peace and comfort rest and salvation is to bee had Such therefore as having found their hearts affected with grief and sorrow for their sins do rest satisfied therewith and seek not out for Jesus Christ they are like to sit down without Christ and so fall short both of true peace here and of salvation hereafter 7 Others bottome their hope of salvation upon their partial repentance I mean their leaving and forsaking some sins when in the mean time they wittingly live in the practice of other sins which in truth is but a seigned and hypocritical repentance like that of Herods who upon Iohn Baptists preaching is said to leave many sins but yet would by no means part with his Herodias his darling and beloved sin Nay though your repentance bee true and full yet if you stay there and not look beyond it unto Jesus Christ you will fall short of salvation 8 Others bottom their hope of Salvation upon their Works of Charity thinking to purchase Heaven by their good Works and so wholly exclude Christs merits which they ground upon that sentence of Absolution pronounced by our Saviour at the Day of Judgement unto his Elect wherein hee giveth Heaven to them who have expressed their charity to his poor members in feeding cloathing them and the like whereas our Saviour instanceth in these Works of Charity as the fruites of their faith whereby they did evidence their faith to be a true and lively faith which manifested its life by those works of charity so that works of charity in themselves can be no good ground to bottom your salvation upon but only faith in Jesus Christ which is ever accompanied with works of charity if true and sound 9 Others bottom their hope of Salvation upon the Mercy of God They will confess themselves to be poor wretched sinful Creatures but they hope the mercy of God will pardon their sins and accept their poor services Thus many make the Mercy of God to eik out their own righteousness and so both put together they think will be a means of attonement and reconciliation with God yea and of obtaining eternal life and salvation But such doe wonderfully mistake the proper work of Gods Mercy which is not to eik out our righteousness but to shew us our unrighteousness and misery and then to shew us Jesus Christ the perfection of his righteousness the all-sufficiency of his Sacrifice with his willingness to receive all poor Sinners that will come unto him and then to stirre up our hearts to receive Jesus Christ as our Priest Prophet and King and to rest upon him for life and for salvation And thus might I goe on shewing you the many false and rotten foundations upon which the greatest part of men doe build their hopes of Salvation whereas in truth Christ is the only true solid foundation whereon we can safely build the hope of our Salvation And therefore saith the Apostle Other foundation can no man lay thâ—â— that is laid the Lord Iesus Christ intimating Christ to be the only true foundation So that he is the wise Christian that builds his hope of salvation only upon that rock the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I pass from the first fundamental Principle to the second namely II. That beleeving in Christ is the only means as of partaking of Christ so of salvation by him This was typified by the means of the Israelites cure of the sting of the fiery Serpents and that was by looking upon the brazen Serpent for as the Israelites by looking upon the brazen Serpent were perfectly cured of the sting of the fiery Serpents In like manner all poor Sinners sensible of the sting of Sin by looking with the eye of faith upon Jesus Christ lifted up upon the Cross shall be perfectly cured of the sting of their sins This application of that Type our Saviour himself maketh for saith he As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life So that beleeving in Jesus Christ is the only means of partaking of Christ and of salvation by him What this faith is which maketh us partakers of Christ and of Salvation by him I have formerly shewed in the Directions for the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper How should the consideration hereof stirre you up to labour above all things to beleeve in Jesus Christ that is to goe wholly out of your selves unto Jesus Christ and to receive him as he is offered in the Gospel Mind this work most of all for it is the All in all to your Salvation and yet how doe the greatest part of you minde your pleasures and your profits more than this Can they give you an interest in Christ or a right to Salvation Why then should your pleasures and your profits be so minded and sought after by you even more than faith which only can give you an interest in Christ and a right unto salvation in and thorow him Surely it is a thing to be lamented that men should so much mind worldly things and in the mean time forget spiritual things That they should be so politick for their bodies and so foolish for their souls That they should with Martha be so much troubled about earthly things and not with Mary mind this one thing necessary but resolve hence forward to give no rest to your souls till you have attained to this saving grace of faith The means God hath sanctified thereunto may be brought to three Heads 1 The removing of some lets and impediments 2 The embracing of some truths 3 The practising of some Duties The lets and impediments are of two sorts 1 Such as keep Natural men and women from beleeving in Jesus Christ. 2 Such as keep off many a sincere broken-hearted Sinner I. The lets and impediments that keep off Natural men and women from beleeving in Jesus Christ are these and such like 1 A love of their lusts For this men generally know that as Dagon fell down before the Ark so their lusts must fall down before Jesus Christ they know that when Christ is received into the heart by faith their lusts must be cast out for Christ will not be received into that heart which is full of base and sinful lusts Now mens lusts are dear unto them and very unwilling they are to part with them they had as lieve part with Christ as part with their lusts This our Saviour intimateth where he saith Light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light where by Light is meant principally Iesus Christ with his Gospel and by darkness mens lusts which they prefer before Jesus Christ and will not part with them for the gaining of Christ with all the benefits of his Death and Passion Oh that any man should bee so sottish as to prefer a base sinful lust before Jesus Christ Surely that man
that trespass against us which latter clause is added partly to stir us up readily to forgive those who have wronged us and partly to strengthen our faith in the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins committed against God from our readiness to forgive those who have wronged us in that our forgiving of our Brother is a fruit proceeding from Gods forgiving of us V. Labour to clear up thine Evidences for Heaven that thou maist upon good ground be able to say with the Apostle Paul I know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved I shall have a building with God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens The Scripture layeth down sundry clear evidences of a true right and title unto Heaven which who so finds in himself may rest assured of a blessed life after this I shall instance only in one which indeed is the principal of all and a very comprehensive one viz. Faith in Iesus Christ which we find often set down in Scripture as a sure evidence for Heaven for saith our Saviour God so loved the world that he gave his only begotton Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and saith Iohn Baptist He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life i. e. he is as sure of it as if he were in actual possession of it Q. How may I know whether I have a true sâ—ving faith A. Most Divines doe hold forth the fruiâ—s and effects of faith as the only signs thereof and means whereby men should try and examine their faith but the truth is the fruits of a saving faith in many Christians are often times so weak that if they should examine their faith only by them they would bee apt to question the truth thereof yea to conclude against themselves that they have no true faith at all therefore I shall briefly shew thee the Antecedents of Faith by declaring the ordinary method oâ— Gods Spirit in working true faith in the soul which is this 1 God by his Spirit in the Ministery of the Word doth awaken a mans Conscience and maketh him to see and discern as his manifold sins and transgressions so his misery by them in regard of the dreadful punishments due unto him for the same This method the Lord observed in those three thousand Converts mentioned Acts. 2. 37. Examine therefore whether thou hast by the Ministery or the Word been convinced of thy Sins and of thy miserable condition thereby how thou art liable to the Wrath of God to all Judgements and Plagues here and to Eternal Death and Condemnation hereafter for till thou beest convinced of thy sins and misery thou canst see no need nor want of Jesus Christ. Hence the Law is said to be our School-master to bring us to Christ because it doth discover as our sins and our misery by reason of them so our need of Christ. 2 The next Work of Gods Spirit is to make the soul sensible of its wretched miserable condition affecting it with some measure of grief and sorrow for the same This method likewise the Lord observed in those three thousand Converts mentioned Acts 2. 37. where it is said When they heard this i. e. when they were convinced of that horrible Sin of theirs in Crucifying the Lord of life they were pricked in their hearts viz. with the sence and apprehension of their wretched miserable condition Examine therefore whether thou hast been truly sensible of thy wretched miserable condition and whether the sence thereof hath affected thee with true grief and sorrow for the same Though all men are noâ— alike afflicted with a sence of their wretched miserable condition but some much more deeply than others yet few pass through the pangs of their New Birth without some throws some grief and sorrow for their sins neither can I conceive how any should cloze with Jesus Christ as their Saviour till they have been so sensible of their sins as that they are sensible of their need of a Saviour 3 Another Work of the Spirit is to convince the Soul of its own unrighteousness that so it may the more willingly seek out after the righteousness of Christ to be cloathed therewith for so long as a man is conceited of any righteousness of his own he will never be beholding unto Jesus Christ for life and for salvation for as our Saviour saith The whole need not a Physician they need neither Physick nor Physician and therefore care for neither In like manner such as are strongly possessed with a good conceit of their own estate and condition of their own righteousness see no need they have of Christ and his Righteousness and so regard him not Examine thy self therefore whether thou hast ever been truly and thorowly convinced of thine own unrighteousness whether thou hast discerned the Sins of thy holy services whether thou hast cried out with the Church All my righteousness is as filthy raggs c. 4 The next Work of the Spirit is to convince the soul of the perfection of Christs Righteousness and of the All-sufficiency of his Sacrifice that his righteousness is a most perfect and exact righteousness that his sacrifice upon the Cross was a full satisfaction to Gods Justice for the sins of all the Elect it being the sacrifice of the Son of God even of him that was God as well as Man which indeed added an infinite value to all which Christ did and suffered for mans Redemption in which respect the redemption wrought by Christ is called plenteous redemption enough and enough for all the sins of his people how many or how hainous soever they were Now examine whether thou hast found this work of the Spirit upon thy soul so that thou art convinced thorowly as of thine own unrighteousness so of the perfection of Christs righteousness and of the all-sufficiency of his Sacrifice which far exceedeth the merits of thy sins 5 The next Work of the Spirit is to convince the soul of Christs willingness to receive all poor Sinners sensible of their sins who will come unto him and cast themselves and the burden of their sins upon him by affecting them with a serious apprehension of the manifold gracious invitations of Christ unto poor Sinners as that in Isaiah Hâ— every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters he that hath no money i. e. no goodness nor righteousness of his own let him come and that fore-mentioned place Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest Examine thy self therefore whether thou hast been thorowly convinced of Christs willingness to receive all poor Sinners that will come unto him and cast the burden of their sins upon him 6 The next Work of the Spirit is to stirre up in the soul some earnest longing desire after Jesus Christ so that the soul cries out Oh that Christ were mine oh that upon
any terms my soul might enjoy him which desires are the lifting up of the doors and gates of the soul for the receiving of Jesus Christ. 7 The Spirit of God having thus prepared the soul to a closing with Jesus Christ then he works the grace of faith in it whereby it throwes it self into the armes of Christ rolls it self upon him and rests upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon and forgiveness of its Sins here and for eternal life and salvation hereafter Thus have I shewed thee the ordinary way and method which the Lord useth for the working of true saving faith in the hearts of his people Wouldst thou then know whether that faith thou pretendest to be a true saving faith try examine it by the fore-mentioned particulars consider whether it was thus kindly wrought in thee according to the ordinary method of Gods Spirit if so then though the fruits of faith are very weak in thee yet thou hast a comfortable evidence of the truth thereof and so consequently hast a sure evidence for heaven Obj. Though I cannot deny these fore-mentioned particulars to bee wrought in me yet notwithstanding I have no comfortable evidence and assurance of Heaven nor of my interest in Iesus Christ. Ans. For answer hereunto I shall lay down three comfortable considerations 1 A man may have the faith of adherence and dependence though he hath not the faith of evidence and assurance For the better understanding whereof you must know there is a two-fold faith as Divines distinguish viz. The faith of adherence whereby we roul our selves upon Christ and rest upon him and his Merits alone for â—ife and for salvation and the faith of evidence and assuranâ—e whereby wee know and are assured of our interest in Christ and consequently of our right and title unto Heaven This latter is the refleâ— act of the soul by which a Christian clearly seeth his own happiness whereas the former is the direct act of the soul. Now a man may have the faith of adherence which is true justifying faith that giveth him an interest in Christ and a right to Heaven and yet may want the faith of evidence and assurance so that he knowert not his own happiness As the child may truly hang about the mothers neck or cast it self into her armes and yet receive neither kiss nor smile from her so a poor soul may truly roul it self upon Christ cast it self into his armes and rest in his bosome which is true faith and yet have neither kiss nor smile from him therefore far be it from thee to question the truth of thy faith meerly for want of Christs smiling upon thee or to question thy faith of adherence because thou hast not the faith of evidence and assurance 2 Assurance of our interest in Christ and of our future happiness though it be requisite to the consolation of a Christian yet not to his salvation though to his comfort yet not to his safety his condition may be safe though not very comfortable at present for a Christians safety doth not at all depend upon his assurance but upon his faith That Christian that can by faith roul himself upon Christ cast himself into his armes resting upon his merits alone for life and for salvation his state and condition is safe though he hath not that assurance which he doth desire for the promise of life and salvation is made to faith and not to assurance the tenour of the Gospel is Beleeve and thou shalt be saved as Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life It is not said that whosoever hath assurance of his interest in Christ and of eternal life and salvation but whosoever beleeveth in Christ shall be saved This consideration may revive many drooping souls who though they doe renounce all confidence in themselves and in any righteousness of their own and place their whole confidence upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the merits of his Death and Passion yet have no comfortable assurance in their own souls of their interest in Christ or of their eternal life and salvation let such know that their condition may bee good and safe for all that 3 Assurance of Salvation is not so ordinary as many Christians doe imagine for indeed they are but for Christians who doe here attain to a clear evidence and full assurance of their salvation such whom the Lord here calleth forth to hard services or great sufferings to them he is pleased many times to give some clear evidence and assurance of their eternal life and salvation for their better comfort and support Thus many Martyrs have expressed their full assurance of a better life after this whereas such a measure is not usually granted to ordinary Christians their trials being but flea-bites in comparison of the others VI. Then especially act the graces of Gods Spirit in thee as 1 Thy Falth which is a grace of special use to thee so long as thou livest in this world but most of all at thy last Sickness and in the time of Death therefore then especially bee often actuating and exercising thy faith in Jesus Christ with the eye of faith look upon Christ hanging upon the Cross there offering up his life as an all-sufficient Sacrifice and full satisfaction to Gods Justice for thy Sins and cast thy self into the armes of Jesus Christ resting upon his Merits alone for life and for salvation with a disclaiming of all confidence in thy self or any righteousness of thine own place thy whole confidence upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ and upon the merits of his death and passion 2 Then especially act thy zeal for Gods glory by giving good counsel to those who are about thee or come to visit thee it is the last time thou canst doe any thing for God in this world therefore then shew thy love to him and zeal for his glory by calling upon others to fear him and serve him by a conscionable discharge of the duties of their places callings and relations perswade them to minde the things of this world less and the things of Heaven more to prize health and improve it for the good of their souls to lay up a stock of graces and comforts against the evil day and to get their evidences for Heaven clear before they be cast upon their Death-beds Words of dying men are of most efficacy and authority and therefore improve thy dying speeches to the glory of God and the good of thy neighbour Thus our blessed Saviour when he was to leave the world shewed his zeal for Gods glory and love to his Disciples in leaving with them many precious counsels comforts and exhortations and the Apostle Paul being aged and knowing the time of his departure was at hand called for the Elders of the Church of Ephesus and leaves with them
every day so we should every day offer up our morning and evening sacrifice of Prayer and truly by duties of piety to God are our worldly businesses sanctified and seasoned and therefore are every day to be performed but yet so as the duties of our ordinary Callings be likewise performed and not neglected by us 2 Upon the same ground neither Adam nor the Iewes before Christ should have observed any Sabbath because they were bound to rest from sin as well as Christians 3 Neither are we to keep days of fasting because we are to fast from sin every day Having thus proved the Morality of the Sabbath and answered some Objections against it II. I shall in the next place give you the grounds for the change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first 1 Divine institution even the institution of Christ himself which appeareth two ways 1 By the title given to the first Day of the Week namely the Lords Day for whatsoever in Holy Writ is said to be the Lords denominatively fo that Christ is the Author and institutor as for instance The Lords Supper because he instituted it The people of the Lord because he chose them the Lords Messengers because he sends them Upon the same ground the first day of the week is denominatively called the Lords Day and that not by Creation for so every day is his from the beginning but by Divine institution because it was instituted by Christ the Lord for Divine Worship and Service and for the memorial of the great work of Redemption wrought by him Agreeable hereunto is that of Augustine who saith that the Apostles appointed the Lords Day to be kept with all religious solemnity because in that day our Redeemer rose from the dead and therefore is called the Lords Day 2 By the practise of the Apostles who constantly assembled together on the first day of the week which is our Lords Day and that without doubt upon the command of Christ himself for whereas he continued forty days on earth after his resurrection before he ascended into Heaâ—en it is said in that time hee gave Commandements unto his Apostles and spake unto them of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God that is he instructed them how they should change the bodily sacrifices of Beasts into the spiritual sacrifices of Prayer and Praises the Sacrament of Circumcision into the Sacrament of Baptism the Sacrament of the Passeover into the Sacrament of the Lords Supper And then likewise he instructed his Apostles touching the change of the Sabbath into the Lords Day To which agreeth that of learned Iunius who saith positively that the change of the Sabbath was not by the tradition of men but by the observation and appointment of Christ who both on the day of his resurrection and on every seventh day after unto his Ascension into Heaven appeared to his Disciples and came into their assemblies Hereupon we read the Apostles met together on every first day of the week to preach the Word and to communicate the Lords Supper as Ioh. 20. 19 26. Acts 2. 1. Acts 20. 7 and in divers other places And wee find it expresly ordained by the Apostle Paul that the weekly Collections for the Poor should be on that day Now concerning the Collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so doe yee upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him c. And why on that day surely no other reason can well bee imagined but that their assembling together to partake of the Ordinances of God was wont to be on that day And therefore because works of charity suit well with duties of piety and that by the Ordinances then dispensed they might be stirred up to a more free and chearful contribution the Apostle ordained also that the Collections for the poor should be on the same day viz. the first day of the week 2 Another Argument proving the first day of the week commonly called the Lords Day to bee the true Christian Sabbath now under the Gospel may bee taken from the constant practice of the Church and People of God since the Apostles times As I have shewed you that it was the practice of the Apostles to observe the first day of the week which is argument enough to warrant the day they being guided by the Spirit of Christ in an especial manner So it doth clearly appear that it hath been the practice of all holy men since the Apostles times to observe this day and that under the name of the Lords Day Ignatius who lived in St. Iohns time saith Let every one that loveth Christ keep holy the Lords Day which is the Queen of daies Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical history plainly shews how the Church and People of God in several ages after the Apostles times observed the first day of the week as instituted by Christ and ordained afterwards by the Apostles I might spend much paper in shewing how this day hath been observed in all ages from the Apostles times to these daies Now the constant custome of the Church is not to bee sleighted That expression of the Apostle If any man seem to bee contentious wee have no such custome neither the Churches of God sheweth that the custome of the Church is a matter to be regarded 3 The Resurrection of Christ both giveth a ground for the sanctifying of our Christian Sabbath and likewise sheweth a reason for the changing of the day For the work of Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ being far more excellent than the work of Creation did much more deserve a weekly memorial That the work of Redemption was more excellent appears In that it cost more to redeem the world of Gods Elect than to create the whole world for to create the world it cost God but a word as it were Hee but spake the word and it was done But to redeem the world of Gods Elect it cost no less than the precious blood of the Son of God So that this work hath swallowed up the former as the Temple did the Tabernacle And wee who live after Christs Resurrection are as much bound to the celebration of the first day of the week as they who lived before to the last It is very observable that a seventh day hath been observed to the honour of God ever since the Creation and such a seventh as never a week in the alteration was without a Sabbath and never a week had two Sabbaths for as the week ended with the former Sabbath so the next week began with our Sabbath which could not have been if any other seventh day had been chosen If any shall ask why the change of the day is not more clearly expressed in the New Testament I answer because there was no question moved about the same in the Apostles times which
truly rooted and grounded in the heart but that it will bud forth and shew it self in the fruits of a godly life That man therefore deceiveth himself who thinks his heart is purged and reformed when his life is polluted For as the fruits declare the tree so the actions of men manifest their affections II. The Necessity of this grace of Repentance in every worthy Communicant upon his approaching to the Lords Table appeareth because we come to receive a sacrifice for sin but to offer to receive a sacrifice for sin without turning from sin is to count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing We are not ignorant that one main end of our approaching to the Lords Table is to receive Christ as he hath offered himself a sacrifice and price of Redemption for our sins for so he is set forth in that Sacrament the breaking of the bread and pouring out of the Wine import as much Yea Christ expresly saith of the Sacramental Cup This is my blood which is shed for remission of sins Now he that looketh for pardon of sin must have a full purpose and according to his purpose a faithful and resolute indeavour to forsake sin which is and will be the mind of every true penitent and so also it ought to be The Lord therefore requireth of them who bring their sacrifices to him for pardon That they take away the evil of their works and cease to do evil and learn to do well and thereupon inferreth this gracious invitation Come now and let us reason together With what face then dares an impenitent sinner that is not touched with any remorse for his sins past nor hath any purpose to turn from his sins for the time to come offer to take that body which was broken and that blood which was shed for sin Such an eating and drinking of Christs body and blood is a plain trampling of the Son of God under foot and a counting of the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing a thing that may be mixed with impuâ—e and unholy things If this be not to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ what can be III. For the Trial of thy Repentance whether it be found and sincere thou mayest know it by these signs and notes 1 By a godly sorrow for sins past By a godly sorrow I mean such a sorrow as maketh God its object that is when we grieve and mourn for sin more out of respect to God than for fear of punishment that we have offended so good a God so gracious a Father so bountiful a Lord and Master I deny not but it is good and commendable to grieve and mourn for sin in respect of punishment for fear of Hell For it is a good preparatory to a godly sorrow But we must not rest therein By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy Repentance for wheresoever there is true Repentance there must be this godly sorrow 2. A turning from those evil waies wherein we have formerly walked as you may see in the example of those penitents that are recorded in Scripture as of Paul Peter Zacheus and others who upon their repentance turned from those evil courses wherein they had formerly walked Hereby therefore try the truth of thy repentance Hath it wrought a change and alteration in thy course of life are old things done away is there a forsaking of former sins hast thou leâ—t thy swearing thy drunkenness thy whoredomes thy cousenings by false weights and measures canst thou say of thy self as Paul did of the Corinthians I was once a swearer a drunkard an adulterer a reviler an extortioner a covetous person and the like But now I am washed now I am sanctified yea and justified in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ and by the spirit of my God Canst thou thus say of thy self and that in truth and sincerity of heart then thou hast some comfortable evidence of the truth and soundness of thy repentance But how vainly do they deceive themselves who because they have made confession of their sins unto God and happily with some few â—ears flatter themselves with a conceit of true repentance when yet they still live and continue in their former sinfull courses wall owing like swine in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness 3. A turning unto God for where there is true repentance there is not onely a turning from sin but likewise a turning unto God Whereby I mean a sincere endeavour to serve and please God in newness of life and better obedience Hath then the sense and smart of thy former wandrings made thee earnestly to wish that thou mightest please God better for the time to come make much of such affections in thy soul for it is an evident sign of some change there IV. A fourth grace necessarily required of every Communicant before he presume to come to the Lords Table is LOVE yeâ— a two fold Love is required of every Communicant viz. 1 A love of God and of Christ. 2. A love of his Neighbour Both which are unseparably knit together yet for a more distinct handling of them I will sever them in my discourse and treat of them apart shewing you 1. The necessity of them to a worthy partaking of the Lords Supper 2 Some sings and notes for the trial of them I. First For the Love of God that is necessarily required of every Communicant because the greatest evidence that ever was given of Gods Love is there set before us For Jesus Christ the only Son of God and Saviour of man is the greatest evidence of Gods Love that ever was or can be Should God set himself to make another world and to confer on that world a greater gift than he hath conferred on this world namely his onely begotten and dearly beloved Son we may boldly say hee could not Neither can the creatures receive nor the Creator give a greater gift and that both in regard of the excellency of the gift it self and also in regard of the need wherein we stood thereof and of the good we reap thereby Therefore Gods love in this evidence thereof is so set out as goes beyond all expression God so loved the world that hee gave his only begotten Son c. So unutterably so unconceivably so infinitely as who shall indeavour to express this SO to the full shall do it but So So. Seeing then such an evidence of such love of God to man is set out at the Lordsâ— Table should not every one who approacheth thereunto to partake of that evidence of Gods love come with an heart filled with a love to God and with a resolution to shew forth all fruits of a true love of God on all occasions And as we must come with a love to God so with a love to Iesus Christ who so loved us as to dye a cruel cursed death for us And thereby manifested greater love to us than
to himself to the members of his mystical body than to the members of his naturalâ— body For he offered up his natural body as a Sacrifice for the redemption of his mystical body What greater love than this can be imagined Oh how doth it then concern us to go to that ordinance with hearts inflamed with a love to Jesus This much of the necessity of our love to God and to his Son Jesus Christ. II. For the Trial thereof you may know it by these notes and characters 1 Where there is a true hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ the heart will bee much taken up with the thoughts of them Such an one will be often thinking of God and of Jesus Christ and of their transcendent love manifested in the great work of Redemption David having said Oh how do I love thy Law he presently adds It is my meditation all the day And indeed whatsoever and whomsoever we love we cannot but frequently think and meditate on Indeed such as love God and the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity may have multitude of vain wanton worldly covetous thoughts in their hearts but they take no true delight in them they are rather their grief and their burden but the thoughts of God and of Christ are very sweet and comfortable unto them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. 2 Where there is an hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ such an one will bee often speaking of them For the tongue cannot but be speaking of those things and persons upon whom the heart is set If the heart of a man be set upon the world and the things thereof his tongue will be most frequently talking and discoursing of them In like manner if the heart of a man be set upon God and Jesus Christ his tongue will be frequently talking and discoursing of them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. For hee that saith hee loveth God and the Lord Jesus Christ and yet seldome thinks of them or speaks of them certainly hee deceiveth himself for wee cannot but bee thinking and speaking of those whom we truly love 3 Where there is an hearty love unto God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to do any thing for them Iacob loved Rachel and what did hee not do for her Hee served two Apprentiships and yet all seemed nothing to him for the love he had to her And therefore where there is a sincere love to God and Christ it will constrain such an one to lay out himself to the uttermost for them to put himself upon the practice of such duties which are hard and difficult and require much labour and pains By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 Where there is an hearty love to God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to suffer any thing for them It is said of the Primitive Saints that out of their abundant love unto the Lord Jesus Christ they accounted not their estates too dear for him but took joyfully the spoiling of their goods Neither did they account their lives too dear For it is expresly said They loved not their lives to death for him i. e. they despised their lives in comparison of Christ they willingly exposed not only their goods and estates to the spoil and their persons to all manner of shame and contempt but also their bodies to painful deaths for the cause of Christ. By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto Jesus Christ namely by thy willingness to suffer for the cause and truths of Jesus Christ. II. Love of thy neighbour is another branch of that love which is required of every Communicant Touching which I shall briefly shew 1 The Necessity thereof in every Communicant 2 The Trial thereof I. The Necessity thereof appeareth in that the Lord will not accept of any service thou performest unto him if thou bee not in love and charity with thy neighbour as our Saviour himself speaketh in that known place If therefore thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift This phrase Thy brother hath ought against thee may be indefinitely taken of one that hath provoked another or hath been provoked himself hath ought against thee whether by thy default or his So that hereby is implied whether wrong be done by thee or to thee if there be any variance between thee and thy neighbour peace and reconciliation must be speedily sought For without it God will not accept of any worship or service thou offerest unto him Though Christ here instanceth but in one kind of worship which was the offering up of Sacrifice yet under this hee comprehendeth all the parts and kinds of Gods worship as praying hearing receiving the Sacrament or the like So that Christs meaning is that whensoever thou settest upon any part of Gods worship and service and then remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee i. e. that thou hast any way wronged and offended thy brother or as Mark hath it If thou hast ought against thy brother i. e. if he hath wronged thee first be reconciled to thy brother and then go to the ordinance of God II. For the Trial of the truth of thy love to thy brother thou mayest know it by these notes 1 If thou hast truly forgiven thy brother thou wilt be so far from doing him any harm though it lay in thy power that thou wilt not wish any harm unto him 2 If thou hast truly forgiven thy offending brother thou wilt willingly imbrace occasions of doing him good that so he may know and be assured that thou art reconciled to him This our Saviour requireth of all his Disciples where he saith Love your enemies i. e. those who have any way wronged you and as an evidence of the truth of your love he addeth Do good to them thâ—t hate you intimating that it is not sufficient that you speak friendly and peaceably to your enemies but you must likewise take all occasions of doing them what good you can which is true Christian love and charity Having thus spoken largely to the first head of Examination namely our graces I come now to the second namely our sins wherein I shall study brevity As it is the duty of every Communicant to examine himself concerning his graces so likewise concerning his sins which are like that accursed thing whereof God speaketh to Ioshua Iosh. 7. 11. they must therefore be searched out Yea they are like the wilde gourd that brought death into the pot If they be not searched out and cast away they will turn the Sacramental
that they did even break him again For wee use to say of one that hath endured much pain or other great grief that hath wasted his flesh or dried up his blood See how hee is broken and in this sense also may Christ be said to be broken Again when thou seest the Minister pouring out of the wine then exercise and actuate thy Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and the shedding thereof which indeed sheweth the extent of Christs sufferings even to the taking away of his life which is the furthest extent of a mans suffering in this world These two therefore The breaking of Christs body and the shedding of his blood are fitly joyned together the former to shew the extremity of Christs sufferings the latter the extent thereof even as far as possibly could bee to the shedding of his blood Again when thou seest the Minister offering the bread and wine to the Communicants then by the eye of Faith see Gods love in offering his Son to every beleeving Communicant For as verily as the Minister doth offer the bread and the wine so truly doth God really offer Christ with all the benefits of his death and passion to every beleeving Communicant I do not say carnally but really not the flesh of Christ but Christ with all the benefits of his death and passion as Reconciliation Redemption Remission of sins c. For there is not a meer Representation but a real and true exhibition of Christ as broken for our sins II. Another act of Faith to bee exercised at the Lords Supper is to receive Iesus Christ. For the Beleever having seen Christ with the eye of Faith under the outward elements and forementioned rites then hee receiveth him into his heart with much joy and gladness As therefore thou stretchest forth the hand of thy body to receive the bread and wine stretch forth the hand of Faith to apprehend and receive Jesus Christ and to rest upon him for life and for salvation For Faith is that instrument whereby wee receive Christ and all his benefits as they are offered to us in the Gospel and sealed up to us in the Sacrament Faith is to the soul as the hand is to the body that which is offered to a man for his good the hand readily receiveth and what the hand so receiveth is a mans own Thus God offering his Son unto us Faith perswades the heart of Gods good will to man and of his true intent to have man made partaker of his Son and thereupon apprehends him and receives him for his own and Christ is truly his III. Another act of Faith to be exercised at the Lords Supper is to apply and appropriate Christ to thy self which is implied under the Rites of eating the bread aâ—d drinking the wine whereby is meant a feeding upon Christ by Faith which is an applying of him When therefore thou art eating the bread and drinking the wine feeâ— upon Christ by a particular application of him and all his benefits to thine own souls comfort By Faith assure thy self that Christ was born for thee that hee might bee thy Saviour to save thâ—e from thy sins That hee performed perfect obedience unto the Law that his Righteousness might be imputed uâ—to thee Thus hee died a bitter cursed death to free thee from eternal death and condemnation which thy sins had deserved Thus thou oughtest to apply Christ with all his benefits unto thine own souls comfort And thus to act Faith is to eat and drink indeed to communicate indeed The truth is this act of Faith in applying Christ is the most suitable to the Ordinance of the Lords Supper And the more thou canst put forth the act of application therein the greater comfort shalt thou receive from the Ordinance for propriety in Christ is that which sweetens all Yet lest weak Christians such as are weak in Faith should be discouraged and think themselves uncapable of comfort because they cannot thus â—eed upon Christ by Faith they cannot apply Christ nor the benefits of his death unto themselves I desire such to take notice that though this act of application is the most suitable to the Ordinance yet the former act of receiving Christ and resting upon him gives us a true interest in him whereby Christ and all his benefits become ours which puts us into a blessed and happy condition Yet I would advise all such who have attained to that measure and degree of Faith as to lay hold upon Jesus Christ and to receive him as their Saviour and thereupon to rest upon him alone for life and salvation that they would strive to raise it one pitch higher namely to apply â—hrist with all the benefits of his death and passion unto their own souls comfort Because this act of Faith doth especially make to our comfort and consolation as well as to our spiritual benefit II. Another grace to bee exercised at the Lords Supper is Repentance For a broken Christ requires a broken heart Whereas in true Repentance there is a godly sorrow for sins past And a full purpose and resolution of heart to leave and forsake them for the time to come and to walk more closely with God While you are at the Sacrament you should exercise your Repentance in both these particulars 1 You should labour to be affected with a true grief and sorrow foâ— your sins To that end seriously meditate of the manifold sufferings of Christ for ceâ—tainly a due and serious meditation of what Christ hath suffered for our sins cannot but affect our hearts with some measure of grief and sorrow for the same for shall Christ bleed for our sins and shall not wee weep for them was Christ broken with torments for our sins and shall not the consideration thereof break our hearts for them 2 You must ingage your selves by a solemn Vow and promise unto God to bee more watchful over your selves against sin for the time to come and to walk more closely and exactly with God As often as you partake of the Lords Supper so often God reneweth the Covenant on his part hee ingageth himself afresh to bee your God to pardon your sins to subdue your corruptions to write his Law in your hearts that is to work in you as a desire and disposition to the keeping of his Laws and Commandements so a sincere indeavour after the same And therefore it is your duty to renew the Covenant on your parts to ingage your selves afresh in the strength of Christ to walk as a people in Covenant with God to bee more watchful over your selves against sin for the time to come to bee more his faithful servants than ever you were before Having shewed both the Duties Antecedent and Concomitant Come wee now to the Duties Subsequent such as must follow after the action of receiving For it is not enough that you duly prepare your selves to that Ordinance and reverently carry your selves at it but you must likewise walk in some
hath a low mean esteem of Christ who thinks him not able to recompence the loss of a base lust 2 An over-much love of the world and worldly things The truth is that soul that is not in some measure divorsed from the world cannot by faith embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as her Husband O therefore let it be your daily Prayer and earnest endeavour to wean your hearts more and more from the love of these earthly things that yee may not love them so much as thereby to be kept from loving and embracing of Jesus Christ. 3 Spiritual Pride grounded upon a mans over-valuing conceit of himself and of his own estate How many are apt to think with the Church of Laodicea that they are rich and full and have need of nothing when in truth they are poor and blind and naked wretched and miserable being empty of all grace and goodness yea they are the more wretched and miserable because they know not their misery and so see no need no necessity they have of Jesus Christ which is the saddest condition in the world for such are furthest off from going unto Christ and beleeving in him Hee therefore that would imbrace Jesus Christ as his Saviour must come with an empty hand and heart receiving him with an empty hand of Faith into an empty heart emptied of all self as self righteousness self-worthiness self-goodness c. II. The Lets and Impediments that keep off many a sincere broken-hearted sinner from clozing with Jesus Christ and beleeving in him are these and such like 1 A deep apprehension of the number and heinousness of their sins For the removal of this let such consider 1 That the more and greater their sins are the greater need they have to go unto Iesus Christ and to cast themselves and the burthen of their sins upon him For as the more sick any are in body the more need they have of a Physician So the more sinful any souls are the more sick of sin the more need they have to go unto Jesus Christ who is the onely Physician of the soul who both can and will heal all their sins which are the spiritual diseases of their souls as readily as he healed bodily diseases when he was upon the earth if they will go unto him 2 Let such know and consider that the apprehension of the number and heinousness of their sins should be so far from keeping them from going to Christ and receiving him that it should be a forcible Argument to drive them unto Christ seeing Christ professeth hee came into the world to save sinners where by sinners are meant such as are truly sensible of their sins And thereupon all such sinners are invited to come unâ—o him Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden viz. with the weight and burden of your sins And therefore the Apostle Paul averreth this truth with a gloriovs preface This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation viz. That Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and that without exception of sins or persons yea that hee came to save the chief of sinners Why then should the apprehension of thy sins keep thee off from going unto Christ and resting upon him for salvation when as hee came to save such sinners as thou art nay worser even the chief of sinners 2 A second Let and Impediment is A doubting of Christs willingness to receive them if they should go unto him For the better convincing such of Christs willingness to receive and imbrace all poor sinners that will but go unto him and imbrace him with the arms of their Faith I shall lay down three grounds thereof 1 The first is the several gracious invitations of Christ to poor sinners to come unto him as Isa. 55. 1. Mat. 11. 28. Ioh. 7. 37. 2 Christs willingness appears in that hee hath instituted and appointed his Ministers hee hath dispatched Embassadors in his name to wooe instruct and beseech men to come in unto him and to accept of that Reconciliation which hee hath purchased by his blood 3 Christs willingness doth appear in that hee â—oth accept of the least and lowest degree of Faith and will not discourage the weakest soul that cometh unto him A bruised reed shall hee not break and smoaking flax shall hee not quench As by a bruised need is there meant a weak Christian so by smoaking flax such an one as hath corruption mixed with grace For the flax there mentioned is the weick of a Candle which if it smoak giveth but little light and yeelds a stinking savour Though true beleevers by reason of the flesh in them may bee such yet will not Christ quench that little light of Faith that is in them 3 A third Let and Impediment is a fear and jealousie that they are not sufficiently humbled under the sense of their sins and the rather because they do not finde their hearts so broken as the hearts of others have been For the removal of this I desire such to take notice of these things 1 That a man may be sufficiently humbled and broken for his sins though not so deeply as others for true humiliation admits of degrees and all Christians have it not in a like measure And therefore far be it from any to conclude that they are not sufficiently humbled because they have not attained to such a measure and degree thereof as some others have 2 Though thou art not so deeply humbled as some others have been yet if thou art so sensible of thy sins and of thy misery thereby that thou art truly sensible of the need and necessity thou hast of Jesus Christ it is sufficient and thou mayest with boldness go unto Jesus Christ roul thy self into his bosome and cast thy self into his arms Though thou never knewest what belongs to the bitter throws and stinging pangs which others feel in their new birth yet that work being done for which deep humiliation is required namely to be sensible of the need of Christ and thereupon to long after him thou mayest bee incouraged to go unto Jesus Christ and to rest upon him as for the pardon of thy sins here so for eternal life and salvation hereafter 3 Know that if thou beest not at present so deeply humbled and broken for thy sins as thou wouldest be yet thou mayest bee more humbled after thy beleeving in Christ. For a Christians sorrow and humiliation for sin and misery is not all at first but oftenâ—imes it is more and greater after a clozing with Jesus Christ and a sensible feeling of Gods love than it was before Yea the leâ—s humiliation before Faith in Jesus Christ the more many times follows after And that is true humiliation and Evangelical Repeâ—tance which followeth after Faith 4 Another Let and Impediment that keeps off many a sincere Christian from going unto Christ and clozing with him is a fear and sealousie that their day of
grace is past and thâ—t it is now too late having so long stood out against the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ. For the removal of this I shall propound four things to your serious consideration 1 It is not for any man to say his day of grace is past for that is one of those secrets which belong only unto God to know And we must not meddle with Gods secrets but check our selves for it 2 If thou hast stood out against Christ hitherto thou hast now therefore the more reason to come in and cloze with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ. 3 If thou hast an heart desirous to cloze with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ it is certain thy day of grace is not yet past Christ still knocks at the door of thine heart therefore now resolve to open unto him 4 Consider that Christ hath several seasons of bringing men home to himself some hee brings home to himself in the latter end of the day who questionless refused him in the former part thereof and therefore so long as life lasteth do not say it is too late but stir up thy self to receive Jesus Christ as hee is offered in the Gospel and to rest upon him and his merits alone for life and salvation Having thus shewed you the Lets and Impediments to be removed II. I proceed now to the truths to be imbraced which are these 1 That every man out of Christ is in a wretched miserable condâ—tion liable to the wrath of God to the curse of the Law to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal death and condemnation hereafter with the Devils and damned in Hell flames Yea every Christless man and woman hang over the very mouth of Hell by the rotten thred of their lives which is ready every moment to crack and then what can be expected but an irrecoverable downfall into Hell 2 That no man is able to help himself out of this wretched miserable condition for as the Apostle speaketh We are not sufficient of our selves so much as to think a good thought much less can we doe any thing of our selves to free our selves from so great a bondage and slavery as sin hath brought us into 3 That God himself out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his own Son out of his bosome into the world to take our Nature upon him that therein he might redeem us out of our wretched miserable condition 4 That Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour who by his Death hath made full satisfaction to Gods Justice for all our sins and therefore is able to save us to the uttermost to the uttermost of our sins yea to the uttermost of our fears and doubts 5 That Iesus Christ is willing to receive and embrace all poor sinners who will but goe unto him and cast themselves and the burthen of their sins upon him as appears by his manifold gracious invitations unto poor Sinners who are but sensible of their sins to come unto him 6 That there is no way or means of Salvation but only by beleeving in Jesus Christ and beleeving is necessary to salvation in two respects 1 As it is the Command of God that we should beleeve in the name of his Son Jesus Christ as 1 Ioh. 3. 23. This is his Commandement that we should beleeve on the name of his Son Iesus Christ. 2 As it is the condition or means that God hath set down for the obtaining of eternal life and salvation as Ioh. 3. 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Hence it is that unbelief is made the only ground and reason of mens Damnation Though men shall be punished for all other sins yet not beleeving is the ground and reason why they perish by their sins because beleeving in Jesus Christ is the only means of Salvation These are the Truths to be embraced III. Come we now to the Duties to be practised 1 Upon a serious apprehension of thy miserable condition without Christ labour to stirre up in thy soul some affectionate longing restless desires after the Lord Jesus Christ that thou maist in truth from thine heart say Oh that Christ were mine oh that upon any terms my Soul might enjoy him This is the lifting up of the doors and gates of the Soul that so the King of glory mâ—y enter in and dwell there 2 Being convinced that there is no way or means of Salvation but only by going out of thy self unto Jesus and casting thy self upon him Adventure thy soul upon Christ cast thy self into his arms and be sure thou give not way to carnal reasonings to doubtings and temptations from the number and hainousness of thy sins or from thine unworthiness but reason from the entent and freeness of Gods offer of Christ and from Christs willingness to receive all poor Sinners that will but adventure their souls upon him saying with Iob Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Job 13 15. and with Ester I will go if I perish I perish I will perish trusting upon Jesus Christ. 3 Diligently frequent the publick Ministery of the Word it being the ordinary means God hath sanctified for the working of faith in our hearts according to that of the Apostle Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God And the hearing of the Gospel is called the hearing of faith because by hearing the Doctrin of Faith the Spirit works the grace of faith in our hearts This is the still Voyce in which he speaks to the hearts of Sinners and when God by his Spirit doth begin to work upon thine heart in the hearing of the Word doe thou second the work of Gods Spirit by oft meditating thereon and applying it unto thy self more and more And whensoever any sin is pressed home upon thy Conscience by the Minister and awakens thee labour to drive the nayl home to the head strive to maintain the power of it upon thine heart all the week after 4 Be earnest with God in Prayer that whatsoever he denieth thee he would not deny thee the saving grace of faith Faith is not of our selves it is the free gift of God as the Apostle teacheth us Now the means God hath sanctified for the obtaining of every good gift is Prayer As therefore thou desirest faith earnestly begge it of God resting assured that he will not deny thee if thou dost from thy heart ask it in the name of his Son Jesus Christ. Oh therefore be not wanting to thy self herein but seeing faith may be had for asking ask and ask again and with patience wait upon God for the inclining thine heart to close with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ. Prescribe him not any time for as hee worketh on whom hee pleaseth so hee worketh when hee pleaseth