s the Word of God 1 Pet. 1. ult which must doe it 1 Pet 1 22 as Iam. 1.16 Of his free will hee begat us by the Word of truth Iam 1 16 Trie thy selfe then by the usuall acts of the word of Regeneration and so thou maist gather that this Spirit belongs to thee This is no place for mee to digresse I will cull out onely two or three things which may serve for this use Deceive not thy selfe and God will not deceive the Didst thou ever then feele in thy selfe that this immortall seed cast into thy eare did so descend into thy heart as to worke any immortall hope in thee 2 Tim. 1 11. The Gospell reveales immortality and glory to the soule Did it ever bring to light any such thing to thee Did it ever conceive in thee a sensible distaste of all hopes below and raise thy affections above Did it ever cause the things of the earth long life health successe welth money pleasure to be despised in comparison of the hope which is set before thee Camest thou ever from the word another man in thy aime appetite savor and love than thou wentst Did thy heart ever burne within thee there And when thou camest with earthly base thoughts did the Lord so dash them by heavenly doctrine and the hope of Christ that thou returnedst to thy house with a distaste of thy selfe for them Wert thou ever so touched and taken with the promise of the word that thou wert loath to forgo it for any delight In particular try thy self thus Instances of the words working 1. Hath the word of the Law cast a destroying seede of death into thee taken a way that life of old Adam jollity in sin Hath it defaced thy old Image discovered thee to thy selfe to be an Alien from the Life of God and common-wealth of Israel the son of an Hittite and Amorite as odious as one of thirtie old would be to thee who never was baptized Secondly hath the Gospell cast a better seed of hope in Christ by the Covenant of reconciliation into thee In thy hearing of this glad tidings hath the Lord bored an eare in thee by which this seede might conceive and kindle in thy heart Hath it wrought the preparation of heart in thee by brokennesse tendernesse humilitie unweariednesse of paines selfe de-deniall c. Hath it setled and digested in thee as a thing of such beauty as in comparison of which all the glory of the earth is drosse Hath it abode in thee and brought an undecaying sweetnesse into thee Hast thou felt in thy wombe the paines of true life and the new birth viz. How corruption of nature selfe and infidelity have rebelled against the work both of the Law and Gospell Gen. 25 22. Hast thou with Rebecca in this combat gone to God with thy complaint of the infinite lets that have held thee from beleâ—ving And hath the Lord by his Promise and perswasions fastened thy anchor of soule upon his bottome of free grace and truth renouncing thy owne hopes feares performances So that now thou hast him close bound to thee in his word from ever forsaking thee Then I say to thee thou art he whom the word hath breed Christ in and formed life in thee by faith What wanteth then Oh! thy heart is fickle and too weake to buy and sell upon the bare word without wavering yea thou hast much adoe to get victory over thy uncertain heart Well no wonder Thou seest nothing and to resist sence is a great worke yet be faithfull with God and give not over his promise and by due cleaving to the bare truth of the Lord begge further light and rest not in thy measure much lesse yeeld to any love of sinne to darken and defile thee And so doing I assure thee that to thee and to none but such the seale of baptisme belongs thou shalt find the Lord will by his Spirit convince thee deeplier the Spirit of Baptisme shall bring forth Gods pledges shew thee them Ioh. 16 9.10 convey into thy faint heart strength confidence and courage of faith and set thee above thy distempers as if they had never annoied thee If I say hee have purposed such a decree of grace unto thee he will effect it in time else know that howsoever yet thy service is blessed and thy faith hath brâ—â—d the life of regeneration in thee Branch 1 Forthly let this be exhortation to urge us to apply our selves to Baptisme for the sealing work of the Spirit therin To young Novices And first I direct my speech to yong novices under the means Slight not off the first incklings of this sealing Spirit The 1. layes heates of the holy Ghost and fire doe usually breake forth in youth Consider it s not a dayes worke nor a thing easie to settle the Spirit of sealing upon thy soule there be many steps to it Oh! looke to it yee young beginners One cause why old Christians walke so heavily is because they never heeded or hatched the first motions of the Spirit in their beginnings If then the Spirit of God doe call and stirre in thee by early affections love zeale enquiry answer Speake Lord for thy servant heares put him not off by ease or bondage 1 Sam. 3 9. If such a thought come as this What a dramme of Grace and Life of Christ is worth or what vow thou madest in Baptisme and how retchlesse thou hast beene to keepe it dally not with such items shake not off either pangs of terrour by lusts of youth or pangs of hope and love with ease and sloth for so the Spirit of sealing is fore-stalled and the faire forwardnesse thereto will hardly be recovered Put in thy foote presently upon the Angells stirring the poole Ioh. 5 4. if thou have an heart none shall prevent thee heere as there If these seeds were not choked and these buds cropt they would proove the assuring sealing Spirit of grace in due time Through contempt of it the Lord leaves youth to that hideousnesse and ripenesse in sinne yea a spirit of desperate debauchednesse in drinking oathes Rev. 22.11 and villany as would not bee beleeved of such youth Branch 2 Secondly I speake to all other apply your selves to the Sacrament of Baptisme for this last evidence and seale of the Spirit To elder oneâ— to let yee know that yee are the Lords Lin not till the Lord hath seal'd yee for his owne set his marke upon you not to be blotted out Looke up at each Sacrament each Baptizing ye see to the Lord that which in the former point I speake as hee hath applied the grace of Baptisme by the promise unto you so now hee would apply is Seale of assurance unto you by his Baptisme Let not such a mercie be there to be had and you not aware of it Thinke it not too good to receive if God will grant it What is
called had beene Sacrilegious Even so here in the Elements resembling his separation and death But for the act it selfe consider two things first Two things in it 1. What it was What was it Why was it For answer to the first The breaking of Christ was a taking of the loafe and a breaking thereof with his holy hands into gobbets and morsels meet for his disciples not minsing the bread and cutting it with a knife into small bits nor yet into overgreat pieces but I say into morsels competent I doe not quarrell with the custome of cutting with the knife for as I said before of sprinkling the water so I say of this I disanull not the Ordinance thereby yet still I say I would rather chuse to cleave to the institution in so plaine an act of our Saviour if it may conveniently be done than to balcke it And the rather because it may savor of some Popish nicenesse For as they weare white gloves when they meddle with the Elements and touch them not with their bare hands pretending more reverence to be in a beasts skin than a mans naked hand so some thinke it too homely perhaps to breake the bread with their hands in comparison of cutting it with a knife To such I say that they are too nice herein and the institution of Christ much more to be followed the Minister himselfe breaking it and no leaving it as sometimes is used to the Clarke or Sexton to be done 2. Why was it Secondly why was it I answer for sundry causes first to parallell the Sacrifice of the Passeover a type of Christs Supper which was to be slaine and the bloud of it sprinckled about secondly for a more meete apportioning of the bread of the Sacrament and the Wine to the easier use of the Receivers than in the whole loafe or flagon thirdly and more principally to represent the voluntary offering up himselfe the next day upon the Crosse for an oblation to God Else he would have chosen some other to breake and powre out but in doing it himselfe he typified his laying downe his life freely Ioh. 10 18. when as else none could have taken it from him for when his apprehendors were cast upon the earth then did he yeeld himselfe to their hands fourthly to signifie to the Church that although the Lord Iesus were in himselfe the fountaine of all life and nourishment to his Church yet his Church could no otherwise be capable of him to such ends than by vertue of his being broken upon the Crosse He was as a sealed fountaine before Zach. 13.1 but now set open for the Church This Reason I would have well noted No other way but to be broken could make him meate and drinke indeede The Butt of wine in the Celler hath wine of excellent quality in it selfe but except it be broached none can be the better for it Hence the Church in the Canticles cries out Cant. 1 3. Thou art as an oyntment powred out in the savor of thy oyntments we will follow thee Ioh. 12 2. As that box of oyntment Iohn 12.2 which was broken upon him and powred out upon him so that all the house smelt of it Hence the holy Ghost especially dwells upon his powring out of his soule unto death his being broken for our transgressions Esay 53 12. Rom. 3.25 and other the like phrases there Esa· 53. And Saint Paul dwels upon his bloud-shed Rom. 3.25 ane in twentie other places to shew that nothing but death could make us the better for him either in pardon or Sanctification No incarnation of his no Innocency Miracles no Compassion Teares Love Reproaches Preaching Prayers without his being broken could make him usefull to us Fifthly as he could doe us no good save this way so there is a further thing in it for Christ could not be broken for nourishment till hee was for expiation and attonement By being once broken by death he both paid the price of wrath and also became meete nourishment Christ being made ours to pardon is also made ours to feede and furnish our soules with all graces of his Spirit the Supper is so the Sacrament of our growth in the Lord Iesus as first hee is our growth in faith and Iustification and then of holinesse Objection But here is an objection How can Christ be broken for our nourishment whereas the Scripture tells us Iohn 19 36. Not a bone of him should be broken Answer Answer No necessitie lay upon Christ to be broken according to the uttermost measure of breaking Onely essentiall breaking and powring out of his soule by death lay upon him and this was necessary to make attonement for sinne else no union could have beene purchaced with God nor any fruit thereof in either restoring of life or continuing welfare unto it restored The Providence of God was such in the alleniating of the Crosse and breaking of Christ that hee was dispensed with as touching those excesses extremities indignities which else might have lighted upon him had not the excellency of his person and his sufficiencie to satisfie taken them off Therefore whereas the Law was that the bones of the crucified should be broken to hasten their lingring death the Lord Iesus his bones were not broken he being dead before and so it was with him in the continuance in the hellish measure of torment that hee was freed from them It was enough that hee was so broken that the bande of soule and body was dissolved and his soule was powred forth unto death Vse 1 The uses are weightie first of Confutation of Popery And that first in this that they make a meere apish Pageant and Poppet-play of this Sacrament yea rather an enterlude to please and delight the sences of the blindly devout than a resemblance of the crucified body of the Lord Iesus for the comfort of the Church But especially that they destroy the essence of this act of Breaking In steed whereof they come and bring an whole unbroken Element made of a fine delicate wafer round and whole And as for powring out the wine to the people they never powre out nor allow any at all unto them but keept it quite from them Thirdly they professe not to act the part of the Father reaching out the broken body of Christ to his people but their Priest sustaines rather the person of a false Church and an Idolater to offer up to God a Sacrifice of Christ for expiation destroying the power of Christ our onely Oblation offered by himselfe never more needing to be offered And whereas we presse this argument against them they flie to a shift which overthrowes their cause saying They offer an unbloudy sacrifice in their Masse not bloudy as that of the Crosse In all three respects being the most wofull enemies of the Sacrament Hovv Papists enemies to a broken Christ For first they act it as a thing of mirth not as a broken Christ
secondly they neither breake nor powre out to the use of the Congregation thirdly they professe to have so little neede that God should give them his broken Sonne that they bid him take him backe to himselfe for they care not for him nay they give him backe with a mocking of God and say they offer him an unbloudy Christ and unbroken whereas its sure if the Lord Iesus had done so hee had blasphemed and not satisfied Heb. 9 22. Cursed be all new offering of a Christ as a propitiatory Sacrifice to God or offering of a Christ without bloud Thou shalt as soone satisfie wrath by thy owne or by an Angels or Saints Prayers as by a Christ unbroken and unbloudy A Christ neither broken nor bloudy is an Idoll nothing in the world neither meete to satisfie nor to nourish So that forasmuch as the Church of Romes Sacrament is a Christ no Christ no price no pardon no peace reconciliation or eternall life is to be found there We beseech God for ever to deliver us from her and our selves depart from her as a fatall enemy and destroyer of the Sacrament of the Supper Vse 2 Secondly This teacheth both Minister and people to bring with them pure hands and holy bodies and spirits when they touch breake powre out take and eate these pretious mysteries For what communion can be betweene light and darkenesse Christ and Belial 2 Cor. 6.16 The very Sacramentall acts alone require holinesse of all that thus draw neere unto God least he be revenged of their profaning his Ordinance And how carefull should the Minister be himselfe to act this breaking and powring out not leaving it to another since thereby the voluntarie Act of the Lord Iesus is obscured hee himselfe still freely giving himselfe by the onely hand of his deputed Minister Vse 3 Thirdly and especially let it be exhortation to all Christs people to acknowledge the admirable wisdome of this his ordaining the Sacrament for us in so lively a manner Exhort to diverse things and under such powerfull signification That whereas we come to the Supper for our nourishment and growing in faith and gracc in Christ Lo the Lord offers these under the lively sâ—â—nes of the Lord Iesus himselfe and not onely so but cruciâ—â—d and broken and powred out for us even meete nourishment meet to be apprehended by us in the act of his suffering to secure us of our justification by removing of wrath in the act of his preparednesse to nourish us by cutting himselfe out into morsels for us Oh! what life and sappe is there in a Sacrament so offered to a poore soule as crucifying Christ before our eyes and giving him so into our hands What thankes should this draw from us If Esay Chap. 63.1 could in the meditation of this point so many hundred yeares before Esay 63 1. ravish his heart how much more we How should the instruments of our soules peace with God and welfare in him cause us to cry out as he did Who is he that commeth up from Bozrah in his red garments be sprinkled with the wrath of God upon soule and body by agonies desertions outcries and dolors incomprehensible under that justice and wrath the winepresse fiercenesse whereof he trod And although he thereby was powred out to death yet he so trod out that wrath that it shall never seaze after upon a beleeving soule Oh! not only to thinke of this as Esay did a farre off but to behold the very thing in the Sacrament in a broken powred out bloudy Sacrifice made ready to our hand both to forgive refresh and revive the assurance of both to our soules what thanks and joy should it breed in us How should it magnifie the power of the death of our Lord Iesus in us He himselfe was wholy taken up in the joy of it as bitter as it was and shall not we Ioh. 12 24 25. Reade Ioh. 12.24.32 when some Greeke Proselites preassed to have a sight of him two or three dayes ere his suffering he pulls them to behold him dead not alive Except the wheate corne fall and die it abides alone If I be lifted up I will draw all unto me meaning by the word and Sacraments of this Passion And shall not these ravish us much more Vse 4 Fourthly what compassion and mourning should this sight worke in us Reade Zech. 12.10 Zach. 12 10. They shall see him whom they have pierced and mourne and be in bitternesse as one for his onely Sonne I exhort none to whip themselves for Christ for wo be to such as mourne for him whom they should rejoyce in No no weepe for your selves Come eate this Passe-over withâ—â—wre herbes Exod. 12 8. and behold your selves in this Sacrament who brake rent and powred out the heart-bloud of the Lord Iesus to the earth Truly if thou be not sensible of this thy sinne and broken for breaking the Lord Iesus thou art a Cain to this Abel Gen. 4.10 and his bloud shall cry for vengeance against thee Hearken to the voyce of Iustice crying out Either rend this sinfull cursed soule in pieces for her hypocrisie infidelitie profanenesse or teare the flesh of thy Son for him Aske oh Lord why should not I have beene torne and broken rather for my owne sin But thou hast laid the iniquitie of me upon him Oh! how I am stung for the cause Therefore I mourne not because thou did spare me and lay my guilt upon him but because I was that speare those nailes that brake his holy hands and sides Oh! How few come into the Congregation thus abased Behold thy owne just destinie in the broken body of Christ and mourne Oh thus my pride hollownesse worldlinesse had handled me if the Lord Iesus had not stept in Moderate that frothy lightnesse of spirit which beholds Christ in the Sacrament as an object of all joy and mirth Oh! Let it be thy sadnesse first and thy gladnesse after If the sight of a Page being beaten for a Prince will cause the Prince to mourne and see his errour in the Pages strokes what shall the Page do then when he sees the Prince smitten for his prankes Oh! such a broken heart would make Christ sweet in the Sacrament such a mourning would bring joy For why As thou shouldest have suffered unsatisfyingly except Christ had satisfied So he having freely broken himself for thee hath prevented thy breaking and caused thee to blesse him and say Oh! because thou hast delivered me from this anguish I wil take up the cup of salvation and praise thee Thou stepst in Oh Lord when Angels durst not betweene wrath and my soule Psal 116.13 that the snare being broken I might escape Vse 5 Fifthly concurre therefore by faith with this broken Lord Iesus in the Sacrament first behold the order of it then the act it selfe For the first Remember Two things 1 Order that all true right to the Lord
worke or else all shee hath in her is in vaine the principle of life shee hath will not worke will not helpe except it be jogged by the Spirit that gave it as the hand that stirres the saw to quicken the operations of life no meanes no diet can nourish without this 5. Takes measure of all her wants in speciall And so I might bee endlesse For this spirit doth by a promise offer the Lord Iesus to the soule as one that knowes all her wants takes measure of her defects as one should doe of a body for apparell to make it fit and sutable So doth Christ provide all nourishment apt nourishment for every part against each corruption temptation affliction for every duty for marriage for liberty for company for Sabbaths hearing and ordinances yea to draw to an end the Spirit by the promise doth stirre up first sight of Christ her nourishment 6. Workes application of the promise secondly affections after him thirdly an hand to reach him take him put him on apply him faith to digest and draw from him whatsoever he offers her freely cheerefully confidently sensibly Faith carries her into the streame of his welfare the floods as Iob speakes of his butter and honey and venturing upon his word takes him as he offers himselfe and not by a base and trecherous heart putting him off with his store and plenty as if it were too good for her to receive Conclusion Now then to end this point if the Spirit can thus worke the heart to imbrace Christ by a promise how much more by the Sacrament of the Supper in which I may truely say the Lord Iesus is brought forth in his likenesse eminently even in the instruments and immediate manner of nourishing all Christ whole in respect of his obedience and death pardon and holinesse as a diamond not to be broken and yet broken also upon the Crosse divided into portions as the meete morsells of each poore receiver that needs his flesh and blood True bread to be her staffe of life and wine to be the cherisher of her spirits Oh! the bringing forth of these flagons in so sensible a manner to affect all her soule and to overthrow infidelity must needs be a more effectuall instrument of the Spirit to perswade her that Christ is all in all unto her for her support in grace and holinesse than eyther the word alone or any other ordinance The Lord having in speciall set the Supper apart neyther to bee a breeder at all of grace as the word preached is nor to be a nourisher in an ordinary manner as other publique or private meanes in each of which Christ conveyes himselfe his communion to the soule but an ordinance onely tending to nourish serving for the nonce and to no other purpose and therefore having no other scope must needes be most effectuall for the end it serves for Each thing is most prevalent in her owne predominancy and Element If then the spirit so can worke by the promise alone how much more by the Sacrament which represents that which it offers under the shaddow of the signes and tells the soule Ioh. 20 27. Behold the print of the nayles behold my side behold my selfe heere is my body heere is my blood given for thee shed for thee Verse 28. Be not unfaithfull bue faithfull Sooner shall bread and wine cease to nourish thy body than my flesh and blood to nourish thy soule to eternall life The conclusion is the Spirit doth more eminently convince the soule by the Supper of her nourishment by Christ than it can by the Word alone for as much as the Sacrament with the Word is above the Word The third and last question remaines 3. Quest Wherein Sacramentall Christ for our nourishment stands Answer twofold The first The object expressed many wayes wherein Sacramentall nourishment consists The meaning of which question is double The first concernes the parts of it The second the degrees of it The first lookes at the object how many wayes Christ is the nourishment of his The second rather lookes at the influence it selfe of what kinde or measure it is Touching the first As I sayd before of Baptisme that it affords to the soule Christ to be her seede in all respects of true being and regeneration so now I say the Supper offers him to the soule in each of those particulars for welbeing I have oft thought of two Texts which will expresse the difference That of Paul Ephe. 1.3 Ephe. 1.3 Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things by Christ doth note unto us the grace of Baptisme as all the Chapter following prooves in which the distinct essence of those blessings consists There is another in 2 Pet. Chap. 1 Vers 3. 2 Pet 1.3 His divine power ministring to us all things for life and godlinesse hee meanes not the being of those things but daily supply and increase influence from the Spirit of Christ to uphold the soule in them which hath them and this denotes the grace of the Supper Now if wee marke wee shall see the Scriptures speake of this nourishing grace of Christ sundry wayes Psal 84. Psal 84.11 Psal 37.4 He shall deny them no good thing Delight in the Lord he shall give thee thy hearts desire Doe but think what it is which of all other thou wouldst have finde out thy want and the Lord shall be thy supply noting that how infinite so ever the needs and decayes of the soule are God hath supply enough in Christ for them This is most generall Sometime the holy Ghost shortly knits up particulars as in the same Psalme The Lord shall afford light and defence to his By light including all such good things as wee call positive graces as pardon peace ability to duties c. By defence all privative grace as prevention of evill strength against enemies assaults of Sathan world flesh streights and crosses Sometimes hee is more large â— Cor. 1.30 saying that Christ is made to us wisedome to make us more and more understanding in the truths of God and direction to live accordingly righteousnesse to know our selves justified by better and surer evidence Sanctification to grow holier more mortified daily abler to walke with God in the course of our conversation Redemption to uphold us in all our troubles with more humblenesse patience faith and experience and to helpe us against all enemies till we be fully delivered from all Especially by applying it to the graces of Baptisme But as I take it the most convenient way to expresse the extent of this Grace will be to apply the Supper to all and each branch of the grace of Baptisme Breefely then marke Doth Baptisme give us an estate in Iustification Adoption Reconciliation Redemption Then the Supper confirms nourishes them Objection Heere by the way a doubt may be soone made and is as soone answered
object of faith The second object which is the promise which containeth 2. things either the good things offred in the promise or the hearty meaning and purpose of him that freely markes the promise The good thing offred in the promise pardon peace a purged conscience life of grace support in grace the earnest penny of the Spirit and the like serve to draw the affections which carry the soule unto God and to dash out of countenance all false objects of gaine ease pleasure lusts to draw the soule to God in desire esteeme of mercy and in hungring mourning and endeavouring after Christ Secondly the manner of offring these good things being free full faithfull entire and simple exceeding desirous the soule should embrace them Rom. 5. ut supr sorry it should reject them urging it to beleeve serves to put it out of question that the Lord meanes as hee speakes else needed he not to have prevented us at all but seeing even when we were enemies neither deserving nor desiring any favour yet the Lord out of the meere graciousnesse of his heart would needs bestow it upon us Triall by this therefore he would have us conclude he will not repent him of his freedome if wee come in to lay claime and plead this promise Try thy faith then by the promise thus first whence came those dispositions of heart in thee I meane those teares of thine those desires prayers fastings and diligent searching after grace Came they from selfe-love or from an heart of basenesse bringing thy money and cost to God to buy mercy If so thou hast little to boast of but if the good things of the promise wrought them in thee if thou can say that faith and the preparations to faith proceeded from the promise The good things offered therein drew thee to God as with cords If thou canst say that thy good affections could never purchase faith rather that promise which bred faith bred also those affections in thy soule because thou sawest God willing to save thee and pardon thee therefore thou mournest after him prayest unto him Ionas 3.9 and as Nineve couldst not give him over the rising of the Sunne caused this dawning of heart in thee and these making towards grace it is a good signe Secondly try thy selfe thus If the freedome fulnesse and strength of the promiser have truly wrought upon thee then thy base conceits of the Majesty of God are vanish'd I meane thy enmity and hatefull spirit is gone And whereas thou once couldst not thinke a good thought of him but all thy thoughts framed him rather to be angry envious cruell unbeteaming now thou stoppest and as one better setled beginst to say oh my poore soule who couldst never get out of thy slavery and slightnesse thinke of the promise a little better What wilt thou say if by all this offering urging expostulating charging to be reconciled upon paine of hell the Lord meanes thee well Perhaps he may If while he seekes to save thee thou devize how to get out from him will it not be bitter at last Thus weake hope breakes the ice and sets the soule forward Then the Spirit of grace createth in thee both thoughts and affections of such strange goodnesse bounty long-suffering free grace and compassion that thy heart breakes into wondring at him and saying Who is a God like to our God Mica 7. ult 1 Sam. 24 19. forgiving and passing by the sinnes of his people Who could finde his enemie at the vantage and not destroy him Therefore my soule is even carried into the streame of his grace and perswaded to beleeve I see the good will and meaning of his heart shining in his promise and whereas it was wont to be a barren sound and emptie noise for me to heare a promise now I see it as a vessell standing full and running over yea a streame to carry me in with holy confidence saying If the strength of Israel can lie if free grace if faithfulnesse it selfe can shrinke backe and deny it selfe I am content to perish Thirdly trie it thus If a promise have beene thy Object then thou confessest that the power it selfe to beleeve is in a promise as well as the motives to beleeve The promise is the instrument of the Spirit to perswade And as when the Lord made a promise to the Iewes that if they did come to the Temple to worship hee would keepe their dwellings and goods safe the whil'st Lo this promise had in it such a power as held off all Robbers and enemies from attempting any pillage they durst not they could not so much more in the promise to a loaden heart there is alway the strength of God to effect that which he promiseth and such a soule neede not stand out strangerlike and say here is a sweet promise if I could beleeve But here is a promise strong and able to cause mee to beleeve it If in any measure these trialls be in thee they are all good signes Triall 3. By the roote of it Thirdly trie thy faith by the roote of it which root is selfe-deniall All other graces seeme to have some inherencie and being of their own in the soule onely faith is rooted in the overthrow of a mans selfe This selfe is nothing else save the spirit of old Adam resisting the Spirit of grace and as we see in defenced cities some of their Bulwarkes are out-workes and retrenchments others are maine sorts neere the walls wherein their chiefe strength consisteth So here selfe hath her out-workes selfe-wealth selfe-ease credit and esteeme learning parts experience These are more easily cast downe because Christ and they are of two severall kindes Others are forts of greater consequence in which the heart more trusts as carnall reason and the wisedome of the flesh which Paul in 2 Cor. 10.5 2 Cor. 10.5 calls high thoughts and strong imaginations of flesh setting themselves up against the obedience of faith so also Religious duties and performances whether will-worships of Papists or duties required as Iewish righteousnesse by the Law and all the devotions of carnall Protestants To these I may adde the secret counterminings of the heart mixing it selfe with the preparation to faith and so destroying the worke of God as selfe-mournings desires and use of meanes Now of all these the Scripture tels us That if any will beleeve hee must denie himselfe and be content to be stript of those or else grace will not dwell in him Trust not in thy owne wisedome but trust in the Lord Prov. 3.5 Prov. 3 5. So Paul That I may be found not having my owne righteousnesse of the Law Phil. 3.9 but of faith See how Paul opposes them All the frame of Creation Redemption yea of the whole Word of God prooves it Esay 42 6. God will not give his glory to another He that boasteth must boast of the Lord. Two suites of apparrell may as well agree with
there is by vertue of which the generall equity and provision of the Land and the securitie of every men thou maiest buy and sell upon it that thine is thine owne Gods security best And is not there a greater and stronger spirit to secure thee in the matter of thy salvation offered in the Sacrament Is there not here the Spirit and seale of the Lord Iesus to secure thee Will not this Spirit deliver thee into as firme a Tenor and Possession of Christ thy pardon and life as the other of a peece of land Shall a clod of a field and the ringle of a doore the seazin and delivery of a house and land thereby leave thee better satisfied for the temporall right than the Spirit of the Death and Resurrection of the Lord Iesus for thy spirituall Looke to thy selfe and beware Weakenesse of unbeleefe the Lord will pardon But if thou despise his mercifull releefs of this weakenesse and turne it to wilfulnesse beware least thy wilfull falling proove not a falling sicknesse and thy weakenesse become not such a disease in thee as the Lord will have no regard to cure thee of but leave thee to thy contempt to thine heart of infidelity that cannot beleeve Rather be exhorted to seeke the Lord in his gracious way of assurance bewaile thy impotencie and say Oh! Lord except thou adde thy Spirit to thy Seale as well as thy Seale to the Covenant my cursed spirit is as prone to breake all bands in sunder as any mans With thee Lord weake meanes of beleeving shall be strong without thee the strongest are weake how much more then canst thou made the strongest to become strong I deny my selfe I set my boate upon thy streame to be carried by thee Lord sanctifie thy Sacraments to become unto my soule the utmost assurances of thy Grace and carry me so into this assurance as that being rid of my feares I may ever blesse thee for the fruit of thy Sacraments Thus much for the first end Touching the second to adde a little to that I said formerly I call this â—n occasionall or subordinate end of the Sacrament Secondary end The secure God of our Covenant viz. That we might renew our Covenant with God Wonder not that the ends of the same Ordinance differ in weight for as in Sacramentall graces faith and love we say all are essential to a good receiver yet not equally necessary to the act of receiving so here both these ends are intended more or lesse although Gods sealing of Covenant to us be chiefe Briefely then the Lord expects that the soule being made partaker of his Christ in the feast of the hills as Esay 25. Esay 25 12. I meane with the fat things and refined wines of his Supper and feeling his love sealed to her there in reconciliation and renewed holinesse do occasion her selfe thereby even while the benefit is fresh to revive her love reassure the Lord of her fuller purpose of heart to cleave to him And how Surely in better living by faith better affections zeale fruitfulnesse courage better mortification of lusts and deniall of self better and closer watching of the heart Act. 11.23 and walking with him in uprightnes as our God alsufficient For why If there be mercy with him that he may be feared much more is there renewed mercy with him that he may be doubly and renewedly feared Psal 130.4 And how can we without hypocrisie long for the Sacrament ere it come upon pretence that our spirituall darke dead hearts will be revived and our appallings in grace cured and new strength added and yet having our turne served leave God to himself to go seek the fruit of our being satisfied with the pleasures apples and flagons of his House How doe many complaine between whiles of their damping coldnes and desertion what should then such do 1 Chron. 4 9 Iudg. 1 8. but with that holy Iabez or Othniel vow professe to the Lord that if he wil make the Sacrament a day of feasting joy send us from him welraised up then wil we be the Lords not suffer his oath Sacrament of sealing to passe away from us without a restipulation and reciprocation of double affection duty and thankes But returne him the strength of his cost in his owne service Vse 1 The use herof is first to taxe the most for their extreame base requitall of God for the grace they pretend to reape at and by the Sacrament Surely either they deceive them selves with a shaddow for substance or they faile God marvellously in this end of his Either they make no vowes at the Sacrament or breake them as fast Oh! the formalitie of most Professers in their receiving As appeares by this that in stead of making this Ordinance an hint and opportunitie to provoke themselves to a closer and narrower survey of their hearts and wayes Lo they turne this grace into commons and into a bare frequency of oft and monethly receiving which I doe not dislike in it selfe but alas grow to an habited falling-sicknesse and numbe Palsie of practise and walking uprightly no sooner hath the raine fallen upon their rockie and stony spirits but the next puffe of wind hath dried it up and so they live in a most mortall and wofull contempt of the end of Sacraments whereas they are ordained for the speciall advancing of the soule to God and the furthering of the bent and streame of the conversation to him Lo they are never more dead hearted dull secure saples than after their Receivings Oh wofull Surely beware least ye be of that sort of whom Iob speakes That they shall never enjoy the flouds of honey and butter Iob 20.17 never come to that welfare and encrease of God which he bestowes upon his carefull servants who keepe touch with him and come to him as well for Gods glory as their owne good Except thou keepe those things close together which God hath united his Seale to thee for comfort and thy oath and vow to him for better service thy Sacraments are liker to proove thy bane than thy gaine Vse 2 Secondly let it be speciall exhortation to all Gods people to unite both these ends in one as they desire comfort froÌ„ either Let no Sacrament passe thee by thy good will but the sad remembrance of thy dead barren and formall Religion may so sting thee that with all thy might and endeavour thou strive to obtaine of the Lord a more lively resolved and bent heart to returne to thy Christian course with closenesse and keeping of Covenant Borrow from the present experience of mercy in the Sacrament an hearty purpose to shake off the usuall enchantments of Satan and the errour of the wicked 2 Pet. 3. ult which have pluckt thee from thy stedfastnesse formerly beseech the Lord to ratifie thy covenant which thou hast so oft broken and pray him that by this if by any occasion
thine heart may be pull'dup to Davids practise Psal 116.10 who finding himselfe in a sad time delivered from the anguish of his spirit resolved to pay his vowes for it in the mids of Gods House and said What shall I give to the Lord If he could take up the Cup of salvation and praise the Lord how much more shouldest thou take the Cup of salvation which the Lord purposely puts into thine hand Yea thou should say Psal 119 57. Oh Lord my portion I have determined to keepe thy Law Yea and I have sworne and by thy strength I will keepe my oath even to obey thy Commandements Surely if men can breake into so many vowes and promises by occasion of a sicknesse or streight that if God set them at large they will so and so requite him which yet proove broken vowes for the most part then what vowes should received sealed mercies produce from us except we be base hirelings and hypocrites where the Lord himselfe is before hand with us in the grace of the Sacrament yea while the smoke yet goeth up how should wee ascend in it as Manoas Angell to heaven Iudg. 13.20 Surely those Papists who abuse Gods Sacraments to cursed ends as to combine themselves in hellish plots and cruelties and to adjure each other to secrecie which is as farre from the end of a Sacrament as if one borrowing his neighbours horse to fetch his rent should abuse him to take a purse yet even their wickednesse shall not be much worse than theirs who vow better obedience and take the Sacrament upon it and shall yet forfeit so solemne a band and returne to their vomit But for this last branch and for this Chapter thus much CHAP. IIII. Of Sacramentall Acts and the use thereof and of the celebration and sollemnitie of the Sacraments Why Acts requisite HAving spoken enough of a Sacrament as touching the constitution thereof it remaines that wee finish the Description by adding somewhat touching the actuall celebration of Sacraments For it is impossible that the excellencie of their nature of which we have treated should reach to us without a communication and imparting them to us The Lord himselfe who ordained Sacraments is the holder out of them also to the soule Now seeing the Sacraments containe partly things spirituall partly carnall the former whereof are to be carried and conveyed by the mediation of the latter it followeth that the externall Elements must be conveyed by externall and sensible agents to sensible objects by sensible Rites and administrations The Lord himselfe the Agent is a Spirit and treateth not with us immediately either by word or presence Needs must he therefore set forth a deputed Instrument to be for him and that is his Minister Againe the soules of the faithfull are invisible therefore cannot immediately be touched therefore their bodily and personall presence is required that so the conveyer and they to whom the things are conveyed may meete and consent together And as formerly I said that the things offered by God to the Church are spirituall under outward Elements so the offering thereof to the Communicants is spirituall and by the Spirit of Christ yet this spirituall offering is made by outward Acts and Administrations which I call holy Rites appointed by God himselfe and passing betweene the Minister and people that so the gifts also offered may therein passe and be conveyed First then a little of the Persons and then of the Acts requisite to celebration of Sacraments that the Lord and the soule may meete each other The Persons are two we see the Minister and people 1. Persons which are two 1 Minister The Minister then is such a sacred person as is lawfully from God by men appointed as a Sequester betweene God and the Congregation serving to this end to be betweene God and the people for the conveying mutually of good things betweene each other and by name the good things of Christ Sacramentall In whom we must consider both his calling and person he sustaines Touching his calling he ought to be a man truely separated from men and this life to God and holy use In whom 1 Calling Heb. 5.4 hee must be called by God as was Aaron and lawfully warranted by men as the voices of God to the Congregation that he is meet for such use Hee must be of competent understanding Ephe. 3 2 4. and skill in all the Mysteries of Christ and godlinesse He must be of competent gifts to teach 1 Tim. 3 2. utter and expresse the same to the people For how shall hee exhibite those Seales as from God which he neither understands in the ground thereof to wit the Covenant of grace nor yet the Doctrine and Nature of the Seales hee offers How fearefull a derogation is it to the Sacrament in which all things should be Symbolicall when he that is in Gods stead to the people shall neither know the nature of the Covenant to be able to preach it nor of a Seale either to teach or deliver it What a confusion is it for the Minister so unqualified to occupie the roome of God himselfe As if the Lord sealed a Covenant to his people and a Seale which he knew not the meaning of The like I may say of the life of the Minister Seeing the Lord is holy 1 Tim. 3 2. Heb. 7 25. and offers holy things and such an high Priest it behooves us to have as is holy blamelesse and separate from sinners How necessary is it that the Minister be also in this symbolicall That by the grace of his person the Lord may seeme to draw his people to an holy carriage in the Sacrament saying Be yee holy who beare the vessels of the Lord. Esay 52 11. What a Trumpet of prophanenesse is it to the people and a meane to abhorre the Sacrifices of the Lord when even that sacred person which offers the holy things of God is himselfe profane Hag. 2 12. What an opinion might it breed in the ignorant seeing such a sight that God is like themselves in putting no difference betweene the holy and profane Psal 50 21. But if our duty and worke be done any way it skills not how as if all were alike in Gods account 2. Person The second thing in the Minister thus duly called is the Person he sustaines That is laid downe in the old and new Testament Exod. 29 9. Exod. 4 16. 2 Corâ— 5 20. clearely In the old when the Lord bounded Moses and Aarons office he saith that Aaron should be or serve for all uses betweene God and the people in point of worship and spirituall respects And Paul 2 Cor. 5.20 saith Wee are Embassadors for God as if by us God and Christ besought you c. Note then there is a double relation in the Minister as in all so especially in Sacramentals one wherby he conveyes to the people from God his gifts and