as these affected your hearts with a sense of your iniquities humbly betake your selves to God and lay open all before him by a free and full confession acknowledge what wretched hainouâ— sinners you are and how unworthy of the least favour and beg of him to work and increase in you that true and kindly sorrow for sin which may fit you for mercy And cease not by your good will from this confession till you finde your souls even melted within you in the apprehension of your own vilenesse but however cease not till you finde in your hearts a loathing of every sin and of your selves by reason of it And if you have but an inward sense of your sores and pollutions you will not want such words to expresse it as will be acceptable to God only see that you be sincere and let your heart make your confessions rather than your tongue Labour to be as sensible of your case as you would be if now you stood before a King whom you had offended from whom except you could beg a pardon you must presently be put to death of which pardon there was good hope if he did but perceive you to be really sorry for your fault Oh how affectionate and earnest would you be in this case and would have words at will to expresse your self How passionately would you acknowledge and bewail the offence you had committed and with what vehemence professe against ever being guilty of the like And how importunately would you beg for mercie when you saw no other way but present death if your importunitie did not prevaile Thus behave your selves towards God and believe that he stands over you now in your Closet and hearkens to your Prayers and observes whether you be heartie in them or not But remember all this while it is an inward-dislike and abhorrence of sin wherein the truth of your Repentance consists more than in bare confessing it and speaking against it with the greatest fervour these are required too but beware of taking up with these Beware I say as ever you hope for mercie of retaining any secret liking to sin or the least thoughts of continuing in it still whilst with a great deal of stir you revile it as such an abominable thing But rather if you finde in your souls a kinde of hankering after some old lust not yet thorowlie mortified betake your selves to those considerations which may bring you out of love with it as how little its like to do for you what an happinesse it doth now and will hereafter deprive you of what a miserie it leads to with other the like formerlie laid down and quit not these thoughts till you finde your selves turned against it For once again let me assure you then and never till then is your Repentance right when you are not only brought to grieve for sin but to hate it when your hearts are not only broken in the remembrance of it but are broken off from and thorowlie bent against it Though this exercise of Repentance seems most properly preparative to the work you are going about yet in such a penitent humble frame would I have you be even when you are at the Lords Table If you eat this bread and mingle the Wine with tears it will be never the worse for your souls And must it not needs affect thee to behold Christs body broken and his blood poured out here in a figure and then to think with thy self This was sin my sin even my pride and earthlinesse and all the wickednesse of my heart and life was part of that load which he bare on his own bodie on the Cross when he cried out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Might not the Lord call to me and even shew me the Print of my many grievous sins in his hands and feet and the deep stabs they gave him and yet ungratefull wretch that I am how little have I valued this his love how little hath my heart been affected herewith where had I been and what had become of me if he had not thus undertaken for me Oh what had my sins brought upon me if he had not interpos'd and kept it off how mad and senslesse have I been in venturing upon sin harbouring and delighting in sin Sin which is so hainous a thing that without shedding of blood it will never be remitted and for which no blood but that of Christs could obtain a remission How more especially hainous then is my guilt in undervaluing this blood so much and so long as I have done How base was my heart to give entertainment to sin after I had heard what it had done against Christ and to deny entertainment to him after I had heard how much he had done for me Was his kindnesse such as to bleed for my sins and shall not I weep for them especially for the unkindnesse I have shewn to him As God never shew'd greater love to Man than in delivering up his Son for our offences so he never shew'd greater hatred of sin than by this action and therefore conformably as we ought hereby to be brought to the greatest love of God so to the deepest hatred of sin and humiliation for it But I have formerly more fully shewn how the consideration of Christs death may bring us to true Repentance and what I there spoke chiefly of a change of state may be applied to the particular exercise of Repentance wherefore I shall insist no more on this Onely let me meet with an Objection that may perhaps be in the minds of some namely That sorrow for sin at this time scarce seems consistent with that hope of mercy that joy and thankfulnesse which are chiefly required in the Communicant Know therefore that I presse no sorrow but what is a preparation to joy and doth even animate and exalt it whilst the humble Christian reflects upon his own nothingnesse and unworthinesse and thence is carried forth to the greater admiration of that mercy that hath so favourably regarded him And take notice farther that I would have the sense of Divine bounty chiefly to raise and keep up this humiliation whilst we think with our selves Oh what wretched creatures are we thus to offend so loving a Father who notwithstanding all our provocations is yet compassionate towards us and upon our return to him is so readily reconciled To retain this apprehension of love in the midst of our mournings will make them most ingenuous and even pleasant to our souls and though it will make us sincere and deep in our repentance yet it will so moderate our spirits that we shall not sorrow as those without hope and I could wish that Christians in all their sorrowings would observe this rule But then that such an ingenuous shame and sorrow as this is consistent with the greatest confidence of mercy there is not the least doubt for which to omit all further proof of a matter so plain see that very
to stay away But this is a Parable shewing what entertainment the most do give to the Gospel whereby we are invited not only to a wedding feast but to be even married our selves to the Lord Jesus Christ the everlasting Son of the Father And yet this message the matchless mercy whereof may astonish men and Angels I say this message is sleighted Men will not come to Christ that they may have life Adulterous souls go after other Lovers and will not be espoused to the Lord of glory They see no form nor comeliness in him why they should desire him They hear great commendations of him indeed what an excellent glorious person he is no less than the Son of God made man whose love was so great to mankind that he laid down his life for them but in the mean time What has he what 's to be got by him what estates will he settle on them what honours will he advance them to what why they shall through him have their sins pardoned and subdued their hearts sanctified and at length shall be receiv'd into everlasting glory Nay if this be all they have no mind to come on but when their consent is desired they have some excuse or other ready at hand and either they will not come at all or else not yet or not so thorowly and heartily as they are commanded and in such a wilful refusal of grace do thousands persist and perish And though I suppose this fore-mentioned Parable doth not directly and primarily belong to the Lords Supper yet it may by consequence be very well applied thereto Since here is a Marriage-feast of the Kings Son here are the great blessings and mercies of the Gospel held forth and offered and all who come duly prepar'd and sincerely dispos'd to accept the same shall be assur'd of them and hither do Gods Ministers exhort all to come in the appointed regular way And what 's the effect of their Message why the most make light of it Hither to this holy Table are people call'd to give up themselves to God to testifie the truth of their sorrow for sin and to renew their resolutions against it and so to receive a sealed pardon and a title to life everlasting but for their parts they have no such liking to these spiritual good things which are so freely tendered them The truth is their sins as yet they are loath to leave for they see no great hurt in them nay they think they find much good at present and do not use to trouble themselves much with the thoughts of that mischief they may hereafter do them and therefore they have no such high thoughts of Christ for his being able to mortifie and remove their lusts and so to save them from the misery these would bring them to They can very hardly be perswaded that there is any such excellency in an holy life that they should so speedily and solemnly resolve upon it And though they can like well enough to go to heaven when they must needs leave this world yet they look upon that day so far off that they are in no great haste of making sure their future happiness but think it may bee time enough to do that a great while hence And can any man wonder if those who are no more sensible of any benefit they have by Christ are very slack and negligent in a thankful remembrance of his death and of those benefits which thereby we enjoy and hope for which is the great end of Celebrating this Sacrament No marvel if such as these alwaies finde one excuse or other to keep away from that which they have no more love to and the necessity and advantage whereof they are no more acquainted with If there was but any matter of gain to be got by it any thing which made for the flesh wee should need no such ado to get them thither We may be sure if the King should but proclaim that he would give six pence a piece to all the poor throughout London that would repair to White-Hall there would need nothing but the knowledge of it to get them together Oh what running and crowding and craving would there be He need not send any Messengers to beseech and perswade them to receive his Charity But when the Soveraign Majesty of Heaven and Earth by his Heraulds Proclaims to all Ho every one that is willing let him prepare himself and come hither to receive an earnest of infinite and everlasting treasures there are few will accept the offer as if it was of no value and as if the Apostle was mistaken when hee prefers the blood of Christ before such corruptible things as silver and gold Nay I 'le warrant you in those Parishes where you shall find so few at a Communion did but any rich man amongst them make a feast and invite the whole Town to it you should finde but few stay at home But now when God himself calls them to his Table and there hath provided them food which came from Heaven true Spiritual Manna even the Body and Blood of Christ which is meat and drink indeed they finde no great appetite to this Banquet All the great words they hear of it work not with them For in all such cases 't is not other mens words and opinions that we judge by but our own relish and feeling And whilst men have got such corrupt dispositions and carnal affections that they savour onely those things which are grosse and earthly like themselves What wonder is it if they undervalue that which is so unsuitable to them and in which they can feel no more taste than in the white of an Egge A Swine prefers his own swill before the greatest dainties that can be provided And a voluptuous sinner that is wallowing in the mud of fleshly pleasures would not willingly exchange conditions with the glorious Angels that alwaies behold the face of God Oh whither is the Soul of man degenerated Into what a low and sad estate is it faln that it findes sweetness in any thing rather than in that which is truly pleasant How chearfully and contentedly can people set themselves to any thing rather than to that only work which God hath appointed them even the working out of their Salvation From morning to night they can follow their worldly business without complaining and yet know not how to spend one day in seven nor one half hour in a day in the service of God for the saving of their own Souls Oh what pains do many poor men take only to get a livelihood in the world and yet think everlasting life worth no regard or care at all They can bee content to spend their thoughts and strength and time upon vanity to lay out their money for that which is not bread and to labour for the wind but when God saith but give me your hearts he is denied If this careless generation had but Houses and Lands Money and Goods
takes Scripture to be the word of God and acknowledges that Christ is the Son of God and the promised Messiah of whom the Prophets all along in the old Testament foretold But though there are few who openly deny or seem to doubt of these things yet I fear there is a great defect and too common even in this part of Faith which consists in an assent to the truth of the Gospel For many there are who take little pains to settle their belief upon sure foundations which would bear a shaking if any assault should be made and can give little reason why they are of this Religion or opinion rather than any other except because this is that they learnâ— of their parents and is profest by their neighbours and set up and countenanced by the Laws of the Land and surely these are but weak arguments But here let me adde as before that granting you doe believe all that the Gospel reveals yet this is not enough except your belief prevail with you to doe what the Gospel requires in order to your salvation And this is indeed the surest way to get your Faith well strengthned and confirmed even by yielding obedience to the truth and trying by your own experience what benefit comes by conforming your selves to the will of God revealed in his Gospel whether you can find the promises made to such obedient ones in any measure fulfilled to you and when you have found this you will say with the Apostle You are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because you have begun to find it to be the power of God to salvation Our Lord himselfe tells us Joh. 7.17 That if any man will doe his will he shall know of his doctrine whether it be of God or not This is like a mans tasting of Honey which will give him more assurance of its sweetnesse than all arguments could doe and this will make him confidently to affirm it though the cunning'st Sophister should endeavour by subtle arguments to perswade him to the contrary his experience will confute them all This is the reason why great Wits and profound Schollars sometimes turn Atheists and Infidels whilst the honest weak Christian that hath relisht and well digested the truths of Religion holds them so firmly in his heart rather than brain that he can die for that which he cannot so well dispute for Thus far then I hope you see its manifest that to your right remembrance of Christ so to make you worthy Communicants its necessary that you know who this Christ is and what you have to doe with him and to believe that he is indeed the Redeemer of mankind and that all that Scripture speaks of him is true CHAP. III. II. A right remembring Sin the occasion of his death Of Repentance with Considerations to work and promote it IT may as easily be understood that if at the Sacrament you keep up a Remembrance of Christ and in an especiall manner shew forth his death till he come then you must needs Remember what was the occasion of his dying and that was the sins of the world Had there been no Sin we had needed no Saviour Had we continued in our first estate we had needed no Restorer Now hence it will naturally follow that no man can duely celebrate the Sacrament whose eyes have not been opened to see the exceeding great evil that is in sin and to be convinced of his own sins so as to lament and hate and resolve against them For is it possible for that man to to Remember Christs Death as he ought that sees no hurt in that which put him to death Nay that loves the very Nails and Spear that were thrust into his hands and feet and sides and intends to crucifie him afresh when he is gone away And all this doth he that never yet saw the odiousnesse of Sin and that is not heartily set against it but secretly retains and cherishes it Can he rightly Remember Christs death who sees no great need he stood in of it nor is sensible of any great advantage that comes to him by it but rather thinks Christ might have kept his bloud to himself and that it would be a disadvantage to him to attain the ends and benefits of his bloodshed And such wretched blasphemous thoughts in effect hath he that sees not his sad estate by reason of Sin and that thinks it would be to his losse to part with it Wherefore since it evidently appears that true Repentance is so absolutely necessary to qualifie and fit a man for this Ordinance where it is to be renewed and to which he must come with an humble broken heart let me desire thee to put the question to thy own heart whether thou know'st by experience what it is to repent of and be truly humbled for Sin And that thou maist the better know what I mean let me ask thee Didst thou ever yet seriously consider what thy condition is by nature and by reason of thy carelesse sinfull life And hast thou found thy self sensibly affected and stirred with this consideration so that thou hast been verily perswaded that thou art in thy self a lost creature and except there be a way for mercy art like to perish for ever And hast thou been convinc'd that Sin is the cause of all this misery and danger which thou art liable to And hast thou hereupon heartily griev'd for and bewail'd thy wretched miserable state Hast thou been humbled for the Sin thou broughtst into the world with thee and for all the sins which thou know'st by thy self and canst remember thou hast at any time committed Hast thou been carefull to search into thy heart and to look back upon thy life past that thou might'st find out what thy particular sins are that thou maist confesse them before God and forsake them And hast thou indeed been so sensible of the evil of Sin chiefly as it is rebellion against that God who made thee and hath sent his Son to Redeem and Spirit to Sanctifie thee and hath daily given thee so many mercies to engage thee to please him hast thou I say seen so much vilenesse and basenesse in thy dishonouring and provoking so good a God that this consideration hath melted and broke thy heart and wrought thee into a bitter hatred and loathing of every known sin so that thou hast earnestly desired to be delivered from it which is so odious in its self and so mischievous to thee And hast thou been therefore deliberately resolved by the help of God without any more delay to put away far from thee whatever is displeasing to God and to return to him from whom thou hast faln and to an obedience to those Laws which thou hast violated and contemned Examine thy self faithfully whether thou hast ever experienc'd such a change of thy mind as this I have described which may well be call'd Repentance unto life Or rather on the other hand dost thou not
subjection yet all this is but in order to his carnal self for the procuring for it such things as cannot be had without God so that God is regarded but as a means to Self and with a respect hereto is all his service of God for the manner and measures of it fram'd and limited Thus may the covetous man whose chief end is to enrich himself pray to God for riches praise him for riches be so far just and charitable as he thinks may forward his thriving yea he may be in all things so far religious as hinders not his chief end but let this once come in competition with any duty to God so that by serving him he should impoverish himself you shall soon perceive what is his God and what rules him most as you have an example in the young man that came to Christ Mat. 19.21 22. wherefore examine I say whether thou art not a lover of thy self more than God Does not thy own will and fancy ordinarily guide thee in thy actions and affairs and is not that course taken which most conduceth to the interest of thy flesh should'st thou not then account thy self well enough provided for if thou wast but compleatly furnisht with all that in the world which tends to the accomplishing and gratifying of man as he is an inhabitant of the earth And is not thy labour most for thy desire after thy delight in such things as tend to the pleasing and advancing thy self in the world Hast thou not been most taken up in making provisions for thy flesh thinking with thy self that to be happy was to live a merry life and take thy ease and pleasure or else to get more money than thy neighbours and to have more respect and esteem that wherever thou goest thou maist be praised and admired Hast thou not taken those for the happiest men that have the greatest share of these things and hast thou not therefore envied them and hated them if they have stood in thy way and kept thee from the like Reader what saith thy conscience to this Doe but hearken and it will speak plain and tell the truth Sure thou canst not but know what thou makest the great end of thy life what it is for that thou desirest to stay in the world what thou risest for every morning and for what thou goest into this company and that and takest all thy journeys and wholly employest thy hands and head All this is either for God or for carnall Self principally for there cannot be two chief ends And if thou art one that livest to and idolizest thy self for shame take not on thee to love God above all as thou usest to doe for indeed thou dost not truly and properly take him to be God nor thy God Again let me ask thee hast thou ever found in thy soul powerfull and prevalent convictions that thou hast no way to attain true happinesse nor to escape misery but by the Lord Jesus Christ And hast thou thereupon heartily consented to his offers and to the conditions he hath appointed for the saving of thy soul being willing to be taught and govern'd by him onely hoping for pardon of sin grace and glory to be given to thee by God through him and for his sake Put the question to thy own heart didst thou ever yet see an absolute necessity of Christ so that thou took'st thy self for an undone creature without him And hath thy soul been kindly and thankfully affected with this amazing mystery of love that God hath shown to poor helplesse sinners through his Son Hath it warmed and rejoyced thy heart to consider it Thus in some good measure will it be with thee if thou art a true believer in Christ. And this depends upon the former for if thou hast taken the everlasting enjoyment of God for thy chief happinesse thou wilt then be ready to comply with that way which leads to this end and that 's onely shew'd to us in and by Christ who is himself the way to the Father and none can come to God but by him And when thou art once thoroughly perswaded of this thou canst not but willingly resign thy self to him consenting to be sav'd by him on what terms and in what way he shall appoint and prescribe to thee and this firm and prevalent consent of thy soul is true and saving faith to which the pardon of sins and everlasting life is promised This is coming to Christ receiving him and severall other way it 's exprest in Scripture but most commonly call'd our believing in him which includes in it our trusting to him for all mercy our hearkning to his teachings and our resolution sincerely to obey his commands and imitate his example Examine thy self well then whether thou hast such a sound faith wrought in thee or not Hast thou not rather contented thy self with a sluggish unfruitfull belief that Christ is the Saviour of the world without ever minding thy own particular need which thou stand'st in of him nor ever making enquiry what he would have thee doe to be saved Have not thy eyes been so far blinded that thou never yet saw'st so much evil in sin as should make thee look out for a deliverer and prize him who hath done so much to redeem thee but canst make shift well enough to live without Christ so thou canst but get those things which thou now takest to be more usefull for thee in order to thy happinesse Thus will it be with thee if thou hast set thy heart upon the pleasing and advancing of thy carnall self thou art not then like to see any great need of Christ or any excellency in him that should make him desirable for he came not into the world to help carnall wretches to the enjoyment of their idols but to turn their hearts off them to the living and true God And therefore as they who have chose this God for their portion doe make it their great work to get an interest in Christ the Mediatour and doe live upon and make use of him to bring them to their portion so they that have made the pleasing of their flesh with any worldly thing their ultimate end they are diligent in the using of all means that may help on this their base end The voluptuous bruitish sinners hunt after sensuall pleasures in their meat and drink wantonnesse sloth excessive sports and merry joviall company The covetous man who hath a greedy insatiable fancy to gratifie wholly spends himself in treasuring up wealth and he tasts sweetnesse in nothing but his gains His Bonds and Bills and Leases are better things to him than the Covenant of Grace and his Houses and Lands and Money more precious than the Blood of Christ. And so the proud and ambitious that would fain have much esteem and honour in the world which is the most naturall vice to almost every man they pursue their design by labouring to get into high places to make
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
zeal for him should be found pure selfishnesse And therefore they dare not make their own private apprehensions which they find not in the Creed nor in the Gospel the standard and measure of such as must passe for godly and be thought worthy their regard and esteem which is the constant note of one addicted to a party but I say they would have their friendship as large as their Lord and Masters since 't is for his sake that they have any friends at all Such is the affection which Gods Spirit works in his people and with which they are possest so farre as they are fram'd and moulded by his Spirit But moreover the charity requisite in Communicants consists not onely in a cordiall love to the godly whom they are to reckon upon as dearest friends but also in forgivenesse of injuries to all that are their enemies and have done or endeavoured to doe them wrong which temper is of flat necessity to all that would come worthily to this Ordinance Hither men come expecting a pardon and can he look for a pardon of his many and hainous sins from the great God of heaven and earth who will not forgive some small offence that he may have received from his fellow-creature Small I say for the greatest injury that can be done us by another is exceeding small and not worthy our notice so farre as we our selves onely are concerned therein Selfish men will never believe this but it 's a certain truth and so plain that many sober heathens doe with great earnestnesse inculcate it Alas what can they doe but a little hinder out thriving in the world or deny us that respect we would have by their carelesse carriage or speak meanly or falsly of us to lessen our credit Such like trifles as these are the worst that we shall ordinarily meet with from our bitterest enemies And are these such unsufferable injuries that by all means we must seek to be revenged Surely such a wicked spirit cannot enter into the breast of a Christian that remembers what he hath done against God and yet what he expects from him and what he hath already received And indeed there is nothing more likely to bring us to the performance of this duty to our brother than the serious consideration of the infinite mercy God hath shown to us in sending his Son and freely tendering forgivenesse through him This we find prest upon us Eph. 4.32 And be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 3.13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye And to engage us the more our forgiving of others is made a condition of being forgiven our selves Mat. 6.14 15. For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses How hard-hearted must that Servant be who when his Lord hath forgiven him ten thousand talents takes his brother by the throat and casts him into prison for an hundred pence How just is it that all the former debt should be charged by his Lord upon such a servant as you may find in the parable at large Matth. 18. from 23. to the end where after Christ had told how terribly that unthankfull cruell servant was dealt with he addes ver lâ—st So likewise shall my heavenly Father doe also unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespâ—sses To love God above all and our neighbour as our selves are the two great Commandments whereon depend the Law and the Prophets and which comprehend all our duty and to both of these we have the greatest help and strongest obâ—igation by the Death of Christ that ever could be thoâ—ght on Shall we not love him that hath thus loved us And shall we not shew pity and compassion to others who have received so much our selves Yea who shall be shut out from mercy if we be unmercifull No spirit in the world is so contrary to the Gospel as that of malice and revenge and retaining a secret enmity and spight against any person whatever As thou would'st escape the society and portion of Devils hâ—reafter beware how thou now entertainest this devilish nature than which nothing is more frequently forbidden in the Gospel and nothing more flatly enjoyned than the contrary temper Gal. 5.20 Now the fruits of the flesh â—re manifest which are these adultery fâ—rnicâ—tion c. hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders ver 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse fâ—ith meeknesse c. Col. 3.8 But now you also put off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy c. v. 12 13. Put on therefâ—re as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-sâ—ffering When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to rectifie the disorders they were guilty of in reference to the Lords Supper the first thing he falls upon is the Divisions that were amongst them 1 Cor. 11.18 That composednesse of soul that humility self-abasement and humble dependance upon free mercy which are so absolutely necessary for him that would profit by this Ordinance do all call for a quiet charitable frame of spirit toward our brethren when we betake our selves thereto And thus by Gods assistance have I in some measure shewn from the nature and design of this Ordinance which is to keep up the Remembrance of Christ how those persons must be qualified who can duly attend thereupon To repeat their description once again They who are furnisht with the knowledge of the necessary fundamentall truths of Christian Religion and doe believe them to be indeed truths being so verily perswaded that Christ is the Saviour of the world that they heartily consent to take him for their Saviour and therefore being humbled for and resolved presently to turn from all their evil ways doe humbly expect or at least earnestly desire the pardon of their sins from the mercy of God for his sake and are truly willing to have their hearts sanctified by the Spirit of God given out through him that they may lead an holy life and doe depend upon him to bring them to everlasting glory in the enjoyment of God upon whom they have set their dearest love and chose him as their onely portion being sincerely thankfull for the manifestations of his wonderfull love in Christ and by the power of this love are in charity with all men forgiving their enemies and having a peculiar affection to the members of Christ These and onely these are fit to partake of the Lords Supper Wherefore I entreat thee whoever thou art that would'st not wilfully delude thy own soul and rush upon this duty to thy hurt take thy self to task and