unworthy soever thou art otherwise to be a worthy receiver Having thus shewed the Necessity of the duty of Examination Come wee now to the Extent thereof which may be brought to two heads viz. 1 Thy graces 2 Thy sins First Thou must examine thy self of thy graces more especially of thy Knowledge Faith Repentance and Love Touching Knowledge I shall shew 1 What Knowledge is required of every worthy Communicant 2 The Necessity 3 The Trial thereof I. For the first what Knowledge is required I answer in general Knowledge of all the fundamental Principles of Religion In particular Knowledge of the Doctrine of the Sacrament Fundamental Principles of Religion are such as our salvation is founded upon without the knowledge whereof a man cannot be saved and they are these That there is a God That there is but one God That that onely true God is distinguished into three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost all equally God That that God is the Creator and Governour of all things That all things were made good by him and are still governed by him righteously That man in particular was made perfectly righteous by him That man continued not long in his happy estate but fell by transgressing the Commandement of God in eating the forbidden fruit That wee are all guilty of Adams sin being in his loins when hee committed that sin That every one of us brought into the world corrupted and polluted natures natures as full of sin as a Toad is of poison That unto this original corruption wee have added a numberless number of actual transgressions and that in evil thoughts evil words and evil deeds That by our sins wee have made our selves liable to the wrath of God to the curse of the Law to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal death and condemnation hereafter That no man can free himself out of that miserable condition whereinto by sin hee hath plunged himself neither can any meer creature help him That God out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his own Son out of his bosome into the world to take our nature upon him that therein hee might become our Surety and Redeemer That Christ was both God and Man in one person That hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary That hee died upon the Cross to save his people from their sins That hee rose again the third day from the dead ascended into Heaven sits at the right hand of God and makes continual intercession for us That by Faith wee are made partakers of Christ and of the benefits of his death and passion That Faith is the gift of God wrought in us by the Spirit of God through the Ministery of the Word whereby wee rest upon Christ alone for the pardon of our sins and for eternal life and salvation That it hath pleased God to make with us in and thorow Christ a new Covenant of Grace wherein hee hath promised the pardon of our sins and the salvation of our souls upon the alone condition of a lively Faith Particuâ—ar Principles concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper are these That it was ordained by Christ himself as a memorial of his great love in offering up his life a Sacrifice for our sins That this as well as the other Sacrament of Baptism is a seal of Gods Covenant whereby he bindes himself to perform his promises made to us in Christ for strengthening our Faith therein That the outward signs in the Lords Supper are Bread and Wine by which are set forth the body and blood of Christ which the worthy receivers by Faith do partake of in this Sacrament That whosoever eats and drinks unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of Christ and therefore that every one is to examine himself lest he eat and drink judgement to himself Having thus shewed what is that knowledge which is required of every worthy Communicant II. I shall now shew the Necâ—ssity thereof which appeareth 1 Because without this knowledge a man can never attain to any of the other graces for an ignorant man can neither beleeve nor repent nor love God or his neighbour aright 2 Because without this knowledge a man cannot discern the Lords body which if hee do not hee eats and drinks damnation to himself And therefore it is absolutely necessary that all who receive the Lords Supper should discern the Lords body i. e. should perceive that there is more to be received than that which is seen with the eye of the body To the bodily eye there appeareth nothing but Bread and Wine upon the Table but by virtue of the divine institution there is also Christs body and blood if this be not discerned the benefit of the Sacrament is lost But it is not possible without knowledge which is the eye of the soul to discern that body and blood under the elements of bread and wine therefore is the forementioned knowledge absolutely necessary III. For the third particular viz. The Tryal of thy knowledge whether it be a true saving knowledge thou mayest know it by the properties thereof some whereof are these 1 True saving knowledge is Experimental whereby a Christian hath a spiritual sense and feeling of what he knows He hath not only a general and a notional knowledge of God and of his own miserable condition by nature and of Jesus Christ but hee hath likewise an experimental knowledge of God and of his Attributes as of his power in supporting him under his trials and temptations of his faithfulness in making good his promises unto him He hath likewise a sensible feeling of his own wretched condition by nature And an experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ so that he knoweth Christ to be his Saviour and Redeemer and resteth upon his merits alone for life and for salvation By this then try and examine thy knowledge c. 2 True saving knowledge is Humble and joyned with meekness of spirit For the more true knowledge a man hath the more he discerns his own ignorance yea and vileness by reason of his sins And therefore you shall finde those Christians who were most eminent both in knowledge and grace to complain most as of their ignorance so of their own base and naughty hearts as you may see in Paul and others And no marvel considering that true saving knowledge discovers unto a man his own vileness and wretchedness by reason of his sins his own unworthiness yea his own emptiness and nothingness in regard of any goodness of his own Whereas unsanctified knowledge is apt to puft a man up with pride and self-conceit even to the contemning and despising of others which the Apostle plainly expresseth where he saith Knowledge puffeth up By this then try and examine thy knowledge whether it be a saving knowledge or no. 3 True saving knowledge is active and operative being ever accompanied with practice and obedience so that it worketh reformation in the heart
applying of the mind to some spiritual or heavenly subject discoursing thereof with thy self to the end thine heart may bee warmed thine affections quickened and thy resolutions heightned to a greater love of God hatred of sin c. Come we now to the Rules and Directions for the right manner of performing the same To this end I shall treat 1 Of the Time when this duty is to be performed 2 Of the Place where Of the Manner of setting about it and performing it 1 Touching the Time when this duty is to be performed and how often it is hard to give any set or certain Rule For difference must bee made between such as are rich and wealthy who have much spare â—ime and poor men who live by their daily labour and have â—ittle time to spare from the same for the performance of holy and religious duties Now such as have time and leisure and are at their own dispose ought to bee frequent in the exercise of this duty How frequent such should be I will not undertake to determine because mens several occasions may vary it But in general that it be frequent the Scripture requireth And truly the more frequently it is performed the more easie and delightful will it be unto thee Questionless every one whether hee be rich or poor Master or Servant ought to make conscience of performing this duty on the Lords day which being appropriated to spiritual duties doth especially challenge this which is so eminently spiritual For the choice of other daies and set times therein it must be left to Christian prudence which will teach thee what time thou canst best spare from thine ordinary imployments and when thou art best disposed and fitted for the performance of the same II. The next thing to bee considered is the Place for this duty ought to be private in some private retired place where thou mayst be free from company and whatsoever may distract thee For when thou art most retired from the world then art thou most fit to have communion with God Therefore Isaac when hee would meditate and by Meditation converse with God walked alone into the fields And David meditated upon his bed as himself tells us III. For the Manner of setting upon this duty I. Having with-drawn thy self from worldly company thou must for the time wholly lay aside all worldly thoughts for otherwise it may and will fall out that when thou art separated from the company and society of men thou mayest be in a croud of worldly businesses through thy worldly and wandring thoughts II. In the entrance upon this duty lift up thine heart in some short prayer unto God for his direction assistance and blessing thereon III. Having thus prepared thy self in some measure then pitch upon the subject matter whereupon thou intendest to meditate such as may be fit for thy souls nourishment Herein observe these Directions 1 Let the subject matter of thy Meditation bee wholly spiritual and divine Thus any part of the Scripture is a fit subject for thy Meditation as also God or any of his Attributes as 〈◊〉 Omnipotency Eternity Immutability Omâ—ipresence Omnisciency 〈◊〉 Wisdome Mercy Iustice Love Faithfulness and other excellencies of God As also the blessed and happy estate wherein our first Parents were created by God and that miserable estate whereinto they implunged themselves and all their posterity by their disobedience against God in eating the forbidden fruit and the state of Redemption by Jesus Christ and the transcendent love of Christ in undergoing a bitter cursed death for us 2 Let the particular subject thou pitchest upon for thy Meditation be suitable to thy present state and condition and to that end in setting upon this duty it will be thy wisdome to observe the frame and temper of thy heart If thou findest thine heart sad and heavy then fix thy Meditation upon thy sins that so thou mayest turn thy sorrow and sadness for outward things into a sorrow for thy sins But if thou findest thine heart lightsome and chearful then fix thy Meditations on the incomprehensible love of God or on the freeness of his grace or on the bounty of God especially towards thy self 3 Having pitched thy thoughts upon some particular subject suitable to the present frame and temper of thine heart continue thy thoughts upon it till thou hast found thy heart warmed and thine affections quickened therewith which indeed is the main and principal end of this exercise 4 Having spoken of preparation to the work come wee now to the work it self which consists of three particular heads 1 The first I may call Cogitation whereby I mean a discoursing of the understanding about the subject matter pitched upon a calling to minde of several truths that belong thereunto As if the subject of thy Meditation be Death then call to mind and seriously think as of the certainty of Death so also of the uncertainty thereof both in regard of the Place where the Manner how and the Time when And then to argue the necessity of a continual expectation ofâ— and preparation for Death 2 The second is Application to make some close application to thy self of those truths thou hast called to mind for the warming of thine heart and quickning of thine affections 3 The third and last particular is Resolution a resolved purpose of heart to do this or that or to leave this or that As if the subject of thy Meditation hath been Death and finding thine heart thorowly affectâ—â— with the apprehension thereof especially of the uncertainâ— of the time of thy death resolve thereupon to be the more careful in imbracing every opportunity of doing good thinking it may be the last that will be afforded unto thee as also to live in a continual expectation of and preparation for death by a daily renewing thy peace with God Having thus given some Rules and Directions for the better helping thee in this heavenly exercise of Divine Meditation III. I shall now give thee an Example and Pattern thereof according to the former Rules and Directions for the better clearing it to thee Suppose the subject thou propoundest for thy Meditation be Sin then having lifted up thine heart unto God in prayer for his Direction and Assistance First Fall upon the duty of Cogitation calling to minde some plain truths which apperâ—ain thereunto As I. Think of the nature of sin How it is a transgression of the Law of God II. Of the kinds of sin viz. Original and Actual 1 Let out thine heart in a serious Meditation of that corruption of nature which thou and every man brought with him into the world and how it is not onely a sin but an heinous sin comprehending in it the seeds of all sins even of the most abominable that can be imagined 2 Let out thine heart in a serious Meditation of thine actual sins and of the several kinds of them viz. Evil Thoughts evil Words and evil Actions III.
amended and reformed and considering that the Lord doth not only in general correct us for Sin but visiteth our special Sins with special Judgements and Afflictions therefore whensoever the Lord visiteth thee with Sickness or exerciseth thee with any affliction know it is thy duty to make a strict search and diligent enquiry into thine own heart for the special Sin or Sins God aims at therein to find out the plague of thine own heart Thus did the people of God under their sad affliction yea they called upon one another to the practice of this duty Let us search and try our wayes said they Lam. 3. 40. for as a Disease can never be well cured till the cause thereof be first found out and discovered so neither can any affliction bee sanctified and removed till that which hath occasioned it be in some sort found out and discovered For the better discovery of the particular Sin or Sins God aims at in thine afflictions take these few rules and directions 1 When God visiteth thee or any of thy dear relations with Sickness or exerciseth thee with any Affliction or doth but shake his Rod over thee set thy self as in his sight and presence and then examine thy Soul and Conscience thorowly make an exact survey and search into every corner thereof to find out the particular Sin God aymeth at 2 Take notice what sin thy Conscience doth first bring to thy remembrance for Conscience is Gods Deputy to convince thee and to tell thee that by living in the practice of such and such a Sin or in the omission of such a Duty thou hast justly brought upon thee such a Judgement as thou mayst see in the example of Iosephs brethren who for their cruelty towards their brother adjudged themselves worthy of all the â—iseries which they suffered for their Consciences it seems in their distress chiefly checked them for that therefore they had good ground to suspect that to bee the cause of their present distress under every Cross and Affliction therefore listen to the voyce of Conscience which will deal impartially with thee 3 Take special notice of the kind of thine affliction for it is Gods usual manner to punish Sin in kind by way of retaliation observing an analogie proportion and similitude between the quality of the Sin and the punishment which hee inflicteth and so leadeth us as it were by the hand that we may come to find and feel it by his guidance and direction for mens punishment often bears the image and superscription of their sin upon it Thus God oftentimes punisheth Drunkards with Dropsies and Covetous men with Theeves who rob them as they have robbed others Thus God often punisheth our prophaning of his Sabbaths by inflicting some judgement upon us on that day and our careless neglect of Family-Duties by taking away a Family-relation Thus there is oftentimes a proportion between mens Practices and Gods Punishments by comparing whereof we may many times come to find out the particular Sin or Sins for which God afflicts us 4 When Gods afflicting hand is upon thee consider for what Sin especially thou hast often been reproved either by the motions of Gods Spirit or by the admonitions of his Ministers or by the checks of thine own Conscience and yet hast refused to reform the same thereupon suspect that Sin in special to be the sin at which the Lord aymeth in thy present affliction for it is usual with God to proceed from words to blows to make us give more diligen◠〈◊〉 thereunto 5 Be earnest with God in Prayer that hee would help thee in this search that he would discover and make known unto thee the Sin or Sins at which he especially aymeth thus did Iob Shew me saith he wherefore thou contendest with me i. e. for what Sin or Sins thou dost thus afflict me And afterwards he cries out in his afflictions Make me to know my transgression and my sin In like manner doe thou in thine affliction fly unto God by Prayer beseeching him to shew unto thee wherefore he doth so contend with thee and to make known unto thee what is thy transgression and thy sin that hath provoked his displeasure against thee III. Having foâ—nd out the particular Sin God aâ—med at in thine affliction then goe and confesse it unto God in Prayer with the aggravating ciâ—cumstances thereof freely judging and condemning thy self before God for the same with a broken and contrite heart And to such as confess their sins there is a promise of forgiveness made To thy confessions adde earnest and fervent Prayer unto God for the pardon and forgiveness of thy sins for and through the merits of Jesus Christ. IV. Wherein soever upon thine examination thou findest thy self to have been faulty thou must endeavour to amend and reform for as the end of thy search is to discover what is amiss in thee so the end of thy discovery is to amend and reform what hath been amiss in thee And truely without this it will little avail thee to pray unto God for the removal of thine Affliction for the Lord himself noteâ—h continuance in sin to be the chief cause of the continuance of his hand of affliction upon his people Isa. 9. 12 13. V. Though Afflictions are special opportunities for Spiritual advantages yet seeing they are not of themselves able to work any good in thee without the special assistance of Gods Spirit working together with them be earnest with God in Prayer for a sanctified use and improvement of them that as he doth afflict thee so he would teach and instruct thee by his holy Spirit how to make a good use thereof to the spiritual advantage of thine own soul. In all thy addresses unto God in Prayer begge of him that no affliction may pass away unsanctified and pray more for the sanctification of them than for their removal VI. In the time of thy affliction vow and promise unto God better obedience for the time to come that thou wilt bee more careful in the avoyding of those sins for the commission whereof and in the performing of those Duties for the omission whereof thy Conscience checks thee David speaks of Vowes which he had made unto God in the day of his trouble and distress and truly this vowing unto God newness of life better obedience and a greater watchfulness over our selves for the time to come is a necessary duty to be oft performed by us especially in the time of our Sickness and that in regard of the weakness of our flesh for howsoever in our sicknesses and afflictions there may be good motions purposes and intentions in our minds yet through the weakness of â—our flesh we are apt to start from them Now a Promise and Vow is a special means to keep us from starting from our good motions and purposes VII Be careful to perform the Vowes aâ—d Promises thou makest unto God in the day of
thy trouble and distress for by thy Vow thou hast bound thy self to performance and therefore saith the Wise man When thou vowest a vow unto God deferre not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in fools noting it to be egregious folly in any to be forward in making Vowes unto God and then afterwards to be backward in performing what they vowed CHAP. XVIII Of Dying well IF thou apprehendest thy Disease to be mortal and that it is like to be thy last Sickness then it will be thy wisdom to prepare thy self after the best manner thou canst for death For thy better help herein take these Directions I. Set thine House in order I mean settle thine outward estate by making thy Will which will no way hasten thy death as many foolishly doe imagine but rather put thee into a better capacity to set thy Soul in order for a blessed departure And as God hath blest thee with an estate so fayl not to give some proportionable part thereof for the relief of the poor members of Jesus Christ. Though that charity which is exercised in a mans life-time is questionless the best and the most acceptable unto God when wee make our own Hands our Executors and our own Eyes our Overseers yet I condemn not that Charity which is shewed at the last for better late than never II. Send for some godly Minister or experienced Christian to advise thee about setting thy Soul in order in reference to thy great change This direction the Apostle Iames giveth for saith he Is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him And this I would advise thee to doe in the first place not putting it off to the last when thine understanding and memory begin to fayl thee as the practice of the most is who when the Physician hath done with them and in a manner given them over then send for the Divine to begin with them as if a short Prayer and a few words of Ghostly counsel were enough to send them to Heaven III. Labour to make or rather to renew thy peace with God for though the making of thy peace with God ought not to be put off to thy Death-bed yet must it then be renewed in an especial manner as being the last time of doing it In order thereunto I Look back into thy former course of life and call to mind the manifold aberations thereof as the vanity of thy thoughts how vain and empty how carnal and prophane they have been as also the unsavouriness of thy words and speeches how Godless and Christless yea how unprofitable they have been for the most part as also the wickedness of thine actions And in examining thy self concerning thine actions call to mind as thy sinful Omissions and Commissions I mean as what Duties thou hast omitted and what Sinâ— thou hast committed so likewise thy sinful manner of performing holy Duties how thy most religious Services have had a mixture of Sin in them Likewise run over the several Ages of thy life and consider what Sins thou committedst in thy Childhood what in thy Youth and what in thy riper years And together with the number of thy Sins consideâ— the aggravating circumstances of them as how thou hast sinned against a gracious God a loving Faâ—her and bountiful Lord and Master how thou hast sinned against the admonitions of Gods Ministers the motions of his Spirit and the checks of thine own Conscience against the patience and long-suffering of God which should have lead thee to repentance against the manifold vowes and promises thou hast made unto God for newness of life and better obedience and how thou hast sinned out of a presumptuous hope of mercy making the mercy of God an occasion of Sin and thereby turned the very grace of God into wantonness Thus goe on aggravating thy sins till thou find thine heart in some measure affected with grief and sorrow for the same and then 2 Confess thy sins unto God in Prayer spread them before him in a true and unfeigned acknowledgement and confession of them freely judging and condemning thy self before God for the same That thy Confession may be performed after a right manner it must have these properties 1 It must be particular and of special Sins I mean in thy confession thou must descend to thy special and particular Sins the prophanest wretch in the world may in a general manner confess and say I acknowledge my self to be a Sinner But if thou wilt make a true confession of Sin thou must lay open thy Sins in particular before God and for thine encouragement thereunto know that the more particular thou shalt be in thy confession the more comfort thou shalt find therein â— Thy Confession must be as particular in respect of Sins so likewise full in regard of the aggravations of them This did David in his confession of that Sin of numbring the People I have sinned greatly saith he in that I have done and now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy Servant for I have done very foolishly see what terms of aggravation he heapeth up 1 I have sinned 2 I have sinned greatly 3 I have done foolishly 4 Very foolishly And as thou desirest pardon of thy Sins set them forth to the full let no circumstance of aggravation be wanting by which they may appear the more foul and filthy 3 Thy confession must be with inward remorse and sorrow of heart that thou hast sinned against so good and so gracious a God Thou must not content thy self with a meer verbal acknowledgement of thy Sins and Transgressions being affected with no more grief in the confessing of them than thou wast in the committing of them But every Sin confessed should be as a Dagger piercing thee to the very heart at least thou shouldest grieve that thou canst no more grieve for thy Sins thine heart should bleed because thine eyes cannot weep 3 Having thus confessed thy Sins as thou desirest to renew thy peace with God earnestly begge of him the pardon and the forgiveness of them in and through the merits of Iesus Christ for thou canst look for it only through the Free Grace and Mercy of God in Jesus Christ. And as there is a promise of forgiveness to such as unfeignedly confess their Sins so there is likewise a promise of forgiveness to such who heartily pray for the same for saith the Lord in answer to Salomons Prayer If my People which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and therefore if thou canst pray heartily unto God for the pardon of thy Sins thou hast thereby some comfortable evidence of their forgiveness for as the Lord in the Parable forgave his Servant that was indebted to him and had nothing to pay even because hee prayed him
that trespass against us which latter clause is added partly to stir us up readily to forgive those who have wronged us and partly to strengthen our faith in the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins committed against God from our readiness to forgive those who have wronged us in that our forgiving of our Brother is a fruit proceeding from Gods forgiving of us V. Labour to clear up thine Evidences for Heaven that thou maist upon good ground be able to say with the Apostle Paul I know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved I shall have a building with God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens The Scripture layeth down sundry clear evidences of a true right and title unto Heaven which who so finds in himself may rest assured of a blessed life after this I shall instance only in one which indeed is the principal of all and a very comprehensive one viz. Faith in Iesus Christ which we find often set down in Scripture as a sure evidence for Heaven for saith our Saviour God so loved the world that he gave his only begotton Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and saith Iohn Baptist He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life i. e. he is as sure of it as if he were in actual possession of it Q. How may I know whether I have a true sâ—ving faith A. Most Divines doe hold forth the fruiâ—s and effects of faith as the only signs thereof and means whereby men should try and examine their faith but the truth is the fruits of a saving faith in many Christians are often times so weak that if they should examine their faith only by them they would bee apt to question the truth thereof yea to conclude against themselves that they have no true faith at all therefore I shall briefly shew thee the Antecedents of Faith by declaring the ordinary method oâ— Gods Spirit in working true faith in the soul which is this 1 God by his Spirit in the Ministery of the Word doth awaken a mans Conscience and maketh him to see and discern as his manifold sins and transgressions so his misery by them in regard of the dreadful punishments due unto him for the same This method the Lord observed in those three thousand Converts mentioned Acts. 2. 37. Examine therefore whether thou hast by the Ministery or the Word been convinced of thy Sins and of thy miserable condition thereby how thou art liable to the Wrath of God to all Judgements and Plagues here and to Eternal Death and Condemnation hereafter for till thou beest convinced of thy sins and misery thou canst see no need nor want of Jesus Christ. Hence the Law is said to be our School-master to bring us to Christ because it doth discover as our sins and our misery by reason of them so our need of Christ. 2 The next Work of Gods Spirit is to make the soul sensible of its wretched miserable condition affecting it with some measure of grief and sorrow for the same This method likewise the Lord observed in those three thousand Converts mentioned Acts 2. 37. where it is said When they heard this i. e. when they were convinced of that horrible Sin of theirs in Crucifying the Lord of life they were pricked in their hearts viz. with the sence and apprehension of their wretched miserable condition Examine therefore whether thou hast been truly sensible of thy wretched miserable condition and whether the sence thereof hath affected thee with true grief and sorrow for the same Though all men are noâ— alike afflicted with a sence of their wretched miserable condition but some much more deeply than others yet few pass through the pangs of their New Birth without some throws some grief and sorrow for their sins neither can I conceive how any should cloze with Jesus Christ as their Saviour till they have been so sensible of their sins as that they are sensible of their need of a Saviour 3 Another Work of the Spirit is to convince the Soul of its own unrighteousness that so it may the more willingly seek out after the righteousness of Christ to be cloathed therewith for so long as a man is conceited of any righteousness of his own he will never be beholding unto Jesus Christ for life and for salvation for as our Saviour saith The whole need not a Physician they need neither Physick nor Physician and therefore care for neither In like manner such as are strongly possessed with a good conceit of their own estate and condition of their own righteousness see no need they have of Christ and his Righteousness and so regard him not Examine thy self therefore whether thou hast ever been truly and thorowly convinced of thine own unrighteousness whether thou hast discerned the Sins of thy holy services whether thou hast cried out with the Church All my righteousness is as filthy raggs c. 4 The next Work of the Spirit is to convince the soul of the perfection of Christs Righteousness and of the All-sufficiency of his Sacrifice that his righteousness is a most perfect and exact righteousness that his sacrifice upon the Cross was a full satisfaction to Gods Justice for the sins of all the Elect it being the sacrifice of the Son of God even of him that was God as well as Man which indeed added an infinite value to all which Christ did and suffered for mans Redemption in which respect the redemption wrought by Christ is called plenteous redemption enough and enough for all the sins of his people how many or how hainous soever they were Now examine whether thou hast found this work of the Spirit upon thy soul so that thou art convinced thorowly as of thine own unrighteousness so of the perfection of Christs righteousness and of the all-sufficiency of his Sacrifice which far exceedeth the merits of thy sins 5 The next Work of the Spirit is to convince the soul of Christs willingness to receive all poor Sinners sensible of their sins who will come unto him and cast themselves and the burden of their sins upon him by affecting them with a serious apprehension of the manifold gracious invitations of Christ unto poor Sinners as that in Isaiah Hâ— every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters he that hath no money i. e. no goodness nor righteousness of his own let him come and that fore-mentioned place Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest Examine thy self therefore whether thou hast been thorowly convinced of Christs willingness to receive all poor Sinners that will come unto him and cast the burden of their sins upon him 6 The next Work of the Spirit is to stirre up in the soul some earnest longing desire after Jesus Christ so that the soul cries out Oh that Christ were mine oh that upon
every day so we should every day offer up our morning and evening sacrifice of Prayer and truly by duties of piety to God are our worldly businesses sanctified and seasoned and therefore are every day to be performed but yet so as the duties of our ordinary Callings be likewise performed and not neglected by us 2 Upon the same ground neither Adam nor the Iewes before Christ should have observed any Sabbath because they were bound to rest from sin as well as Christians 3 Neither are we to keep days of fasting because we are to fast from sin every day Having thus proved the Morality of the Sabbath and answered some Objections against it II. I shall in the next place give you the grounds for the change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first 1 Divine institution even the institution of Christ himself which appeareth two ways 1 By the title given to the first Day of the Week namely the Lords Day for whatsoever in Holy Writ is said to be the Lords denominatively fo that Christ is the Author and institutor as for instance The Lords Supper because he instituted it The people of the Lord because he chose them the Lords Messengers because he sends them Upon the same ground the first day of the week is denominatively called the Lords Day and that not by Creation for so every day is his from the beginning but by Divine institution because it was instituted by Christ the Lord for Divine Worship and Service and for the memorial of the great work of Redemption wrought by him Agreeable hereunto is that of Augustine who saith that the Apostles appointed the Lords Day to be kept with all religious solemnity because in that day our Redeemer rose from the dead and therefore is called the Lords Day 2 By the practise of the Apostles who constantly assembled together on the first day of the week which is our Lords Day and that without doubt upon the command of Christ himself for whereas he continued forty days on earth after his resurrection before he ascended into Heaâ—en it is said in that time hee gave Commandements unto his Apostles and spake unto them of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God that is he instructed them how they should change the bodily sacrifices of Beasts into the spiritual sacrifices of Prayer and Praises the Sacrament of Circumcision into the Sacrament of Baptism the Sacrament of the Passeover into the Sacrament of the Lords Supper And then likewise he instructed his Apostles touching the change of the Sabbath into the Lords Day To which agreeth that of learned Iunius who saith positively that the change of the Sabbath was not by the tradition of men but by the observation and appointment of Christ who both on the day of his resurrection and on every seventh day after unto his Ascension into Heaven appeared to his Disciples and came into their assemblies Hereupon we read the Apostles met together on every first day of the week to preach the Word and to communicate the Lords Supper as Ioh. 20. 19 26. Acts 2. 1. Acts 20. 7 and in divers other places And wee find it expresly ordained by the Apostle Paul that the weekly Collections for the Poor should be on that day Now concerning the Collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so doe yee upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him c. And why on that day surely no other reason can well bee imagined but that their assembling together to partake of the Ordinances of God was wont to be on that day And therefore because works of charity suit well with duties of piety and that by the Ordinances then dispensed they might be stirred up to a more free and chearful contribution the Apostle ordained also that the Collections for the poor should be on the same day viz. the first day of the week 2 Another Argument proving the first day of the week commonly called the Lords Day to bee the true Christian Sabbath now under the Gospel may bee taken from the constant practice of the Church and People of God since the Apostles times As I have shewed you that it was the practice of the Apostles to observe the first day of the week which is argument enough to warrant the day they being guided by the Spirit of Christ in an especial manner So it doth clearly appear that it hath been the practice of all holy men since the Apostles times to observe this day and that under the name of the Lords Day Ignatius who lived in St. Iohns time saith Let every one that loveth Christ keep holy the Lords Day which is the Queen of daies Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical history plainly shews how the Church and People of God in several ages after the Apostles times observed the first day of the week as instituted by Christ and ordained afterwards by the Apostles I might spend much paper in shewing how this day hath been observed in all ages from the Apostles times to these daies Now the constant custome of the Church is not to bee sleighted That expression of the Apostle If any man seem to bee contentious wee have no such custome neither the Churches of God sheweth that the custome of the Church is a matter to be regarded 3 The Resurrection of Christ both giveth a ground for the sanctifying of our Christian Sabbath and likewise sheweth a reason for the changing of the day For the work of Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ being far more excellent than the work of Creation did much more deserve a weekly memorial That the work of Redemption was more excellent appears In that it cost more to redeem the world of Gods Elect than to create the whole world for to create the world it cost God but a word as it were Hee but spake the word and it was done But to redeem the world of Gods Elect it cost no less than the precious blood of the Son of God So that this work hath swallowed up the former as the Temple did the Tabernacle And wee who live after Christs Resurrection are as much bound to the celebration of the first day of the week as they who lived before to the last It is very observable that a seventh day hath been observed to the honour of God ever since the Creation and such a seventh as never a week in the alteration was without a Sabbath and never a week had two Sabbaths for as the week ended with the former Sabbath so the next week began with our Sabbath which could not have been if any other seventh day had been chosen If any shall ask why the change of the day is not more clearly expressed in the New Testament I answer because there was no question moved about the same in the Apostles times which