laid down his Life for us to satisfie for our Sins and free us from Vengeance and offereth us a full Pardon on Condition that we will believe in him and be baptized so signifying our Consent to the new Covenant which God is pleased to make with us in him 4. The meaning of which Covenant is this That though we cannot now be innocent and so can never hope for Life by obeying and fulfilling the Law of Innocence given to Adam yet if we will first truly repent and secondly believe the Gospel of CHRIST and thirdly sincerely obey his Commands God will yet be our God and take us for his People and for his beloved Son Iesus Christ's sake pardon our Sins and sanctifie us by his holy Spirit and finally glorisie us with himself in Heaven II. Next we must examine how we have kept this Covenant And here seeing we were baptized in our Infancy and what was promised on our parts was promised by others in our Name we are to examine 1. Whether we have since we came to Understanding at any time own'd and confirmed this Engagement and taken upon our selves the Performance of it Our Church hath well provided that no Person shall be admitted to the LORD's Supper till he be Confirmed or have declared his willingness to be confirmed that is till he have satisfied the Church that he understands the Covenant of Baptism and declareth his Resolution to keep it 2. If we have thus own'd our Baptismal Engagement we must diligently examine how we have hitherto performed it in all the Parts of it viz. Repentance Faith and sincer◠Obedience And this we are to do by posing our selves in the several Articles of our Christian Faith and in the Commandments of God If we find that we have not been faithful to God in this Covenant we must not come to this Sacrament till we have unfeignedly repented of our unfaithfulness and seriously renewed our Engagement to keep it henceforward Therefore III. We must examine how we resolve to keep it for the time to come And here we are to see to these things 1. That it be a serious deliberate and well grounded Resolution not taken up dissemblingly nor rashly nor for weak Reasons But being clearly convinced and become sensible of God's absolute Right in and to us and all our Services his sovereign Authority to govern us and command us and his wonderful Goodness and Love to us more especially declared in his Son Iesus Christ this Sense and Conviction of God's being our Maker our Governour and our Benefactor should be the reason and ground of our Resolution to be wholly his to be ruled by him and love and honour him above all 2. That it be a full and compleat Resolution that we use no Ifs or And 's or rest in some faint Purposings but we must be throughly determined and fixed upon it That whatever we may lose or suffer by it in this World we will by God's help go through with it without any Exception or Limitation whatsoever doing the whole Will of God from the Heart 3. That it be a humble and pious Resolution without any proud Trust or Confidence in our own natural Strength to make it good but yet with all Trust and Confidence in the Goodness of God that if we conscientiously use the means of Grace and Strength which he hath ordained as he hath wrought in us to will so he will strengthen us to do his good Will and finally reward us according to his infinite Mercy When we have thus considered our Covenant of Baptism and are thus resolved by God's help to keep it we should earnestly pray unto God for his Assistance and if we are not already Confirmed it is fit that we humbly offer our selves to Confirmation so soon as we can The very sense of Shame to break a Covenant after this solemn Engagement in the Face of the Church to keep it and the Fear of drawing a greater guilt upon our Souls by breaking a Covenant so renewed must needs be some Restraint upon us to keep us from breaking it And besides this we have good Cause to hope that the Prayers of the Church and the Blessing of God's Minister the Bishop who by his Office blesseth in God's Name shall very much conduce to our greater Strength and growth in Christianity CHAP. IV. An help for the Examination of our Faith WE promised in Baptism to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith These Articles are briefly laid together in the Creed To examine our selves how we keep this part of our Covenant let us in the presence of God the Searcher of Hearts ask our selves these Questions Have the Word and Works of God convinced me that there is an eternal invisible living Spirit every where present throughout the World infinite in all Perfections of Power Wisdom and Goodness called GOD Do I believe that there is but one only true and living God even the FATHER the SON and the HOLY GHOST which being three are yet all three but one GOD blessed for ever Do I believe That the Books of the Old and New Testament do contain the very Word of God and that therein God hath revealed unto us all things that are needful to our eternal Happiness and that he is a God of Truth and cannot lie and that all his Words are true Do I believe That God is the Maker Preserver and Governor of all things that I and all things are his and at his Disposal that our Life Motion and Being are from him and all our Happiness depends upon his Love and Blessing Do I believe That Man was made in the Image of God very good with an immortal Soul with Knowledge and Power enough to understand and do God's Will Do I believe God made many Spirits called Angels and that some of these by Sin fell from their first State and these are the Devil and his Angels for whom Hell was prepared and that the Devil tempting Man to sin in disobeying God all Evil came thereby into the World that we are all naturally Sinners and the Children of Wrath and cannot be happy without being pardoned and cleansed but must be tormented for ever in Hell Do I believe That God of his own free Grace and Goodness hath made us a new way to Happiness through his only begotten SON IESVS CHRIST our Lord and that there is Salvation in none other Do I believe That the SON being the true God and eternal Life became also the Man CHRIST IESVS being conceived by the power of the HOLY GHOST and born of a pure Virgin and being thus God manifested in the Flesh 〈◊〉 an holy Life on Earth in perfect Obedience to his FATHER's Will Do I believe That this is the promised
Messias the Anointed holy one of God who as the great Prophet of God hath instructed us in the way of Righteousness and Salvation and having taught us the whole Will of his Father after he had suffered many things in our Humane Nature was Crucified and willingly died a Sacrifice of Atonement for our Sins and was buried and continued till the third day in the state of the Dead and herein was the true High-priest who offering himself once for all hath made Reconciliation for the Sins of the People Do I believe That on the third day he rose again from the dead to die no more and having sufficiently instructed his Apostles in their Office and instituted the Sacrament of Baptism whereby they were to admit men into his Church he was received up into Heaven and sat down on the right hand of God in all Power and Majestly King of Kings and Head over all things to the Church and there as the great High-priest maketh Intercession for us and blesseth us rendring our Services acceptable to God Do I believe that at the day appointed by God he shall come again in Glory to judge the Quick and Dead according to his Gospel and that we must all appear before his Judgment Seat that every one may receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Do I believe That Christ sent the Promise of his Father the Comforter which is the HOLY GHOST to guide the Church into all Truth to be with it for ever and to sanctifie our Hearts to believe love and obey the Truth and to prepare us by Holiness for Happiness in the Presence of God for ever Do I believe that God always had and will have a peculiar People and Society of Men which make One holy Catholick Church or Body whereof Christ is the only Head who ruleth and governeth it by his Spirit and Word and Ministers under him in Doctrine Worship and Discipline That all the true sanctified Members of this Church are enlivened by the holy Spirit of Christ and by the Communion of the Spirit communicate in the Love of the Father and the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ in the Ministry of Angels and the Prayers of glorified Souls and with all Saints in the same holy Faith and Love and Offices of Religion Do I believe that all who faithfully persevere in this holy Communion of Saints have the Pardon of their Sins given them of God through Jesus Christ proclaimed unto them by the Ministry of the Word and particularly applied and sealed unto them in the Sacraments Do I believe That the Bodies of all men shall after Death be raised up again to Life and that the Wicked shall go into everlasting Torments and the Righteous shall live for ever in perfect Holiness and Glory in the Presence of God in Heaven These are the chief Matters of Faith wherein we are to examine our selves But that we may know whether we believe these things savingly we are farther to enquire 1. If we believe them understandingly To be satisfied herein we should do well to have the Approbation and Judgment of God's Minister 2. If we believe them with a divine Faith because of the Truth or Veracity of God who hath revealed them Be perfect therefore in the Scriptures that you may know they are taught therein by God 3. If we believe them firmly so that we are persuaded we dare even lay down our Lives for the Truth 4. If we believe them effectually and practically so that this Belief doth fill our Hearts with the Fear and Love of God and produce strong Resolutions servent Prayers and strenuous Endeavours to honour God by holy and obedient Lives Yet here we are to note That it is not every doubting whether we understand aright or whether the thing be a divine Truth or whether our Faith be firm and strong or have sufficient Influence on our Hearts and Lives that should dismay us but whilst we find that notwithstanding some Doubtings our Faith is able to carry us on in a Christian Course of Life trusting our Souls in well doing to the Mercy of God through Iesus Christ we are to cheer up our selves and using the means of strengthening our Faith say Lord I believe help thou my Unbelief CHAP. V. An help for the Examination of our Repentance and Obedience IT is the great Blessing of the Gospel that CHRIST came to call Sinners to Repentance That after the Law of Innocence was broken and we were under the Curse of Death and an impossibility to be saved by our own Righteousness Repentance is allowed of and a new Obedience Repentance in Scripture is sometimes all one with Conversion that is such a turning and change of Heart and Mind that being brought to the Knowledge of the true God and our Duty to him we renounce our former course of Life and resolve to serve and honour God according to his Word This fits us for Baptism wherein God's Minister in God's Name admits us into the Church and assures us of Pardon upon our continuing living Members of the same Repentance is also an humbling sense of and hearty Sorrow for any Sin or Violation of our Baptismal Covenant with a free Confession of our Demerit an earnest begging of Pardon a resolving to amend and praying for God's Grace so to do Now because all Sin is Disobedience to the Law of God we may at once examine our Repentance and Obedience by that Law it telling us our Duty and our Consciences telling us how we have either done it or are concerned for not doing it Ask then Have I done my best by such helps as God affords me to attain to divine Knowledge and not contented my self to live in Ignorance of God and of his Truth Hath the Knowledge of God wrought in me a most high and honourable Esteem of him an aweful Reverence towards him an entire Resignation of my self to him and humble Obedience to his Government a total dependance and trust to his Goodness an unfeigned Love of him above all things and an ardent Desire to enjoy him Do I love God for the excellency of his Nature and the beauty of his Holiness and his Goodness to me and all men especially as manifested in Iesus Christ Do I love him so as to love his Laws and his Word and Worship his Ministers and his Children his House and Day and every thing that relates to him Is it the earnest desire of my Soul to be able to honour him more and to be more like him in Holiness and can I find no rest to my Soul in any thing but him Have I made his Wisdom
but break my Vows again and incur the greater Damnation Answ. If thy Leg were broken would'st thou not set it for fear of breaking it again If thou art sick wilt thou not be cured for fear thou should'st relapse and dye If indeed thou resolvest to return to the Mire again it is in vain for thee to wash and be clean But be in good earnest to strive against thy Sin and forsake it and fear not God's Grace is sufficient for thee CHAP. X. The Stumbling-blocks cast in our way removed WE may well say here as Christ said in another Case Some there be who will neither enter into the Church to receive this Sacrament themselves nor suffer those to enter in that would but are very busie in laying such stumbling-blocks in their way as they are not able to remove So that either they keep away from this blessed Sacrament to their great hurt or struggle through their doubts and scruples with much Galling and Uneasiness to their great disquiet In pity therefore to the weak these also ought to be removed 1. Some have been made to think it unlawful to receive the Sacrament where it is administred with a prescribed form of Words Not to prove here the Lawfulness and Vsefulness too of set and prescribed Forms of Prayers in the publick Worship of God it will be sufficient in reference to this Sacrament to consider thus much 1. That when our blessed Iesus commanded this to be done in â—â—membrance of him he neither commanded nor forbad it to be done by a set or prescribed Form it is therefore certainly left to the Discretion and Piety of the Church to consider which is most expedient and conducing to Edification a Form or no Form and to act accordingly The thing must be done and with a prescribed Form or without one it must be done Christ hath not told us which way and who shall determine the matter but they to whom he hath committed the ordering of all such things in the Church 2. If in any part of the publick Worship a prescribed Form be expedient it must be in this 'T is the Feast of Love and a holy Communion wherein we declare our selves one Bread and one Body 't is therefore in a great measure even necessary that before we come together we should have before our Eyes the things wherein we are â—nanimously to joyn the Words to which we are to say Amen and not go at â—â—â—nture to joyn in we know not what and commit our Thoughts and Devotions there to the conduct of a single man that loves it may be to hear himself talk and to shew his Wit and Eloquence in Words to say the best of them for the most part unintelligible to the greater number of Communicants Yea seeing to the great Grief of all good Christians the Devil and his Instruments have ever been very busie to deform this holy Ordinance and to turn this Sacrament of Union into a bone of Contention it well becometh the Church to use all care that nothing be said or done in this Administration but what is according to Truth and Godliness And certainly it would be no good sign of such Care to leave every Minister to his own Discretion to use his own affected and perhaps erroneous Way and Words II. Others are made afraid to kneel in receiving this Sacrament because thâ— Apostles at the first Institution did not so 〈◊〉 and because the Papists doing so 〈◊〉 the Bread and Wine If the Apostles kneeled not yet they neither sate nor stood And if they used a Supper-gesture it was on occasion of the Passover whereat this Sacrament was instituted Christ hath commanded that this be done that is that Bread and Wine be blessed and broken and distributed taken eaten and drank in Remembrance of him but he hath not commanded any Gesture nor expresly forbidden any This therefore also must be left to the Prudence of the Church as all other Circumstances of this sacred Action till it can be shewn that the bare Example of the Apostles did oblige us perpetually to imitate it which here cannot be shewn and therefore to say it did is to add to the Word of God and to lay a Snare before Mens Consciences it being hard for most men at least to give a reason why their Example in this Circumstance of Gesture should â—ore oblige us than in others of Time Place Number c. Kneeling is a Gesture of Humility and that better becometh vile Sinners offering their Prayers and Praises at the Throne of Grace in the Vertue of the Sacrifice of Christ than any Posture of Familiarity such as sitting especially is However seeing it is enjoyned were it less convenient yet he hath certainly no very great Love or Appetite to this divine Food who will rather want it than receive it on his Knees and chooseth rather to disobey Christ in not doing this at all than obey the Church in doing it thus when there is no Divine Law to the contrary And if the Papists do kneel to worship the Elements may not we therefore kneel to worship Christ The Church of England hath sufficiently declared against worshipping the Elements and if she knew you did so would cast you forth as Idolaters III. But we must thus communicatâ— with Sinners in a mix'd Congregation and we are forbidden so much as to eat with such 1 Cor. 5. 11. and commanded to withdraw from every Brother that walketh disorderly 2 Thes. 3. 6. and to come out from among them and be separate 2 Cor. 6. 17. You must come out from Heathens and be separate from Idolaters such as were those Unbelievers 2 Cor. 6. 14 15 16. But none but baptized Persons and Professors of Christianity are admitted to the Lord's Table You must also withdraw your selves from disorderly Walkers as you are commanded 2 Thess. 3. 6. not familiarly to converse them so as to partake with them or countenance them in their Wickedness or Idleness but set a note of Disgrace upon them by shunning their Company and Familiarity to make them if possible ashamed of themselves Yet must we not look upon them as Enemies but admonish them as Brethren v. 14 15. All this plainly relates to our ordinary Conversation with such men and nothing is â—ere said about communicating in this Sacrament â—e sure that you be none of those whose Company is here forbidden to Christians such as are disorderly Walkâ—ers that obey not the just Orders of their Pastors and Governours v. 14. but are unruly and will not be governed 1 Thes. 5. 14. and such as cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine that they have learnt Rom. 16. 17. In the same sense we must not eat that is familiarly converse with wicked Christians 1 Cor. 5. 11. For that it is ordinary Conversation that is there meant seems plain because 't is such a keeping Company with them as the Apostle allows them with Heathens and Idolaters v. 10. which cannot be