the Lord are pure as the psa 12. 6 siluer tryed in a furnace of earth fined seauenfold The lawe of the Lord is Ps 19. 7. 8. perfect the statutes of the Lord are perfect All thy commaundements are Psa 119. 86. verse 140. true Thy word is prooued most pure Gold had need to be fined but Gods word is without all drosse And therefore it is the fittest rule for all our actions Sixtly The word of God is liuely and mightie in operation and sharper then any two-edged sword entreth through euen vnto the deuiding asunder of the soule and the spirit and of the ioynts and the marrowe and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. Therfore fit to be our Iudge and the Touch-stone of our tryall As in a * Non coâ—itationes solum et meâ—tis tuae consilia sed actiones etiam et viâ—aeinslituta adeoque te ipsum tibi tanquam aliquod illustre specuiuÌ„ oftendet et demonstrbit Mirrour or looking-glasse a man may discerne his face so by the word of God we may discerne our selues and see the faces of our soules As the Gold-smith doth iudge of gold by touching it with his stone so by viewing our selues by Gods word we may iudge of our states As the Corn-dresser may by his Fanne discerne the wheat from the chaffe so we by the word of God may distinguish betwixt vice and vertue and see whether there be more wheat of grace or chaffe of sin in the heape of our heart and whether the chaffe of fin and dust of corruption as ashes â—o the fire soÌ„times as chaffe doth wheat doth * couer and ouer-lay the good corne of Gods graces and whether they be mixed together as light and darkenesse in the twilight When REBEKAH felt the twins strugling in her wombe she went to aske the Lord so when thou art in conflict with thy self when doubts arise within the womb of thy heart not knowing what to do or what to determine or think of thy selfe aske counsell of the Lord in his word and thou shalt in due time receiue an answere as by Oracle from heauen Dauid saith that the testimonies of the Lord were his Counsellours Ps 119 24. To conclude wouldst thou know whether thine examination and preparation be right and good then consider the word of God for it is the * mouth the tongue Vox summi sensuâ—que Dei quem fudit abalta meÌ„te Deus the voice and sentence of the Lord the line of our loue the rule of repentance the squire of obeience the touch-stone of faith the determiner of truth and the surest Iudge both in and of our examination The word of the Lord is * Pro. 30. 5 Ps 59. 8. Lex Ctristi est lux Christiani et speculuÌ„ humanae animae pure in it selfe and giueth light vnto the eies of those that search belieue and obey it It is as a bright shining torch or candle in a darke night lending vs light both to try our selues and to discerne whether our tryall be as it should be right and good And so much for the second generall point By what we ought to prooue our selues CHAP. 6. THe third point is of what things we must examin our selues For it were absurd for a man to seeke he knowes not what or to cast his angle into the water not knowing why A Magistrate cannot examine a man of nothing neither can we make tryall of our selues of nothing Examination presupposeth aswell the thing to be examined as the person vpon whome it is to be made The thinges then wherof we ought to examine our selues that we may come well prepared to the Lords Table are these especially which I will propound in order and do coÌ„mend to your christian consideration They are in number eight First we must examine our selues concerning our knowledge for it is fit that euery receiuer should haue a three-fold knowledg First of God to wit that there is a God a Iehouah that there is but one God that he is a spirit that he is infinite for goodnesse mercy iustice wisedome power time and glory that he is the Creator and Gouernour of the world that he is distinguished into three persoÌ„s the Father begetting the Sonne begotten the Holy ghost proceeding from them both that these three are one in nature and essence and will but three really distinguished in their maner of subsisting the Father of himself the Son of the Father the holy ghost from both and this from all eternity finally that all these are one in worship will haue onely that worship performed to them which is prescribed in the holy scriptures and that in spirit and truth Secondly it is meete that he should not be ignorant of the three fold estate of man the state by creation the state of the fall the state of grace As first that man was created righteous and good yet mutably Secondly that he fel Eccl. 7. 31. voluntarily away at the suggestioÌ„ of the Deuill and so lost his originall purity and withal plunged himselfe into a gulfe of misery First in that he is become prone to all manner of wickednesse secondly in that he doth now dayly transgresse against God both by omitting good and committing euill Thirdly that he is now subiect to the curse of the lawe Gal. 4. 10. both in this life and in the end of it and in the life to come In this life in the body to diseases in his goods to losses in his good name to ignominie in the end of his life to death which hauing cut asunder the threed of life made a deuorce between the soule and body doth immediately set open Hell gate for his soule to enter in In the life to come in a dying life and a liuing death euen to euer lasting confusion of soule and bodie from the presence of God liuing alwaies like flesh in the waters of Gods wrath and neuer drowned liuing alwaies in Hell fire like a Salamander and yet neuer consumed alwaies in dying yet neuer dead alwaies aliue and yet alwaies dead Thirdly for the state of Grace we must first know that we are redeemed from this misery onely by Christ who fulfilled the law for vs by his death hath defaced death and sin the sting of death and satisfied for all our sins to the full Secondly we must know that we are regenerated by the Holy Ghost who is therfore called the Spirit of sanctification or holines It is he that by the fire of his operation Rom. 1. 4. eateth out the drosse of sin and purgeth our soules from wickednesse He is the water which washeth away the filth of our hearts and as salt he seasonethvs throughout with sauing graces If we either will well or worke well it is of the Lord onely who worketh in vs both the will and deede Phil. 2. 13 of his owne good pleasure
state and to prooue himselfe by her Nay rather as Christ scourged those out of the Temple which did prophane it so wee Ioh. 2 15. should scourge this Sinne and also scowre out this corruption out of the temple of our hearts which ought to bee as they were by creation Houses for the Lord to dwell in and not Holes for this Theefe to lurke in this deceitfull and double-harted Delilah which beguileth and abuseth vs as shee did Sampson Iu. 16. 18 It is true that Paul saith Ephesians 5. Chapter 29. verse No man euer yet hated his owne flesh but yet wee may yea wee must hate and detest this flesh for it is the Seede of that olde serpent Sathan whereof he dooth ingender children like vnto himselfe If the Iewes iniustlye stirred vp sundrie of the chiefest Citizens in Antiochia against Actes 13 15 Paul and Barnabas for preaching of the Gospell and expelled them out of their coastes with good reason may wee by prayer made in the name of christ incense the Lord against this sin and striue our selues by our spirituall armour to subdue driue it out of our hearts If the king of Ammon did disgrace the Messengers that Dauid did in curtesie send vnto him 2. Sam. 10. 2. 4. Wel may we both disgrace and deface our flesh this original corruption the messenger minister of Sathan an vtter enemye to the glorie of God a rebell against his law a burthen to the soule of a true Christian and that which worketh the death and destruction of al men by desert but of the reprobates indeed and truth Tenthly The flesh lucteth against the spirit or the illumined and regenerate part of man and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to another Gal. 5. 17. First it is saide to lust or striue against the spiritul part of a man regenerated by the holy spirit like two mortall and implacable enemies and this conflict is without limitation of time so long as they liue together so long they doe one lust against another onelye death doth end the combate making a full and finall destruction of the flesh Now shall wee take part with our flesh against our spirit with the worke of Sathan against the work of God This wee shall do if wee chuse her for our Iudge and listen to her voice who like a Gnat begins with singing and endes with stinging soothing vs vp with her Syrenian songs but seeking indeede to destroy our soules and to quel the Graces of God within vs yea rather as the Lord promised his people Exodus 23. 30 to driue their enemies out of their land by little little so we ought to desire his Maiestie to consume and to driue out this euemy out of our hearts And as the Israelites were in expresse tearmes forbidden to make any couenant with those their enemies verse 32. so wee must make no couenant with our flesh no contract no peace at al neither of amitie nor of concord if I may thus speake which wee cannot auoide if wee trye our selues by her and rest in her determination Secondly Paul saith that these are contrarie one to another as fire to water and light to darkenesse and yet mixed together in one man as heate and colde in luke-warme water If now the corruption of our hearts the flesh bee flat contrary to the worke of grace within vs created in vs by the holy Ghost it were greate impietie for vs to shew the least fauour vnto it how much more wicked were it to set it on the Bench and to lend our eares vnto it Doth Paul count it a fault in the Corinthes to try their 1. Cor. 6. 6 causes vnder heathen Iudges and shal not we cōdmn it as a capital and grieuous sinne to try our states and proue our selues by our flesh which makes men heathen Athists aliants from the Common-wealth of Israel Haue we none to be our Iudge but her that is an enemy to God and to his grace within vs The flesh is contrary to the spirit not in condition only but in practise also not so much in name as she is in nature Eleuenthly Paul reckoneth vp Gal. 5. 19 not seauen but seauenteen mortal sinnes which flow from the flesh as from their Fountaine All which are Make-bates betwixt God and man and are ful of pestilent pernicious effects therefore it is vnfit to make the flesh our Iudge For vndoubtedly she will not condemne her owne workes neither can she indure to see them dispised forsaken Besides considering that her fruits are very poison to them that taste them we ought rather to labour that she may be stubbed vp then to shade our selues vnder her bowes or to shewe her the least grace or smallest curtesie Lastly they that are Christs haue crucified the Gal. 5. 24 flesh with the affections and the lusts We do all professe our selues to be Christes but if we make the flesh our Iudge and follow her desires we shall not crucifye the flesh but rather indeed take her from the crosse and put life and spirit into her yea and promote her highly For to be a Iudge or Counsellour is a state of dignitie and honor and if we followe her fancie and do as she prescribeth we plainely shew that we are not Christs but hers not his seruāts but her slaues Neither haue we crucified her lusts If we will needes be ruled by her set her vp for a Iudge in the triall of our states For it is her desire that we should so do and it is her worke if we either will so or worke so Thus we haue heard many reasons why we should not try our selues and examine our estates by our flesh against whome I haue much contended because very many are carried headlong by her into a gulfe of securitie flattering themselues and accounting their conditions good enough because the lawes can take no hold vpon them being in the meane while most miserable destitute of true faith and the filiall feare of God yet crying out peace peace and being ready to say as AGAG said to SAMVEL Truly the bitternes of death is passed when they are in dāger to be hewed in peeces with the sword of vengeance as AGAG was indeed by SAMVEL 1. Sam. 15. 32. 33. Thus much for the flesh CHAP. 3. SEcondly in the Examination of our selues we must take heede that we be not led by the counsel or custome of the world and multitude of Professours in those places wherein we liue For first what is the world but a Labyrinth of errour a Mirour of madnes an Ocean of iniquitie a shop of deceit and a Theater of wickednesse IOHN saith that this whole world lieth in 1. Iohn 5 19. wickednesse Therefore the world is no fit touch-stone for vs to try our selues by Secōdly the multitude as cōmon experience teacheth is vsually most ignorāt prophane and godles hauing the forme of godlines but denying the
of Christ do sometimes meane by a figure his whole obedience actiue and passiue and the benefits that arise from the same The second kinde of things signified are those things which are resembled by those actions of the Minister and communicants According to the foure-folde actions of the Minister foure other thinges are signified First his taking the bread and wine into his hands doth represent an action of God the father by which he did from all eternity seperate and elect his sonne to performe the office of a Mediatour betwixt God and man Secondly his blessing of the Elements wherebe he doth prepare destinate and sanctifie them to be a sacrament of the body blood of Christ doth signifie a second action of the father by which he did in the fulnesse of time send his son to execute the office of a Mediatour vnto which he was before ordained Thirdly the breaking of the bread and powring of the wine doth signifie the bitter passion of Christ the piercing of his body and the shedding◠of his blood and the rending as it were of his soule for our sins for as Esay speaketh he was wounded for our transgressions and broken for our iniquities he was plagued for our wickednes Isai 53. 5. 7. Fourthly his destributing of the bread and wine vnto the communicants signifieth an action of the Father offering his Sonne to all but giuing him only to the faithfull To proceede according to the two-folde action of the communicants two things are resembled First the receiuing of the bread and wine signifieth a spirituall action of the receiuer to wit his receiuing of Christ by the hand of faith Secondly their eating and drinking of them signifieth and sealeth their application of Christ to their hearts by faith or their inward and spiritual eating and drinking of his body and blood and feeding vpon him as vppon a most delicate and wholesome dish for the nourishment of their soules For as there are two parts of man body and soule so there are two sorts of feeding the one outward or sacramentall the other inward or spirituall the former is ordained of Christ to resemble and expresse this latter So much of the material cause of this Sacrament The internal and proper forme thereof is the relatiue sacramentall coniunction of the signes and things signified whereby they are made one in respect of resemblance proportion a reciprocal relation and affinity one with another The end of this sacrament is manifold 1. That the death of Christ may be reteined in remembrance 1. Cor. 11. 24. 26. Luke 22. 19. Do this saith Christ in remembrance of me By which apeareth first Christs loue vnto vs for the property of loue is to make the louer desire to liue in their memories whome he doth loue secondly his faithfull foresight is hereby cleared in prouiding that his benefit conferred might truly profit vs for as by forgetting benefits are lost so by remembring of them they are conserued 2. That God might visibly represent his inuisible guifts to our outward sēces our sight taste touch that the whole man being stirred vp both in soule body might with great chearefulnes ioy celebrate this sacred and sumptuous banquet 3. That it might be a signe seale and confirmation of our communion coniunction and incorporation with Christ our head and by him with the father and holy spirit 1. Cor. 10 16. Ioh. 6 56. 4. To signifie and seale vnto vs our spirituall feeding vpon and foode by Christ prouided that we come prepared For as meat or medicines for the body are not onely vnprofitable but also hurtfull if they be not taken as they should euen so it is with the supper of the Lord a meat or medicine for the soule if it be not aright receiued we harme our selues 5. That it might be a token and seale of the new testament or couenant betweene God and vs wherein God doth testifie that he doth receiue vs to fauor and remit our faults for the righteousnes of Christ and for the merrit of his death liuely set forth and shadowed by this sacrament 6. To signifie and seale vnto vs the resurrectiō of the soule from sin the bodie from the graue 7. That it might be a token and Iohn 6. 54 pledge of our communion one with another We all eat of one bread and drinke of one cup or drinke as fellowes in one family and seruants of one Lord. 8. That it might be a publike testimony of our profession and seperation from pagans and Infidels Thus we see the nature of this sacrament these things we ought all to know and we ought to prooue our selues before we do receiue whether wee doe know these things or the substance of them yea or no. If not we must vse meanes to get this knowledge least we come vnprepared and so prouoke the Lord against vs thus much for the first thing whereof we must examine ourselues CHAP. 8. THe second thing whereof we must examine our selues is true faith which is a certaine and perticuler knowledge of confidence in Gods speciall mercy or a sure apprehension and application of Christ and his merrits vnto our selues in particular Prooue your selues saith Paul 2. Cor. 13. 5 whether ye are in the faith This duety is at no time vnnecessary but then very necessary when we are to come to the Lords table For faith is the eye whereby we looke vppon Christ hanging vppon the crosse who is that brazen serpent which cureth our soules in ridding thē of the stings of sin of the poyson of the serpēt Satan Faith is the hand which apprehendeth Christ in the sacrament the mouth which receiues him the tongue that tasts him the teeth that chew him the throate that swalloweth him and the stomacke which digests him Therefore it must in no case be wanting in those that intend to receiue the Sacrament Now as a tree may be knowne by her fruits so may faith be discerned by the fruits and signes thereof He that goeth vp the riuer may in time come to the spring and he that followeth the heat may soone perceiue where the fire is There are three infallible tokens of true faith that I may not number many The first is Loue which as Paul teacheth 1. Timot. 1. 5. proceeds from faith vnfaigned The second is Feare for if a man be perswaded that God doth loue him and that Christ was crucified for his sinnes he wil be afraid to displease them by his sinnes and will stand in a reuerentawe The third is a vehement and constant desire to haue perfect fellowship with and a full fruition and sight of God Father Sonne and Holy Ghost VVhen a man shall vnderstand that some great Prince did so affect him as that he gaue his only sonne to death to saue him from death and that he continueth in his affection stil vnto him he wil long to see him and will willingly bestow himself vpon him that he might