onely thus but they carie it about with them when they travell in the streets and other places as a preservative against sicknesse and other evills these and such other like fopperies are used in the Popish Church upon this false ground that being once dedicated to the use of the sacrament as they suppose it must needs alwayes have the same force and power so long as it continues wee may referre it to the judgement of any indifferent understanding man to judge whether hee thinketh they or wee doe come nearest to the meaning and true institution of Christ We are sure that Christ tooke bread and commanded us so to doe to take the bread to blesse it breake it and distribute it but wee are sure that he never commanded it to be caryed about for any such superstitious uses as they doe I doe not doubt but there be many that have occasion to travell into places where these and such like superstitions are used if they have any understanding or any taste of Religion they will grow into a greater hatred and detestation of Popery in seeing that which they doe than wee doe or can doe by the hearing of these things and therefore if any shall come to see any such things labour to be fenced with this preservative let us know the sacrament is excellent in the use of it otherwise it is of no force after the use but to put any superstitious holinesse in it that it is in force afterwards we have no warrant for it from the Word and therefore let us hate it as an abominable superstition Vse 2 The second use it teacheth us resolution how to settle our mindes concerning the truth of God in this case never any benefit to be had by the sacrament of the Lords supper but onely so farre forth as we partake in the use of it according to Gods saving ordinance It is true a man may feed on Christ by faith though his faith be not lift up by such helpes as the sacrament is but if thou wouldst have it to helpe thy faith thou must eate it and drinke it he that lookes to have any benefit by the sacrament must communicate in the use of the sacrament It is not enough for us to stand by and looke on and for others to doe it but we must doe it for our selves It is true indeed that God hath promised a blessing to his owne ordinance but yet with this condition that we use them in their owne kinde and so as he hath appointed and ordained them but if wee apply them not or use them otherwise than God hath appointed he is freed of his promise neither can we expect any blessing from God Vse 3 The third use It ministreth unto us matter of exhortation it teacheth us seeing it is so that the sacrament is only beneficiall in the use of it therefore let us labour to frame our selves to a frequent use of the sacrament of the Lords supper there is no benefit without the use of it by the use of it there is much benefit and singular profit and comfort as the assurance of Gods love and favour assurance of the forgivenesse of our sinnes and reconciliation with God and grace from God to preserve us from sinne that wee fall not finally and many such like helpes there be Therefore seeing without the use of it there is no benefit and by the use of it much benefit let us stirre up our selves to use it frequently And when thou comest to it see thou bring not thy mouth and thy body and hands onely but thy soule thy heart thy faith and thy spirituall man that while the one is imployed in the bodily eating of bread and drinking of wine the other may be imployed in the spirirituall eating of the body and drinking of the blood of Christ bring the whole man to be imployed in this worke and so shalt thou then communicate in the whole benefit of the sacrament Alwayes provided that still we stir up our selves to matter of action in the use of the Sacrament that we stirre up our mindes and scules to an actuall beleeving an actuall discerning and an actuall receiving of Christ and his merits and an actuall applying them to our poore soules then shall we be sure to have the benefit of the Sacrament still know the benefit and nature of the sacrament consisteth in the use of the Sacrament and therefore the more we stirre up our selves to those actions that accompany it the more benefit we shall receive by it And this is that that makes many that come here to the Lords Table and that are made partakers happely of the nature of it yet notwithstanding they faile of the benefit of the Sacrament What is the reason Surely the fault is their owne because God hath appointed it to be a matter of action and doing and they perform not those actions that God hath enjoyned them unto they doe not apply Christ to them by faith they eate and drinke and yet doe not actually discerne the Lords body So much of that first particular that is to be considered namely That the Apostle describing the nature of the Sacrament of the Lords supper hee describes it in regard of the use and benefit of it The second point that we are to consider is this namely that whereas the Apostle here in this speech makes mention of the outward elements in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the bread and the wine hee calls them by their owne proper names eate this bread and drinke this cup that is this wine hee calls them I say by their owne proper names that is by the names of the signe not by the names of the thing signified hee doth not say As often as ye shall eate this body and drinke this blood but As often as ye eate this bread and drinke this cup and this he doth after the blessing and consecration to this sacred use and that appeares by the circumstance of the Text For looke what bread our Saviour spake of in the former words that the Apostle speakes of here seeing he inferres it by way of reason Now that which Christ spake of in the verse going before was bread after it was blessed and consecrated bread in the use of the Sacrament and so the Apostle calls it bread still and so likewise it appears plainly by the whole drift of this part of the chapter where the Apostle speakes of the bread in the use of the Sacrament namely after consecration Doctr. 2 The point of doctrine that hence wee are to observe is this namely That howsoever the creatures of bread and wine used in the Sacrament be consecrated by the institution and blessing of God to a spirituall and sacred use yet they are not thereby changed out of their nature and substance but still for their nature and substance they continue the same creatures as before the same bread and the same wine bread still as it was bread
the proportion betweene the signe and the thing signified requires as much What is signified by the bread and wine the body and blood of Christ and they have an active power and virtue to cherish and nourish our foules to eternall life and therefore the bread and wine must bee such in the Sacrament as hath power also to nourish the body to a temporall life but if onely the shew of bread and wine were there present then there were no power to nourish for it is the substance of the bread that yeelds power by the blessing of God to sustaine life the maintenance of our life ariseth from the substance of our food and therefore it followes that as the outward forme must needs bee there present so the substance of the bread must be there also in the very true being or else it is no true Sacrament Reason 3 The last reason is this our owne judgement our owne eyes or owne taste sense and naturall parts our teeth and stomach finde the bread and wine there and shall they tell us that it is not there when we see feele and taste it Doe wee thinke that God doth so delude us as oft as we receive the sacrament to make us beleeve that there is bread and wine when there is none will God deceive us when we come to doe him service in the use of his owne ordinances Except God delude us which we are sure he cannot nor will not there must be the bread and wine there present And surely it is Gods gracious purpose herein to lead us as it were by the hand from our bodily feeding to our spiritull feeding that while our bodies feed upon the signes and finde and feele the taste and rellish and comfort of the bread and wine our soules may be lifted up by faith to meditate of the thing signified and so to feed upon the body and blood of Christ and finde comfort in them That we may truly say Looke the bread and wine comforts my body thus thus doth the blood of Christ comfort my soule and by faith I am assured of the forgivenesse of my sinnes by the blood of Christ as by sense I feele the benefit of those outward elements Thus the Lord vouchsafeth to lead us on by the hand as it were by that which is done outwardly in this Sacrament to that which is to be done spiritually Vse 1 The first use serves to confute the Papists opinion of Transubstantiation the meaning of it is this that so soone as ever the blessing is pronounced the words of consecration are used which are these This is my body and this is my blood presently say they the substance of the bread and wine is vanished away and in comes the body and blood of Chirst for this they hold that two substances cannot be in one place together and therefore say they if the body and blood of Christ come in then the other substance goes away We need no other place against this dreame of theirs than this in hand that the Apostle calls it by the name of bread after consecration And this should teach us much more to hate and loath that grosse practice of theirs in adoring the Sacrament and indeed it comes from this Transubstantiation Transubstantiation is the mother of adoration because they thinke the body of Christ is there bodily present therefore they adore it horrible Idolatry the Apostle cals it bread and they make it their God and therefore judge you whether we doe not justly challenge the Papists that they worship a breaden god that which the Holy Ghost calls bread that they worship as God and therefore they worship a breaden god this is fearful Idolatry this is a main matter of their religion An Idoll saith the Apostle is nothing in the world and surely this is a great Idoll of theirs and yet it is nothing that is nothing that hath any true being Here is bread but no true God as they fondly imagine this is nothing but a fancie of theirs to thinke that Christ is there bodily present they fondly imagine such a thing to be there that is not and therefore they adore and worship that which is not True it is that Christ is there really present to all saving purposes in the use of the bread and wine to every faithfull receiver and it is the comfort of our soules that he is present by the power of his Spirit to make good unto the faithfull the worke of our Redemption But that he is there bodily present we have no warrant Vse 2 The last use teacheth us how to expound such places of Scripture As where it is said This is my body to expound them sacramentally and in a spirituall sense This is my body in a sacramentall and spirituall sense that is this bread to every beleever that partakes it in a true manner beleeving in me and being raised up by this to a consideration of the breaking of Christ his body for the forgivenesse of their sinnes and so finde the benefit of it to themselves it is made actually and really yet spiritually the body of Christ to everie true beleever if ye will receive it This is Elias saith our Saviour what therefore should the Apostles conclude that therefore Iohn Baptist was Elias that his body was turned into his body no such matter but take it as it is meant this is Elias not that Iohn Baptists was Elias that his body was turned into his body but so he was called because he came in the spirit of Elias to doe that which he did So this is the body of Christ not that the bread is turned into the body of Christ nor the wine into his blood but if you will receive it this is my body and my blood to every faithfull receiver the Spirit of God is at hand to make good unto them the body and blood of Christ and all his merits the same Spirit that was in Christ when he performed the office of our redemption is in and at the Sacrament to make Christ really present yet spiritually to every faithfull receiver by the power merit and virtue of his body and blood for all saving purposes as the nature of the Sacrament requires These things if we could understand them and set our hearts upon them and live by faith wee should rest more solid in them It is want of faith that makes thē dote upon the bodily presence of Christ whereas if they could be perswaded that the Spirit of God doth performe effectually all saving purposes as if Christ were bodily present if they did but consider and beleeve this it would make them renounce the doctrine of Transubstantiation and therfore we that are the people of God and know that as God is a Spirit so he will be worshipped in spirit and in truth we must labour to walke in the spirit and to live by faith we must beleeve that Christ is really present yet spiritually to everie
serve for all nor to say they will doe it hereafter though they omit it now but as often as they doe the one they must doe the other as often as they doe receive they must thinke upon the Lords death But some will say What are we never to remember Christs death but then when we communicate Yes this is not spoken by negation as if we should never remember him but then but by affirmation that we must specially remember it then above all other times as that Sacrament being instituted and sanctified specially for that purpose next it is said So oft as yee shall eate c. ye shall shew where you see the Holy Ghost presseth it upon every one for his owne particular shewing thereby that it is not enough that the Minister shew forth the Lords death for all them that bee there present but every one is to shew it forth for himselfe Further it is said Shall eate this bread c. you see here hee speakes of the Sacrament and he describes it by the use or the actuall participation of it thereby shewing that the benefit of this Sacrament doth not consist in the seeing or the having of it but in the use and communicating in it And note here further that the Apostle calls it bread even after the words of consecration it is bread still and yet it is the body of Christ in regard of the use it is altered and is the body of Christ but in regard of the nature of the creature it is bread still Consider yet further that he nameth not onely the eating of the bread but the drinking of the cup together with it he saith not Or drinke this cup but And drinke this cup whereby we may see that they who separate the cup from the bread in the use of this Sacrament as the Papists doe they doe wickedly put asunder that which God hath joyned together and this being spoken directly to the people doth extend the words of our Saviour when he said Drinke ye all of this as well to the people as to the Ministers next it is said You shew forth the Lords death that is to say you set it forth after a speciall and eminent manner you shew it forth by your practice for all they that truly receive the Lords Supper doe as it were act the death of Christ as a holy Tragedy upon a holy and spirituall stage the word may either be expounded affirmatively you doe shew forth or imparatively as enjoyning them that they must shew forth both tend to the same effect that this Sacrament is the very shewing forth of the Lords death the word in the originall entends a shewing forth in the highest degree with much seriousnesse and earnestnesse as prescribing a zealous and affectionate setting forth of Christs death in the use of this Sacrament It is said further the Lords death which we must not understand as if it were meant barely of his dying or of his crucifying but his death together with the benefit and fruit of his death and whereas hee calls it here the Lords death it may seeme some contradiction For if Christ suffer death how should he be Lord or if Christ be Lord how should he dye but if wee consider it well we shall finde that it is a sweet medley that the Apostle here makes when hee saith it is the Lords death Christ dyed as being man but Christ even in his death shewed himselfe to bee the Lord that had the power over death And because he that dyed was the Lord thence it comes that his death is beneficiall unto us As it is said Acts 20.28 God hath purchased his Church with his owne blood as his blood being therefore effectuall for the purchasing of the Church because it was the blood of him who being man is God also Lastly it is here said till he come that is to say in bodily presence to judge the world Therefore he is now absent in body even from the Sacrament if he were bodily present at the Sacrament as the Papists say then what need a memoriall of him till his comming Hereby we see also that so long as we are here we need the helpes of Sacraments to strengthen our faith and God hath provided that we shall have them so long as we need them even till the end of the world but when he comes then we shall have no further use of them and therefore then they shall cease all things are for us and for our good so long as we need them we shall have them but the things that are the Sacraments Gods saving ordinances shall utterly cease to bee when wee shall have no further use of them So much for the meaning The third point is the parts of the Text first an action to be performed in the former part of the verse secondly a caution or condition in the latter part First an action to be performed the receiving of the Lords Supper wherein the Apostle offers to our consideration these things First the parts of the action secondly the frequenting of the action the parts eate and drinke things diverse in themselves yet both together making up one and the same action of receiving as in our ordinary suppers wee eate and drinke and each differs from other our eating is not our drinking nor our drinking is not our eating yet in the generall both make but one action the taking of our supper Secondly the frequenting of this action often as this action is to bee performed and done so the doing of it is to be frequented as often c. we must not make an annuall thing of it to be performed once a yeare a prophane thing amongst Christians but there must be an often frequenting of it In the latter part of the verse is a caution or condition that we must performe in receiving wherein principally is to be observed first the caution it selfe shew forth the death of Christ secondly the frequenting of it which is to be borrowed from the first part of the verse as often as you eate shew forth the Lords death c. for this is a particle common to the whole verse and serue each part alike as who should say As often as you eate this bread and drinke this cup so often you shall shew forth the Lords death Lastly here is the continuance of this caution or condition till he come How long is it to continue even so long as the world stands till the Lord come to judgement Whosoever thou art thou must shew forth the Lords death in receiving this Sacrament till his comming that is for the parts of the verse Now we come to the Doctrines For as often as you shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup you shew forth the Lords death till he come Where you see that this speech of Paul is inferred by way of reason from the words of our Saviour verse 25. Doe this as often as do it in remembrance of
before No man will suppose that the Apostle doth nick-name them Seeing then the Apostle calls it bread after the blessing and consecration of it and the Apostle cannot be suspected to nick-name them therefore out of question it must be so reputed that it continues in the nature of bread after consecration the Apostle doth not call it so here onely once in this chapter but three severall times 26 27 28. verses if so be he had spoke it but once we might have thought it to be an improper speech but speaking so of it often this shewes it is the true name title that is due unto them and that they are the very same creatures as they were before And the Apostle doth not onely call them so here but elsewhere as in 1 Cor. 10.16.17 The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ c mark he calls it bread even in the breaking or in the use of the Sacrament It is blessed before it is broken and it is bread when it is broken The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ therefore it is bread after the blessing Now the Apostle goes further and saith in the seventeenth verse For we that are many are one bread and one body because we are all partakers of one bread The Apostle doth not onely call it bread while it is in the Ministers hand but when the people receive it and partake of it he saith you are partakers of bread still it is bread notwithstanding the blessing And though by the blessing and institution of Christ and the promise of God it be consecrated to a holy use it still continues bread and loseth not the nature and substance thereof It is strange to see how miserably the Papists do shuffle and shift to avoid this very argument in this place because the Apostle is so plaine and expresse that it is bread To give you a taste of it because it is a matter of great controversie betweene us and the Church of Rome they would avoid the force of this reason therefore you shall see how they expound it This bread say some of them I will not tell you of the meanest but some of the best and greatest Champions amongst them it is called bread not because it is bread but because it was bread by a trope and figure because it was made of Bread Marke it is called so by a trope and figure Vnderstand thus much when as wee say that the words of Christ saying This is my bodie are to bee understood figuratively they exclaime against us for it What say they will you have a trope and a figure in the Sacrament that is ridiculous and yet to serve their owne turne they will have tropes even in the Sacrament But to goe to the sense of their answer This is called bread say they because it was bread as Mat. 11.5 The blinde receive sight the halt goe marke say they they are called blinde though they receive their sight because they were blinde before and they are called the halt because they were so before though they goe now so this is called bread because it was bread before but not so now but meerely the body of Christ Take it so apply this exposition to this place and then see what a speech they will have the Apostle to make As oft as ye eate this bread which before was bread but now is not you shew forth the Lords death till hee come it was so but it is not so why then should the Apostle tell them it is bread The comparison is very unlike they were called blinde because they were blinde before but that blindness which they had before is taken away and so they are said now to see If they can shew us that the substance which was in this bread before is utterly destroyed by the words of consecration then we shall beleeve that it is called bread because it was bread but else we must beleeve that as it was bread before so it is bread still and is so called here by the Apostle because it is now bread in regard of the present state of the thing Againe they say this bread is called bread because it is like bread not because it is bread because it hath the forme and fashion of it As the brazen Serpent was called a Serpent though it was but in the forme of a Serpent whereby they make the Apostle to say thus As oft as you shall eate this bread which indeed is no bread only it hath the outward forme of bread is not this a senslesse speech They give another answer It may bee called bread say they after the Hebrew phrase because it is food for they call all food by the name of bread because bread is the principall food I answer they call temporall food by the name of bread but let it be shewed that they call all spirituall food by the name of bread for they say it is spirituall food which the Apostle here speakes of but the cup being here mentioned as well as the bread doth cleerly answer this exception Lastly Iohn 6. doth not Christ say they call himselfe bread I hope that is not meant of ordinarie but spirituall bread It is true Christ calls himselfe bread but withall he gives other titles whereby to know it to be heavenly bread as where he saith I am the living bread or The bread that came downe from heaven but this is not so because it was such as they did eate in their owne meales and at their owne Tables there he speaketh of himselfe as the heavenly and spirituall bread But this the Apostle speakes of here is of the bread of the Lords Table He that eates of that bread shall never dye Iohn 6.50 but a man may eate of this bread and yet dye for ever as verse 29. Reason 1 The first reason of this point is this because the nature of the Sacrament requires it so the nature of the Sacrament agreed upon on our side and on theirs must consist of an outward and visible thing and of a spirituall and invisible grace heavenly and earthly and both these must bee there present in their true being else it is no Sacrament there must bee an outward in the true being of it and an inward thing represented in the true being too If the inward thing represented should bee present and not the outward thing representing it it were no true Sacrament or if the outward were there present and not the inward it were no true Sacrament and therefore there must be both Now if they say that there is the shew of an outward thing and that that will serve the turne they may say as well that the shew of a Sacrament will serve the turne therefore when they say onely the shew of bread is there we may well say there is indeed no Sacrament there but onely the shew of a Sacrament Reason 2 Againe
faithfull receiver to make them truly to partake of his body and blood and so by his Spirit is made wholly ours The end of the thirteenth Lecture THE FOVRTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER WEE are now to make our digression into the argument of the Lords Supper for our better and fitter preparation unto the participation of that holy Sacrament the next Sabbath day 1 Cor. 11.26 For as oft as you shall eate this bread and drinke this cup you shew the Lords death till he come You may remember we divided this verse into two parts First here is mentioned an action performed the receiving of the Lords Supper in the former part of the verse As oft as you shall eate this bread and drinke this cup. Secondly here is a caution and condition that it is to be performed withall in the latter part of the verse You shew forth the Lords death till he come Concerning the action wee noted two things First the parts of it and then the frequenting of it the parts of it to eate this bread and drink this cup the frequenting of it So oft as you eate it you shew the Lords death till he come We have begunne with the parts of it already and therein we have shewed how that the Apostle describing the Sacrament of the Lords Supper sets it forth by the use of it not by having of it or by having accesse to it but by having the use of it by eating the bread and drinking the cup. Thence we noted That the Sacrament of the Lords Supper consisteth in matter of action and use Then againe we noted in the second place That whereas the Apostle here speakes of the elements of bread and wine as they are in use in the Sacrament he calls them by their ordinary names the bread by the name of bread and the wine by the name of cup from hence we gathered this doctrine That even after the words of consecration and blessing still the bread and the wine for their nature and substance are the same as they were before still they remaine bread and wine So farre we proceeded Now we are to proceed further Thirdly then we are here to consider that the Apostle here speaking of these elements of bread and wine as they are in use in the Sacrament of the Lords supper he sets them forth by a note of excellency this bread and this cup for by the cup is meant wine as oft as you eate this bread and drinke this cup he sets them forth by a note of excellencie As in all things we must keepe a meane without going too farre or comming too short so specially in matters of religion we must be sure to keepe on the right way without turning either to the right hand or to the left we must take all matters of Religion in that very precise and true straine that the Lord himselfe hath set upon them we are apt enough to erre as well on the one side as on the other as well on the right side as on the left and to erre on either side is alike dangerous So it is in other matters of Religion and so it is in our estimation of these elements of bread and wine that are in use in the Lords Supper some doe erre on the right hand in their estimation of them thinking too highly of them as the Papists doe that the bread is corporally the very body of Christ that the wine is corporally the very blood of Christ on the other side others there be that erre on the left hand in their estimation of them they esteeme too meanly and basely of them as the prophane people of the world they generally esteeme the bread and wine at the Lords Table no better than the bread and wine at their owne table To meet with both these errors and so to keepe our hearts upright in the profession of Gods truth herein the Apostle in this short speech gives us a good caveat and preservative And first that we may not thinke too highly of them and so erre on the right hand as the Papists doe the Apostle still calls them bread and wine shewing that in the nature and substance of them they are the same as they were before next that wee might not erre on the left hand and thinke too meanly and basely of them as the prophane people doe hee extolls them by a note of excellency this bread and this wine though the bread be but bread in it selfe and the wine be but wine in it selfe yet hee speakes with a kind of grace and majesty of speech this bread this cup as singling them out by a note of difference from ordinary bread wine because they are dedicated to a sacred and holy use wherby they are advanced above all other bread and wine whatsoever As oft as you eate this bread and drinke this cup saith the Apostle you shew the Lords death till he come The doctrine hence to be raised is this namely That howsoever it bee that the elements of bread and wine that are used in the Lords Supper are in nature and in substance the same creatures as they were before yet notwithstanding in respect of that same sacred and holy use that they are consecrated and dedicated unto to bee made parts of the Sacrament in this respect they are things of farre greater excellency than all ordinary things of that kinde are this bread is farre more excellent bread in respect of the use of it than any other and this wine is farre more excellent wine in respect of the use of it than any other this is the reach of the Apostle in that he speakes so emphatically this bread and this cup. Marke the doctrine howsoever it be that the elements of bread wine that are used in the Lords Supper are in nature and substance the same creatures as they were before yet notwithstanding in respect of that sacred and holy use that they are consecrated and dedicated unto to be made parts of the Sacrament in this respect they are far more excellent than any other ordinary creatures of that kinde this bread is more excellent than any other bread and this wine dedicated to this use is farre more excellent than any other wine We shall not need to goe for proofe of this doctrine any further than this Chapter This Chapter affordeth us very pregnant proofes of it If we marke the Apostle he points out here three differences betweene our ordinary food that we have at our meales and this extraordinary food that we have at the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The first is in the 20. and 21. verse When you come together therefore into one place this is not to eate the Lords Supper for every man when they should eate taketh his owne supper afore and one is hungry and another is drunken Our ordinary food is our owne food our ordinary supper is our owne supper but this extraordinary food is not
wants to minister all comforts vnto vs to fill vs with all aboundance and euerie way to giue vs plentifull satisfaction If we rest on him as Man onely many feares and doubts and suspitions might arise but Christ the Lord puts all out of doubt and giues vs full content and securitie here is sure footing for the grace of Faith to rest vpon Christ the Lord is the Rocke that we must build vpon and the Gates of Hell shall neuer preuaile against vs therefore let vs rest in Christ the Lord and rely vpon him and cast our selues with all bouldnesse and confidence vpon his Almightie protection Vse 4 The fourth Vse Here is matter of comfort and reioycing seeing Christ is the Lord specially of the Faithfull it should teach vs neuer to be discouraged whatsoeuer befall vs we are his Seruants and he is our Lord therefore he will prouide for vs and defend vs and take part with vs and saue vs whatsoeuer case we are in the verie Name of the Lord breakes in vpon our Hearts I know not how with such a louely Maiestie that it ministers comfort and life vnto vs in all our estates in our well-fare when we looke about and see Gods blessings vpon vs and consider that the Lord hath done this for vs it comforts vs that surely it shall stand good because the Lord hath done it in our wants if we can consider that the Lord is our Sheepeheard that is the supply of all our wants in our afflictions when we goe thorough the Fire if the Lord be with vs it shall not burne vs if thorough the Water it shall not drowne vs against our Enemies it is a sufficient Shield If the Lord be our Light and Saluation whom should we feare Psal 27.1 So in our Prayers Luke 23.42 Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome it is such a patheticall voyce that it worketh affection a kind of liuely and comfortable affection in the Hearts of those that haue grace to conceiue rightly of it Vse 5 The last Vse is for terror to the wicked it breakes in vpon them with a dreadfull and terrible Maiestie there is nothing can afright wicked Men or the Diuell himselfe more then the Name of the Lord it is a matter of great terror to them and workes effectually against them it was snibbing enough to Satan Zach. 3.2 when it was said vnto him The Lord reproue thee Satan And in Iude verse 9. when Michael the Archangell stroue with the Diuell about the Body of Moses he durst not blame him with cursed speaking but said The Lord rebuke thee he had his arrant he need haue no more said to him and if it be but pronounced by Men with a faithfull Heart and assured confidence in God it is able to strike terror and astonnishment into the Hearts of vngodly Men Behold the Lord comes to Iudgement c. And in the 1 Thess 4.16 The Lord shall descend from Heauen with a shout c. The day of Iudgement is a matter of terror to the wicked and because it should affright them the more it is denounced against them in the Name of the Lord And alas though wicked Men be neuer so great what are they when the Lord of Heauen and Earth shall set himselfe against them in his fierce wrath and displeasure The thought hereof is suffcient to terrifie and amaze the most obstinate sinner in the World Secondly in that the Sacrament is called by the name of the Lords Table and the Lords Supper hence obserue that the Lords Supper is as it were a Banket or Feast of our Soules wherein the Faithfull are nourished to a Spirituall and Heauenly life We must vnderstand that matters of Saluation are Spirituall which come not within the compasse of our sence but are spiritually to be searched and reached vnto by the Eye of Faith And hence it is that God willing to acquaint vs with them doth set them forth vnto vs vnder the veiles of temporall things and because matters of Saluation are sweet and comfortable and refresh the Heart therefore the Holy Ghost makes choyce of such outward things to veile and to shaddow them by as are most vsuall and fittest for our comfort and refreshing as namely Bankets and Feasts and so Math. 22.2 and forward and Reuel 19.9 and 2.7 c. And according to this ground it is that this Sacrament is set forth vnto vs in the name of a Feast that is to say a Spirituall Feast or Banket for our Soules Prou. 9.1 2 c. it is said of Wisedome that she hath killed her Victuals drawne her Wine and prepared her Table and what is the benefite to be receiued at this Feast Knowledge and vnderstanding as appeares in the 4 and 5 Verses by Wisedome there is meant the Sonne of God the preparing of the Victuals and Table is the tendring vs of the meanes of Saluation which is performed in a particular manner in this Sacrament 1 Cor. 10.26 The Cup of Blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ And the Bread which we breake is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ Now these things cannot be communicated to vs in bodily manner he being in Heauen and we in Earth therefore it must be vnderstood in a spirituall manner as the Body and Blood of Christ which is communicated to vs in this Sacrament being a spirituall Banket for our Soules to nourish them vp to a spirituall and heauenly life Math. 26.28 This is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for remission of sins So that the end for which we are inuited to drinke it is the remission of sinnes drinke Wine it is for the comfort of our Bodyes drinke the Blood of the Lord Iesus at the Lords Table it is infinitely more comfortable to the Soule of a poore Christian that lyes groaning vnder the burthen of his sinnes he is thereby refreshed and reuiued and cheared vp to a spirituall life Iohn 6.54 Whosoeuer eats my Flesh and drinkes my Blood hath eternall life and I will rayse him vp at the last day The benefit that comes to vs by the Flesh Blood of Christ which we eat and drinke after a speciall manner in this Sacrament is not a temporall life but life eternall Iohn 6.63 The Flesh profits nothing the words that I speake to you are Spirit and life That which our Faith takes hold vpon in Christ Iesus by eating and drinking him after a spirituall manner whether in the Sacrament or without it is not to make our Bodyes fat but to cherish vp our Soules that his Spirit may quicken our Spirit and his life may make vs aliue to God Reas 1 The Reasons First Christ came specially for the good of our Soules Math. 11.29 You shall find rest to your Soules It is true indeed our Sauiour hath a care of our Bodyes too but his speciall care is for our Soules he is our
with an eie and respect to his Death on the Crosse his Body broken his Blood shed yet notwithstanding that is not all we are not to stay there but it hath a further reach otherwise those that stood by our Sauiour Christ when he was crucified put the case that one of them had sprinkled his Body with the Blood of Christ should he haue had a Communion then with Christ Certainly no. Therefore our Faith must reach further and not stay in the Body and Blood of Christ but it must reach to the fruit and comfort that comes thereby to sanctification and eternall life For so Christ spake Math. 26.28 This is my Blood which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes Consider of Christ his Death his Body broken his Blood shed we must haue a further reach to discerne the sauing fruits and benefits of his Death as forgiuenesse of sinnes sanctification and eternall life So then we see what is meant by the Body and Blood of Christ The Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ Now the third point to be spoken of is the manner of the performing and accomplishment of those things in the Sacrament or Supper of the Lord. We must vnderstand it to be thus performed that is to say that this Communion with Christ or the Communion that we haue among our selues we must not so vnderstand it as if it were begun or made but so performed as according to the nature of the Sacrament will reach vnto it that is to say it is there confirmed ratified and sealed vp vnto vs the Body and Blood of Christ is communicated vnto vs by the way of Seale of Pledge of Ratification the Sacraments doe not beget Faith in vs but they confirme Faith where it is begotten already Rom. 4.11 After he receiued the signe of Circumcision as the Seale of the righteousnesse of Faith which he had when he was vncircumcised c. The Sacrament that comes and seconds it and ratifies it vnto vs. Then here is the case at our first conuersion when God gaue vs an effectuall calling God drawed vs neere to himselfe and worked Faith in vs and touched our Hearts by his Spirit and so makes this holy Communion betweene Christ and vs and so makes vs one with him and he with vs. Well Faith being thus begotten in vs by the preaching of the Word the Vnion being thus made then God admits vs to his Table to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the point now in hand He admits vs there that so this Communion already made betweene Christ and vs might be further confirmed and ratified The Sacrament doth this not as an efficient cause but as an outward instrumentall cause It is not done by the deed done as the Papists say the deed done is not enough to conferre grace no it is no such matter the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ The meanes that Gods children are conuerted by and effectually called is the Word thereby Faith is wrought in them and a holy Communion made betweene Christ and them after they are admitted to the participation of the Sacrament by which Sacrament as an outward instrumentall cause this Communion being already begun and made is further ratified and confirmed This is the meaning of those words that it is the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ Now we come to the obseruations that here ariseth for our instruction First concerning the Communion betweene Christ and the Faithfull and then the Communion between the Faithfull and themselues The Communion that is betweene Christ and the Faithfull is confirmed vnto vs in the participation of the Lords Supper that is it is an effectuall Bond Pledge and Seale of that holy and blessed Communion that the Faithfull haue with Christ and Christ with them In Math. 26.26 the Text saith there that our Sauiour tooke Bread and gaue it to his Disciples that is Christ communicated himselfe to vs in the Sacrament Now we are to proue that Christ communicated himselfe to vs in the Sacrament He gaue it to his Disciples what freer then the guift And withall he presseth it vpon them and bids them take eat this is my Body What can be spoken more frankly and more freely And therefore being spoken by him that neuer spake any thing that he meant not in his Heart it must needs be a verie franke and free bestowing of himselfe Yet as you will say here is Bread and here is Wine frankly and freely giuen but what is this to Christ his owne Body Yes that Bread in a Sacramentall sence is the Body of Christ he giues the name of the Signe to the thing signified this Bread is his Body whatsoeuer he speakes and performes concerning the one he doth concerning the other He was not so franke free and liberall in giuing Bread as he was in giuing his Body to feed vpon So the like is concerning the Cup in Vers 27.28 First here you see then that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in regard of the first institution is a Bond and Seale of the blessed Communion that we haue with Christ He gaue himselfe to vs. In Iohn 6.51 52. there Christ tels them that He it the liuing Bread which came downe from Heauen if any Man eat of this Bread he shall liue The meaning is that Christ gaue vs his Flesh to eat spiritually In Vers 53. it is said Except ye eat the Flesh of the Sonne of Man and drinke his Blood ye haue no Communion with Christ But that which is most pregnant for our purpose is in Vers 56. where it is said He that eats my Flesh and drinkes my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him What neerer Communion can there be then this that we dwell in him and he in vs Who are they that partake of this He that eats my Flesh and drinkes my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him And is not this his Flesh eaten and his Blood drunken In the participation of the Lords Supper is ratified the sweet Communion that is betweene Christ and vs. I doe not say that that in the sixth of Iohn is vnderstood properly of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper but is mystically applyed to this of eating Christ by Faith and therefore iustly agrees with this of the Lords Supper when we meditate vpon Christs workes in the Sacrament or out of the Sacrament not eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood after a spirituall manner that is in the generall there if we doe this in the vse of the Sacrament we doe it in a particular manner So then it is so in all our spirituall eating of Christ and drinking of his Blood we dwell in him and he in vs then much more in the participation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper when our Faith is lift vp to Christ that we feed vpon him more thoroughly and earnestly and therefore much more doth that place take hold of our
and vs and we know that he is faithfull and true and will neuer breake his word I but in the participation of the Lords Supper here is a Seale and a Pledge of his loue whereby this Communion is further ratified when we come there then the Faith which before lay hid in vs that begins to shew it selfe by the working of Gods Spirit and so by that meanes we begin to comfort our selues and to be reuiued in our Faith and affiance that we haue in the loue of Christ our blessed Husband which is much more then a Ring to reuiue a Woman in the loue of her Husband because here are the words vsed againe of the renewing of our Communion This is my Body that was broken for thee c. This is my Blood that was shed for thee c. The words are most powerfull and fit to reuiue vs in the loue and affiance that we haue in Christ our Husband this makes all quiet and sure and to conclude though Christ be absent from me yet surely I know he continues one and the same and this comforts me we know we make vse of this in our ordinarie speech if any be married we vsually say God giue you Ioy. It is well oh that there were Hearts in Men to beleeue and see and that they had practice and experience of this to see that at the Lords Table we be hand-fasted vnto Christ then God would giue vs much ioy and comfort Another matter of Instruction is this That when we are at the Lords Table there is a nearer Bond now betweene Christ and vs then there was before here is a neerer Bond at least we are more neerer sealed and tyed to Christ and he to vs then before And why Because it is the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ it is further ratified sealed and confirmed and therefore it is matter of singular comfort to Gods Children in that it pleaseth God to vouchsafe vs so much fauour as to be one with him To be one with a great Man with the Princes of the World we esteeme it a great matter but what is it to haue Communion with Christ the Sonne of God He to be made one with vs and we with him This as it is matter of great comfort so also it is matter of obedience to stirre vs vp to obedience Is it so that we haue beene at the Lords Table to haue our Communion renewed Then we should carie our selues worthy of this mercie Are we made Members of Christ Then take heed that thou dost not take the faculties and powers of thy Soule and Body and abuse them to sinne iniquitie and to vncleanenesse It is the rule of the Apostle We must consider with our selues I haue beene at the Lords Table and made a Member of Christ and therefore now I must looke better to my Tongue that I doe not sweare nor blaspheme nor vse no vaine nor idle speeches that I must now looke better to my Eyes that I doe not suffer them to be light and wanton Eyes and specially to looke better to my Heart to walke with Christ because he is one with me and I one with him Another point of Instruction teacheth vs that Christ is really deliuered vnto vs in the Sacrament but yet notwithstanding spiritually but verily the Bread is the Communion of his Body and the Wine the Communion of his Blood that is to say there is a reall Communion to euerie faithfull and spirituall Receiuer for as the Spirit of God workes Faith in our Hearts so Faith causeth vs to beleeue that Christ hath made our peace with God and that we are incorporate into his Body and made one with him This is the reall exhibiting of Christ in the Sacrament there is no transubstantiation that the Bread is turned into the Body of Christ no the Apostle saith It is a Communion of the Body of Christ A plaine exposition of Christ himselfe where he saith This is my Body that is to say It is a Communion of his Body But if this be such a Communion then say they the Bread must be turned into the Body of Christ I answer neither of these for the Communion is spirituall it cannot be a corporall Communion but a spirituall Communion there is such a Communion as is made here betweene the Diuell and them that worship the Diuell which is not a corporall substance that is nothing else but a testification that they will serue him worship and obey him So our Communion is a ratification that we beleeue in our Hearts that Christ is one with vs and we with him True we are made partakers of Christ wholly of his Death and of his Merits but still in a spirituall manner As for his Body we haue nothing to doe with it that is in Heauen And therefore they that say they eat his Body they are as grosse as those in the sixth of Iohn It is an absurd thing nay it is a horrible thing for any Man to thinke that they should eat the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament Vse 3 The third Vse It is matter of reproose I shall but point at them First It reproues the names that the Popish Church giues vnto this Sacrament they call it the Masse I would faine know of the Papists what is the reason they call it by the name Masse seeing it is called in the Scripture a Communion let them shew vs but one title in all the whole Booke of God that it is called a Masse and we will yeeld to them It is true the Masse though it haue been ancient amongst the Fathers yet it is not ancient in the Scriptures Another matter of reproofe that here ariseth is against the Popish Church that celebrate this Sacrament in one kind they giue the People the Bread but not the Cup The Cup which we blesse saith the Apostle is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Bread which we breake is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ Take this for a rule wheresoeuer the Lords Supper is handled where it is not handled but by the way there they are both vsed sometimes it is done by the Bread onely and sometimes by the Cup but where it is of purpose treated of there you shall find that they are both spoken of Vse 4 The next Vse Is it so 〈◊〉 there is such a Communion betweene Christ and vs Then it teacheth vs this that euerie one of vs should so fit and prepare our selues when we come to the Lords Table euen as if we came to receiue the verie Body and Blood of Christ If Christ should enter into vs bodily then we would make vs as cleane as we could And shall wee not much more when hee comes to enter into vs spiritually And to say with the Centurion Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter vnder my Roofe So euerie one of vs should make all preparation to giue entertainement to such a
by him he will none of thee But our answer is this that surely of both these euils it is best that such a one forbeare to come at all Nay I tell you if any should offer to come in this case if we knew it we would forbid them they haue no right to this Sacrament and therefore are not to be admitted by the Minister their forbearance is but hurt to themselues their comming is an offence to the Church But they will say how shall we doe Why if thou canst not be fitted to come thou must not come if thou wilt liue in thy sinne and rather goe to Hell then forgiue thy Brother then thou must dye in thy sinne The point is this we must pull downe our proud Hearts and cast out this Leauen of maliciousnesse which makes vs vnfit to receiue any good by this Sacrament or by any of Gods Ordinances But what if I haue laboured to the vtmost of my power and yet cannot quite ouercome my wretched corruption but that still I haue some grudge left within me I answer there is none that labour so but they find some effect of it in themselues if therefore thou find some working in thee and art grieued that there is no more and if thou dost continue in thy labour and care and striuing euen to the verie death thorough Christ Iesus thy infirmities shall be pardoned and cured and thou shalt be a fit Guest for the Lords Table But for Christs sake deceiue not thy selfe saying or thinking thou hast striuen thy best when thou hast done little or nothing at all For if thou hast striuen as thou oughtest thou shalt find some effect of it It is a commendable thing therefore that Children and Seruants should make meanes to their Parents and Masters for the forgiuenesse of their offences which they haue committed against them with this caution that it be not done for forme or fashion but with a purpose and endeauour not to offend so againe But this is not all for I would haue Men know that it is not enough to be at peace with Men when they come to the Lords Table but this dutie of Loue extends it selfe to the whole second Table and therefore it is not enough onely not to be in malice but if thou failest in any other dutie of the second Table thou wantest this Loue though thou hast no malice in thy Heart yet if thou beest a dishonourer of Parents a Theefe or a Lyer c. thou faylest in this dutie And therefore when I bid you come in Loue I meane that you should so loue your Neighbours that you should seeke both in thought word and deed to aduance them and their estate as your owne The end of the fifth Lecture THE SIXTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER THAT which we are now to speake of is by way of digression into the Argument of the Lords Supper to prepare vs against the next Lords day wherein we purpose if God giue vs life and grace to meet at the Lords Table Some profitable meditations therefore we are to receiue to prepare and season vs before wee come The first of those Heads whereunto wee did reduce this Doctrine of the Lords Supper were the names and titles that were giuen to it and some of them we shewed were more common to the whole action and some more proper to the parts of it We began with those which were more common to the whole action wherein we are to proceed First It is called The Lords Table Secondly The Lords Supper Thirdly The Communion Now followes the fourth title which is giuen to it and that is The New Testament For so it is called by our Sauiour himselfe in the first institution of it as it is reported by three seuerall Euangelists Math. 26.28 This is my Blood of the New Testament Marke 14.24 There is the same words Luke 22.20 This Cup is that New Testament in my Blood And the testimonie of these three Euangelists is seconded with the after-witnesse of the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 11.25 This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood All concurre together verie plainly calling this Sacrament The New Testament Mathew and Marke speake plaine enough that he spake it of the Cup for so the course of the Text directly entends Math. 26.27 Marke 14.23 Also he tooke the Cup c. that is plaine enough But Luke and Paul speake more pregnantly and expresly that he said This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood they name the Cup. If we will rightly apprehend and apply this truth we must receiue it with these cautions First whereas it is spoken of the Cup it is to be vnderstood of the Wine in the Cup Secondly whereas it is affirmed onely of the Wine that that is the New Testament it is to be vnderstood of the Bread also Thirdly wee must not set it on the Racke and stretch it further then the nature of a Sacrament will beare it First howsoeuer it be said the Cup by name yet it is to be vnderstood of the Wine in the Cup by an ordinarie figuratiue speech whereby the thing contained is signified by the name of the thing containing I will giue you an instance of the verie same nature time and place Luke 12.17 18. And he tooke the Cup and gaue thankes and said Take this and diuide it among you Our Sauiour sitting at the Passeouer with his Disciples giues them the Cup and bids them diuide it amongst them What the materiall Cup No but the Wine in the Cup. It is the fruit of the Vine the Wine they were to drinke of as Verse 18. I will not drinke of the fruit of the Vine c. And surely it holds by proportion to the Bread in the Sacrament For of the Bread it is said This is my Body Math. 26.26 And therefore that which he saith of This is my Blood must needs be the Wine Secondly howsoeuer it is spoken of the Cup onely by name yet it is entended proportionally of the Bread and so of the whole Sacrament For both kinds make but one Sacrament and therefore the Bread being as substantiall a part of the Sacrament as the Wine looke whatsoeuer is ascribed or whatsoeuer benefit ariseth by the Wine the same also is to be acknowledged in the Bread and whosoeuer shall make the Cup the New Testament and not the Bread doth thereby as much as in him lyes dissunder the Body of Christ from his Blood and so disanull this whole Testament Thirdly the speech is not to be set on the Racke and stretched further then the nature of a Sacrament will beare This Cup is the New Testament c. Not that it is so in it selfe it is not meant that that is the substance of the Testament it selfe but onely Sacramentally according to the entendment of speeches in the like kind in all other Sacraments that is This is the Pledge and Seale of the New Testament That we may
carrie the businesse wholly and plainly before vs whereas there be foure witnesses of this Truth it is needfull and profitable for vs to compare all these testimonies together for by this meanes if there be any seeming difference betwixt them they shall be accorded and so the Scripture shall bee iustified from contradiction Secondly so that which is defectiue in the one shall be supplyed in the other Thirdly so shall we be more fully perswaded of the truth hereof being confirmed out of the mouth of many witnesses and so we shall vnderstand the whole mind of God touching this businesse And because the Euangelist Mathew is more copious then any of the other his testimonie shall be the rule that we will compare reduce the rest vnto Math. 26.28 This is my Blood of the New Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes This that is this Cup or this Wine or this Sacrament as we heard the meaning was before and herein they all agree Is my Blood which if it be grossely and carnally to be vnderstood as the Capernaits did vnderstand it Iohn 6.51 and as the Papists doe in this verie case it is impossible in euerie Mans vnderstanding that Christ should giue them his Blood whilest he was aliue but if it were possible yet the speech is fearfull and the action sauage both on his part and theirs that he should poure out the Blood of his owne Body into the Cup and they should drinke of it If they had so taken his meaning trembling and horror would haue beene vpon them euen to death that they should drinke Mans Blood yea the naturall Blood of their louing Master and the Sonne of God this had beene a sauage thing But vnderstand it as he meant it spiritually and sacramentally then it is full of comfort This is my Blood that is the Signe and Seale and Pledge of my Blood as if he should haue said to them If ye drinke of this Wine and withall lift vp your Hearts and haue Faith in my Blood the Wine shall be thorough Gods ordinance and the liuely operation of the Holy Ghost as effectuall to you to all sauing purposes as if my owne Blood were as naturally or certainly in you as in my selfe The New Testament which is spoken in opposition to the former Testament There was a Testament before but that is old this is new and there was Blood before but that was of Beasts and Birds this is of himselfe My Blood of the New Testament Here is some seeming difference betwixt them Mathew and Marke agree This is my Blood of the New Testament Luke and Paul differ from them Luke 22.20 1 Cor. 11.25 This is the New Testament in my Blood This is onely in the manner of the speech not in the meaning the ioynt entendment of them all is to shew that this Blood is proper and peculiar to the New Testament in respect of the full exhibition of it whereby it is ordained ratified and confirmed and wherein the whole force and power of the New Testament consists as the former Testament was by the Blood of Buls and Goats so this is by the Blood of Christ and this we may see Hebr. 9.10 c. This is the Blood of the Testament which God hath appointed to you And hereto answers the speech of Mathew and Marke This is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for you and in Verse 18. the Apostle saith The Old Testament was not ordained without Blood and so also the New Testament is not ordained without Blood So we see that though the witnesses differ in words yet their meaning is one and the same which is shed It was not then actually shed yet it was effectuall then and alwayes from the beginning It was the Blood of the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the World Times breake no square with God for there is no difference of times with him at all This is added purposely to shew that it is not simply the Blood of Christ that saues vs but his Blood shed And that when we come to the Lords Table we come not to celebrate his Incarnation so much whereby he tooke our Blood on him but his Death whereby he shed his Blood for vs and for many It is not for all the World in generall as some foolishly immagine but it is restrayned to some nor yet it is not limited to the Disciples onely nor yet to the Iewes onely as the former Testament was but to many If you will know who this many is looke into the first of Iohn To as many as receiued him To as many as beleeue in his Name euen to the whole many of the World that receiue Christ and beleeue in his Name Of all Nations some The Euangelist Luke and Paul add one thing further Which is shed for you Which is not meant of the Disciples onely but for the whole Church for the benefit of all the Faithfull And it giues vs further to vnderstand that whosoeuer comes to the Lords Table must receiue particularly for himselfe as if Christ were there present and should say vnto them This is for you and for you Lastly For the remission of sinnes there is the benefit of it I but will some say haue we no other benefit by it Haue we not our Regeneration and our Iustification c. by the shedding of Christs Blood Yes surely but that is set downe for all the rest I but haue I not remission of sinnes by his Body as well as by his Blood Yes surely but it is rather said so of his Blood because of the Sacrifices of the Law which were a Type of Christs Sacrifice and were offered by Blood Secondly howsoeuer his Body is auaileable to remission of sinnes yet it is so farre forth as it is crucified and his Blood shed and thus we are to conceiue of these things Now we come to the points of Doctrine and Instruction that arise from hence The first thing that our Sauiour speakes of is the New Testament that is the ground of all Doct. 1 The point we obserue from hence is this The state of all the Faithfull that haue liued or doe liue or shall liue from the death of Christ to the Worlds end doth stand and hold by a new Testament or Couenant betwixt God and them Testament and Couenant are not all one amongst Men but in matters of Grace and Saluation betwixt God and Man they are all one Gods Couenant is his Testament and his Testament is his Couenant Circumcision though it were a bare Couenant not ratified by the death of the Testator and therefore properly no Testament yet it is called a Testament Act. 7.8 All the interest that euer any Man had in the free grace and saluation of God they had it meerely by force and vertue of a Couenant For Man hauing nothing but what he receiues from God he can haue no assurance to nor any good by any thing but what he
I will not stand to make repetition of that which I haue formerly spoken because of the ordinarie repetition that we haue euerie Sabboth of that which was deliuered the Sabboth before and therefore to omit the exposition of the Text which then we did largely insist vpon we are now to proceed to the matter of obseruation We began with one point namely concerning the New Testament shewing that all the hold that euer the Faithfull haue in Christ is onely by the force and power and vertue of the New Testament That was the first obseruation That being finished we are now to proceed as God shall giue strength and assistance to the other obseruations that the Text will afford vs. We see that this Text doth mainly and directly concerne this businesse that we haue in hand and therefore it is needfull that we should insist so much the more vpon it Yet I doe not meane to make any curious search into euerie particular for that would be too tedious onely I will fixe and insist God willing vpon such speciall and needfull points as are most naturall to the Text and materiall to our purpose The second thing the speciall and principall point that here is to be spoken vnto is concerning the Blood of Christ This is the Blood of the New Testament The New Testament we spake of before now we are to speake of the Blood This is my Blood of the New Testament Which may be taken as this Euangelist reports the speech of our Sauiour Christ so in Marke 14.24 This is my Blood of the New Testament Then the entendment is that this Blood is proper and peculiar to this Testament But if we take it as Luke reports it Luke 22.20 and as Paul reports it in the 1 Cor. 11.25 This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood c. then the entendment of it is this namely this Testament is ratified and confirmed by the Blood of Christ as by the speciall Scale thereof and that the fruit and power and benefit of this same New Testament doth wholly rest vpon Christ his Blood answerable therefore to this ground we will draw the Doctrine and obseruation Take it thus namely that seeing our Sauiour saith that this is my Blood of the New Testament obserue this point Doct. That all the power and efficacie of the New Testament and of the worke of our Redemption by Christ is founded and grounded and established vpon the Blood of Christ This is the New Testament in my Blood We will speake first a word or two by explication to vnfold the knot and so proceed to the proofe of it First for explication all the power and efficacie of the New Testament and of the worke of our Redemption by Christ is founded and established vpon the Blood of Christ You see here I ioyne the New Testament and the worke of our Redemption both together The reason is because they are in effect one and the same the verie substance of the New Testament is the verie worke of our Redemption and one and the same Person Christ is the Mediator of them both It is Christ that is the Mediator of the New Testament and it is he that is the Mediator of the worke of our Redemption Secondly I say it is founded and stablished in Christ For this Testament is a Couenant or a Promise Now wee know that all the Promises of God are in Christ Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 All Gods Promises they are made in Christ and are verified in Christ and haue all their force in Christ and so is this Promise of the New Testament Thirdly and lastly I say vpon the Blood of Christ as Christ shedding his owne Blood for it if so be it were the Blood of any or of all the World besides it could doe no good it could not make good this Couenant But when Christ saith This is my Blood of the New Testament here the New Testament is perfectly confirmed and the worke of our Redemption is thoroughly accomplished And so much for the explication of the point Secondly For the proofe of it that all the power and efficacie of the New Testament and the worke of our Redemption is founded and stablished vpon the Blood of Christ Esay 53. from Verse 3 to the 12. there the Prophet sets before vs Christ Iesus as our Mediator as our Redeemer Hee speakes more like an Euangelist then like a Prophet he speakes so plaine But for the most part all the description that he makes concerning Christ is concerning his humiliation and so speakes concerning the benefits that we haue by Christ as comming to vs by his humiliation he was despised reiected of Men he was wounded oppressed afflicted broken and the like and in Verse 5. it is said With his stripes we are healed the healing of vs commeth by the stripes of Christ Iesus all tending to the Blood of Christ And in Verse 12. we are giuen a portion of God to him because he hath not spared to poure out his Soule vnto the death The Holy Ghost sets forth Christ as a Mediator of the New Testament and of our Redemption and these things they concerne his Blood and sheweth the benefit that we haue by him which is by his humiliation by his stripes and he ceased not to poure out his Soule to the Death To speake some-wnat more particularly of the point because it is a verie necessarie point to be spoken of and though euerie one of vs can speake of it yet we haue not a true rellish of it we cannot digest it and therefore I would faine worke the true rellish of it into your Hearts The Scripture doth propound our Sauiour vnto vs as the Mediatour of the New Testament and of the worke of our Redemption in sundry particular tearmes and generally all of them tend to this effect to shew that all the power vertue and efficacie of the New Testament and of our Redemption is founded and stablished vpon the Blood of Christ these sixe particulars especially First Christ in his Suffering or Christ punished for vs. Secondly Christ in his Offering or Christ sacrificed for vs. Thirdly Christ in his Obedience or Christ humbled for vs. Fourthly Christ on the Crosse or Christ crucified for vs. Fifthly Christ and his Death or Christ dying for vs. Sixthly Christ and his Blood or Christ killed and slaine for vs. First Christ in his Suffering or Christ punished for vs which is not onely restrained to his sufferings and afflictions in this life as slanders persecutions hunger and the like but to be extended to the maine and greatest suffering of all namely to the losse of his Life the shedding of his Blood and the pouring out of his Soule Luke 24.46 47. Christ speakes there so of himselfe Thus it behooueth Christ to suffer and to rise againe That repentance and remission of sinnes might be preached in his Name The suffering there spoken of is Christ his dying as appeares by the opposition
is ascribed to the Blood of Christ so our Redemption is ascribed to the Blood of Christ Ephes 1.7 Reuel 5.9 and in the 1 Pet. 1.19 all runs vpon the Blood of Christ Reuel 1.5 We are washed from our sinnes in his Blood 1 Iohn 1.7 The Blood of Christ cleanseth vs from all our sinnes The fetching of vs within the Couenant of Grace is by the Blood of Christ Ephes 2.13 and so indeed is the whole worke of our Redemption ascribed to the Blood of Christ You see then how rich and plentifull the Scripture is in this Argument all tending wholly to this effect to teach vs that the verie matter whereupon the New Testament and the worke of our Redemption is founded and stablished is the Blood of the Lord Iesus I am bold to insist so long vpon the proofe of this point because the Scripture is so plentifull in it Wee will come now to the Reasons Reas 1 The first Reason may be drawn from the nature of a Couenant amongst Men Wherein stands it Not in the making and writing of it but in the sealing of it Here is a Couenant made betweene God and Man that he will forgiue vs our sinnes and that he will sanctifie vs and it is sealed by the Blood of Christ and therefore it is called the Blood of the New Testament It is true indeed that all the Couenants and Promises of God are firme and sure in themselues because God hath made them and they need no Seale yet because God hauing made this Couenant respectiuely that he would haue it sealed and confirmed by the Blood of Christ Iesus Therefore looke whatsoeuer force and benefit it is of to vs it is by vertue of the Blood of Christ And hence it is that whosoeuer can shew this Seale for themselues that they haue part in this Blood of Christ they may challenge that they haue their part in the Couenant and whosoeuer cannot they haue no part in it Reas 2 The second Reason is drawne from the nature of a Testament which must alwayes be confirmed by the death of the Testator and is not of force before the partie be dead the Apostle applyes it so in Hebr. 9.16 17. Reas 3 The third Reason is drawne from the nature of a Sacrifice a burnt Offering a propitiatorie Sacrifice a Sacrifice for sinne No Sacrifice that was to be offered for sinne but it was to be killed and offered in Blood Leuit. 1.7 and therefore Christ comming to be a Sacrifice for the sinnes of the World he must be killed and slaine Reas 4 The fourth Reason it holds by way of proportion betweene the New Testament and the Old The Old Testament was confirmed by Blood and so must the New In the Old Testament the Pascall Lambe must be slaine and killed and so in the New Testament Christ must be killed and slaine Likewise the Sacrifice of the Law must be killed slaine and Blood shed so the Sacrifice of the New Testament Christ must be slaine and shed his Blood Reas 5 The fifth Reason is drawne from the rigour of the Law which did necessarily require it and could not be dispenced withall but whosoeuer sinnes must dye the death and therefore Christ being our Redeemer he must endure that death which we must haue suffered else the Law could neuer haue beene satisfied Reas 6 Againe it stands with the Iustice of God which must haue an absolute and perfect satisfaction It cannot be satisfied with any thing in the World but with the Blood of the Sonne of God Acts 20.28 Take heed therefore vnto your selues and to all the Flocke ouer the which the Holy Ghost hath made you Quer-seers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne Blood Marke now this stands with the Iustice of God God was offended and he must receiue full satisfaction therefore when Christ came to satisfie he could not satisfie but onely by his Blood Nay I say more Christ could not haue satisfied but that it was by the Blood of the Sonne of God that the infinitenesse of the Person satisfying might be answerable to the infinitenesse of the Person offended and that is the chiefe reason of the Doctrine Reas 7 Then another Reason is the haynousnesse of sinne The reward of sinne is death and where is no shedding of Blood there is no remission and therefore whosoeuer comes as a Mediator of the New Testament to procure for vs the remission of our sinnes his Blood must be shed else our sinnes still remaine vnpardoned And so much for the Reasons The Vses Vse 1 First It teacheth vs what it is that the Eye of our Faith should principally respect and looke vpon Christ and the hand of our Faith principally lay hold on when we doe imbrace Christ namely the Blood of Christ the Crosse of Christ the Obedience and Suffering of Christ c. in a word Christ crucified that is the subiect that our Faith must take hold vpon Christ crucified is the obiect of our knowledge 1 Cor. 2.2 I desire to know nothing but Christ and him crucified And the same is the matter of our reioycing Gal. 6.14 God forbid that I should reioyce but in the Crosse of Christ The Blood of Christ is the ground and verie foundation of our Faith Rom. 3.25 Through Faith in his Blood c. What is it that the Faith of a beleeuing Man doth most properly embrace but the Blood of Christ The Iewes reuile vs because we beleeue in a crucified God and the Gentiles they deride and mocke vs because we trust to be saued in him that could not saue himselfe but sufrered such a cruell death Well howsoeuer it be saith the Apostle that he is to the Iewes a stumbling blocke and to the Grecians foolishnesse yet vnto vs he is the power of God and the wisedome of God He is the verie power of God without which God cannot ordinarily saue a Man And the verie wisedome of God without which God will not ordinarily saue a Man It is a world of heauenly comforts that a spirituall minded Man may gather vnto himselfe in the meditation and the beholding of the death of Christ when we thinke of Christ crucified and of Christ shedding his Blood there you may see First our sinnes punished to the full Secondly there we may see our sinnes pardoned to the full Thirdly there we may see our sinnes crucified and mortified and subdued by his Blood and by the power of the death of Christ soundly applyed to our Soules and Considences our sinnes begin to dye and to be mortified and to be crucified in vs. Fourthly in Christ crucified we may behold the Flesh crucified Gal. 5.24 we may see our wicked humors to be mortified and to be beaten downe and crucified within vs. Againe when as we thinke vpon Christ crucified why there we doe find indeed the verie crucifying of our selues to the World and the World to vs Gal. 6.14 Before we were caried after the things
is thoroughly accomplished and so hast part in that Couenant It is called the Blood of the euerlasting Couenant Hebr. 13.20 and whosoeuer they be that haue a true part in this they cannot fall away to them it is the Blood of an euerlasting Couenant But as for others that in their owne apprehension imbrace Christ and make great shewes and tast some rellish of the Blood of Christ if they fall away there is no more Sacrifice for them no more Sacrifice for sinne but the Blood of Christ and he cannot dye againe What then shall be their portion nothing but a fearefull expectation of vengeance and deuouring Fire that shall set vpon them for their vtter mine and destruction As this is a comfortable Meditation the worke of out Redemption by the Blood of Christ so let vs know that if we shall abuse it and prophane it and forsake the sweet communion and fellowship that we haue in Christ in the participation of this Couenant then there is no hope of mercie for we haue brought our selues into a forlorne case wilfully casting away this grace of our Redemption The end of the seuenth Lecture THE EIGHTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER BY occasion of the time that the next Lords Day wee purpose God willing to come to the Lords Table wee are now to make digression into the Argument of the Lords Supper I shewed you that one of the titles giuen to the Lords Supper is the New Testament as it is set downe by Mathew Marke Luke and Paul and because Mathew is most plentifull in setting downe the words of our Sauiour we made choyce of his words to speake of Math. 26.28 For this is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes And we propounded these three particulars to insist vpon The first whereof is this that it is called here the New Testament and there we shewed that all the hold we haue in God as many of vs as liue vnder the state of the Gospell we hold it by force and vertue of a New Testament as the old being abolished The next point was the Blood of Christ the Seale whereby the Testament is confirmed The third followes to be handled and that is the benefit that followes of this Testament and by the Blood of Christ and that is remission of sinnes for so it followes Which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes as that being the reach and end of both both of the New Testament and of the Blood of Christ God is pure holy iust and righteous pure and therefore free from sinne holy and therefore hating sinne iust and therefore condemning sinne righteous and therefore a punisher of sinne Man is full of sinne and therefore vncleane and therefore hatefull to God and therefore damnable and punishable by the rule of Gods Iustice in so much that there is no hope nor possibilitie that euer any Couenant of Loue and Peace should be established betwixt God and Man except first sinne be remoued and therefore our Sauiour Christ interposing himselfe a Mediator betwixt God and Man to make such a Couenant must take such a course as whereby sinne might be taken out of the way and sinne cannot be taken away vnlesse it be remitted on Gods part and God will not nor in Iustice cannot remit it without shedding of Blood for where there is no shedding of Blood there is no remission Hence it is that Christ our Mediator comming to make this Couenant sheds his Blood for the remission of our sinnes And this is the right straine and meaning of these words My Blood which is shed for many far the remission of sinnes In handling these words First we will consider of the phrase or manner of speech here vsed Remission of sinnes Secondly we will remoue some exceptions or doubts And thirdly we will proceed to the obseruation First touching the phrase or matter of speech Remission of sinnes that is forgiuenesse of sinnes There are sundry phrases in Scripture that signifie forgiuenesse to couer to forget not to impute to blot out to wash away sinne but none either more vsual or significant then this to remit that is to let goe or passe by or to loose sinne It doth most pithily vnfold both the nature of sin and of forgiuenesse Sinne hath a double respect First to God himselfe Secondly to his Law I grant that there is but little difference in the thing it selfe for that which is done against God is done against his Law and that which is done against Gods Law is done against God himselfe But yet for Doctrine sake we distinguish them so in our consideration First sinne hath respect to God himselfe for if there were no Lawes made to forbid and punish misdemenours done against the Kings person yet if a Subiect do ought against him he is an offendor and iustly punishable euen because the one is a Subiect and the other a King so if God had made no Lawes at all against sinne yet if we do any thing against God we are sinners and iustly lyable to Gods wrath and sentence of his displeasure euen because he is God Sinne is a wrong to God for he being our Creator and we his workemanship if we should doe him his right we should giue him all our whole seruice then when we sinne we faile of that and so we wrong God Now when God forgiues vs our sinnes he remits or puts vp our wrongs so sinne is a dishonour to God he being perfectly holy and hauing made vs holy too By holinesse we glorifie God Ps 50.23 He that offereth prayse glorifieth me By sinne we dishonour him as being that which is vtterly vnbeseeming both our selues and our Maker when he forgiues sinne he remits and passeth by this dishonour Sinne is an opposition and enmitie against God hee being goodnesse it selfe Ps 51.4 Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned When he forgiues sinne he remits or lets goe this enmitie not laying it to heart nor taking notice of it Secondly sinne hath respect to Gods Law whereto it also carries direct opposition for sinne is the transgression of the Law Gods Law is a binder it layes a strait chaine or bond of perfect obedience vpon euerie Man whereby we are necessarily tied to do all that Gods Law commands and to auoid all that it forbids whensoeuer we faile either in omitting the good or committing the euill we stand bound in the bonds of the Law not performed when God forgiues vs our sinnes he remits these bonds for the time past looseth vs from them for so the Apostle restraines it to the time past Rom. 3.25 To declare his righteousnesse by the forgiuenesse of sinnes that are passed It layes a second bond on vs by consequence and that it that when we haue sinned we are in bondage to sinne He that commits sinne is the seruant of sinne Iohn 8.34 And how comes this to passe Meerely by the
rigour of the Law punishing sinne past by a subiection to sin afterward when God forgiues vs our sinnes he remits and looseth these bonds also There is a third bond and that is the heauiest of all the eternall curse of God vpon transgresssors wrapping them in chaines of eternall darkenesse and damnation Deut. 27.26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them When God forgiues vs our sinnes he remits and looseth vs of these bonds too in Christ he sets vs free from them Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the Law when he was made a curse for vs. To shut vp this point our sinnes are vsually called our debts Math. 6. and Gods forgiuing is the remitting or releasing of these debts wherein the Lord as he is rich in mercie shewes himselfe an exceeding mercifull Creditor he remits not onely the forfeiture and penaltie which is the curse but euen the whole bond the principall debt of obedience it selfe for the time past for that which we did owe vnto God and haue not payd him Thus much light we haue receiued touching this sweet and heauenly Doctrine of forgiuenesse of sinnes by the occasion and benefit of this phrase Remission that is loosing our sinnes Secondly A doubt or two is to be remoued touching the matter it selfe Remission of sinnes First is this the onely benefit of Christ Blood shed Is this the whole substance of the New Testament I answer no it is not the Testament containes two branches Iustification and Sanctification the remission of sinnes and the renewing of the Heart so the words are Ierem. 31.31 c. which is die place where this Couenant is originally mentioned and so Christs Blood is shed for the confirmation of both but onely this named by a figuratiue speech in other cases of like nature yea in this verie case in other places of Scripture Ierem. 32.38 c. I will giue them one Heart an done way that they may feare me for euer c. He speakes that of our Sanctification but vnder that branch is vnderstood and meant the whole Couenant Remission of sinnes too though it be not exprest So in Rom. 11.27 which the Apostle quotes out of Esay 27.9 there is mention made of the Couenant and he names but one branch of it without the other Remission of sinnes and not Sanctification but both are to be vnderstood and being both but one Couenant one may well stand for both The New Testament and Christ his Blood shed is as well effectuall for the one as for the other Secondly here seemes to be some contradiction in the words to shed Blood for sinne entends satisfaction and remission of sinne entends free pardon How is that said to be remitted that is fully satisfied for And how is that fully satisfied for that is freely remitted I answer they are so farre from contradiction that they must necessarily goe together For where there is no shedding of Blood there is no remission which is as much to say where there is no satisfaction there is no forgiuenesse God is exactly iust and exactly mercifull and he cannot shew exact Iustice but he must shew exact Mercie Gods exact Iustice requires that sinnes be fully satisfied for his exact Mercie requires that they be freely forgiuen so in respect of Iustice they are fully satisfied for but in respect of Mercie they are freely forgiuen Againe consider Christ and our selues in respect of Christ our sinnes are not freely forgiuen but satisfied for in respect of vs they are not satisfied for but freely forgiuen It is full satisfaction in him but free forgiuenesse to vs. These points being cleered let vs come in the third place to the Doctrine and that is this in that it is here said Blood shed for the remission of sinnes Obserue that the whole and entire benefit of all Christs doings and sufferings for vs is chiefely and indeed wholly and really conferred vpon vs in the remission of our sinnes Ephes 1.7 By whom we haue redemption thorough his Blood euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes By whom who is that there spoken of It is Iesus Christ of whom in the former Verses the Apostle saith That all the good we haue from God is bestowed vpon vs in him And what hath he done for vs Redeemed vs By whom we haue redemption And how hath he wrought our redemption Thorough his Blood And wherein doth it consist In forgiuenesse of sinnes By whom we haue redemption thorough his Blood euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes So that when our sinnes are forgiuen then we are made partakers of the whole worke of Redemption and of the whole benefit of Christs doings and sufferings Act. 2.38 Amend your liues And be baptized euerie one of you in the Name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes Why all that are truly baptized into Christ are partakers of him and all his merits and henefits That is true but yet the Apostle bids them to repent and be baptized in the Name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes Giuing vs to vnderstand thereby that when we haue obtained that we haue obtained all the rest together with it Acts 10.43 To him giue all the Prophets witnesse that thorough his Name whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall receiue remission of sinnes It is not the Apostles reach to shew that the faithfull shall haue nothing else but remission of sinnes thorough his Name but contrarily that they shall haue the whole benefit of all things that belongs to Saluation If once we haue remission of sinnes then we shall haue newnesse of life the pledge of the Spirit all that belongs to Glorie and Saluation Rom. 3.15 Whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in hit Blood to declare hit righteousuesse by the forgiuenesse of sinnes c. The summe of the Apostles speech is this God declares his righteousnes in sauing those that haue Faith in the Blood of Christ whom he hath set forth to be a reconciliation betwixt him and vs euen by the forgiuenesse of their sinnes 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world vnto himselfe How Not imputing their sinnes vnto them Rom. 11.27 And this is my Covenant to them when I shall take away their sinnes Specifying the circumstance of the time it proues the point verie directly that then the Couenant is made when sinne is taken away then is all made sure betwixt God vs. Ps 32.1 2. The Prophet describes a blessed Man and sets him forth by both the parts of this Couenant Iustification and Sanctification The Apostle Rom. 4.7 8. quoting that very place and handling the same Argument names but Iustification and placeth blessednesse in that as that being in a manner all in all to our Saluation If once we get remission of sinnes we haue right to all the rest of the Couenant Reas 1 The first Reason is drawne from the nature of sinne Our sinnes are our debts whereby we become
We left in Math 26.28 This is my Blood of the New Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes which place as I shewed you doth most copiously and plainly proue vnto vs this title that belongs to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper namely that it is called the New Testament for that is the head we did reduce this place vnto Wherein we haue shewed you First concerning the New Testament the Matter and Subiect here spoken of Secondly we haue shewen concerning the Blood of the New Testament whereby this the Testament is confirmed and sealed This is the Blood of the New Testament Thirdly the benefite both of this Testament and of the Blood of Christ Remission of sinnes Lastly the Persons that are partakers of this benefit That is many The whole World of Beleeuers This is the Blood of the New Testament shed for many So much then shall suffice to be spoken of these words as they are considered absolutely in themselues so as they concerne the death of Christ We are now further to consider of them as they are respectiuely intended and applyed to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for you shall vnderstand that our Sauiour here performed two businesses in one First he sheweth the redemption of the beleeuing World by his sauing Death This is my Blood shed c. This Blood of the New Testament it is the onely procuring cause of remission of sinnes and of the Saluation of you and of all that are or shall be saued and to this effect tends all that hitherto hath beene spoken The second thing our Sauiour performes here in this case is the confirmation or applycation of this his sauing Death to the Disciples and the rest of the beleeuing World in and by the Sacrament of the Lords Supper This is the Blood of the New Testament c. That is to say This Sacrament which I now haue in hand is a speciall and excellent meanes whereby to apply this my sauing Death to you and to euerie beleeuing Receiuer And thus and in this sence we are now to treat vpon it This is the Blood c. As it is spoken respectiuely by applycation to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Thus we must conceiue of it that it is vttered by our Sauiour by a kind of maiestie and speciall grace of speech This these Elements this Bread and Wine this Sacrament this Action we now haue in hand For indeed it imports an institution of a new Sacrament and of a most excellent Sacrament As if he should say All the Faithfull that euer haue liued from the beginning of the World haue had some Sacrament or other as the Cognisance of their profession as the nourishment of their Faith as outward testifications of the mutuall Couenant betwixt God and them But this saith our Sauiour is the Blood of the New Testament This is a new Sacrament such as none of them euer had this is a more liuely and sensible representation of your reconciliation vnto God then euer the Faithfull before you were made partakers of This is the Blood of the New Testament To make our Sauiour his meaning plaine and perfect to euerie Mans vnderstanding we must supply two Rules that are here implied and presumed vpon The first is this That euerie Couenant betwixt God and Man must be confirmed by some outward signe and Sacrament The second that there must be a due proportion betwixt the Couenant that is confirmed and the Sacrament that doth confirme the Couenant The first Rule euerie Couenant betwixt God and Man must be ratified and confirmed by some Sacrament and outward signe God deales with vs herein in great wisedome and mercie meeting both with our Infidelitie and with our Apostacie our slipperinesse to fall from him with our Infidelitie because we hardly will beleeue him vnlesse he bind himselfe to vs by some outward signe with our slipperinesse to fall from him because we easily start and budge from him except we be bound to him by some outward signe as by a continual remembrancer calling vpon vs to hold fast our hope we haue in him The second Rule There must be a due proportion betwixt the Couenant that is sealed and the Sacrament which ratifies and seales it Old and weake Couenants and well enough if they be sealed with old and weaker Sacraments But saith our Sauiour This is a New Testament and then here must be a new Sacrament An old Couenant an old Sacrament A new Couenant a new Sacrament A new Sacrament and a new Couenant agree But a new Sacrament and an old Couenant are mis-matcht they must be sorted in their kind our Sauiour giues the Rule Marke 2.21 22. which by application may be alleaged in the case No Man puts new wine into an old Vessell c. Old Sacraments doe not agree with the New Testament let them goe with the old This New Testament must haue new Sacraments This Testament saith our Sauiour which I come to make and to seale with my Blood Is the New Testament and therefore here is also anew Sacrament The Testament being better then the former the Sacrament must therefore be better then the former And here it is that he speakes with such a maiestie as if he should say This is such as neuer any of the Faithfull had before my comming in the Flesh And so much for the fitting of this speech of our Sauiours to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper For in the words there is no difference Apply them to the Death of Christ and then the case is plaine This is my Blood c. That is My Blood of the New Testament is effectuall for the forgiuenesse of sins Apply them to the Sacrament and in a Sacramentall sence It is the very Blood of Christ shed for the remission of sinnes We come to such obseruations as here arise for our instruction when it is said This is my Blood speaking of the Sacrament hence obserue that Doct. The Sacrament of the Supper is proper to the state of the New Testament onely This is my Blood of the New Testament Our Sauiour appropriates this Sacrament to this Testament onely 1 Cor. 10.21 It is called there by the name of the Lords Table which very name proues the point in hand the Lords Table that is the Table of the Lord Iesus not onely such a Table as where in Christ was the Food fed vpon for so he was in some sort in the Sacraments of the former Testament but such as wherein the Lord Iesus himselfe was bodily present in his Flesh such as he himselfe with his bodily presence did speed ordaine and institute for a memoriall of those things he had done and suffered alreadie for the worke of our Redemption as a Mediator and therefore may well be called the Table of the New Testament as Luke 22.20 Christ already come Christ bodily present amongst vs this belongs to the New Testament Hebr. 10.7 c. Loe I come In the
beginning of the Booke it is written of me c. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second The bodily comming of our Sauiour in the Flesh was the establishment of the New Testament Christ being bodily present in the Flesh at this Table in the Flesh because his Flesh was that onely which he was bodily present in and the Table being spread for a memoriall that he was come and suffered in the Flesh is therefore proper onely to the New Testament 1 Cor. 11.20 It is there called The Lords Supper Why is it so called but because it was instituted at the last Supper which the Lord in the dayes of his Flesh made and which he did appoint as a witnesse of his Will and Testament for euer Now what is the state of the New Testament but the state of sauing Grace which the Lord Iesus hath brought vnto vs from Heauen when he came amongst vs liued amongst vs dyned amongst vs and supped amongst vs But that state of sauing Grace which he preached and published with with his owne Mouth in the time of his Life But that state of sauing Grace which he sealed and confirmed with his owne Blood at his Death But that state of sauing Grace which he as it were in the twy-light betwixt the day of his Life and the houre of his Death did ratifie and confirme by this Sacrament of the Supper This state of sauing Grace is the New Testament and therefore the Lords Supper is the Sacrament of the New Testament 1 Cor. 10.16 The Cup of Blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Bread which we breake is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ Here you see the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is the Communion of the Body Blood of Christ In the Sacraments of the Old Testament his Blood was shadowed In the New Testament it is really communicated In the Sacraments of the former Testament Christ was in some measure really communicated in his Body Blood to the Faithfull but darkely weakely and sparingly But here he is communicated vnto them clearely powerfully and bountifully In a word Christ his Body and Blood was communicated to the Faithfull vnder the former Testament in the Sacrament to be broken to be shed But here in the New Testament his Body as being already broken and his Blood as already shed This belongs to the New Testament and therefore this is the Sacrament of the New Testament In Luke 22.19 Doe this in remembrance of me speaking of this Sacrament Now remembrance is properly of the things that are past Christ hath ordained this as a remembrance of his doings already past the matter of our Saluation as of a matter already fulfilled This is the voyce of the Gospell of the New Testament Christ is already come as the voyce of the Law was Christ is to come That I say is the voyce of the New Testament And therefore the Sacrament of the Supper is a Sacrament of the New Testament 1 Cor. 11.26 As oft as you eat of this Bread and drinke of this Cup you shew forth the Lords Death till he come He saith not you foreshew that was for the Sacraments of the Old Testament but you doe shew that is you declare publish and expresse the Death of Christ You celebrate shew forth and sensibly act his Death the thing before acted vpon the Crosse The Reasons of the point are these Reas 1 First Christ himselfe is the Mediator of the New Testament Hebr. 9.5 and 12.24 that is Christ is the maker good of the Couenant of Grace betwixt God and Man for to be the mediator of the Testament is to make good a Testament Christ did this by his Blood by his Intercession and Redemption there is the Office of our Sauiour here is his taske here is the businesse he is to be imployed in He was not carelesse in going about his owne businesse He was not a medler in other Mens matters He would not make Lawes for others but for his owne He would not set his Seale to another Mans Testament but to his owne This Testament is his he made it good he ratified it with his owne Blood The Sacrament was his because he instituted it this being presumed vpon that he would not meddle with other Mens matters make Lawes for others or set his Seale to other Mens Bonds and so forth The Sacrament being ordained by him to be a Seale thereof is therefore the Sacrament of the New Testament Reas 2 Secondly The word whereunto this is annexed is the New Testament The Gospel what is that The Couenant of sauing Grace and that is Hebr. 10.16 17. I will put my Lawes into their Hearts and in their Minds will I write them Their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more The word whereunto this Sacrament is annexed is the Couenant of Grace such as the word is such is the Sacrament But the word is the New Testament therefore the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must be of the New Testament onely Reas 3 Thirdly The whole Couenant of Grace is the ministration of the New Testament onely 2 Cor. 3.6 God hath made vs able Ministers of the New Testament Such as the ministration is such must be the holy things they administer The ministration is of the New Testament therefore the holy things administred the Word and Sacraments are of the New Testament Aaron and his Sonns were Ministers of the holy things of the Law Christ and his Apostles are Ministers of the Gospell and of the Couenant of Grace Aaron and his Sonnes must not meddle with the Sacraments of the Gospell Christ and his Apostles must not meddle with the Sacraments and Sacrifices of the Old Testament They must keepe themselues to their owne Such as the ministration is such are the things administred Our whole ministration is of the New Testament and therefore the holy things administred as the Sacraments are proper to the New Testament onely Reas 4 Fourthly The things themselues that are sealed by this Sacrament are pledges of the New Testament The Body and Blood of Christ are pledges of the New Testament they are proper to that and therfore the Sacraments where by it is signed sealed and represented and set forth vnto vs must be of the New Testament For the Blood is Christs This is my Blood c. The Testament is Christs he made it good The Sacrament is Christs he ordained and instituted it and he doth in this speech annex it to his Blood inseparably and withall to the Testament inseparably and so consequently he annexes the Sacrament inseparably to the New Testament And surely when our Sauiour saith This is my Blood of the New Testament he speakes it as in a proper sence of the Blood in his Body so in a Sacramentall sence of his Blood in the Sacrament he giues vs to vnderstand that the Sacrament in a sacramentall sence is the Blood of
of obedience and the want of preparation that we may be fitted to this Sacrament that therein we may discerne Christ and hunger after Grace and receiue both the matter of Iustification and Sanctification is one cause why we want this assurance Vse 4 The last Vse of the Point Seeing it is so that the Sacrament is an effectuall pledge of the whole Couenant of Grace then we that are faithfull receiuers are Iustified and Sanctified Let vs therfore goe our way as our Sauiour saith and sinne no more least a worse thing befall vs. Now we are washed by the Grace of Iustification from our sinnes let vs not like the Swine wallow againe in the mire of finne Now we are loosed from the Fetters and Bonds of sinne from the Intanglement Snares of Sathan let vs not intrap our selues againe let vs not like a gracelesse Prisoner to day deliuered vse such courses as may bring vs to the same condemnation to morrow but esteeme our libertie verie deere and precious We are reconciled to God our debts are payd let vs not run in with him againe so much as in vs lyes but let vs resolue pray and indeauour our selues after the things that concerne our peace thus graciously confirmed vnto vs and auoyd all such as may hinder the same And though we get not the vpper hand of our selues at the first yet in time we shall find a senceable increase of Grace in vs Let vs know if we be faithfull and follow after these things God is faithfull and will make them good vnto vs. The Vse is this That seeing God vouchsafeth this mercy that here is giuen vs a finall acquittance of all our debts and sinnes seeing he giues vs his Promise and Grace and puts a pledge into our Hands that he is our God that he will forgiue vs and remember our iniquities no more seeing he hath promised to write his Law in our Hearts and to put his feare in our inward parts let vs go away changed from the filthinesse of Flesh Spirit let vs wait vpon God rest vpon his Promises let vs know he is faithfull and what he hath promised shall be performed if we beleeue his good words let vs beleeue his deeds if when he saith our sins are pardoned then much more when he giues this Bread Wine as a signe and pledge thereof Thus let vs labor to be fitted against the next Lords day let vs meditate on these things that we may come preparedly vnto this holy Table let vs labour to partake of the Couenant of Grace we may say O Lord how often haue we bin at thy Table and yet neuer the better we neuer vnderstood it before we now find this Sacrament to be of the New Testament a Seale of the whole Couenant of Grace of our Iustification our Sanctification a pledge vnto vs that our sins are pardoned that thou wilt put thy Law into our Hearts wilt write it in our inward parts These things heretofore we haue not considered let vs now take them to Heart repent vs of our former faylings so addresse our selues that we may come with our right Wedding Garment vpon vs and so be welcome into thy presence THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER BEcause of the Sacrament the next Sabboth God willing to be administred we are therefore to spend this Exercise vpon such matter as may make for our fit preparation thereunto for that is the course which hitherto wee haue obserued and which wee propounded in the beginning So that wee are to goe on where wee left the last day of preparation in the sixe and twentieth of Mathew and the latter part of the eight and twentieth Verse This is my Blood of the New Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes We haue shewen the last day how these words are to be vnderstood with refference to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and therein we obserued as you may remember that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is proper and peculiar to the New Testament as here our Sauiours words are This is my Blood of the New Testament Secondly We shewed you that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is an effectuall Seale and Pledge of the whole Couenant of Grace that is to say both of the matter of our Iustification and likewise of the matter of our Sanctification Now we are to speake in the last place touching the Persons here mentioned so farre as they haue their interest in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper so as the things themselues that are here spoken are intended in a double sence First absolutely to the Death of Christ it selfe Secondly respectiuely to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper So the Persons that are here spoken of are to be considered answerably in both these sences First as they haue their interest and part in the Death of Christ And secondly as they haue their part and Interest in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Wee haue spoken of the Persons in the first sence heretofore as they haue their interest in the Death of Christ We are now to speake of them as they haue interest in the Lords Supper and for to furnish this Text so farre forth as it makes for our present purpose The Persons here spoken of as you see are set forth in generall tearmes Many But Luke in his two and twentieth Chapter and the twentieth Verse reports this saying of our Sauiour as being spoken with particular reference and applycation to the Disciples the Persons onely then present at this businesse This is the New Testament in my Blood shed for you Mathew saith for many Luke for you Both one and the same speech of our Saviour and if wee vnderstand them both aright and expound the one of them by the other we shall find a sweet concurring and agreement betwixt the Euangelists themselues and likewise much profitable matter by this their ioynt testimonie concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The Sacrament it selfe in respect of the institution and vse of it is a publike Ordinance that is common to many The whole Church of God and all the Faithfull from time to time are to take the benefit and to make vse of it to the end of the World and that is one part of Mathew's meaning here when he saith for many But the particular administration of this Sacrament at that time when it was first instituted was peculiar to the Disciples onely as they onely then receiuing it and that is some part of Luke's meaning when he saith for you But yet further also wheresoeuer this Sacrament shall be thus in vse and thus administred it must be done in an Assembly Many must be present at it And that is the other part of Mathew's meaning when he saith for many On the other side those Persons to whom it shall be thus administred must receiue it with particular apply cation It must be for you
this Text spends it selfe wholly in this very argument therefore we will take it whole before us and first we will shew the consistance of the body of the Text in it selfe Secondly the meaning of the words and thirdly the parts of the Text and so proceed to the doctrines First consistance of the whole body of the Text standeth thus These Corinthians to whom the Apostle writes this Epistle were newly converted to the faith of Christ by Pauls ministery and they made profession of this their faith by the use of Gods saving ordinances particularly by the use of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Satan according to his wonted malice when he saw hee could not utterly deprive them nor keepe them from the use of this notable meanes of grace hee labours cunningly to infect and staine it with sundry corruptions thereby to defile them in the use of this Sacrament and so to make it unprofitable to them and surely in a short time hee prevailed greatly on their weaknesse herein and brought in much disorder and abuse amongst them yea such grosse abuses that they poysoned their holy assemblies verse 17. they came together not for profit but for hurt whereas this Sacrament was ordained for their profit and good by this means it turned to their hurt such grosse abuses they were as brought downe Gods sensible Iudgments upon them verse 30. for this cause many are weake and sicke amongst you and many sleepe such as in a manner nullified the Sacrament to them vers 20. this is not to eate the Lords Supper you doe so corrupt and staine it that in effect you doe not eate it one speciall corruption amongst them was this verse 21. that they taryed not one for another that so they might communicate together but did prevent one another they came to the Lords Table as to a scambling Feast first come first served a horrible abuse in the holy and religious feast of the Lords Supper The Apostle so soone as he heard of these abuses in zeale for Gods glory in conscience of his owne duty and in a holy jealousie for the pure use of the Lords Ordinances and in a fatherly care which hee had over these Corinthians whom he had lately begotten to the faith presently takes a course to reforme and redresse these abuses and as the nature of all right and true reformations doth require that when things are out of square they are to be refined and renewed according to the first originall so the Apostle being to redresse the abuses of the Lords Supper amongst them he brings them backe to the first institution to the first Lords Supper that ever was and by that patterne frames his reformation and there he rehearseth the institution verse 23. This bread is my body c. and this cup is my blood c. there is the repetition of the institution the application for reformation is in the 26. verse For as often as you eate of this bread and drinke of this cup you shew forth the Lords death till he come The summe of all so farre as it concernes our present purpose is briefly this as if the Apostle should have said to these Corinthians O you Corinthians you are much to blame that you suffer your selves to be so stained with so many corruptions in the Lords Supper by name this is one that you tarie not one for another to communicate together but one prevents another the rich eate before the poore come as if we had more care of our bellies than of Gods Religion and Christs sufferings this is a grosse abuse it was not so in the beginning In the first supper that Christ instituted then all the Disciples were present and did lovingly communicate together and therefore if ever you looke to celebrate the Lords Supper with comfort and benefit to your owne soules you must doe as they did reforme this errour and tarie one for another Consider more particularly what a speciall Item the Lord Iesus gave them then Doe this in remembrance of me verse 23 24. whereby hee enjoynes all that come to the Lords supper that their hearts and mindes be taken up and wholly set upon the consideration of the death of the Lord Iesus and all their passages in and about the Sacrament must shew forth and carie a rellish of it you must not minde your meat and drink and hunger and thirst as this abuse proves you doe No no your mindes must bee wholly bent on Christs death and surely if you be spiritually affected and minde that soundly as you ought you will have little minde of your bellies but you will minde the body and blood of Christ and shew forth his death till hee come therefore reforme your selves and purge out this corruption This is the consistance and dependance of the Text. The second thing is the meaning of the words themselves For as often as you shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup you shew the Lords death till he come There is no great difficulty in the words yet for plainesse sake wee will goe over them with some familiar and easie exposition whereby also we shal make way to our observations These words in the 26 verse are Pauls owne words and not Christs the words before verse 26. and 25. are Christs owne words but these are Pauls in the former verse it is said Doe this in remembrance of me as Christ himselfe speaking it but here it is said You shew the Lords death as Paul speaking this concerning Christ neither is this any wrong to our Saviour that Pauls words should be sorted and joyned with his because they both proceeded from the same Spirit which was in Christ as also in Paul though not in the same measure yet in such a measure even in Paul also as that he was infallibly guided and freed from errour thereby in all his writings that are extant among us Pauls speech is here added to Christs speech not as any new or diverse thing but first to confirme it and give testimony to the truth of it secondly to expound it and make it plaine for their understanding thirdly to apply it to them and consequently to all the faithfull as being so meant by our Saviour himselfe and not to his Disciples onely and so he performes the office of a faithfull Minister of Iesus Christ which is to confirme his words as a witnesse to expound them as an interpreter and to apply it to them as a messenger sent to them for that purpose It is said here in the first place as often as you eate which containes an intimation that they did often communicate and withall an admonition that it is a necessary duty to communicate often it is spoken of here as a matter commendable in them and therefore imitable in us for he would never have enjoyned a second duty upon it but that hee did approve the first They must not thinke it enough that they have done it once and that shall
as at all times so then especially when we come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper let us labour to be so made partakers of the Lords death of that infinite benefit that ariseth by it that wee may be saved by it as by the all-sufficient price of our Redemption The end of the seventeenth Lecture THE EIGHTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER WEE are still to proceed God willing in the handling of this Text by occasion of the next Sabbath being a Communion day so that now we are to goe on where we left I shewed you that in the latter part of the verse there is contained a caution that the receiving of the Lords Supper is to bee performed withall the shewing forth of the Lords death wherein I noted to you in the caution it selfe these two things first the matter that is to be remembred and secondly the manner of the remembring of it The matter that is to be remembred is the death of the Lord Iesus Christ the maner of the remembring of it how is it to be remeÌ„bred why by a kind of shewing forth by a kinde of lively or sensible expressing of it Wee have spoken of the matter heretofore and even now we made repetition of that which was last spoken concerning this caution namely concerning the death of Iesus Christ Now as God shall inable us we are to handle the manner the manner how this death of the Lord Iesus Christ is remembred in the Sacrament is a shewing forth saith the Text a setting forth or a shewing forth for so the words signifie that is to say a kinde of lively and sensible expressing of the death of Christ is in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper one translation comes a little short of the power of the word in the originall which is worthy to be knowne we read it hence we shew the Lords death the originall word intends two things very materiall to our present purpose for it is a Compound word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the simple verbe it selfe is very significant but the preposition that it is compounded withall addes somewhat more to the significancy of it and makes it more pregnant and more full to the matter wee have in hand First the simple verbe it selfe signifies to shew to publish or to declare not simply but to shew and publish by way of a message or as it were by way of a lively voice In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper there must be certaine speeches and certaine words that are to be used there is a message that is to bee published whensoever the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is rightly administred If you aske what that message is I answer it is the very message of the Gospell the very doctrine of the Gospell free remission of our sinnes by the blood of Christ that is the substance of the Sacrament that is the doctrine of the Gospell and our Saviour himselfe when he did institute the Sacrament as it is in Matth. 26.28 there he saith This is my blood of the New Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes Here is the very preaching of the Gospell published in the administration of the Sacrament free remission of sinnes by the blood of Iesus Christ And surely the very same word that signifies the Gospell in the originall is derived from this simple verbe that here is used giving us some intimation that the message that is to bee published is indeed the message of the Gospell Why then in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Christ must be published by way of message or by way of lively voice But secondly the preposition that it is compounded withall that addes somewhat more what is that It must be done throughly it must be done earnestly for so the word signifies in the Originall as if â—â—e would say there must be a vehement publishing of it a vehement shewing forth It is not onely a shewing that will serve the turne much lesse a slender and a carelesse shewing of the death of Christ but it must be shewed throughly and earnestly as the matter it selfe is a matter of great waight and moment as ever was so likewise the shewing forth must be answerable thereunto It must be shewed most seriously and most affectionately and this the word signifies in the originall Yee shew forth the Lords death by way of a message and that earnestly till he come And whereas some reade it positively by way of approbation You doe shew the Lords death till he come and others doe reade it imparatively by way of command See ye shew the Lords death or You shall shew the Lords death both these in substance tend to one and the same effect And indeed the one of these doth consequently inferre the other For if wee reade it positively Yee doe shew the Lords death then this being a matter that is commended in them by the Apostle it doth imply that it is a duty and must be performed then if we reade it imparatively Ye shall shew or See you shew the Lords death till he come then it is implyed that all the faithfull that will conforme themselves to the ordinance of God they doe performe this they practise this at the receiving of the Sacrament they doe shew forth the Lords death till he come If we reade it positively it intends thus much namely that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a fit occasion or a fit meanes in and whereby we come to shew forth the Lords death If we reade it imparatively ye shall shew forth the Lords death it imposes a duty that whensoever we meet together at the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we must be shewing forth of the Lords death there is little difference betweene them and in effect they are the same and because I am loth to vary from our own translatioÌ„ but upon good occasion because our translation comes neerest to the originall because the originall doth naturally sound to this effect you doe shew the Lords death rather than yee shall shew forth the Lords death therefore I will not change our owne translation but take it positively as it is propounded that you doe shew forth the Lords deathtill he come so we will take it that the Sacrament is a fit subject or meanes in and wherby to shew forth the Lords death and this is the principall matter that this Scripture doth ayme at and this doth confirme directly the very point that we made choice of this Scripture for namely to prove that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a memoriall of the death of Christ The Text saith plainly As often as ye eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till hee come or remember or expresse in a lively manner the Lords death Doctr. The Doctrine then that here we are to observe for our instruction is this In that the Apostle saith here Whensoever you receive the Sacrament
of Iesus Christ expressing it lively the bread is a sollide substance so is the body of Christ the bread is the food of our bodies the strengthening of our hearts the staffe of our life in the state of nature here is a lively representation to spirituall minded men that the body of Iesus Christ is the spirituall food of our soules the strength of the hidden man of our hearts it is the staffe of the life of God in the state of grace to every true beleever and so likewise the wine shewes forth the blood of Christ the Wine is a liquid substance so is the blood of Christ but principally the sweetnesse of the smell of the wine the pleasantnesse of the taste of the wine the comfortable cheerfulnesse of the wine whereby it doth glad our hearts this is a most lively expressing unto us of the blood of Christ Iesus this shewes unto a spirituall minded man if this wine be so sweet and pleasant and comfortable oh what a sweet savour hath the blood of Iesus Christ oh what a pleasant relish is there in the blood of Iesus Christ oh what comfort and cheerfulnesse is there in the blood of Iesus Christ to every distressed and beleeving soule that can finde and feele these things within himselfe this they doe single each by it selfe now put both these together as both of them are tendred together to us in the Sacrament then here is a full refreshing set forth unto us that there is a full refreshing to every beleeving soule in the death of the Lord Iesus Christ so much for the signes Secondly concerning the actions in the Sacrament both on our Saviours part and likewise on our our part on our Saviours part he tooke the bread and brake it what is that to say but as if our Saviour should say Doe you see mee breake this bread thus thus is my body broken for you so for the cup when hee tooke the bread and brake it he distributed and gave it among them here is a manifest shewing forth of the extension of the death of Christ that the Lord Iesus Christ is the common Saviour of all them that beleeve He tooke the bread saith the Text and hee gave it unto them and so of the cup. Then againe here is an action on our part as our Saviour bid them to take it so wee doe take it wee take the bread we eate it we take the cup wee drinke it what is this but a shewing forth of the death of the Lord except our hands belye our hearts except we be otherwise then we seeme to be when we take the bread and eate it when wee take the wine and drink it we openly professe that wee are of the number of them that take hold on Iesus Christ and doe apply him particularly to the comfort of our owne soules Thirdly the words of institution in the Sacrament the words what are they why first and formost the Text saith He tooke the bread and brake it and bid them to take and eate here you see first he bids us to take it to shew us hee intended that his body is ours and that his death is a sacrifice to God for us whereby our sins are satisfied for and whereby we are reconciled to God then he saith This is my body he speakes demonstratively and he speakes it by way of an essentiall predication he saith this is my body as if our Saviour should say to every spirituall minded man and woman This Sacrament is as lively a representation of my death as if my body and blood were here crucified and shed before your eyes and so likewise it followes this is my body which is given for you and my blood which is shed for you for the remission of sins here is a full shewing forth of the Lords death here is the Gospell preached at the administration of the Sacrament that the blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sinnes It followes in the last place Doe this in remembrance of me as if our Saviour should say doe this in remembrance of my death for so the Apostle expounds it hee had repeated our Saviours words in the verse going before Doe this in remembrance of me and he comes and expounds it here Doe this in remembrance of my death as if our Saviour should say consider well and advisedly of this Sacrament for this Sacrament is in it selfe a remembrance and a lively memoriall of my death and so you must esteeme of it and so you must make use of it and so to every beleever it shall be made good for all saving purposes Thus you see the doctrine is proved both by the circumstances the substance and the whole frame of the Sacrament that the Sacrament being administred and received according to Gods own ordinance is a fresh and a lively memoriall a sensible representation a through setting forth of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ the reasons of the doctrine are these Reason 1 The first reason is drawne from the nature of the Sacraments the sacraments are as it were glasses wherein we may see and behold the true forme or the true shape or the true likenesse of that which is represented in the glasse a glasse must be both true and cleere it must be true that it may not cast a false shadow upon us not to reflect another manner of shadow than is cast upon it it must bee cleere that the true object that it doth represent may be cleerly and lively represented unto us the sacrament of the Lords Supper is a glasse it must be a true glasse and a cleere glasse what is the object represented by it the principall object of the Lords supper that is resembled unto us in it is the death of Christ then consider the object that is to be seene and beheld in this glasse is the death of Christ the sacrament is a glasse wherein this is to bee beheld a glasse must be true and cleere and therefore the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must cleerly and plainly and lively shew forth the Lords death which is the principall object there to bee considered Againe Sacraments wee know are teaching signes fignes ordained of God that they may bee teachers unto us and teachers you know must speake plainly they must speake teachably they must deliver the matter with a lively voyce so as it may be best knowne discerned and understood and worke instruction in the hearts of those that it is to be learned by the Sacraments are teaching signes the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a teaching signe the lesson that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper teacheth is the death of Iesus Christ and therefore the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must teach the death of Iesus Christ lively and cleerly and so must be a through shewing forth of Christs death Reason 2 A second reason is drawne from the proportion of the word with the Sacrament the word that shewes forth Christ lively
acquaintance with him and hath better informed himselfe of him and was by when he was arraigned and heard his arraignment and his inditement and all the passages of the businesse and what was alledged against him by his accusers and what he answered for himselfe and why the sentence of death was passed against him which of these two men shall be most affected with the death of this Martyr Out of question hee that was so lately acquainted with his arraignment and his inditement and with the whole cause of his death the death of that Martyr shall strike much into this mans heart and worke soundly upon him whereas the other man which knew of him but in generall shall bee moved with it but little or nothing at all So it is in this case when wee come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wee come to behold Iesus Christ executed and put to death to every spirituall receiver in a spirituall manner to reade the story concerning the death of Christ to meditate upon those things conscionably and religiously with a desire to profit by them it is as if so bee a man should have stood by when Christ was arraigned and indited and heard what was spoken against him and what sentence was passed upon him For when the Holy Ghost pennes a story he will pen it throughly and if we lay downe our hearts to be wrought upon by the power of the Word wee shall finde such a powerfull working by it that it shall bee more effectuall to us than it wee had beene there present to have seene the death of Christ So then by reading the story before-hand wee being as it were present with him at his arraignment and inditement thinke with your selves whether this will not be a notable meanes to make the death of Iesus Christ effectual unto us in the Sacrament and if we looke for any benefit by the Sacrament let us come with this preparation before-hand Iohn 13.19 Christ saith I tell you these things before-hand that when ye see these things come to passe ye might beleeve He speakes there partly concerning his death the words that Christ spake concerning his owne death hee puts upon his Disciples before-hand that when it did come to passe they might beleeve this would bee a meanes to cherish faith in them and to make them beleeve it the better so if wee come to the Sacrament reade the Word of God that part of the Word that principally concernes the death of Christ and meditate upon that which Christ hath told us of before-hand that so we might beleeve it and this will bee a notable meanes through Gods blessing to make us that we shall beleeve that the death of Christ is ours and that it is effectuall for our redemption The second Vse for instruction is this Is it so that the Sacrament is such a lively representation of the death of Christ then this teacheth us that the publike cariage of the whole businesse of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must be framed and fashioned so as it may make most for the lively setting forth of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ and herein are many duties required of us The first duty of all is this the Word is to be preached that so the people may understand and know that which belongs to God and to their owne salvation else it will bee but a blinde Sacrament but especially the Gospell the voice of the Gospell namely the free remission of sins by the blood of Iesus Christ that is to be pressed upon them againe and againe that they may be stirred up in their affections to esteeme and receive it graciously it is a course that God hath used in all Sacraments still to joyne together with the Sacraments the Word preached Before the sacrament of Circumcision was administred the Word was taught so likewise the Passeover as is cleare in Exod. 12.35 It is noted there that when their children should come to aske what was this Passeover Tell them saith God that this is the memoriall of the great deliverance of their fathers many hundred yeares before out of the bondage of Aegypt So likewise Christ saith in the Sacrament of Baptisme Goe teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Matth 28. He doth not say Goe and baptize and let teaching alone but Goe teach there is the ground and foundation and then he builds upon it the administration of the Sacrament Goe teach and baptize in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost If teaching be not joyned with the Sacrament it is but a dumbe sacrament if men should come here to the sacrament of the Lords supper and be not taught what it meanes and what belongs to it it should be with them as it was with the Israelites Exod. 16.15 That saw Manna like Coriander seed the Text saith they knew not what it was but when Moses came and said This is the bread that God gave them from heaven now they come to relish it So when we come to this sacrament and see the bread and the wine except we be indued with the knowledge of Christ and we understand Christ and him crucified know the nature of the sacrament wee shall not know what to make of it but if the Word be preached then we beginne to grow to some understanding and some life in the businesse and to relish this Sacrament as the spirituall Manna the heavenly food of our soules Secondly as the word must be preached so likewise confession of Faith ought to made Generally here amongst us wee make confession of our Faith by the tendring of our bodies but indeed the confession of our faith ought to be published before the receiving of the Lords supper this is a right shewing forth of the Lords death Marke it the Apostle saith yee shew forth the Lords death hee speakes not to the Ministers onely but to the people yee shew forth therfore they should make some publike confession that they beleeve in Christ Iesus And this is a matter that tends much to the setting forth of the death of Christ Thirdly Prayers are to be made for therein likewise wee shew the death of Iesus Christ First there must be confession of our sins and wee must search into our hearts and lives narrowly and throughly and the more we search into them the more clearely we shall see Christ his death Together with confession of sinnes wee must use supplication and petition calling earnestly upon God for Christ his sake which thus was crucified for us that hee would forgive us our sinnes in his blood and this will give great light to the setting forth of the death of Christ and then also thankesgiving must be given to the Lord we must thanke and praise God that it hath pleased him so to set his love upon us as to give his Sonne to die for us cursed and miserable sinners as we are
what we can while we live to further Gods ordinances to those that shall live after us leave some good monument behinde us to that effect If God have given us riches let us give something to maintaine Gods ordinances to the end of the world It is an excellent thing when God hath given any man abundance of wealth and hath given him withall a heart to part with some of it for the maintenance of Gods ordinances to the worlds end yea if occasion so require let us seale Gods truth with our blood this is the best monument of all Lastly and so I end all mans power being nothing of himselfe God being all in all wee must therefore pray to God while we live here not onely that he would continue his Word and Sacraments to us but pray that he would continue the same to our posterity after us to many generations yea even to the end of the world if it bee his blessed will In 1 King 8. Salomon when he built the Temple hee did not onely pray for that time but for the time to come Then whensoever hereafter thy people shall be oppressed with the sword or famine or such like and shall pray to thee in this Temple heare thou in heaven and be mercifull unto them So we must labour not onely to pray to God to fence his Church and plant his Vineyard and nourish those plants that are in it already but that he would still continue to make a supply of such plants so long as the Sun and Moone shall endure and this would testifie a true zeale that wee beare to the glory of God We know beloved in regard of our owne businesses if we purchase lands for our selves or our children we desire that it may continue for ever to our childrens children What shall we not be as zealous for Gods glory as wee are carefull for our owne children yes wee ought much more and therefore we should bee stirred up still to labour as much as in us lyeth by prayer and all other good meanes for the continuance of the Word and Sacraments and all the saving ordinances of God not onely unto us but to our posterity to our childrens children to the Church of God even to the end of the world The end of the twentieth Lecture The One AND TWENTIETH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER THE first to the Corinthians Chap. 11. verse 26. the last part of the verse till he come For as often as yee shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come You may remember how wee divided this Scripture into two parts we shewed that in the former part of the verse there is an action performed in the latter part of the verse there is a caution that it is to be performed withall in the former part of the verse is the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The caution that it is to be performed withall in the latter part of the verse is the shewing forth of the Lords death till he come Not to trouble you with repeating of many things In this latter part of the verse we observed unto you first the Caution it selfe the shewing forth of the Lords death secondly the frequenting of the Caution that it must bee often done for howsoever this word often is not used in the latter part of the verse yet in all common construction and understanding it is to bee supplyed out of the former part of the verse As often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup so often shall ye shew forth the Lords death and lastly I came to speake of the continuance of this whole duty the whole that is here spoken of how long must this continue till Christ come that is to say as long as the world stands till Iesus Christ shall come to Iudgement Wee are entred upon this clause already I shewed you that this clause doth offer unto us two things for our consideration the first is the continuance it selfe of this duty how long it shall be to the end of the world that the observation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and the remembring or the shewing forth of the death of Christ must continue among the faithfull and be duly observed by them to the very end of the world that is directly affirmed here as you see I shewed you that there is another thing that is here covertly implyed and yet plaine enough if wee consider and weigh the words aright namely the end or the reach which the performers of this duty ayme at or which wee must ayme at in the performance of this duty namely to fit us and prepare us to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto Iudgement Wee have spoken of the former part already now as GOD shal inable us we are to proceed to the latter part and so to finish up this Scripture at this time Therefore here secondly wee must consider that which is covertly implyed namely the end or the reach that these actions or these duties aime at or that we must aime at in the performance of these duties to fit us and prepare us to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto judgement that the doctrine that hence we are to raise may appeare to be built upon a firme and a sure ground wee must shew these two things First that this particle that here is used till hath the same use in the same sense elsewhere in the Scripture not onely to signifie the continuance of an action till that time but withall to signifie that that continuance is such a preparation to such an action Secondly we must shew that it is so to bee understood here for it is not alwaies in the Scripture so meant therfore there must be some speciall inducement alleaged why it must bee so taken here Concerning the first that this particle is used in the same sense elsewhere I gave you one instance in the opening of the Text in the 1 Cor. 15.25 where it is said that Christ should raigne till he had put all his enemies under his feet For there is the same particle that is used here and it signifies not onely that Christ should raigne till his enemies should be destroyed but by his raigning his enemies should be destroyed Take another instance or two for better confirmation Gal. 4.19 My little children saith the Apostle of whom I travell in birth till Christ bee formed in you there is the very same particle also In those words the Apostle as you may see compares himselfe to a spirituall mother he is alwaies in paine and in travell in the spirit and in the worke of the ministery till such time as Christ should be formed and fashioned in the hearts of these Galathians till that time there that same word till intends these two things First that the paines and the travell of Paul in this spirituall child-birth did indure with in him till
one Sermon The barrennesse of our times is such as we may make three thousand Sermons and haply not winne three soules but the fruitfulnesse of those times were such that Peter at one Sermon did winne three thousand soules this was the glory and prime and first fruits of the visible gifts of the Holy Ghost The meanes whereby they were gathered to the Church and admitted to bee of the Church are set downe in these words and they that gladly received his word there is the means of their gathering and were baptized there is the meanes of their admission Peter he preached and many heard him and so many as gladly received the word were baptized and thus they were added to the Church now being thus encreast in this verse it is shewed how they were afterward imployed they continued in the Apostles doctrine c. they went on as they beganne they beganne religiously and they went on religiously they had the Apostles doctrine and were called by it and they continued in the Apostles doctrine The reach of the Holy Ghost here is this to commend to us the religious practice of religious professors and so to set before us the right forme of a true visible Church and he sets it downe in these few words most pithily and most plainly that this example of this primitive Church might be a president and direction to all succeeding Churches to continue to the worlds end The parts of the verse are two first the duties they did performe secondly their cariage in performance of them The duties are in number foure Apostles doctrine fellowship breaking of bread and prayer These duties though they be in number but foure yet they are of that nature as whereunto we may reduce all other Christian duties whatsoever so that when it is said here that they performed these foure it is intended that they were carefull also of all other duties belonging to their profession but in these they laboured especially as those that were the chiefe and heads of all the rest First the Apostles doctrine that is the word of God and doctrine of salvation that the Apostle preached unto them Indeed it is the doctrine of Iesus Christ himselfe Yet it is called the Apostles because they were the messengers and ministers of it no other teachers would they acknowledge but the Apostles onely nor receive no other doctrine but that which they taught them They had not the whole doctrine of the Apostles as yet revealed to them for most of them were but newly converted how could they continue in it then The meaning is that that which they had learned every one more or lesse did faithfully continue and remaine stedfast in Second duty is fellowship the word in the original signifies communion for which cause some understand it of the Lords Supper but yet because first the word is never so used elsewhere in Scripture without addition with addition it is as in 1 Cor. 10.16 the communion of the blood of Christ c. and secondly because the Lords Supper is significantly exprest in the next words breaking of bread therefore I rather understand it according to our translation fellowship that is mutuall communion and participation in all duties and offices of Christian love and concord one toward another whereof three particulars are specified in the verses following verse 44 45 and 46 they had all things that is all worldly goods common those that had any communicating freely to the use of those that had none here was Christian fellowship indeed they laid all their goods and possessions together and made a common stocke for the maintenance of the whole Church and secondly vers 36. they continued together daily with one accord in the Temple here is Christian fellowship to consent and joyne all together as one man in Gods worship thirdly and breaking bread at home here is Christian fellowship not onely in Gods Temple but even at their own private houses not only at the Lords Table but at their owne ordinary meales they met lovingly together and dranke together and were Christianly merry together for so are the words with gladnesse of heart Thirdly breaking of bread the phrase doth sometime and indeed most properly signifie the receiving of their naturall and daily food as in Luke 24.35 compared with verse 30 and there is good reason for that phrase because bread is the staffe of our life and the chiefe of all our food therefore all our food is usually and fitly comprehended under the name of bread and breaking of bread a matter specially in use among the Iewes for they made their bread into Cakes of thinne Loaves and so they might and ordinarily did breake them with their hands they were not so thick or tough that they needed any knives to cut them and from this their ordinary practice is the phrase borrowed and applyed to the receiuing of their spirituall food in the Lords Supper and that very fitly and significantly there being a breaking of bread after a speciall manner The bread there broken is a speciall bread that is to say separate for a speciall use and a speciall breaking of bread being a lively and teaching signe of the breaking of Christs body and so it is called too Act. 20.7 And the first day of the weeke the Disciples being come together for to breake bread Paul preached unto them where it is meant of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and that it is so meant here it appeares to be cleare because of the other religious duties that it is sorted withall for they would not put in the receiving of their naturall food amongst these things and againe that is put in afterward in 46. vers and hee calls it their breaking of bread at home in opposition to this Neither yet is it to be understood that because one part of the Sacrament is here onely named that is breaking of bread that therefore they were denyed the other that is drinking the wine as the Papists would beare us in hand but a part is put for the whole the naming of one part in right reason certainly presupposing they had the other as we see in 46 vers in the receiving of their naturall food onely bread no drinke is named and so it will follow by the Papsits rule that they had no drinke at home neither a grosse inference but if it bee ingenuously and understandingly considered wee cannot but conceive the drinke too and that the naming of the one doth certainly presuppose the other too specially being things so usually and naturally joyned together so it is likewise in the sacrament the naming of the bread doth certainly presuppose the wine Fourthly prayers which is specially to bee understood of publike prayers no doubt but everie one had their private devotions and prayers for many of their owne private and particular necessities and no doubt but they were frequent in them too but yet the other three being publique and common duties this is to