12 Wherein shall we express our thankfulness Shall it be in Sacrifices and Offerings No God doth not require these but to do justice and love mercy and to walk humbly with God Micah 6. To love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the soul and with all the strength and to love our neighbour as our selves is more than all whole burnt Offerings and Sacrifices Mark 12.33 A Discerning Obedience is a most acceptable Sacrifice to the Lord. In one word we are called to the Gospel and to the Knowledge of Christ in the Gospel and we must walk worthy of our Calling Ephes 4.1 worthy of the Lord Col. 1.10 worthy of the Gospel of Christ Phil. 1.27 Now as every one who believeth is bound by his first Call to walk in New Obedience so is every Believer bound by every renewal of his Call by every renewed remembrance of his Call to Christ to revive his Resolutions of renewing his Obedience to the Gospel of Christ 2. Thy Renewed Obedience to Christ must be the evidence of thy Right and Title to the Rich and Glorious Legacies which he hath bequeathed to his kindred Thou hast no more to shew for thy Right then thou hast of Renewed Obedience Christ thy Lord hath bequeathed a Kingdom and a Crown but it is on condition thou wait for both in a constant course of New Obedience It is a Kingdom which cannot be shaken the Apostle saith and it is true it is a Kingdom that can neither be shaken by a Plea against your Title nor by force against your Possession But observe those who have this Right and who shall have the Possession of this Kingdom are such who should 1. Have Grace which is of a growing nature And 2. They serve God they worship they obey him And 3. They do this acceptably with reverence and godly fear The Apostle useth a Verb of that Mood which expresseth matter of Duty or Exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habeamus or habere oportet and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 serviamus sive servire debemus the Syriack reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apprehending which speaks a voluntary and active seeking Grace and accipiamus which speaks a ready closing with Grace offered and retineamus which speaks a holding fast what we sought and acccepted thus furnisht with Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ministremus ceu Sacerdotes spirituales qui Deo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.5 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 placeamus They ought to be such persons and to employ themselves in such exercises Do we then hear the Apostle's Exhortation Do we see a Kingdom offered Do we read the Will which investeth us with it Do we see the Will sealed in the Sacrament And will not all this stir us up to renew our Obedience Will we be so foolish to hazard our Title to it through backwardness and disobedience When he cast the Law of Grace and Mercy into the mould and form of a Testament or last Will he framed it so that he might strongly bind all to obedience who expected benefit by it Hence it is that we read He became Mediator of the New Testament to the end he might purge our consciences from dead works to serve the Living God Heb. 9.14 15. The Covenant of Promise which offereth grace Heb. 10.16 17. and engageth the Almighty to write his Law in our hearts was confirmed to us and is made good to every believing soul through Christ our Testator so that obedience to Christ is as much incorporated in the Testament as is Glory and Blessedness He is the Author of Eternal Salvation to those that obey him Heb. 5.9 Obedience is required of us as Salvation is promised to us How canst thou then renew thy Faith and Hope in expecting of the promised Salvation and not renew thy resolutions to perform required obedience How shall we look Christ in the face when we so separate what he hath joined How will you plead his Promise who have not obeyed his Precept or how should your expectations be answered by Christ when his expectations have not been answered by you It is the unreasonableness of ignorance and prophaness to boast of rich gifts made over to them by the Will of Christ and yet at the same time to sleight neglect and refuse the duty observance and obedience which Christ requireth of all his Legatees When thou comest to a Sacrament to renew thy assurance of interess in the last Will of Christ be sure thou observe what he expresly requireth as condition of this interess and consider He will be Author of Eternal Salvation to thee on no other terms than thy obedience to him 3. Christ dying once to conrfim the New Testament and to make a firm Will for our good did not as other Testators do continue under the power of Death but he rose again from the Dead according to the Scriptures and now observeth how thou and every one else do acquit themselves in this New Obedience required of thee and of them Let it be well weighed Christ doth now exactly know and particularly observe all thy works and what obedience thou givest him His countenance is as the Sun when it shineth in its strength Rev. 1.16 both for the luster of it and for the power of making manifest whatsoever is done both in the world and also in the Churches amidst which he walketh Rev. 2.1 Knowing the works the labour and the patience of each Church of each member of the Church He seeth who it is that laboureth and fainteth not Rev. 2.3 and who would not take courage from such an eye-witness to abound in the blessed works of obedience For whom will you labour if you will not labour for him who seeth you and will as certainly reward as he seeth exactly When
which lyeth a Curse indeed Now this duly considered will promote the increase of our graces The Communicant who can meditate on Christ dying a Curse for us may thereby excite his graces and exercise them to an improvement of them such meditations will be as lesser streams to a River which they greaten whilst they run in the same chanel A brief specimen of this will satisfie I hope and set the soul on work wherein for his help I shall shew him an Essay in a rude draught of this in eight following particular Graces which well become a Communicant 1. Humility and Self-abasement is unquestionably a Sacramental grace 1. Sacramental grace improved a grace we should Bring to exercise at and improve by the Sacrament of our Lord dying for us And the consideration of his death represented under the circumstances of a Curse is a very suitable and a likely means to effect this For it doth represent to our thoughts not only the sufferings of our dearest Lord and friend but convinceth us that it was our sin which procur'd this to him and that we must have been miserable for ever if he had not thus died Thus our sin and misery is set before us and these will humble a soul these will bow the generous courage and stoutness of the noblest and highest mind Misery alone cannot break the courage of a virtuous and innocent mind Nil conscire sibi c. A soul clear and approv'd to its self is an impregnable fortress And the spirit of a man will bear these infirmities Indeed a base and degenerous mind breaks into shivers under a load of crosses But the soul under sorrows or in danger of deserv'd misery reflecting on its own guilt and looking through the vileness of sin on the greatness of its sorrows is the more humble because more refined and excellent in it's temper principles and aims True lowliness of spirit or humility that is genuine may possibly first gush out in a tear from pain But it 's constant running is in tears for sin Misery may broach the vessel but it is sin that keeps it running Misery may make the best despised in others eyes sin makes him despised in his own Men will tread on a distressed fortune but the humble soul will tread on its sinful self And now serious Reader cast thine eye upon Christ made a Curse and suppose for thy self and then tell me what is first reflected on is not thy misery the title page of that great Volume of sorrows which Christ did bear for thee when he was made a Curse and underwent it in thy stead wa st not thou in danger of that Curse didst thou not dwell on the borders of an eternal infinite misery and wast thou not every moment in danger to be haled and thrust headlong into a prison of wofullest darkness and unspeakable sorrows Did not the Curse laid on Christ hang over thy head It was thy sin thy misery that Christ lay under and this will humble thee if thou hast any spark of spititual ingenuity if there dwell any generous dispositions within thy breast 1. For what is it to be cursed but to lye under the transgression of a righteous Law and what will abase an ingenuous spirit if the baseness of sin will not Humility is the judgement or opinion of its little worth arising from due sense of sin Humility what Thus did Moses instruct Irsael to be humble Deut. 9.7 12 22. 23. 24. shews them how great their sin had been and leaves then to say how little their opinion of themselves ought to be tells them how near they were to utter ruine when nothing but a Moses and his prayer was between them and the execution of that word Deut. 9.6 14. I will blot out their name from under Heaven Let thy soul renew the memory of thy sin when thou renewest thy thoughts of Christ's dying a Curse Remember thy sins and do as they Ezek. 20.43 Gen. 41.9 Loath thy self for all thy sins The remembrance of a fault made a Courtier blush In a Sacrament thou seest Christ dying an accursed death in his Curse thou dost or shouldest see thy own sin and with Ezra in another case Ezra 9.6 Thou shouldest be ashamed and blush to look up to Heaven For 2. Thou most righteous and just hast condemned me and judged what my fault is how great how vile it is in the Curse my Saviour did bear for me It was not a rash hasty and inconsiderate passion of a man that cursed the sinner but it was the just deliberate sentence of a wise and holy God who never curseth one that deserves to be blessed who never curseth before the creature hath sinned and deserved it How inquisitive is a good disposition if he be cursed as David by a Shimei 2 Kings 2.23 or as the Prophet reproached by the Boyes of Bethel or by a contemptible beggar How ready are best natures to enquire into the cause Have I given an occasion to this reproach Have I deserved it And how is he abashed and ashamed that any reason is pretended for unreasonable railing Now much more abashed is the ingenuous spirit when a sober man when a judicious observer of his own words as well as of other mens carriages shall condemn and adjudge him worthy of a Curse But here it is the Lord who adjudged thee to a Curse and canst thou remember this and not be humble and not reflect upon thy sin which provoked so just a Wisdom and such deliberate Justice to execrate thee David was humble when Shimei cursed because it might be God had said to him Curse David When thou receivest the Sacrament thou remembrest Christ whom God made a Curse for thee there God tells thee Thou hadst been forever cursed if Christ had non been once cursed There thou mayest see a holy wise just and infinitely excellent person displeased with thee and provoked against thee and surely such a sight will I am certain it should make thee abhor thy self and be humble 3. Farther thou hadst a fair and open tryal of thy Cause and it now stands in the greatest Court of Record in the world It is there registred that thou art the son or daughter of a tainted blood a child of an accursed stock In the first Adam God tryed and cast thee and told thee what thou must expect in the second Adam he shewed thee this Record stood firm the sentence unrepealed and if the blood of Christ dying and bearing the Curse for thee had not washt out the stain thou hadst remained still under a curse and stain It is accounted a glory in an Antient Family that the blood is not stained with any treasonable practices against the Soveriagn and it is a disparagement and diminution of their glory and greatness that the blood is embased by disloyal designs and attempts When thou receivest the Sacrament and seest Christ dying an accursed death
that Christ by one offering hath effected This man saith the Apostle after he had offered one sacrifice for sins sat down on the right hand of God Heb. 10.12 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified ver 14. He needed no more to offer any Sacrifice forsomuch as he had obtained Eternal Redemption by that one Sacrifice of himself and it was necessary he should once offer himself a Sacrifice because no other Sacrifices could purifie the conscience and clear from guilt Christ therefore did what was necessary and having done it sate down on the right hand of God expecting till his enemies were made his footstool and interceding that his Redeemed might be blessed with a full deliverance In one word the Apostle Ephes 5.2 tells us what Christ did and what acceptance it found with the Father Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour Thus express is the Scripture in this point Sect. 5. Lastly It is more than once assumed and taken up as an unquestionable truth and of indisputable certainty So Heb. 8.2 we have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens Here it is assumed without particular proof that he had offered a Sacrifice before he sate down c. and so ver 3. makes it necessary he should have somewhat to offer and ver 4. assures us that the Levitical Priesthood and Sacrifices were examples and shadows of this our High Priest and the Sacrifice he hath offered which was more excellent than those typical ones were to this add Heb. 5.5 Christ made an High Priest and ver 6. a Priest for ever and after the order of Melchisedeck ver 10. Now whoever is an High Priest is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins ver 1. Christ then our High Priest as such and because he is an High Priest for us must offer some sacrifice for us Now the blood of Bulls and Goats and in a word all corruptible things are secluded from being this sacrifice and the Lord Jesus in his own person is supposed and taken undoubtedly to be this sacrifice Without dispute the 9th chap. 25th verse speaks this truth for the Levitical High Priest went into the holy place with the blood of others but Christ did not so enter when he entred for he entred not in by the blood of Goats and Calves but by his own blood cap. 9. ver 12. did he enter into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us These with many more which might be added comprize what we affirm That the Scriptures do in many places assume it as a thing certain in it self that Christ died a Sacrifice for us To conclude this Chapter and this general head of our discourse in a few words thou who professest thy self a Christian either professest thy self a Christian either professest this truth or knowest not what a Christian is made up of and needest to be catechized in the principles of thy Religion to which I recommend thee for better instruction CAP. II. Christ a Man yet a Sacrifice for us and how this could be OUR next undertaking must be what standeth second in our Promise a discovery how this can be that a Man should be a Sacrifice Is it not an inhumane cruelty to offer a reasonable creature in sacrifice to God Are not the Nations abhorred as barbarously salvage and bloody who used it and hath not God expresly forbidden it How then could Christ so excellently and transcendently holy pure and innocent be made a sacrifice for us This I shall endeavour to answer in these following particulars Sect. 1. There is no doubt to be made whether sacrificing of men were abominable in the sight of God and sober men God infinitely detested it and sober men have unanimously condemned it This was and ever will be a bloody murthering of the creatures never an acceptable worshiping the Creatour He that was a murtherer from the begining and delighteth in the death of man put his Idolatrous worshippers upon this diabolical practice and they who exercised their pretended Religion in such sacrifices did sacrifice to Devils not to God Psal 106.37 and shed innocent blood ver 38. In which passage you see whom such sacrisicers worshipped and in what account they and their worship was had with God the Lord tells you truly who it was these men worshipped and what truly was the thing they did it was murther Israel had a strict prohibition against this practice Levit. 20.2 3 4 5. and God doth dreadfully threaten him that shall dare to do so The blood of Bulls or of Goats could not by their own worth please the Lord. The blood of man could not but by its cry to the Lord awaken him to an abhorrence of the deed and punishing the doer Sect. 2. Albeit none may shed the blood of man in Sacrifice yet the life strength and whole of man should be Sacrificed that is consecrated to spent for and offered unto God which in a borrowed or figurative manner of speech is called and well may be so called a Sacrifice The scripture gives this name where there is neither life of Beast or Man taken away The Contrite heart is a Sacrifice which God will not despise Psal 51.17 In this sense the Apostle would perswade the Romans to give up themselves their bodies Sacrifices unto God Rom. 12.1 And conversion of the Gentiles was an Offering or a Sacrificing of them unto God Heb. 13.15 Rom. 15.16 The praises we offer to God but much more the whole Duty of a Christian is a Sacrifice 1 Pet. 2.5 This Metaphorical Sacrificing our selves and ours is both our duty and acceptable to God Although none may in Sacrifice take away the life of another man or of himself yet every man ought to make his life a sacrifice unto God This kind of Humane Sacrifice is our Reasonable service Sect. 3. When the Scripture is expresse in any point I have noe reason to be doubting whether it were so nor liberty allowed to my curiosity to enquire how it could be so or to Dispute that it either could not be or that it ought not to be so My Faith tells mee and my Reason consenteth to it That it is so because God saith it and that it might well bee so because God hath done it God sent his Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh this speaketh the Incarnation of Christ our Lord and for sin this speaketh the end why God sent him viz. that by a Sacrifice for sin hee might condemne sin in the flesh Rom. 8.3 ver And the same Apostle informeth mee 2. Cor. 5.2 That God hath made him to be sin for us and if you enquire how Christ was made sin I shall answer in the words of a learned pen viz. Hee was a Sacrifice not
The Death of Christ under the notion of the Death of a Sacrifice will improve the Believer's Faith which I hope will be manifested when we have viewed the grand concern of Faith in these three particulars 1. It 's Expectation or the things it waiteth for 2. The grounds of its Expectation and waiting 3. The present actings of Faith whilst it is assured there are such things to be expected and whilst it is perswaded and resolved to wait for them Of all which in order Sect. 1. 1. Faith hath its expectation and looketh for things that are not seen Things hoped for as Heb. 11.1 And these are great things As 1. A publck solemn full and clear absolution from the charge of sin and guilt which Satan Conscience or the Law might load us with Faith looks to that word John 5.24 He that believeth shall not come into condemnation Faith waits for that day 2 Thes 1. v. 10. When the Lord shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe Faith hearkneth for that awakening voice Matth. 25.6 Behold the Bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him The Believer expecteth a justification from all things from which he could not be justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13.38 39. when he shall be declared blessed when he shall be accounted righteous and as such shall enter into the possession of a Kingdom of Righteousness Mat. 25.34 37. with 46. ver 2. The Believer expecteth Totus mundus expectat illud tempus quo illi qui sunt Filii Dei manifestabuntur and with Faith waiteth for a publick declaration or manifestation of his Adoption and Sonship Rom. 8.19 The whole world expecteth that time wherein they who are the children of God shall be made manifest as Vatablus noteth on the place And this I take to be the Apostle's meaning Col. 3.4 You shall appear with him i. e. you shall be publickly declared the children of God through Christ And though it do not appear what Believers shall be yet when the Lord appeareth they shall appear his Sons and daughters also 1 Joh. 3.2 3. The Believer looketh for a publick and glorious inauguration or coronation Come inherit the Kingdom Matth. 25.34 is the happy investiture which Faith expecteth Now there is a Crown laid up for us then it shall be set upon our heads 2 Tim. 4. ver 8. It is already intended and promised then it shall be given Faith expects that joyful day of rewarding the Spiritual Champions Here they run there they are crowned Now the Believer warreth then Faith triumpheth 1 Cor. 9.24.25 4. The Faith of a Believer looketh after a reward for all its obedience whether active conforming to the Precepts and Rule of Christ or passive bearing the Cross of Christ It is one of the excellencies of the Law of Faith that as it commands no more than it enableth us to do so it rewardeth no less than we have done The distribution grace doth make is first so much as we need to work and next so much as we have wrought the Believer receiveth according to his works Matth. 25.35 36. And when grace hath thus distributed to each then shall we find our labour was not in vain 1 Cor. 15. v. 58. That the Lord was not unrighteous to forget our labour Heb. 6.10 Then shall we fully understand that the Believer is blessed for that his works do follow him Rev. 14. v. 13. Faith expects that the light and momentany asslictions should work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 18. We expect a glory to be revealed with which these light afflictions of this life are not worthy to be compared Rom. 8.17 Such are the expectations of Faith and may well be confirmed as rational and justifiable by the consideration of their being built upon the Death of Christ our Sacrifice For 1. Doth a Believer expect absolution why should he not Christ his Sacrifice hath born his guilt and punishment Or Secondly 2. Doth a Believer expect a declaration of his adoption to be a Child of God this is no more than the promise of the Covenant ratified in this Sacrifice God will be his Father 3. Doth the Believer expect an investiture into a Throne Kingdom and Crown why all these are by Christ our Sacrifice procured for us after they were forfeited by us 4. Doth the Believer expect a reward for all his obedience both active and passive well He may For all his obedience is advanced in it's worth by this blood sprinkled on it This Sacrifice hath merited it albeit our obedience could not this in the Apostle's words one Sacrifice hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Faith exceeds not its bounds when it expects consumate and full Perfection of happiuess These are the Grand expectations of faith let us view how justifiably faith may expect all these since that the foundation and ground of faith's expectation is secured and made good by the Death of Christ our Sacrifice Sect. 2. 2. The Foundation or ground of Faith's expectation is the promise and covenant of God upon this Faith builds it's hopes before God promiseth we may repose some kind of trust that he will do good for us but we cannot firmely and properly believe the Mariners Jonah 1.6 had some hope and trust that God would shew them mercy but this amounted not properly to a degree worthy the name of faith it rested still upon the Divine Goodness possibly God will think on us but it had no promise on which it might conclude God will think on us for good But now when once God hath promised and given out the word of Grace and Mercy the soul findeth a fit ground to build it's faith upon thus God spake to Abraham and gave him the promise so shall thy seed be Gen. 15.5 Then did Abraham believe God ver 6. And he believed in the Lord and he had no ground for faith before the promise And he gave no ground to unbelief after he received the Promise Hence the Apostle speaking of the greatness of Abraham's Faith tells us that it was against hope in hope Rom. 4.18 it was against all hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Natural and Second Causes but it was in hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to what was spoken to him by his God who could make good his word what ever he spake It is a blind and bold presumption not Faith which builds on other foundation than what God layeth Behold I lay in Sion for a Foundation a stone a Tried stone c. Isa 28.16 On this we may build our faith and not be confounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Pet. 2.6 The word of promise is the word of faith Rom. 10.8 And when we hear that word we ought to believe it for it is the word of God who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of possibility of failure And it
is a matter of justice not to condemn a person for whom satisfaction hath been made and it is matter of mercy to acquit him through another's sufferings who stood condemned for his own offences or if we judge as fit we should that neither the justice or mercy of God will permit he should be condemned for whom Christ died a Sacrifice we can conclude no less from such a death than the absolution future acquittance of a Believer whose Sacrifice Christ died who hereby hath as Isa 43.4 born our griefs and carried our sorrows i. e. the punishment due to our sins for the which he hath suffered and made satisfaction Say the Generva Notes in loc yet what follows ver 5. is fuller Vt integrae essent res nostrae nobis bene esset c. placuit c. verbera plagas quas nos commeriti eramus filius susciperet c. Castigatione verberibus filii reconciliati sumus Patri efferbuit ira Patris Fozerius in loc He was wounded for our transgressions the chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed The strokes and blows which we deserved the Son took upon him to the end that our affairs being restor'd it might be well with us c. by the chastisement and stripes of the Son we are reconciled to the Father and the anger of the Father hath asswayed and ceas'd towards us Whoso can look with the eye of faith on Christ thus dying Chrîstus Dominus pro peccatis nostris dolore affectus est ergo peccata nostra deleta ergo ira Dei remisit conseditque ergo reconciliatus enim nobis ergo pax integritas salus omne bonum in nos dimanavit Fozerius may in the words of the late mentioned Commentatour triumph Christ the Lord was grieved for our sins therefore our sins are blotted out the wrath of God is appeased and ceaseth God is reconciled to us therefore peace restitution salvation and every good thing hath flowed in to us But one thing possibly may be suspected viz. Albeit such an atonement and reconciliation be made now yet may not wrath at last break forth in fury to the utter condemnation of the soul which now hath its pardon To this I shall answer by subjoyning 4. That Christ Died a Sacrifice which he himself offered through the Eternal Spirit to the end that he might purge our conscience from dead works that we might serve the Living God as Heb. 9.14 By which one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Which great Truth the Apostle confirmeth by an Argument drawn from the very letter of that Covenant which is confirmed in this Sacrifice according to which Covenant God promiseth remission of sins so ver 17. Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin ver 18. The ground whereof is the perfect Reconciliation wrought for those to whom God doth grant remission of sin so that hence I may justifiably argue from the real expiation made at first to the perpetual continuation of it by the blood of this most perfect Sacrifice Let our Faith therefore be directed to fetch our absolution from guilt and condemnation let us ensure this to our selves through Christ dying our Sacrifice and take that comfort to our selves he hath by one offering for ever perfected them that are sanctified And he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 Sect. 2. 2. The second Disquiet of the soul I mentioned was a fear lest it should lose the refreshing apprehensions and sweet enjoyments of the Divine Favour how much this would disturb the peace of the soul I am not here to discourse having said all I intended already on it But now it is my business to shew that Christ's Death as our Sacrifice is sufficient to prevent this fear or to secure unto the soul an enjoyment of the Divine Favour which I now attempt to shew 1. In that this Sacrifice duly apprehended by us doth very much abate of the ground of our fears of the withdrawing the Divine Favour from us Now the apprehension of the dread and terrour of spiritual desertions ariseth from our doubts that they are but precursory to a final and eternal displeasure that they are but the Primordia dolorum the beginnings of sorrows that the full measures will be at last for everlasting poured out upon the soul Oh this afflicts This Will God be gracious no more is the sword which wounds to the heart and whilst this fear abides on the soul it can take no rest Now see Christ our Sacrifice hath atoned vindictive displeasure reconciled us to God delivered us from wrath to come so that undoubtedly these present seasons of darkness are but seasons These sorrows may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Christ in the merit of his blood doth ever appear for me with God though God appear not to me now as of old yet I shall enjoy him 2. Christ Dying a Sacrifice for us hath now changed the nature of all our afflictions and turned them into wholsom corrections and into necessary exercises of our graces not onely our outward afflictions are so changed that there remaineth not any deadly poyson in them but our spiritual troubles among which this I speak of is to be accounted chief these are much more altered in their nature as indeed it was expedient they should for as they sink deeper into the soul and do more speedily seize the spirit and have an immediate influence on the soul so they would be of more dangerous consequence if they retained an unrebated poyson in them These would undo the soul whereas outward afflictions can approach to the soul but intermediately and being kept still about the outworks can only disquiet alarm cannot kill the soul nor its comforts Now we are beholden to the excellency of this Sacrifice for this By this sacrifice our afflictions are rendered only corrections whatever is vindictive and which the soul cannot beare is derived upon our Sacrifice being hereby secured from wrath For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5.10 The Apostle argueth from our reconciliation once effected unto our salvation in due time to be accomplisht And happy they who have Christ once dying a Sacrifice to make their peace but ever living a merciful and a faithful High Priest to maintain their peace with God Such he is to all for whom he is a Sacrifice 3. In midst of spiritual desertions Christ our Sacrifice preserveth inviolate the state of our peace though we have not the sense and sweetness of that peace The Covenant of peace between God and the soul standeth unaltered still and this in the vertue of this blood of Christ our
Sacrifice for so were Covenants of old made confirmed as hath been observed a very pregnant place to our present purpose we met with in Psa 89.30 seq If his children forsake my Law Psal 89.30 31 32. â—â— and walk not in my Judgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their transgressions with a Rod and their iniquity with stripes 2 Sam. 7.14 Virgâ hominum i.e. moderatâ correctione in eorum commodum Poli Synops Crit. This Rod 2 Sam. 7.14 is the Rod of men that is with moderate correction and for their good But or Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Here 's a rich Cordial to the drooping soul which smarteth under the didivine corrections God hath not nor will he take away his loving kindness nor suffer his faithfulness to fail ver 33. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Now then when thy sin whether of folly or frowardness is corrected and thou mournest under sense of divine displeasure call to mind the Covenant made in Christ thy Sacrifice and be comforted sense of thy peace may but the Covenant of thy peace shall not be broken 4. Under the apprehension of divine displeasure and present dereliction yet this Sacrifice may soon quiet and sufficiently support the soul in that it will be its present refuge against the violence of this trial still the soul may interpose the Propitiatory vertue of this Sacrifice between it self on the one part and God's displeasure with its own fears on the other part hitherto this Altar may the troubled and the trembling soul fly as Joab to the horns of the Altar and certainly when the blood of this Sacrifice is found sprinkled on the soul God will speak a present peace or support with a secret infused hope of life and at least seasonably let the Believer know he will never take him from the Altar that he may die but yet as a Father he may correct his offences without violating the priviledge of sanctuary And indeed this is the utmost God intends in the exercise of his Sons and Daughters who are reconciled to him through Christ their Sacrifice In vertue whereof all Believers might and I believe the most of them do one time or other in this life after such spiritual troubles recover some degree of spiritual peace and joy in the favour of God however seldom go off the stage without the joy of good old Simeon departing in peace because they have seen the salvation of God But they never fail to see and rejoyce in God through Christ when they receive the peace which after death is to be obtained with God by vertue of this Expiatory Sacrifice the truth hereof they firmly believe and hope for it also Rom. 5.11 We may then joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the atonement Joy in God is a fruit of atonement and this an effect of the Sacrifice of Christ So near alliance there is between our Joy in the Divine Favour and Christ procuring and maintaining it for us in the vertue of his Sacrifice Much to the same purpose is that of the Apostle Heb. 10. v. 19. Having boldness to enter by the blood of Christ Now at least this boldness is a fruit or consequent of our perswasion and hope that God beareth a gracious respect to us And ver 21. and 22. Having an High Priest and consequently a Sacrifice let us draw nigh with a true heart in full assurance of faith c. If any complain notwithstanding all this I must assure them their own inability to improve the vertue of Christ our Sacrifice is the reason why they draw not out the excellent Oil which would make their face to shine it is not want of excellency in him or in his death our Sacrifice Sect. 3. 3. A third thing a soul is disquieted at is the sinful imperfections of duties weakness of graces and unworthiness of his person all which concurring do oftentimes occasion a doubt whether such shall be accepted with a God of infinite holiness and glorious Majesty Can God indeed take pleasure in such will such persons be accepted such graces allowed such duties approved and if not where shall the troubled soul seek rest For removal of this Disquietude from the soul there is sufficient in Christ dying our Sacrifice For 1. It is that which procureth an acceptation of our persons it restoreth us to the Favour of God who delighteth in every one who hath by faith a real interess in this Sacrifice The Grace of God through Christ looketh to our persons Quâ gratos nos sibi reddidit per illum dilectum Vatab. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. So that he maketh us accepted Ephes 1.6 He hath respect to our persons and this through Christ our Sacrifice as ver 7. By whom we have redemption through his blood Expounding the material cause how we are made acceptable to God in Christ for it is he only whose Sacrifice by the mercy of God is imputed to us for forgiveness of sin as some note on these words It is the order observed in the New Covenant Semper igitur sentiendum est nos consequi remissionem peccatorum Et personam pronunciari justum i. e. gratis acceptari propter Christum per fidem postea vero placere etiam obedientiam erga legem reputari quandam justitiam c. Augustan Confess Ar. 6. confirmed in the death of this Sacrifice to look to the person first through the precious blood of his Sacrifice and next to the performance of his duties subsequent As God is said to have had respect to Abel first and then to his Sacrifice So here the person of the Believer is through Christ accepted with God thus the fears lest our unworthy persons be rejected are removed God valueth them not as in themselves but in the superadded favour which for Christ's sake he beareth to them 2. Secondly The excellency of this Sacrifice removeth the fears which arise from the weaknesses and perfections of our gracious works too For the excellency of this Sacrifice ennobleth every spiritual Sacrifice we offer unto God by faith Rev. 8.3 And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the Saints upon the golden Altar which is before the Throne On which words Junius hath this passage among others This is that Great Emperour the Lord Jesus Christ our King and Saviour who maketh intercession to God the Father for the Saints filling the heavenly Sanctuary with most sweet odours and offering up their prayers c. in such sort as every one of them so powerful is that sweet savour of Christ and the efficacy of his Sacrifice are held in reconcilement with God c. You
prove it from the Scripture as from Heb. 9.16 17. Where beyond doubt it denotes a last will And the Third of the Gal. ver 15. If it be buta Man's Covenant or Testament for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may with very good sense be understood of a Testamentary Disposition Paraeus in loc Crellius in loc or last Will as it is also intrepreted by some Humane testimony both from Historians and Lawyers pleading this use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Testastament might be added But I refer you to the foregoing Chap. latter end In one word we may well suit our thoughts to Christ's words His words may very well be both the matter and the rule of our meditations so that we need not fear that we erre in our thoughts at a Sacrament when our thoughts do not wander from Christ's own words we do surely entertain right and seasonable meditations when we entertain such as Christ suggesteth who no doubt did purpose to lead our minds by his select phrases and words For First This beares an uniform analogy this exactly suiteth with the manner of Antient Sacraments which afforded seasonable matter of meditations in the Sacramental phrases and expressions then used as circumcision of the foreskin c. Directed them to think of circumcising the heart and the cutting off the lusts of the flesh the Passeover by it's very name led the thoughts of the Jewes to meditate on the Angels passing over their Houses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transivit per intervalla Transilire unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Agnus mascnlus qui mactabatur 15 die mensis primi quo admonebantur Israelitae liberationis quae ipsis contigerat per saltum quem Deus fecerat c. Conr. Kitcher in verbum when he did smitethe Aegyptians This Pesach spake the Angels observing Israel's habitations and his leaping as it were over them but laying his hand on the Aegyptians The mercy remembred is Israel's escape for as much as the sword of the Angel rebounded from Aegyptians to Aegytian still flying over Israel and the name of the Memorial is Passeover In like manner God hath set his Bow in the Clouds a sign which he hath appointed to mind us of his Covenant promise no more to destroy the VVorld by Water such Analogy between Sacraments and Things exhibited under them was of old and there is not any reason why it should not continue still Secondly Each Sacramental action doth lead us and guide our thoughts to Meditations that befit the Season and suit well with the Ordinance The taking giving Thanks breaking the Bread pouring out of the VVine Giving c. these all have their proper significations and suggest suitable and seasonable Meditations And no doubt if each action do so offer matter for our meditation every expression will do it as well especially considering Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That words and expressions are the most proper and natural signs of things They represent things to our thoughts more lively than actions do words are the Candles which light you things are the rare pieces which should entertain your thoughts words are but like glass Cases through which you may discern and view and recreate your thoughts in beholding the curious Needle-work or Pensil of exactest Artist Such are the words of Christ here they shew us what kind of love he bare toward us what tender care he had of us what full sure and seasonable Provision he made for us c. This is that admirable and unparallel'd piece which lieth within the Glass of his words and which we may seasonably meditate on any time and most seasonably when we shew forth his Death Fourthly The words and expressions of other places of Scripture and in other matters have been the guide and matter of the Saints Meditations So David meditated on the word of God Psal 119.148 Daniel thus employed his thoughts Dan. 8.15 19. And the blessed Virgin laid up the words which were spoken and ponder'd them Luke 2.19 Now if there be any special exception against the like entertaining our thoughts in weighing the words of Christ in this case let it be produced Lastly Debuit ejus oratio cum ipsa re consentire ut vera esset Christo digna qui sese ipâ—am veritatempraedicaverat Thes Sal. de usu c. Caenae c. Sect. 14. Plain significant instructing words do hardly awaken raise keep up and strengthen our Meditations and Considerations suitable to the nature end and solemnity of this ordinance and Christ who knew our great dulness who pitied us under it and who purposed to help us against it would never puzzle and perplex our minds with words and expressions Aliene unsuitable and far remote from the things we ought to consider Christ would rather make it a more easy thing than a more difficult to fall into seasonable meditations by following the drift meaning and design of of his words which containing a Testament or last Will lead us at a Sacrament to consider Christ dying as a Testator as our Friend in love care bounty and fidelity providing for us by Will such thoughts well suit the Ordinance of the Lords Supper Sect. 2. 2. Secondly In his lib. Novi Test verè exprimitur extrema Filii Dei voluntas quam ratam voluit inter nos post mortem suam Eam habemus expressam in Caenae dominicae institutione c. D. Aretius in Prolegom ad Matth. Such thoughts well suit the Sacrament of the Lords Supper For then our thoughts and the things themselves agree there is an harmony between the things themselves contained in the Sacrament and the thoughts of the Communicants The nature of the things and our thoughts do then center and meet together and there is most suitableness where there is nearest agreement Now I have sufficiently proved that Christ did make his last Will and that he died a Testator the Sacrament of his last Supper is a shewing forth this Death and unto this do your thoughts agree when they run out into Meditations on Christ dying and making his last Will. So that more needs not be added to this Second Argument by which it appeareth how suitable such thoughts are agreeing well with what is represented to us and how seasonable our thoughts are being drawn out at such time as these things are represented to us Thirdly Meditations on Christ dying and making his last Will and Testament do well suit this Sacrament for they do well suit with the ends of this Sacrament There are among others four eminent and unquestionable ends of this Sacrament to all which these thoughts exactly agree of all which in as few words as I may I do purpose to speak And so 1. First A publick and solemn Declaration or Profession of this great Truth That Christ Jesus the Messiah hath died according to the Scriptures and is risen again living in the glory of his Father with whom we have Communion in every
Sacrament until he take us to the Glory of the Father or come again to us in the Glory of the Father Every Sacrament is a taking out a Certificat that Christ died and was buried but that he is risen from the Dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 53. Every time the Bread is broken in a Sacrament we tell the world that our Lord was cut off out of the Land of the Living The pouring out of the Wine speaketh his powring out his blood unto death and for proof hereof we produce his Testament and last Will the last Will of our great Commander who made it In Procinctu when he was girt and in his Armour just ready to enter the conflict wherein he laid down his life for us The excellent Moralist and Historian Plutarch tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. it was the custome with the Roman Souldiers to make their Wills when they stood in Battel-aray Facientibus Testamenta in procinctu veluti ad Certam mortem eundum foret Velleius Paterculus lib. 2. I am sure when they went on a hard and dangerous design the more considerate amongst them made their last VVill as the Roman Historian reports of their Souldiers assaulting Trebonia in Spain Our great and Glorious Captain knowing that his hour was come and that he must dye for us disposed thus his estate by VVill or Testament which proveth the truth of his Death as fully as any VVill duly proved by course of Law proveth that the Testator is dead Now certainly good evidence to the truth of Christ's death must needs be very suitable to our publick declaration and Profession of his death and so must suit with this first End of the Sacrament which is to shew forth his Death until he come The valid and irreversible Testament proveth the Death of the Testator Now such a Testament we have exhibited in the Sacrament and who employs his thoughts on this meditation employs them so as they agree with the End of the Sacrament 2. Secondly Christ intended the renewal of our lively affections toward him Dying for us as another end of the Sacrament of his body and blood He did therefore appoint this Ordinance to continue after his Death that it might keep the affectionate remembrance of his love alive in our hearts He would not have his Death forgotten neither would he have it kept in memory without the vigour and strength of our love His friends were dead in sin and misery at that time he remembred these dead friends with life of affections and now his living friends must not remember him with dead affection A lifeless affection is next neighbour to no affection and to remember with such affection is very little more than quite to forget Now none of us should so forget our Dying Lord we could not see him dying as they did Luk. 23. v. 27. who followed him to Mount Calvary and saw him with their bodily eyes yet in every Sacrament of his Supper he is evidently set forth dying among us and so every one of us must remember him every place in the Church may put us in mind of our Lord but the Table and the Cross do more particularly and lively set our remembrance on work Sic oculos Sic ille manus c. Let me ask the question did you ever lose a dear friend who made you a Legatee in his Will or appointed you Executor of it how did your affections stir move yea melt your heart when you read over the Will when you came to demand your Legacy did you receive it with dry eyes Let us bestow our affections in reading over Christ's Will as we would bestow them in reading over the Will of a tender careful Friend and then I am sure we shall frame our hearts to this second end of the Lord's supper and demean our selves as Christ expects we should at his table We shall remember him with love for his loving remembrance of us we shall remember him with desires of his return and coming in glory to make good all that he hath bequeathed to us to put us in possession of all that which the Sacrament representeth and sealeth to us we shall say make hast come quickly oh Lord. 3. Thirdly A solemn publick and constant return of Thanks and Praise to the Lord is a third end of this Sacrament Christus voluit sacram suam coenam esse mortis passionis suae nostraeque per eam à peccato morte diabolo liberationis perpetuum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nostrae ea propter gratitudinis observantiae publicum Testimonium Ludoy Cappel Thes Salm. de Liturg. Ling. Ignot part 1. th 5. Christ would have his holy Supper be a perpetual remembrance as of his Death and Passion and as of our deliverance from sin death and the Devil so of our gratitude and observance would he have it be a publick Testimony as that Learned Professor hath expressed his sense and apprehension of this matter We can scarce meet with any one person amongst the lowest and meanest Professours of Christian Religion so little instructed in the nature and end of this Ordinance as not full well to know and openly profess it is an Ordinance appointed for continuing a thankful Remembrance of our Dying Lord. We cannot read any Writer Popish or other but in their writings of the Sacrament every page is full of it the most usual name of it is Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Syriack Version hath borrowed this Greek word to express it self in Act. 2.42 20.7 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which soundeth out Gratitude and Thankfulness so some render and translate Bread in Acts 2.42 10.7 broken in the Sacrament and call it the Breaking of the Eucharist but I will spare my time pains and paper and appeal to thy pretences and professions who goest to the Lord's Table I know thou canst not acquit thy self to thy Brethren with whom thou communicatest nor to thy own Profession unless thou declarest thy desire to remember thankfully the Death of thy Lord. Now the Love of Christ remembring thee by Will in his Testamentary disposition hath in it very many strong and prevailing perswasives to thankfulness and will certainly awaken the sober considerate soul unto gratitude and so will excellently well suit with the season and the duty of feasting with our Lord. Of which more shall be said in our following discourse if the Lord give leave Mean while the greatness of our legacy the freeness of love in the legator the unworthiness of the legatees the certainty of our future receiving it the present enjoying more if so be we would set our selves with more diligence and search to enquire into the deed of gift our Lord hath made to us These I say will certainly perswade us to constant acknowledging our debt of thankfulness to our dying Lord. Our life should be
a perpetual thanksgiveing to Christ but a Sacrament is the solemne day of Thanksgiving which Christ hath appointed He did find the Jews keeping the Passeover so he hath ordained the Christian Feast of his supper in the stead thereof and so to be kept the Apostle tells us that he received of the Lord what he delivered to his Corinthians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 10.16 and he delivered unto them this cup of Blessing this minds you of the greatest gift God could give and must not be lookt on without your heart in your eye Go too then think as you can of him who hath made you heirs by his will speak of it as you can Inusitatâ incognitâ quadam felicitate I mistake if you do not think say this came to pass by an unusual and wonderful happiness as the Historian said of that will which made the people of Rome heir to a Kingdome Be you as just to the Remembrance of your Lord and shew it in your thankfulness 4. Fourthly Another great End of the Sacrament and which Christ intended in appointing Coena in eum finem comparata est ut sit communioris charitatis Christianonum vinculum inter ipsos Th. Thalm. de usu coen Dom. dis 1. sect 42. it was that union and communion might be preserved and continued among Believers It doth therefore bear the name of a Communion and Christ hath prepared this Spiritual Feast to keep up spiritual friendship Christ would have but one Table for Believers that Believers might have but one heart for each other Christ hath put them all together at his table that they might keep all together in love and be but one Mark well with what text the Apostle urgeth this Union and Communion among Saints 1 Cor. 10.17 We being many are one body for we all partake of one bread But now alas that is made a cause of contention and separation which was appointed a means of union and Christian friendship of which I might justly complain were this fit time and place But I conclude this in the words of the Learned Professours Sacra Synaxis est dilectionis fidelium inter se contesseratio quaedam P P. Salmur de usu neces coen Dom. Disp 1. Sect. 42. The holy Communion is a certain signal mark of the love of the faithful one to another Now I say the last Will of Christ dying a Testator conduceth unto this and therefore the meditations of Christ dying a Testator will suit with the Sacrament and do well become a Communicant View but a while oh ye quarrelling Believers how you have all one common great friend ought you not be one in him Have you not all one title and may you overthrow your Brother's hope without overthrowing your own are all men careful to preserve unity whose welfare is endangered by discord and will you be less than men In one word Christ hath put you all into his own Will and made you Legatees Joint-heirs how well doth one Will become them who are thus one in the Will of Christ oh divide not in your wills and affections you are undivided in the Will of Christ suit your considerate thoughts to the blessed ends your Dear and Dying Lord intended to promote enlarge your thoughts on the particular considerations and respects in which he died draw down these respects unto the several graces and duties which they will awaken and strengthen and I hope in a Sacrament you shall find your Profession and Faith confirmed your Affections enlivened your Thankfulness enlarged your Union and Communion with Saints strengthened and secured by a due application of your meditations to the Death of Christ dying a Testator and so will find by experience what I have said that these thoughts well suit a Sacrament because they well suit the ends of the Sacrament CAP. III. Christ's Testament Influenceth our Graces I Am now to treat my Reader with the entertainment of his thoughts on the third proposal which pretends to make it appear that due considerations of Christ's dying a Testator making his will and comprising all his friends in it may improve the growth of grace such reflections on this kind of death do well comport to the communion they do also well advance the graces of the communicant they do befit the solemnity they benefit the solemnizer which I shall attempt to illustrate and prove in the genetal by these following arguments Sect. 1. 1. First 1 Argument That which awakens the soul to a diligent search and enquiry into the word and into its own state will advance the growth of grace Grace is of such a nature it growes best when most searcht as health by medicines which penetrate the secretest places of the disease and expel the most hidden hurtful humours our spiritual Balm healeth best when self-examination openeth our wounds and maketh way that the Balm may sink and soak to the bottom Now the consideration of Christ dying a Testator and making his Will or Testament will awaken us to such a search enquiry It is almost natural to us when our rich friends dye to enquire what Will they made and who are remembred and what they are remembred in especialy when they hear that all the kindred and all the friends are remembered in the Will and have somewhat given them upon this the considerate Christian begins his search of these two things at least 1. The last Will of Christ which is contained in and to be gathered out of his word And next He 2. Searcheth his own Pretences to the Friendship and Kindred of Christ for the word assures him that the Lord Christ hath bequeath'd all to his Brethern and Friends Hence 3. A Third thing is concluded by the considerate Christian viz. The strengthning his alliance to Christ and making it more firm and sure which is most effectually and only done by adding grace to grace and bringing forth fruits of grace thus will this search occasioned by this Death of Christ improve grace Sect. 2. 2. That which answers the doubts and which removes the disquieting fears of the gracious soul doth improve grace in the soul Doubts are the souls earth-quakes which shake the foundations and weaken the superstructure these doubts once well removed and these fears once well blown over the soul resteth on a good strong solid foundation and all that is laid upon it standeth the faster and steadier These disquieting fears are Languores animae The consumptive decaies of weak grace let these be taken away and grace recovers to a healthful vigorous and strong habit they are part of that spirit of bondage which attends a weaker and less grown grace and as these fears are dispelled and the prevalence of the spirit of bondage abateth so the Pharrhesia that boldness and child-like confidence of grown grace increaseth with an increasing measure of the spirit of Adoption from which springeth an universal increase of grace Atque
adoptionis illius vim senserunt in Spiritu Sanctificante PP Salmur de Sp. Adop Sect. 12. so they who are sealed with the spirit of Adoption have still found the power of that Adoption by the spirit of Sanctification Now I say Christ Dying a Testator and leaving us his last Will or Testament to meditate upon hath left us a good answer to our doubts and the due meditations of the soul on the last Will of Christ will much dispel our fears and quiet the soul For whereas there are two sorts of fears which afflict a gracious soul 1. A fear it shall miss of Glory And 2. A fear it doth want truth of grace Christ by his last Will hath secured the believing soul against both these fears against the first by giving a Kingdom and Glory to such by Will he appointed them unto a Kingdom to a Glorious Crown Against the second by bequeathing the spirit of Truth and Grace unto them to lead them in holiness unto the end and this Will of our best Friend who Died to confirm it is a very sure Title on the sacred reverence authority of last Wills and Testaments Legum servanda fides suprema voluntas Quod mandat fierique subet parere necesse est Aug. Imper. de vol. Virg. which must be sacred and inviolate when the man is dead Command of Laws must duly be fulfill'd And so must that our dying friend last will'd how much more when he who died once hath for ever conquered death and lives for ever to see his own Legacies both bestowed and enjoyed which peculiar to Christ our dying friend gives greatest encouragement against such doubts and might very well ease us of all such fears and so be an excellent defence and prop to weak grace whence will soon follow a considerable growth in grace Sect. 3. 3. That which confirms the truth certainty and immutability of the promises improveth Grace I need not give long Proofs of so known a Truth Praecipuum maximè proprium objectum Fidei situm est in promissionibus PP Salm. de Fide sect 7. the promisies are the objects of our faith the good things contained in the promises are the object of our hope the grace and mercy making the promises is the Load-stone of our love In one word we are made partakers of the Divine Nature we do purify our selves and perfect holiness through these promises Grace is as the vine the promises are the frame which beareth up and carrieth the vine which thriveth best when it resteth on the surest and stedfastest frame Grace is a spiritual building which needeth a sure Foundation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such is the promise which as the word of God is in it self sure and stedfast for it is impossible that God should lie Tit. 1.2 Heb. 6.18 Yet to this the Lord hath superadded the confirmation and certainty of a Testamentary disposition or last Will making all the promises in Christ and making them all sure and unchangeable by the death of Christ whereby they become to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 that we might have such assurance as should render it next to a moral impossibility for us soberly and deliberately to doubt them Now all this is excellently effected by resolving and moulding the promises into a last Will or Testamentary disposition which is of such a nature that it becomes unalterable on the Death of the Testator Heb. 9.17 for a Testament is of force after men are dead and so the law maxim ensureth us In publicis Lex in privatis Testamentum firmissimum habetur that what the law is in publick concerns that a last Will in private concerns is for ensurance and firmness In brief therefore the last Will of Christ Dying confirms the Promises to us what confirms the promises confirms our faith and hope with other graces faith and hope confirmed do greatly tend to purifying and sanctifying our hearts and making our life fruitful in these things lieth the growth and improvement of grace so that due reflections and right manage of our thoughts on Christ dying a Testator do as is said improve the communicants Graces Sect. 4. 4. That improves grace which doth soften the heart and as it were ripen it unto a mellow temper as the showers which soak into the earth in the spring time which soften the earth do both prepare the way that tender roots of trees and plants may spread abroad and root deeper and also do afford nourishing moisture and sap whence the verdure blossom and the fruit it self so it is here a hard and rocky heart is as unkind a soil for grace as stony ground is for Corn neither can take root to any good purpose Trees of righteousness are planted by the rivers of waters which is a tender soil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the water courses divide themselves and run out into many branches gently and kindly softening the ground And though some vines of the Lord are planted in high Mountaines naturally hard and barren in proud and hard hearts yet these hearts are like plowed ground laid a fallowing and mellowing and so prepared for the seed time every high Mountain is laid low before Christ In one word the pleasant Lillies do grow in the Valleys low and softned grounds so grace thrives best in the humble and tender soul Now there are in the last Will of Christ many both common and ordinary as also Singular and extraordinary motives and inducements to tenderest affections towards Christ Whatsoever cause any true friend any kind Brother any dutiful Child can see in the care love and bounty of his Dying Friend Brother or Father expressed and contained in the porvision made by such one for him that all that and more may the meditating and considerate soul see in the last Will of Christ to melt him into affections for Christ in whose Death he may see love living and growing strong when life fainted and grew weak And as his veines and heart grew empty of blood both grew full of love to you and me So he loved his own to the end What in particular these common and speciall motives are I shall not now specify but reserve them to another more fit place thus you have the sum of this fourth argument before you in the next place Sect. 5. 5. That improves our graces which endeareth the Lord Jesus to us what increaseth our love to Christ doth increase our holiness and addeth to our graces love will long for a more close union love will study the most intire complyance it will ambitiously strive to advance and honour it will without ceasing endeavour to please That soul is most endeared to holiness and most studious of holiness which is most endeared to Christ and most in love with him such a soul keeps his Commandments Now the view and consideration of Christ s last Will and Testament will surely endear
hast First All the common inducements of a firm perswasion which are as much in this as in any No man's last Testament can have more grounds for the ensuring us it is firm and stable than his last VVill of Christ He was in strictest propriety a Person who might optimo jure in best right make his VVill. He had wealth and riches spiritual Riches fulness of Grace and merit Testes suntin primis discipuli ejus Apostoli sancti man tyres quoque testes sunt -Testes etiam bom ministri omnes Testes etiam Angeli omnesque Pii Ben. Aretius in Prolegem ad Matth. he had large demeasnes was heir of all things he could sua legare bequeath his own he did also make his VVill by his death he confirmed all the promises and made them the Legacy of every Believer He did condere Testamentum ordain his Testament To which he added sufficient VVitnesses to him give all the Prophets and Apostles witness that whosoever believeth in him hath good title and right to eternal Life he bequeathed it by VVill and adhibuit testes * call'd in Witnesses And farther he publish'd his Will sent out his Apostles who declared Christs death and the Believers life Every Minister of Christ is one by whom Christ still publisheth this Will of his Now if thou who readest this hadst such a Ground of Plea for an inheritance wouldst thou not say thou hadst a good Title wouldst thou fear to claim thy Legacy wouldst thou not sue the Executor rather than lose thine inheritance when thou shouldest read what thy dying Friend commanded to be written what witnesses are to it how plain and full he made every thing be written publisht would not thy perswasion grow as thou readest So then it is in this case every promise is reduced into the form of a will and the more thou readest and considerest the more wilt thou discern the stability and the certainty of the promises The words which thou believest on which thou may'st claim and make good thy claim to any promise it is the Legacy thy dying Lord hath bequeathed thee Say then before thou goest to the Lords Table I am now preparing to renew the memorial of Christs death and what thoughts am I to entertain ought they not to be thoughts of the precious promises which are comprised in the Lord Jesus in whom they are all yea and amen made to us in him before he died made most sure to us by him when he died And who dares go about to reverse what he hath so consirmed who shall presume to annul and make void his will I see others believe their interest in the last will of their Friends I know I am the Friend of Christ and in his Will what then should make me doubt Nay I will endeavour to have as inviolatam fidem inviolate and unshaken Faith as I have inviolate and Sacred ground of Faith in the last Will of my Lord. Secondly The Believer hath yet more to increase his faith and to confirm him in the perswasion that there shall be a performance of all that is promised For it is all made sure by the last Testament of him who could not exceed his own treasures he hath not given larger Legacies than his estate will bear though his Gifts are great yet his Estate will make them good He is heir of both Worlds with all that is in both he is heir of the world to come and he is proprietary of all grace which fits for Glory and he is also Proprietary of all Glory fitted unto Grace that is prepared and apportioned unto Grace He is Lord of this present world although we do not yet see all things put under him yet he is the man of whom David spake Psal 8. witness the Apostle Heb. 2. He shall inherit all Nations he is a King whose dominion is over all In one word the greatest wants the largest desires the highest expectations of his kindred could not be too much for his Treasures Though none ever gave as he hath given yet none ever did or ever shall be put to abate or to forgo any part of his Gift This oh believing soul is peculiar to thy Lord his Riches will pay all his Legacies Say then to thine unbelief what is it thou stickest at where lieth the difficulty are the promises so rich they exceed the Estates and Treasures of this world do they amount to more than all the world can make up why still they are not greater than the Riches of both worlds and remember thy self he hath both this and that world which is to come at his disposal and his Bequests are to be disbursed and paid out of both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Arab. reads Quicquid est in ea will both be enough cannot the fulness of the Earth fill thy emptiness why the Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof the World is his and they that dwell therein Banish thine unbelief which ordinarily stumbles most at the wants and streights of Christians in this life and look to the last Will of Christ which is unto Godliness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He bequeaths all the promises of the life that now is and of that which is to come Oh now where is thy faith what forbids thee to be perswaded of the truth of the promise of Christ 1 Tim. 4.8 he hath not laid it on an uncertainty much less on an untruth he hath not given so much if his Goods will amount to it He hath not as that beggarly Cardinal given much but his Legatees must find it out No but he had enough to give what he hath given and every one shall in due time have all that Christ hath given there are Assets to pay these debts believe than that thou may'st receive See how much greater cause thou hast to believe than any man can have to expect from the Testamentary disposition of a mortal friend who may possibly out give his Estate but Christ thy Friend did not could not out-give his 3. Next consider as he had wealth both spiritual eternal and temporal sufficient to discharge his leagacies so he had wisdom which could not and love in sincerity which would not err in the ordaining of his Will that so any Legatee should lose through the ambiguity or defect of his last Will. He needed none to direct him how to make a will which should hold good and be valid to all the intents and purposes of his love towards his poor Friends He is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that one Law-giver whose wisdom directeth to the making Laws good profitable and seasonable for his Church He is that Lawgiver whose soveraign authority gives validity and warranteth his word for a law to his Church He is the King of his Church and his Church knows not a law beside the word of his mouth And the words of his mouth are right there is nothing forward or
the new Testament in my blood this is a Testament which bequeaths to every believer the whole purchase of grace comfort glory and every good thing which the blood of Christ was the price of And he that bequeath'd all this would not alter it if he were to make his will anew if any one will controvert my Title Christ the Testator is to be Judge if any would defraud and detain my part or any parcel of it Christ lives to be his own Executor and to give the possession of all as well as to give me title unto any Thus sure are the Promises of the New Testament the Legacies of every Believer Here are many Arguments and each of them I think apt enough to perswade were they duly improved Reader let thy thoughts and deeper meditation add strength to thy Perswasion and Faith by drawing out the strength of these Arguments which may be truly called Arguments put into thy hand rather than handled for thee I hope thou wilt find thy Faith taking deeper root whilst like a tree it spreads its roots among these firm reasons I hope thy experience will as thy judgment must subscribe the truth of that Observation Look how many more are the good and fit Arguments which do perswade us of any thing Quô autem plura sunt argumenta bona illa atque Idonea quae nobis aliquid persuadent eô persuasio altiùs in mente radices agit PP Salmur disp de Sacra in Gen. Sect. 46. Quanto plura sunt illustriora documenta quae ad unius rei cognitionem vel persuasionem ingenerandam concurrunt tanto naturaliter sit in nobis vel rerum cognitio clarior vel persuasio certior ac minus dubitabilis Iidem de discrim Sacram. Sect. 6. so much the deeper rooting should the perswasion take in the mind How fit the arguments appear I know not but certainly if they seem weak it is from the weakness of the handler They are of great force in themselves and will be mighty to the deligent deliberate soul who is willing to perswade his faith to an increase CAP. V. Sect. 2. Hope Improved on Christ Dying a Testator A Second Grace improvable by our serious and meditative remembrance of Christ dying a Testator is our hope Whosoever doth employ his thoughts on the last will of the Lord Jesus and duly reflects upon it will find an addition to his hope and expectation of that good which is bequeath'd to the believer by his Lord. Bishop Reynold's of the Passions cap. 24. Hope is an earnest and strong expectation of a great good future possible and difficult Hope is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an expectation of things that are good and it springs grows up and flourisheth with Faith being grafted on a branch of the same stock on which Faith is grafted The Promise which the Lord makes to us for I speak of a Divine hope in which Promise there is ratio veri undoubted truth and there is ratio boni desirable good The former St. Paul expresseth thus The Promises are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 the lattet St. Peter expresseth thus Exceeding great and precious Promises 2 Pet. 1.4 And the Royal Prophet hath excellently joyned both together 2 Sam. 7.28 The word of God which was the Promise made to David by the Lord in the mouth of Nathan the Prophet is true and good Now as Faith springs up and flourisheth on the truth of the Promise so Hope springs up and flourisheth on the goodness of the Promise or in the words of the Learned PP of Saumur Indeed Faith embraceth the Promise as it appears Nimirum Fides Promissionem amplectitur sub ratione veri spes verò Promissionem considerat sub ratione Boni futuri Disp de Sacram. in Gen. Sect. 47. and is true but Hope considereth the Promise as it is and as it appeareth to be good and future And this notion of Hope is warranted by the Sciptures The Apostle speaking of Hope determines it unto good as its proper object Rom. 8.24 By Hope we are saved salvation is a great good and to this the Christian Hope applyeth it self It is a Blessed Hope that is a Hope of Blessedness at the glorious appearing of Christ our Saviour Titus 2.13 Thus the Apostle describeth the object of a believers Hope as it is good and in both places he includes the futurity of this good and makes it a condition of good as it is hoped for Hope that is seen is not Hope Rom. 8.24 saith the Apostle c. So then let the notion of Hope be remembred that we may see the influence of the last Will of out Dying Lord giving life and growth to our Hopes If our hopes are an expectation we may expect what Christ hath given if an expectation of great good Christ's gift by will cannot but be a great good if this great good must be future and possible it cannot but be yet to come for we cannot receive all in this present life but what is future is possible yea sure though unseen and to be attained with difficulty Christ will invest every believer with that which he hath bequeathed to him in his last Will. But I pass from this general discourse unto the particular discussing of the strength and growth of our Hope when it is acted on Christ's last Will and Testament in which the considerate soul observeth Sect. 1. 1. That there is an exceeding great benefit and advantage offered and proposed to it Christ hath bequeathed most transcendent blessings to the believing soul the Legacies he hath given are not few small dying or fading but they are many great and eternal All which will appear by these following considerations 1. The greatness of his mind it is not to be doubted whether Christ were of a large and noble heart He did excel all men in true magnanimity and greatness of mind as much as he excelled all men in holiness and freedome from sin Now let this be noted and we shall see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as was the man so were his gifts A great mind accounts small gifts below its grandeur When a King I think it was Alezander gave a gift that was complemented with because it was too great for him who was to receive it answer was made It was not too great for a King to give The Scripture gives us a ghess at the greatness of Araunah's mind by the greatness of his gift 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Sam. 24.24 Indeed they do mutually declare and shew themselves unto men so that the boons and Gifts of Christ unto believers do and could not but bear a proportioned greatness and a richness commensurate and suited to the greatness and largeness of his heart 2. Let it farther be noted as was the greatness of his heart so was the greatness of his interess estate and treasures Men somtimes have hearts too large for their houses and minds over-grown and exceedingly too large
excellencies to his living Friends which first filled his pure soul of him we receive grace for grace And he becomes a quickening spirit and as he took upon him our Nature that he might suffer for us so he imparteth his Holy Spirit maketh us partakers of the Divine Nature that we might reign with him and in all this he excelleth for only Christ can by Will and Testament make over and impart the endowments which adorn the mind Thy learned Friend may bequeath to thee his estate his bookes but he cannot give thee his learning thy Christian parent may dispose an ample estate to thee but he cannot be priviledged to dispose a drachm of his grace unto thee But here is such a Friend who might warrantably and who hath graciously said Because I live ye shall live also Joh. 14.16 For he can give a spiritual life in holiness and grace and he can preserve and finish it he can at last also give an eternal life in glory and happiness this he giveth to all who are given to him by the Father Joh. 17.2 This is the Moral spiritual goodness of his gift which renders not onely the condition of the person but the disposition of the mind better and which excels no less than vertue excels wealth no less than the mind excels the body or grace and Heaven excel gold and earth 2. A goodness of rest peace and Satisfaction attends the greatness of this Legacy I do wittingly change the terms which the schoolmen would here have used and do rather chuse to call it as I have done a goodness of rest or peace or satisfaction 1. The possibility that our great hopes may be attended with great anxieties and dangers 2. The danger lest they should turn to troubles and disquietudes as great as our Hopes 3. The uncertainty which will be most our happiness that we meet with or our unhappiness that we miss of our great worldly expectations and Hopes 4. Finally the most undoubted certainty that our great worldly Hopes shall not and that indeed they cannot afford us a commensurate rest and that our largest expectations shall like rivell'd half withered fruit give the lye to the fair blossom and ripen into a sowre and ungrateful fruit and set the teeth of him who feedeth upon it like swore Grapes on edge Miserrimum est fuisse felicem and make the man for ever most miserable because he was once most mistakenly accounted happy These four attendants of our worldly Hopes like the four winds do interchangeably toss us and at last dash us on those rocks which have wrackt others Now the believers Hopes are of a contrary Nature and do give great rest whilest they are expected and greatest satisfaction when they are attained There is nothing in the greatness of a believers Hope to abate the goodness of it for it is a Hope which at last will give an everlasting rest It shall never make ashamed It is bequeathed to us in those words of our Lord These things have I spoken to you that in me ye might have peace Joh. 16.33 Oh desireable gift peace in Christ were it no more than peace yet would it be more than our richest mightiest wisest Friends could give us their Legacies are often an occasion of trouble jarrs and bitter contention seldom a cause of peace to us in our outward affairs never a cause of peace to us in our soul The peace of soul must be sought in Christ and behold here it is bequeathed to us farther yet it is a peace or rest with Christ in glory Joh. 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory Where we shall be like him both in his rest and in his glory into which he is entred to take possession for himself and for believers Blessed they who have such great who have such good things to Hope for look then upon the greatness and goodness of thy Hope and expectation from such a Testator from such a Friend whose last Will thou dost or shouldest consider at a Sacrament there thou wilt see that thine are or might be the best and greatest Hopes which are Sect. 3. 3. Thirdly and Lastly Enhaunced and raised yet higher by the certainty and assurance of possessing enjoying and living upon them at last after we have conquered the difficulties which lye in our way As the greatness and goodness of our Hope so the assured certain future possessing and enjoying the great good we Hope for sublimateth our Hopes This certainty of our future possessing them is like the root of a faire and spreading Tree on which all the branches leaves and fruit depend for sap and beauty with growth and life Great Hopes without this root are but great presumptions And expectations of good without this future certainty are but waking dreams and self-abusing flatteries such Hopes shall no more grow and flourish than the stock and branches of a Tree whose root is cut off from the body such is the Dying Hope of hypocrites but the Hope of a hungring meditating believing communicant is a living Hope a Hope that hath a good vigorous and juicy root which though it spread among difficulties yet taketh the faster hold and standeth like Trees on rocky grounds much more firm It is this future certainty which gives both the being and the name to Hope which maketh not ashamed a wise man will be ashamed of a Hope that hath little or no probability and the confident self flatterer shall be ashamed of a Hope that hath no truth in it The wise man lays such Hopes aside among unexpected possibilities Si rueret Caelum c. looking not for them before the sky falls a net to catch larks only the rash and inconsiderate accounts them promising Hopes until they prove lying vanities of this kind are almost all our Hopes of great success and prosperities in worldly affairs they are very uncertain or not very probable or else very unprobable and next to impossible But that Hope which a believer buildeth upon the Death of Christ dying and making his Will is not clog'd with impossibility or with improbability nor with uncertainty The difficulty which lieth in our way of attaining our hope is intended and proportioned to whet and set a sharper edge on our desires and diligence We may conquer those difficulties and if we conquer we shall assuredly enjoy our Hopes Nay the enjoyment and living on our Hopes are not more certain than the conquering of the difficulties which kept us at distance from our Hopes we shall overcome those difficulties conquer those enemies of our rest and at last enjoy our victory in our rest And I pray who can say half so much for his worldly hopes if these are great are they not uncertain doth not their uncertainty grow as doth their greatness of all men he is most doubtful uncertain who fixeth his thoughts upon hopes that are
that whosoever either loves him not or loves him not for his own sake is unworthy of this great ordinance It is disputed whether Judas did partake of this Sacrament but it is not disputable whether a heart like his whether a man or woman who loves Christ no more than Judas did love him be fit for the Sacrament It is a feast for Christs Friends it is an entertainment for his beloved ones if that invitation Eat O Friends drink yea drink abundantly O Behold Cant. 5.1 Be not intended principally for a solemn bidding to this feast yet the general equity or congruity of it warranteth the Friends and lovers of Christ and none else to come The enemies of Christ must expect other kind of entertainment it is bring those mine enemies and slay them before me In one word that heart which is not full of love to God is full unfit for any approach to God in any ordinary and common duty much more unfit for this extraordinary and solemn access to the Lord. Now in the Testament or last Will of Christ we may discern most evidently 1. A love which deserveth to be very highly prized a love toward us wich none but Christ ever did or could bear and express toward us A love which entitled us to a participation of a Kingdom for as the Father hath given a Kingdom to him so hath he given a Kingdom unto us herein appeareth the largeness of his love to us what he hath given declareth how much he loved and the time when he gave sheweth the constancy of his love to us he loved us to the last Now ingenuity sets a value upon men according to the love men bear to their Friends and I am assured who ever readeth the last Will of Christ readeth the greatest the constantest love and why then should it not be esteemed their duty to set the highest price on Christ 2. The incomparable excellencies which he was master of The Legacies which he giveth manifest what surpassing treasures he was possessour of these for kind are spiritual for duration eternal for suitableness full and satisfactory for use sweet safe and pure for certainty unchangeable of all which somewhat hath already been spoken therefore no more shall now be said The vast riches of some men have been kept close until their last will hath discovered them and how then have some men admired them indeed we cannot understand the full treasures of our blessed Lord until we come to read his last Will and Testament in the light of glory with eyes of immortality and then he shall be admired in all them that believe 2 Thes 1.10 The believing soul when he views the treasures of grace comfort and glory made over to him by Christ's will cannot but admire the incomparableness of his person and although the believers estimate of Christ be so ingenuous as to prize Christ for his own worth yet it cannot be unthankful or not prize him for his gifts bestowed on us Whenever thou art going to a Sacrament if other more quickening motives do not offer themselves think on that which Christ hath given thee by will and consider how glorious and excellent a person he is who bequeathed these great and good things and who can and will bestow every one of them upon thee 3. Read over the will of Christ and ponder well what he hath given and bequeathed then reflect upon thy self and see what thou art now what thou wast when he gave and what thou art like to be so long as thou livest upon earth And when this is well considered thou wilt have cause to say that among all benefactours none can compare with Christ in the noble generous and free disposition of his mind And indeed the excelling beneficence of Christ toward believers doth win an excelling esteem and price in believers toward Christ who 1. Gave these great things of pardon and life of grace and holiness of peace and comfort of victory and glory contained in his Legacies to strangers disesteemers rejecters and in a word enemies of the giver and the gifts Now 't is a generous mind which will do good to miserable forlorn men and women who knew not their misery who undervalued their recovery who rejected the motion who declared their enmity against their deliverer He is a Physician of excellent temper who can and will pass by all these and cure a Dying body because he delight 's to heal Our Lord noteth in the parable Luk. 10.30 That a man went down from Jerusalem a Jew whom thieves robbed and left wounded and half dead insensible of his danger and unable to ask for help The enmity of the Jews against the Samaritanes arose on occasion of that Schism which the Samaritanes were guilty of and maintained against the Jews concerning the Worship of God Joh. 4.20 Our Fathers worshipped in this Mountain and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place c. This quarrel began soon after the Captivity of the Ten Tribes by Salmanesar 700 years before Christ was born and it had been countenanced by a High Priest and a Temple in a continued Succession of 300 years and somewhat more before the birth of Christ So old was this enmity whom a Samaritan pittied ver 33. Now observe there was a very rankerous enmity in the Jewes against the Samaritanes as appeareth from Joh. 4 9. 8. v. 48. But this generous compassion of the Samaritan checks the old quarrel and lendeth a helping hand such noble compassion is the compassion of our Lord to us to whom God commendeth his love that when we were enemies Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 However disingenious sinners slight and undervalue the person of Christ and his love toward them whilest they were very enemies yet whensoever grace appeath it changeth their minds and maketh sinners cease from sin and become Saints they shall at once both admire the excellency of Christ's person and love towards them and comdemn all their former low unbeseeming apprehensions of Christ his love As the compassion of Christ was thus generous in pittying of an undone enemy 2. So secondly it appeareth a noble and excellent compassion if it appear to thee what thou now art either thou dost not know why self and state or must confess Christ incomparably excellent in mind and disposition There is not now any worth in thee but what thou hast by vertue of Christ's Legacy where had others where hast thou thy grace but from the spirit of grace and note how the Apostle argueth this Gal. 3.14 15. by an argument drawn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Testament and Will of Christ Men do chose persons for some excellency or other and therefore do many times make them their heires But here 's a compassion and love that maketh us excel others by giving us what we could never have expected ex condigno by worthiness of our own The least Saint is more excellent than the eminentest carnal
man this the Saint hath from Christ by whose Testament he is heir to a Crown yet the excellentest Saint is less than the least of the Legacies of his Lord. In our present state there is nothing to commend us which doth not more commend our Lord who bestowed it By the grace of God we are what we are whether children heirs or Legatees And if we know as St. Paul did know we shall account all things as he did loss and dung Phil. 3.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Penuria defectus who hath all without Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Poor 'T is loss when he computeth the product of all his hopes that are short of Christ and the things which Christ freely gives and instead of ought gained he must writ much lost Such then is the excellency of Christ that without him nothing can be gain with him nothing shall be loss And 3. When thou hast viewed the great Legacies of thy Lord look on thy self what thou wilt most certainly be so long as thou art on earth and this will commend the noble excellent temper of thy Lord. He knew that thou wouldest repine be unthankful live much below his Royal gifts and in many things dishonour the free giver Yet all this never could discourage or change the resolutions and purpose of thy most bountiful loving and tender Friend and Lord. Behold here is love as the Apostle hath it 1 Joh. 4.10 Not that we loved God but he loved us c. here love is Triumphant indeed In a word or two either we must conclude the Christian a most disingenuous person or else conclude that the survey of the great Legacies his Lord hath given him will raise the Christians esteem of Christ it will enlarge his affections toward Christ Thus the love of Christ discovered in his last Will and Testament will draw out love to him again and love will find whereever the excellency of what is loved doth lye rather than want an excellency to justify the passion we see men will phancy and make an excellency and then value it Spiritual love needs no such help to esteem Christ it may find an infinite worth in him and indeed doth judge him the chief of ten thousand None but he would dye none but he dying would make such provision for us 4. This great Testator was brought to his end as we say by the faults and through the folly of us whom he did so highly befriend We sinned and he died our wickedness brought him to the Cross Isa 53. Now whilst we like sheep went astray and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of as all the precious life of the shepheard ransomed the life of his wandring sheep what would have been the manner of men in this case would it not have been I 'le cross them out of my will I intended a bounteous Legacy but be it now as far from my mind as I was from theirs this would have been the resolution of man But this was not the mind of Christ more excellent than man No no but this his Noble disposition I will do the most my Friends need from me though they have done the most they could against me I 'le conquer their unkindness and they captives to my love shall set an eternal Crown of triumphant glory and praise on my head I know whither to bring them and where they shall be of another temper and disposition towards me for my love I will bequeath them a Crown of glory though they have pierced me with a Crown of thorns I know when they shall look on me and mourn when they shall heartily resent their unkindnesses and in requital of my love shall prize me higher than their own life So let my soul ever say thy love oh Lord surviving death and conquering my ingratitude deserveth a higher esteem and larger affections than a narrow heart and low apprehensions can offer thee CAP. V. Sect. 5. Zeal for Christ Improved on Christ's Dying a Testator A Fifth grace suiting to the Sacrament 5th Sacramental Grace improvable and improveable by considering Christ a Testator making his will when he Died is Zeal to his glory and honour I think it not needful to prove the suitableness of this grace to the Sacrament The heighth of love to Christ the indignation against former sins fervent setled resolutions to oppose suppress and overthrow all lusts and the stirrings of lusts which as formerly they have risen up so now would afresh rise up against Christ all which as they are in every prepared communicant and which are the constitutives of Zeal so they would clearly prove this but I take it none will deny or doubt that Zeal to the glory and honour of Christ doth well suit with the constant ordinary course of the Christians conversation how much more doth it beseem him in his nearer accesses to Christ The people which are his peculiar must be Zealous of Good works Tit. 2.14 Rom. 12.11 fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Now beside what arguments arise from the common professed Friendship of the Christian to Christ As 1. The candour and humanity which we shew to every man who is dead of whom either nothing ought be said or nothing but good an ingenuous person is moved with Zeal for the name and credit of the dead when they are traduced especially 2. When the innocency of the person was in his whole life well known to all who in any degree of acquaintance knew him we should not take up the buried miscarriages of of the dead nor may we disguise the good workes of those that are not by to plead for themselves 3. When our Friends were useful to all that needed and would make use of them we endure not they should be traduced by surviving rancor and envy 4. When all this Friendship innocency usefulness and generous beneficence of our Friend met with nothing almost but causeless vexations and troubles and of these one succeeding the other without Rest we think it hard as indeed it is very exceeding hard measure that it neither meet with rest in life nor death that it should be defamed where all men have a priviledg securing them from piercing censures and envious reproaches these and such like motives of Zeal for the honour of our dear Friend who Dying from us left his love to live with us are equally applicable to any such Friend if any such may be found among the sons of men But over and above all these in centives there are some special incentives to Zeal for the honour of our Lord on this very account that he dyed a Testator making his Testament and last Will. 1. Hereby we are embodied into the family whereof Christ is the head and cheif so that our zeal for his honour is a zeal for the honour of our whole family That we are of his family is a very high ennobling us a very great
't is really a clothing of very great price in the account of God 1 Pet. 3.4 to speak of the excellency of this grace is aliene to this place and the seasonableness and suitableness of it to the Sacrament I think so apparent that it needeth not any proof I rather address my self to point out the incentives which from Christ Dying our Testator do offer themselves to set forward and improve this grace of humility It will teach us to judge of our selves as becometh us and it will ever keep us lowly 1. The Apostles motive to humility 1 Cor. 4.7 offereth it self to us in the very entrance on this meditation what hast thou which thou hast not received look on either the beauty of thy renewed soul or the comeliness of thy holy conversation or the excellency of thy justified state or the honour of thy Adoption or look on the lustre of thy spiritual joyes thy heavenly Hopes And of all these in general or of any of the particulars comprised in them can'st thou say this or that is not received I know thou can'st not deny the receiving and if thou hast received why dost thou boast this Question like a needle opens the swoln bladder of pride and letteth out the wind of vain opinion which would either corrupt or break us Thou hadst had as little to pride thy self in as one who hath only his shame to glory in if thou hadst not received what is now thy glory it was the bounty of thy Rich and Loving Friend at his Death to enrich thee thou hast no reason either 1. To boast before God who hath chosen and called thee as others like thee weak foolish and base Free and Rich mercy hath raised made wise and excellent and now neither thou I or any flesh may boast before God 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28 29. For what we are we are in Christ as v. 30. And the glory is due to God alone as v. 31. 2. Nor to boast over thy brother who was every whit as Good as thou before Grace made the difference and may ere long be as Rich in Grace as any and more humble than thou art yet He who hath adorned and blessed thee might with the same freeness have adorned him whom thou despisest Since then all that Good which is in thee was given to thee by thy Dying Lord it is absurd and exceeding unseemly for thee to lift up thy self above thy brother or to Glory in thy self before thy God When thou intendest to approach the Sacrament and when thou art there attending on the Lord remember thou hadst been poor and destitute of all those blessings therein represented if thy Lord Dying had not by Will bequeathed all to thee 2. The Second perswasive to Humility drawn from the Death of Christ as a Testator leaving us such Legacies may be our incapacity to serve him in any real service of advantage to him We Never yet were we never shall hereafter be in any capacity either of deserving what we have received or of requiting the love which gave it to us He that gave it gave by Will and Dyed to confirm his Will and our goodness could not extend to our Friend in the other world Our Lord needeth it not wee are when our best is done unprofitable servants These are two things which have kept better men in a humble lowly thought of themselves David's prayer Psal 16.1 was from a humble heart and in an humbled state and he maintained his Humility on the observation of his uselesness and unprofitableness to his Lord his preserver ver 2 3. My Goodness extendeth not unto thee c. It is Elihu his argument Job 35. ver 5. with 7. 8. To perswade to humility And Eliphaz Job 22.2 lay's down man's unprofitableness first and leaves us to conclude that unprofitable man must be a humble man thou mayest not be proud before one who needs thee not thou must not boast in thy Best seeing thy best is not good to him before whom thou boastest Should a man boast himself in his smoaky cottage before his Soveraign in his magnificent pallace or should a lame and decrepit fool boast of his wisdom and strength and commend it to his Soveraign for the wars In a word or two 1. Were thy Lord but a man yet his present state of Majesty and certainest coming in Glory confirmed represented to thee in his Last Testament mindeth thee that he needeth not thy help Thou canst not say He can be but not so well without me 2. The largeness of that state he was possessed of before he gave thee interess in it and which he hath still in his possession since he gave thee a right to any part of it doth clearly demonstrate that thou hast nothing to pride thy self in before thy Testator amongst other causes of humility we shall find that the wealth and Riches of those we appear before is one which perswadeth us to a demiss and lowly deportment and behaviour there is an appearance of Glory in Riches Psal 49.16 For with increase of Riches there is in common esteem an increase of Glory Now in the gifts and Legacies of thy Dying Lord thou mayst clearely see those true precious and lasting Treasures of grace comfort and glory which he was and is still owner of with him are Riches and honour Prov. 8.18 To him therefore reverent carriage and humble thoughts affections and esteem of our selves in his presence is most suitable And who is not affected with humility and lowliness toward Christ is so much the more injurious to him by how much more excellent and precious Christ's riches and wealth excel the Riches of men which are so highly esteemed that they are judged sufficient ground of honour to the owner and sufficient cause of commanding humble carriage in the poorer 3. In Christ Dying a Testator thou mayest discern a dignity of dominion and Lordship over the things which are disposed of by will A dominion which cometh near to an absolute and uncontrouled dominion what a man may give by will to whomsoever he pleaseth is more under the dominion of that man than the things which need a farther and more large conveyance As the estate which may be devised by Will and so convey'd to a Child Friend or stranger is more under the dominion of the present owner than is that estate which some law entaileth on the owners heirs or Children Now this being the case Christ's dominion and absolute soveraignty over the good things he hath given by Will doth require and deserve a humble and lowly spirit in those who partake of these gifts Dominion is as a Ground of honour in those who are invested with it so a Ground of humility in those who are inferiour to it What would be esteemed Friendly familiarity in me towards my equal and a commendable deportment would be accounted insolent pride in me towards my Lord or Soveraigne and a carriage not to be endured
are now entitled to the Legacies of this great Testator shall every one of you meet together to receive the full and total of what you can receive and Christ will give there shall need no such arguments no such reasonings no such intreaties to perswade you to Mutual Love There you shall not chuse but Love delight in and embrace each other Come then think what you shall be when you Feast all together at your Lord's Table in his Kingdom And judge with your selves is it nor meet we should be such now It will be then a part of your Glory And is not your mind and judgment convinced that it is the Glory of a Christian to strive to be now what he shall be hereafter Christ will bring the Scattred sheep of his flock into one Joh. 11.52 When there shall remain on foot-steps of their former folly and discord It is a high expression which the holy ghost useth Joh. 17.11 And I will now forbear to search in into Holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are It is a place which ensureth us that such who by the Father are kept unto the future state of the Saints in Heaven are kept to a most intimate and Glorious Union Friendship and Love Now they who will not be perswaded to cement to unite affections to love one another here how highly do they cross the designe of Christ and of the Father Oh that I could perswade all who hear or read my words and oh that more lively sense of what I write were upon mine own heart Lord I read thy Will Joh. 17.22 The Glory which thou gavest me I have given unto them that they may be one even as we are one Oh let the Remembrance of thy designe of our future Union renewed in the Memorial of thy last Will at each Sacrament cause me and all believers to study and endeavour a present Union and Brotherly love more beseeming our future blessed Union and love It may be I shall be quarrelled at for this endeavour of gaining love from those that yet love me not possibly lose what I thought to keep the love of some that have embraced me with a more Brotherly affection than hereafter they will this may possibly be the Fruit of their passions and the unhappiness of my weak and imperfect discourses But I shall retire my self from such storms and view the blessed Legacies my dying Lord hath bequeathed me peace he hath left for me his peace he hath given unto me And with his Peace his Love I shall at last I Hope Love them for ever who now will scarce give me leave so to do they shall love me who think they never will What my words cannot exexpress what my explanations cannot yet make clear that day of glorious appearing of our blessed Testator to give us the full possession of all bequeathed blessings shall reveale to us and we shall understand All of grace in its Beginnings Improvements Perfection and Crowning in Glory to have been the free Gift of this great Testator dying far us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The end of the Second Part. Gal. 3. v. 13 14. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us c. THese two verses do acquaint us with what Christ hath done for us and how he hath done it what he was made for us and what we are made by him He was made a curse for us we are made blessed by him In the words you may observe 1. A grand design of Favour proposed Parts of the words i.e. the conferring on us a great Blessing that we Gentiles might receive the blessing of Abraham 2. The accomplishment of the design by Christ he hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law c. 3. The Manner how he hath effected this being made a curse for us 3. The Proof of this that Christ was made a curse for us argued from the Manner of his Dying For it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree From which declining all but what directly tends to my purpose I commend to you this Truth viz. That the Blessings of Grace are procured for us imparted to us and increased in us Doctr. by Christ's becoming and dying a Curse for us The full blessing of Grace descends on us through Christ made a Curse for us Here I shall 1. Clear the Term. 2. Prove the Truth 3. Essay the Improvement of Grace by shewing how this may excite and exercise Grace Now in the explication of the Terms there are these Terms offer themselves 11. What is this Blessing 2. What is this Curse 3. How Christ was made a Curse Of each in order Sect. 1. This Blessing then is made evident in general by the Apostle vers 14. who calls it The Blessing of Abraham and explaineth it farther it was that we might receive the Promise of the Spirit through Faith That Covenant of Grace with all the immunities of it whereby the Jews for a long time had been the peculiar people of God Benedictionis pars maximè memorabilis in spiritûs dono sita est P.P. Salmur Thes de Baptis Sect. 23. and had been advanced high above other Nations is now made with the Gentiles who are now of Aliens made Heirs to the Covenants of Promise Children of God and endowed with the Spirit A most memorable part of the Blessing lieth in the Gift of the Holy Ghost So the words of the Apostle are a Conclusion from the premisses that the Gentiles should be made partakers of the free Blessing of Abraham by Christ Conclusio omnium superiorum gentes fieri in Christo gratuitae benedictionis Abrahami participes consequi promissam illam Evangelii Gratiam quam vocat Spiritum and should obtain the promised Grace of the Gospel which he calleth the Spirit Or in the words of the learned Critick and Divine Promissionem Spiritus pro Spiritu promisso accipio Et Spiritus nomine benedictionem aeternae spiritualis vitae intelligo Th. Beza in Loc. I take the Promise of the Spirit for the Spirit promised and by the Spirit I understand the blessing of an eternal spiritual life The blessing of Renovation and Holiness from the Spirit of Sanctification The blessing of Peace in our Pardon attested by the Spirit of Adoption The blessing of inconceivable Glory reward of all the obedience of our Faith In brief That spiritual life we extinguisht by sin that favour with God which we lost by our disobedience that glory which we fell short of when we fell from God all that happiness which the Law could not give to sinful man accursed by the Law for his transgressing of it But the Gospel hath given to many and still offers to all that it is sent unto This is the Blessing that the Apostle speaketh of and which the Doctrine I am speaking of doth
Love of Christ and be thankful to him for us Remember the daies of thy fears when thou wouldst have welcomed the news of thy pardon and received it on thy knees with ten thousand praises to thy God Remember the anguish of thy soul when the Arrows of the Almighty stuck fast and the poison thereof drunk up thy spirits what pains wouldst thou have taken then what cost wouldst thou gladly have been at to procure thy soul's peace and ease When thou thoughtest Hell would be thy tormenting prison for ever and thou lookedst on it as the greatest evil because thou shouldst bear thy sins there for ever and never have one smile from God what thankfulness didst thou then think was meet for thee to pay and for Christ to receive Oh let not this be forgotten when thou comest to commemorate the Death of thy Lord say then and think so Here is the blood of my loving gracious Redeemer who was content to be made a Curse for me that I might not slavishly fear my guilt nor be in Hell a So Francis Spira thought spake of his fears and tears before I came to Hell that I might not go mourning under the heavy burthen of my own easeless pains which were worse than death it self those fears terrours and pains which no tongue can describe my blessed Redeemer delivered me from them and duly confirms it to me in minding me that he died and that he died being made a Curse for me I must therefore mind my debt of thankfulness I vowed at least promised and purposed never to forget that more thankfulness was due to Christ then I could ever pay Let my renewed view of this blood so affect me oh my dearest Lord at every Sacrament that it may ever renew my thankfulness until thankfulness be so perfected that I may never more need a Sacrament to put me in mind of this my duty Thirdly The renewed thoughts of Christ dying thus accursed for us will add to our thankfulness In that the heart of a Believer meditating on this may conclude he is judicially acquitted from the charge laid in against him by the Law This charge is sin deserving death to which charge every one must make his plea and bring it to an issue in which process there will be no denying of the charge it is so undeniably true that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God only the believing soul hath a gracious Redeemer who stept in between the passing of the righteous sentence and the execution of it and offered Bail body for body life for life took upon himself the Curse which was all the Law threatned and died thus a Curse for the Believer so that now he may sue for his discharge and plead for his release Nay he hath the discharge and release offered to him as it were sealed signed and delivered to him at the Sacrament whilst God by his Minister doth put the New Covenant into his hand and shews him that blood which was shed for confirmation of the Covenant and for remission of the sins of as many as do believe And that we may know how all this can be how sinners can be acquitted and the Curse threatned can be avoided we are at every Sacrament minded of this that Christ died for us being made a Curse for us that is undertaking and performing what he undertook on our behalf he presented himself to the Justice of God abode the Trial was found in the likeness of sinful flesh humbled himself to the death even the death of the Cross and so suffered all which is exemplified to us in the remembrance of his death considered as the death of one who lay under a Curse for us It is not only entred in the Court Rolls in Heaven but it is entred in the Register-books of the Church by Christ's own order and every believing soul at the Sacrament may see and read it and conclude it for himself and make improvement of it to his comfort Now what heart can look on all this and not look on this duty of thankfulness what soul can receive a pardon under the broad Seal of Heaven and not bow the knee and kiss the Seal When an offender upon indictment and trial is acquitted it is a custom and seemly enough to testifie his thankfulness by praying for the King How much more doth it become us to give thanks at the remembrance of our acquittance absolution and being declared acquitted as we are so often as we duly partake communicate in the blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many In a word a bare promise of pardon deserveth a grateful acknowledgment but the passing of it under seal doth much more deserve it Had God passed his word onely and required us to believe it and praise him for it we must have done it Now he hath given us greatest assurance he hath proceeded judicially against Christ the common and adequate representative bail and undertaker for us and hath appointed the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as an Authentick and Publick Record or Testimony hereof we ought the rather to be thankful Renewed thoughts of this will renew our judicious and rational praise if we have either judgments or reason exercised in things that excel Fourthly and lastly A fourth particular which will increase our thankfulness to Christ for our deliverance so often as we remember it at a Sacrament under the notion of a deliverance by his dying a Curse for us is this That it mindeth us we were delivered not simply from sorrow trouble and affliction but we were saved from an accursed sorrow from an accursed trouble we are freed from misery but that is not all we are freed from an accursed misery and this should enhance our thankfulness There is an affliction that hath the promise of Comfort Rev. 21.4 Jer. 31.9 Psal 126.5 6. tears that shall be wiped away sorrow and sighing that shall flee away there is a weeping which God will accompany and lead this is a blessed weeping for such carry forth seed which is precious and they shall teturn rejoycing Matth. 5.4 There are mourners whom Christ hath pronounced blessed so that trouble and sorrow are not such evils when they are considered without the imbittering thoughts of a Curse in them it is the Curse which maketh the Cup so full of astonishment It is the Curse which goeth with the condemned into Hell that maketh it Hell indeed unto them Affliction with the favour of God is a blessed state but affliction with the hatred and displeasure of God is a miserable state and unspeakably sad forlorn and woful Now Christ dying a Curse for us hath saved us from sorrows and the Curse from misery aggravated with the hatred of God toward the miserable so that he deserveth much more thanks from us it had been worth our thanks if we had been by him delivered from a bloody issue or a deformed crookedness