or equivocation declare themselves willing ready and resolved to perform the things agreed upon God what he promises and Man what he engages to do For God consider'd as the Father Everlasting promises here to treat us as his Children to be tender of our Spiritual and Eternal Welfare to seek our good and turn all things to our good to pass by the Unkindnesses and Indignities we have offer'd to him to forgive and throw them into the depth of the Sea to impute them no more to count us innocent to justifie us here and like a Father to provide an Eternal Inheritance for us i. e. to glorifie us for ever The Son of God consider'd not only as the Eternal Wisdom of the Father but as Mediator and Redeemer of the World promises to be our Intercessor and Advocate with his Righteousness to cover our Infirmities with his Wounds to cherish our Souls to answer all the Arguments and Objections of the Devil against us and to be our Friend our Brother our Shepherd â—nd our New and Living Way to his Father's Bosom The Holy Ghost doth promise to enlighten us to be our Guide in the dark to comfort us in all our Tribulations to teach us how to pray to assure us of God's love to fill us with joy in believing to increase our Graces to strengthen us in all Difficulties to support us in our Spiritual Dangers to arm us with Arguments against Temptations and to give us a Right to a future happy Resurrection This is the mighty promise God makes to poor Sinners in the Sacrament On the other side we that come to the Table of our Lord and do not intend to come in vain do solemnly promise particularly to the Eternal Father that we will own that relation with joy and walk as his Children not fashioning our selves according to our former Lusts in our ignorance but be holy as he that hath call'd us is holy that we will no longer live like Rebels and Prodigals under the Name of Children but make good that Glorious Title by our Lives shine as Lights in the World and endeavour to be spotless and blameless and by our Lives and Actions and good Works glorifie our Father which is in Heaven We promise here to God the Son and the Great Redeemer that we will not only accept of his purchas'd Blessings but submit to his Scepter too and that he shall be not only our Saviour but our Sovereign King and Master also to whom we will think our selves obliged to submit in all things that he shall say unto us in his Gospel that his Life shall be the pattern of ours and his Example and Command shall do more with us than our Gain or Appetite or Interest that we will be loyal to him who redeem'd our Lives from Destruction and will act as Spiritnal Subjects in his Spiritual Kingdom We promise also to God the Holy Ghost That we will not only expect his Benefit and Comforts but be guided by his Motions That we will not reâ—â—st his Checks and Reproofs but hearken to them whenever our Hearts do smite us That we will not prefer the Dictates of a Lying Devil before his Lively Oracles nor joyn with the Motions of our Fâ—esh against his Intreaties and Obtestations That we will make much of his gracious Visits and take heed we do not by our Sins and Follies defile the Temple of the Holy Ghost That we will cherish his kinder Influences and take care that the Grace and Talent he confers upon us be not buried in the Earth or laid up useless in a Napkin And this is a Scheme of the solemn Covenant a Believer a Receiver a Communicant enters into with the Holy Trinity in this Tremendous Sacrament a Covenant that ought to be more sacred than the Leagues of Princes and more religiously observed than the Treaties and Engagements of the dearest Friends VI. This Covenant we enter into first of all in our Baptism when our Age is Tender our Desires Innocent and our Souls like soft Wax fit for any Impression and consequently fit for the Impress of the Divine Image and though that Age be not capable of entering actually into a Covenant with the Lord of Heaven and Earth yet it 's enough that our Parents and Friends who have Power over us do then make this Covenant with God for us dedicate us to his Service appoint us Candidates of Holiness and consecrate us early to the performance of the Conditions required in this Covenant a Charity just and a genuine effect of Paternal Care which as it loves the Child should share in their Temporal Enjoyments so it cannot but desire it should participate of the Blessings of this Covenant And since these Blessings are not to be had without the Obligation of Faith Repentance and Obedience though the Child cannot actually exercise these Virtues yet being offer'd to God upon these Conditions the Parents do not only shew their good Will to have the Child enrol'd in the Book of Life but lay the strongest Obligations on the Child to stand to the Terms of the Covenant when it comes to display the Glory of its Rational Faculties and therefore may expect an actual Conveyance of the Spiritual Blessings of this Covenant to the Child by the secret Operations of the Holy Ghost which Blessings the Child hath a Right to till enticed by Lust and the Vanity of the World it grows proud rebellious and shakes of the conduct of its Guide viz. The Spirit of the Holy Jesus For God knows the World and the Devil watch the first rising of the Sun I mean the first Appearances of Reason and seek to obscure and darken them by Mists of Sensuality into which Pit the Young Man that was in his Infancy dedicated to God too often falls and there lies and sleeps and many times awakes not till Death summons him to the dreadful Bar of Heaven Where it is so that the Covenant we enter'd into in the Morning of our Days is forgotten slighted and polluted with Filthiness and superfluity of Naughtiness what can we think but that the intended Blessings of the Covenant cease and die and are withdrawn from the degenerate Creature and the Promises of God being our Father our Saviour and our Comforter are null'd at least the performance of them suspended till the Apostate comes to himself again This early perfidiousness too common and too general discovers the absolute necessity of renewing this Covenant when we are able to understand the greatness and importance of the Contract and to enter into that Bond in our own Persons especially in the Supper of the Lord and there solemnly to engage our Souls to the performance of the Conditions required on our side upon which what God hath graciously promis'd will effectually be perform'd again an offer not to be slighted for it is an argument of infinite Patience and Goodness that God will give the Backslider leave to enter into the broken Covenant and
will upon that return let the still streams of his Promises flow in and Water his Soul again so that if this opportunity be neglected we know not the Treasures of Wrath we heap up against our selves for it looks like resolution to die and to be miserable VII That God consents to this Covenant unfeignedly we need not doubt and that what he promises he intends to fulfil we may be confident of since we have his Word for it and his Nature is such that he cannot lye The great danger lies on our side who are very mutable Creatures and apt either to equivocate in our consent or to consent only by halves or to forget the Terms we have consented to It 's fit therefore I should explain the Nature of that consent we give or are to give in this Covenant especially at the Table of our Lord where the Sacred Cup fill'd with the Blood of Christ at once represents Gods willingness to enter into a Covenant with us and invites us to accept of the Offer and our Drinking of it shews we actually consent to all the Terms of this Covenant Therefore to prevent Hypocrisie in this consent I must tell you that this consent must be 1. Deliberate and the effect of Consultation Sometimes a melancholy Humour seizes upon our Spirits and not knowing how to ease our selves we try whether Religion will not qualifie our trouble and then we are consenting to this Covenant though we cannot tell why or how whence it comes to pass that if Religion doth not presently cure our Melancholy we grow weary and throw it off again Most Men have sometimes a Religious Fit upon them and when either something hath cross'd their designs or a disaster hath put them into discontent they are during that Paroxysm resolv'd to consent But as it was a sudden Motion without a good Foundation so it soon withers and comes to nothing It's necessary therefore we should take pains to understand what this Covenant means what consent God requires how reasonable and just that consent is what a priviledge it is that God will admit us into such a Compact what the things are he requires on our part and how necessary it is he should require such at our Hands and after we have counted the cost and seen and thought and consulted what this unfeigned consent will stand us in and weigh'd both the Advantages and Inconveniencies then in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ freely and chearfully to agree to the Conditions requir'd in this Covenant this is a consent which in imitation of the great Planet of the Day is like to go on to a perfect Day 2. This consent must be hearty the intent strong and the desire vigorous to perform the Conditions of this Covenant such a consent as he gives that for a considerable Reward promises to do what we put him upon He fully designs it he knows nothing that should hinder him his Heart his Mind his Affections are bent upon the doing of it for the Reward presses upon his Understanding and the greatness of that gives force and resolution to his Will and Desire Here must be used no underhand dealings God is not to be put off with Complements The Young Man that said I go Sir but went not Math. 21. 28. stands branded for a Hypocrite A full purpose of Heart is requisite in this case as serious a purpose as Men have when under great hopes or fears which are most likely to make their purpose invincible To consent to walk as Sons of God to embrace the Lord Jesus as our King to prefer the Motions of Gods Spirit before the Suggestions of the Flesh I say to consent to all this and not to intend very seriously to act accordingly is to impose upon God at least to act as if we would do so and to slight his Omniscience or to carry our selves as if he did not know our down-sitting and our up-rising or did not understand our Thoughts afar off which is impious 3. This consent ought to be impartial and entire even to all the parts of the Conditions express'd or understood in this Covenant Here must be no accepting of Christ by halves but our Affections must embrace him both as a Ruler and a Friend To accept of the Sweets of his Sufferings and to refuse his Yoak to rejoyce in his Mercies and to reject his Law or to be willing to submit to some of his Laws and to take liberty as to others is to divide Christ and to part his Offices or to hold both with Christ and with the Devil A King had as good have no Subjects as disobedient Subjects and to what purpose had all that costly Method of the Son of God to purchase a People to himself been if the intent had not been to make them subject to his Will and Power That there might be no dispute about this point the Apostle hath left it upon record Heb. 5. 9. That he became the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him And there needs no great Logick to infer from hence That no Man hath a Right or Title to Salvation till he actually and sincerely obeys him and obeys him in all that he requires For he that obeys partially doth not obey in a Scripture sense We our selves do not much affect Servants that are only for what they can get and care not how little Work they do and God to be sure hath no Reason to look upon those as true Confederates that consent only to be made happy by the Death of Christ but are loath to die to the Vanities of this World or to admit his Kingdom and Empire into their Souls So that he that truly consents to this Covenant must consent not only to enjoy the Comforts of a Saviour but that Christ shall be Master of his Will Desires and Affections that these shall be at his Beck move by his Order and be manag'd according to his Direction 4. This consent must not only respect our future Seriousness and Conscientiousness but express our present Designs and Inclinations As in Marriage so in this Covenant it must be a present consent that ratifies the Contract and as in the former I take thee for my Wedded Wife and I take thee for my Wedded Husband makes the Matrimonial Compact valid so in this present agreeing to the Terms propos'd and required makes a Man a welcome Confederate and unites and knits him to that God who enters into solemn Engagements in this Covenant to discharge the Offices of a kind Husband to us And O God the Father of Heaven I do here most humbly offer and tender unto thee my filial Affection O God the Son Redeemer of the World I am content to be thy Loyal Sabject and to be governed and ruled by thy Holy Laws O God the Holy Ghost preceeding from the Father and the Son I take thee for my Guide and my Counsellor by whose advice I mean to steer my course
none but general Gifts so even these upon his Abuse and misemploying of them are gradually removed as Men take meat and victuals away from insolent Beggars that throw their Gift upon a Dunghil and as a charitable Pension is withdrawn when we find that the Party which enjoy'd it spends it in Ale-houses and Taverns or in Play 2. By a gradual permitting the Devil to exercise his Power and Jurisdiction upon them God doth not very frequently suffer the Enemy to fly upon the Offender with all his force or to ruin him at once but he lengthens his Chain by degrees to see whether the Sinner will yet give himself leave to think and attempt to be freed from that intolerable Yoak and Slavery but that tenderness and patience of Almighty God becoming fruitless and ineffectual the Judge gives the Executioner greater liberty to darken his Mind to pervert his Will and to sear his Conscience Time was when but one Devil was permitted to Tyrannize over him but if instead of being angry and displeas'd at that single foe the unworthy Communicant embraces and makes him his friend then that Devil takes with him seven other Spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that Man is worse than the first saith Christ Matth. 12. 45. Nor is there any thing of injustice in these proceedings of God For 1. It is nothing but Lex Talionis a just Retaliation a Rule whereby God ordinarily governs himself in the execution of his Judgements Hâ—s 6. 4. He tells Judah and Ephraim Your Goodness is as a Morning Cloud and as the early Dew it passes away The Judgment therefore is made proportionable Hos. 13. 3. Therefore they shall be as the Morning Cloud and as the early Dew that passes away so here the Sin is spiritual the Judgment is so too The unworthy Receiver wrongs his own Soul and in his Soul the marks of God's Wrath appear 2. God in this case doth no more than what we our selves do and think our selves very reasonable and just for doing so A Father reduces his spend-thrift Son to a smaller Allowance and the ground that will not bear any thing after a world of Toil we Dung and Dig and Manure no more In this manner and for Reasons â—ike these God withdraws his Holy Spirit from the unworthy Receiver 3. As the Devil is God's Minister of Justice his Jaylor and Hangman so he may justly make use of him to judge and lash the unworthy Receiver the rather because he wilfully hearkens to the base suggestions of his sworn Enemy and who finds fault with a Prince or Magistrate for sending an Executioner to behead or hang those that have committed Treason or conspired against their lawful Sovereign 4. That God doth gradually send this Spiritual Judgment upon unworthy Receivers this speaks his Goodness Compassion and Patience and shews how loth he is to give up Ephraim how loth he is to deliver up Israel to the rage of the Enemy how loth he is to make them as Admah and to set them as Zeboim so that there is Charity mingled with the Justice and in the midst of his Anger he remembers Mercy IV. And this will give us occasion to enquire which of these two Judgments is greater the Temporal or the Spiritual And here if we consider the mischief done by them we must conclude and assert that the Spiritual is greater For 1. Pain and sickness of Body may yet bring a Man or drive a Man to a true Repentance and a sight of the Errors of his ways as we proved in the foregoing Chapter but this Spiritual Weakness makes the way and passage to Repentance more difficult and the more any thing doth hinder a Man from Repentance the more dangerous it is Spiritual Weakness Sickness and Death supposes that the faculties which should be chiefly employed in the product of Repentance are out of order and violated such as the Understanding the Will and the Affections Bodily Sickness very often puts these into a new fermentation and a strong desire after Spiritual Things But when the very Tools whereby the Soul is to work are blunt and their edge rebated or are become rusty and useless the work is very likely to be left undone If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness saith our Saviour Matth. 5. 23. 2. The Spiritual Judgment is the more dangerous because it is less perceiv'd and taken notice of than Bodily sickness If a Man feel the smart and pain of his Wounds and Sores they oblige him to seek out for a Physician for Remedy for Counsel and Advice and so we find it is for the most part with all Diseases of the Body which cause anguish and grief and great inconvenience and disorder in the Body yet among these various distempers some there are where the poison creeps along in the secret parts and Men perceive it not till it seizes upon the Vitals invades the very Heart and tolls the Bell for Death and these we count the most dangerous Of this nature is Spiritual sickness and weakness It leaves the Body in the same temper it found it in causes no prickings in the Back no stitches in the side no disturbance in the Head It lets Men eat and drink and sleep and walk and do their business and as to the outward Man they feel no inconvenience which makes them think that they have nothing of a distemper about them that all is safe and they ail nothing For this Spiritual sickness cannot be perceiv'd without Thinking and Self-examination which being neglected Men feel it not whence it comes to pass that it spreads insensibly in the dark while Men are asleep and by degrees corrupts the Soul till all its goodness be consumed and consequently this Spiritual Judgment is greater than the Corporal 3. The Spiritual Judgment is a sign of God's greater anger too and though it will not enter into the thoughts of a sensual Man that it is so or that any thing can be a sign of God's Anger but what relates to losses and disappointments and crosses in the outward Man and in the World yet enlighten'd Souls have ever look'd upon Spiritual sickness and Death as a sign of God's heavier wrath and indignation because in this case God doth as it were let Men alone leaves them to themselves and his not punishing of them with Bodily troubles looks like an aversion from their Persons and so much we may guess from what we read Hos. 4. 14 17. The Preceding Considerations reduced into farther Practice I IF Christ and his Apostles press Eating and Drinking worthily at this Table it is because they would have our Souls be in perfect health and they are then in perfect health when they rejoyce in the Lord always Thomas Aquinas upon that saying Cant. 1. 13. A bundle of Myrrhe is my well-beloved unto me observes that as Myrrhe preserves Bodies from
To delight in filthy Sights and looking upon Objects which raise evil Thoughts in us Matth. 5. 29. 47. To try Experiments in Lust and to act our Lewdness over in our Minds again Ephes. 4. 19. 48. To go into Company where we are sure to be tempted and persuaded to that which is evil Matth. 5. 30. 49. Drunkenness or Drinking and Tippling to the Disorder of our Reason 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Ephes. 5. 16 18. 50. To flatter our Neighbours and to have their Persons in Admiration because of Advantage Jude 1. 16. 51. To lye unto our Neighbours and to speak that to them which we know is not true Ephes 4. 25. 52. To dissemble with God and with our Neighbours and give them fair Words while we hate them in our Hearts Rom. 12. 9. 53. To bid our Servants or Friends or others to tell Lyes for us Heb. 3. 13. 54. To follow a Multitude to do evil and to do ill things because they are done commonly Ephes. 5. 11. 55. To be greedy and covetous after the Things of this World to the Neglect of our Souls and Spiritual Welfare Ephes. 5. 3. 56. To delay our Repentance and to drive off our Seriousness from time to time Heb. 3. 15. 57. To do Wrong to our Neighbours and particularly to a poor Man or Stranger or to an Enemy Ephes. 4. 32. 58. To glory in bad Actions Philip. 3. 19. 59. To aim at the Praise and Applause of Men in good Actions Matth. 6. 1 2. 60. To mis-spend our Time by Idleness and Laziness and Gaming and immoderate Recreations Ephes. 5. 15 16. 61. Gluttony and Intemperance in Eating or eating more than Nature requires 2 Pet. 1. 6. 62. To delight in gaudy Cloathing and Fondness of imitating of every Fashion 1 Pet. 3. 3 4. 63. To render Evil for Evil aâ—d Reviling for Reviling 1 Pet. 2. 23. 64. To be ashamed of the Gospel and of Religion or of Religious Duties or of doing the Will of God Mark 8. 38. 65. To be weary of Well-doing or of any commanded Religious Duty and to give over our Seriousness Gal. 6. 9. 66. To be uncharitable and to harden our Hearts and Bowels against the Distressed and Needy 1 John 3. 17. 67. To scandalize others or to give Offence by Actions either needless or sinful Matth. 18. 6 7. 68. To follow an unlawful Profession that necessitates us unto Sin Matth. 18. 8. 69. To entice and encourage and draw others into Sin by our ill Example or Sollicitation Rom. 1. 22. 70. To comply with other Men in their Sins because they urge or press us to it 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. 71. To be proud haughty self-conceited and to entertain an high Opinion of our selves Parts Abilities and Accomplishments and to despise others Luke 14. 10 11. 72. To neglect the Service of God for every Trifle and every little Business that would draw us from it Luke 2. 49 and 10. 41 42. 73. To use needless Asseverations in common Discourses anâ— in trivial Matters such as I vow I protest I swear c. Matth. 5. 37. 74. To reveal our Neighbour's Secrets which they in love communicate to us Philip. 2. 4. Matth. 7. 12. 75. To rejoyce in our Neighbour's Fall or Misfortune or Misery Rom. 12. 15. 76. To be careless negligent slovenly or superficial in any part of God's Service Rom. 12. 11. 77. To presume upon God's Goodness or to sin and go on in Sin because God is merciful and patient Rom. 2. 4 5. 78. To despair of God's Mercy or to think that he either cannot or will not pardon upon our sincere Repentance Matth. 12. 31. 79. To fancy that a customary Faith without suitable Works will save us Jam. 2. 26. 80. To be morose surly ill-natur'd and give rough and imperious Language to our Neighbours 1 Pet. 3. 8. 81. To let our Neighbours and Friends go on in their Sins without reproving them Ephes. 5. 11. 82. to set our Hearts and Affections upon the Riches and Comforts of this Life Mark 10. 24. Col. 3. 1 2. 83. To mourn and take on under any Cross and Loss like Men without Hope 1 Thes. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 7. 10. 84. To be careless and neglectful of a faithful Discharge of the Duties of our several Callings and Relations As 1. For Husbands to be churlish bitter and unkind to their Wives Col. 3. 19. 2. For Wives to be froward talkative brawling and injurious to their Husbands Goods and Name 1 Pet. 3. 1 4. 3. For Magistrates to suffer Injustice Oppression Murther Irreligiousness Atheism and Profaneness to go unpunished Rom. 13. 3. 4. For Subjects to raise ill Reports of their Magistrates and mis-conster their Actions to the Disturbance of the Government 1 Pet. 2. 13 14. 5. For 〈◊〉 to shew their Children bad Examples to indulge them in their Sins or to suffer them to do what they list without Correction Ephes. 6. 4. 6. For Children to be disobedient to their Parents lawful Commands or to deny them Maintenance when they are in want and the Children able to relieve and assist them Ephes. 6. 1 2. 7. For Masters to keep back the Hire or Wages of their Servants and to suffer them to neglect God's Service and the Concerns of their own Souls Col. 4 1. 8. For Servants to grumble or mumur at their Masters lawful Commands or chiding of them to answer again to be unfaithful to disparage their Masters and Mistresses and to discover to others what their Superiors would have kept secret Tit. 2. 9 10. 85. To neglect or defer our Baptism in case we were never baptized before and to forbear bringing our Children to be baptized Matth. 28. 19. 86. Not to come to the Lord's Supper after we come to Years of Understanding and Discretion Matth 26. 26 27. 87. To eat and drink unworthily at the Lord's Table 1 Cor. 11. 29. 88. To neglect thinking of good things Philip. 4. 8. 89. Idolatry Witchcraft Seditions Schisms Heresies Gal. 5. 20. 90. Whispering to our Neighbour's prejudice Back-biting Despightfulness Boasting Inventing of evil Thinge Covenant-breaking and being without Natural Affections and delighting in other Men's Sins Rom. 1. 29 30 31 32. 91. To do Evil that Good may come of it Rom. 3. 8. If any Sins are left out in this Catalogue they are such as may be referred to those which are mention'd And though some that are mention'd as distinct Sins may very well go for one yet the Reason why a distinct Number is allowed them is merely because Vulgar Capacities might thereby get a clearer Knowledge and Apprehnsion of them A Catalogue of DUTIES Commanded in the Gospel 1. TO believe that God is One in Three and Three in One and that the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost are that one God 1 Joh. 5. 7. Joh. 10. 30. 2. To believe that the Son of God was incarnate and came into this World by his Holy Life and Death to save Men from their Sins Joh. 3.
THE Crucified Jesus OR A full ACCOUNT OF THE Nature End Design and Benefits OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SUPPER With Necessary DIRECTIONS PRAYERS Praises and Meditations To be used by Persons who come to the HOLY COMMUNION By ANTHONY HORNECK D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties The Third Edition Corrected and Amended In the SAVOY Printed for Samuel Lowndes over-against Exeter-Change in the Strand 1695. ΑΓÎΩΣΤΩ ΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΗ TO THE Unknown Benefactor SIR THE following Discourse being the substance of several Sermons Preach'd at your desire and incouragement before the Monthly Sacraments though I am ignorant who you are and what part of the City or Country you live in yet I thought it my Duty to let the Publick know that there is such a Man in the World who is desirous to do good and loves not to be known This Treatise you have a proper Title too not only as one whose Hearts desire is to see the Church of England flourish but as a Benefactor too and to have Dedicated it to any other Person had been injurious to your Character You were sensible how backward the generality are to come to the Holy Communion how much ground the Church and Christianity it self loses by this stupid negligence of it's pretended Votaries and how not a few absent themselves for want of understanding the true nature and design of this Blessed Sacrament and therefore justly thought that if by a previous Monthly Sermon Mens Hearts were warm'd into consideration of the Use and Necessity of this Ordinance the Mists which hitherto have clouded their Vnderstandings would be dispell'd and they become acquainted with their Duâ—y which was the cause of your exciting me to this Publick Service Your Judgment hath not fail'd you for since these Religious Exercises have been among us abundance of Persons who before look'd upon their coming to the Holy Table either as indifferent or unnecessary or unseasonable have through the Blessing of God bethought themselves considered the Obligations that the mighty Work of Redemption lays upon them and conscientiously applyed themselves to the frequent Use of this Universal Medicine And all I can tell you for your incouragement is this That as we owe the beginning and progress of these Monthly Sermons to your Zeal and Influence so you will have a share both in the good that 's done by them and in the Rewards of those who are thereby brought to a serious sense of the wonderful Love of God in Christ Jesus It was a publick good you design'd by your munificence and that which makes the Pious Work the greater is that you do not care your left hand should know what your right hand doth The Almighty hath enrich'd your Heart with the Noblest Charity even with that to the Souls of Men an Emplâ—yment which God himself disdains not to travel in and what are all the Angels of Heaven but Ministring Spirits sent forth to be helpful unto those that shall be Heirs of Salvation Nothing is more pleasing to God than to be instrumental in bringing many Sons unto Glory and though you are no publick Orator yet you help towards Mens Conversion and in employing others to rouze them from their Spiritual slumber your Self have a hand in their Reformation And by that means Preach though you be not in Orders yet without offence to the Law and at the same time observe the Canons of the Church and win Souls without being engaged in the Sacred Function Some Criticks think that S. Paul in his Address to the Athenians doth not find fault with but commends them for Erecting an Altar To the unknown God and if so I hope none will blame me for raising this Monument To an unknown Benefactor Good Works are the sweetest Incense that can be laid upon God's Altar and though some that have concealed their Names have been discover'd by the Charitable Deeds done by them yet yours are so order'd that though for some time you have thus generously employ'd part of your means to advance this publick Good yet still you are a stranger to me and in that happier than the Roman Senator who hiding himself in the time of Proscription his Perfumes betrayed him May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath already touch'd your Heart with a sense of his Glory enrich you with all Spiritual Blessings and make you to abound more and more in Faith in Love and in all Goodness May that Great Shepherd of Souls enlighten your Understanding with greater brightness raise your Soul above this transitory World teach you to despise the things that are seen and fill you with earnest longings after those which are not seen that after having serv'd your Generation here your Immortal part may be admitted to the Enjoyment and Embraces of the Holy Trinity the Festivals of Seraphim to Mount Sion to the City of the Living God to the innumerable Company of Angels to the general Assembly of the First-born which are written in Heaven to the Spirits of Men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament whose Blood speaks better things than that of Abel So wishes SIR Your Affectionate Friend And Servant ANTH. HORNECK THE PREFACE THE vast number of Books about the Sacrament of the Eucharist as it shews the richness of the Subject so it discovers the Zeal and Industry of good Men to uphold the power of Religion in these perilous times as they are call'd by the Apostle of the Gentiles And indeed if we consider the influence this Ordinance hath yet on Men who have not altogether sold themselves to do Evil and are not gone so far as to make a mock of Religion it is no small motive to busie our selves in recommending and pressing the frequent use of it I look upon it as a special Providence of God that in this Iron Age wherein Men have made a shift to baffle all the Rules of Discipline they have yet some Reverence for this Ordinance insomuch that if we can oblige them to make use of it we may entertain great hopes of their future sobriety and seriousness The generality shun it because they are loth to shake hands with their looser lives and they are sensible that the use of this Ordinance and a disorderly Conversation are things inconsistent and incompatible and therefore could we perswade them to come we might promise our selves a rich and plentiful Harvest there being nothing more likely than the fruitfulness of that Ground which is water'd with the Blood of Jesus What I publish here is in order to make good my promise in a lesser Piece call'd The Fire of the Altar and when a Man hath once either rashly or premeditately made himself a Debtor to the Publick I think it is Justice and good Manners if he be able to discharge the Obligation I do not hereby discourage the Reader from perusing other Mens Labours He 'll possibly think there is no danger but desire only to
in the Church under whose Government they live to revenge themselves many times will poison the Doctrine make Proselites and resolve to become great by doing mischief since they cannot be so by lawful means To such persons we owe the Heresies of Marcion of Novatus of Arius of the Donatists and others and it 's no more than what St. Paul hath told us long ago for the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves Teachers having itching Ears 2 Tim. 4. 3. And to this purpose St. Peter 2 Pet. 2. 1 2 3. But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction And many shall follow their pernicious way by reason of whom the Truth shall be evil spoken of and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make Merchandize of you c. III. Nor hath the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper fared better than other Religious Institutions for this in all Ages hath had its share in the abuses of foolish Men and while they forgot to fix their Eyes upon the Spiritual Nature and design of it have entertained gross and carnal apprehensions concerning it The Corinthians very early abated in their esteem and reverence of it as appears from the latter part of 1 Cor. 11. The Pepuziani and Collyridianes Hereticks suffer'd their Women to administer this Holy Sacrament The Ebionites used Water instead of Wine in imitation of the Athenian and Heathenish Sacrifices which were therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sober and without Wine The Montanists Cataphrygians and Gnosticks proceeded to that tremendous barbarity in this Sacrament that they took a Child of a year old and pricked it with Pins and Needles and drew a considerable quantity of Blood from it which Blood they mingled with the Meal or Flower of which they made the Sacramental Bread The Child if it dyed after these Torments was counted a Martyr if it survived them they gave it the respect and veneration of a Priest and all these horrid practices came merely from hence because they stupidly thought that real Blood was necessary in this Ordinance Some other Villanies they committed which modesty bids me to conceal The Artotyritae another sort of Hereticks made use of Bread and Cheese in this Sacrament and to this they were led by a fancy that because the first Inhabitants in the World offered to God the First Fruits of the Earth and particularly the Milk of their Sheep and Kine they were obliged to do so too The Messaliani made this Sacrament an indifferent thing and gave out that it neither promoted nor hindred Man's Salvation an Error which the Quakers have taken up at this day Nor were they only profess'd Hereticks that committed these abuses but the Popes of Rome by degrees brought in abundance of needless Ceremonies whereby this Plain and Heavenly Ordinance was very much corrupted Pope Alexander about the Year of Christ 115 ordered what was indifferent before that Wine should be mixt with Water in this Sacrament and that no other Bread should be used but unleaven'd Bread that Holy Water mingled with Salt should be consecrated before the Eucharist that the Communicants after they had receiv'd might be sprinkled with it Sixtus about the Year 125 ordered that no Nun or Women should touch the Holy Vessels or the Cloth of the Communion Table Hyginus about the Year 140 enjoyn'd that the Sacrament of the Eucharist should ever be used and celebrated at the Dedication of Churches Soter about the Year 163 that no Bishop or Priest should taste of any thing before the Communion but abstain from all manner of Food before they administred or received Urban about the Year 230 ordained that no other Vessels should be used at the Communion but either Golden or Silver ones if the Church were poor then Pewter should be made use of Felix about the Year 277 ordered that the Eucharist should be celebrated no where but in a consecrated place Sylvester who lived about the Year 324 gave command that the Altars on which the Sacrament was celebrated should be of Stone Syricius about the Year 383 that no married Priest should celebrate or administer the Eucharist Innocent about the Year 410 gave order that the Names of those who had given Alms at the Communion should be rehears'd and proclaim'd in the Church at the celebration of this Mystery and that even Infants should be brought to communicate in this Sacrament Zosimus his Successor enjoyn'd that the Deacons while the Sacrament was administring should have their Hands covered with a Linen Cloth Thus Superstition came in by degrees and while the People were taught an external Veneration of the Sacrament they neglected the fruits of Repentance which the Worthy receiving should have produced in them There was an ancient Custom in the Christian Church at the Communion to rehearse the Names of Martyrs and their Glorious Actions and the Miracles they had wrought both alive and dead from hence by degrees crept in the unhappy practice of Invocation of Saints and Martyrs in the Eucharist and this being once allowed of the Doctrine of Purgatory beginning to spread about St. Austin's time and more universally about the time of Gregory the Great Men fell into an Opinion that by the Eucharist their Names that were gone into Purgatory being rehears'd their Souls might be delivered out of Purgatory some thought that even the Souls of the Damned were in some measure reliev'd by this unbloody Sacrifice And nothing is more common at this day in the Church of Rome than to say Masses for Souls in Purgatory a Doctrine they prove from the infirmities errors and corrupt opinions of some of the Fathers but which the Scripture doth not speak the least syllable of Into such abuses hath the World run by deviating from the simplicity of the Gospel And that which must be matter of grief and sorrow to all good Men is that this Sacrament which was intended as the Bond of Peace is made the Ball of Contention and the Engine of Division the motive to Hatred and the fire of Wrath and Animosities For this the Lutherans write Invectives against the Calvinists and the Papists against both and that which should have united all Men's Hearts makes them hate one another mortally and no other reason can be assigned for it but Mens Pride and Passion and their other Vices Who doth not tremble that reads the History of the Gunpowder-Treason in which the Sacrament was without a Metaphor made the Covenant of Blood and the Conspirators united by it to be bold and resolute in this Enterprize Not to mention other abuses of sensual and carnal Men too frequent among us that can engage themselves in this Ordinance to follow their Master's steps and notwithstanding these Engagements live like Swine
sensible of it and so much more grievous by how much it was Spiritual Our Bodies indeed were not laid in Iron nor with the Israelites forced to make Brick without Straw There were no Task-masters set over us to beat and would and bruise us we were not chained to Triumphal Chariots nor forced to work in Mines and Gallies but it was far worse our Souls which were the far better part of us were led Captive by the worst of Tyrants the Law we were govern'd by was the Law of Sin the Prison we were doom'd to was Eternal Darkness the Burdens which were laid upon us were intolerable and we were under the Power of an Usurper whose Smiles were Deaths whose Favours were Punishments and whose Kindnesses were Destruction and Ruin under him we labour'd and toil'd in vain and when at night after our Travel we looked for Wages we could expect nothing but Fire and Flames We read of Dracula the Transylvanian that having one day invited all the Beggars and poor Men he could light of to a splendid Dinner or Entertainment after they had filled their Bellies he set Fire to the Hall where they were and burnt them all The same Fare we must have expected of that Tyrannical Master under whose Bondage we groan'd but from this Slavery the Son of God by dying for us redeemed and rescued us A Mercy which as it deserves to be remembred above all the deliverances that ever happened to us so where can the remembrance be more proper than in the Sacrament of his Death and Passion 4. In vain is all this remembred if we do not remember to imitate this Saviour in his Self-denying Acts for therefore all this Mercy and Love and Charity is represented to us in this Sacrament that it may be an Obligation upon us to deport our selves in the World after his Example So that as he prayed for his Enemies so must we as he blessed them that cursed him so must we as he freely forgave the Men that wronged him so must we as he died for the Truth so must we as he defended it to the last without wavering so must we as he would not suffer any outward Respects to discourage him from Conscientiousness so neither must we as he before his Foes witnessed a good Confession so must we as he did Good for Evil so must we as he shewed Pity to Men in distress though they had affronted and done him an Injury so must we as he bore his Cross contentedly so must we as he despised the World so must we He that remembers not his Death so as to endeavour to be like him forgets the End of his Redemption and dishonours the Cross on which his Satisfaction was wrought For the Honour due to the Cross of Christ is not with the Church of Rome to pray to a piece of Wood called the Cross of Christ Hail Christ's Cross our only Hope in this most blessed Passion-Week Increase the Goodness of the Good and Pardon to the Guilty give but to live in the World as the Lord Jesus did who was crucified for us and by living so to adorn the Doctrine of the Cross of Christ Jesus that is to admire and reverence his Cross. III. From such a Remembrance flow more than ordinary Advantages for Things are useful according as they are managed and consequently if the Remembrance here required be used according to the Rules laid down these following Benefits will certainly ensue upon it For 1. Hereby our Love to God is kindled and renewed Love kindles Love as Fire kindles Fire and therefore God appears in this Sacrament as he did to Moses in the Bush all in Flames of Love that those Flames may warm our Breasts And O happy Soul that feels those Flames warm and heat all that is within her When Love takes possession of the Soul or rather when the Love of God represented in the Sacrament raises Love in the holy soul then the Soul becomes the Seat of Wisdom the Tabernacle of Holiness the Chamber of the Celestial Bridegroom a spiritual Heaven a Field which the Lord hath blessed a Spouse dearly beloved a Garden of Pleasure the Marriage-house a Paradise of Vertue into which the Lord descends not to find out the Malefactor and to discover his Nakedness but to betroth to himself the beloved Virgin languishing with Love waiting for her Beloved and longing for the Bridegroom 's Coming And where this Divine Love takes place there the Love of the World expires for as St. Austin speaks He cannot love that which is Eternal that doth not cease to love that which is Temporal And from this Love arise those happy Breathings O Fountain of Love Nothing is sweeter than thy Love nothing more pleasant nothing more beneficial Thy Love is not troublesome Where thy Love is there is true Pleasure It is contented with it self it knows no Bounds it watches Opportunities to vent it self it triumphs in its own Cell and captivates all the Faculties Thy Love O Lord gives Liberty drives out Fear tramples upon Humane Merits It gives Rest to the Weary Strength to the Weak Joy to the Mourners It feels no Weariness it feeds the Hungry and keeps the Faint from sinking 2. Hereby our Consciences are purged from Dead Works This as it is ascribed expresly to the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant Heb. 9. 14. so it must be attributed to the true Remembrance of that Blood in this Everlasting Sacrament Such a Remembrance cleanseth the Heart purifies the Soul makes the Dross of Sin vanish and the Impurity the Mind was oppressed withal wear away Such a Remembrance like the Gift of Prophecy Jer. 20. 9. is as a burning Fire shut up in the Bones which consumes the Hay and Straw and Stubble that annoyed the House of God For the Beauty of God's Love makes Sin appear black and ugly and causes a Loathing of it Hereby Holiness is advanced and Grace begins to flourish and the Rubbish being removed the Winter of Iniquity gone the Frost in the Soul dissolved the Flowers of the glorious Spring appear This Remembrance chaseth Lust and Luxury and therefore those in whom it hath these Effects are said to wash their Robes and make them white in the Blood of the Lamb Rev. 7. 14. 3. Hereby Christ is invited to dwell in us The House being thus cleansed and swept the Noble Guest is invited to make his Abode there This Remembrance is attractive and where the Soul is thus affected with the Remembrance of Christ's Death he comes and inhabits that beautiful Palace for such a Person seems resolv'd to keep his Word And to him the Promise runs If a Man love me he will keep my Words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our Abode with him John 14. 23. A wonderful Favour this To have him dwelling in us who is the Light of the World the Light of Heaven the Light of Angels and the Sun of Righteousness
the Church of Rome at this day is nothing else for they keep it in Boxes or Chests that they may carry it about and promote the Adoration of it in the Circumgestation and when any great Fire or Wind or Tempest happens this is pretended to have great Virtue either to lessen or avert those evils It is pleaded commonly that the Laity may with greater convenience receive only in one kind and with as much profit to as if they received in both but that this is false appears from hence 1. Because nothing can be convenient for the Laity that is against Christ's Institution and Command and as the Bread is to lead them to the contemplation of Christ's Crucified Body so the Cup is to direct them to fix their Thoughts on the Blood he spilt for them And if this way of reasoning were just why should it not be as convenient for the Priest to receive in one kind as for the Laity 2. Because the Profit that is to be received by the Communion must be received in that method and order that Christ hath thought fit to dispense it and since Christ thought it most proper that this Profit should be received by communicating in both kinds to expect Profit contrary to Christ's design and intention is to deceive our selves Some of the Papists themselves grant and it was asserted by several in the Council of Trent That greater Grace and Comfort was to be received by Communion in both kinds than by Communion in one only and there were some of the Primitive Fathers that thought that the Bread extended its Virtue to the Body only but the Wine to the Soul and if this were to be allow'd of the Laity in the Church of Rome must be either supposed to have no Souls or that their Souls receive no Profit by the Sacrament since they are denied the Wine But however if Communion in one kind be so profitable for the Laity why should it not be as profitable for the Clergy V. Why Christ made use of Wine in the Institution of this Sacrament several Reasons may be given As 1. One great property of Wine is to give Man a chearful countenance and to make glad the Heart Psal. 104. 15. And surely this was to let us see what joy our Souls are to express at the remembrance of God's Compassion and Charity a joy which will appear very rational if we frame right apprehensions of our natural condition for let me take a view of the state of my Soul abstractedly from Christ's mediation and God's Love I shall appear to my self a creature forsaken of God destitute of Mercy deprived of hopes of Pardon an object of Wrath a scorn of Angels the sport of Devils a companion of Reprobates a prey to ravenous Birds an heir of the burning Lake a subject of Damnation a slave to the worst of Masters hated by Heaven condemned by mine own Conscience and in a worse condition than the Beasts that perish and let me suppose that I were surrounded by Wolves and Lions in a barren Wilderness Vipers and Serpents crawling about my heels every moment in danger of being torn to pieces and in danger of a cruel lingring and barbarous death and in these sad circumstances should some kind Deliverer leap from behind a Thicket or come riding toward from afar to rescue me from this impendent ruin how should I rejoyce at the unexpected and unlook'd for Providence My case by nature is much worse for wild Beasts may devour me and make an end of my pain but here I find my self beset with hellish furies so far from being willing to make an end of my life and pain together that they seem resolved to increase it daily and no Angel no Lazarus no Messenger out of the Clouds vouchsafes a drop of Water and therefore in so deplorable an estate to see the Son of God spriging in and flying to my rescue and crying I will heal thy backslidings and unto my Enemies round about me O death I will be thy Plague O grave I will be thy destruction what joy what gladness what comfort must this cause 2. By Wine he represented the everlasting joys he intended to purchase for his followers by his bitter death and passion he himself gives us a hint of this Matth. 26. 29. I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of this Vine until the day that I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom i. e. Of this material Wine I shall after this drink no more in your company but when you are advanced to the Joys and Glories of my Father's Kingdom then I 'll Drink and Feast with you again and the Wine I will then give you to drink of shall be new Wine infinitely different from this Wine which shall have others effects and other operations Wine which the dull World is a stranger to Wine which Glutâ—ons and Drunkards shall never taste of Wine that shall fill your Souls with the purest Joy's with Delights purely Spiritual and Celestial so that these everlasting Joys may be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wine fulfilled as St. Luke speaks of the Bread Luke 22. 16. And then the Wine may be said to be compleated and fulfilled when that which is represented by it is actually fulfilled and conferred on the person who are counted worthy of it The Joys above are the Wine of Angels this Wine is the clear vision of God or the Glorious sight of the Fountain of Light and Beatitude this inebriates their Understandings irrigates the Spirits of Men made perfect makes them drunk with Joy and their Reason is lost in Raptures and Extasies and therefore justly styled Joy which Eye hath not seen and Ear hath not heard and Heart cannot conceive The Souls of Men it seems are channels too narrow to hold those joys they over-run the Banks and as the flame of a Candle is lost in the brighter Sun-shine so the Divine Light in Heaven shining upon Souls they are as it were lost in that Glorious splendor 3. Wine is the Emblem of Wisdom too so much we may guess from what we read Prov. 9. 1 5. Wisdom hath built her a bouse she hath hewen out her seven Pillars she hath kill'd her Beasts she hath mingled her Wine she cries Come eat of my Bread and drink of the Wine that I have mingled So that we have reason to conclude that our Saviour in using Wine in this Sacrament would express the necessity of a vigorous application of our Minds to spiritual Wisdom even to that Wisdom which drives out sensuality expels the Wisdom of the Flesh despises the Wisdom of the World and values Christian simplicity above all words which human Wisdom teaches Wisdom which seems folly in the eyes of the World but is really an effect of the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding Wisdom which concludes If Christ hath done for me what the Scripture saith he hath laid down his life spilt his blood sacrificed himself given himself
when he whose Wisdom cannot by searching be found out hath given us these Symbols and by them thought fit to help our infirmities to fancy that Christ did more than he need to have done as if he understood not our Natures better than we Those that look upon those Symbols as Crutches for weaker Christians to lean upon and such as they themselves have no need of had need examine and search their Hearts better than hitherto they have done lest they be unable when the time comes to stand before the Son of Man II. Why this Sacrament is to last in the Christian Church to the end of the World or till Christ come to Judgment may easily be guess'd at for 1. The means of Grace are the same and unalterable to the end of the World and whatever things bore the name of ordinary means of Grace in the Apostles days still bear that Name and shall bear it till Heaven and Earth do perish for God intended but one Gospel to the Christian World even that Gospel which we have and after it we are to expect no other This is to serve the Church while it is a Church and as the Church is to last to the consummation of all things so this Gospel is to last for which reason it is expresly call'd The Eternal Gospel Rev. 14. 6. And the Apostle is very peremptory in his Assertion Though we or an Angel from Heaven should Preach any other Gospel meaning either now or hereafter than what we have Preached to you let him be accursed Gal. 1. 8. And if the Gosbe to last to the end of the World this Ordinance of the Lord's Supper in the Church must needs last as long for this is part of the Gospel as much as Prayer Preaching or any other message delivered in that Book That which is most properly called the Gospel or Glad-tidings is the mistery of God's reconciling the World to himself in Christ Jesus and this is in an eminent manner express'd in this Sacrament so that this Sacament is the principal part of the Gospel the chief subject it treats of the principal thing it aims at the very foundation of the whole For other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Christ saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 3. 12. Nay he determined with himself not to know any thing save Jesus Christ and him Crucified which is the very purport and scope of this Ordinance and if the Gospel be a thing perpetual and eternal the principal part of it without all peradventure must be so 2. The comforts of Christian Souls are to last while Christians live in the World and that by virtue of Christ's Pontificial Prayer Joh. 17. 20. 21. Neither Pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word i. e. to the end of the World that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us than which there cannot be greater comforts and if such are to last to the Worlds end the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper must needs be of the same perpetuity for from hence flow the greatest comforts of true Believers this assuring us that as the material Bread by eating is united to ouâ— Bodies so is Christ united to our Souls or our Souls united to him as Members to their Head and to be one with Christ it such a Treasury of Comforts that there is no affliction no condition so mean or so calamitous but may receive ease and content from this Consideration for if I am one with Christ my Blessed Redeemer will be concern'd for me will take care of me will be with me in the Tryals that fall to my share will support me under Temptations assist me with his Grace relieve me by his Presence subdue Satan under my Feet shortly will furnish me with Arguments to resist will not leave me when I dye but convey and conduct my Soul where her Head is that it may be for ever with her Lord and will make me partaker of the same Glories too which himself is possest of By this Sacrament we become one with Christ Jesus and this comfort being to attend sincere Christians while Christians are in the World the means whereby that Union is made must necessarily last as long as Christianity lasts i. e. to the Day of Judgment 3. Lo I am with you saith Christ to his Disciples who were Representatives of all future Christian Congregations that should maintain the purity of his Doctrine and Morals to the end of the World Matth. 28 20. This is not to be understood of his Bodily Presence or Human Nature for that was to be Translated into his Father's Kingdom and with respect to that he had told his Followers before that they should not have him always with them Matth. 26. 11. And as to his Divine Nature though the words may be referr'd to that yet it is to be noted that he spoke these words as one who had all Power given him in Heaven and in Earth v. 18. and therefore as Mediator or the promised Messiah of the World and if he spake these words as Mediator or Head of the Church it must follow that he meant them of his being with them and their Followers to the World's end by his Spirit and virtue and influence in their observing all things whatsoever he Commanded them as the words immediately preceding do evince for he doth not tye his special Presence to a bare function of Men as the Romanists falsly infer but to Obedience and as Baptism was one of the things he commanded them to use and observe in the Verse before so the Lord's Supper and Celebration of it was another so that if Christ's Presence be necessary to the Worlds end and that Presence be tied to Obedience and this Sacrament be one of the things he hath commanded and in which he must be obey'd in order to his Gracious Presence this Ordinance also must be necessary and must needs be kept up to the end of the World 4 Christ's Church is to last to the World's end for it is for his Church's sake that the World stands so long as it doth as the World was created upon that account because God meant to gather a Church out of the World out of the foreseen corrupt Mass of Mankind so it is preserved upon that account even that the number of those that shall be saved may be compleated which great Truth is I believe aim'd at by the Apostle Col. 1. 15 16 17 18. and to this end this Church is said to be so durable and so firm that the Gates of Hell shall not be able to prevail against it Matth. 16. 18. The Devil we may be confident will endeavour to bâ—tter it to to the very last moment of the World's duration and if with all his stratagems and continued and lasting assaults he shall not be able to conquer or to destroy
or suffer my self to be enticed by it Every Man's Sin is a personal thing except in case of Scandal and the Offender only shall feel the Smart of it He that is free from the other's Offence shall be freed also from the Penalty due to the Offence and then what hurt do I receive by an ill Man's communicating in my Company I may eat with a Leprous with a diseased with a Gouty Man at a common Table and yet not participate of his Distemper And why should I share in his Guilt at the Lord's Table when I both abhor it and keep my self from the Infection The Soul that sins shall die is God's standing Rule Ezek. 18. 20. The Son shall not bear the Iniquity of the Father neither shall the Father bear the Iniquity of the Son the Righteousness of the Righteous shall be upon him and the Wickedness of the Wicked shall be upon him If therefore I approach with a practical Faith and another with Unbelief or which is all one with a Faith without Works shall his Unbelief make the Faith of God of no effect Rom. 3. 3. 2. What Hurt did the Guests receive at the Wedding-Feast Matth. 22. 11 12. by eating with the Man who had no Wedding-Garment Were they rejected by the Master of the Feast because they feasted in his Company No All that came adorn'd with a suitable Temper and in whose Spirit there was no Guile received the Caresses of the King and none but the profane Wretch felt the Thunder of the Prince's Anger of him alone 't is said Bind him Hand and Foot and take him away and cast him into Outer Darkness there shall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth As he was singular in his Sin so he was singular in his Punishment His coming unprepared did not divest others of their Garments nor did his Misery reach those that sate down with him Their own Faith saved them while the other's Infidelity condemned him The Master doth not so much as frown upon the rest doth not so much as give them an angry Word nor doth he expostulate with them why they would bear him Company They charitably believed he was a good Man because he was invited with them and their Charity made their own Sacrifice acceptable while the other's was Abomination to the Lord. 3. If I see another Man whom I know to be or to have been a notorious Sinner kneel down by me at this holy Table he must not therefore be an Object of my Scorn but of my Pity and Compassion I can make an excellent Use of seeing him in my Company for I can pray for him and beg of God that he would over-awe his Spirit with a Sense of the Death of Christ and strike him into Repentance and Humiliation I can intreat my Heavenly Father to give him a Sight of the Errours of his Ways and Resolutions never to profane that Cross again on which the great Redeemer of the World suffered I can pray that his Sight of the Bleeding Jesus may work upon his Soul and fill his Heart with holy Compunctions and his Eyes with Tears I can pray that after this Communion he may take heed and sin no more that the Solemnity may leavâ— such a Fear upon his Spirit that he may dread to offend God more than putting his Hand in the Fire And where I do so I do at once exercise my Pity and raise mine own Devotion I imitate Christ on the Cross praying for his Murtherers and with him become a Sollicitor for those that have derided and spit upon him And this sure cannot make me an unworthy Receiver 4. Who hath given me a Key to other Men's Hearts whereby I can judge at the Receiving of the Eucharist that my Neighbour receives unworthily How do I know but that he who was vicious a Week ago may become a Penitent that Day Or Who assures me that he who did cast God's Laws behind him Yesterday may not this Day cry out O wretched Man that I am Who bids me trouble my Head about another's Receiving when I have enough to do with mine own Heart And while I give my self liberty to judge another is it not a very great Sign that I am not very sensible of mine own Vileness If I am truly concern'd about mine own spiritual Welfare I shall not be at leisure to dive into other Men's Lives and Consciences My own Sins will be Burthen enough to me that I shall not need to concern my self about another's Business If I give my self to Censoriousness at such times I lose my Charity and Humility And if the Rule be to esteem others better than our selves I do not very heartily obey that Precept while I suffer my Mind to dwell upon other Men's Faults and Errours Christianity bids me to have humble Thoughts of my self and if I think that all that receive with me may be for ought I know better than my self I assuredly prepare for God's Favour who ever gives Grace to the Humble 5. If Judas the Traytor was present at this Sacrament as well as the other Apostles and his being present did not make the rest unworthy Receivers why should I think that a wicked Man's coming with me to this Table should make me one That Judas was present at this Sacrament we have the concurrent Testimony of three Evangelists for they all confess that Jesus sate down with the Twelve to the Eating of the Passover and while they were eating Jesus administred the holy Sacrament to them So St. Matth. 26. 26. As they were eating Jesus took Bread and blessed it and brake it and gave it to the Disciples and said Take eat this is my Body So St. Mark 14. 22. And as they did eat Jesus took Bread and blessed and brake it and gave to them and said Take eat this is my Body Nay St. Luke is more express 22. 19 20 21. And he took Bread and gave Thanks and brake it and gave unto them saying This is my Body c. But behold the Hand of him which betrays me is with me on the Table c. St. John indeed tells us that Judas having received the Sop in the Passover he went immediately out Joh. 13. 30. But since the Evangelist mentions nothing of the Sacrament his Silence about Judas's being present at the Sacrament can be no Argument and his Words may justly be construed thus Having received the Sop in the Passover and stay'd till the Sacrament was administred to him and the rest of the Disciples he immediately went out For the Sacrament being administred by Christ while they were eating the Passover by the Sop St. John must needs be supposed to understand both the Passover and that which was without Delay subjoyned to it i. e. the Sacrament And whereas it is objected that the Sacrament could not have been conveniently administred if the Traytor had been present that is a Supposition which contradicts the Matter of Fact recorded by the Evangelists And who
this World may'st bid me enter into my Master's Joy 44. And it was about the Sixth Hour and there was a Darkness over all the Earth until the Ninth Hour THE Sun loses his Splendour at Noon The Deed was black and Heaven draws a Curtain over it Yet notwithstanding the Miracle the greatest part of the Spectators continue obstinate When Men's Hearts are set upon Sin and the World how little do even Miracles prevail O my Soul How many strange Providences hast thou seen and yet thou hast not mended thy Life upon it Thou hast seen Miracles of Judgment and Mercy yet thy Heart hath been hard Oh learn to take more notice of God's Dispensations and believe that the strange things that happen to thee and others are Calls from Heaven to the Inhabitants of the World to learn Righteousness 45. And the Sun was darken'd and the Veil of the Temple was rent in the midst WHat a Motive was this to Men to rend their Hearts This was a Sign that God would lay the Inclosure open and that Christ was to break down the Partition-Wall and make both Jews and Gentiles one To this Rent thou art beholden O my Soul Thy Father was an Amorite and thy Mother an Hittite thy Ancestors were Heathens and Idolaters by this Rent they were brought to the Light of the Gospel and upon that Account thou enjoyest the Gospel now Remember how unworthy of this Favour thou hast walked many Years and how thou hast dishonoured this Gospel with thy Life Oh learn to bring forth Fruits as become the Doctrine which is according unto Godliness and let thy Conversation be such as may promote God's Glory and thine Eternal Happiness 46. And when Jesus had cried with a loud Voice he said Father into thy Hands I commend my Spirit And having said thus he gave up the Ghost NOW the Sacrifice is offered and this Death reconciles God to the sinful World This Death which had been so often foretold both by the Prophets and Christ himself is at last accomplished and Pardon of Sin and the Possibility of Men's arriving to Eternal Life by a true Repentance is hereby purchased This Death puts an End to the Curse of the Law And from this Death O my Soul date thy Happiness Though wicked Men who had an Hand in it were the Means whereby it was effected yet the Son of God would die and his voluntary Death is the meritorious Cause of thy Eternal Life Oh look upon it with Wonder and Admiration And while thou standest amazed at it see withal how thou thy self may'st end thy Days If thou livest like a Child of God thy Father in Heaven will receive thee when thou diest Thy Father will not send thee to Hell but being a Father he will stretch forth his Almighty Arms and receive thee to himself like a faithful Creator 47. Now when the Centurion saw what was done he glorified God saying Certainly this was a righteous Man TO make a right Construction of Things is the Way to Spiritual Wisdom This Man justly concluded that Heaven could not possibly shew it self so much concern'd about a Person if he were not an extraordinary Favourite He judged rationally and this brought him to a true Knowledge of Christ and to an open Confession and Declaration of the Sufferer's Innocence O my Soul Consider by what Miracles and Testimonies that Truth thou professest hath been confirmed and conclude it is Divine No Religion hath those Evidences of its Divinity and Celestial Original that the Christian hath and coming from God thou hast the greatest Reason to believe that all its Promises and Threatnings will be fulfilled and seeing that all these shall be fulfilled what manner of Person oughtest thou to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness 48. And all the People that came together to that Sight beholding the things which were done smote their Breasts and returned SMiting their Breasts was a Sign of their Grief and Anger of their Grief because so excellent a Person had been so inhumanely butcher'd and of their Anger against those bloody Men that had condemned and executed him See here O my Soul what Entertainment thou art to give thy Sins In looking upon them divide thy Affections betwixt Grief and Anger Grieve that thou hast offered so many Indignities to thy Blessed Master Be angry with thy self for being so base and ungrateful Grieve that thou hast forgotten the End for which thou wast created and be revenged upon the Sins that caused it And the best Revenge is this to see and take care that thy Degrees of Sin be truly answered by thy Degrees of Sanctification and Heavenly-mindedness 49. And all his Acquaintance and the Woman that followed him from Galilee stood afar off beholding these things THough it is some Ages since Christ was crucified yet in imitation of these Religious Women thou may'st stand afar off O my Soul and behold the Spectacle still When the Circumstances of it are left thee in Writing and the doleful Story stands upon Record thou canst ascend Mount Calvary and see those things acted as if thou hadst been present And Oh little dost thou think how much this Sight will edifie thee Look often upon the Cross and thou wilt find what a Damp it will strike upon all thy sinful Pleasures and how little reason thou hast to hancker after those things whereof so many good Men after they have been sensible of their Errours have been ashamed 50. And behold there was a Man named Joseph a Councillor and he was a good Man and a just IN the midst of Temptations God preserves this Man though his Riches Greatness Reputation and Friendship of the Grandes did strongly entice him to consent to the Death of the Lord Jesus yet he would not and was resolved rather to hazard all than have an hand in the Condemnation This was an Argument of a generous Spirit to bear up under the strongest Assaults and Enticements in the World and to keep an uncorrupt Soul in the midst of Dirt and Filthiness Thou livest in a very evil Generation O my Soul Dare to preserve thine Integrity in the midst of all the Floods of Ungodliness that surround thee And the more thou art discouraged from Goodness and Righteousness the more vigorously stand up for it and maintain it and thy God will be with thee 51. The same had not consented to the Counsel and Deed of them He was of Arimathea 4 City of the Jews who also himself waited for the Kingdom of God TO wait for the Kingdom of God is the Way to resist and to overcome Temptations He that is resolved not to lose his Share in God's Kingdom hereafter will not stand upon his Losses and Crosses here for he knows that the future Kingdom will recompense all No Nan will venture so much for Christ as he that firmly believes the Kingdom of God and fixes his Eye of Faith upon it O my Jesus Give me a clearer Sight of
that Kingdom that the Kingdoms and Glories of this World may not beguile or tempt me to love the World If I love the World the Love of the Father cannot be in me Represent the Beauty of thy future Kingdom to my Mind in lively Characters that my Admiration of this present World may decay and I may be content to sell all for the Pearl of Price that is before me 52. This Man went unto Pilate and begged the Body of Jesus IT is base to forsake a Friend when he is under a Cloud Then to shew our Respect to him when he lies unjustly under Contempt and Disgrace is true Affection It was bold and great and like a Friend to beg the Body of Jesus when it was counted a Disgrace to be any way concern'd for him How hast thou deviated from this admirable Example O my Soul when a Person whom thou hast courted and admired in the Day of his Prosperity hath through the Venom of malicious Tongues and more malicious Practices fallen from his Glory and Respect How hast thou withdrawn thy self from him been afraid to speak the Truth of him and to give him that good Character which thou knewest he deserved As thou dealest with Man so it is to be feared thou wilt deal with thy God and Religion when it becomes dangerous to own them Up and be earnest with thy God to give thee invincible Integrity which may mock all Storms and be the same to God and to thy Neighbour in all Conditions Stick close to God and to thy Friend and rejoyce in a good Conscience for that will bring thee Peace at last 53. And he took it down and wrapped it in Linen and laid it in a Sepulchre that was hewn in Stone wherein never Man before was laid REligion is an insignificant thing if it cost us nothing Good Men love to be at Charges for their God and the Good of their own Souls O my Soul How loth hast thou been to let those Persons reap thy Carnal Things which have sown unto thee Spiritual Things When thou hast thought nothing too much for thy Luxury and Pride and Ease how hath it gone against the Grain to be expensive for Religion Thou hast loved to serve thy God cheaply How loth hast thou been to express thy Gratitude to God by being liberal to his distressed Members and thy Spiritual Guids Oh learn by this Example to prize thy Spiritual Good more and let thy bountiful Actions shew that thou hast the highest Value for the Concerns of Eternity 54. And that Day was the Preparation and the Sabbath drew on O My Soul How little Preparation hast thou made for the Everlasting Sabbath and thine Eternal Rest Dost thou hope to rest for ever among the Flowers of Paradise and is it not high time to prepare for it Dost thou think to rest at last under the Wings of thy Everlasting Father and is it not time to rise and work as it were for thy Life that thou may'st find Repose in the Everlasting Tabernacles Was ever any admitted there that would not sweat and labour here Oh labour against thy Corruptions wrestle with Temptations fight with thy Spiritual Enemies live in Contemplation of the highest Good embrace thy Saviour with the warmest Love strive to do much Good in thy Generation and thy Rest will be sweet 55. And the Women also which came with him from Galilee followed after and beheld the Sepulchre and how his Body was laid TRue Goodness is never weary of following Christ It follows him to the very Grave It may meet with Stops and Rubs in its Way but it gets up again and is not tired with Running the Race which is set before it O Blessed Jesu Thou hast not been weary of working and suffering for me Let me never be weary of loving thee When my Flesh would make me give over running after thee assist me with new Strength and Courage that I may hold out to the End And since none shall sit at thy Table in thy Kingdom but those that have continued with thee in thy Temptations Oh let my Soul feel the Power of thy Spirit which may lift me up that I may mount up with Wings as Eagles may run and not be weary walk and not faint till I am within the Gates of Heaven 56. And they returned and prepared Spices and Ointments and rested the Sabbath-day according to the Commandment MY dearest Lord though I have no opportunity to prepare Spices and Ointments for thy Burial yet thou hast shewn me how I may offer an Odor of a sweet Smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God This is a life fruitful in good Works No Incense smells sweeter in thy Nostrils No Persume casts a nobler scent in Heaven than this Enrich the ground of my Heart fatten it with thy Blood water the Furrows thereof with thy Heavenly Dew and shine upon it with thy Gracious Beams and bid the Tree of my Life advance and Bud and Blossom and bear fruit even the Fruit of Charity of Meekness of Humility of Patience of Goodness of Faith of Love of Temperance of Sobriety of Watchfulness and of contempt of the World that I may have my Fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting Life The Preceding Considerations reduced to Practice I. HOw justly after this prospect may God say What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it St. Bernard hath an Elegant Discourse upon this Subject to shew what force the serious consideration of Christ's Incarnation and of what he hath done for us and particularly of his Sufferings and Death hath to kindle the Fire of reciprocal Love in our Hearts God being desirous saith he to restore Man who had lost himself and to rescue him from the clutches of the Devil said within himself If I should force this wretched Creature against his Will and Choice to the Duties he is to discharge and perform I should make a Beast or an Ass of him instead of a rational Man nor would he come to me voluntarily of his own accord and with a good Will nor would he be able to say I will freely sacrifice unto thee Therefore to make his coming to me a matter of choice and rational freedom I will terrifie and fright him to see whether that will drive him to Repentance and accordingly he threatened him with misery which no Mortal is able to express with everlasting Darkness and a never dying Worm and unquenchable Fire But stubborn Man nothing terrified with all these Thunders God was resolv'd to try what Promises would do and since naturally he is desirous of Riches and Honour and Pleasures and long Life God accordingly promis'd him infinite Treasures of Glory unexpressible Dignities in Heaven and such Pleasures as the Heart of Man is not able to conceive they are so big and large and overflowing and a life free not only from all evil but from any end or period and abounding
Confessions specifies the particular Acts wherein he hath walk'd contrary to God discovers an earnest desire to grow in Grace and in this St. Paul shews us an example 1 Tim. 1. 13. where he doth not say I have been a great Sinner but a Blasphemer spoke ill of the way to Life a Persecuter afflicted oppressed and made havock of the Churches of God injurious done great injuries to St. Stephen and to abundance of other Christians In a word such a person by his particular Confession deals faithfully with his own Soul and by mentioning the particular Diseases that annoy him manifests his earnest desire of a Cure whereas General Confessions leave the Soul ignorant dull careless and unaffected with the great Concerns of Salvation And tho' a person every time he accuses himself or confesses his Errors is not bound to enumerate all the particular Sins of his Life he can charge his Memory with yet if he never did it before it 's fit he should do it at least when first he receives the Holy Sacrament and at other times confess such fins as he finds himself most inclin'd to and most apt to harbor in his Bosom 2. These Confessions must be accompanied especially the Confessions before the Sacrament with aggravations of our Offences and with shame and confusion of Face I joyn these two together because aggravating of them is the cause of that confusion and he that reflects in his Confessions what light what knowledge what checks of Conscience what motions of God's Spirit what goodness of God what mercy what patience what promises what threatnings he hath sinn'd against what time he hathlost what opportunities he hath neglected what a gracious what a merciful God he hath offended even love it self and sweetness and beauty it self and what blessings what priviledges what advantages what offers he hath slighted will find himself obliged to have very low and mean thoughts of himself This was the Publican's case Luke 18. 13. Who standing afar off would not lift up so much as his Eyes to Heaven but smote upon his Breast saying God be merciful to me a Sinner He was ashamed and confounded His Conscience told him how unworthily he had dealt with his Creator how strangely he had carried himself to God his best and greatest Friend how unthankful and how base he had been to his most gracious Benefactor and how strangely he had carried himself to the best of Beings He was confounded with the thoughts of his vileness and conscious of his guilt he â—ast his eyes to the ground unable to look his offended Father in the Face His Heart was full of grief Sorrow fate heavy on his Soul and though his Tongue could not express his particular acts of injustice oppression pride anger and greediness after the World yet his Mind confess'd them thought of them his Heart was ready to break at the dismal sight and this was a very acceptable Confession 3. These Confessions must be joyned with invincible purposes to endeavour after a better and more Spiritu-Temper So the wise Man tells us He that confesses his Sins and forsakes theâ— shall find mercy Prov. 28. 13. Without this Qualification our Confessions are mere Lip-services and rceive not one gracious Look from above nay are accounted no better than Israel's Devotion Hos. 10. 1. Israel is an empty Vine He brings forth fruit unto himself Why unto himself The reason is because in that fruit he aim'd not so much at God's Glory as his own Profit Nor was any Person the better for it the design was selfish it was just to satisfie the present terror within no love of God lay at the bottom the ground of all was self-love and God had nothing to do with it The same may justly be said of him that confesses but is not concern'd whether his Flesh be subdued to the Spirit or not Such a Confession is his own invention it is not that Confession which God requires If he confesses it must not be to himself for God regards it not and indeed till this actual endeavour to forsake them is added to the Confession our Sins continue still in God's Books of Accompt look still as black as ever not one of them is blotted out for the enmity against God is still maintained and whilst that lasts it naturally follows that God and we cannot be friends III. The second act of judging our selves is upon this Confession to condemn our selves And indeed if the Soul be truly awake and the Heart sincerely sensible of its errors and miscarriages the Penitent cannot but condemn himself and acknowledge that the Judgments threatned in the word of God are due to him and cry Ah! my God and my Lord Who shall deliver me from the Body of this death from this confluence of Misery I have deserv'd with Adam to be thrown out of Paradise and to be for ever forbid eating of the Tree of Life I have deserv'd to drown'd with the first World or to be consumed for ever as Sodom and Gomorrah I have deserved the sudden and unnatural death of Nadab and Abihu to be stoned with Achan to be struck with Leprosie as Miriam to be swallowed up â—live by the Earth as Dathan and Abiram I have deserv'd Manasseh's Prison and Zedekiah's Chains and what is worse the everlasting Chains of Darkness I acknowledge that I have deserved it should be more tolerable for Infidels in the Great Day than for me for I have seen the mighty works of God and continu'd a stranger to Repentance I have deserved to be called upon at Midnight as that careless Man Thou Fool this Night thy Soul shall be required of thee and whose shall be which thou hast provided To this Wretch that is before thee belongs nothing but Wrath and Indignation On this Head of mine thou mightest justly discharge the Ordinance of Justice and pour out the Vials of thy Wrath On me thou mightest justly rain snares and Fire and Brimstone I have deserv'd to be plagued with Diseases tormented with grievous Pain haunted by panick Terrors If any of these Judgments do not fall upon mee it is thy Patience not my Goodness and I may wonder I have escaped them all this while I have deserved to be made a Prey to that Devil whose Temptations I have swallow'd with Greediness Instead of rejoycing over me to build me up thou mightest justly rejoyce over me to destroy me Justly O Lord thou mightest send upon me trembling of Heart and fainting of Eyes and sorrow of Mind I have deserv'd that my Life should hang in doubt before me that I should fear day and night that in the Morning I should say Would God it were Even and at Even Would God it were Morning Mercy Lord I have deserved none The Crums that fall from thy Table are Blessings too good for me if I deserve any thing it is thy Rod thy Scourges thy Waves thy Billows and a horrible Tempest To condemn is the proper act of a
Judge and he that thus condemns himself judges himself IV. The third act of Judging our selves is to inflict Judgments upon our selves By which I do not mean maiming or wounding our selves or cutting off an Arm or a Leg or whipping our selves but inflicting such Judgments on our selves for the Sins we have been guilty of and so often fallen into as are neither hurtful to the Body nor unprofitable nor prejudicial to the Soul but serve rather to bring the Soul into an excellent temper These Judgments though the design of them is to meliorate the Soul yet they are in a great measure to be inflicted on the Body because the Body tempts the Soul to great extravagancies and by presenting a thousand pleasant Objects to her leads her into Nets and Snares and Dangers The Judgment therefore must be laid upon that part which is the tempter and that being under restraint the Soul may more freely move toward her Center God blessed for evermore It 's true naturally no Man hates his own Flesh but cherishes it and makes much of it but Grace and the Gospel teaches us to treat it with greater rigour To be too fond of the Body in St. Bernard's sense is a Charity which destroys Charity a Mercy which is full of Cruelty for this is to serve the Body in order to kill the Soul Is this Charity saith he to tender the Body and to neglect the Soul To caress the Handmaid and to let the Mistress starve Let no Man think that for being thus merciful he will ever obtain mercy So that the Flesh and Body are to be treated as a wild or unruly Horse if we curb him not he will give us a fall Our Bodies are greater Enemies than we are aware they are friends too but the hurt they do too often to our Souls shews they are greater Enemies than Friends and therefore the Fathers do so often call the Flesh the Grave of the Soul a Prison where we are held Captive and a Dungeon where we sit in Darkness The Platonists used to say that our Souls deriving their Original from Heaven are sent into this World to shew forth the Praises of God here on Earth as the Angels do in Heaven but the Body the Soul is in is a kind of Inchanted Castle in which the Soul through the flatteries of the Flesh forgetting too often her nobler Extraction is diverted from her glorious Designs and debased to vile Employs And to this purpose Seneca That the Body is the weight and punishment of the Soul lying heavy upon it ready to link it and putting Shackles upon her if Philosophy do not make a Reformation The Body therefore being such a treacherous Servant must feel the effects of our Justice as it hath been the great instrument of the Sins we have committed that it may be more modest in its Desires And accordingly we find that good Men in all Ages when they have sate as Judges upon themselves to shew their detestation of the Sins they have been guilty of have inflicted Judgments on that part which is most sensible of any thing that is uneasie not out of any ill will to it for it is God's Creature but to preserve both Body and Soul unto Salvation So David punish'd himself for his Sins sometimes by mingling his Drink with Weeping Psal. 102. 9. Sometimes by making Sackcloth his Garment Psal. 69. 11. Sometimes by weakening his Knees with Fasting and Prayer Psal. 109. 24. Sometimes by making his Bed swim with Tears Psal. 6. 6. Sometimes by great acts of Self-denial as overcoming Shimei ' s Malice with Patience and Meekness 2 Sam. 16. 10. And delivering him that without cause was his Enemy Psal. 7. 4. And keeping Fasts and Humiliation Days for the recovery of those that were his Enemies Psal. 35. 13. Sometimes by lying all Night upon the Earth or Floor 2 Sam. 12. 16. Sometimes by rising at Midnight to praise God Psal. 119. 61. So the Penitent Publican punish'd himself by a violent smiting his Breast Luke 16. 13. So Mary Magdalen punished her self by washing the Feet of the Lord Jesus with her Tears and wiping them with the Hair of her Head Luke 7. 37. So Zacheus punish'd himself by giving the halfe of his Goods to the Poor and by fourfold Restitution Luke 19. 7. So St. Paul punished himself by keeping under his Body and bringing it into subjection 1 Cor. 9. 27. By making himself a Servant to all that he might gain the more 1 Cor. 9. 19. By labouring Day and Night that he might not be chargeable to the Church 1 Thess. 2. 9. By denying himself in Marriage 1 Co. 9. 5. So Daniel punished himself for his own and his People's Offences three Weeks together by eating no pleasant Bread by avoiding Flesh and Wine and forbearing to anoint himself Dan. 10. 2 3. So the Primitive believers punished themselves by various Self-denials in the Pleasures Satisfactions and Recreations of the Flesh and of the World thereby to express their Anger either against Sin in general or against some particular Sins they had run into But the most usual Judgment that good Men have ever inflicted on themselves as a Testimony of their Displeasure against themselves for offending God hath been Fasting and Prayer or chastening their Flesh by frequent Fasts spent in deprecations of God's Judgments and in other exercises of Humiliation and when Men have said to them Why are you so cruel as not to spare your Flesh They have answered We spare or use it as we do the Earth which we plough and cut with Coulters that it may bring forth more Fruit. V. This judging our selves in all its acts is certainly very pleasing to God especially before we come to the Holy Communion else St. Paul would never have told us in the passage mentioned in the beginning of this Chapter that by doing so we do put a stop to God's judging of us So that we have reason to believe that God upon our accusing our selves or humble Confessions stops the mouth of the Accuser of our Brethren which is open against us who this is we may learn from Rev. 12. 10. even the Devil who brings severe Accusations against us before God night and day and as he wants neither Wit nor Malice to do it so we have an instance of it in the History of Job Chap. 1. Ver. 9. Where appearing among the Sons of God whether wrapt up in a dark Cloud or in the form of an Angel of Light is not said but among the Angels that gave an account of their Negotiations here on Earth to God he appear'd and as those Ministring Spirits were commending Job for his exemplary Virtue so he displeased at the fair Character immediately seeks to blast and sully it by aspersions and misconstructions and thus we must suppose he deals with other persons that have the same inclinations to Virtue for those Examples are recorded in Scripture not only to tell us what happened just at
Oblation of thy dear Son and blot out all my Transgressions Accept of that incomparable Sacrifice and forget the Injuries I have offered thee I should be afraid of being sent away empty from thy Throne my Sins are so many and so great but that I know thy Sons Merits are greater than my Sins If my Sins and his Goodness my Transgressions and the Merits of his bitter Passion were laid in a Ballance together these would weigh for heavier than mine Offences What Crime so great that such a Sorrow such Affliction such Obedience such Humility such invincible Patience and what is more than all this such infinite Love cannot expiate What Iniquity can there be in the World above which the Death of Christ doth not preponderate O Heavenly Father I have nothing of mine own to offer thee But I offer thee my Saviour my Redeemer thine only Son with all possible Devotion and Gratitude Accept of his unspeakable Grief and Anguish known only to him and to thy self for my Sins and that Grief I should have and do not feel Accept of his bloody Sweat and Tears for want of my Tears Accept of his most fervent Prayers for my dulness and deadness in Prayer Accept of all that ever he did and suffer'd for my great and multiplied Transgressions I accuse my self for my Carnality I condemn my self for my backwardness to serve thee I am willing to inflict Judgments upon my self for my innumerable Follies yet even these Services will look dull and weak and imperfect except thou art pleased to look upon them through the Merits of thy dear Son O blessed Jesu who can comprehend thy Charity O pour into my Heart true Contrition soften my harden'd Heart into true Compunction give to mine Eyes abundance of Tears that I may bewail the many Indignities I have offered to thee Deal not with me after my Sins Let thy bitter Passion step in betwixt thy Father's Anger and my miserable Soul And whatever mine Iniquities have deserv'd let thy Death atone for them and let thy Blood wash them away O thou who hast overcome the World and the Prince thereof overcome all my rebellious and inordinate Affections Let nothing separate betwixt thy Love and me Remove and conquer that Disagreebleness that is betwixt my Nature and thy Holiness and as thou wast obedient to thy Father even to the Death of the Cross so make my Soul obedient to thee in all thing O let me see and feel that there is nothing so vile so abject so unworthy as I am and in this sense let me admire thy Love that it may appear great and wonderful to me and dash all those Excuses and Delays I have pretended too long to cloak my unwillingness to please thee What can melt my heart if thy Love cannot melt it O melt it by that Fire and purge away all my Dross and all my Tin that being purified by thee I may enjoy the Comforts of that Purity for ever Amen Amen CHAP. XXV Of Self-Resignation the Fourth Preparatory Duty in order to a Worthy Receiving of this Holy Sacrament The CONTENTS What Self-Resignation is and wherein it consists What makes it necessary Upon what Account it comes to be a Duty preparatory for the Holy Sacrament God likens himself to a Potter and why Our Perfection proved to consist in this Self-Resignation 1. WHat this Self-Resignation is and wherein it consists is no hard matter to guess 'T is in short to resign our Will to God's Will not only in being ready to do what God will have us do but in being contented to suffer whatever he shall think fit to lay upon us 'T is St. Anselm's Observation That God alone who is the Creator of all things can will and do what he pleases having no Will superior to his own to which he ought to submit But when Man will do his own Will he robs Almighty God in some measure of his Crown for as the Crown is only the Privilege and Prerogative of a King so to do what he pleases is God's only Property And as a Subject that should fly at the Crown of his Prince and take it off his Head would commit Treason and do his Sovereign the greatest Injury so a Man that will have his own Will attributes that to himself which is a Privilege appertaining only to Divinity it self And indeed this Self-Resignation is nothing but an Effect of sincere and cordial Love Love being the Bond that ties and unites the Person loving to him that is loved as Hatred dissolves and unties that Bond. This Love consists chiefly in the Will and if it be right it must necessarily oblige him that loves God to will what he wills and take his Pleasure and Will for his Rule whereby he governs his own Desires and Affections II. That which makes this Self-Resignation to the Will of God very necessary are these important Points 1. Hereby the Glory of God is signally advanced It is the most excellent Sacrifice we can offer to Almighty God The Glory of God consists in having his Will fulfilled And since we are both created and redeemed to advance God's Glory we commit a very great Errour in having a different Will from God's Will for we deprive him of the Honour due to him and which we are obliged to advance not only by our Obedience but by our Troubles and Dangers too And if it be such an Advancement of God's Glory to do what he will have us do and to follow him where he leads it can be no less Glory to our selves to have the Honour to fulfil his Will in all things That God who is far above us so infinitely exalted above our frail Natures should make use of such poor miserable Creatures to glorifie him and employ in the compassing of his admirable Designs such vile Worms when he might make use of far better is no small Dignity and Advancement If a King were to give Battel to a fierce and numerous Enemy and should quit or lay by a bright and Two-edged Sword and take a rusty Dagger with no Point or Edge to fight the opposite Army as it would be a Mark of his greater Courage so the Victory he gains by that means would be more renowned and glorious We are in the Hand of God no otherwise than obtuse and blunt Daggers are and that by such contemptible means he will compass his Glory is not only the Way to promote his own Honour but ours too When the Disciples of Socrates had all made their Masters very noble Presents Aeschines who was very poor came to him and told him Sir I have nothing to give you that is worthy of you and therefore take the only thing I have to give that is my self Socrates was extreamly pleased with this Offer And Seneca adds that by this Present Aeschines exceeded all the rich Gifts not only of Alcibiades whose Gifts were equal to his generous Mind but all the Presents of the rest A Man can
wise indeed when I shall learn to submit my self to thy infinite Wisdom then shall I know thee the only true God and him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ to whom with thee O Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen CHAP. XXVI Of Preparatory Devotions and Aspirations fit to be used in Private before we come to the Holy Sacrament The CONTENTS The conveniency of using Devotions suitable to this Holy Sacrament the Week before we Receive Prayers and Aspirations relating to the Afflictions of Christ to Christ's readiness to comfort Persons diseased and in distress to his Praying for his Disciples and those that should believe in his Name c. THough all the preceeding Prayers are nothing but preparatory Devotions and may be used as such yet for varieties sake which may be as delightful in spiritual as it is in temporal Things I shall add some other aspirations and breathings of the Soul after God in this Chapter as preparatives for the Worthy Receiving of the Holy Communion Extraordinary occasions as I have said often and short warnings when a Friend of Neighbour is indisposed and requires our presence and help and joyning with him in the devout use of this Ordinance may oblige us to alter our method but where no considerable impediment straitens us in Time it will be convenient the Week before we Receive besides our standing Devotions to address our selves to God in Supplications as both relate and are subservient to the great Work we intend for And such are the following Aspirations whereof one or two may be used together with our daily Devotion I. O wonderful Saviour What Afflictions hast thou suffered for me Heat and Cold Hunger and Thirst Labour and Miseries Give me an Heart to receive from thy hands chearfully all kind of Adversity Give me that excellent temper which was in thy Apostles whereby they rejoyced in Tribulation and counted it Honourable and Glorious that they had any thing to lose for thy sake I intend to look upon thy sufferings in the Blessed Sacrament O let the sight work upon me that I may be contented to suffer joyfully for thy sake II. Great Prince of Peace Who in thy Converse with Men tookest all opportunities to comfort the distressed and didst most mercifully cure their Diseases Give me a great sense of the Afflictions of my Neighbours that I may have as great a feeling of their miseries as if they were mine own and be ready to help them according to my ability I am going to behold in the Blessed Sacrament what Miracles thou hast wrought for me O let me not come away from thence without working a Miracle upon my Soul III. Great Counsellor of my Soul Who at thy leaving the World didst in Prayer recommend thy Disciples and those that through their means should believe in thy Name to thy Heavenly Father's Care Let me find the benefit of thy intercession Preserve me from this evil World and keep me by thy Truth Take care of my Soul that I may not be lost in the Wilderness of this World in the Holy Sacrament which I mean to be partaker of assure me of that care and that thou wilt not leave me nor forsake me IV. O thou who art Alpha and Omâ—ga the Beginning and the end Who didst suffer thy self to be laid hold of by the Sacrilegious hands of thy furious Enemies and when they bound thee didst not revenge their injuries but spake mildly to them Give me Grace to shew my self loving and mild to all mine Enemies to pardon them from my Heart and to look upon them as Ministers of thy Will and promoters of my Salvation To this end let the Holy Sacrament I intend to take strengthen my Soul that I may become conformable to thee in doing good to them that hate me V. O Thou who art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedeck who didst seck me when when I was a stranger to thee and calledst me when I knew thee not Now I know thee let nothing satisfie me but thy self Give me a flaming Heart a chearful Mind and an enlighten'd understanding O give me thy self for nothing less will content my weary Soul I will seek thee in the Holy Sacrament O let me find thee and say to me In the day of Salvation have I succour'd thee VI. O my compassionate Saviour whose Bowels yearn over the Penitent My Soul is miserable if it loves thee not or if it continues to love the World O let my Soul rest in thee and contemplate thee and shew forth thy Praises and be thou my Song in the House of my Pilgrimage O thou who art rich in Goodness Redeem this poor Captive give Meat to my hungry Soul even the Meat which came down from Heaven In the Holy Sacrament let me find it that I may live and not dye VII O thou who art the only life of my Soul I invite thee to my House I confess a shatter'd a broken and a ruinous House But be thou intreated to rebuild and beautifie it with thy Salvation Set up thy Kingdom in it and make my Flesh obedient to my Soul my Soul to Reason my Reason to Faith my Faith to thy Will Enlarge my Mind loose me from my bonds and let the effects of my coming to the Holy Sacrament be that I may become a Servant of Righteousness and may relish no Wisdom but what is from above VIII O my Redeemer kind unspeakable kind to poor Sinners I am going to remember the great Mystery of thy Death and Passion Establish my Mind with the sweetness of thy Presence Let my Soul feel that thou enterest into her and rejoyce before thee O Sacred Fire which always burnest O Love which always shinest shine in my Soul and Sanctifie that Vessel Empty it of Vanity fill it with thy Grace and keep it full till it be made worthy to Receive the fulness of Joy at thy right Hand for evermore IX O powerful Mediator Thy Love is sweeter than Honey more nourishing than Milk Rule my Soul direct my Understanding animate my Love attract my Heart and let it thirst after the Rivers of thy Pleasures Appease the tumults of my Flesh hush the noise of my Worldly Affections and let my participation of thy Love in the Blessed Sacrament give me confidence that where my Head and Master Reigns and Lives there shall I Reign and Live for ever X. Great lover of Mankind To love thee is a great thing Even so to love thee as to think of thee with delight to relish nothing like thee and to be conformable to thy Will O! Let this Love dwell in me Let this Love captivate my Soul By this Love let me be united to thee Let this good Angel visit me In the Holy Sacrament let this Love be setled in me that my angry turbulent covetous mistrustful and impatient Thoughts may cease and I may feel that calm which those that do entirely
mighty Hunger and Thirst after thy Love in my Soul Such an Hunger and Thirst that I may be unsatisfied with any thing but thy Love Let thy Love work upon me with that Efficacy that I may think my self afflicted and poor and miserable till I love thee fervently VI. Blessed Jesu Who would not love thee Who would not wish to be enamour'd with such Charity as thine is to the Sons and Daughters of Men If we love thee not it is because we do not know the Vehemency and Power of thy Love Had we a clear Sight of it our Souls would run after thee and nothing could stop them from clinging to so amiable an Object Lord give me that lively View of thy Love that nothing may charm me more than thy Love VII Great King of Saints pity me I would love thee but thou seest what Impediments come between thy Love and my blockish Heart Innumerable Temptations my perverse Will my Self-love my Passions and my other Imperfections Oh how these hinder me from loving thee O my Gracious Master Let me detest and abhor all these Enemies that would hinder me from loving thee Stretch forth thy mighty Arm and destroy these Foes that I may entirely love thee VIII O Jesu Thou art all Love all Goodness all Charity And Oh what Opposition do I find in my self to love thee O Love Divine Where is thy Strength thy Force and thy uncontrollable Power O my Lord Why dost not thou shew it Why dost not thou exert it for my Help Why do not thy Celestial Flames consume in me all that is contrary to thy Love Oh! When wilt thou establish the Life of Love even that Divine Life in my Soul IX O Omnipotent Love I leave my self to thy Management Enter enter into this frozen Heart and erect thy Kingdom and thy Empire there Undo what thou pleasest and build up what thou pleasest Let every Desire of my Soul become subject to thee Subdue every Imagination that would refuse to be at thy Command And make me willing to submit to any thing so I may but love thee X. Most lovely Saviour Shall any thing hinder me from loving thee Shall my Body I will subdue that Beast Shall my Sins I will drown them in thy Blood Shall the World or the Creatures here below No no I will renounce my Love to them I will despise them all They have too long excommunicated thee from my Soul I will make no more Account of my Praises of my Pleasures of my Vanities I will look upon them all as Dreams and Smoak and I will hate them as much as they have hated thee Great Centre of my Soul XI Great Sovereign of my Love Thou hast sent me into the World on purpose to love thee What a noble what an excellent what an holy End is this Think of the Honour think of the Favour think of the Dignity O my Soul that God hath laid upon thee That he that could have eternally enjoyed himself in his own Love should speak a Creature into Being and ordain that Creature to love him Oh how happy am I that God hath given me an Heart to love him O my Jesus Let me die a Thousand Deaths rather than lose thy Love XII O Love Divine Be thou the Life of my Life the Soul of my Soul the Spirit of my Spirit Let me think of thy Love and speak of thy Love and do Acts worthy of thy Love and let all my Conversation savour of the Love of Jesus Whatever I do let me do it for thy sake Let thy Love put me upon Acts of Charity and let every Vertue I exercise be the Product of thy Love XIII O Jesu Thou art my All All other things are nothing in comparison of thee And I would love nothing but in thee and for thee I would see thee in all things and love thee in every thing I do Thou art my greatest Friend my only Friend Thou art my Brother my Father my Husband and my Chief Thou art All in All to me And Oh that my All might be consecrated to thy Service XIV My dearest Saviour There is nothing in Heaven or in Earth so worthy to be loved as thou Oh how amiable art thou Yet the World doth not so much as think of thee They think of nothing but offending thee They hope to be saved by thee and yet do what they can to dishonour thee Let this very Consideration inflame my Love to thee Oh that I could love thee as the whole World ought to love thee XV. Great Son of God! I was bound to love thee as soon as I came to the Use of my Reason Yet how long hath it been before I thought of loving thee O my Lord how late do I begin to love thee How long have I hated thee How many Years together have I despised thy Love When I think of this I have reason to wish for a Sea of Tears nay for Tears of Blood to wash away my monstrous Ingratitude XVI O Beauty Eternal and Infinite If I were to live eternally here on Earth I were bound eternally to love thee How much more then during my short Stay here on Earth O my Lord consecrate my Life to thy Love Let every Day and Hour of my Life be employed in thy Love and make me ambitious of nothing more than to love thee to all Eternity XVII O thou Everlasting King At the Price of thy precious Blood thou hast bought every Moment of my Time that I might employ it in loving thee How much of that Time have I employed in loving the World and the Creatures How much of that Time have I lost in loving things I should not love 'T is time that I begin to employ my Hours about that for which they were designed And since they were given me to love thee Oh transform all my Desires into Aspirations and Breathings after thee XVIII O my Jesus Thou art so perfect and so lovely that if all Creatures in Heaven and in Earth should joyn their Forces together to love thee they could not love thee sufficiently and if I had a Thousand Hearts they would all be little enough to sacrifice to thy Love O then how am I oblig'd to employ that little Strength I have to love thee Oh that all Mankind might love thee Oh fill them all with a Sense of thy Love Draw them attract them unite their Hearts that they may love thy Name XIX O God of my Life Thou hast been always employ'd in loving me Thou didst create Heaven and Earth to testifie thy Love to me All that thou ever didst in this World for me was to shew how thou lovest me All the Spiritual and Temporal Blessings thou hast sent upon me tell me that thou lovest me But what greater Testimony of thy Love can there be than thy Dying for me As thy Love is perpetually exercised towards me so let mine be continually exercised towards thee And let me glory and
Beauty like thy Crown is immarcessible Ages cannot change it neither Heat nor Cold can alter it Thou art beautiful in thy Body beautiful in thy Soul but infifinitely beautiful in thy Divinity Nothing deserves to be loved or praised if thou dost not VI. Oh how blind are poor Mortals who are so very fond of Honours Riches curious Palaces Gardens Pleasures Musick Rarities Colours Herbs Flowers Stones and Minerals Great Conqueror of my Soul Thou art more honourable more amiable more sweet more pleasant more agreeable more delicious more harmonious to my Soul than all these Thy Excellency cannot by searching be found out VII O Lamb of Gd With the Four and Twenty Elders I fall down before thy Throne and cry Blessing and Praise and Honour and Wisdom be unto the Lamb for ever and ever for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation VIII O God of Glory I beseech thee remove from me all those things which would hinder me from glorifying thee Remove from me an unsteady Mind that I may glorifie thee in Poverty as well as in Plenty in Adversity as well as Prosperity in Desertions as well as in Consolations in Disgrace as well as in Honour Let me look upon both Conditions as coming from the same good Hand of Providence and let that be an everlasting Motive to me to shew forth thy Glory IX O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ I desire to glorifie thee in this World and in that to come with Men here and with Angels hereafter Give me the Grace of Continuance in magnifying thy Name thy Goodness and thy Charity while I am in this barren Wilderness that I may not fail of being admitted to the Regions of the Blessed where I may praise and magnifie thee World without end X. O Jesu Why art thou so lovely so beautiful so amiable but that I might love thee But I cannot love thee of my self Thy Love must give me Power and sow the Seeds of Reciprocal Love in my Soul O Love O Desire of my Soul Oh do not do that Injury to thy infinite Perfections as to let me live without being passionately enamoured with thee XI O God who hast promised that the Needy shall not always be forgotten that the Expectation of the Poor shall not perish for ever Look upon me a poor needy Wretch and give me those Riches I desire and without which I must ever count my self most miserably poor even the Riches of thy Love which whoever does enjoy hath enough and more than the richest Princes can pretend to XII Who would not praise thee O thou great Redeemer of Men Seven times a Day will I praise thee because of thine infinite Charity Morning and Evening and at Noon will I praise thee because thou hast bought me with Blood Oh that Men would praise the Lord for his Goodness and for his wonderful Works to the Children of Men. The Lord liveth and blessed be my Rock and let the God of my Salvation be exalted He delivers me from mine Enemies yea thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me Therefore will I give Thanks unto thee O Lord and sing Praises unto thy Name for ever CHAP. XXIX Of the Life we are to lead after we have receiv'd the Holy Communion The CONTENTS The Life to be led after Receiving a Reasonable Service Wherein that Service consists The necessity of it Men that are in an unconverted State live below their Reason The Generality of Men very rational in Temporal Concerns but very unreasonable in Things belonging to their Everlasting Peace The Prayer I. THough from the Premises any Man may guess what life it is that a Christian who hath engaged himself to God in this Sacrament and vow'd Faith and Allegiance to the King of Saints is to live after it yet to make these instructions complete I shall briefly add some Memorandums that are to be observed in our future Conversation and though in the foregoing Discourse I have often occasionally mention'd such a thing as a REASONABLE SERVICE yet it 's time I should now press it with great earnestness there being nothing more proper nothing more equitable after such solemn engagements than this Service and if we examine what it is it will be found to consist In these following particulars 1. In an happy agreement of our profession and actions of our belief and practices of our Principles and Conversation where our Profession is of one colour and our Practice of another where our Tongues speak one thing and our Lives another there I need not tell you how we involve our selves in a palpable contradiction Things contradictory mutually destroy each other A thing that is cold cannot at the same time be hot and what is black at the same time and under the same respects cannot be white and consequently where the Actions contradict our Principles the Actions destroy our Principles and in God's account we deny the Principles too by denying the consequences which are the actions that should naturall issue from those Principles and he that hath very good Principles but allows himself in bad Actions cannot be partly good and partly bad but is wholly bad which makes the Holy Ghost call all those Vnbelievers which profess the true Worship of God and dishonour it by their Lives Heb. 3. 17 18 19. But where I do believe that God is my Supreme Governor and therefore prefers his Will and Favour before the Will and Favour of Men when these two interfere and are contrary to one another Where I do believe that neither Fornicators nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God and therefore will not be perswaded by all the gain and profit of the World to venture upon any of these Sins If I believe that my Soul is worth more than a whole World and therefore will not wrong my better part though I might have the Riches of the Indies for doing it If I believe that if I am ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and of observing his Laws the Son of God will certainly be ashamed of me in the last day and thereupon take courage to act like a Man that believes it and stand up for the Glory and Honour of my God with Humility and Modesty in despight of all the reproaches and contempt of the World If I profess and believe that if I love not the Lord Jesus Christ so as to testifie my Love in my obedience to him I shall be for ever banish'd from the Glorious Presence of God and thereupon express my Love in thinking of him in Honouring and Esteeming him within and without if I believe that except my Righteousness exceeds the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees I shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and thereupon actually shun those Sins which the Pharisees made
16 17 18. 3. To believe that Jesus of Nazareth who appear'd in Days of Pontius Pilate and was Crucified is that Son of God and our Redeemer and Mediator and is both God and Man in one Person Act. 10. 38. Rom. 1. 3 4. 4. To believe that without Faith Repentance and an holy Obedience to the Commands of the Gospel we have no interest in Christ's Death and the Benefits of it Heb. 5. 9. 5. To believe that there is an Heaven and Hell and Eternal Rewards and Punishments after this Life according to the good or evil Lives of Men 2 Thess. 1. 5 6 7 8 9 10. 6. To believe that the Dead Bodies of Men shall Rise again in the Great Day of Judgment 2 Tim. 2. 17 18. 7. To believe that the assistance of God's Holy Spirit in order to a sound Faith and true Repentance is a Gift which may be had by earnest Prayer Luke 11. 13. 8. To love God with all our Hearts and with all our Souls and with all our Minds i.e. with great Sincerity Matth 22. 37. 9. To rely upon God and trust in him in all dangers and necessities whatsoever and firmly to believe that all things will work for our good if we love him Rom. 8. 28. Heb. 13. 5 6. 10. To believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the revealed Word of God and to read and search and meditate in these holy Scriptures in order to know we must do to be saved John 5. 39. 11. To prefer the Will of God before the Will and Favour of Men when these two come to clash or interfere one with another Act. 5. 29. 12. To live and walk in a lively sense of God's Omniscience and Omnipresence Act. 23. Luk. 1. 75. 13. To have great high and reverend thoughts of God and conceptions suitable to his infinite Wisdom and Goodness and Power 1 Pet. 3. 15. 14. To let our Speech be always with Grace season'd with Salt that we may know how to answer every Man Col. 4. 6. 15. To be frequent and serious and attentive in praising of God and praying to him for his Help Assistance and Protection especially Night and Morning Luke 2. 37. Eph. 6. 18. 16. To walk worthy of our Baptism even in newness of Life Rom 6. 3 4. 17 To make great Conscience of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to come often to that Holy Table and to prepare and examine our selves in order to our worthy receiving of Pardon and Remission of sins 1 Cor. 11. 26 28. 18. To express willingness and alacrity in God's service and to be ready unto good Works Tit. 3. 1. 19. To have pure aims and designs in Holy Duties and good Works viz. The glory of God and the good of others Matth. 6. 22. 1 Pet. 4. 11. 20. To be zealous and fervent in Devotion and in expressing our love to God Tit. 2. 14. Rev. 3. 19. 21. To bring a very serious mind with us to the House of God and to behave our selves there with all decency and gravity 1 Cor. 11. 22. 22. To be not only a hearer of the Word but a doer of it also Jam. 1. 22. 23. To fix our Thoughts upon God in the publick Prayers of the Church and to offer to God the desires of our Hearts in joyning with the Congregatian in their Prayers Rom. 15. 6. 24. To sanctifie the Lord's Day both in private and in publick Acts 20. 7. Rev. 1. 10. 25. To be subject to Principalities and Powers and to obey Magistrates Tit. 3. 1. 26. To obey our Pastors and Teachers that have the rule over us and to submit our selves to them as those that watch for our Souls Heb. 13. 17. 27. To maintain our Ministers and to communicate to them in all good things Gal. 6. 6. 28. Faithfully to discharge the Duties of our respective Relations As 1. Husbands to love and honour their Wives Eph. 5. 25. 2. Wives to be obedient and subject to their Husbands Eph. 5. 22. 3. Parents to provide for the Souls and Bodies of their Children 1 Tim. 5. 8. 4. Children to honour their Parents all their days Eph. 6. 1. 5. Masters to encourage their Servants to Goodness and to be just in paying them their Wages Eph. 6. 9. 6. Servants to serve their Masters in singleness of heart fearing God and to please them well in all things Col. 3. 22. 7. Ministers to be patterns of good Works Tit. 2. 7. 8. Widows to trust in God and to continue in Supplications and Prayers night and day 1 Tim. 5. 5. 9. Virgins to mind those things that may please the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 7. 32. 29. To learn to be very meek and humble upon all occasions Matth. 11. 29. 30. To hunger and Thirst after Goodness and Righteousness Matth. 5. 6. 31. To purifie the Heart or inward Man from evil Desires and Affections and to season it with holy Thoughts and Contemplations Matth. 5. 8. 32. To labour to make Peace among dissenting Neighbours and to be peaceable our selves and as much as in us lies with all Men Matth. 5. 9. Rom. 12. 18. 33. To rejoyce in being reviled and persecuted for Righteousness sake Matth. 5. 11. 12. 34. To be merciful kind tender-hearted and charitable and ready to forgive Eph. 4. 32. 35. To edifie others by our Conversation and to preserve them as much as in us lies from Sin and Damnation Matth 5. 13 14. 36. To love our Enemies to bless them that curse us to do good to them that hate us and to pray for them which despitefully use us Matth. 5. 44. 37. Rather to lose our Right than quarrel and go to Law about small things Matthâ— 5. 39 40. 38. To use great simplicity in our Speeches and Answers Matth. 5. 37. 39. To give and to lend to our poor Neighbor what is reasonable Matth. 5. 42. 40. To humble our selves sometimes before God by fasting Matth. 6. 16. 41. To be confident God will provide for us in the use of honest and lawful means Matth. 6. 31. 42. To seek God's Kingdom and its Righteousness with more earnest Affections than temporal Things Matth. 6. 20 33. 43. To reform our selves before we seek to reform others Matth. 7. 5. 44. To do to others what we would have others do to us Matth. 7. 12. 45. To enter in at the strait Gate and to deny our selves in our Honour Ease and Pleasure for a better Life Matth. 7. 13. 46. To confess and own Christ and his Religion before Men Matth. 10. 32. 47. To be industrious in the discharge of the Duties of our Calling Rom. 12. 6 7 8. 48. To love without Dissimulation Rom. 12. 9. 49. To be patient in Tribulation Rom. 12. 12. 50. To rejoyce with them that do rejoyce and to weep with them that weep Rom. 12. 15. 51. To condescend to Men of low Estates Rom. 12. 16. 52. To provide things honest in the sight of all Men Rom. 12. 17. 53. To