same Ministry of salvation and but one and the same Oeconomy of God Thus St. Peter affirms That by the precious blood of Christ we are redeemed from our vain conversation and it is every where affirmed that we are purified and cleansed by the blood of Christ and yet these are the express effects of his Spirit for by the spirit we mortifie the deeds of the body and we are justified and sanctified in the name of our Lord Jesus by the spirit of our God By which expressions we are taught to distinguish the natural blood of Christ from the spiritual the blood that he gave for us from the blood which he gives to us that was indeed by the spirit but was not the same thing but this is the spirit of grace and the spirit of wisdom And therefore as our Fathers were made to drink into one spirit when they drank of the water of the rock so we also partake of the spirit when we drink of Christs blood which came from the spiritual rock when it was smitten for thus according to the Doctrine of St. John the water aâ—d the blood and the spirit are one and the same glorious purposes As it was with our Fathers in the beginning so it is now with us and so it ever shall be world without end for they fed upon Christ that is they believed in Christ they expected his day they lived upon his promises they lived by faith in him and the same meat and drink is set upon our Tables and more than all this as Christ is the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world so he shall be the food of souls in heaven where they who are accounted worthy shall sit down and be feasted in the eternal Supper of the Lamb concerning which blessedness our B. Saviour saith Blessed is he that eateth bread in the Kingdom of God for he hath appointed to his chosen ones to eat and drink at his table in his Kingdom plainly teaching us that by eating and drinking Christ is meant in this world to live the life of the spirit and in the other world it is to live the life of glory here we feed upon duty and there we feed upon reward our wine is here mingled with water and with myrrhe there it is mere and unmixt but still it is called meat and drink and still is meant grace and glory the fruits of the spirit and the joy of the spirit that is by Christ we here live a spiritual life and hereafter shall live a life eternal Thus are sensible things the Sacrament and representation of the spiritual and eternal and spiritual things are the fulfillings of the sensible But the consequent of these things is this that since Christ always was is and shall be the food of the faithful and is that bread which came down from heaven since we eat him here and shall eat him there our eating both here and there is spiritual only the word of teaching shall be changed into the word of glorification and our faith into Charity and all the way our souls live a new life by Christ of which eating and drinking is the Symbol and the Sacrament And this is not done to make this mystery obscure but intelligible and easie For so the pains of hell are expressed by fire which to our flesh is most painful and the joyes of God by that which brings us greatest pleasure by meat and drink and the growth in grace by the natural instruments of nutrition and the work of the Soul by the ministeries of the body and the graces of God by the blessings of nature for these we know and we know nothing else and but by phantasmes and ideas of what we see and feel we understand nothing at all Now this is so far from being a diminution of the glorious mystery of our Communion that the changing all into spirituality is the greatest increase of blessing in the world And when he gives us his body and his blood he does not fill our stomachs with good things for of whatsoever goes in thither it is affirmed by the Apostle that God will destroy both it and them but our hearts are to be replenished and by receiving his spirit we receive the best thing that God gives not his liveless body but his flesh with life in it that is his doctrine and his spirit to imprint it so to beget a living faith and a lively hope that we may live and live for ever 4. St. John having thus explicated this mystery in general of our eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ added nothing in particular concerning any Sacraments these being in particular instances of the general mystery and communion with Christ. But what is the advantage we receive by the Sacraments besides that which we get by the other and distinct ministeries of faith I thus account in general The word and the spirit are the flesh and the blood of Christ that is the ground of all Now because there are two great Sermons of the Gospel which are the summe total and abbreviature of the whole word of God the great messages of the word incarnate Christ was pleased to invest these two words with two Sacraments and assist those two Sacraments as he did the whole word of God with the presence of his Spirit that in them we might do more signally and solemnly what was in the ordinary ministrations done plainly and without extraordinary regards Believe and repent is the word in Baptisme and and there solemnly consigned and here it is that by faith we feed on Christ for faith as it is opposed to works that is the new Covenant of faith as it is opposed to the old Covenant of works is the covenant of repentance repentance is expressly included in the new covenant but was not in the old but by faith in Christ we are admitted to pardon of our sins if we repent and forsake them utterly Now this is the word of faith and this is that which is called the flesh or body of Christ for this is that which the soul feeds on this is that by which the just do live and when by the operation of the holy spirit the waters are reformed to a Divine Nature or efficacy the baptized are made clean theâ— are sanctified and presented pure and spotless unto God This mystery St. Austin rightly understood when he affirmed that we are made partakers of the body and blood of Christ when we are in baptisme incorporated into his body we are baptized in the passion of our Lord so Tertullian to the same sense with that of St. Paul we are buried with him in baptisme into his death that is by baptisme are conveyed to us all the effects of Christ's death the flesh and blood of Christ crucified are in baptisme reached to us by the hand of God by his holy spirit and received by the hand of man the Ministery of
what excellencies he preach'd what wisdom he taught what life he liv'd what death he died what Mysteries he hath appointed by what ministeries he conveys himself to thee what rare arts he uses to save thee and after all that he intercedes for thee perpetually in heaven presenting to his heavenly Father that great Sacrifice of himself which he finished on the Cross and commands thee to imitate in this Divine and Mysterious Sacrament and in the midst of these thoughts and proportionable exercises and devotions address thy self to the solemnities and blessings of the day 5. Throw away with great diligence and severity all unholy and all earthly thoughts and think the thoughts of heaven for when Christ descends he comes attended with innumerable companies of Angels who all behold and wonder who love and worship Jesus and in this glorious imployment and society let thy thoughts be pure and thy mind celestial and thy work Angelical and thy spirit full of love and thy heart of wonder thy mouth all praises investing and incircling thy prayers as a bright cloud is adorned with fringes and margents of light 6. When thou seest the holy man minister dispute no more inquire no more doubt no more be divided no more but believe and behold with the eyes of faith and of the spirit that thou seest Christs body broken upon the Cross that thou seest him bleeding for thy sins that thou feedest upon the food of elect souls that thou puttest thy mouth to the hole of the rock that was smitten to the wound of the side of thy Lord which being pierced streamed forth Sacraments and life and holiness and pardon and purity and immortality upon thee 7. When the words of Institution are pronounced all the Christians us'd to say Amen giving their consent confesâ—ing that faith believing that word rejoicing in that Mystery which is told us when the Minister of the Sacrament in the person of Christ says This is my body This is my blood This body was broken for you and this blood was poured forth for you and all this for the remission of your sins And remember that the guilt of eternal damnation which we have all incurr'd was a great and an intolerable evil and unavoidable if such miracles of mercy had not been wrought to take it quite away and that it was a very great love which would work such glorious mercy rather than leave us in so intolerable a condition A greater love than this could not be and a less love than this could not have rescued us 8. When the holy Man reaches forth his hands upon the Symbols and prays over them and intercedes for the sins of the people and breaks the holy bread and pours forth the sacred calice place thy self by faith and meditation in heaven and see Christ doing in his glorious manner this very thing which thou seest ministred and imitated upon the Table of the Lord and then remember that it is impossible thou shouldest miss of eternal blessings which are so powerfully procur'd for thee by the Lord himself unless thou wilt despise all this and neglect so great salvation and chusest to eat with swine the dirty pleasures of the earth rather than thus to feast with Saints and Angels and to eat the body of thy Lord with a clean heart and humble affections 9. When the consecrating and ministring hand reaches forth to thee the holy Symbols say within thy heart as did the Centurion Lord I am not worthy but entertain thy Lord as the women did the news of the resurrection with fear and great joy or as the Apostles with rejoycing and singleness of heart that is clear certain and plain believing and with exultation and delight in the loving kindness of the Lord. 10. But place thy self upon thy knees in the humblest and devoutest posture of worshippers and think not much in the lowest manner to worship the King of Men and Angels the Lord of heaven and earth the great lover of souls and the Saviour of the body him whom all the Angels of God worship him whom thou confessest worthy of all and whom all the world shall adore and before whom they shall tremble at the day of judgment For if Christ be not there after a peculiar manner whom or whose body do we receive But if he be present to us not in mystery only but in blessing also why do we not worship But all the Christians always did so from time immemorial No man eats this flesh unless he first adores said S. Austin For the wise men and the Barbarians did worship this body in the manger with very much fear and reverence let us therefore who are Citizens of heaven at least not fall short of the Barbarians But thou seest him not in the Manger but on the Altar and thou beholdest him not in the Virgins arms but represented by the Priest and brought to thee in Sacrifice by the holy Spirit of God So. St. Chrysostome argues and accordingly this reverence is practised by the Churches of the East and West and South by the Christians of India by all the Greeks as appears in their answer to the Cardinal of Guise by all the Lutheran Churches by all the world saâ—es Erasmus only now of late some have excepted themselves But the Church of England chooses to follow the reason and the piety of the thing it self the example of the Primitive Church and the consenting voice of Christendome And if it be irreverent to sit in the sight and before the face of him whom you ought to revere how much more in the presence of the living God where the Angel the president of prayer does stand must it needs be a most irreligious thing to sit unless we shall upbraid to God that our prayers to him have wearied us It is the argument of Tertullian To which many of the Fathers add many other fair inducements but I think they cannot be necessary to be produced here because all Christians generally kneel when they say their prayers and when they bless God anâ— I suppose no man communicates but he does both and therefore needs no oâ—her inducement to perswade him to kneel especially since Christ himself and St. Stephen and â—he Apostle St. Paul used that posture in their devotions that or lower for St. Paul kneeled upon the shore and our Lord himself fell prostrate on the earth But to them that refuse I shall only use the words of Scripture which the Fathers of the Council of Turon applied to this particular Why art thou proud O dust and ashes And when Christ opens his heart and gives us all that we need or can desire it looks like an ill return if we shall dispute with him concerning the humility of a gesture and a circumstance 11. When thou dost receive thy Lord do thou also receive thy Brother into thy heart and into thy bowels Thy Lord relieves thee
reason for what they pretend and yet the words of Scripture from whence they pretend are not so many as are the several pretensions My purpose is not to dispute but to persuade not to confute any one but to instruct those that need not to make a noise but to excite devotion not to enter into curious but material inquiries and to gather together into an union all those several portions of truth and differing apprehensions of mysteriousness and various methods and rules of preparation and seemingly opposed Doctrines by which even good men stand at distance and are afraid of each other For since all societies of Christians pretend to the greatest esteem of this above all the Rites or external parts and ministries of Religion it cannot be otherwise but that they will all speak honourable things of it and suppose holy things to be in it and great blessings one way or other to come by it and it is contemptible only among the prophane and the Atheistical all the innumerable differences which are in the discourses and consequent practices relating to it proceed from some common truths and universal notions and mysterious or inexplicable words and tend all to reverential thoughts and pious treatment of these Rites and holy Offices and therefore it will not be impossible to find honey or wholsome dews upon all this variety of plants and the differing opinions and several understandings of this mystery which it may be no humane understanding can comprehend will serve to excellent purposes of the Spirit if like men of differing interest they can be reconciled in one Communion at least the ends and designs of them all can be conjoyned in the design and ligatures of the same reverence and piety and devotion My purpose therefore is to discourse of the nature excellencies uses and intention of the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper the blessings and fruits of the Sacrament all the advantages of a worthy Communion the publick and the private the personal and the Ecclesiastical that we may understand what it is what we go about and how it is to be treated I shall account also concerning all the duties of preparation ordinary and extraordinary more and less solemn of the rules and manners of deportment in the receiving the gesture and the offering the measures and instances of our duty our comport and conversation in and after it together with the cases of conscience that shall occur under these titles respectively relating to the particular matters It matters not where we begin for if I describe the excellencies of this Sacrament I find it engages us upon matters of duty and inquiries practical If I describe our duty it plainly signifies the greatness and excellency of the Mystery the very notion is practical and the practice is information we cannot discourse of the secret but by describing our duty and we cannot draw all the lines of duty but so much duty must needs open a Cabinet of Mysteries If we understand what we are about we cannot chuse but be invested with fear and reverence and if we look in with fear and reverence it cannot be but we shall understand many secrets But because the natural order of Theology is by Faith to build up good life by a rectified Understanding to regulate the Will and the Affections I shall use no other method but first discourse of the excellent Mystery and then of the duty of the Communicant direct and collateral CHAP. I. Of the Nature Excellencies Vses and Intention of the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper SECT I. Of the several apprehensions of men concerning it WHen our Blessed Lord was to nail the hand writing of Ordinances to his Cross he was pleased to retain two Ceremonies Baptism and the Holy Supper that Christians may first wash add then eat first be made clean and then eat of the Supper of the Lamb and it cannot be imagined but that this so signal and peculiar retention of two Ceremonies is of great purpose and remarkable vertues The matter is evident in the instance of Baptism and as the Mystery is of the foundation of Religion so the vertue of it is inserted into our Creed and we all believe one Baptism for the remission of our sins and yet the action is external the very Mystery is by a Ceremony the allusion is bodily the Element is water the minister a sinful man and the effect is produced out of the Sacrament in many persons and in many instances as well as in it and yet that it is effected also by it and with it in the conjunction with due dispositions of him that is to be baptized we are plainly taught by Christs Apostles and the symbols of the Church But concerning the other Sacrament there are more divisions and thoughts of heart for it is never expressly joyned with a word of promise and where mention is made of it in the Gospels it is named only as a duty and a Commandment and not as a grace or treasure of holy blessings we are bidden to do it but promised nothing for a reward it is commanded to us but we are not invited to obedience by consideration of any consequent blessing and when we do it so many holy things are required of us which as they are fit to be done even when we do not receive the Blessed Sacrament so they effect salvation to us by vertue of their proper and proportioned promises in the vertue of Christs death however apprehended and understood Upon this account some say that we receive nothing in the B. Eucharist but we commemorate many blessed things which we have received that it is affirmed in no Scripture that in this mystery we are to call to minde the death of Christ but because we already have it in our minde we must also have it in our hearts and publish it in our confessions and Sacramental representment and therefore it is not the memory but the commemoration of Christs death that as the anniversary sacrifices in the law were a commemoration of sins every year not a calling them to minde but a confession of their guilt and of our deserved punishment so this Sacrament is a representation of Christs death by such symbolical actions as himself graciously hath appointed but then excepting that to do so is an act of obedience it exercises no other vertue it is an act of no other grace it is the instrument of no other good it is neither vertue nor gain grace nor profit And whereas it is said to confirm our faith this also is said to be unreasonable for this being our own work cannot be the means of a Divine grace not naturally because it is not of the same kind and faith is no more the natural effect of this obedience than chastity can be the product of Christian fortitude not by Divine appointment because we find no such order no promise no intimation of any such event and although the thing
desire is a good preparation and God will attend unto it Concerning this therefore we are first to examine our selves Upon the account of our earnest desires it is seasonable to inquire whether to communicate frequently be an instance of that holy desire which we ought to have to these sacred Mysteries and whether all men be bound to communicate frequently and what measure is the safest and best in this inquiry But because the answer to this depends upon some other propositions of differing matter I reserve it to its proper place where it will be a consequent of those propositions SECT III. Of our Examination concerning Remanent Affections to Sin HE that desires communicate worthily must examine himself whether there be not in him any affâ—ction to sin remaining This examination is not any part of repentance but a trial of it for of preparatory repentance I shall give larger accounts in its own place but now we are to try whether that duty be done that if it be we may come if not we may be remanded and go away till we have performed it For he that comes must have repented first but now he is to be examined whether he have or no done that work so materially that it is also prosperously that is whether he have done it not only solemnly and ritually but effectively whether he have so washed that he is indeed clean from any soul and polluting principle When the Heathens offered a Sacrifice to their false gods they would make a severe search to see if there were any crookednesse or spot any uncleannesse or deformity in their Sacrifice The Priest was wont to handle the liver and search the throbbing heâ—rt he inquires if the blood springs right and if the lungs be sound he thrusts his hand into the region of the lower belly and looks iâ—â—here be an ulcer or a schirrus a stone or a bed of gravel Now the observation which Tertullian makes upon these Sacrifical Rites is pertinent to this rule When your impure Priâ—sts look after a pure Sacrifice why do they not rather inquire into their own heart than into the lambs appurtenance why do they not ask after the lust of the Sacrificeâ—s more than the little spot upon the bulls liver The rites of Sacrifices were but the monitions of duty and the Priests inquiry into the puriâ—y of the beast was but a precept represented in ceremony and hieroglyphick commanding us to take care that the man be not lesse pure and perfect than the beast For if an unclean man brings a clean Sacrifice the sacrifice shall not cleanse the man but the man will pollute the Sacrifice let them bring to God a soul pure and spotless lest when God espying a soul humbly lying before the Altar and finding it to be polluted with a remaining filthinesse or the reproaches of a sin he turns away his head and hates the Sacrifice And God who taught the Sons of Israel in figures and shadows and required of the Levitical Priests to come to God clean and whole straight and with perfect bodies meant to tell us that this bodily precept in a carnal Law does in a spiritual Religion signifie a spiritual purity For God is never called a lover of bodies but the great lover of souls and he that comes to redeem our souls from sin and death from shame and reproach would have our souls brought to him as he loves them An unclean soul is a deformity in the eyes of God it is indeed spiritually discerned but God hath no other eyes but what are spirits and flames of fire Here therefore it concerns us to examine our selves strictly and severely always remembring that to examine our selves as it is here intended is not a duty compleated by examining for this carries us on to the Sacrament or returns us to the mortifications of repentance But sometimes our sins are so notorious that they go before unto judgment and condemnation and they need no examining and whatsoever is not done against our wills cannot be besides our knowledg and so cannot need examination but remembring only and therefore I do not call upon the drunkard to examine himself concerning temperance or the wanton concerning his uncleanness or the oppressor concerning his cruel covetousness or the customary swearer concerning his profaneness No man needs much inquiry to know whether a man be alive or dead when he hath lost a vital part But this caution is given to the returning sinner to the repenting man to him that weeps for his sins and leaves what was the shame of his face and the reproach of his heart For we are quickly apt to think we are washed enough and having remembred our shameful falls we groan in method and weep at certain times we bid our selves be sorrowful and tune our heart-strings to the accent and key of the present solemnity and as sorrow enters in dresse and imagery when we bid her so she goes away when the scene is done Here here it is that we are to examine whether shows do make a real change whether shadows can be substances and whether to begin a good work splendidly can effect all the purposes of its designation Have you wept for your sin so that you were indeed sorrowful and afflicted in your spirit Are you so sorrowful that you hate it Do you so hate it that you have left it And have you so left it that you have left it all and will you do so for ever These are particulars worth the inquiring after How then shall we know Signs by which we may examine and tell whether our affections to sin remain 1. Because in examining our selves concerning this we can never be sure but by the event of things and the heart being deceitful above all things we secretly love what we professe to hate we deny our lovers and desire they should still press us we command away the sin from our presence for which we dy if it stayes away therefore while we are in this prepartaory duty of examination the best sign whereby we can reasonably suppose all affection to sin to be gone away is if we really believe that we shall never any more commit that sin to which we are most tempted and most inclined and by which we most frequently fall Here is a copious matter for examination 2. When thou doest examine thy self thou canst not but remember how often thou hast sinned by wantonnesse perhaps or by intemperance but now thou sayest thou wilt do so no more If thou hadst never said so and failed it might have been likely enough but the Sun does not rise and set so often as thou hast sinned and broken all thy holy vows and thy resolution to put away thy sin is but like Amnon thrusting out his sister after he had enjoyed her and was weary Sin looks ugly after it hath been handled and thou having lost thy innocence and thy peace for nothing but the
exchange of shame and indignation thou art vexed peevish and unsatisfied and then thou resolvest thou wilt sin no more But thou wilt find this to be no great matter but a great deception for thou only desirest it not because for the present the appetite is gone thou hast no fondness for it because the pleasure is gone and like him who having scratched the skin till the blood comes to satisfie a disease of pleasure and uncleannesse feeling the smart thou resolvest to scratch no more 3. But consider I pray and examine better is the disease cured because the skin is broken will the appetite return no more and canst not thou again be tempted is it not likely that the sin will look prettily and talk flattering words and entice thee with softnesses and easie fallacies and wilt not thou then lay thy foolish head upon the lap of the Philistian damsel and sleep till thy locks be cut and all thy strength is gone wilt not thou forget thy shame and thy repentance thy sick stomach and thy aking-head thy troubled conscience and thy holy vows when thy friend calls thee to go and sin with him to walk aside with him into the regions of foolish mirth and an unperceived death Place thy self by consideration and imaginative representment in the circumstances of thy former temptation and consider when thou canst be made to desire and art invited to desire and naturally doest desire can thy resolution hold out against such a battery 4. In order to this examine whether there be in thee any good principle stronger than all the Arguments and flatteries of thy sin but above all things examine whether there be not in thee this principle that if thou dost sin again in great temptation that thou wilt and mayest repent again Take heed of that for it is certain no man lives in the regions of temptation to whom sin can seem pleasant but he will fall when the temptation comes strongly if he have this principle within him that though he do commit that sin he may and will repent for then sin hath got a Paranymph and a sollicitor a warrant and an advocate if you think that you can so order it that you shall be as sure of heaven though you do this sin as though you do it not you can have no security your resolutions are but glass they may look like diamonds to an undescerning eye but they will last no longer then till the next rude temptation falls upon them 5. Examine yet further is your case so that you have no reserves of cases in which your sin shall prevail you resolve to leave the partner of your follies and you go from her lest you be tempted It is well it is very well but is not your heart false as water and if you should see her again do you not perceive that your resolution hath brought you to a little shame because it will upbraid thy falshood and inconstancy you resolve against all intemperate anger and you deny the importunity of many trifling occurrencies but consider if you be provoked and if you be despised can your flesh and blood endure it then It may be Calpurnius or Tocca shall not perswade thee to go to the baths of Lucrinus but if Mecoenas calls thee or the Consul desires thy company thou canst resist no longer Thou didst play the fool with poor Calenia and thou art troubled at thy folly and art ashamed when thou doest remember how often thou wentest into the Summoenium and peeped into the titles of those unhappy women whose bodies were the price of a Roman penny but art thou so severe and chast that thou wilt die rather than serve the imperious lust of Julia or wilt thou never be scorched with the flames of Corinna's beauty It is nothing to despise a cheap sin and a common temptation but art thou strong enough to overcome the strongest argument that thy sin hath Examine thy self here wisely and severely It is not thy part saying I will sin no more He that hath new dined can easily resolve to fast at night but when thou art hungry and invited and there is rare meat on the table and thy company stayes for thee and importunes thee canst thou then go on with thy fasting day if thou canst it is as it should be but let not thy resolution be judged by short sayings but first by great considerations and then by proportionable events If neither the biggest temptation nor thy trifling hopes nor thy foolish principles nor weak propositions can betray thee then thou mayest with reason say that you have no affection so strong as the love of God no passion so great as thy repentance no pleasure equal to that of an holy conscience and then thou mayest reasonably believe that there is in thee no affection to sin remaining But something more is to be added 6. In the examination of this particular take no accounts of your self by the present circumstances and by your thoughts and resolutions in the dayes of Religion and solemnity but examine how it is with you in the dayes of ordinary conversation and in the circumstances of secular imployments For it is with us in our preparations to the holy Communion as it is with women that sit to have their pictures drawn they make themselves brave and adorned and put on circumstances of beauty to represent themselves to their friends and to their posterity with all the advantages of art and dressing But he that loves his friends picture because it is like her and desires to see in image what he had in dayly conversation would willingly see her in picture as hee sees her every day and that is most like her not which resembles her in extraordinary and by the sophistrie of dressing but as she looked when she went about in the government of her family So must we look upon our selves in the dresses of every day in the week and not take accounts of our selves as we trick up our souls against a communion day For he that puts on fine cloaths for one day or two must not suppose himself to be that Prince which he only personates We dresse our selves upon a day of Religion and then we cannot endure to think of sin and if we do we sigh and when we sigh we pray and suppose that if we might die upon that day it would be a good dayes work for we could not die in a better time But let us not deceive our selves That is our picture that is like us every day in the week and if you are as just in your buying and selling as you are when you are saying your prayers if you are as chast in your conversation as you are in your religious retirement if your temperance be the same every day as it is in your thoughts upon a fasting day if you wear the same habits of virtue every day in the week as you put on upon a Communion day you have more
and unfruitful soul I have already a parched ground give me a land of Rivers of Waters my Soul is dry but not thirsty it hath no water nor it desires none I have been like a dead man to all the desires of heaven I am earnest and concerned in the things of the world but very indifferent or rather not well enduring the severities and excellencies of Religion I have not been greedy of thy Word or longed for thy Sacraments The worst of thy followers came runing after thee for loaves though they cared not for the miracle but thou offerest me loaves and miracles together and I have cared for neither Thou offerest me thy self and all thy infinite sweetnesses I have needed even the compulsion of laws to drive me to thee and then indeed I lost the sweetnesse of thy presence and reaped no fruit These things O God are not well they are infinitely amiss But thou that providest meat thou also givest appetite for the desire and the meat the necessity and the relief are all from thee II. Be pleased therefore O my dearest Lord to create in thy servant a great hunger and thirst after the things of thy kingdom and the righteousnesse of it all thy holy graces and all the holy ministeries of grace that I may long for the bread of heaven thirst after the fountains of salvation and as the Hart panteth after the brooks of water so my soul may desire thee O Lord. O kindle such a holy flame in my soul that it may consume all that is set before me that it may be meat and drink to me to do thy will III. Grant O blessed Jesus that I may omit no opportunity of serving thee of conversing with thee of receiving thee let me not rest in the least and lowest measures of necessity but passe on to the excellencies of love and the transportations of an excellent Religion that there may remain in me no appetite for any thing but what thou lovest that I may have no satisfaction but in a holy Conscience no pleasure but in Religion no joy but in God and with sincerity and zeal heartinesse and ingenuity I may follow after righteousnesse and the things that belong unto my peace until I shall arrive in the land of eternal peace and praises where thou livest and reignest for ever world without end Amen CHAP. III. Of Faith as it is a necessary disposition to the Blessed Sacrament EXamination of our selves is an inquiry whether we have those dispostions which are necessary to a worthy Communion Our next inquiry is after the dispositions themselves what they ought to be and what they ought to effect that we may really be that which we desire to be found when we are examined I have yet only described the ways of examining now I am to set down those things whereby we can approved and without which we can never approach to these divine Mysteries with worthinesse or depart with joy These are three 1. Faith 2. Charity 3. Repentance SECT I. Of Catechumens or unbaptised persons THE Blessed Sacrament before him that hath no faith is like messes of meat set upon the graves of the dead they smell not that nidour which quickens the hungry belly they feel not the warmth and taste not the juyce for these are provided for them that are alive and the dead have no portion in them This is the first great line of introduction and necessarily to be examined we have the rule from the Apostle Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Châ—ist is in you except ye be reprobates As if he had said ye are reprobates and Jesus Christ shall never dwell in you except by faith without this you can never receive him and therefore examine strictly your selves concerning your faith But the necessity of this preparation by faith hath a double sense and a proportionable necessity 1. It means that no unbaptised person can come to the holy Communion 2. It means that those that are baptized have an actual and an operative faith properly relative to these divine Mysteries and really effective of all the works of faith Of this we have the most ancient and indubitable records of the Primitive Church For in the Apology which Justin Martyr made for the Christians he gives this account of the manner of dispensing the holy Eucharist It is lawful for none to participate of this Eucharistical bread and wine but to him who believes those things to be true which are taught by us and to him that is washed in the laver of regeneration which is to the remission of sins and who live as Christ hath commanded Shut the proâ—hane and the unhallowed people out of doors So. Orpheus sang None comes to this holy feast but they whose sins are cleansed in Baptism who are saâ—ctified in â—hose holy waters of regeneration who have obedient Souls eaâ—s attentive to the Sermons of the Gospel and hearts open to the words of Christ. These are they who see by a brighter light and walk in the warmâ—h of a more refreshing Sun they live in a better air and are irradiated with a purer beam the glories of the Sun of righteousnesse and they only are to eat the precious food of the sacrificed lamb For by Baptism we are admitted to the spiritual life and by the holy Communion we nourish and preserve it But although Baptism be always necessary yet alone it is not a sufficient qualification to the holy Communion but there must be an actual faith also in every Communicant Neither faith alone nor baptism alone can suffice but it must be the actual faith of baptized persons which disposes us to this sacred Feast For the Church gives the Communion neither to Catechumens nor to Infants nor to mad men nor to natural fools Catechumens not admitted to the holy Communion Of this besides the testimony of Justin Martyr St. Cyril of Alexandria gives this full acoount We refuse to give the Sacraments to Catechumens although they already know the truth and with a loud voice confesse the faith of Christ because they are not yet enriched with the holy Ghost who dwells in them who are consummated and perfected by Baptism But when they have been baptized because it is believed that the holy Ghost does dwell within them they are not prohibited from the contact and communion of the body of Christ. And therefore to them who come to the mystical benediction the Ministers of the Mystery cry with a loud voice Sancta sanctis Let holy things be given to sanctified persons signifying that the contact and sanctification of Christs body does agree with them only who in their spirits are sanctified by the holy Ghost And this was the certain and perpetual Doctrine and Custom of the Church insomuch that in the primitive Churches they would not suffer unbaptized persons so much as to see the
Religion as if they were things fit only to be talked on and to be the subject of Theological discourses but not the rule of our lives and the matter of our care It is expresly said by St. Paul He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself Now if we observe what crouds of people in great Cities come to the holy Communion good and bad penitent and impenitent the covetous and the proud the crafty Merchâ—nt from yesterdays fraud and the wanton fool from his last nights lust we may easily perceive that not many men believe these words He that sayes to me drink not this for it is poyson hath given me a law and an affrightment and I dare not disobey him if I believe him and if we did believe St. Paul I suppose we should as little dare to be damned as to be poyson'd Our Blessed Saviour told us that with what measure we mete to others it shall be measured to us again but who almost believes this and considers what it means Will you be content that God should despise you as you despise your brother that he should be as soon angry with you as you are with him that he should strike you as hastily and as seldom pardon you and never bare with your infirmities and as seldom interpret fairly what you say or do and be revenged as frequently as you would be And what think we of these sayings Into the heavenly Jerusalem there shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth or prophaneth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie Do men believe God and yet doing these things hope to be saved for all these terrible sayings Now the works of the flesh are manifest adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness c. of which I tell you before that they which do such thâ—ngs shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Certainly if we did believe that these things are spoken in earnest we should not account fornication such a decent crime so fashionable and harmless or make such a maygame of the fearful lectures of damnation For if these words be true will men leave their sins or are they resolved to suffer damnation as being lesse troublesome than to quit their vain Mistresses surely that 's not it but they have some little subterfuges and illusions to trust to They say they will relie upon Gods mercy Well they may if in well doing they commit their souls to him as to a faithful Creator but will they make God their enemy and then trust in him while he remains so That will prove an intollerable experiment for so said God when he caused his name to be proclaimed to the host of Israel The Lord God merciful and gracious he caused to be added and that will by no means quit the guilty By no means No by no means let us believe that as well as the other For the passion of our Redeemer the intercession of our high Priest the Sacraments of the Church the body and blood of Christ the mercies of God the saying Lord Lord the priviledges of Christians and the absolution of the Priest none of all this and all this together shall do him no good that remains guilty that is who is impenitent and does not forsake his sin If we had faith we should believe this and should not dare to come to the holy Communion with an actual guiltiness of many crimes and in confidence of pardon against all the truth of Divine relations and therefore without faith But then here we may consider that no man in this case can hope to be excused from the necessities of a holy life upon pretence of being saved by his faith For if the case be thus these men have it not For he that believes in God believes his words and they are very terrible to all evil persons For in Christ Jesus nothing can avail but a new creature nothing but keeping the Commandments of God nothing but faith working by charity they are the words of God Wicked men therefore can never hope to be saved by their faith or by their faith to be worthy Communicants for they have it not Who then can He only by his faith is worthily disposed to the Communion and by his faith can be saved who by his faith lives a life of grace whose faith is to him a magazine of holy principles whose faith endears obedience and is the nurse of a holy hope and the mother of a never failing charity He shall be saved by his faith who by his faith is more than conquerour who resists the Devil and makes him flie and gives laws to his passions and makes them obedient who by his faith overcomes the world and removes mountains the mountains of pride and vanity ambition and secular designs and whose faith casteth out Devils the Devil of lust and the Devil of intempeâ—ance the spirit that appears like a goat and the spirit that comes in the shape of a swine he whose faith opens the blind mans eyes and makes him to see the things of God and cures the lame hypocrite and makes him to walk uprightly For these signs shall follow them that believe said our blessed Saviour and by these as by the wedding garment we are fitted to this heavenly Supper of the King In short for what ever end faith is designed whatever propositions it intends to perswade to what duties soever it does engage to what state of things soever it ought to efform us and whithersoever the nature and intention of the grace does drive us thither we must go that we must do all those things we must believe and to that end we must direct all our actions and designs For â—he nature of faith discovers it self in the affairs of our Religion as in all things if we believe any thing to be good we shall labour for it if we think so we shall do so and if we run after the vanities of the world and neglect our interest of heaven there is no other account to be given of it but because we do not believe the threatnings and the Laws of God or that heaven is not so considerable as those sottish pleasures and tâ—ifling regards for which all pains is too much though we think all labour and all passion is too little Plutarâ—h tells that when poverty desired to have a childe she lay with the God Porus their God of plenâ—y and she proved with childe and brought forth Love by which they intended to represent the nature of the Divine love it is born of a rich Father and a poor mother that is it proceeds from a contempt of the world and a value of God an emptiness of secular affections and a great estimate of wisdom and Religion But therefore it is that God and the fruits of his garden and the wealth of his treasure and the meat of his Table and the graces of his spirit are not gustful and
and so requiring us to understand 4. And now to this spiritual food must be sitted a spiritual manner of reception and this is the work of faith that spiritual blessings may invest the spirit and be conveyed by proportioned instruments lest the Sacrament be like a treasure in a dead hand or musick in the grave But this I chuse rather to represent in the words of the Fathers of the Church than mine own We see saith St. Epiphanius what our Saviour took into his hands as the Gospel says he arose at supper and took this anâ— when he had given thanks he said This is my body and we see it is not equal nor like to it neither to the invisible Deity nor to the flesh for this is of a round form without sense but by grace he would say This is mine and every one hath faith in this saying For he that doth not believe this to be true as he hath said he is fallen from grace and salvation But that which we have heard that we believe that it is his And again The bread indeed is our food but the virtue which is in it is that which gives us life by faith and efficacy by hope and the perfection of the Mysteries and by the title of sanctification it should be made to us the perfection of salvation For these words are spirit and life and the flesh pierces not into the understanding of this depth unlesse faith come But then The bread is food the blood is life the flesh is substance the body is the Church For the body is indeed shewn it is slain and given for the nourishment of the world that it may be spiritually distributed to every one and be made to every one the conservatory of them to the resurrection of eternal life saith St. Athanasius Therefore because Christ said This is my body let us not at all doubt but believe and receive it with the eye of the soul for nothing sensible is delivered us but by sensible things he gives us insensible or spiritual so St. Chrysostom For Christ would not that they who partake of the divine Mysteries should attend to the nature of the things which are seen but let them by faith believe the change that is made by grace For according to the substance of the creatures it remains after consecration the same it did before But it is changed inwardly by the powerful vertue of the holy Spirit and faith sees it it feeds the soul and ministers the substance of eternal life for now faith sees it all whatsoever it is From these excellent words we are confirmed in these two things 1. That the divine Mysteries are of very great efficacy and benefit to our souls 2. That Faith is the great instrument in conveying these blessings to us For as St. Cyprian affirms the Sacraments of themselves cannot be without their own vertue and the divine Majesty does at no hand absent it self from the Mysteries But then unless by faith we believe all this that Christ said there is nothing remaining but the outward Symbols and the sense of flesh and blood which profits nothing But to believe in Christ is to eat the flesh of Christ. I am the bread of life he that cometh to me shall not hunger that is he shall be filled with Christ and he that believeth in me shall not thirst coming to Christ and believing in him is the same thing that is he that believes Christs Words and obeys his Commandments he that owns Christ for his Law-giver and his Master for his Lord and his Redeemer he who lays down his sins in the grave of Jesus and lays down himself at the foot of the Crosse and his cares at the door of the Temple and his sorrows at the Throne of Grace he who comes to Christ to be instructed to be commanded to be relieved and to be comforted to this person Christ gives his body and blood that is food from heaven And then the bread of life and the body of Christ and eating his flesh and drinking his blood are nothing else but mysterious and Sacramental expressions of this great excellency that whoever does this shall partake of all the benefits of the Crosse of Christ where his body was broken and his blood was poured forth for the remission of our sins and the salvation of the world But still that I may use the expression of St. Ambrose Christ is handled by faith he is seen by faith he is not touched by the body he is not comprehended by the eyes 5. But all the inquiry is not yet past For thus we rightly understand the mysterious Propositions but thus we do not fully understand the mysterious Sacrament For since coming to Christ in all the addresses of Christian Religion that is in all the ministeries of faith is eating of the body and drinking the blood of Christ what does faith in the reception of the blessed Sacrament that it does not do without it Of this I have already given an account But here I am to add That in the holy Communion all the graces of a Christian all the mysteries of the Religion are summ'd up as in a divine compendium and whatsoever moral or mysterious is done without is by a worthy Communicant done more excellently in this divine Sacrament for here we continue the confession of our faith which we made in Baptism here we perform in our own persons what then was undertaken for us by another here that is made explicit which was but implicit before what then was in the root is now come to a full year what was at first done in mystery alone is now done in mystery and moral actions and vertuous excellencies together here we do not only here the words of Christ but we obey them we believe with the heart and here we confesse with the mouth and we act with the hand and incline the head and bow the knee and give our heart in sacrifice here we come to Christ and Christ comes to us here we represent the death of Christ as he would have us represent it and remember him as he commanded us to remember him here we give him thanks and here we give him our selves here we defie all the works of darknesse and hither we come to be invested with a robe of light by being joined to the Son of Righteousnesse to live in his eyes and to walk by his brightnesse and to be refreshed with his warmth and directed by his spirit and united to his glories So that if we can receive Christs body and drink his blood out of the Sacrament much more can we do it in the Sacrament For this is the chief of all the Christian Mysteries and the union of all Christian Blessings and the investiture of all Christian Rights and the exhibition of the Charter of all Christian Promises and the exercise of all Christian Duties Here is the exercise
must follow Gods example for in this alone he else will follow ours In imitating him it is certain we are innocent and if in this he follows us though we be wicked yet he is holy because revenge is his and he alone is to pay it If therefore we will forgive he will if we will not neither will he for he makes his spear as long and his angers as lasting as we do ours But this duty and the great reasonableness and necessity I shall represent in the excellent words of the Talmudists recorded also by the famous Bensirach He that revengeth shall find vengeance of the Lord and he will surely keep his sins in remembrance Forgive thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done unto thee so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest One man keepeth anger against another and doth he seek healing from the Lord He sheweth no mercy to a man that is like himself and doth he ask forgiveness for his own sins If he that is but flesh nourish hatred who will intreat for pardon of his sins The duty is plain and the reason urgent and the Commandment express and the threatning terrible and the promise excellent There is in this no more to be said but that we consider concerning the manner of reducing it to practice in order to our preparation to a worthy Communion and consider the special cases of conscience relating to this great duty 1. Therefore we are bound to forgive every man that offends us For concerning every one of our Brethren it is equally true that he is an excellent creation that he is thy brother that he is heir of the same hopes born to the same inheritance descended of the same Father nursed by the Church which is his Mother and thine that there is in him Gods Image drawn by the same hand described in the same lines that there are in him many good things for which he can be loved and many reasons in him for which he ought to be pardoned God hath made many decrees for him and the Angels minister to him and Christ died for him and his soul is very precious in the eyes of God and in Heaven it self the man whom thou hatest is very considerable and there there are great desires for his temporal and eternal happiness and why shouldest thou despise and why shouldest thou stand out against all this 2. Not only every man but every offence must be forgiven The Wise man saies That for some things there will be no returning again a blow indeed or an evil word may be pardoned but for upbraiding and pride and disclosing secrets and a treacherous wound every friend will depart and never return again But he only tells how it will be not what ought to be what it is likely to be in matter of fact not how it should be in case of conscience and he means this of societies and civil friendships but in Religion we go higher and even these also and greater than these must be pardoned unless we would prescribe a limit to Gods mercy in the remission of our sins He will pardon every sin of ours for the pardon of which we can rightly pray but yet we must pray for it and hope it upon no measures but those of our forgiveness O Jupiter said the distressed Prince hear our prayers according to our piety look upon us and as we do so give us help and there is no instance that can be considerable to the lessening or excusing of this duty We must forgive not only injuries in the matter of money but in all errours and crimes whatsoever in which any man can sin and thou canst be offended 3. Although in these things there is no difficulty yet in the intention and expressions of this duty there is some For if it be inquired what is meant by forgiving many men suppose it is nothing but saying I forgive him with all my heart and I pray God forgive him But this is but words and we must have more material significations of it then so because nothing can commute for the omission of the necessary parts of this duty It is therefore necessary that we observe these measures 1. Every man that hath received injuries be they never so great must have a mind perfectly free from all intentions of revenge in any instance whatsoever For when the question is concerning forgiving him that did the wrong every man can best answer his question by placing himself in the seat of him that did the offence and considering to what purposes and by what significations and in what degrees and to what event of things himself would fain be pardoned if he were in his case and did repent the injury and did desire pardon That 's the measure and the rule and we learn it from Chrysologus Thou art a sinful man and thou wouldst that God and man should alwaies forgive thee Do thou forgive alwaies so much so often so intirely as thou wouldest be pardoned thy self so much so often and so intirely give pardon to thy enemy and this together with the reason of it is well expressed in the Gospel of the Nazarens If thy Brother sins against thee in words and offers thee satisfaction seven times in a day receive him Simon his Disciple saith unto him seven times in a day The Lord answers yea I say unto you seventy times seven times For even amongst the Prophets also after they were annointed with the Holy Ghost there was found the word of sin that is they also offended in their tongues Against this there is no objection but what is made by the foolish discourses of young men fighters and malicious who by the evil manners of the world are taught to call revenge gallantry and the pardoning of injuries to be pusillanimity and cowardice for this Devil that dwells in tombs and and cannot be bound with chains prevailes infinitly upon this account amongst the more glorious part of mankind but as all other things are which oppose the wisdom of God is infinitely unreasonable there being nothing in the world a greater testimony of impotency and effiminacy of spirit than a desire of revenge Who are so cruel as Cowards and who so revengeful as the weakest and the most passionate women Wise Crysippus and gentle Thales and the good old man who being to drink his poyson refused to give any of it to his persecutor these men did not think revenge a pleasure or a worthy satisfaction Fot what man is so barbarous as to recover his leprosie by sucking the life blood from dying infants a good man would rather endure ten leprosies than one such remedie Such a thing is revenge it pretends to cure a wound but does it with an intolerable remedy It was the song of Cyclops to his sheep feed you upon the tender herbs I mean to feed upon the flesh and drink the blood of the Greeks this is a
violence not only to the laws and manners but even to the very nature of men Lions indeed and Tygres do with a strange curiosity eye and observe him that struck them and they fight with him above all the hunters to strike again is the return of beasts but to pardon him that smote me is the bravest amends and the noblest way of doing right unto our selves whilest in the wayes of a man and by the methods of God we have conquered our enemy into a friend But revenge is the disease of honour and is as contrary to the wisdom and bravery of men as dwelling in rivers and wallowing in fires is to their natural manner of living and he who out of pretence of valour pursues revenge is like to him who because fire is a glorious thing is willing to have a St. Anthonies fire in his face 2. He that is injured must so pardon as that he must not pray to God to take revenge of his enemy It was noted as a pitiful thing of Brutus that when his army was broken and himself exposed to the insolencies of his enemies and that he could not revenge himself he cryed out most passionately in the words of the Greek tragedy to Jupiter to take vengeance of young Octavius But nothing is more against the nobleness of a Christian spirit and the interest of a holy communion than when all meet together to pray for all and all for every one that any man should except his enemy that he who prayes for blessings to the whole mystical body of Christ should secretly desire that one member should perish If one prayes for thee and another prayes against thee who knows whether thou shalt be blessed or accursed 3. He that means to communicate worthily must so forgive his enemy as never to upbraid his crime any more For we must so forgive as that we forget it not in the sense of nature but perfectly in the sense of charity For to what good purpose can any man keep a record of a shrewd turn but to become a spie upon the actions of his enemy watchful to do him shame or by that to aggravate every new offence It was a malicious part of Darius when the Athenians had plundered Sardis he resolving to remember the evil turn till he had done them a mischief commanded one of his servants that every time he waited at supper he should thrice call upon him Sr. remember the Athenians The Devil is apt enough to do this office for any man and he that keeps in mind an injury needs no other tempter to uncharitableness but his own memory He that resolves to remember it never does forgive it perfectly but is the under officer of his own malice â—or as rivers that run under ground do infallibly fall into the sea and mingle with the salt waters so is the injury that is remembred it runs under ground indeed and the anger is head but it tends certainly to mischief and though it be sometimes lesse deadly for want of opportunity yet it is never lesse dangerous 4. He that would communicate worthily must so pardon his enemy that though he be certain the man is in the wrong and sinned against God in the cause yet he must not under pretence of righting God and Religion and the laws pursue his own anger and revenge and bring him to evil Every man is concerned that evil be to him that loves it but we cozen our selves by thinking that we have nothing to do to pardon Gods enemies and vile persons It is true we have not but neither hath any private man any thing to do to punish them but he that cannot pardon Gods enemy can pray to God that he would and it were better to let it all alone than to destroy charity upon pretence of justice or Religion For if this wicked man were thy friend it may very well be supposed that thou wouldest be very kind to him though he were Gods enemy and we are easie enough to think well of him that pleases us let him displease whom he list besides 5. He may worthily communicate that so pardons his enemy as that he endeavour to make him to be his friend Are you ready to do him good Can you relieve your enemy if he were in want Yes it may be you can and you wish it were come to that And some men will pursue their enemy with implacable prosecutions till they have got them under their feet and then they delight to lift them up and to speak kindly to the man and to forgive him with all the noblenesse and bravery in the world But let us take heed lest instead of shewing mercy we make a triumph Relieve his need and be troubled that he needs it Rescue him from the calamity which he hath brought upon himself or is fallen into by misadventure but never thrust him down that thou mayest be honoured and glorious by raising him from that calamity in which thou art secretly delighted that he is intangled Lycurgus of Sâ—arta in a tumult made against him by some Citizens lost an eye which fact the wiser part of the people infinitely detesting gave the villain that did it into their Princes power and he used it worthily he kept him in his house a year he taught him vertue and brought him forth to the people a worthy Citizen To pardon thy enemy as David pardoned Absalom that 's true charity and he that does so pardon needs no further inquiry into the case of conscience It was an excellent saying of Seneca When thou doest forgive thy enemy rather seem to acquit him than to pardon him rather excuse the fault than only forbear the punishment for no punishment is greater than so to order thy pardon that it shall glorifie thy kindness and upbraid and reproach his sin 6. He that would be truly charitable in his forgiveness and with just measures would communicate must so pardon his enemy that he restore him to the same state of love and friendship as before This is urged by St. Bernard as the great imitation of the Divine mercy God hath so freely so intirely pardoned our sins that he neither condemns by revenging nor confounds by upbraiding nor loves lesse by imputing He revenges not at all he never upbraides and when he hath once pardoned he never imputes it to any evil purposes any more And just so must our reconciliation be we must love him as we loved him before for if we love him lesse we punish him if our love was valuable then he is forgiven indeed when he hath lost nothing I should be thought severe if I should say that the true forgiveness and reconciliation does imply a greater kindness after than before but such is the effect of repentance and so is the nature of love There is more joy over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance and a
broken love is like a broken bone set it well and it is the stronger for the fracture When Nicanor railed upon Philip of Macedon he slighted him and he railed still he then reproved him but withal forgave him and still he railed but when he forgave him and gâ—ve him a donative he sealed Nicanors pardon he confuted his calumny and taught him virtue But this depends not upon the injured person alone but upon the return and repentance of him that did it For no man is the better with God for having sinned against him and no man for having injured his brother can be the better beloved by him But if the sinner double his care in his repentance and if the offending man increase his kindnesse justice and endearments in his returns to friendship then it is the duty of charity so to pardon so to restore as the man deserves that is the sin must not be remembred in anger to lessen the worthinesse of his amends And this is that which our Blessed Saviour says If he shall return and say I repent thou shalt forgive him But the understanding of this great duty will require a little more exactnesse let us therefore inquire more particularly into the practical Questions or Cases of Conscience relating to this duty 1. How far we are bound to forgive our enemy that does repent and how far him that does not 2. How long and how often must we proceed in our pardon to the penitent 3. What indications and signs of repentance are we to require and accept as sufficient 4. Whether after every relapse must the conditions of his pardon be harder than before 5. Whether the injured person be bound to offer peace and seek for reconcilement or whether may he let it alone if the offending party does not seek it 6. Whether the precept of charity and forgivenesse obliges us not to go to Law 7. What charity or forgivenesse the offended Husband or Wife is to give to the other in case of adultery repented of Question I. Whether we are to forgive him that does not repent and how far if he does and how far if he does not If he have done me no wrong there is nothing to be forgiven and if he offers to give me satisfaction he is out of my debt But if he hath been injurious and does not repair me then I have something to pardon But what reason is there in that Religion that requires me to reward a sinner with a gift to take my enemy into my bosome to invite new injuries by suffering and kindly rewarding the old For by this means we may have injuries enough and sin shall live at the charge of the good mans piety and charity shall be the fuel of malice what therefore is our duty in this case I answer That there is a double sort of pardon or forgivenesse The first and least is that which neither exacts revenge our selves nor requires it of God nor delights in it if it happens and this is due to all those very enemies that do not repent that cease not still to persecute you with evil must thus be pardoned whether they care for it or no whether they ask it or ask it not For these we must also pray we must blesse them we must speak as much good of them as occasion and justice do require and we must love them that is do them justice and do them kindnesse and this expresly required of us by our blessed Saviour But there is also another forgivenesse that is a restitution to the first state of trust to love him as well to think as well of him and this is only due to them that repent and ask pardon and make amends as they can for then the proper office of thy charity is to pity thy brothers infirmity to accept his sorrow to entertain his friendship and his amends and to put a period to his repentance for having troubled thee For his satisfaction and restitution hath taken away the material part of the injury and thou art as well as thou wert before or at least he would fain have thee so and then there can be nothing else done but what is done by thy charity and by this thou must bear a share in his sorrow believe his affirmation accept his repentance cancel his guilt take off the remanent obligations remove suspicion from him entertain no jealousies of him but in all things trust him where charity is not imprudent For it is not always safe to imploy a person that hath deceived my trust and done me wrong But if you perceive that he may wisely be trusted and imployed charity must take off the objection of his former sailing If by repentance he hath cut off the evil that he did thee and that evil by which he did it then if you refuse to imploy him because he once did you wrong it is revenge and not prudence If he offended thee by pride by anger by covetousnâ—sse it is not enough that he say Sir forgive me I will make you amends It is enough to make you pardon him and perfectly to be reconciled to him but unlesse his repentance hath destroyed his covetousnesse his anger or his pride the evil principle remains and he will injure thee again Which thing if wisely and without pretences thou canst really perceive to trust or to imploy him in such instances in which he formerly did thee injury is not prudent nor safe and no charity ties thee to be a fool and to suffer thy self to be tempted Only be careful that you do not mistake jealousie for prudence and so lose the rewards of charity lest when we think our selves wise we become fools Question II. How long and how often must we proceed in our forgiveness and accept of the repentance of injurious persons To this we need no answer but the words of our Blessed Saviour If thy Brother trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him Now this seven times in a day and seventy times seven times is not a determined number but signifies infinitely Seven times in a day do I praise thee said David From this definite number some Ages of the Church took their pattern for their Canonical hours It was well enough though in the truth of the thing he meant I will praise thee continually and so must our pardoning be For if Christ hath forgiven thee but seventy times seven times saith St. Austin then do thou also stop there let his measure be thine If he denied to spare thee for the next fault do thou so to thy Brother But St. Hierom observes concerning this number That Christ required us to forgive our Brother seventy times seven times in a day that is four hundred and ninety times meaning that we must be ready to forgive him oftner than he can need it Now though he that
sins frequently and repents frequently gives great reason to believe that his repentances are but pretended and that such repentances before God signifie nothing yet that is nothing to us it may be they are rendred ineffâ—ctual by the relapse and that they were good for the present as Ahabs was but whether they be or be not yet if he be not ashamed to repent so often we must think it no shame and no imprudence to forgive him and to forgive him so that he be restored intirely to his former state of good things that is there must be no let in thy charity if there be in prudence that 's another consideration But his second repentance must be accepted as well as his first and his tenth as well as his fifth And if any man think it hard so often to be tied to accept his repentance let him understand that it is because himself hath not yet been called to judgment he hath not heard the voice of the exactor he hath not yet been delivered to the tormentors nor summed up his own accounts nor beheld with amazement the vast number of his sins He that hath in deepest apprehension placed himself before the dreadful Tribunal of God or felt the smart of conscience or hath been affrighted with the fears of hell or remembers how often he hath been spared from an horrible damnation will not be ready to strangle his Brother and afflict him for a trifle because he considers his own dangers of perishing for a sum which can never be paid if it never be forgiven Question III. What indications and signs of repentance are we to require and to accept as sufficient I answer that for this circumstance there is as proper an use and exercise of our charity as in the direct forgiveness We are not to exact securities and demonstrations Mathematical nor to demand the extremity of things If thy enemy be willing to make an amends accept of his very willingnesse for some part and his amends for the other Let every good act be forwardly entertained and persuade you heartily that all is well within If you can reasonably think so you are bound to think so for after all the signs of repentance in the world he may deceive you and whether his heart be right or not you can never know but by the judgment of charity and that you may better use betimes For when ever your returning enemy saies he does repent that is gives humane and probable indications of his repentance you cannot tell but that he saies true and therefore you must forgive The words of Christ are plain if he returns saying I do repent then it is a duty and we can stay no longer for he that confesses his sin and praies for pardon hath done great violence and mortification to himself he hath punished his fault and then there is nothing left to be done by the offended party but to return to mercy and charity But in this affair it is remarkable what we are commanded by our blessed Lord Agree with thine adversary quickly c. lâ—ft thou be constrained to pay the utmost farthing Plainly intimating that in reconcilements and returns of friendship there is supposed alwaies something to be abated something clearly forgiven for if he pay thee to the utmost farthing thou hast forgiven nothing It is merchandise and not forgivenesse to restore him that does as much as you can require Be not over righteous saith Solomon that is let charity do something of thy work allow to her place and powers and opportunity It was an excellent saying of St. Bernard God is never called the God of revenges but the Father of mercies because the original of his revenges he takes from us and our sins but the original and the causes of his forgivenesse he takes from himself and so should we that we restore him that did us wrong to our love again let it not be wholly because he hath done all that can be required but something upon our own account let our mercy have a share in it that is let us accept him readily receive him quickly believe him easiy expound all things to the better sense take his word and receive his repentance and forgive him at the beginning of it not to interrupt his repentance but to incourage it and that 's the proper work of charity in the present Article Question IV. Whether after every relapse must the conditions of his pardon be harder than before I answer that I find no difference in the expression of our blessed Saviour It is all one after seven times and after seventy times and after seventy times seven times If he shall return saying I repent that 's all is here required But then because by saying I repent is not meant only the speaking it but also doing it must at least be probable that he does so as well as say so therefore although as soon as he does so so soon you must forgive him yet 1. After the first forgivenesse and at the second and third offence we are not obliged so readily to believe his saying as after the first offence at which time although he did violence to justice and charity yet he had not broken his faith as now he hath and therefore the oftner he hath relapsed the more significations he ought to give of the truth of his repentance He that is pardoned and sins again cannot expect so easily to be acquitted the third time as at the first saith S Basil. At the first fault we must believe his saying because we know nothing to the contrary but when he hath often said so and it is seen so often that he did not say true he that is forgiven and then relapses is obliged to do more the next time he pretends repentance 2. Altâ—ough we â—re bound to forgive him intirely even after a thousand injuries if he does truly repent yet this person cannot expect to be imployed or to be returned to all his former capacities of good because it is plain he hath not cured the evil principle the malicious heart or the evil eye the slanderous tongue or the unjust hand his covetous desire and his peevish anger and then though we must be ready in heart to receive him to all the degrees of his former condition when he shall be capable and is the same man that ought to be imployed yet till he be so or appears so in prudent and reasonable indications he must be pardoned heartily and prayed for charitably but he must be handled cautiously It must not be harder for thee to pardon him after ten thousand relapses and returns but after so much variety of folly and weak instances it will be much harder for him to say and prove he does repent But in this our charity must neither be credulous nor morose too easie nor too difficult but it is secure if it pardons him and prayes for him whether he repents or no. 3.
he goes on grows weary when he mingles with the world and by every conversation is polluted or allayed when by his very necessary affairs of life he is made secular and interested apt to tend his civil regards and to be remiss in the spiritual by often and long handling of money beginning too much to love it then we are interrupted in our declining piety we are called upon by Religion and by the sacrednesse of this holy duty are made to begin again not to go back but to be re-enkindled Every time we receive the holy Sacrament all our duties are summed up we make new vowes we chastise our negligence we mend our pace we actuate our holy purposes and make them stronger we enter upon Religion as if we had never done any thing before we bring again our first penitential heats and as when we pray and pray long our devotion slackens and our attention becomes trifling and by wandring thoughts we are gone very far from the observation of the offices the good man that ministers calls out to us Let us pray and then the wandring thoughts run home then we are troubled that we have lost so much of our â—rayers as we have not attended to then we begin agâ—in and pray the more passionately by how much we observe our selves to have been more negligent before If God did not particularly call upon us by these religious necessities and stop us by the solemn return of the Sacrament and stir up our fires and remind us of our duty and make actual seasons and opportunities for actual and great attendencies on religion if God did not make some daies and some necessities and some opportunities for heaven the soul and her interest would not be at all regarded For this life is the day for the body and our needs do indeed require so much attendance and imploy so much of our affections and spend so much of our time that it is necessary some abstractions and separations of time and offices be made Receiving the holy Sacrament is like a Lock upon the waters which makes them rise higher and begin a fuller stream as from a new principle of emanation So that the repentance which is the duty of our life and dispersed over all the parts and periods of it like the waters in the first Creation upon the face of the whole earth is gathered together against the day of the Lords Communion as into a bosome and congregation of penitential waters * Then you are to mourn for your sins and to resolve against them then you are to remember what vowes you have already made and broken how often you have prevaricated in your duty and by what temptations you are used to fall then you are to renew the strength of your purposes to fortifie your tenderest part and to cut off all advantages from the enemy then you must prune your Vine and make the branches bleed then the Bridegroom comes and you must trim your Lamp and adorn it with the culture of Religion that is against the day of Communion you must sum up all the parts of your repentance for the Sacrament is a summary of all the mysteries and all the duty of the whole religion of a Christian. But Baptism and the holy Eucharist do nothing for us unless we do good works and perfect them with a conjugation of holy duties bringing forth fruits meet for repentance But our iniquity must be yet a little more particular There are some actions of repentance which must be finished and made perfect before we receive the holy Communion and there are some which will be finishing all our life Concerning the first the question is which they are and what must be done concerning them Concerning the second we are to inquire how far we must have proceeded in them before we may communicate Those parts of repentance which must be finished before we approach the blessed Sacrament are these 1. We must have renounced perfectly renounced all affections to sin and firmly purpose to amend all to sin no more to lead a new life in all solid and material practises of vertue This we learn from Origen We eat the bread which is made a holy thing and which sanctifies and makes holy all them who use it with holy and salutary purposes and designs of living holily not by a solemn and pompous profession only but with a real and hearty resolution resolving not to say so and be a fool but to say so because indeed we mean so not to profess it because it is the custome of Christians and the expectation of the solemnity but because we intend really to be quit of the sin for ever Now concerning our purposes of amendment these things are to be taken careof 1. That they be made prudently attentively sincerely and with intuition upon a credible possible and designed effect For there are some that make vowes purposes I cannot call them which they believe impossible to keep and no man can wisely purpose such things of which he hath such belief but they believe themselves inevitably engaged to commit a sin and yet as inevitably engaged to say they will not The Greeks tell of a famous fool among them her name was Acco who when she saw her self in a glasse would discourse as wisely as she could to the other woman and supposed her own shadow to be one of her neighbours with whom sometimes she had great business but alwaies huge civilities only she could never agree which of them should go away first or take the upper hand Such wise resolvers are some persons they take the shadow of it for a substance and please themselves by the entertainment of the images of things and think that the outside and the words of a promise are the only thing that God requires they and their promises do not know which shall go away first the resolution quickly dies and the man presently after but the sin lives and abides there still and will do so for ever Cast about and see you have promised what you are likely to perform and do you intend it in good earnest never to consent to a sin in no circumstance and for no argument and by no temptation For he that resolves never to commit that which he knows he shall commit is like him who resolves he will never die his vain resolution sets not his death back one hour It is hypocrisie and lying to say it before God and it is folly and madness to pretend that we will do it to our selves but of this I hâ—ve already spoken 2. He that in his preparation to the holy Communion purposes to live a holy life must not judge of the goodnesse of his purposes by the present intendment but by the consequent performance He must not think it is well yet because many good purposes are broken by temptations disordered by supervening accidents frustrate by impotency and laid aside by the purposes