nourish and feed himself his own graces here Christ in the Sacrament doth nourish Christ begotten in the heart by the Word And the soul feeding upon Christ by faith is further changed into his Image In our corporall feeding the meat is changed into the nature of the eater but in our spirituall feeding the eater is changed into the nature of the meat eaten the Believer into the nature of Christ 1 Cor. 3.18 While beholding him as in a glass we are also changed into his Image Thus doth faith feed upon Christ and draw down nourishment for the strength of every grace in us c. And according to the measure of faith's feeding such is the proportion and measure of nourishment conveyed As the stomach sendeth down nourishment to all parts from the supply of food which it hath fed on Or as the Liver having drawn down and made blood from the nourishment in the stomach diffuseth and spreadeth abroad and sends to every part some So Faith having fed upon Christ doth here send down nourishment to all the graces or as in a Feast you send portions to your poor brethren so Faith having feasted it self on Christ sends down portions to her sister-graces All our graces have a dependance on Faith and Faith on Christ our Graces depend on Faith as a Mediatour to our Mediatour as that grace which hath immediately to do with Christ from whence it fetcheth supply and provision for all the rest That is the second benefit faith is here to be acted for 3. The third benefit that Faith is here to be exercised on Christ for is the further subduing and conquering of our corruptions Faith hath a double work to do It works in Heaven and it works in Earth As it works in Heaven for the justification of a sin so it works in earth for the mortification of sin and here in this Ordinance is faith acted on Christ for the further killing of sin Faith hath a special art in going over to Christ fetching from him such help as is sutable to the necessities of the soul If we be weak in Graces Faith can go over to Christ for the strengthening of them If corruptions be strong Faith can go over to Christ for the subduing and conquering of them And by making use of the merit power promise Spirit of Christ gets strength from him for the subduing of unruly lusts untamed corruptions Why will Faith say Lord thou hast promised to subdue my corruptions and thou art able to subdue all to thy self Oh! therefore set thy power against the power of my lusts These sons of Zerviah are too strong for me but not for thee I am burthened with a dead heart a hard heart unbelieving heart c. But never was there heart so hard but thou canst break it never heart so dead but thou canst quicken it There is life enough in thee for all the sons and daughters of death in the world oh that therfore thou would'st quicken me that thou would'st break me Thus doth Faith make use of Christ here for the subduing of corruptions And let me tell you there is a speciall art dexterity and skill which faith hath wherby it forms such conceptions of Christ as are ever sutable to the present necessity of the soul whereby it gets more speedy relief 1. If there be a return of guilt upon the soul and burthen upon the conscience Faith looks upon Christ in blood Christ a Priest a Sacrifice for sin 2. If the soul labour under ignorance Faith looks upon him as the great Prophet of the Church and saith Lord thou hast taken upon thee to be the great Prophet of the Church Joh. 6.45 Isa 14.13 Jer. 31.34 thou hast promised wee shall be all taught of God Oh! therefore teach me instruct me c. It is not so sutable to look upon Christ as a Priest when we desire he should do the work of a Prophet 3. If we be weak in grace faith looks upon him as the universall fountain and principle of grace one who hath all fulness in him able to fill a world of hearts with grace though they were never so barren or empty And so goes over to him for strengthening c. 4. Mal. 3.2 If we labour under the pollution of sin faith looks upon Christ as a refiner a purifier a purger of his people from sin As one who came not only to be a Redeemer but a refiner not only a Saviour Eph. 5.26 Tit. 2.14 but a sanctifier of his people Ephes 5.26 Tit. 2.14 5 And so if corruptions be strong faith looks upon him as a King who is able to subdue and conquer unruly affections and to bring every thing into subjection to himself God hath not only furnished Christ with fulness of supply to answer every need of the soul but God hath given to Christ diversity of titles that wee might conceive of him not only as a ful but as a sutable good to every necessity of the soul And God having thus diversly represented Christ to our understandings as a Prophet a Priest a King a Refiner c. Faith doth form such conceptions of Christ as are most sutable to the present necessity of the soul 4. A fourth benefit for which Faith may be exercised in this Ordinance is for deliverance out of temptations Thou hast been long assaulted by Satan Vnus filius sine peccato nullus sine tentatatione 1 Cor. 10.13 2 Cor. 12.9 Heb. 2.18 Rom. 16.20 thou hast felt the blows and buffets of Satan many yeers God hath not only promised to support thee and succour thee in this condition but God hath promised to deliver thee out of this condition Rom. 16.20 The God of peace shall tread down Satan under your feet shortly Why now exercise faith to sue out these promises God hath made go over to Christ not only for strength and support in the condition but for victory and deliverance out of it These dayes they are not only God's sealing but God's performing dayes God doth not only here put his seal to every Promise folded up in the covenant but hee is ready here to make performance of the things he hath promised And therefore go gather a catalogue of promises which suits with thy condition spread them before God and here come sue them out in this Ordinance Thus you see the first grace which is to bee exercised in this ordinance namely Faith And I have shewed you 1. what Act 2. upon what Object 3. for what benefits faith is here to be exercised I have named foure but here is not all the Sacrament is the Seale of the whole covenant and what ever particular benefits are folded up in the great draught and covenant of God here you may exercise faith for the compassing and obtaining of them Where ever there is a promise in the Word there is work for faith to sue it out in this ordinance which is the seale to all c.
A man may be a sanctified person and yet not sanctifie God in this Ordinance if he doe not exercise those Graces gracious dispositions which God requireth here are sutable to the quality and nature of the Ordinance 1. Now the first and great grace that here is to be exercised is Faith Faith is the great Grace which gives admission unto this ordinance and faith is the great grace that is to be exercised and to run through the use of it Concerning which we shall desire to unfold three things 1. What act of Faith is here to be exercised 2. Upon what object we must exercise our Faith here 3. For what benefits faith must here be exercised For the first viz. what act of Faith is here to bee exercised There are these two main acts of Faith 1. An act of Recumbence 2. An act of apprehension application of Christ Fides potest habere aliquem modum dubitationis salvâ fide Daven Fideicertitudo importat firmitatem adhaesionis non quietationem intellectus Aquin. Both these may be exercised here and to our spirituall benefit By the one we go over to Christ by the other we bring Christ over to us The first act of Faith gives us an interest in all the benefits of Christ though as yet the soule is not able to bring home to it selfe the great revenue of mercie and grace which Christ hath purchased and the soule hath an interest in The second act of faith brings it all home In the former God makes Christ ours and we his in the latter wee make him ours Christ in his blood and merits Christ in his grace and Spirit Christ in all his doings and sufferings so far as he is coÌ„municable to poore sinners Now there is not much difference betweene these two acts The difference is not in the nature and essence of the grace both are faith and saving faith nor in the fruits and benefits both give a man union and communion with Christ c. But the difference is in the measures and degrees in the comforts of it To the first there goes a conviction of sin a manifestation and clearing of the promise a perswasion of the truth fulnesse freenesse sutablenesse and goodnesse of the promise And upon all this here is a rowling a resting upon Christ And the latter is but a further degree a bringing over or home all this to its own selfe In the former act the soule hath communion with all the benefits of Christ It 's such an act of Faith as gives a soule union with the person and that cannot be without communion with the priviledges and benefits In this latter there is but a clearer apprehension of it In the first we go over to Christ in the latter we bring over Christ to us In the former we are apprehended of Christ Phil. 3.12 in the latter wee apprehend Christ Now to the Answer what act of faith is here to be exercised unto which I say that that act of faith which doth apprehend and apply Christ is most sutable to this ordinance of the Sacrament hence is this called a taking of Christ a receiving of Christ a feeding upon Christ eating his flesh and drinking his blood all which shew this act is most sutable to the ordinance Here we have an offer of Christ and this act is most sutable to take him as offered And the more strength wee have to apply and bring Christ home the more we feed on him the more wee are nourished and built up But though this act of faith is most sutable to the ordinance yet wee shut not out the other from the comfort benefit of it That which gives the soul union with Christ doth give it communion with all the benefits of Christ Christ and his benefits go together Yet I could wish that every one who hath done this first act of faith would work it up one degree higher to apprehend and apply Christ in the promises of grace Seeing according to the measure of your faith and feeding upon Christ such is the measure of the benefit by Christ here But however be not discouraged such as are weak in faith will Christ receive Rom. 14.1 If hee have a care that others shall not reject them for their weakness but bid them to receive them much more will hee himself receive them and whom he will receive shall receive him If therefore thou art weak in applying faith and thou cannot bring Christ over to thee go thou over to Christ if thou cannot fully apprehend him let him apprehend thee Phil. 3.12 cast thy self into his arms In languidâ fide magis nos apprehendimur a â—hristo quà m quod nos ipsum apprâ—hendamus Chem. by this act set thy seal to Gods truth and expect here in this ordinance that God should put his Seal to thy heart by assuring So much for the first what act of faith is here to be exercised We come to the second 2. Upon what Object must the act of faith be terminated here You must know there are many objects of faith in generall as God himself in the unity of Essence and trinity of Persons the Word of God the Promises of God But there is but one object of Justifying faith and that is Christ God-man Act. 10.43 Gen. 3.15 the Mediatour To him give all the Prophets witness that who ever believes in him shall receive remission of sins This is the object upon which the faith of Adam was terminated Gen. 3.15 the seed of the woman and thereby was justified and had his recovery after the fall This is that object upon which the faith of Abraham who was the Father of the faithfull was terminated who saw his day and rejoyced it was not the believing of the Promise of seed but in the promised seed To him also did the eyes of the faithfull look under the law through the shadows and sacrifices and were justified by Christ to be as we are now by Christ exhibited And upon him must our faith be terminated not only in the first act of faith for justification but also in the exercise of it in this ordinance for the further assurance of justification and increase of sanctification And let it not seem strange to you wee are not so much to deale with a promise here as with the thing promised nor to feed on a promise as upon Christ himself by faith to eat his flesh and drinke his blood Matth. 26.26 Corpus Christiest pabulum fidei Joh. 6.15 This is my body c. Christ is the meat here for the hand of faith to receive the mouth of faith to eate as hee faith My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed You may make use of the promises here the Sacrament is the seale to every promise in the covenant But the matter of the Sacrament indeed and that whereon wee are chiefly to feed is Christ himselfe Christ as he is laid
out unto us in his death and sufferings whereon feeding wee get spirituall nourishment for grace and death of sinne The blood of Christ like the waters appointed for the triall of jealousie hath a double property to kill and to make fruitfull to kill our sinnes and make our graces grow to rot our sins and ripen our grace Well then remember that the great dish thou feedst on at this Feast be Christ himselfe Christo sublato nihil restat in sacramentis praeter inanespectaculum Dav. in col Thou canst not feed upon a promise untill thou first feed upon Christ he doth not onely give us title and interest in them but appetite to them If thou feed on him thy stomach will be quicker to feed on them nay if thou feed on him Christus est substantia sacramentorum ejus operatio est ipsa vita sacramentorum thou feedest on all the promises and hast an interest in all the good of them the sweet of all the promises is tasted in Christ All the promises are folded up in Christ and thou canst not feed on him but thou feedest on all and hast the blessing of every one in particular The promises of justification sanctification subduing of corruptions increase of grace upholding in grace interest in glory they are all of them folded up in Christ hee is all The promise doth not but Christ doth justifie Christ doth sanctifie you get nothing from the promise separate from Christ but all the good of the promise comes in by Christ and therefore here terminate your faith And so much for the second upon what object wee must terminate our Faith We come to the third For what benefit must Faith here be exercised Partic. 3. First faith must not bee here acted for your justification it is required you should be justified persons have your sins forgiven before you come hither He that comes hither under the guilt of sin goes away with more guilt and his former guilt is doubled and confirmed on him So that for this benefit faith is not to bee acted as wee shall shew hereafter Secondly faith must not be here acted for Regeneration It is required a man should be borne againe bee in the state of grace sanctified before hee come hither Here is the multiplying of grace but no begetting of grace As in the miracle of loaves Mat. 14.19 there was no new bread created but a multiplying of the bread they had So here is no giving of grace where there is none but a multiplying of grace where it is where grace is there it is increased but it is not here begotten A man may come to the Word though he be gracelesse Rom. 10.14 because the Word is an Ordinance set up for the gathering of men and begetting souls to Christ but none are to come to the Sacrament but such as are begotten anew the Sacrament is not the Font it is not the place where men are born but the table where men are nourished it is not the seed of the new birth but the meat of the new born we must be born before we eat bred before fed begotten before nourished If we come graceless hither we shall go graceless away and worse then we came In particular then Faith must here be exercised for the further assurance of our justification God hath cast down the soule by the ministery of the Word hee hath discovered and revealed the promise brought the soule over to the promise upon which it rests and is justified and hither we come to be further assured of it This was one end why the Sacrament was set up We know the strongest are but weake in faith Fides non toll it sed vincit omnem dubibitationem Dav. there is no such assurance in the world as to expell all doubts fears though to overcome them but though they may be suspended in their actings for a time and well subdued and conquered yet they are not altogether expelled if they were then were there no need of the Sacrament for this end to confirme and strengthen faith Fides potest habere aliquem modum dubitationis salvâ fide and so one of the ends wherfore God set up this Ordinance were in vaine to that man But I say there is no man so sure but may be surer there are degrees of assurance as well as faith and so may we grow up in assurance as well as faith And now for the further assurance of our justification God to the covenant of grace and mercie wherein he promised the free pardon of sin hath annexed the Seale of the covenant whereby we may be more assured Indeed here is no need of this in respect of God our justification is sure with him his intention is as good as his promise his promise as his oath his oath as his seale But it was God's goodnesse to us pitying the weaknesse of our faith he stooped below himself and was not only content to give us his promise but to confirm it with his oath the great seale of Heaven and to all this to afford his Sacraments to seale up all unto us Heb. 18.19 that we might have strong assurance and consolation Heb. 6.18 It was to this end to assure us who have such unbeleeving hearts that God gave word upon word promise upon promise oath to oath seale to seale heaping mountain upon mountain and all to confirm our staggering hearts That we might be strong in him when weak in our selves faithfull in him when fearfull in our selves stedfast in him when we stagger in our selves And how should we exercise faith here and go doubting away How shall we go away trembling after all this confirmation An oath among men is the end of all controversie the concluding of all difference and disputes and shall not God's oath prevail thus much with you Why doe you suffer returne of feares and doubts after such a seale Woe be to us Vae nobis si nec juranti Deo credimus Aug. if we will not beleeve God no not upon his oath Doest thou desire better security Thou shalt never have it thou canst not If you would come up to God and take his security how could you doubt 2. A second benefit for the compassing of which faith must be exercised c. is the increase of our graces or perfecting of our sanctification My brethren we are weak in grace you know how much infidelity and how little faith how much enmity how little love how much obstinacie how little pliable conformity to his will what a deale of formality how little power what hardnesse of heart how little brokennesse of spirit for sin c. And being weak in grace there is a necessity that these graces should bee nourished As there is necessitie of daily bread for the nourishing and upholding of our bodies so there is necessitie of spirituall food for the nourishing of grace in our soules And as there is
necessity of our nourishment so is there necessity our nourishment should come from Christ he is the staff of nourishment Eo modo quo generamur nutrimur As in naturall life the same way we are begotten the same way we are nourished so in spirituall life Christ hee is the Breeder and so he is the Feeder of grace in us he is the Begetter and he is the Nourisher From Christ we have our graces he is the fountain from whose fulnesse wee receive grace for grace in our regeneration and he is the nourishment of whose fulnesse wee receive * Gratiam gratiae accumulatam grace to grace in our sanctification Hence he is called the Bread of life not onely because he begets life in dead men but because he nourisheth and maintaineth life in living men He is panis spiritualis spirituall bread in the word to beget life and panis Sacramentalis bread in the Sacrament or Sacramentall bread to nourish and to maintain life begotten and hereafter he shall be panis aeternalis our daily bread in heaven to preserve us in holiness with happiness to all eternity And as there is a necessity of nourishment and nourishment by Christ so Christ for this end that we might be nourished hath set up this ordinance of the Sacrament for the nourishment of the Saints in grace for the strengthening our faith to which it hath a proper influence being the seale of the covenant and for the increasing our sorrow and repentance unto which it hath the like influence being the representation of Christ wounded broken bleeding for sinne who looks on Christ bleeding but his heart must bleed c. And so of the rest Christ is a full fountaine and unwilling to be a sealed fountain to you Gratia derivantur à Christo 1. Efficatia operationis 2. Beneficio intercessionis 3. Merito passionis 4. Virtute applicationis he is a treasury of grace and unwilling to be lockt up and therefore hath been so gracious as to set up an ordinance not only to be a seale but an instrument or conduit-pipe to convey grace to us from him the Fountaine of all grace which nourishment he doth convey unto us by vertue of our union and communion with him and application of him to us in these ordinances which though they be all secret wayes of conveyance of nourishment and under ground that the world cannot see yet there is reall nourishment brought down to the soul whereby the soul goes home in a better frame faith more increased affections more inlarged our love more inflamed our desires more quickened and yet more satisfied Quest But I know you will ask of me how faith is here to be exercised for the drawing down of life nourishment from Christ in this ordinance Answ For the answer of which in brief 1. Faith looks upon Christ as the treasury and common stock of grace in whom dwels all fulness Joh. 1.14.16 Joh. 3.34 Col. 1.19 Col. 2.3.9 all our fulnes faith looks on him as the universall principle of life and root of holiness God gave not him the Spirit in measure 2. Faith casts its eye on the promise for the conveyance of grace from him Ille est canalis gratiae ab illo nobis omnes rivuli derivantur Daven it sees a promise for derivation of grace from him to us Faith works virtute promissi by vertue of the promise where there is no promise there can be no faith and therefore faith discovers that there may be communion and participation with this fulness there are such promises made that of his fulness we shall receive grace for grace John 1.16 and Christ is made unto us Wisdome Righteousnes Sanctification 1 Cor. 1.30 and he came that we might have life and have it in abundance Joh. 10.10 3. Sacramenta ex similitudine repraesentant ex institutione significant ex virtute Christi sanctificant Aquin. Faith looks upon this ordinance as an Instrument a means which God hath set up for the conveying of life and nourishment from Christ Though God can do it without yet in God's ordinary way Ordinances are the means of the conveying of life from him to us 4. Now then faith being steeled by such considerations as these that there is a fulness in Christ that there is a promise of this fulnes to be made over to us and that the Sacrament is an Ordinance wherby God as by an Instrument will convey of this fulness of Christ to a poor soul faith goes over to Christ and by vertue of the Promise applying and feeding upon Christ draws down further life and nourishment from him to the soul As one said of the tree of Christ's ascension though the fruit were high and above our reach yet if wee touch him by the hand of faith and tongue of prayer all will fall down upon us So here if we can but touch him with the hand of faith though a palsie hand though a weak and trembling hand if we can but goe to him with a praying heart Christ can with-hold nothing from us And after this manner doth faith form a Prayer to him Lord thou knows I am weak in grace thou seest my faith is feeble my love cold my desires faint my obedience small but thou hast all fulness of grace thou art the Fountain and this Fountain is opened here thou art the Treasury and this Treasury is here unlock'd Those graces I have though weak thou begatst them and wilt not thou now nourish them From thee I had the being of grace and from thee I must have the nourishing Thou hast set up this Ordinance as a means to convey grace and thou hast promised to remember them that are in thy way Isa 64.5 therefore help c. Besides may faith say Lord thou hast been pleased to implant me into Christ and shall I die for want of nourishment thou hast made me a member of Christ and shall I decay and wither for want of influence Oh! never let it be said that a branch in Christ shall wither and decay for want of nourishment when there is so much in the root let it never be said that a member of Christ should wither and die for want of influence and life seeing there is so much in the Head Thou camest Joh. 10.10 that I might have life yea have it in abundance why Lord my graces are weak here are dying affections dying dispositions dying graces Oh! come down before I dye strengthen the things that are ready to dye in me Rev. 3.2 Thou hast raised me from the death of sin let me not again drop into the same grave thou hast wrought graces in mee let them not decay for want of life when such abundance in thee Thus doth Christ formed in the heart cry out for Christ nourishing in the Sacrament The work of grace is called a forming of Christ in the soul Gal. 4.9 and Christ doth but
affections such affections as do arise from a holy heart there is the spring Unsound professours may sometime have some flashings in their devotions as you see Herod who heard John Baptist joyfully they may have some affections but 1. They are not holy affections 2. Not such as arise from a principle a spring within there 's no root 3. They are not orderly affections they break out before knowledge before faith 4. They are not constant affections but land-flouds for a time 5. They are not transforming affections such as change the heart and therefore such affections may be exercised yet they leave a man as they found him and such a man cannot sanctifie God in an Ordinance Secondly there must not only be holy affections but such as are sutable to the Ordinance Work in hand It is possible to have holy affections them stirred up in an ordinance and yet not sanctifie God in it because these are not sutable to the Ordinance Nihil ad rem nothing to the work in hand they sute not with the present ordinance that God hath called the soul out upon as I could shew you at large Thirdly there must not only be holy affections and sutable affections but those excited and stirred up A man may have holy affections and such as are sutable to an Ordinance as the Saints have in the frame of Grace and yet not sanctifie God in an Ordinance because not excited and stirred up * 1 Tim. 1.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signif ignâ—m sopitum ignem cineribus conditum folle aut flatu suscitare ut reardescat Passer Stir up the gift of God in thee saith the Apostle to Timothy that is excite and blow up the gifts and graces of God in thee When you are to do with God you must stir up those affections and graces which are within you And this requires a matter of pains affections are not ever at hand nor ever at command a man hath not his heart under lock and key And therefore God in mercy considering and respecting our weakness hath graciously allotted a time of preparation before he call us forth upon the performance of an Ordinance that so we might get our affections up our hearts in tune Once indeed wee reade that men were called out upon an ordinance and were straitned with time to prepare themselves according to the preparation of the Sanctuary as in Hezekiah's time 2 Chron. 30.18.19 They had habituall preparation but wanted actuall and in that case the want of time God pardoned it but it was prayed for it was sought for and sought for earnestly But we read another time that God punished the want of this actuall preparation and stirring up their graces affections yea and punished it severely with the weaknesse sicknesse death of many of the Corinthians For this cause many are sick many are weak many are fallen asleep yet were they habitually prepared 1 Cor. 11.1 God takes it for a great dishonour to him that we should come slightly on so great a worke to which all the affections we have and all the affections we can stir up are little enough Wee had need call in for all the strength of grace nay all the succours in Christ and all the supplies and aids of the Spirit to the performance of it By this you may gather what it is to sanctifie God in an Ordinance 2. How must wee sanctifie God in an Ordinance To sanctify God in an ordinance there is required something 1. Antecedent 2. CoÌ„comitant 3. Subsequent 1. Somthing Antecedent or before 2. Somthing in the time 3. Afterwards These are generals which belong to every particular OrdinaÌ„ce as I could shew you at large In hearing the Word When you come to heare the word there is somthing required before as 1. Meditation into what place into whose presence about what businesse we goe 2. Examination of 1. our sins that here we might have them slain by the sword of the Spirit in the Ministery of the word 2. Our graces that here wee might have them strengthened and nourished by the spirituall food of our soules 3. Prayer for the Minister for the Congregation our selves that a blessing may be upon 2. In the time is required 1. Reverence 2. Attention 3. Submission of spirit and humility 4. Faith 3. Afterward Prayer again which must be the Alpha and Omega 2. Meditation 3. fruitfulness and obedience So for Prayer there is required Prayer 1. Before Meditation preparation 2. In the time faith fervencie humility * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex radic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ordinavit aciem disposuit sutablenesse of spirit inlarged desires 3. Afterward such a deportment and demeanour as is sutable to such who call upon God as to depart from sin to apply our hearts to obedience to expect the answer and return of our Prayers Psal 5.3 In the morning I will direct my prayer * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex radic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Speculando expectavit hinc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speculator and look up There are two military words he would not only pray but marshall up his prayers put them in array and when he had done hee would be as a Spie upon a tower to see whether he prevailed whether he got the day But to passe these come to the Ordinance we are to enter upon the Sacrament Sacrament To sanctifie God in which there is required 1. somthing before 2. somthing in the time and 3. something after 1. Something before which may be laid down in these two heads 1. Habituall 2. Actuall 1. Habituall preparation which doth consist in the whole frame of grace and sanctification It is an ordinance onely for such who are sanctified we are to have 1. A saving knowledge of God of our selves 2. lively faith 3. a true repentance 4. love 5. hunger and thirst after Christ this is a feast and no comming without stomach 6. Thankfulnesse 2. Actuall preparation and that consists in the actuall stirring up and exciting of those graces which are in you There must be a new exciting of faith a new exercise of repentance the latitude and extent whereof is for all sin but especially for those sinnes which you have committed since the last time you renewed your covenant with God in this Ordinance So a stirring up of our love affections our desires hunger thirst This is required before which because it is so largely treated upon Mr. Dike on the Sacrament Mr. Downam by many learned and godly Divines I shall purposely wave any further treaty of it referring you in this point to what they have so largely written Passing this therefore we fall upon the second which hath not been so frequently taught 2. As there is something then required before viz. Habituall and actuall preparation so secondly there is something required in the time and that is the exercise of Graces and gracions dispositions
By the way then this may discover to us where the fault is when we return home our faith never the more strengthened our hearts never the more warm'd our graces never the more nourished our corruptiōs never the more weakned It is a shrewd sign faith did not play its part in the mount It is great suspition that your faith did succumbere in conatu did faile and sink in the encounter Faith was intrusted in this imploiment to goe over to Christ for these benefits and thy faith did faile in the undertaking therefore God suspends the bestowing of these benefits because thou suspendest thy faith A man may halt after his striving with God and yet overcome as Jacob did but when a man's spirit doth halt in striving with God when we doe not strive fully with God there is little hope of prevailing Well then if thou see not the fruit and benefit thou expected to come into thy soule in the use of this Ordinance charge thy faith with it and bewaile the weaknesse of it and for the future put it to its burden let it have its full and perfect worke and thou wilt then find the comfort and fruit of it Never did faith touch Christ in any Ordinance but vertue came from him But so much for the first Grace 2. 2d Grace to be exercised A second grace which is here to be exercised in the use of this Ordinance and requisite to the sanctification of God in it is Repentance The Sacraments they are the crucifixes of Christ in which Christ is represented as crucified afresh before our eyes the bread broken doth preach unto us the breaking of Christ The wine powred forth doth preach unto us the Blood of Christ poured forth for our sinnes And who is it that can with the eye of faith look upon a broken Christ but with a broken heart a wounded Christ but with a wounded spirit a bleeding Christ but with a bleeding soule God hath made in nature the same organ for seeing and weeping And in grace hee who sees clearly weeps throughly Lam. 3.5 The eye will affect the heart The Passeover under the Law was to be eaten with bitter herbs So Christ the true Passover is here to be eaten with bitternesse of soul as it was prophesied They shal look on him whom they have pierced and shall lament and mourne first seeing and then weeping c. Zach. 12.10 There is a twofold mourning 1. Historicall 2. Spirituall 1. Historicall mourning there is a naturall tendernesse in men and women whereby their hearts doe yearn and melt to heare the relation or behold the sight of some sad story Such a one as Augustine confesseth he had when he read the sad story of Dido and yet his heart was hard he could not mourn for sin Or such a one as they had whom Christ blamed in the Gospel who lamented the cruell usage of Christ out of naturall compassion only to whom he saith O daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me Homini non est necessarium ut Christū in ipsius passione deploret sed magis ut seipsum in Christo Of this the Father speaks It is not necessary you lament his passion so much as your sinnes which have caused his passion There is a kind of naturall tenderness in men and women wihch yet is often joyned with hardnesse of heart for sinne As an Historical faith with spirituall unbelief and an Historicall love with spiritual enmity so a natural tendernesse with spirituall hardnesse of heart for sin 2. There is a spirituall mourning which ariseth from spirituall grounds and causes and tends to spirituall ends A sorrow which is caused by faith looking upon heart-melting promises or taking up heart-breaking considerations or beholding a heart-softning object by which Faith doth draw waters out of the fountaines of the soul for sin as you have it 1 Sam. 7.6 they drew water as out of a well and poured it forth before the Lord. And this is that sorrow which is here to be exercised which will melt and mellow the heart and cause it to be more fruitfull in obedience Never doth the garden of graces better grow then after such a showre of repentant tears And therefore doth God preserve these springs in the soul to water the seeds of grace and make us more fruitfull which it surely doth when they are Sun-shine-showres such showres wherein the Sun appeares Christ is not hid from the eye of faith And my brethren here are many things in this ordinance which if but looked upon with the eye of faith will open all the springs of sorrow in the soule and call forth all the waters in him Bellarnine he layes down twelve considerations to provoke sorrow as the miseries of mankind by nature the sad condition of the souls in Purgatory and such like stuffe But we need not be beholding to him for such cōsiderations as these to occasion mourning Here is enough in the Sacrament presented to the eye of faith to open all the Springs thou hast and if thou had a fountaine of teares to spend them all for sinne We will name some particulars here which draw out mournings 1. Here is a discovery of the love and sweetnesse of God in giving his Son to die for us Joh. 3.16 So God loved the world c. enough to cause us to mourne that ever wee offended Oh that God should bee more tender to us then to his owne Sonne not spare his Sonne that he might spare us give him to die that we might live poure the curse upon him that the blessing might bee poured on us Quis temperet à lachrymis O how should this affect us Who can think of this and with-hold from teares 2. Here is presented to us the sufferings and breakings of Christ enough to break our hardest hearts 1. The sufferings of Christ in se in themselves as those upon his body what breakings what woundings what scourgings what crownings piercings did he endure in his body and those in his soule What conflicts and struglings did he undergoe with the wrath of God the terrors of death the powers of darknes Oh what weight what burden what wrath did hee undergoe when his soule was heavie unto death beset with terrors as the word signifies when he drank that bitter cup 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vndequaque tristis valde tristis Passor Supra modum dolens Scap. Obsitus terroribus Arist that cup mingled with curses which if Man or Angell had but sipt of it would have sunk them into hell Nay it made him who was God as well as man sanctified by the Spirit supported with the Deity comforted by Angels sweat such a sweat as never man sweat drops clods of blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tanquam grumi sanguinis as the word implies 2. Consider them in Causâ as the meriting cause of all our good the procurers of all our peace salvation c. He was wounded
that we might be healed scourged that we might be solaced drunk the cup of wrath a bitter cup to procure all our sweet draughts He was slain saith Daniel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 9.26 but not for himself he was wounded for our transgressions broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes are we healed Isa 53.5 8. 3. Consider them as effectus peccati as the effects of our sin as those things our sins brought upon him Solvere gelicidium and needs must this melt and thaw our Icie stony hearts Oh will the soul say it hath been I who have been the traytor the murtherer my sins which have been bloody instruments to slay the Lord of glory I have sinn'd Ezek. 18. thou suffer'd 't was I that did eat the sowre grapes yet thy teeth were set on edge I have been thy death yet thy death hath given mee life I have wounded thee yet thou hast healed me yea and even out of that wound my sins made thou sent a plaister to heal mee This consideration must needs fill the heart with sorrow Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and how shall this sight affect them why it follows they shall mourn and be in bitterness of soul as one in bitterness for their first-born They say if one man kill another and you bring the murtherer into the place where the slain person lies the dead will bleed afresh Wee are the murtherers of Christ and we come here to an Ordinance where Christ is represented in his blood as broken and wounded for our sins O! that our hearts might bleed as he bleeds afresh to us so that wee might bleed a fresh to him A Prince wil weep himself when the Page is whipped for him but how should the Page mourn when the Prince is scourged for him My brethren there is infinite more disproportion between Christ and us then between the Prince and the Page the Lord and the slave And how can we then look upon him as wounded scourged pierced for us not be affected with afflicted for our sin the cause of it Bernard saith * Sivis ipsum cognoscere sicut se fregit ita te frange If thou would be conformable to Christ in the Sacrament as thou beholdest a broken a bleeding Christ so labour to behold him w th a broken bleeding heart Look on him in this Ordinance as Mary looked upon him on the Cross when Simeon's Prophesie was fulfilled that a sword should pass through her soul Luke 2.35 for then indeed did a sword pass through her soul when she saw him pierced on the cross so when you see him pierced and broken in the Sacrament which is the lively representation of Christ broken Oh that then it might be as a spear to our hearts as a sword to our spirits that we by our sins have wounded and pierced him This is the second grace to be exercised in this Ordinance And beside these two there are many more to be exercised here viz. Our love to God our hungring and thirsting after Christ There is that in Christ represented to the eye of faith in this Sacrament that calls out for all the affections dispositions and desires in you You cannot see Christ here but it will make every grace within you stir every disposition within you to move every wheel go Who can see him but love him who is so exceeding lovely Who can see him but prize him who is so exceeding precious Who can see him but desire him who is so exceeding desireable Who can see him but delight in him who is the joy and delight of the soul You cannot possibly see him here but all the powers of the soul will be up 1. Your judgements to prize him your wills to choose him and make a new match with him your affections to love him embrace him delight in him And the clearer your sight is here of Christ by faith the more will your hearts be stirred your spirits moved Men that sit here as logs lumps of clay never stirred never taken up they see not Christ they see no higher then the table the Bread and Wine and therefore dead and sensless Oh! but if if one crevise of your hearts were opened to let in but one beam one glimpse of Christ it would set you all on a burning heavenly fire this would warm you indeed But besides these graces to be exercised there is required some demeanours in the soul in this Ordinance if we would sanctifie God in it 1. An humble and holy reverence which is the fruit of that dread and fear of God which is in the heart There is abundance of lightness looseness and vanity in the spirits of men by nature And the Majesty and dread of that great God with whom wee have to do in this Ordinance must consolidate and make our spirits weighty in these great Ordinances The Sacrament is called an Eucharist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grata beneficiorum recordatio it is a gratulatory service and God is fearfull in praises Exod. 15.11 which hath speciall respect to the affection wherewith you are to praise him 2. There is required a discharge dismission of all worldly thoughts and businesses When Abraham went up to the Mount to sacrifice he left his servants in the valley Thou art now to go up to the mount where God appears Oh! leave all your servile affections your worldly thoughts in the valley And if any enter do as Abraham did by the Birds that would have eaten up his sacrifice chase them away do by them as you do by straggling beggars give them their pass and send them away In the Temple though there was so much flesh for sacrifice yet there was not one Flie appeared stirring oh that it might be so with us this day that not one thought might arise upon our hearts unsutable to the place and work in hand It is a thing unbefitting these great imployments to have our hearts and thoughts taken up with other businesses what have you to do here with your shops your bags your chests What have you here to do with things of this world Quid proficit si meditationes tuae in lege Dei sint ipsae in se ipsis sine lege sint Bern. in Cant. Oh make not this place an Exchange a Shop for merchandize men are not able to do business in a crowd nor you so great a business as this in a crowd of thoughts But this is the misery you are servants and slaves to the world at other times and therefore the world will master you now If you pass over your hearts to the service of the world at other times the world will make you serve it now Because you have not spirituall hearts in your temporall employments therefore have you carnall hearts in your spirituall employments The lesse of the Sabbath in the