over in the doing My fift Reason I gather from the uniformity of the Service of God If all other worship lies in common it is an intrenchment upon the common liberty to put an enclosure upon the Sacrament Are all the commands of God universall why not doe this also if an unregenerate man cannot doe any thing that is acceptable to Christ but it turnes to sin non per se sed per pravam dispositionem subjecti and so is Damnable Pro. 28.9 and yet he is to doe his endeavour and not to be excluded neverthelesse ftom any duty why must there needs be an exclusion here upon feare of the like sin and condemnation Let our Independents answer why doe you allow a Syntax in the whole service of God besides and bring in a Quae genus of Anomalaes and Heteroclites onely at this ☞ Ordinance Let some of our Presbyterians answer how can wee admit of Children as Members of the visible Church being born of Christian parents unto Baptisme and yet turne away the parents of those Children from the Sacrament Those that have gone about to answer this had better happly have said nothing for our free course of Baptisme and a deniall of this is such a Seame-rent as will never be handsomly drawn up though stitcht together Neverthelesse in yielding the one they have granted the other My sixt Reason I lay down from my innocency in thus doing 1. I doe but my duty 2. I have no power to turn away any 3. I hope the best of all 4. I know God can turne the worst even at this ordinance if he please 5. I endeavour my utmost de jure that all come prepared 6. I humbly confesse all our sins as Hezekiah desiring true repentance and a pardon for all our omissions and so lastly I venture the issue all on God knowing that his ordinances are a sweet savour unto him whether we are saved or perish by them I might adde here more considerations very pressing from the command and good of comming from the evill of omitting this ordinance For the good of comming The Sacrament is a meanes and a pledge a means as well to receive grace as a pledge to assure us thereof Now suppose a poor soule wants grace whether shall he come but to the means of receiving it The ordinances are as the Baths there are many come to the Bath that are never the better for it yet as they are means of health they are open and free for all to come and make experience of them I conceive as much of the Sacrament and though we may scruple how an unregenerate man can receive it as a pledge yet as it is a means whereby grace is conveyed there is no difficulty For the evill of omission In the Law those that neglected Circumcision and the Passeover were to be cut off and in the Gospell Matt. 22. those that came not into the Feast were destroyed the Lord giving a reason ver 8. because they were not worthy Alas we make a scruple only of comming unworthily whereas they are most unworthy of all that come not in to the Supper we doe not finde any of the Servants durst refuse to call in all if they had left out any they might have bin worse served This one thing hath long stuck on my thoughts how shall we neglect a certain duty of administring or of comming to the Sacrament for fear of accidentall scandall or of committing an uncertain sin in the doing Is not this a kind of doing evill that good may come of it whose damnation is just Rom. 3.8 But I will say no more thus much shall suffice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will not give you my Reasons by the heape but by the weight I humbly commit them to you onely with this caution that no man take occasion from hence to presume for as the Israelites that were destroyed after they passed the Sea and drank of the Rock are set for a warning to the Corinthians so are they both set for a warning to us that wee daily examine our selves and come with reverence lest we being freely admitted by Gods goodnesse perish neverthelesse with them for our own unworthinesse The Second SERMON NOw for answering Objections 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Two things I must premonish you 1. Whereas common notions are like dishes where the same matter dress'd but in another way or variegated in the expression receives a severall relish and esteem in the palats of ordinary judgements you must pardon me the Liberty if at any time I be forced in the Cookery of the same sence to serve you in more words than enough to any Objection 2. Whereas many Godly in these times have a prejudicate opinion against this free Admission so that whatsoever may be said is not like to remove all scruples which are so much fastened on their Consciences thinking they have holynesse on their side we are to goe unto the Throne of Grace to pray the Lord to give us his Spirit of illumination to direct us in this truth which is able alone to convince and satisfie us And for me if I deliver what is not consonant to the holy Word I desire the Lord to blot out my Sermon with my sin that none of his Little ones may be offended by it but if it be the mouth of Truth too much kept in silence delivering nothing but the very doctrine and practise of Christ himselfe and his Apostles as one of his weakest servants does heartily beleeve I hope the Lord will give a blessing on it and send it out as a light into your hearts to discover those subtilties of Sathan whereby he would obstruct your comfort in the use of this Ordinance Objection 1. This Doctrine will take away the use of the Keyes Excommunicate Excommunication and leave us no Discipline in the Church Ans Unto this by way of Concession although it has been thought these censures belonged but to the Church untill they had a Christian Magistrate I grant First That there is a power of the Keys in the Church Secondly that the exercise of this consists in Excommunication And thirdly That the want thereof in the right institution is to be bewayled But by the way of satisfaction I Answer this Objection is grounded merely on false surmises about Excommunication which being removed as the fewell from the fire it will go out of it self 1 It surmises this Church-discipline to lye in a suspension from the Sacrament as if Excommunication were but an Excommunion Let us therefore know that these Church censures are punishments upon scandalous persons after a legall conviction whereby they are debarred from Christian society in generall lest they leven others by their example for els what is it to keep a prophane person from the Sacrament but to gratifie him who never intended at least never cared to come thither But now when men will take these keyes that were made to the great Church door opening and
the Covenant it self is of Epidemicall concernment and so far belongs to all that it is to be tender'd freely and offer'd to them that whosoever doth receive it may have the benefit of it Rep. But what right doth this give him to the Covenant Answ As the Sacrament is a shewing forth of Christ with a tender of the Covenant in his bloud there is an open free generall right to it for all that will come in to Christ Let me beseech you mark this distinction There is a double right here observable A right of Obligation and A right of privilege For the right of Obligation in the Ministers offer of Christ freely and the peoples receiving him in his own terms I doe avouch a universall right to every Ordinance Isa 66.23 they being dutyes of worship which is of universall command and this often primitively once a week though for the right of privilege in any to enjoy the sweetnes comfort efficacy life and benefit of them I acknowledge it a prerogative belonging onely to the Saints and Elect of God Now put case a poor soule should stand in doubt of his right to this Ordinance that yet fain would come to Jesus Christ Let him say Lord my heart is humbly afraid of my unworthinesse yet seeing I come resolving to give up my Soule to thee and it is our duty to come in at this Supper This Right of Obligation shall be my warrant to bring me in and then Lord I hope thou wilt let me find the Right of Privilege too in thy due season O my God Put case again A godly heart should rise at the conceit of a wicked person receiving with him Let him think presently thus though there is a neerer Right unto my soule blessed be the mere free grace of God yet there is a right of obligation to every one I ought not to be offended with any the Lord sanctifie it to them for their conversion the knowledge of this distinction may do very much to allay the troubles of many judgments and more Consciences in this controversy Object 6. The Sacrament is not a converting Ordinance we preach to all to convert them but wâ—e may Administer onely to the regenerate to confirme them Answ Unto this Objection because it is so much urged give me leave to use some words I doe acknowledge Divines doe usually distinguish of a Sacrament of Initiation and Confirmation ingeniously attributing our new birth first to Baptisme and then our nourishment and encrease unto the Supper and so they make a converting Ordinance of the Word and Baptisme the laver and meanes of regeneration a confirming one only of this Sacrament although I take a grant of the one to be a sufficient medium to prove the other But under favour unlesse we take this only in regard of the visible Church into which 't is true Baptisme alone does incorporate us we must understand it not after a rigid form of speech and Idiome of truth but after a more solute and ingenuous conception that is it is such a notion as holds full enough to be handsomely spoken but holds not so strictly as to build arguments on it otherwise the ingenuity thereof will trip up their judgement It is a rule therefore worthy here of our knowledge that in divinity we often give an indefinite denomination to things as they are most eminently inclined as for instance in indifferent things which are indifferentia ad unum when they incline more to evill in the use than to good as many harmlesse recreations we condemne them indefinitely as evill though in some cases they are warrantable Ec. 3.4 And I may happily with right circumstances lawfully use them So whereas this Sacrament doth more emminently incline to be and is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most usually confirming and more seldome converting they do aparte eminentiori denominate it indefinitely a confirming ordinance onely And indeed this is true when it is taken in respect of the same persons whom we supposing to have been converted by the Word and Baptisme already the Supper is and can be only a confirming Ordinance unto them without question But as for others who we conceive not yet converted and so humbly coming hither for conversion I doubt not as there is no Scripture to the contrary so there is no reason but as the Word and Baptisme do confirme as well as convert so may this Sacrament convert as confirme according as God gives forth his grace to the Condition of the Receivers There is therefore an error to answer directly in this Objection about the nature of the Sacrament which being as we have shewne a visible word holding forth Christ and the Covenant to the sight is converting as the Gospell doing the same to the hearing for if the Centurion believed only by seeing Christ corporally on the Crosse if the contemplation of the Creature sacrifices sight of miracles have been means to some of their religion and conversion we cannot doubt but the eyes may much more spiritually instruct us here in the melting objects of Christs passion redemption and tender mercies outwardly represented seeing we hope the working of the spirit too by virtue of an ordinance ☞ Let the World Answer Pauls argument To shew forth the death of Christ 〈◊〉 the means of Conversion The Sacrament is the shewing forth his death 1 Cor. 11.26 Therefore as it does so it is undoubtedly converting Hence I observed in the words of institution there was a Take and an Eate two words a Take for such as have not Christ a word of grace to convert those and an Eat for such as have already received him to nourish and confirme them For put case a morall man taken for a good man yet unregenerate is and cannot be refused to be admitted hither The man does his best to prepare himself and so comes do wee thinke now to such a man the Ordinance is necessarily fruitlesse and can have no worke on him then God help us Shall not his examination confession prayers meditation with all the Ministers exhortations be more solemnly conducing now to worke grace in his heart and to convert him this being the way of the spirits motions then the bare preaching of a sermon Especially seeing the word doth not only precede but accompany and is a very part too of the Sacrament Accedat verbum ad elementum fit Sacramentum But put case further a poore soule much humbled in the sight of his sinnes that cannot yet be able to believe and close with Christ comes hither hoping to meet with this favour here well the word of reconciliation is freely opened the free mercies of Christ set forth and all this while it hath not happily this effect upon his heart yet when he comes to see the truth of all this sealed with Gods owne seale Christ freely offered and peculiarly received of him in the Sacrament his soule by all these heavenly wires is catcht taken drawn and even enforced to a
saving Faith the spirit using such most powerfull methods for the work of his grace which he infuseth in us by a sweet attemperation to the will not by compulsion habitus infusi being wrought per modum acquisitorum And this we have lively represented in the two Disciples of Emmaus whose hearts did burne within them at the hearing of Christ but at the breaking of bread their eyes were fully opened to know and to believe him Luke 24.30 31. Rep. Although a Man may be converted At it is not By the Sacrament it is occasionally but not intentionally a converting Ordinance Ans This being undeniably granted of our opposites the matter is upon the point yeelded for consider sincerely this It may be Peradventure a man may be converted by it and no text expresly forbids any coming to it is not this enough And it may be granted lay it well to heart no place to the contrary alleadged who doubts not but all It may bee's all occasions must be taken for our salvation But that I may wholly root out this subtility which I think the spirit of error has insinuated in the hearts of many Godly men I have three things more to say which by Gods blessing will fully do it 1. Let us cleerly know that the Sacraments and all Ordinances are primarily and properly means of grace It of conversion or confirmation For this grace we receive in the use of them is that which converts some and strengthens others Now then we come to this Sacrament as the meanes to receive Gods grace and this grace which he distributes as a most wise God works in every one as his state and need requires in the cōverted for their strength and establishment and in the unregenerate for their conversion 2. Consider what is conversion There is an outward conversion from Heathenisme to the profession of Christ we doe not stand to say the the Sacrament is such a converting Ordinance as if Christ should bid us go forth with this Sacrament and convert the Nations let this be imagined only of the word But there is an inward effectuall conversion of such as outwardly professe Christ to the truth of grace in their hearts Now how is the worke of grace or true conversion wrought through the word it selfe Not from any active power it has per se upon the Soule but per modum objecti we say and instrumentally the object is proposed or revealed that is all the word does and then it is the spirit that by illuminating the mind and a touch upon the will brings the heart to embrace the object whereby it is converted Now is it not just thus likewise in the Sacrament This Sacrament shews forth Christ Crucified according to the Covenant who is the true object of Faith and Life upon this the spirit of God draws the heart by illumination and conviction to embrace him upon those terms he here is offered insomuch that experience can witnesse that some are and have been hereby converted What difference is there imaginable betweene this conversion and at the Word What a shift is it to say it is only At and not By the Sacrament when it is instrumentall per modum objecti as the Word where I may say the same too as truly that it is more properly At than By the Word it self there being no active vertue but of the spirit in the one or the other 3. As for this device of the Sacrament being occasionally not intentionally converting There may be a principall intention and subordinate more primary or secondary ends in an Ordinance Though the word be the principall converting Ordinance we cannot deny but others may be subordinately also converting as Prayer why els doth the Church pray Turne thou u◠and we shall be turned Convert thou us and we shall be converted Now as Prayer and other means of Grace are converting and that intentionally in being used to this end So I affirm of the Sacrament unlesse you can finde in your heart to keep this pitifull shift still and say rather than this shall be you will distinguish between a converting ordinance and means of Conversion other ordinances are means of Conversion but yet the word you persist is the only intentionally that is intended converting ordinance Well goe too what then I pray To the purpose Then you will say the word shall be held forth to all as intended to convert them but the Sacrament shall not being not so intended in the Institution Be it so It followes then there must be no Ordinance administred to those that are not converted but only that which is thus an intended converting Ordinance Is this as you would have it This is the very ground on which you stand But harke ye my Friend I pray then what shall become of publick prayer other Ordinances in the Church when the Word is the onely principally intended converting Ordinance out of question By this doctrine at one dash you take away all other dutyes in our mixt congregations In what a case are you here brought what can you invent On necessity you must recant and confesse indeed that Prayer and the like duties though not principally yet in a subordinate way are converting Ordinances or means and helps of conversion and upon that account you admit all to them Now if you will doe so then is the door as full open in this subordinate way too for the Sacrament If you will not I beleeve the Sacrament will be contented to be shut out with such good company and desires to fare no better than her fellow-ordinances Rep. But unregenerate men you will say are dead in their sins and shall wee give bread to the dead men must first be living new born and converted Christians before they can feed at the Sacrament Answ As for the sense of this it is answered already as for the words and Fancy I returne accordingly If wee could conceive any bread to be such as would fetch life in a man wee should give it him when he is dead but now 〈◊〉 see Jo. 6.33 I am the bread of life sayes Christ not only I hope to confirm but give life Now Christ being offered in this Sacrament this bread is the bread of Life this cup the cup of Life able by Gods grace as well to beget Life as encrease it If we give Aqua vitae to dying men we may give Calix vitae to dead Christians to quicken and convert the unregenerate as to comfort and establish others Object 7. Judas received not the Supper for in Mat. 26.23.26 he is said to dip his hand in the dish before the administration and in 10.13.30 as soon as he received the Sop he immediately went out Besides some learned men conceive the Sauce he dipped in was the Sauce of bitter herbs in the Passeover called Cheroseth and that was therfore before the Sacrament Answ Here is a manifest mistake in the ground of the objection It is supposed St.