to Consider with me how false how vain how vile are those things which still retain and chain thee in this wretched and cursed estate wherein thou livest and do hinder thee from the favour of God and the hope of eternal life and happiness Meditations on the hindrances which keep back a Sinner from the Practice of Piety THose hindrances are chiefly seven 1. An ignorant mistaking of the true meaning of certain places of the holy Scriptures and some other chief grounds of Christian Religion The Scriptures mistaken are these 1. Ezek. 33. 13 16. At what time soever a sinner repenteth him of his sin I will blot out all c. Hence the carnal Christian gathereth that he may repent when he will It is true whensoever a sinner doth repent God will forgive but the Text saith not that a sinner may repent whensoever he will but when God will give him Grace Many saith the Scripture when they would have repented were rejected and could not repent tho' they sought it carefully with tears What comfort yields this Text to thee who hast not repented nor knowest whether thou shalt have grace to repent hereafter 2. Matth. 11. 26. Come unto me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Hence the lewdest man collects that he may come unto Christ when he list But he must know that no man ever comes to Christ but he who as Peter saith Having known the way of righteousness hath escaped the pollutions of this world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To come unto Christ is to repent and believe and this no man can do unless his heavenly Father draweth him by his grace 3. Rom 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus True but they are such who walk not after the flesh as thou dost but after the Spirit which thou didst never yet resolve to do 4. 1 Tim. 1. 15. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners c. True but such sinners who like St. Paul are converted from their wicked life not like thee who still continuest in thy lewdness For that Grace of God which bringeth salvation unto all men teacheth us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world 5. Prov. 24. 16. A just man falleth seven times in a day and riseth c. In a day is not in the Text which means not falling into sin but falling into trouble which his malicious enemy plots against the just and from which God delivers him And though it meant falling in and rising out of sin what is this to thee whose falls all men may see every day but neither God nor Man can at any time see thy rising again by repentance 6. Isa. 64. 6. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Hence the Carnal Christian gathers that seeing the best works of the best Saints are no better then his are good enough and therefore he needs not much grieve that his devotions are so imperfect But Isaiah means not in this place the righteous Works of the Regenerate as fervent Prayers in the name of God charitable Alms from the bowels of mercy suffering in the Gospel's defence the spoil of Goods and spilling of Blood and such works which Saint Paul calls the fruits of the Spirit But the Prophet making an humble confession in the name of the Jewish Church when she had fallen from God to Idolatry acknowledgeth that whilst they were by their filthy sins separated from God as Lepers are by their infected sores and polluted cloaths from Men their chiefest Righteousness could not but be abominable in his sight And though our best works compared with Christ's righteousness are no better than unclean rags yet in God's acceptation for Christ's sake they are called white rayment yea pure sine linen and shining far unlike the Leopard's spots and filthy garments 7. James â— 2. In many things we sin all True but God's Children sin not in all things as thou dost without either bridling their lusts or mortifying their corruptions and though the relicks of sin remain in the dearest children of God that they had need daily to cry Our Father which art in heaven forgive us our trespasses yet in the New Testament none are properly called Sinners but the unregenerate but the Regenerate in respect of their Zealous endeavour to serve God in unfeigned holiness are every where called Saints Insomuch that St. John saith that whosoever is born of God sinneth not that is liveth not in wilful filthiness suffering sin to reign in him as thou dost Deceive not thy self with the name of a Christian whosoever liveth in any customary gross sin he liveth not in the state of grace Let therefore saith St. Paul every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity The regenerate sin but upon â—railty they repent and God doth pardon therefore they sin not to death The Reprobate sin maliciously sinfully and delight there in so that by their good will sin shall leave them before they leave it They will not repent and God will not pardon Therefore their sins are mortal saith St. John or rather immortal as saith St. Paul Rom. 2. 5. It is no excuse therefore to say we are all sinners True Christians thou seest are all Saints 8. Luke 23. 43. The Thief converted at the last gasp was received to Paradise what then If I may have but time to say when I am dying Lord have mercy upon me I shall likewise be saved But what if thou shalt not And yet many in that day shall say Lord Lord and the Lord will not know them The Thief was saved for he repented but his fellow had no grace to repent and was damned Beware therefore lest trusting to too late repentance at thy last end on Earth thou be not driven to repent too late without end in Hell 9. 1 John 1. 7. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin And 1 John 2. 1. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous c. Oh comfortable But hear what Sâ— John saith in the same place My little children these things write I unto you that ye sin not If therefore thou leavest thy sin these Comforts are thine else they belong not to thee 10. Rom. 5. 20. Where sin abounded grace did abound much more O sweet But hear what St. Paul addeth What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Rom. 6. 1 2. This place teacheth us not to presume but that we should not despair None therefore of these Promises promiseth any grace to any but to the penitent heart The grounds of Religion mistaken are these 1. From the Doctrine of Justification
now called to Repetitions in Christ's School to see how much Faith Patience and Godliness you have learned all this while and whether you can like Job receive at the hand of God some evil as well as you have hitherto received a great deal of good As therefore you have always prayed Thy will be done so be not now offended at this which is done by his holy will 7. That all things shall work together for the best to them that love God Insomuch that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Assure your self that every pang is a prevention of the pains of hell every resâ—ite an earnest of Heavens rest and how many stripes do you esteem heaven worth As your life hath been a comfort to others so give your friends a Christian example to die and deceive the Devil as Job did It is but the â—â—oss of Christ sent before to crucifie the love of the World in thee that thou mâ—â—st go eternally to live with Christ who was crucified for thee As thou art therefore a true Christian take up like Simon of Cyrâ—nâ— with both thy arms his holy Cross carry it after him 〈◊〉 him thy pains will shortly pass thy joys shall never pass away Consolations against the fear of Death IF in the time of thy sickness thou findest thy self fearful to die meditate 1. That it argueth a dastardly mind to fear that which is nor For in the Church of Christ there is no death Isa. 25. 7 8. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Christ shall never die Job 11. 26. Let them fear death who live without Christ. Christians die not but when they please God they are like 〈◊〉 translated unto God Their pains are but Elijah's fiery chariot to carry them up to heaven or like Lazarâ—â—'s sores sending them to Abraham's Bosom In a word if thou be one of them that like Lazarus lovest Jesus thy sickness is not unto the death but for the glory of God who of his love changeth thy living death to an everlasting life And if mans heathen men as Socratâ—s Câ—â—tiuâ— Seneca c. died willingâ—â— when they might have lived in hâ—pe of the immortality of the soul wilt thou being traiâ—â—d so loâ—g in Châ—â—st's Schâ—ol and now câ—llâ—d to the Marriage Supper of the blessed Lâ—â—h Rev. 19 7. be one of those Guests thâ—â— refuse to go to that joyful banquet God forbid 2 Remember that thy abode here is but the second degree of thy life for after thou hadst first lived nine Months in thy Mothers Womb thou wast of necessity driven thence to live here in a second degree of life And when that number of months which God hath determined for this life are expired thou must likewise leave this and pass to a third degree in the other world which never ends Which to them that live and die in the Lord surpasseth as far this kind of life as this doth that which one lives in his Mothers Womb. To this last and excellentest degree of life through this door passed Christ himself and all his Saints that were before thee and so shall all the rest after them and thee Why shouldst thou fear that which is common to all God's Elect Why should that be uncouth to thee which was so welcom to all them Fear not death for as it is the Exodus of a bad so it is the Genesis of a better World the end of a temporal but the beginning of an eternal life 3. Consider that there are but three things that can make death so fearful unto thee 1. The loss thou hast thereby 2. The pain that is therein 3. The terrible effects which follow after All these are but false â—res and causeless fears For the first if thou leavest here uncertain goods which Thieves may rob thou shalt find in heaven a true Treasure that can never be taken away these were but lent thee as a Steward upon accounts those shall be given thee as thy reward for ever If thou leavesâ— a loâ—ing Wise thou shalt be married to Christ which is more lovely If thou leavest Children and Friends thou shalt there find all thy religious Ancestors and Children departed yea Christ and all his blessed Saints and Angels and as many of thy Children as be God's Children shall thither follow after thee Thou leavest an earthly pâ—ssession and a house of clay and thou shalt enjoy an heavenly inheritance and mansion of glory which is purchased prepared and reserved for thee What hast thou lost Nay is not death unto thee gain Go home go 〈◊〉 and we will follow after thee Secondly For the pain in death the fear of death more pains many than the very paâ—gs of death for many a Christian dies without any great pangs or pains â—itch the 〈◊〉 of thy Hope on the firm ground of the Woâ—d of God who hath promised in thy weakness to perfect his strength and not to suffer thee to be tempted above that thou art able to bear And Christ will shortly turn all thy temporal pains to his eternal joys Lastly As for the terrible effects which follow after death they belong not unto thee being a member of Christ for Christ by his death hath taken away the sting of death to the faithful so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus And Christ hath protested that he that believeth in him hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but haâ—â— passed from death unto life Hereupon the holy Spirit from Heaven saith Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord and that from thenceforth they rest from their labours and their works do follow them In respect therefore of the faithful death is swallowed up in victory and his sting which is sin and the punishment thereof is taken away by Christ. Hence death is called in respect of our bodies a sleep and rest In respect of our Souls a going to our heavenly Father a departing in peace a removing from this body to go to the Lord a dissolving of soul and body to be with Christ. What shall I say Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints These pains are but thy throes and travail to bring forth eternal life And who would not pass through Hell to go to Paradise much more through death There is nothing after death that thou needest feaâ— not thy sinsâ— because Chrâ—st hath payed thy ransom not the Judge for hâ— is thy loving brother not the grave 〈◊〉 iâ— is the Lord's bed not he for thy Redeemâ—r keeps the keys not the Devil for God's holy Angels pitch their Tents about thee and will not leave thee till they bring thee to Heaven Thou wast never 〈◊〉 etâ—â—nal life glorifie therefore â—â—ist by a
O Tongue who wast wont to brag it out with the bravest where are now thy big and daring words now in my greatest need canst thou speak nothing in my defence Canst thou neither daunt these Enemies with threatning words nor entreat them with fair speeches Alas the Tongue two days ago lay speechless It cannot in his greatest extremity either call for a little drink or desire a Friend to take away with his finger the flegm that is ready to choak him Finding here no hope of help she speaks unto the Feet where are ye O Feet which sometime were so nimble in running can you carry me no where out of this dangerous place the Feet are stone-dead already if they be not stirred they cannot stir Then she directs her Speech unto her Hands O Hands who have been so often approved for Manhood in peace and war and wherewith I have so often defended my self and offended my Foes never had I more need than now Death looks me grim in the face and kills me Hellish Fiends wait about my Bed to devour me help now or I perish for ever Alas the Hands are so weak and do so tremble that they cannot reach to the Mouth a Spoonful of supping to relieve languishing Nature The wretched Soul seeing her self thus desolate and altogether destitute of friends help and comfort and knowing that within an Hour she must be in everlasting pains retires her self to the Heart which of all Members is primum vivens and ultimum moriens from whence she makes this doleful lamentation with her self O miserable Caitiff that I am How do the sorrows of Death compass me How do the floods of Belial make me afraid Now have indeed the snares both of the first and second death overtaken me at once O how suddenly hath Death stollen upon me with insensible degrees like the Sun which the Eye perceives not to move though it be most swift of motion How doth Death wreak on me his spite without pity The God of mercy hath utterly forsaken me and the Devil who knows no mercy waits for to take me How often have I been warned of this doleful Day by the faithful Preachers of God's Word and I made but a Jest thereat What profit have I now of all my Pride fine House and brave Apparel What 's become of the sweet Relish of all my delicious Fare all the worldly Goods which I so carefully gathered would I now give for a good Conscience which I so carelesly neglected and what Joy remains now of all my former fleshly Pleasures wherein I placed my chief delight those foolish Pleasures were but deceitful Dreams and now they are past like vanishing shadows but to think of those Eternal Pains which I must endure for those short Pleasures pains me as Hell before I enter into Hell Yet justly I confess as I have deserved I am served that being made after God's Image a reasonable Soul able to judge of mine own Estate and having Mercy so often offered and I intreated to receive it I neglected God's Grace and preferred the pleasures of sin before the religious care of pleasing God lewdly spending my short time without considering what Accounts I should make at my last end And now all the Pleasures of my Life being put together countervail not the least part of my present Pains My Joys were but moment any and gone before I could scarce enjoy them My Miseries are eternal and never shall know end O that I had spent the Hours that I consumed in carding diceing playing and other vile exercises in reading the Scriptures in hearing Sermons in receiving the Communion in weeping for my Sins in fasting watching praying and in preparing my Soul that I might have now departed in the assured hope of everlasting Salvation O that I were now to begin my Life again how would I contemn the world and the vanities thereof How religiously and purely would I lead my Life How would I frequent the Church and sanctifie the Lord's-Day If Satan should offer me all the treasures pleasures and promotions of this world he should never intice me to forget these Terrors of this last dreadful Hour But O corrupt Carkase and stinking Carrion How hath the Devil deluded us and how have we served and deceived each other and pulled swift Damnation upon us both Now is my case more miserable than the Beast that perisheth in a Ditch For I must go to answer before the Judgment-seat of the righteous Judge of Heaven and Eartâ—◠〈◊〉 I shall have none to speak for 〈◊〉 and these wicked Fiends who are privy 〈◊〉 my evil deeds will accuse me and I cannot excuse my self My own heart already condemns me I must needs therefore be dainâ—ed before his Judgment-seat and from thence be carried by these Infernal Fiends into that horrible Prison of endless torments and utter darkness where I shall never more see light that first most excellent thing that God made I who gloried heretofore in being a Libertine am now inclosed in the very Claws of Satan as the trembling Partridge is within the griping talons of the ravenous Faulcon Where shall I lodge to night and who shall be my Companions O horror to think O grief to consider O cursed be the day wherein I was born and let not the day wherein my Mother bare me be blessed Cursed be the Man that shewed my Father saying A Child is born unto thee and comforted him Cursed be that man because he slew me not O that my Mother might have been my Grave or her Womb a perpetual Conception How is it that I came forth of the Womb to endure these hellish sorrows and that my days should thus end with eternal shame Cursed be the day that I was first united to so lewd a body O that I had but so much favour as that I might never see thee more Our parting is bitter and doleful but our meeting again to receive at that dreadful Day the fulness of our deserved vengeance will be far more terrible and intolerable But what mean I thus by too late lamentation to seek to prolong time My last hour is come I hear the heart-strings break this filthy house of Clay falls on my Head here is neither hope help nor place of any longer abiding And must I needs be gone thou filthy Carcass O filthy Carcass with fare ill fare well I leave thee And so all trembling she cometh forth and forthwith is seized upon by Infernal Fiends who carry her with a violence torrenti simili to the bottomless Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone where she is kept as a Prisoner in torments till the general Judgment of the great Day The loathsome Carcass is afterwards laid in the Grave In which action for the most part the dead bury the dead that is they who are dead in sin bury them who are dead for sin And thus the godless and unregenerate worldling who made Earth his Paradise his
which is to come And for as much as thou hast created us to serve thee as all other Creatures to serve us so we beseech thee inspire thy holy Spirit into our hearts that by his illumination and effectual working we may have the inward sight and feeling of our sins and natural corruptions and that we may not be blinded in them through custom as the Reprobates are but that we may more and more loath them and be heartily grieved for them endeavouring by the use of all good means to overcome and get out of them O let us feel the Power of Christ's Death killing sin in our mortal Bodies and the vertue of his Resurrection raising up our Souls to newness of life Convert our hearts subdue our affections regenerate our minds and purifie our nature and suffer us not to be drowned in the stream of those filthy vices and sinful pleasures of thâ—s time where with thousands are carried headlong to eternal destruction but daily frame us more and more to the likeness of thy Son Jesus Christ that in righteousness and true holiness we may so serve and glorifie thee that living in thy fear and dying in thy favour we may in thine appointed time attain to the blessed resurrection of the just unto eternal life In the mean while O Lord increase our faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel and our repentance from dead works the assurance of our hope in thy promises our fear of thy name the hatred of all our sins and our love unto thy children especially those whom we shall see to stand in need of our help and comfort that so by the fruits of Piety and a righteous life we may be assured that thy Holy Spirit doth dwell in us and that we are thy Children by Grace and Adoption And grant us good Father the continuance of health peace maintenance and all other outward things so far forth as thy Divine Wisdom shall think meet and necessary for every one of us And here O Lord according to our bounden duty we confess that thou hast been exceeding merciful unto us all in things of this life but infinitely more merciful in the things of a better life and therefore we do here from our very souls render unto thee all humble and hearty thanks for all thy blessings and benefits bestowed upon our souls and bodies acknowledging thee to be that Father of lights from whom we have received all those good and perfect gifts and unto thee alone for them we ascribe to be due all glory honour and praise both now and evermore But more especially we praise thy divine Majesty for that thou hast defended us this day from all perils and dangersâ— so that none of those judgments which our sins have deserved have fall'n upon any one of us Good Lord forgive us the sins which this day we have committed against thy Divine Majesty and our brethren for Christ his sake be reconciled unto us for them And we beseech thee likewise of the same thine infinite goodness and mercy to defend and protect us and all that belong unto us this night from all dangers of fire robberry terrours of evil angels or any other fear or peril which for our sins might justly fall upon us And that we may be safe under the shadow of thy wings we here commend our Bodies and Souls and all that we have unto thine Almighty protection Lord bless and defend both us and them from all evil And whilst we sleep do thou O Father who never slumberest nor sleepest watch over thy Children and give a charge to thy Holy Angels to pitch their tents round about our House and Dwelling to gâ—ard us from all dangers that sleeping wiâ—h thee we may in the next morning be awakened by thee and so being reâ—reshed with moderate sleep we may be the fitter to set forth thy glory in the conscionable duties of our callings And we beseech thee O Lord to be merciful likewise to thy whole Church and to continue the tranquility of these Kingdoms wherein we live turning from us those plagues which the crying sins of this Nation do cry for Preserve our Religious King Charles Queen Mary the Noble and Hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the Royal Progeny the religious Lady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and her Princely Issue all our Magistrates and Ministers all that fear thee and call upon thy Name all our Christian Brethren and Sisters that suffer sickness or any other affliction or misery especially those who any where do suffer persecution for the testimony of thy holy Gospel grant them patience to bear thy cross and deliverance when and which way it shall seem best to thy Divine Wisdom And Lord suffer us never to forget our last end and those reckonings which then we must render unto thee In health and prosperity mâ—ke us mindful of sickness and of the evil day that is behind that these things may not overtake us as a 〈◊〉 but that we may in good measure like wise Virgins be found prepared for the coming of Christ the sweet Bridegroom of our Souls And now O Lord most holy and just we coâ—fess that there is no cause why thou who art so much displeased with sin shouldest hear the prayer of sinners but for his sake only who suffered for sin and sinned not In the only mediation therefore of thine eternal Son Jesus our Lord and Saviour we humbly beg these and all other graces which thou knowest to be needful for us shutting up these our imperfect requests in that most holy Prayer which Christ himself hath taught us to say unto thee Our Father c. Thy grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy comfort and consolation O holy and blessed Spirit be with us and remain with us this night and for evermore Amen Then saluting one another as becometh Christians who are the Vessels of grace and Temples of the holy Ghost let them in the fear of God depart every one to his rest using some of the former private Meditations for Evening Thus far of the Housholder's publick Practice of Piety with his Family every day Now followeth his Practice of Piety with the Church on the Sabbath-day Meditations of the true manner of practising Piety on the Sabbath-day ALmighty God will have himself worshipped not only in a private manner by private Persons and Families but also in a more publick sort of all the godly joyned together in a visible Church that by this means he may be known not only to be the God and Lord of every singular Person but also of the Creatures of the whole universal World Quest. But why do not we Christians under the New keep the Sabbath on the same seventh day whereon it was kept under the Old Testament I answer because that our Lord Jesus who is the Lord of the Sabbath and whom the Law
pretence of my Calling and Office robbed and purloined from my fellow Christians yea I have received and suffered Christ where I was trusted many a time in his poor members to stand hungry cold and naked at my Door and hungry cold and naked to go away succourless as he came and when the leanness of his checks pleaded pity the hardness of my heart would shew no compassion Where I should have made conscience to speak the truth in simplicity without any falsehood prudently imaging aright and charitably conâ—â—â—ing all things in the best part and should have defended the good name and credit of my Neighbour alas vile wretch that I am I have belyed and slandered my fellow-brother and as soon as I heard an ill report I made my tongue the Instrument of the Devil to blazon that abroad unto others before I knew the truth of it my self I was so far from speaking a good word in defence of his good name that it tickled my heart in secret to hear one that I envied to be taxed with such a blemish tho' I knew that otherwise the graces of God shined in him in abundant measure I made jests of officious and advantage of pernicious lies herein shewing my self a right Certain rather than an upright Christian And lastly O Lord where I should have rested fully contented with that portion which thy Majesty thought mâ—â—râ—st to bestow upon me in this Pilgrimage and rejoyced in anothers good as in mine own alas my life hath been nothing else but a greedy lusting after this Neighbours house and that Neighbours land yea secretly wishing such a man dead that I might have his living or office covâ—â—iâ—g rather those things which thou hast bestowed on another rather than being thankful for that which thou hast given unto my self Thus I O Lord who am a carnal sinner and sold under sin have transgressed all thy holy and spiritual Commandments from the first to the last from the greatest unto the least and hear I stand guilty before thy Judgment-seat of all the breaches of all thy laws and therefore liable to thy curse and to all the miseries that Justice can pour forth upon so cursed a creature And whether shall I go for deliverance from this misery Angels blush at my Rebellion and will not help me Men are guilty of the like transgression and cannot help themselves Shall I then despair with Cain or make away my self with Judas No Lord for that were but to end the miseries of this life and to begin the endless torments of hell I will rather appeal to thy Throne of Grace where mercy reigns to pardon abounding sins and out of the depth of my miseries I will cry with David for the depth of thy mercies Though thou shouldest kill me with afflictions yet will I like Job put my trust in thee Though thou shouldest drown me in the Sea of thy displeasure with Jonas yet will I catch such hold on thy Mercy that I will be taken up dead clasping her with both my hands And though thou shouldest cast me into the bowels of Hell as Jonas into the belly of the Whale yet from thence would I cry unto thee O God the Father of heaven O Jesus Christ the Redeemer of the World O Holy Ghost my Sanctifier three Persons and one eternal God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner And seeing the goodness of thine own Nature first moved thee to send thine only begotten Son to die for my sins that by his Death I might be reconciled to thy Majesty O reject not now my penitent Soul who being displeased with her self for sin desireth to return to serve and please thee in newness of life and reach from Heaven thy helping hand to save me thy poor servant who am like Peter ready to sink in the Sea of my sins and misery Wash away the multitude of my sins with the merits of that Blood which I believe that thou hast so abundantly shed for penitent sinners And now that I am to receive this day the blessed Sacrament of thy precious Body and Blood O Lord I beseech thee let thy holy Spirit by thy Sacrament seal unto my soul that by the merits of thy Death and Passion all my sins are so freely and fully remitted and forgiven that the curses and judgments which my sins have deserved may never have power either to confound me in this life or to condemn me in the world which is to come For my stedfast faith is that thou hast died for my sins and risen again for my justification This I believe O Lord help mine unbelief Work in me likewise I beseech thee an unfeigned repentance that I may hearâ—ily bewail my former sins and loath them and serve thee henceforth in newness of life and greater measure of holy devotion And let my soul never forget the infinite love of so sweet a Saviour that hath laid down his life to redeem so vile a sinner And grant Lord that having received these seals and pledges of my Communion with thee thou maiest henceforth so dwell by the Spirit in me and I so live by faith in thee that I may carefully walk all the days of my liâ—e in godliness and piety towards thee and in Christian love and charity towards all my Neighbours that living in thy fear I may die in thy favour and after death he made partaker of eternal life through Jesus Christ my Lord and only Saviour Amen 3. Of the means whereby thou maiest become a worthy Receiver THese means are duties of Two sorts the former respecting God the latter our Neighbour Those which respect God are Three First sound Knowledge Secondly true Faith Thirdly unfeigned Repentance That which respecteth our Neighbour is but one sincere Charity 1. of sound Knowledge requisite in a worthy Communicant Sound Knowledge is a sanctified understanding of the first Principles of Religion As first Of the Trinity of Persons in the unity of the God-head Secondly Of the creation of Man and his Fall Thirdly Of the curse and misery due to sin Fourthly Of the Natures and Offices of Christ and redemption by faith in his death especially of the doctrine of the Sacraments sealing the same unto us For as an house cannot be built unless the foundation he first laid so no more can Religion stand unless it be first grounded upon the certain knowledge of God's Word Secondly If we know not God's Will we can neither believe nor do the same For as worldly businesses cannot be done but by them who have skill therein so without knowledge must men be much more ignorant in divine and spiritual matters And yet in temporal things a Man may do much by the light of nature but in religious misteries the more we rely upon natural reason the further we are from comprehending spiritual Truth Which discovers the fearful estate of those who receive without knowledge and the more
fearful estate of those Pastors who minister unto them without Catechising 2. Of sincere Faith required to make a worthy Communicant Sincere Faith is not a bare knowledge of the Scriptures and first grounds of Religion for that Devils and Reprobate have in an excellent measure and do believe it and tremble but a true persuasion as of all those things whatsoever the Lord hath revealed in his Word so also a particural applications unto a man 's own soul of all the promises of mercy which God hath made in Christ to all believing sinners And consequently the Christ and all his merits do belong unto him as well as to any other For first if we have not the righteousness of Faith the Sacrament seals nothing unto us and every man in the Lord's Supper receiveth so much as he believeth Secondly because that without Faith we communicating on earth cannot apprehend Christ in Heaven For as he dwelleth in us by Faith so by faith we must likewise eat him Thirdly because that without faith we cannot be perswaded in our consciences that our receiving is acceptable unto God 3. Of unfeigned Repentance requisite a for true Communicant True Repentance is a holy change of the mind when upon the feeling sight of God's mercy and of a man 's own misery he turneth from all his known and secret sins to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the rest of his days For as he that is glutted with meat is not apt to eat bread so he that is stuffed with sins is not sit to receive Christ. And a conscience defiled with wilful filthiness makes the use of all holy things unholy unto us Our sacrificed spotless Passover cannot be eaten with the sowre leaven of malice and wickedness saith Paul 1 Cor. 5. 8. Neither can the old Bottles of our corrupt and impure Consciences retain the new Wine of Christ's precious Blood as our Saviour saith Mar. 2. 22. We must therefore truly repent if we will be worthy partakers 4. The duty to be performed in respect of our Neighbour is Charity Charity is a hearty forgiving of others who have offended us and after reconciliation an outward unfeigned testifying of the inward affections of our hearts by gestures words and deeds as oft as we meet and occasion is offered For first without love to our Neighbour no Sacrifice is acceptable unto God Secondly because one chief end wherefore the Lord's Supper was ordained is to confirm Christians love one towards another Thirdly no man can assure himself that his own sins are forgiven of God if his heart cannot yield to forgive the faults of men that have offended him Thus far of the first sort of Duties which we are to perform before we come to the Lord's Table called Preparation 2. Of the Second sort of Duties which a worthy Communicant is to perform at the receiving of the Lord's Supper called Meditation THis Exercise of spiritual Meditation consist in divers Points First when the Sermon is ended and the Banquet of the Lord's Supper begins to be celebrated meditate with thy self how thou art invited by Christ to be a Guest at his Holy Table and how lovingly he inviteth thee Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters of life c. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price eat ye that which is good let your soul delight it self in fatness Take ye eat ye This is my body which was broken for you drink ye all of this for this is my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins What greater honour can be vouchsafed than to be admitted to sit at the Lordâ— own Table What better fare can be afforded than to feed on the Lord 's own Body and Blood If David thought it to be the greatest favour that he could shew unto good Barzillai for all the kindness that he shewed unto him in his Troubles to offer him that he should feed with him at his own Table in Jerusalem how much greater favour ought we to account it When Christ doth indeed feed us in the Church at his own Table and that with his own most holy Body and Blood Secondly As Abraham when he went up to the mount to sacrifice Isaac his Son left his Servants beneath in the Valley so when thou comest to the spiritual sacrifice of the Lord's Supper lay aside all earthly thoughts and cogitations that thou maiest wholly contemplate of Christ and offer up thy Soul unto him who sacrificed both his Soul and Body for thee Thirdly Meditate with thy self how precious and venerable is the Body and Blood of the Son of God who is the Ruler of Heaven and Earth the Lord at whose beck the Angels tremble and by whom both the quick and dead shall be judged at the last day and thou among the â—est And how that it is he who having been crucified for thy sins offereth now to be received by faith into thy sâ—ul On the other side consider how sinful a Creature thou art how altogether unworthy of so holy a Guest how ill deserving to taste of such sacred food having been conceived in filthiness and wallowing ever since in the mire of iniquity bearing the Name of a Christian but doing the works of the Devil adoring Christ with an Ave Rex in thy mouth but spitting Oaths in his face and crucifying him anew with thy graceless actions Fourthly Ponder then with what face darest thou offer to touch so holy a Body with such defiled hands or to drink such precious blood with so lewd and lying a mouth or to lodge so blessed a Guest in so uncle an a stable For if the Bethshemites were slain for but looking irreverently into the Ark of the old Testament what Judgment maist thou justly expect who with such impure Eyes and Heart art come to see and receive the Ark of the New Testament in which dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily If Vzzah for but touching though not without zeal the Ark of the Covenant was stricken with sudden death what stroke of divine Judgment mayst thou not fear that so rudely with unclean hands dost presume to handle the Ark of the Eternal Testament wherein are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge If John Baptist the holiest man that was born of a Woman thought himself unworthy to bear his shooes O Lord how unworthy is such a Prophane Wretch as thou art to eat his holy Flesh and to drink his precious Blood If the blessed Apostle Saint Peter seeing but a glimpse of Christ's Almighty Power thought himself unworthy to stand in the same Boat with him how unworthy art thou to sit with Christ at the same Table where thou mayest behold the infiniteness of his Grace and Mercy displayed If the Centurion thought that the roof of his house was not worthy to harbour so Divine a Guest what room
together and addest unto those the sins of Cain and Judas and puttest unto them all the sins of all the Reprobates in the World doubtless it would be a huge heap yet compare this huge heap with the infinite mercy of God and there will be no more comparison betwixt them than betwixt the least Mole-hill the greatest Mountain in a Country The cry of the grievous est sins that ever we read of could never reach up higher than unto Heaven as the cry of the sins of Sodom but the mercy of God saith David reacheth up higher than the Heavens and so overtoppeth all our sins And if his Mercy be greater than all his works it must needs be greater that all thy sins And so long as his mercy is greater than the sins of the whole world do thou but repent there is do doubt of pardon If â—â—tan shall object that thou hast many times vowed to repent and hast made a shew of repentance for the time and yet didst fall to the same sins again and again and that all thy repentance was but feigned and a mocking of God And that seeing thou hast so often broken thy vow therefore God hath withdrawn his mercy and hath changed his love c. mediâ—ate 1. That though this were true which indeed is hainous yet it is no sufficient cause why thou shouldst despair seeing that this is the common case of all the Children of God in this life who vow so oft to forbear some sin till perceiving their weakness nor able to perform it they vow that they will vow no more Their Vows shew the desires of their spiritual Man their breaking the weakness of their corrupt flesh And our oft slips into the same sins Christ foresaw when he taught us to pray daily Our Father forgive us our trespasses And why doth Christ enjoyn thee who art but a sinful man to forgive thy brother seven times in a day if he shall return seven times in a day and say it repenteth me But to assure thee that he being the God of mercy and goodness it self will forgive unto thee thy seventy times seven-fold sins a day which thou hast committed against him if thou return unto him by truâ— Repentance The Israelites were cured by looking though with weak eyes on the Brazen Serpent as oft as they were stung by the fiery Serpent in the Wilderness to assure thee that upon thy tears of repentance thou shalt be recovered by â—aith in Christ as often as thou are wounded to death by sin 2. That thy salvation is grounded not upon the constancy of thine obedience but upon the firmness of God's Covenant Though thou variest with God and the Covenant be broken on thy behalf yet it is firm on God's part and therefore all is safe enough if thou wilt return for there is no variableness with him neither shadow of change He hath locked up thy salvation and made it sure in his own unchangeable purpose and hath delivered to thy keeping the keys which are Faith and repentance and whilst thou hast them thou mayst perswade thy self that thy salvation is suâ—e and safe For whom God loveth he loveth to the end and never repenteth of bestowing his love on them who repent and believe Lastly If Satan shall perswade thee that thou hast been doubting a long time and that it 's best for thee now to despair seeing thy sins increase and thy judgment draweth near meditate 1. That no sin though never so great should be a cause to move any Christian to despair so long as God's mercy by so many millions of degrees is greater and that every penitent and believing Sinner hath the pardon of all his sins confirmed by the Word and Oath of God two immutable things wherein it is impossible that God should lye His Word is that at what time soever a sinner whosoever doth repent of his sin whatsoever for both time and sins and sinners are indefinite from the bottom of his heart God will blot forth all his sins out of his remembrance that they shall be mentioned unto him no more If we will not take his word which God forbid we should doubt of he hath given us his Oath As I live I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live As if he had said will ye not believe my Word I swear by my life that I delight not to damn any sinner for his sins but rather to save him upon his conversion and repentance The meditation hereof moved Tertullian to exclaim O how happy are we when God sweareth that he wills not our damnation O what miserable wretches are we if we will not believe God when he sweareth this truth unto us Listen O drooping Spirit whose soul is assailed with ways of faithless despair how happy were it to see many like thee and Hezekiah who mourn like Doves for the sense of sin and chatter like Cranes and Swallows for the fear of God's anger rather than to behold many who die like Beasts without any feeling of their own estate or any fear of God's wrath or Tribunal Seat before which they are to appear Comfort thy self O languishing soul for if this earth hath any for whom Christ spilt his blood on the Cross thou assuredly art one Chear up therefore thy self in the all-sufficient atonement of the blood of the Lamb which speaketh better things than that of Abel And pray for those who never yet obtained the grace to have such a sense and detestation of sin Thou art one indeed for whom Christ died and from whom a wounded spirit judging rather according to his feeling than his faith hath wrung that doleful voice of Christ My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And doubt not but ere long thou shalt as truly reign with him as now thou dost suffer with him for Yea and Amen hath spoken it No sin bars a man from salvation but only Incredulity and Impenitency nothing makes the sin against the Holy Ghost unpardonable but want of repentance Thy unfeigned desire to repent is as acceptable unto God as the perfectest repentance that thou couldest wish to pâ—râ—orm unto him Meditate upon these Evangelical comforts and thou shalt see that in the very agonâ— of death God will so assist thee with his spirit that when Satan looketh for the greatest victory he shall receive the foulest foil yea when thy eye-strings are broken that thou canst not see the light Jesus Christ will appear unto thee to comfort thy Soul and his Holy Angels will carry thee into his Heavenly Kingdom Then shall thy Friends behold thee like Manoah's Angel doing wonders indeed when they shall see a frail man in his greatest weakness by the mere assistance of God's Spirit overcoming the strength of sin the bitterness of death and all