great men their friends recommending themselves to the world by their sumptuous Houses great Retinues rich Cloathes gentile deportment and the like braveries others by their strength beauty wit learning and the like accomplishments of body or mind Thus you see according to the nature of mens happinesse they make use of means to reach it Search well therefore whether some of these or the like empty trifles have not been more set by and laboured for than â—hâ—ist himself If so never say thou takest him for thy Mâ—diatour for it is apparent thou dost not make him so No but those things are indeed thy Mediatours which thou makest use of to accomplish thy selfish dedesigns And hereby thou dost in effect as much reject and vilifie Christ as if thou didst revolt from him and take Mahâ—met fâ—r thy Saviour Oh beware of deceiving thy self in this point which is so easie so common and dangerous to talk of trusting and relying on Christ whiâ—st the heart relies most upon some outward enjoyment to bring it to the happinesse it seeks for and the most they look for from Christ is to have him keep them from Hell after they have been all their days gratifying their lusts and serving the Devil but they never think of improving him as a Mediatour betwixt God and their souls expecting all their mercies of this life and the next to come by him and by him offering up all their services to God Wherefore I beseech you to remember that nothing will prove you sincerely in Covenant with Christ as one of his living members but a thorow stedfast willingnesse to be brought to happinesse by him in his own way and let it be your care to examine whether you are thus heartily willing And then lastly hast thou submitted thy soul to the powerfull workings of the Holy-Ghost to renew and regenerate thee Hast thou faithfully rendred up thy self to him to be transformed into the divine likenesse to have thy corruptions purged away and all saving graces implanted in thee It is the office of the Holy Ghost to carry on Christs interest in the souls of men to fulfill all the pleasure of his goodnesse and the work of faith with power to bring them to the Father by the Son No man can cry Abba Father and be fill'd with a child-like disposition and nature but he who hath received this Spirit of Adoption and no man can call Jesus Lord and be heartily subject to him but by the help of this almighty Spirit He shews men the vanity of the Creature and the goodnesse the fulnesse and all sufficiency of God and enables the heart firmly to cleave to him He convinces men of sin and shews them the odiousnesse and danger of it and discovers to them a Saviour by whom they may be Redeemed from all their iniquities from the dominion and from the condemnation of sin and he begets in the soul a saving faith making men not onely willing but earnestly desirous to accept of Christ to both these ends Reflect upon thy self then whether thou hast experienc'd any such workings in thy soul or not whether thou art changed by this divine power into a new and heavenly nature and art hereby become a new creature as all in Christ are old things being done away Hast thou ever found the vigorous and warm movings of this holy Spirit upon thy heart conveying light and life to thy dark soul dead in trespasses and sins Hast thou carefully cherisht these motions and complied with this sanctifying work which spreadâ— it self through the whole man And art thou willing to be governed by him to hearken to his voyce within thee and to that word which was inspired by him to be a lamp to thy feet If these things be so then indeed thou hast performed the engagement that was laid upon thee by being baptized into the name of the Holy Ghost But call thy self to account whether it hath not been quite otherwise with thee Dost thou not still remain in the carnall selfish state alienated from the life of God through a blind mind and a wicked stubborn will being still at enmity with him Hast thou not quenched the Spirit and stifled convictions and resisted his operations upon thy soul Art thou not rather guided by the seducing spirit and thy own unmortified lusts Doe not these still remain in strength and power so that whatever they draw thee to must be done let the Word and Conscience say what they will If it be thus never boast of having God to be thy Maker nor Christ thy Redeemer for if thou art not sanctified by the Holy Ghost God will never own thee for his who accepts of none but an holy people Thus by looking carefully into your hearts you may discern whether you are truly in covenant with God or not And if this seem any matter of difficulty to know what your hearts are or rather least you should pretend your hearts are thus right when it is no such thing I shall give one instance more whereby you may know how you stand related to God and that is by the consideration of your lives and conversations for if you are sincerely devoted to God in your hearts then you must needs shew it in the holinesse of your lives which is nothing else but the keeping of that Covenant which is made betwâ—xt God and the soul. If you do indeed fâ—llow after holinesse it 's a sign you account it your chief happiness to see God If you are patient and unwearied in well-doing it 's a sign you seek for honour and glory with God And if you keep the Commandments of Christ endeavouring to walk as he walk't it 's manifest that you love him and believe in him If you bring forth much fruit hereby you and all men may know that you are Christs Disciples that you are living branches of him the true Vine then have you received Christ if you walk in him And if you shew forth the fruits of the Spirit in your lives it 's a sure token that his graces are sown in your hearts If you are led by and walk after the Spirit then indeed the Spirit is with and in you and you live in him Gal. 5.25 But on the other hand it 's as certain thou art a stranger and Aliene from this Covenant I have beâ—ore described if thou be one that servest the Devil rather than the true God Make what profession thou wilt to love God and believe in Christ if thou allowest thy self in any one known sin all thy great pretences will at length come to nothing What doth that man love the Lord who doth not hate evil Nay who delights in that which the Lord abhorrs and wherewith he is griev'd and provokt to fury Doth hee take Christ for his Lord who will not be obedient to him Doth he take him for his Physitian who would not be heal'd but had rather keep his diseases Beware as thou lovest thy soul of
it as a farther assurance from God that his promises of mercy shall be made good to thee CHAP. VII The second benefit is Sanctification 2. THe second great benefit purchast by the Death of Christ and held forth in the Sacrament is Sanctifying Saving Grace for the enlivening and strengthning the souls of Believers There is no truth more plain in the whole Gospel than that one great end of Christ's Death was to obtain from the Father that the holy Spirit should accompany the proclaiming of the Gospel to enlighten the minds and soften the hearts of those who should not wilfully resist his workings that they might entertain the truth in the love thereof and that on these greater measures of grace should be poured forth to make them in all things conformable to their Maker according to the capacity of their natures which was the great design of the Redeemer even to restore apostate creatures to the image of God wherein they were created that so they might be made meet for his service here and the fruition of him hereafter A most lamentable mistake it is to confine Christs death onely to the procuring of a pardon and keeping sinners out of Hell since this was but in order to a work of grace on their hearts and onely such who submit to this work shall at last have a share in the absolute pardon For suppose a company of prisoners were taken in Warre who being weak and wounded cannot return into their own Countrey but must presently be put to death by the King that took them and in the mean time comes their own Prince and pays a great sum to obtain that the execution of them may be put off for some time and that his Physician may use medicines and apply plaisters to as many as are willing and that all such when they are made whole shall be sent to their own homes and the rest who will not be ruled by the Physician but spit out his potions because they are bitter and throw away his plaisters because they make them smart they are to remain in their prison and be put to death as they were sentenced Here we see the ransome that was paid was first to stop the slaughter of the prisoners and to get liberty to use means for their recovery to health and soundnesse and secondly to obtain that the recovered should be set free to return to their own Countrey and not onely the contempt of the ransome but of the Physician would bring death Thus had we by the Fall both brought our selves into danger of present destruction and disabled our souls that we could not return to that state whence we fell but the Son of God undertaking our Redemption obtained for us that the sentence of condemnation should not speedily be executed and that there should be assured hopes of escaping destruction and returning to happinesse for all those who make not their condition desperate by continuance in sin and rejecting of the cure which his Spirit would work upon them now the work of his Spirit is to plant and encrease grace in their hearts to heal the diseases and remove the weaknesse which sin hath caused that they may be enabled to walk in the ways of holinesse to their everlasting rest and the sending forth of his healing Spirit was the fruit of his blood Now as it will assuredly damn men to despise the blood of Christ as if it was of no force to be a ransome nor to attain those ends for which the Gospel saith it was shed so is it as dangerous and damnable to resist and sleight the Spirit of Christ let them pretend what esteem they will for his blood A like mistake also it is flowing from the former to limit the notion of free grace to meer pardoning mercy whenas it includes sanctifying 〈◊〉 so for in the instance now given the Physick I hope was as free a gift to the prisoners as the ransome that was paid for them notwithstanding this was without them and the other to be taken into them And in like manner is the giving of the Spirit into us as purely from the grace and mercy of God though merited by Christ as the giving of his Son for us accepting of us for his sake This I was willing to hint least any when they hear or read of being saved by Free grace should dream of a salvation to be had by a meer pardon without being sanctified by the Spirit That the making men holy in their hearts and lives was a principall end of Christs Death without which no happinesse is to be attained is I say a truth so evident in the very tenour of the Gospel that it may seem needlesse to produce particular proofs yet amongst the rest read these few Eph. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works c. Eph. 5.25 26 27. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it c. and that it might be holy and without blemish 1 Joh. 3.8 The Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Pet. 3.24 Who bare our sins that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse Tit. 3.4 5 6. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Read also Mat. 1.22 Luk. 1.75 Rom. 6.11 Galat. 1.4 Tit. 2.12 13 14. Heb. 9.14 Now though I acknowledge it is by the help of the Spirit that we are brought to believe for faith it self is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 yet I think we shall ordinarily find the promises of the Spirit to be made to those who are already Believers to advance and carry on the work of God upon their souls And to this end and of this nature is that Grace which is 〈◊〉 and given forth by the Sacrament even to refresh and nourish the souls of Believers to confirm and encrease those graces that are wrought in them and to bring them forward to farther degrees of perfection And this much the very elements themselves do teach us for as Bread is the support and stay of life and Wine that which makes glad the heart of man and both are needfull for the maintaining of life and encreasing our strength so are the Body and Blood of Christ alike necessary and usefull to our souls for he himself hath told us that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and that he who eats his flesh and drinks his blood dwelleth in him and hath eternall life with much more to the same purpose Joh. 6. The proper meaning whereof as will appear by the Context and the occasion of that Discourse I suppose is That they who believe in him having the same expectations of spirituall life from him that they have of temporall life from their food and accordingly receive digest and improve
the belief of that pardon which you have received in the hopes of that grace and glory which have been assured to you Meditations of heaven and the exercise of Thankfulnesse are now very proper works Consider also what you have done what an obligation you have laid upon your self how you are no longer your own Man having made a resignation of your self to God by Jesus Christ And beg the assistance of his Holy Spirit to enable you to stedfastnesse and perseverance in this holy Covenant whilst life shall last and beseech him that the Ordinance you have been made partaker of may become effectuall to your souls to all those ends that it was designed for and which are attainable by it Think it not enough to read over these things I entreat thee but do accordingly and now betake thy self to Consideration and Prayer to those ends I have exprest Review moreover what your miscarriages have been and humbly beg of God to forgive either want of due preparation or coldnesse and distractions that your hearts have not been affected suitably to the importance and excellency of the duty and the Majesty of him with whom you have herein had to do And be heartily thankfull for any measure of life and affection any raisednesse and comfort that God hath been pleased to vouchsafe you And here by the way let me caution all humble Christians to beware of a mistake to which they are too prone to wit To judge of their profiting in this or other duties by their present feeling and so to think they get no good except their souls are as it were lift up and ravisht with sensible joys and these onely they take for evidences of Gods acceptance and the having of communion with him But by this means you will often plunge your selves into needlesse sorrows and load your selves with unjust censures and which is worse you will hereby become lesse thankfull to God as thinking you have received little advantage because you found not those delights you expected and will be in danger of becoming weary of the work and ready to throw it off as thinking it unprofitable Wherefore to avoid these ill consequences and the mistake that begets them consider well That it is the uprightnesse and sincerity of your hearts in the performance of your duty which may administer most ground of comfort to you when you reflect upon it for be assured if you have this ornament you were really acceptable to him that lookt down upon you though this acceptance might not be testified with the giving in of any extraordinary joy Let it not then trouble you as if God was not well pleased with you because your affections were not raised up to an higher pitch since he doth not look so much at fits of passion as at the steady bent and tenour of the soul. Nor think because you mist of great joys that you had no favour from nor communion with God for consider again That the truest communion with God is to enjoy the câ—mmunications of his grace to your souls whereby you are made conformable to him and you may enjoy these saving influences of the Spirit when you cannot feel his more abundant consolations Moreover the fruit of this Ordinance is not so much to be discerned at present as in your after-conversation For the great benefit you are to expect being to receive farther measures of Grace from the Holy Spirit accompanying these means it cannot be well known what Grace you have received till you come to the exercise of it when tempâ—ations shall assault you And to allude to the Apostles words in another case Though this Ordinance may not at present be joyous yet it may afterward yield the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse to those that are conversant therein And lastly If you are but sincere as I said in your covenanting with God it is your duty to believe that you have this day received from him a seal to the promise of pardon and eternall life and in this belief may you take much rationall and solid comfort which otherwise you are not like to find And this is the ordinary way whereby the Spirit conveys comfort to the Soul first working in you a belief that the promises of God are in themselves most true enlightning you to the knowledge of your own souls and then enabling you to apply these promises to your selves as being such to whom they belong Thus the Apostle tells us their rejoycing was from the testimony their Conscience gave of their simplicity godly sincerity 2 Cor. 1.12 Wherefore you are not so much to expect any extraordinary immediate assurance from the Spirit that you are the Lords But see to get good grounds for your faith and so to have your hearts fill'd with peace and joy in believing Yet do not misinterpret what I have said thence to indulge your selves in any sloth or dulness or to content your selves with the bare doing of the work without heeding the frame of your heart therein no but take as much pains as you can to raise them to the greatest sensiblenesse affection and if you do so you may reasonably expect to find much sweetness and satisfaction in the work it self but my meaning in this caution is that you should not look so much at the feeling of extraordinary comforts as at the integrity of your hearts in vowing your selves to God and the continuing stedfastnesse of your resolutions to be true to these vows 2. And that 's the next thing I would exhort you to even to discâ—ver this inward truth and sincerity by your future holy and exact walking This is that which must crown all the rest I may say to you as Moses to the Israelites Deut. 26.16 17. You have this day avouched the Lord to be your God to walk in his ways and keep his statutes And the Lord hath avouched you to be his peculiar people And you have promised to take Christ for your Husband and Lord to live in love and obedience to him as you hope to be saved by him One thing now remains that you go and do likewise Say with the Psalmist I have sworn and will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgements Psal. 119.106 Now you have been remembring him that suffered in the flesh arm your selves with this mind no longer to live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God 1 Pet. 4.1 2 3. Let it not happen to you according to the Proverb The Dog is turned to his own vomit again and the Sow that was washt to her wallowing in the mire If God have spoke peace to your souls turn not you again to folly Call to mind particularly what sins you confest and promised to forsake and do accordingly You that have been guilty of drunkennesse or gluttony fornication and wantonnesse pride or covetousnesse be so no more you that have been wont to spend your time in
Pag. 76 Chap. 5. Perswasions to accept of the Redeemer and give up the Soul in Covenant to him Pag. 96 Chap. 6. IV. A right Remembring the benefits procured by his death 1. Of Justification Pag. 130 Chap. 7. The second benefit is sanctification Pag. 139 Chap. 8. The third benefit is eternal Happinesse with God Pag. 151 Chap. 9. V. It must be a thankful Remembrance Pag. 155 Chap. 10. VI. It must produce an holy Love to Saints Pag. 158 Chap. 11. Use An invitation to come to Christ and his Sacrament with Motives thereto Pag. 168 Chap. 12. Sacraments are not to be accounted vain because externals Pag. 196 Chap. 13. Against too seldome communicating in the Sacrament Pag. 205 Chap. 14. The Objection of unfitness answered As proposed by the doubting and careless Pag. 209 Chap. 15. Obj. We are not in perfect charity but at variance with our neighbours Answered Pag. 234 Chap. 16. Directions for a due preparation and right receiving Pag. 242 Chap. 17. Directions for duty after the Sacrament Pag. 286 CHAP. I. The Introduction lamenting the Ignorant Vulgars contempt of their Salvation and shewing the design of this Treatise THe blessed God who in these last daies hath spoken to us by his Son and more fully and clearly reveal'd the way to life and immortality which Christ hath brought to light hath abundantly manifested his infinite wisdome and goodness in suiting and accomodating his commands and institutions to the meaness of our capacities and as a God who knows our frame hath so fitted himself and the revelations of his will with a respect to our weakness that nothing but affected ignorance and meer wilfulness can keep out the understanding of what he hath taught us or hinder the performing of what he commands us The Doctrines of the Gospel which are of necessity to be believ'd in order to Salvation and upon which an holy life is built are few and plain which we may finde sum'd up in our common Creeds As for the precepts which are given to bee the rule of our life how easie are they to be known and remembred how exceeding reasonable in themselves and most agreeable to our rectified natures and apparently tending to the unspeakable advantage of particular Persons Families Towns and Common-wealths the Gospel being design'd not only to bring men to glory and pleasure hereafter but to better the world at present and to make this earth a kinde of type and shadow of heaven and so it would bee if men were but more generally broughâ— under the power and influence of the Christian Religion which doth not only forbid those sins which are destructive to the happiness of societies and single persons as the Laws and Religion of the Heathens might also do but strikes at the very heart of wickedness and gives the surest directions and best helps for the utter removal of the cause and root of all disorders in the world which it would be beside my purpose at present to speak of None have cause now to complain that they know not what to do to obtain eternal life since he that runs may read his duty To love God above all and our neighbour as selves to do as we would bee done unto to repent of all our sins and betake our selves to the mercies of God through his Son Christ Jesus for a pardon to be humble holy chaste and temperate is any of this difficult to be understood Have we not a plain word directing us how to lead the whole course of our life And have we not a monitour within us the Spirit of God by our Consciences in most cases telling us how wee should behave our selves The sum of all is comprehended in our Baptismal Covenant to Renounce the Devil and all his works the world with its pomp and vanities the flesh and the lusts thereof and to be devoted to the Father Son and Holy Ghost And as our duty is easie to be known so is it not difficult to be done where there is first a willing minde for indeed in this is comprehended all to bee unfeignedly willing to be such as God would have us and to do all that he bids us So that none can excuse himself for his disobedience which is nothing else but obstinacy or gross negligence And though of our selves wee are poor weak creatures yet through the almighty grace that is offered to our assistance we may be inabled to do all things needful for our happiness and those weaknesses that cleave to us which we allow not our selves in but strive against and bewail wee are assured through the merits of our precious Saviour shall never be laid to our charge And as the great truths and duties of our Religion are thus plain and easie so the positive institutions whereby I mean the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper are few and clear being neither burdensome to be practised nor the meaning of them hard to be understood Doth not that form of words which Christ hath enjoyned to be used in Baptism whereby we are solemlny received into the number of professed Christians sufficiently shew the meaning of it namely that we are hereby consecrated and given up to the Father Son and Holy Ghost And doth not our being Baptized with Water very plainly hold forth our washing and cleansing from the stains and pollutions of defiled nature and from the guilt of sin by the blood and Spirit of Christ. And who knows not that the Lords Supper is for remembrance of Jesus Christ that Died for us The breaking of the Bread and pouring forth of the Wine how fitly and evidently do they represent to us that his body was broken and his blood shed for us And the Elements of Bread and Wine which we commonly use to nourish and refresh us do naturally signifie that strength and comfort which we receive from Christ as I shall hereafter shew at large Since then the truths of our Religion are so evident the Duties so reasonable and excellent the Ritual part the Sacraments so easie so few and so exceeding profitable may it not well be expected that all who profess themselves owners of that Religion which Jesus Christ hath taught and established should be well acquainted with these weighty truths diligent in the practise of Duty to their Maker and Saviour and to one another and most devout and serious in the observation and use of these holy Sacraments constant in their attendance upon all Ordinances as publick Prayer and Preaching whereby they may be instructed enabled to know and do the will of him that sent them into the world But alas alas to the dishonour of God and our profession and to the grief of all that long after the advancement of true goodness in the world by sad experience wee finde the quite contrarary even in this our Nation that we look no further God forbid that I should go about to disparage the glorious fruits of our Reformation from Popish
for prayer or receiving Sacraments who are listlesse to all duties and feel no sweetnesse in them all such may hence learn what is the root and ground of this distemper what it is that makes them out of tast with these rich and savoury provisions which all healthfull souls doe so dearly love even because their secret but most powerfull thoughts are that they have nothing better than their Bodies to provide for and that to doe this is the chiefest businesse they have and that nothing is of any great use which makes not for this end But it would be quite otherwise with them if they were indeed clearly convinced and soundly perswaded that they have souls which will never die and that these are their best part and deserve most care and are as much to be preferred before the body as a man before the horse which he rides on and that these their immortall souls can onely be made happy by the favour of God out of which they are faln by sinning against him and that the great work of this life is to get all breaches made up betwixt God and them that so when they leave this world they may be restored to perfect happinesse in the enjoyment of God and that they can no way be thus reconciled to God but by Jesus Christ by whose merits and mediation their sins may be pardoned and by whose holy Spirit which is given by the Father through him they can onely be so changed and sanctified that they may be made meet for the inheritance of the Saints in the heavenly light of Gods presence and love Was the sound belief of these plain great and commonly acknowledged truths but well rooted in the hearts of men so as to overpower and change their affections we should soon perceive them to be other kind of persons in all their behaviour If they took it for the business of their lives to work out their salvation being convinced that they had nothing in the world to doe but this and what is in order to it then would they diligently labour after a saving knowledge of a crucified Christ which comprehends in it the whole of religion And then they would highly prize and diligently attend upon those means which Christ hath appointed for the manifesting himself and conveying his saving benefits to the soul. They would take care to be found in those ways wherein Christ is like to be found Whatever had relation to him would be very much esteemed by them and they would never be at quiet till they had done their best to make it sure that they had got an interest in him and through him a title to the Fathers everlasting love They would then rightly inform themselves what 's required of all that must be saved by Christ and these conditions they would endeavour to come up to and perform They would be willing to enter into the most solemn Covenant with him to take him for their Saviour in all his Offices by him to be brought to that glory which God hath prepared for true Believers and the keeping of this Covenant would be their study and care through the whole course of their life Now though considering these things it might appear a very fit method for the curing of mens mistakes and direct them in the way to blessedness first to represent and demonstrate to them that they have immortal souls and that the love of God is their onely portion and that this can no way be obtained but by the Lord Jesus and then to shew what is required to make us partakers of happinesse by him yet since these things are in some sort known and readily confest by the most I shall at present wave this method and chuse rather to drive at the last of these which will be found to contain all namely to direct and exhort poor souls to enter into Covenant and make a thorow closure with Jesus Christ that through him their sins may be subdued and pardoned their persons and natures reconcil'd to God that they may be blessed for ever in communion with him And even this is my chief design in laying down the following Directions to a due preparation for and a right receiving of the Lords Supper and in giving Motives to the serious and frequent performance of that duty which I look upon principally as a solemnizing and ratifying our Covenant with God by Jesus Christ and the sincerity of the heart in making this Covenant and our faithfulnesse in keeping it is the very heart and scope of Christianity For my intention in treating of this subject is not meerly to perswade people to come to the Lords Table alas what a poor thing is that to be rested in but to instruct them for a right coming to and hearty receiving of Christ himself then to come to the Sacrament there to make and renew their Covenant with him in a more formall and expresse manner the more to affect and deeplier to engage themselves For this being a sensible and solemn thing will be apt to make the stronger impression upon mens spirits and perhaps they will be sooner perswaded to this work because it is so much fitted to sense it self But the great danger is least they should rush upon that which they understand not the reason of and think they have done enough by bare receiving the Sacrament without considering to what purpose they doe it which would be greater madnesse and of worse consequence than for a man to run and lay his hands upon the book and kisse it and use the like ceremonies of an oath and never mind what he swears to nor afterwards think what he hath done though it was about a matter of life and death And therefore I shall endeavour by Gods assistance to prevent this miscarriage by shewing what is the nature and design of this Ordinance in a right participation whereof consists so much of religion since hereby a man professeth and engageth himself to be a sincere obedient Christian which may be understood by this comparison before I come to speak to it more fully that more ignorant Reader may the sooner have the notion fixt on his mind It is much what as if the Governour of a City after there had been a seditious insurrection of the Citizens should offer pardon to all that would acknowledge their fault beg his pardon and return to their former subjection and peaceable behaviour and moreover should enjoyn all that were thus affected to come take a piece of money which he would give abroad or to partake of a feast which he would make on purpose for the entertainment of such now would it not be madnesse and grosse impudence and dissembling for any to receive this money or go sit at this Table who were resolved yet to continue their rebellion and would imploy that very money and the strength they received from his meat against him that gave them whenas hereby they were to testifie their resolutions
action testifying and confirming a Covenant betwixt God and man as in the Eastern and other Countries they were wont to ratifie their Leagues by feasting together and as they who eat of the sacrifices offered to Devils therereby had fellowship with Devils as the Jews by eating of their sacrifices held communion with and profest subjection to God as you may see them paralleld 1 Cor. 10.16 17 18 19 20. since I say this is on mans part a sign of his being in covenant with God I shall somewhat fuller explain what this Covenant is that you may understand whether you are cordially entred thereinto and are willing to continue in it that so you may know whether you are like to be entertained as worthy guests at the Lords Table which is proper to his Covenant-people In a word then the Covenant which wee renew at the Lords Supper is the very same with that you were entred into in Baptism when you were baptiz'd in the Name of and thereby engaged to the Father Son and Holy Ghost and therefore to those duties which wee owe to God in the several relations wherein he stands to us which are denoted by the Persons of the sacred Trinity That is we are hereby oblig'd to acknowledge God the Father to be our Creator and Preserver and therefore to behave our selves as his creatures ought submitting our selves to his Commands and Providences and placing our happiness in pleasing him and enjoying his love God the Son made man that is Jesus Christ we are hereby bound to take for our onely Saviour through whom alone we hope for the pardon of our offences and for ability to serve and please God and for acceptance and happinesse with him And God the Holy Ghost wee promise to take for our Sanctifier to have our souls by him renewed after the Image of God and those graces given into us which were purchast for us by Christ and the evidences of Gods love and of our title to the future blessedness to bee clear'd up and assur'd to our consciences the Holy Word also which he inspir'd the Prophets and Apostles to write wee are hereby engag'd to take for the Rule of our faith and life And this is your entring inâ—o Covenant with and being consecrated to the Father Son and Holy Ghost which doth necessarily suppose and include our renouncing the flesh the world and the Devil which is in effect the same with Repentance for sin which I spoke to largely under the last Head For he who is truly humbled for and resolved to forsake sin doth hereby renounce his flesh which is pleas'd with sin and will not make carnal self his chief end and he also renounceth the world which is the fuell and food of his lusts all that wherewith the carnal part is gratified as matters of pleasure profit honour and the like not regarding them as means to his happiness and he renounceth the Devil who by temptations drawn from these wordly things would entice him to sin and that wicked nature also which does the office of a Tempter within him All you then who have been baptiz'd into the Christian Faith are thereby bound to take God for your Supream Governor and chief Happiness and Jesus Christ for your Mediatour and way to the Father and the Holy Spirit for your Sanctifier and Guide And since you were Infants when you thus were first dedicated to God it behooves you that are now come to the use of reason and are resolv'd by the grace of God to be stedfast in this holy Covenant to come to the Lords Table and there professe these resolutions and by the receiving of this Sacrament in the presence of the heart-searching God and all your fellow-Christians to renew your engagement that you will take God for your God and that you will be his people Since then it is so plain that they and they only are worthy Communicants who have in heart made this covenant with God in Christ which they are to profess solemnize and confirm by eating and drinking the Sacramental bread and wine it remains that all who would not venture upon damnation by doing this unworthily ought to enter into a faithful examination of themselves whether indeed this be their condition and frame of heart or not And let me beseech thee Reader faithfully to set upon this Work as a businesse of the greatest concernment that ever thou hadst to do in thy life namely to see that thou art sincerely in covenant with God through his Son for this is the very heart and substance of Religion the sum of all Christianity and that upon which thy everlasting happiness wholly depends Know but this once and thou maiest know that Heaven will be thy portion shouldst thou dye at this hour And here that I may do what in me lies to help thee to the true knowledge of thy self let me first advise thee to look carefully into thy own heart for that 's thy surest way if thou art but well acquainted with the workings thereof and wilt deal impartially And in this searching into the state and temper of thy Soul I would wish thee to put these questions to thy self which I shall ask thee and to give in a true answer I demand of thee then what is that great good on which thou hast plac't thy highest love the obtaining of which thou hast made the great business of thy life and which if thou couldst but attain to thou believest thou shouldst be satisfied and made perfectly happy Canst thou say and that truly that God hath the upmost place in thy heart that his Authority swaies thee most and that for the main all things that concern thee are regarded but in order to him Dost thou make it thy principal study and trade to please him And dost thou count of nothing as fit to make thee a portion but his everlasting love If it be thus with thee then thou maist safely conclude that indeed thou hast made God thy chief end But enquire diligently whether it be not quite otherwise and whether thou hast not set up thy self in a distinction from God becoming thy own Idol Art thou not possest with high thoughts of thy self loving and admiring thy self separate from him who gave thee thy being It s true the man who is most heartily devoted to God hath the greatest love and veneration of himself but it is as he is Gods creature and it is his soul which hath his highest esteem and he seeks his happinesse by subjecting himself to God and therefore preferres adores and admires God infinitely above himself regarding himself in and for God accounting it the end of his being to serve his Makers will desiring no other felicity than the feeling of that love of God which he manifests to all such humble obedient ones But the carnall man though he may have some reverence for God and may yield him some tribute of service some prayers some praises and some
they converst with and after some time this King taking pity on his banish'd Subjects should agree with his onely Son that if he would venture upon the hazards and troubles of so long a journey he should take a chief Officer along with him and go to these rebels with proclamation of pardon to all such who should acknowledge their crime and were willing to return into their own land there to live in the obedience and favour of their Soveraign and in order hereto would come to this Officer to be taught by him the language of their Countrey and how to behave themselves so as they might please their King and be fit to be in his presence when now the King's Son should come to these men and shew them his Commission and perswade them to be ruled by him who is come so tedious and dangerous a journey to free them from the miseries of banishment proposing the terms on which he will deliver them all those that believe he speaks true and hath power to help them and being willing to be delivered upon his conditions doe put their trust in him by his means to be restored to the favour of their Prince and their former habitations they doe by this very action manifest their love to their native Countrey and their willingnesse to live in obedience to their King whom they had displeased and doe hereby also engage to accept of this Officer that accompanies the Prince to teach them the language and manners of the Countrey they are about to return to The application of this to the matter in hand is very easie for in the same manner doth Faith in Christ and our acceptance of him implie our love to God and desire to live for ever in his favour which is that Christ offers us and by his death hath purchased for true Believers and it implies also our willingnesse to be sanctified by his Spirit that we may be made meet to live for ever in the love of God Oh hearken then and give ear all you lost sinners somewhat to pursue the former comparison all you that are the posterity of sinfull Adam who by his transgression banish'd himself out of Paradise you that are wandring up and down in this wildernesse and have even forgot the heavenly Countrey as if you were made onely to be inhabitants of this lower world here to live with the Beasts a miserable life for a while and hereafter to die like Beasts that perish and accordingly make it your onely work to run and ride to labour and toil for such things as are needfull for this present life without regarding that which is to come whilst you are thus estranged from God forgetfull of and daily running farther and farther from him behold a message of glad tidings and great joy is dispatch'd to you from heaven The great God that made you takes pity on you and is even grieved to see what a misery you have plunged your selves into when he made you so happy He is by no means pleased that such noble Creatures lately raised out of nothing for such glorious ends should through their own folly and the subtlety of the tempter be debased into such a wretched sordid slavery Wherefore in pursuance of his gracious designs for your recovery and to shew how his bowelâ— yearn over you he hath sent his own Son out of his bosome who is one with himself to take our nature upon him and to become one with us that he might be every way fit to be a Mediatour betwixt God and us that he might teach us by his doctrine encourage us by his example and make attonement for us by his death Accordingly all this is done the Son of God is come into the world and hath abundantly evidenced his Commission from the Father to treat with lost mankind about their reconciliation to him for the procuring of which reconciliation he laid down his life and being risen again he furnished his Ambassadors with authority to assure all that life was given to the world and this life was in the Son so that he who hath the Son hath life And this is that message which the Ministers of the Gospel at this day and to the end of the world are to proclaim to the sons of men This Sirs is the joyfull sound that is now in your ears If you will but trust your souls with Christ and consent that his Spirit should teach you the language of Canaan and work in you an heavenly nature and disposition suitable to the state and place he would bring you to then shall you be happy with God for ever What say you then shall Chriâ—â— be your Redeemer to bring you to glory upon these terms or not What have you to object against him Doe you think he does not mean as he speaks or that he cannot doe what he promiseth Dare you question his power his willingnesse or his truth If you will not believe his Word yet give credit to his Death Does not that tell you he is in good earnest with you and fully bent upon the Redemption of mankind And beside the miracles wrought by and upon him which fully witnesse for him let his Resurrection put you out of doubt that him hath God the Father sealed to this Office of Mediatour by this is assurance is given to all men that he is the Judge of to be world and therefore that all are delivered into his hands to save or condemn as he shall think fit and he hath plainly declared that to those who receive him he will give power to become the Sons of God but as for those who reject him upon them the wrath of God abides for ever But these things I shall branch out into two or three particular considerations to perswade you if it may be to accept of Christ the Prince of peace who comes with the tender of peace to your souls to accept of him I say to wash you in his Blood and sanctifie you by his Spirit that at length he may present you without spot or blemish into the presence of his Father CHAP. V. Perswasions to accept of the Redeemer and give up the Soul in Covenant to him 1. AND first consider I am onely perswading you to be Christians which you professe your selves to be And will you not indeed be what you professe Why doe you embrace the name if you dislike the thing I know you have false measures whereby you judge of Christianity and think perhaps that all who are Baptized and keep their Church and call themselves Christians are so indeed but you should rather say such doe professe themselves so to be but they are not so in Gods account except they are true to this profession He that wears a Noble-mans Livery seems to be his Servant but if he will not acknowledge him to be his Master by doing what he commands him you will scarce say such a one's his Servant however not a Servant to be
men of contention beware of acting out of wrath spleen or revenge yea or of doing any thing out of meer selfishness for even in your temporal concerns about your estate credit c. Gods interest should be more aimed at than your own and you should not so much endeavour to secure or recover these for your own sake as that you may hereby be more capable of honouring God and if you saw that through some circumstances it might tend more to Gods honour to neglect a vindication of your right than to prosecute it in such a case it would be your duty to sit still They that have devoted themselves and all they have to God will understand this and none else Hence you finde the Apostle expostulating with the Christians why they would not take wrong and even suffer themselves to be defrauded rather than contend whereby they did then so much disgrace Religion Vers. 7. Of that forequoted Chapter But yet I say when it is your duty to maintain your right against those that would abuse you you may do this and yet have no spight against their persons nor any desire of their hurt if your own hearts be right and may really forgive them whilst you endeavour to avoid the injury which they would offer you And let this suffice on supposition that you are thus well-affected towards those that make themselves your adversaries which if you indeed be I hope I need use no more words to perswade you that other Mens malicious behaviour toward you need be no hindrance to your coming to the Sacrament But on the other side give me leave to deal plainly with you all you that insist upon this reason for neglecting your duty because there 's difference betwixt you and your neighbours I strongly suspect that you your selves are very much in fault and indeed you confesse as much by your practice whilst in your words you disown it for why is it you make this a ground of abstaining from the Sacrament but that your consciences tell you you bear so much ill will to your neighbours that its a dangerous thing for you to receive it Oh look back upon your waies and see whether instead of bearing wrongs you have not wrong'd and defrauded others Have you not opprest or needlesly vext them through eager designes of raising your selves by their ruines not caring whom you have injured and trampled upon so you might but get your own ends Of if you will not own this yet look faithfully into the temper of your souls Do you not stand vilely affected towards some that have done you injuries and whom you take for your enemies Are you not backward to any thorow reconciliation with them Do you not stand upon your terms expect that they should come first and humble themselves and stoop to you before you 'l seek after any peace with them your great spirits scorn to be first in this work nay it s well if you are not resolv'd against it let them do what they will Oh proud wretches Is this like Gods dealing with the World when we had given him the offence yet who was it began first to treat of a peace Hath the great God given you this example and yet are you too good forsooth to seek to your fellow-creatures to be at peace with you If this be your goodnesse may not the Devil himself passe for good for he hath pride enough and what 's yours better But further do you not cherish a secret spleen against them which fills you with implacable desires of being reveng'd on them and makes you griev'd to see them do well in the World whereas you could heartily wish their ruine and would delight to be in a capacity of doing them a mischief and long to bring them under you that you might insult over them and make them repent that ever they displeas'd such as you Oh divellish and monstrous spirit that ever it should dwell in the breasts of any that call themselves Christians Christians are they call'd they deserve not the name of Men. Certainly there are many as good Christians as these hang'd at Tyburn for cutting Mens throats For did not the fear of Man restrain them you should quickly see their envenom'd rancour break out into as bad effects But suppose your malice be not boild up to such an height yet if you harbour so much as makes you unfit for the Sacrament as according to your own acknowledgment you do whilst it keeps you from it it 's a plain sign your souls are yet under miserable distempers far from being truly sanctifiâ—d you live still under the power of self-love unmortified pride or covetousnesse which are the secret cause of this your discord with others And alas though these present differences were ended you would be farre from a fitnesse for the Sacrament whilst you abide in the condition you are yet in not having your peace made with God but being in enmitie against him through a subjection to your reigning lusts And therefore you might more trulie say you are not fit for this dutie because you are proud and covetous and envious than because you are at variance with any one onely you hope for some kind of excuse by laying the fault on others but that I have taken off before And furthermore is it not a plain discoverie how little love you have to Christ and your own souls that you can willingly be so long absent from this Ordinance upon such a silly pretence as this that your neighbours and you are not agreed It 's a sign of an ill stomach when people are glad of an excuse to save them from eating What could not you if you had been so minded have got an agreement before now Or at least could not you have done so much towards it as might have satisfied your Consciences that you were not in fault Was there but any worldly advantage to be got by doing thus much you would soon set about it I 'le warrant you But being I doubt very indifferent to Sacraments or to any thing that concerns your souls a very little reason serves to keep you from them since you find no want of them nor can imagine how you should be much bettered by them And whilst you are in this wretched frame be sure you shall never want one thing or other to hinder you To bring you to better apprehensions of things let what I have said before suffice for I now hasten to a conclusion onely let me wish you to beware of cheating your selves with that mâ—stake which I endeavoured to remove under the last Objection to wit That whilst you come not to the Sacrament you may safely persist in such and such actions or in such a temper of mind which ought to be changed before you go thither for thus you seem to think whilst you stay away because there are fallings out betwixt you and others being it seems resolved to continue in your enmitie
A very Heathen anciently when he gave an account of the practice of the Christians said of them that they did sometimes in their assemblies by eating and drinking together engage one another to abstain from theft murder adultery and all kind of wickednesse so right a notion he had of the design of this duty Imagine then you heard Christ saying All that will hearken to me and become such as I would have them both in their hearts and lives let them come and take this Sacrament as a witnesse of their resolutions to cleave to me And let the voice of your souls in answer be Lord I am willing to hearken to thee to take thee for my Redeemer and Lord and it is my unfeigned desire to be holy as thou would'st have me and it is my resolution from this time forward by the help of thy Spirit to yield a sincere obedience to all thy commands and not allow my self in any known sin whilst life shall last and in witnesse hereof I take this holy Sacrament which thou hast call'd me to And thus thou do'st plight thy troth to Jesus Christ by partaking of these consecrated Elements as friends are wont to break a piece of silver betwixt them to bind each other the faster to the promises they make or as the Man and Woman expresse their consent to a Marriage by their use of the Ring And hereby thou do'st in effect professe that thou expectest salvation by Christ upon no other terms than as thou shalt be found faithfull in making and keeping this Covenant with him Thou maist easily perceive this is no trifling matter and therefore good reason there is I should advise thee to be serious and deliberate in it least by thy hypocrisie thou should'st even bind over thy self to damnation for if thy heart will not consent to such a Covenant as I have described think not I go about to perswade thee to dissemble with God But yet remember there is nothing in all this that may afford any ground of hesitation or doubting whether thou should'st do it or not unlesse thou art in a doubt whether thou hadst best be sav'd or damn'd for except thy heart be brought to such a subjection to and closure with Christ it 's impossible thou should'st ever be sav'd by him This Wedding-garment of Faith and Obedience which I would have thee put on is as necessary for thy being received into Heaven as for thy being a welcome guest at this Table And by the way consider how you have endangered your souls you who have from time to time received Sacraments and never thought of any such engagement as this which yet the very action it self lays upon you nor ever took care to be faithfull thereto In what a daring manner have you laid your selves open to vengeance And how great is that patience which hath hitherto born with you even whilst you have been wilfully guilty of most horrid perjury I mention not this to drive you to despair no there is yet hope of mercy concerning this thing if now at length you are but sensible of your miscarriage and will carefully reform it for the future Whoever you are that do now from your very hearts render up your selves to God by your Redeemer doubt not of a gracious acceptance you that with such designs do assemble to this Supper and none else are fit to come there of you will Christ say when he looks upon you as once of his Disciples who sat about him Behold my mother and my brethren Mark 3.34 for as he there addes ver 35. whosoever shall do the will of God the same is his Brother Sister and Mother Yea to you will the Lord Almighty say I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters 2 Cor. 6.18 and and safely may you regard your selves in this comfortable nearnesse of relation to him which brings me to the next 5. You that are thus truly humbled for sin and turned from it to God by Jesus Christ upon good grounds may and ought to believe that God will make good all the promises of his Covenant which he hath wade to such as you are Whereupon you may with an holy boldnesse beg the same at his hands and accordingly do it Humbly beseech him to deal with you according to those gracious promises wherein he hath caused you to trust And for the strengthning of your faith consider some of the chief of them and plead them with God in prayer and beg the blessings contained therein Pray earnestly that the Blood of Christ may cleanse you from all unrighteousnesse that your iniquities may be remembred no more but that you may have peace with him being freely justified by his grace Beseech him to give you his Holy Spirit to carry on the work of faith with power to enable you against temptations of all sorts to fill you with peace and joy to lead you in the way wherein he would have you to walk and to perform that good thing he hath begun in you to the day of Jesus Pray that you may be found in Christ at that great approaching day and may stand before him with boldnesse and be discharged from all accusations and set with the sheep on his right hand and with that little Flock be received into the Kingdome which he hath promised to all that love him And since you are as yet in the body which stands in need of outward comforts and supplies and are in a World where you have relations friends and affairs wherein you are concern'd you have promises touching these also and may therefore confidently beg your heavenly Father who knows what you need to take care of you and yours and furnish you with what he sees convenient for you to direct you in all difficulties and by his providence so to order all your affairs as may tend most to his glory and your good Ask these things of God and what ever you perceive necessary and doubt not but they shall be given into you more abundantly than you can ask or think and look upon them as confirmed to you by the Sacrament But remember alwaies that it is for Christs sake that these mercies are confer'd upon you so that you are to acknowledge your selves unworthy of the least of them and confesse if you had your own desert you should be stript of all comforts and be laid under the greatest miseries Professe therefore that all you hope for is on the account of Jesus Christ who hath purchast all things needfull for the happinesse of his people after a forfeiture was made of all by the fall of Adam through him are these good things promised and these promises fulfilled In the new Covenant founded in his blood they all accompany his Person and are ascertained to those that cordially receive him as the Wife by taking a Nobleman to her Husband is made partaker of his estate and honours So that having Christ to be
common stick Wherefore if you would not be lamentably wanting to your selves and Enemies to your own comforts I beseech you all you that love the Lord Jesus know your own priviledges and fix these things firmly on your mindes and let not the greatnesse of them hinder your belief since they are as sure as great but see that you apprehend a reality in all that is done at this holy Table See Christ himself in the Minister see also the benefits that come by Christ in the Bread and Wine and stedfastly believe that these are given you by Christ as verily as the Elements are given you by the Minister For pardâ—n and right to eternal life are things to be believed not felt so that it is by believing that you must perceive the comfort of them Wherefore beg of God to clear up these things to your apprehensions to remove doubtings to strengthen your faith and to joyn the inward seal of his spirit to the outward administration of his Ordinance And do you take the boldnesse though with the greatest humility to professe to God that you take this Sacrament as an earnest of all those mercies which you hope for from his bounty as hereby you deliver up your selves and all you have and are to his will and pleasure And as an earnest engageth both the Servant and Master to do according to their agreement so is God graciously pleased hereby to engage himself to his Creatures so that not only from his bounty but from his justice and faithfulnesse may you expect whatever he hath promised to do for you There being thus a sacred Covenant transacted betwixt God and your souls see only that you be not treacherous and Heaven and Earth shall sooner fail than God will depart from one tittle of all that he hath said With confidence may you look upon God as your Father Christ as your Head and Husband the Holy Spirit as your Comforter and Guide the Angels as your friends ready at Christs command to do you service the Saints in both Worlds as your Brethren and the full enjoyment of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in the joyfull communion of Saints and Angels your assured everlasting portion 6. Since you in your selves are poor impotent creatures who without Christ can do nothing but must be beholden to that grace which drew you to this Covenant to hold you in it and to help you to perform your part and since there is of this grace even now to be given but to the prepared soul Let it be your care to get very sensible of your spiritual wants and to come hither earnestly desiring and expecting a supply Consider well with your selves what graces you finde weakest and most wanting what duties you are prone most to fail in and humbly beg suitable help and assistance Examine what temptations you are most exposed to and oftnest overcome by what corruptions you finde yet strongest in you and especially what those sins are to which you are inclined most by nature and custome or are most in danger of by your employments or converse in the World and represent all this in your prayer before God and beg of him more power and strength against them and now by this Ordinance to convey it to you Look round about and consider well the work you have to do the difficulties you are to grapple with the several relations wherein you stand and the duties they bring along with them and noâ—â—ue out for direction and assistance in all And for your encouragement remember what I told you that God hath engaged himself to all you his Covenant-people to afford you whatever may conduce to your happiness now since you stand in present need of the supplies of his grace you may confidently expect the same He that will bring you to the end will give you the means As if a King should call some of his poor subjects to give them great possessions in another Country which he had conquered and should also furnish them with store of money and provisions for the way even thus bounteously wil God deal with you oh Believers Hee 'l put strength into your feet and revive your fainting spirits that you may hold on in your way you that wait upon the Lord though you have no power or might in your selves yet shall renew your strength and run and not be weary and walk and not faint till you come to your journies end By faith in Christ we are engrafted into him as a branch into the Vine and are related as a Member to the Head so that he is become the root of our life and from him shall sap and nourishment be communicated to our needy souls He is the dispenser and fountain of Grace and his Ordinances are as Conduit-pipes and conveyances of the same And of this nature is the Lords Supper Here Believers are made to drink into the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 Which words have a plain reference to this Sacrament Baptisme being mentioned at the beginning of the verse Come hither then oh yee thirstie souls and be refresht with the waters of life that shall flow in upon you in abundance Open your mouths wide and they shall be filled Be not straitned in your selves for the bowels of Christ are not straitned towards you Bring hither capacious enlarged hearts and you shall carry away accordingly The anointing of thâ— Spirit which is shed abroad upon you is like the Widdows Oyl 2 Kin. 4.6 It will not stay running whilst there is room to receive it Oh why is it then that we are so empty The fault is not in Christ we must needs acknowledge But let us examine whether we have not stuft our hearts with other things that leave little or no room for grace to be poured in there Are we not fill'd with the love of earthly things Is not our delight most of all in profits and pleasures And our desires eagerly carried out after them Do not Creature-comforts so possess and fill us that they even thrust forth the Holy Spirit from his habitation Do we not grieve him by our carnal joys and cause him to with-draw from us Oh! for shame let it be no longer thus with us Alas how little can these narrow hearts of ours contain of the fullness of God though they were widened to their utmost present capacity And shall we pinch and straiten them yet more by entertaining every trifle there This is that room which the King of Heaven would have entire to himself and shall every common guest every Beggar be lodged there Is it fit that Money-changers and Merchants should fill the house of God That it should be a thorow-fare for every Vessel every common and unclean thing Oh let your hearts then be consecrated as Temples for the Holy-Ghost not Dens of such Thieves as rob God of his due and draw away those desires and affections which he claims as his own And now let the gates of these Temples
never flack your watch nor let your expectations cool till either you see him comming in the clouds or shall be taken up beyond them With some such Meditations as these which I have suggested to you under each Head let your thoughts be taken up whilst you are emploied in this duty as you shall find your selves most inclined and as Gods Spirit shall direct you for you need not confine your self as to the method and form but rather let your affections have their free course Onely see that you watch narrowly over your hearts through the whole work that deadnesse and distractions may not possesse you Keep up a strong sense of God's presence with you and often lift up your hearts to him for life and quickning And let all the powers of your souls be summoned up and engaged in this action with all possible vigour and closenesse Let your minds be kept cleer from sadning and from impertinent thoughts that you may attend upon the Lord without distraction and be more capable of those sweet foretasts of his goodnesse which may be as a certain pledge of your everlasting enjoyment of all that he hath in store for his people 9. Lastly let me in a word or two direct you to be carefull in the exercise of brotherly love I need not stand I hope to repeat the advice I gave you to get all breaches made up betwixt your selves and brethren to do all that in you lies to obtain peace and if that cannot be had yet to forgive all injuries that have been done you and to cleanse your minds from rancour and malice and all desire of revenge to this let the love of Christ constrain you And moreover let your hearts be let out with a sincere and strong affection toward all your Fellow-members of that body whereof Christ is the Head A pleasant sight it will be to your Master who is in heaven to look down upon you his Disciples and see you here feasting together in mutuall love and delight in the remembrance of all that love which he hath shewn to you and in the joyfull expectation of what farther he hath promised And whilst your love is stirred up to Christ himself it cannot chuse but be imparted to his friends that are in sight such who sincerely love him on whom he hath set his heart and hath shed on them his Spirit whereby they are made like to him and therefore must needs be lovely in your eyes to whom Christ is precious as being also by this same Spirit made like to your selves and when in your joyning with them in this sacred action you remember that these shall be your everlasting companions in the joy of your Lord and shall there joyn with you in sounding forth his praises this will farther engage you to them as being heirs together of the grace of God and will work in you the beginnings of that love which will hereafter be perfect and perpetuall Whilst your love is built upon such right and Catholick principles as these being placed upon a Christian as a Christian you hold a Communion in the Spirit with all true Christians throughout the world though your affections will be most sensibly enlarged to those that you know and with whom you hold a locall communion in the worship of God And your joint assembling at this Table is a badge of your mutuall love and an engagement to the firm continuance of it Here are you made to drink into one Spirit by which you were Baptized into one body according to that Text I named 1 Cor. 12.13 This Sacrament is if I may so call it an Holy Philtre whereby Believers are united in more fervent love to their common Head and to one another The Blood of Christ is the onely cement and soder of souls And this is that Christian love which they are taught of God to which they are inclined by their new nature and which will easily be brought into exercise where the grace is first wrought in the heart wherefore it 's needlesse to stay longer hereon having also spoke somewhat largely to it before Onely one thing let me suggest before I conclude this namely that you take care to give a practicall demonstration of this love by contributing according to your abilities to the necessities of the poor members of Christ. This is a sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased a work never out of season but now most seasonable being an evidence not onely of your compassion to the poor but of the stedfastnesse of your belief in Christ and his promises and of your thankfulnesse for his bounty therefore you find both these mentioned together Heb. 13.15 16. As we must offer thanks so we must not forget to do good and communicate To quicken you to this charity both now and any other time when fit objects are presented Let me onely desire you to imagine to your selves that the Lord Jesus who was willing to part with his blood for you and thinks not an infinite glory too great to give you upon most easie terms that even he comes to you in one of his necessitous members to see what you can find in your hearts to bestow upon him If you that have Estates think he deserves nothing let him have nothing if he deserve but a little give him but a little if your lusts have more right to your riches than he then let your lusts have them rather than he Let Christ in his members starve whilst pride and luxury are maintained if you think this be just If you can improve your Estates better some other way take what you think the most gainfull course For remember Christ himself needs not anything you have or can do onely he 'll try the kindnesse of your hearts His is the earth and the fulnesse thereof and even his poor servants can he sufficiently provide for without you Wherefore if you give notwillingly and cheerfully you may keep your money to your self for any good that an extorted charity is like to do you But remember also you will be sure to lose and leave all that which God hath not one way or other but by giving it to him you send it before you and when all things here below fail you shall enjoy it with infinite advantage in the everlasting habitations And let this suffice by way of Direction for your preparation to and carriage in Receiving A few words for your behaviour afterwards and I shall come to a conclusion CHAP. XVII Directions for duty after the Sacrament 1. WHen you come home get alone and blesse God for the liberty and opportunity of a Sacrament which he hath afforded you and for all the priviledges that are thereby conferr'd upon you And let your souls chew the Cud and retain the savour of those pleasant things you have been entertained with keep them still lifted up and exceedingly gladded in the sence of that love which you have this day been celebrating and tasting in
in all commanded acts of obedience an eager and ingenuous pursuance after the blessed God in all those waies where in he is to be found and whereby he communicates himself to the soul of Man so that there is no contradiction betwixt inward holinesse and outward duties but much-what the same relation that there is betwixt life and eating breathing and motion for in these the divine life is exprest exercised and nourished But to think that Sacraments Prayers and hearing c. may serve turn without any inward holinesse and universal sincere obedience is as if a Man should think that the forced motion of a Puppet should make it pass for a living creature that great promises may pass for performances and that knowing what we must do and talking of it may serve instead of doing what we are taught Let them lay this seriously to heart who when their practices are ungodly and loose think to salve all by keeping their Church and saying their Prayers and all such who make more adoe about the externals in devotion than about the right ordering of their hearts and lives whereas all our devotions should tend to better these 4. If you would make good the promises you have made at the Lords Table to live a strict and godly life you will find it of singular importance yea of flat necessity to retain a great watchfulnesse over all your ways Ever keep up a sense of the danger you are in by reason of the frailty of your nature the deceitfulnesse of your hearts and the many temptations you are every where exposed to And therefore let this care secretly run through the whole course of your actions to beware of being surprized by sin therein In all emploiments companies and affairs still keep up this watch And think beforehand where your danger is greatest where you are most apt to be overtaken and there place the strongest guard Set a watch over your eyes ears appetites tongues hearts and hands that you be not by them betraid into any miscarriage When you find your self endangered by a present temptation then have some solid reason ready at hand to repell it with store whereof you should alwaies be furnisht with reasons drawn from God Christ Heaven or Hell or from your Sacramentall engagements as I shewed before and be sure have a strong resolution to check the first risings and beginnings of sin before it have gone so farre that your judgment is brib'd and blinded by your affections and have speedy recourse to the God of all grace that he would send you help from above Consideration Resolution and Prayer are three weapons wherewith the Christian Souldier may do wonders against the tallest sons of Anak that shall assault him in his way to Canaan Often take account of your selves and review your behaviour in actions that are past and let one days experience still teach you how to live the next better But upon the sense of any miscarriage let not your guilt drive you farther from God put you into unprofitable vexations and horrors but presently make hast to the throne of grace get your peace made with God through Christ and renew your watch with more diligence than ever but alwaies with the most humble and absolute dependance upon divine assistance ' T is too probable that some lazy wretches will here flye out as Naaman in a rage did against the Prophet when he heard he must wash seven times in Jordan for the cure of his Leprosie which he thought would have been done with a word speaking so perhaps you 'l tell me that you had thought Receiving of the Sacrament would so have kill'd your lusts and cleansed your hearts that you need have been at litle care about them afterward and will be ready to ask what good you got by it if you must take all this pains notwithstanding You slothfull souls may you not as well ask what good you get by Christs death and the giving of the Spirit Since notwithstanding both these you must take pains or else you are never like to be saved For know God will have you employ the faculties he has given you and the work of Grace is to heal your faculties and enable them for their proper employments He that made you Reasonable creatures will make you holy and happy as such and the help which he affords is to bring you to diligence and assist you therein and by that means to save you Thus Sacraments are onely profitable to the diligent and industrious their use being to quicken and strengthen but they are no refuges for the slothfull no encouragements to idlenesse Never think that God will make such a way to heaven that you may walk in it without using your legs 'T is you that must do the things required though it be by Christ strengthning you for whose sake also your frailties are forgiven Wherefore let me renew my advice that at all times and in all things you would be watchfull and maintain an holy jealousie over those hearts that have too often shown what they have in them Take this for the greatest work you have to do in the world to beware of sin and to be carefull to please God as the Souldier's whole work is to serve his Generall and the Servant 's to obey his Master yea more absolutely than so ought a creature to study his Maker's will and account this work your own greatest happinesse So avoid sin and all occasions and appearances of it as you would do the Plague in a Visited Town and be as carefull to watch all opportunities of doing good both to the souls and bodies of others as men ordinarily are of laying hold on their gain Often ask your selves wherein God is honoured by you or others profited and be ashamed to live to no better purpose than to eat and drink to sleep and dresse your selves for work or play And do not object against this constant watchfulnesse that it will take up all your time and hinder your necessary employments for by using it awhile it will grow even naturall to you and will no more hinder you in your affairs than it hinders a traveller in his journey to take heed of running into bogs and ditches Is it any hard matter to be alwaies carefull least you should hurt your bodies Wherever you are and whatever you are doing cannot you keep up this care and yet follow your businesse well enough Why then can you not take the same heed of your souls with as little trouble or hindrance 5. To help you in this watchfulnesse and guide you in an exact circumspect walking it will be exceeding profitable for you at all times to retain upon your minds a very awfull sense of the presence of the most Holy God Whatever you are about remember he observes you and ponders all your paths though you perceive not him Wherefore always order and behave your selves as before him Speak your words as in his hearing Spend