gain and profit is there in our blood Psalm 30.9 God is full of Grace and Compassion and he considers that we are but dust And happy are we that we are but dust Had we been more glorious Creatures as Angels we had not had the benefit of a Saviour When they rebelled God considered their mettal And as with an high hand they rebelled So the Lord reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness unto the Judgement of the great day Jude 3. 1 Thes. 1.10 They fell without a Redeemer It is well for us that God considereth that we are but dust For by Jesus Christ he saveth us from the wrath to come It had been better for us never to have been born then to be born fire-brands of hell But now the point is that we are Brands pluckt out of the fire Zach. 3.2 It is fit therefore we should know who is our Redeemer Now as I have shewed you the last day it is Jesus Christ And here consider 1. Christ Jesus offered for us for the satisfaction of Gods Justice and this is his priestly office 2. As there was no Remission without shedding of blood therefore after the blood is shed and the Priest offered himself there comes a second thing else we are never the better and that is Christ offered to us This makes up our comfort Many talk of the extent of Christs Death and Passion saying he dyed sufficiently for us which is an improper speech For what comfort were this that Christ was offered for us if there were no more A bare sufficiency in Christ serves not the turn this were a cold comfort As if a man that were in debt afraid of every Serjeant every Sheriffe should be told Sir there is money enough in the Kings Exchequer to discharge all your debts This is very true but what is that to him what comfort hath he by it unless the King make him an offer to come take freely for his discharge And a cold comfort were it to us to know Christ to be sufficient for us unless he invite us to take freely of the waters of life Ho every one of you that thirsteth come you to the waters c. Isa. 55.1 Thus unless Christ be offered to us as well as for us we are never the near Now to make this appear Observe that in every Sacrament there are two acts of the Minister The one hath Relation to God a Commemoration of the Sacrifice in which respects the ancient Fathers called it a Sacrifice the other the breaking of the Bread and pouring out of the Wine wherein there is a Commemoration of the body broken and the blood shed not as they are concomitants the Wine in the bread as the foolish Papists dream for that were rather a commemoration of his life then of his death when the blood runs in the veins The commemoration of Christs death is made by separation of the blood from the body and as there is one Act of the Minister in consâ—crating by breaking the body and pouring out the blood so there is a second Act which is ministerial When the Minister saith Take eat This is my body as if Christ were present and said Come Take my body thou hast as free an interest to it as when thou art invited to thy friends table thou hast right to the meat before thee So that as Christ is offered for thee so he is offered to thee And what now should hinder thee unless thou art one that will obstinately oppose thy own salvation and say I will not have this man to rule over me thou canst not miscarry But if thou wilt be thine own lord perish in thine infidelity Here be the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven given unto Gods Ministers unless thou wilfully oppose thine own salvation and shut that door of salvation which Christ hath opened so wide for thee See the ways of God are plain Christ hath paid a great price for thee and then as great as it is he offers it to thee Now for the former of these which is Christs satisfaction made unto the Father for us I made choice of this place of Scripture which sets it out particularly Herein two things are to be observed 1. The person who it is that will thus humble himself the Apostle grounds his Exhortation on the fourth verse where he tels us We ought not to look every man on his own things but every man on the things of others Let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus If Christ had looked only on his own things he might have saved himself a great deal of labor and pains He being the Son of God might as soon as he was born have chalenged a seat with God in Glory He need not go per viam He might be Comprehensor in meta but he would pass on to his journeyes end in a thorny and troublesome way Let then the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus who minded not his own things but the good of others 2. What it was wherein he humbled himself he took upon him the form of a servant and was obedient unto the death of the Cross. The highest humiliation that can be that he who is above all praise whom Angels adored that he should be brought from heaven to earth and not only be a pilgrim there but have a sorrowfull and pittifull pilgrimage and at last to be cut off by a shamefull death from the land of the living this humiliation hath no parallel The depth of the humiliation consists in the height of the person thus humbled and were not he so high it could have done us no good It 's no small satisfaction that can appease Gods wrath therefore the Apostle to the Hebrews speaking of Melchisedeck the type of Christ concludes how great this man was Consider the invaluable price how great he was who being in the form of God he who was fellow and fellow-like with God as good as himself as great as himself was thus humbled It was the second person in the Trinity he and no other that was thus humbled for thee He was weary for thee and reviled for thee sweated and fainted for thee hungred for thee and was buffeted for thee It was he the second person of the Trinity in proper speech without either Trope or Figure shed his blood for thee died for thee and suffered all these things in his assumed nature taking on him the form of a servant though not in his divine He remaining God alone could not die but yet die fain he would for thee therefore he took thy nature on him that he might die for thee in the assumed nature He took not on him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham He being the fountain of life and the Prince of our life and without sheding of blood no Redemption could be wrought having not blood to shed as God therefore took our nature on him as it
full strength and cry out so strongly and immediately to give up the Ghost this is a great Miracle Truly this man was the Son of God This adds unto the greatness of his torment that he had his full and perfect sense that he was six full hours thus on the Rack and the extremity of pain took not away his sense He was as strong at the last as at the first These things seriously weighed Oh! how do they aggravate the depth of his humiliation Seriously weigh them they are miserable and lamentable matters yet in these lie our comfort Through these words is there a passage open for us into the Kingdom of Heaven When he had overcome the terrors of death he opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers these were now but the out-side of his sufferings which did belong to man for his sins He suffered not only bodily sufferings but sufferings in soul and that he did in a most unknown and incomprehensible manner But now may some say Object Did Christ suffer the pains and torments of Hell Sol. No He suffered those things that such an innocent Lamb might suffer but he could not suffer the pains of Hell The reason is because one thing which makes Hell to be Hell is the gnawing worm of an accusing conscience Now Christ had no such worm He had so clear a conscience as that he could not be stung with any such evil Another great torment in Hell is Desperation arising from the appprehension of the perpetuity of their torments which makes them curse and blaspheme God and carry an inexpressible hatred against him but Christ could not do so he could not hate God God forbid that Christ should be lyable to these Passions But it is certain God the Father made an immediate impression of pains upon his soul his soul did immediately suffâ—r Look on him in the Garden he was not yet touched nor troubled by men and yet he fell in a sweat Consider the season of the year this was then when they that were within doors were glad to keep close by the fire he thus did sweat in the garden when others freez'd within this was much but to sweat blood thick blood clotted congealed blood for so the words will bear it not like that in his veins and yet it came through his garments and fell to the ground this is a thing not to be comprehended Our blessed Saviours encountring with his Father he falls a trembling is overwhelmed as it were with the wrath beseeching God intensively saying Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me thou mayst give free pardon which affections in Christ are such a thing as pussels us all we must not say Christ did forget for what he came but he did not remember these words proceeded from the seat of passion which while it is disturbed reason suspends its Acts. Christ had Passions though no impurity in them As take a clean Vial full of pure water from the fountain and shake it it may be frothy yet it will be clean water still Christ did not forget only he had the suspension of his faculties for a time As a man in a sleep thinks not what he is to do in the morning and yet he is not said properly to forget He cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He was contented to be forsaken for a time that thou mighst not be forsaken everlastingly and this was no faint prayer if you read the place in the Psalm He cryed out unto God And Heb. 5.7 It s said Who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cries and tears He cryed to the Almighty he made Gods own heart to pity He would break Isa. 53. yet his heart is repenting and rolled together so that he sent an Angel to support and comfort him Psal. 27. those strong cries are expressed with a more forcible word My God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring Consider how it was with Christ before any earthly hand had touched him when he beseeched God for his life this shews the wonderfull suffering of Christ and for that point Why hast thou forsaken me Consider it was not with Christ as with the Fathers they suffered a great deal of punishment and taches and would not be delivered yet Christ was more couragious then they all He had a spirit of fortitude he was anointed above his fellows yet he quivers Our Fathers cryed unto thee they trusted in thee and were not consumed they were delivered but I am a worm and no man I can find no shadow of comfort Lord Why art thou so angry with me this speech came not from the upper part of the soul the seat of reason but from the lower part the seat of Passion My God my God these were not words of desperation He held fast to God Why hast thou forsaken me these are words of sense thus you see the price is paid and what a bitter thing sin is God will not suffer his Justice to be swallowed up by Mercy It must be satisfied and our Saviovr if he will be a Mediator must make payment to the uttermost farthing Consider what a time this was when our Saviour suffered The Sun with-draws her beams the earth shakes and trembles What aileth thee O thou Sun to be darknâ—d and thou earth to tremble was it not to shew his mourning for the death of its Maker The soul of Christ was dark within and its fit that all the world should be hung in black for the death of the King of Kings But mark when he comes to deliver up his life and to give up the Ghost the vail of the Temple rent in twain and that was the ninth hour which in the Acts is called the hour of prayer it was at three a Clock in the afternoon Hence it is said Let the lifting up of my hands be as the evening sacrifice The Priest was killing the Lamb at that time there was a vail that severed the Holy of Holies it was between the place of oblations nnd the Holy of holies which signifies the Kingdom of Heaven Assoon as Christ died the vail rent and Heaven was open the Priest saw that which was before hidden Our Saviour saith the Apostle entred through the vail of his flesh unto his Father and fit it was that the Vail should give place vvhen Christ comes to enter But vvhat becomes of Christs foul novv his soul and body vvere pul'd assunder and through the vail of his flesh as it vvere vvith blood about his ears he entred the Holy of Holies unto God saying Lord here am I in my blood and here is blood that speaks better things then the blood of Abel that cries for vengeance this for blessing and expiation of our sins FINIS JOHN 1.12 But to as many as received him to them gave he
precious faith that of the poorest Believer and the greatest Saint Now that we may come unto the point without any more going backwards In the words read there is the point of faith and a thing God confirms it withal a seal In whom also after that you believed you were sealed Faith is of it self a thing unsealed the sealing with the holy Spirit of Promise is a point beyond faith it s a point of feeling and not only of believing of Gods Word but a sensible feeling of the Spirit a believing in my soul accompanied with joy unspeakable and full of glory of which sealing we shall speak more hereafter Observe for the first 1. The Object of it In whom you trusted We speak of Faith now as it justifies as it apprehends Christ for its Object for otherwise Faith hath as large an Extent as all Gods Word Faith hath a hand to receive whatsoever God hath a mouth to speak What is the Object He in whom you trusted It is a wonder to see how many are deceived who make the forgiveness of sins to be the proper Object of faith A man may call as long as he lives for forgiveness of sins yet unless there be the first Act to lay hold on Christ in vain doth he expect forgiveness of sins Untill thou dost accept Christ for thy King and Saviour thou hast no promise We are never Children of the Promise till we are found in him The proper and immediate Object of Faith is first Christ and then God the Father by him for Faith must have Christ for its Object I must believe in none else but God in and through Christ. Now that this is so we may see in that famous place 1 Pet. 1.21 When he had spoken of the precious blood of Christ the Lamb without blemish he goes on and shews that he was manifested in those last times for you who by him do believe in God that raised up Christ from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God There is no true believing in God the Father but by the Son The proper Object of Hope and Faith is God and he that doth believe or hope or trust in any thing else there is Idolatry in it we believe in God by him so that the primary Object of Faith is Christ. Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Jesus Christ. What 's my Faith then If thou wilt be the Child of God receive hold Christ Jesus accept him for thy Saviour and for thy Lord He is the proper Object of thy Faith Again you must have Christ Jesus and him crucified that should be the highest knowledge in our account To know Christ and him crucified and by it to accept him Hereupon the Apostle to the Romans when he speaks of faith makes the Object of it Christ and Christ crucified Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God Whatsoever then thou findest in Christ is an Object of thy Faith John 6. The point is He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood that is he who receiveth me and makes me as his meat and drink shall be partaker of me Compare this Rom. 3.25 with Rom. 5.9 for its worth comparing We are said to be justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 By faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 Now both these come to one and they resolve the point and clear the Question whether Faith in it self as a Vertue doth justifie or in respect of its Object surely it s in respect of the Object You that have skill in Phylosophy know that heat if considered as a quality its effects are not so great but considered as an instrument it transcends the sphere of its own activity it doth wonders for its the principle of generation and many other strange effects So here take faith as a Vertue and it s far short of love but consider it as an instrument whereby Christ is applyed and it transcends it works wonders beyond its proper sphere for the meanest thing it layes hold on is the Son of God He that hath the Son hath life c. Some would think this an hard kind of speech when we are justified by faith we are justified by Christ apprehended by faith and yet that place is cleer to be justified by his blood and faith in his blood becomes one faith As if a man should say I was cured by going to the Bath so faith comes unto me faith is the legs A man is not said properly to be cured by going to the Bath nor justified by coming to Christ by the legs of faith but the applying of the Bath the coming to Christ and applying his vertue to make him the Object of my faith this is the way to be justified As it is not the makeing and preparing of a plaister that cures but the applying it so that this concludes this point that the true Object of faith is Christ crucified and God the Father in and by him Here then is the point thou must not look for any comfort in faith till thou hast Christ and to think thou shalt ever have any benefit by God till thou hast Christ thou deceivest thy self It is impossible for a man to receive nourishment by his bread and drink till he partake of it in the substance so thou must partake of Christ before thou canst receive any nourishment by him Christ saith not thou must have forgiveness of sins or thou must have my Fathers favour but take my body and blood take me crucified Buy the field and the treasure is thine but thou hast nothing to do with the treasure till thou gettest the field This is preferment enough to have the Lords Promise to Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward I am my wel-beloveds and my wel-beloved is mine There is a spiritual match betwixt Christ and thee there are many who are matcht with Christ and yet know not how rich they are when a man reckons of what he shall get by Christ only when all his thoughts are on that he marrieth the portion and not the man thou must set thy love on Christs person and then having him all that he hath is thine how rich Christ is so rich art thou he must first be thine He that hath the Son hath life but the Son must first be had Is there any now in this congregation who is so hard-hearted as to refuse such a gift as this When God shall give thee his Son if thou wilt take him is there any so prophane as with Esau to sell his birth c. to pursue the poor pedling things of this life and refuse salvation so high a gift A gift which is not given to Angels they think it an honour to wait at the Lords Table they have not this precious food given to them they never
jealousie shall smoke against that man c. We are but now entred into the point but it would make your hearts ake throb within you if you should hear the particulars of it All that I have done is to perswade you to make a right choise to take heed of Satans delusions Why will ye die Ezek. 33. Therefore cast away your sins and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will you die Where the golden candlestick stands there Christ walks there he saith I am with you Where the word and Sacraments are there Christ is and when the woâ—d shakes thy heart take that time now choose life Why will you die Consider of the matter Moses put before the people life and death blessing and cursing We put life and death before you in a better manner He was a Minister of the letter we of the spirit Now choose life But if you will not hearken but will needs try conclusions with God therefore because you will choose your own confusions and will not hearken unto God because you will needs try conclusions with him will not obey him when he calls therefore he will turn his deaf ear unto you and when you call and cry he will not answer Prov. 1. I presse this the more to move you to make a right choise But now to turn to the other side as there is nothing but death the wages of sin and as I have shew'd you where death is so give me leave to direct you to the fountain of life There is life in our blessed Saviour if we have but an hand of faith to â—ouch him we shall draw vertue from him to raise us up from the death of sin to the liâ—e of righteousnesse 1 John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life he that hath not the Son hath not life You have heard of a death that comes by the first Adam and sin and to that stock of original sin we had from him we have added a great heap of our own actual sins and so have treasured up unto our selves wrath against the day of wrath Now here is a great treasure of happiness on the other side in Christ have the Son and have life The question is now whether you will choose Christ and life or sin and death Consider now the Minister stands in Gods stead and beseeches you in his name he speaks not of himself but from Christ. When he draws near to thee with Christs broken body and his blood shed and thou receive Christ then as thy life and strength is preserved and encreased by these Elements so hast thou also life by Christ. If a man be kept from nourishment a while we know what death he must die If we receive not Christ we cannot have life we know that there is life to be had from Christ and he that shall by a true and lively faith receive Christ shall have life by him There is as it were a pair of Indentures drawn up between God and a mans soul there is blood shed and by it pardon of sin and life convey'd unto thee on Christs part Now if there be faith and repentance on thy part and thou accept of Christ as he is offered then thou mayst say I have the Son and as certainly as I have the bread in my hand I shall have life by him This I speak but by the way that the Sun might not set in a cloud that I might not end only in death but that I might shew that there is a way to recover out of that death to which we have all naturally praecipitated our selves ROM 6.23 The wages of sin is death THe last day I entred on the Declaration of the cursed effects and consequents of sin and in general shew'd that it is the wrath of God that where sin is there wrath must follow As the Apostle in the Epistle to the Galathians As many as are under the works of the Law are under the curse Now all that may be expected from a God highly offended is comprehended in Scripture by this term Death Wheresoever sin enters death must follow Rom. 5.2 Death passed over all men forasmuch as all had sinned If we are children of sin we must be children of wrath Eph. 1.3 We are then children of wrath even as others Now concerning death in general I shew'd you the last time that the state of an unconverted man is a dead and desperate estate He is a slave It would affright him if he did but know his own slavery and what it is that hangs over his head that there 's but a span betwixt him and death he could never breath any free aire he could never be at any rest he could never be free from fear Heb. 2.15 the Apostle saith that Christ came to deliver them that through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage This bondage is a deadly bondage that when we have done all that we can doe what 's the payment of the service Death And the fear of this deadly bondage if we were once sensible if God did open our eyes and shew us as he did Belshazzar our doom written did we but see it it would make our joynts loose and our knees knock one against another Every day thou livest thou approachest nearer to this death to the accomplishment and consummation of it death without and death within death in this world and in the world to come Not onely death thus in gross and in general but in particular also Now to unfold the particulars of death and to shew you the ingredients of this bitter cup that we may be weary of our estates that we may be drawn out of this death and be made to fly to the Son that we may be free indeed Observe that Death is not here to be understood of a separation of the soul from the body only but a greater death then that the death of the soul and body We have mention made of a first resurrection Rev. 20.6 Blessed and happy is he that hath his part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power What is the first resurrection It is a rising from sin And what is the second death It is everlasting damnation The first death is a death unto sin and the first resurrection is a rising from sin And so again for all things the judgments or troubles that appertain to this death all a man suffers before It is not as fools think the last blow that fells the tree but every blow helps forward 'T is not the last blow that kills the man but every blow that goes before makes way unto it Every trouble of mind every anguish every sicknesse all these are as so many strokes that shorten our life and hasten our end and are as it were so many deaths Therefore however it is said by the Apostle It is appointed for all men once to die yet we see the Apostle to
is when we have made particular application by Faith God will put to his seal that I shall know that God is my strength and my salvation I shall know it John 14.21 He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will manifest my self unto him Christ comes and drawes the Curtains and looks on with the gracioâ—s aspect of his blessed countenance When this comes it cheers the heart and then there are secret love-tokens pass betwixt Christ and his beloved Rev. 2.17 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knows save he that receives it that is there is a particular intimation that I shall know of my self more then any other more then all the world besides It s such a joy as the stranger is not made Partaker of such joy as is glorious and unspeakable such peace as passeth all understanding One minute of such joy overcomes all the joy in the world besides Now consider sure there is such a thing as this joy or else do you think the Scripture would talk of it and of the Comforter the Holy Ghost by whom we know the things that are given us of God There is a generation in the world that hath this joy though you that know it not do not nor cannot believe it there is a righteous generation that have it and why dost thou not try to get it do as they do and thou mayst obtain it likewise The secrets of the Lord are revealed to them that fear him These are hidden comforts do you think God will give this joy to those that care not for him No The way is to seek God and to labour to fear him The secrets of the Lord are revealed to such and such only as fear him do as they do and follow their example and thou mayst have it likewise Object Many have serv'd Christ long and have not found it Sol. It s long of themselves you are straightned in your own bowels or else Open your mouths wide and God will fill them No wonder that we are so barren of these comforts when we be straitned in our selves There is a thing wondrously wanting amongst us and that is Meditation If we could give our selves to it and go up with Moses to the Mount to confer with God and seriously think of the price of Christs death and of the joyes of heaven and the Priviledges of a Christian if we could frequently meditate on these we should have these sealing days every day at lest oftner This hath need to be much pressed upon us the neglect of this makes lean souls He that is frequent in that hath these sealing days often Couldst thou have a parle with God in private and have thy heart rejoyce with the comforts of another day even whilst thou art thinking of these things Christ would be in the midst of thee Many of the Saints of God have but little of this because they spend but few hours in Meditation And thus as this hour would give leave have we proceeded in this point FINIS 1 COR. 11.29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself not discerning the Lords body I Have heretofore declared unto you the ground of our salvation and have represented unto you first Christ offered for us and secondly Christ offered to us Now it hath pleased Almighty God not only to teach us this by his Word but because we are slow of heart to believe and conceive the things we heare it pleases his glorious Wisdom to add to his Word his Sacraments that so what we have heard with our ears we may see with our eyes being represented by signs There is a visible voice whereby God speaks to the eyes and therefore we find in Exod. 4.8 God bids Moses that he should use signs saying It shall come to pass if they will not believe thee neither hearken to the voice of the first sign that they will believe the voice of the latter sign Signs you know are the Object of the eye and yet see they have it as it were a visible voice which speaks to the eye Now God is pleased to give us these signs for the helping 1. Of our Understanding The eye and the ear are the two learned senses as we call them through which all knowledge is conveyed into the soul and therefore that we may have a more particular knowledge of Christ God hath not only by his Ministry given us audible voices but visible also in his Sacraments by which as by certain glasses he represents to us the Mystery of Christ Jesus offered for us and offered to us And hence is it that Paul calls the eyes to witness as well as the ears Gal. 3.1 O ye foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth before whose eyes Christ hath been evidently fet forth crucified amongst you that is before whose eyes Christ hath been crucified not by hear-say only but evidently before your eyes not in any foolish Crucifix with the Papists but in the blessed Sacrament wherein he is so represented as if his soul were before our eyes poured out to death so that by these Sacraments heavenly things are as it were clothed in earthly Garments and this is the first reason viz. to help our Understandings but besides this he doth it 2. To help our Memory we art apt to forget those wonderfull things Christ hath wrought for us And therefore verse 24. and 25. Of this Chapter we are bid To eat his body and drink his blood in remembrance of him To take the signs as tokens of him the Sacrament is as it were a monument and pillar raised up to the end that when ever we see it we should remember the Lords death untill he come It s said 2 Sam. 8.18 That Absolon in his life time had taken and reared up for himself a Pillar which is in the Kings dale for he said I have no son to keep my name in remembrance He would fain be remembred but he had no Child whereby he might live after he was dead therefore he raises it and calls it after his own name Absolons place as it is this day that so as often as any came that way they might remember him Christ doth thus by his Sacrament and erects it as a Monument for the remembrance of his death and as it were calls it by his own name saying This is my body and this is my blood that when ever we see them we may call to mind Christ offered for us and to us But that I may apply this my Doctrine to the ears also know that 3. These signs are for the strengthning of our faith and therefore it is considered as a seal Rom. 4.11 Abraham received the sign of Circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised
It helps our understanding by being a sign and is a confirmation as a seal by vertue whereof Christ is passed and made over to us so that we have as true an interest and right to him as to our meat and drink yea hereby he becomes as effectually ours for every purpose in our spiritual life as our meat and drink doth for our corporal To which end these Elements are changed spiritually in their natures not in substance but in use so that which was but now a common bread becomes as far different as heaven is from earth being altered in its use For instance the wax whereby the King passes over an inheritance to us and by which conveyances of our estates are made that wax is but as another piece of wax differing nothing from that which is in the shop till the King hath stampt it with his Seal but being once sealed one would not give it for all the wax in the Kingdome for now it serves to another use so is it here in these elements but still know the difference is not in the matter or substance but in the use And this is the reason why this blessed bread and wine is termed a communion namely because it is an instrument whereby Christ instates me into himself and whereby I have fellowship and communion with him In the words then we have these particulars viz. 1. A sinne If any man shall presume to eat that bread or drink that cup unworthily It s a dangerous thing a great sin to eat and drink at the Lords Table in an unworthy manner 2. A punishment He eats and drinks damnation or judgement unto himself So that now what was ordained to life and appointed to be a seal and confirmation of Gods love and favour is now changed and become a seal and confirmation of Gods anger and indignation The unworthy receiving of it makes it prove cleane contrary to what it was intended 3. A reason because he discernes not the Lords body but takes them as ordinary things deeming the elements not different from the bread and wine which we have at our Tables not knowing that they are the dishes wherein Christ is served in unto us that by these the greatest gift is given us and nourishment conveyed for the maintenance of our spiritual life This life was given us in baptisme but in and by these signes is conveyed spiritual nourishment for the continuance and maintenance of it for the strengthning of our faith and making us daily stronger and stronger to fight the Lords battles Now when we discern not this nor by the eye of faith see Christ Jesus crucified for us and by these elements conveyed unto us but take them hand over head without any consideration we receive them unworthily and a fearful indignity is offered unto Christ which he will certainly revenge I 'le then 1. Shew in general what it is to eat unworthily 2. What it is to eat judgement and then 3. I 'le come to the particulars how this sin may be avoided and what the particulars are wherein the sin consists 1. Concerning the first What it is to eat unworthily Obj. And here may some say is there any of us who can avouch that he eats and drinks at the Lords Table worthily is any so presumptuous to say that he is worthy to eat Christs flesh and drink his blood As for bodily food and entertainment the Centurion could say I am not worthy that thou shoulds come under my roof How then comes this to passe that he which eats and drinks the Lords body unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself Sol. But here understand what is set down worthiness is not always taken for a matter of merit or proportion of worth between the person giving and receiving but in Scripture it 's often taken for that which is meet fitting and beseeming And in this sense the Apostle uses it 1 Cor. 16.4 If it be meet that I go also they shall go with me If it be meet the word in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or worthy which is here rightly translated meet so in that Sermon of Saint John Baptist Mat. 3.8 bring forth fruits meet for repentance that is fruits beseeming amendment of life And in this sense are we said to walk worthy of God who hath called us to his Kingdom and glory VVorthy of God that is worthy of that calling God hath imparted to us 1 Thes. 2.12 And therefore to use the similitude as I have elsewhere If the King should vouchsafe to come into a Subjects house and finde all things fit and beseeming so great a Majesty that Subject may be said to give the King worthy entertainment not that a Subject is worthy to entertaine his Prince but the meaning is he provided all things which were meet and fit for the entertainment of him So is it here if we prepare our selves with such spiritual ornaments to entertain the King of glory as are requisite for those who approach his Table though our performances come far short of the worth of his presence yet we may be said to eat his body and drink his blood worthily When the King in the Gospel had prepared his feast two sorts of guests there were who were unworthy 1. Those that made light of the invitation who had their excuses when they should come to the feast One must go to his farme another to try his Oxen Luke 14.18 2. Others there were who came and yet were unworthy guests for coming unpreparedly for in the midst of the feast the King comes in to view his guests and beholds a man that did not refuse to come but yet came without his wedding garment and so came unworthily for not coming preparedly Yea see then there may be an unworthinesse in those that do come since they come unfitted and unbeseeming such a banquet They are unworthy receivers of the Lords body and he accounts it an irreverent usage of him In like manner may some say touching the Ministry of the Word May not I read a good Sermon at home with as much profit what needs all this stirre Why here 's the advantage and priviledge you get in the publick Ministry of the Word God himself comes down as a King amongst us he views his guests and considers who comes with his wedding garment who comes preparedly Christ comes and looks on us and where two or three are gathered together in his name there he hath promised to be in the midst of them He walks in the midst of the golden Candlesticks the Ministers of his Word he takes a special view of those that come and frequent his Ordinances and to reward them You see then what it is to eat worthily it s to do it with that reverence that is requisite where the King of heaven is the Master of the Feast Now this being the sin unmannerliness and unprepared approaching his Table we come to the second thing viz. 2. The punishment
and that 's a terrible one He that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself damnation that 's somewhat hard the word in the Margent is better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 judgement True there are such as so come that they deserve to eat condemnation to themselves as openly profane ones in whom it's high treason being Gods vowed enemies to take his Privy Seal and put it to so vile a use this I say deserves damnation but then others there are that have faith and repentance and a portion in Christ yet coming unworthily to this feast eat judgement to themselves that is a judgement of chastisement There is a twofold judgement 1. One of revenge for those that put Gods Seal to a wrong evidence having no faith to make Christ his portion in such a one its high treason to put forth his hand to this tree of life 2. Another of chastisement for such a one as hath repentance and yet comes too unmannerly and carries himself too carelesly at the Lords Table at this the Apostle aims in the Text not at that judgement of condemnation but at a judgement to prevent damnation And this appears in the words following where we shall finde the Apostle recounting up the particulars of this judgement of chastisement For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep ver 30. Mark what 's the judgement he eats why this he 's cast upon his bed of sicknesse into a Consumption perchance or some other corporal disease a cause Physicians seldome or never look into they look to Agues Colds or the like they never once conjecture that their unworthy eating at the Lords Table cast them into the disease and was the principal cause of the malady Nay death it self too often is the punishment of such bold attempts so that all the Physicians in the world cannot cure them And thus God inflicts temporal judgements to free them from eternal as appears farther in the 32. ver When we are judged we are chastned of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world that is we undergo a judgement of chastisement to prevent the judgement of condemnation which though it be a sharp and bitter pill yet by the mercy of God we eat that whereby damnation is prevented This judgement of condemnation is the portion of the profane person who dares to meddle with that belongs not to him against whom the Angel of the Lord with a flaming sword stands to keep the way of this tree of life Those that come that have faith yet coming unpreparedly they eat judgment too yet by Gods mercy it 's that which preserves them from the damnation of the soul. Now before I come to the particulars note how careful God is that spiritual exercises should be spiritually performed He 's very angry when he sees a spiritual duty carnally undertaken For this cause many are sick c. that is because you that are believers have faith repentance and a portion in your Saviour come irreverently come unpreparedly perform a spiritual work so carnally We have presidents hereof in Scripture◠and chiefly two First for circumcision Exod. 4.24 At the 21. v. God sent Moses on a Message into Egypt and in the 24. vers the Text saith It came to pass by the way in the Inne that the Lord met him and sought to kill him This is very strange this hath no dependance on that which goes before a strange accident God sought to kill him although he but a little before had sent him into Egypt and told him he would be with him Why what should we do then how should the message be done and fulfilled But what was the reason hereof It 's not expressed yet we may gather from the following words that it was by reason his sons were uncircumcised for vers 25. Zippora took a sharp stone and cut off the fore-skin of her sonne and cast it at his feet and said surely a bloody husband hast thou been unto me God would have smitten him for the neglect of the Sacrament of Circumcision Another instance we have for the Passover in Hezekiahs time 2 Chron. 30.17 18. A multitude of the people yea many of Ephraim and Manasseh Issachar and Zebulon had not cleansed themselves yet did they eat the Passover otherwise then it was written There were many likewise in the Congregation that were not sanctified and therefore God punished them It 's not set down in what manner God punished them yet by the consequent it may be gather'd that it was by sicknesse for the next words are to that effect Hezekiah prayed for them saying the good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God the Lord God of his Father though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary and the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people So that you see for this God smites a person and it 's to be feared least judgements temporal fall on the whole Nation for this fault that he even smites a people to death But we passe from this and come to the particulars 3. The particulars of this offence and wherein it consists that a man comes unworthily that so we may know whether we are guilty of the crime Know therefore that there are two sorts that come to the communion First those to whom the businesse doth not belong that have nothing to do with the thing as openly profane ones Secondly such as have interest in the matter but yet come unpreparedly and in an unbeseeming manner the former take part in the signe but enjoy not the thing signified and the latter coming unpreparedly depart without the comfort which otherwise they might have Now mark to whom Christ would say if he were now coming to judgement in the clouds to whom I say if he were now coming in the clouds he would say Come ye blessed of my Father inherit a Kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world to them he would likewise say Come to my Table come to this banquet partake of my body and blood and to as many as he would say Depart from me you cursed into everlasting flames to so many would he say go you from my Table come not near Now there are two sorts of people to whom if the Lord Jesus were coming in the clouds to Judgement he would say Depart into everlasting flames and those are those that know not him and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ 2 Thes. 1.8 Now to these two sorts of people Christ would say if he were on earth Depart from my Table meddle not with those Mysteries And they are 1. Those that know not God and indeed it is a most unworthy thing for an ignorant man to come to Gods Table Know whoever thou art that art such an one that it belongs not to thee it was appointed for an understanding people The Lord invites not fools and block-heads to his Mysteries
God will not know them that know not him If thou knowest not what the signs are or the relation of them to the thing signified hast no insight or understanding of the Mysteries Know that its to no other purpose to thee to come to the Sacrament then if thou wentest to a Mass to see a Mass to see the Gesticulations Elevations or if thou wentest to see a play not knowing to what end and purpose it was done Such a one is not a friend of God but an enemy that shall be destroyed in everlasting fire that knows not him Deceive not then your selves but seriously weigh it and consider what a Judgement falls on us for this What an unworthy thing is it when as in one moneths space or less if a man had any care he might learn as much as would bring him to heaven What saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.34 Some have not the knowledge of God I speak this to your shame And a shamefull thing it is indeed when the knowledge of the Principles of Christian Religion may be had in so short a space to be so grosly ignorant as commonly many are It s a most unworthy and a shamefull thing to think the knowledge of Christ not worth thus much pains Thou that carest not for the knowledge of Gods wayes what hast thou to do to take his Word into thy mouth to tread in his Courts I doubt not but very many here too are but Babes in Christ. An ignorant person then cannot possibly come worthily for we are to come with faith and Faith cannot be without knowledge And hence are they joyned both together By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Isa. 53.11 By his knowledge not subjective but objective the knowledge of him if thou knowest not him his Nature and Offices the end of his offering himself and will be still a meer Ignoramus come not to Gods Table go to Nebuchadnezzar and feed with him amongst the beasts thou hast nothing to do here This is the first sort 2. The second are those that obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have wit enough and can talk of Religion fast enough but where is the obedience is required I know Christ gives me the proffer of Christ Jesus Can I cast down my own proud Will and submit it lay down my stately plumes and take him not only as my Priest to sacrifice himself for me but as my Lord and my King to be guided governed and ruled by him when such a one comes that hath not the power of grace in him who is filled with nothing but Rebellion and profaneness when such a one comes and presumes to sit down at Gods Table it is a most unworthy Act It s more fit that such a one should feed amongst the swine then eat the body and drink the blood of his Saviour Nor is it an unworthy Act for these only but also for civil honest persons though civility be a good stock whereon the sience of grace may be grafted but if a man had nothing besides what nature Education can teach what moral Phylosophy can store us with we have nothing to do at this Table of the Lord. How can I dare presume to eat Christs body and drink Christs blood that am not acquainted with God know not the Principles of Religion and will not be swayed by him nor be obedient unto his Gospel These are the particulars then which make a man an unworthy Receiver when he is an ignorant person and will not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ such persons are to be discarded and casheer'd they eat the Judgement of condemnation unto themselves But there are as I shew'd you a second sort that come that have interest in the business such as have Knowledge Grace and Faith in Christ and shall taste of the new wine with Christ in the world to come and be with Christ which notwithstanding may eat and drink unworthily and come unpreparedly and irreverently whereby they lose that comfort that otherwise they might have and these though they eat not the Judgement of condemnation yet they do the Judgement of chastisement they put Gods seal to a blank but the former sort put it to a false instrument they put it to a blank I say and by that means loose much comfort yea life it self too perchance They eat a Judgement of Chastisement by putting it thus to a blank they taste Gods displeasure in sickness weakness and death but I will shew you how you may avoid this why come worthily Fit your sâ—lves to the purpose set to it and thou shalt see one Communion will even bring thee to Heaven I say if that thou couldst but one Communion fit thy self to come worthily thou wouldst find exceeding comfort in it Try the Lord once and see what a mighty encrease of grace this will bring unto thee That you may know how you may come worthily there are three things requisite to every worthy Receiver at the Lords Table 1. Some things are requisite before the Action be enterprized or else I shall come very unworthily 2. Some at the time and in the very act of Receiving 3. Others after the Communion is ended Many will be perswaded that there is some preparation to be used before hand but never do as much as dream of any after whereas if a man neglect this the Lords meat is as it were lost in us 1. As for those things which are requisite before we come to the Lords Table they are these 1. A Consideration what need I have of the Sacrament Is there any such necessity of it Examine then what need have I to eat my meat and drink When we see God brings this before us let us reason thus with our selves it is as needfull for the nourishment of my soul to receive the Sacrament as for my body to take meat and drink This is that whereby we are spiritually strengthned and enabled to hold out to the last And here I 'le not stand to dispute the case whether a man may fall from Grace or not And no doubt but he may yet I say not that he doth I say no doubt but he may and why there is such an opposition and antipathy betwixt the flesh and the spirit that did not God refresh the spirit now and then it might be overborn by the bulk of our corruptions Now Gods Ordinances are appointed to keep it in heart and refresh it as the sick spouse was staid with Apples and comforted with flagons And God hath appointed his Sacrament of the Lords Supper to strengthen and continue that life which we received in Baptism as by spiritual nourishment In Baptism our stock of life is given us by the Sacrament is confirmed and continued If a child be born only and after birth not nourished there is none but will know what a death such a soul will die So it is here unless Christ be pleased to nourish that life which he
hath breathed into me in baptism and by his Ordinances to give me a new supply and addition of grace I am a dead man I am gone for evil upon this ground therefore upon examination being conscious and privy to the weakness of my faith to the manifold imperfections of my spirit to my want of knowledge the frailty of my memory my often doubtings the dangers of relapsing and falling back in my Christian progress I cannot but apprehend that it is no needless thing for me to come preparedly to the Lords Table 2. The next action requisite before my comming to the Sacrament is the whetting of my appetite and preparing of my stomack I must come with an hungry desire as a man that comes to his meat that would live and be strong we think meat very ill bestowed on him that hath no stomack Unless we eat Christs body and drink his blood we can have no spiritual life All the question and the main business is whether I come thirsty or not as an hungry and thirsty man with an Appetite after his meat and liquor longing after Christ as the Hart after the water brooks When a man comes dully and as Children that playes with their meat cares not whether he eats or not when a man comes I say without an appetite its time for God to take it away from him It s an unworthy comming to come with an unprepared stomack and without whetting our faith to feed on Christ Jesus crucified 3. The third action requisite to a worthy Commer is cleansing of himself I would fain come may a man say to the Lords Table having such need of it as I have and having such an appetite and desire to feed on Christ but I am to come before a great King therefore I must wash mine hands in innocency In the Gospel according to Saint Mark the Jews found fault with Christs Disciples because they came with unclean or common hands For so the word signifies and is so used by the Apostles as equivalent thereunto I have learned to call nothing common or unclean Now when I come to meet the Lord in his Ordinances I must put off my shooes from off my feet for the place where I stand is holy Wash your hands you sinners and purifie your hearts you double minded The purifying of the soul is that which is required of every worthy Communicant We come now not to receive life but strength and that it may strengthen us we must of necessity clense our selves A stomack over clog'd with choler what ever meat be taken into it it turns it into its own nature so is it here unless the vessel be clean Quodcunque infundis acessit Christ Jesus the purest thing in the world is to come into my soul as into a sanctuary and shall not I fit trimme and garnish it to receive him but leave it as a Pig-stie Know therefore that thou comest unworthily when thou comest with unwashed hands The people were to be sanctified when they came to receive the Law And so must we if we will receive the benefit from the business in hand But I cannot stand on all I pass from this therefore to the second thing I proposed and that was 2. Those things which were required of us in the action And there we have the acts of the Minister in the administration I must not look on these as idle Ceremonies but as real Representations otherwise we take Gods name in vain I must look upon the Minister who represents the person of Christ and by the eyes of faith see Christ himself offered for thee when thou seest the bread broken the wine poured out Behold him offered to thee when the Minister bids thee take and eat take and drink And when the Minister bids thee take know that in as good earnest as the Minister offers thee the bread and wine the Lord offers thee his sonne Christ Jesus Take Christ my son dead and crucified for thee Consider when thou seest the Minister set the bread and wine apart how God from all eternity set apart his son for us If we have not done this we must do it Exod. 12.3 See the manner of the setting apart of the Lamb which was a Type of Christ In the tenth day of the moneth they shall take to them every man a Lamb according to the house of their Father This Lamb was to be set apart and taken out of the flock And in the fifth verse It must be a Lamb without blemish then you shall keep it untill the fourteenth day of the same moneth From the tenth day to the fourteenth it was to be kept This typified that Lamb of God that was so set apart Then was the Lamb to be killed By whom Verse 6. by all the Congregation of Israel And thus was Christ to be singled out and to be slain Every mothers son had a hand in killing this Lamb of God He is set a part to suffer for sinners picked out as a singled dear which being desinged to the game the hounds will follow only and no other Thus was Christ hunted to death by one sorrow after another till he gave up the Ghost upon the Cross. In the Gospel according to Saint John we read how the people took branches of Palms trees and went forth to meet Christ cap. 12.12 and that was the day the Lamb was set apart and he was so set apart till the Jews Passeover This concerns me saith Christ. Christ saw himself typified in the Lamb that was set apart Observe then on that very day Fathtr saith he Deliver me from that hour On that very day in the Lamb he saw himself to be sacrificed by all the Congregation of Israel We were all of us actors in the business not one here but had a hand in the offering up of the son of God in killing Christ Jesus Thus for these actions of the Minister the setting apart of the bread and of the wine Then follows the Breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the wine At the breaking of the bread consider Christs flesh torne assunder all the lashes which made such scratches in his flesh the ruptures which were made by the nails and the spear that pierced his side The breaking of him by his Father the word signifies crushing him to powder God would break him saith the Prophet even to powder At the consideration hereof how should our faith be stirred and set awake Thou takest Gods name in vain if with a dull eye thou canst see these things and not take it to heart The next action is The pouring out of the wine This is my blood saith Christ Drink you all of this Dost thou see the wine poured out at that very instant consider how much blood Christ spilt how much he poured forth and that not only in the very time of his passion when he hung upon the Cross when the spears peirced his sides when the nails bored and digged his hands
and feet But that which he shed in the garden in the cold winter time when he shed great drops great clots of blood thickest blood that pierc'd his garment and ran down upon the ground Consider how much blood he lost when he was whipped and lashed when the spear came to the very Pericardium thus let us weigh his torments and it will be a means to make us much affected with his sufferings for us But this is not all there is another thing yet in the blood this was but the outward part of his sufferings Yet some there are who are against Christs sufferings in his soul If it were so say they then something either in the sacrifices of the old Testament or in the new Testament should signifie it What ever such persons object against it I am sure there was as much in the sacrifices of the old Testament as could possibly be in a Type to signifie it Now that I may make this to appear know that in every sacrifice there were two parts or two things considerable and those were the Body and the Blood the whole was to be made a sacrifice viz. both Body and blood the body was to be burned the blood to be poured forth Now nothing in a beast can signifie the sufferings of Christ in soul better then the pouring out of the blood Lev. 17.11 The blood was the life and this is that which had a relation to the soul and was therefore as in the same place appears poured out as an attonement for the soul And to this in our common prayers there is an allusion viz. Grant us gracious Lord so to eat the flesh of thy dear son Jesus Christ and to drink his blood that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body and our souls washed through his most precious blood And in Isa. 53.12 The Metaphor holds He poured out his soul unto death for us So that whatever some have fondly thought its evident and manifest that Christ suffered both in soul and body both soul and body were made an offering for sin who knew no sin I should have gone further but the time cuts me off FINIS HEB. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly ùnto the throne of grace that we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to help in time of need IN handling heretofore the Doctrine of the conversion of a sinner I declar'd and shew'd you what mans misery was and what that great hope of mercy is that the Lord proposeth to the greatest sinner in the world I shew'd unto you the means whereby we may be made partakers of Christ and that was by the grace of faith which doth let fall all other things in a mans self and comes with an open and empty hand to lay hold on Christ and fill it self with him I shew'd you also the acts of Faith as it justifies And now because it is a point of high moment wherein all our comfort stands and in which it lies I thought good to resume it all again so farre as may concerne our practice that we may see what the work of Gods Spirit is from the first to the last in the conversion of a sinner from the corruptions and pollutions of the flesh in which he wallowed and to this purpose have I chosen this place of Scripture wherein we are encouraged by Gods blessed Word that what ever we are though accursed and the greatest sinners in the world and that whatever we want we should come to Gods throne of grace And we are to think that whatever sinnes are or have been committed and though our sinnes are never so great yet that they are not so great as the infinitenesse of Gods mercy especially having such not only an Intercessor but Advocate to plead the right of our cause so that Christ comes and he pleads payment and that however our debts are great and we runne farre in score yet he is our ransome and therefore now Gods justice being satisfied why should not his mercy have place and free course This is the great comfort that a Christian hath that he may come freely and boldly to God because he comes but as for an acquittance of what is already paid As a debtor will appear boldly before his creditor when he knows his debt is discharg'd he will not then be afraid to look him in the face Now we may come and say Blessed Father the debt is paid I pray give me pardon of my sinnes give me my acquittance And this is that boldnesse and accesse spoken of Rom. 5.2 In whom we have accesse by faith Now that I may not spend too much time needlesly come we to the ground and matter in the words Wherein there is 1. A preparative for grace 2. The act it self whereby we are made partakers of the grace of God First the preparatives are two The law and the Gospel and wrought by them The first preparative 1. Wrought by the Law The Law works in a time of great need this is the first preparative for a man to be brought to see he stands in great need of Gods mercy and Christs blood so that the sinner cries out Lord I stand in great want of mercy His eyes being thus opened he is no longer a stranger at home but he sees the case is wondrous hard with him so that he concludes Unlesse God be merciful unto me in Christ I am lost and undone for ever This is the first preparative and till we come to it we can never approach the throne of grace The second is 2. Wrought by the Gospel I see I stand in great need but by this second preparative we see a Throne of grace set up and that addes comfort unto me If God had onely a throne and seat of Justice I were utterly undone I see my debt is extreme great but the Gospel reveals unto me that God of his infinite mercy hath erected a Throne of grace a City of refuge that finding my self in need my soul may flie unto And now to fit us for this Gods blessed Spirit works by his Word to open unto us the Law and our wants to enlighten our understandings that we stand in great need to win our affection and open the Gospel and its comforts Therefore first for the time of need the Law reveals unto us our woful condition to be born in sin as the Pharisee said and yet not able to see it Every man may say in generalities I am a sinner yet to say and know himself to be such a sinner as indeed he is to stand in such need that he cannot do This one would think to be a matter of sence but unlesse Gods Spirit open our eyes we can never see our selvs to be such sinners as we are or else what is the reason that the child of God cries out more against his sinne and the weight thereof after his conversion than he did before What are his sinnes greater or more than they were
peace who hath made both one and hath broken down that partition wall between us we have not only peace with God through Christ but Christ is the very peace not only the peace-maker but the peace There was a middle wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles and between God and us Christ breaks it down sinne shall no longer be a wall of partition Having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances for to make himself of twain one new man so making peace and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Crosse. There was hatred between God and us Christ hath crucified that hatred with the nails wherewith he was fastened to the Cross he hath kill'd it by his crucifixion and now enmity being slain peace must needs be alive there is peace and reconciliation made You are come saith the Apostle to the blood of sprinkling whereas the blood of Abel cryed for vengeance against Cain the murtherer This blood cries for peace it out-cries all our sinnes sin hath a voice it s said The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah went up into the ears of the Lord Every sinne thou committest hath a voice to cry but the blood of Christ hath a shriller voice and out-cryes the cry of thy sins it is so preheminent it speaks for peace and doth out cry the voice of our sinnes the high Priest was a a type of Christ Numb 16. He must have on his frontlet Holinesse to the Lord as one which bears the holy one of the Lord standing in the person of Christ Moses saith when there was wrath gone out from the Lord unto Aaron ver 46. Take a censer and put fire therein from off the Altar and put on incense and go quickly unto the Congregation and make an atonement for them for there is wrath gone out the plague is begun So when the wrath is gone out the High Priest comes and offers up himself a sweet incense acceptable unto God And Aaron took as Moses commanded and came into the midst of the Congregation and behold the plague was begun among the people and he put incense and made an atonement for the people When wrath is come out from the Almighty and his Army is sent out for to destroy the Rebels now our High Priest stands between the living and the dead and offers up himself an oblation to Almighty God to make peace Look to the case of Balaam when the people had committed fornication Phineas executed judgment wherefore the Lord saith Numb 25.12 Phineas hath turned away my wrath from the people and if that one act of Phineas his zeal for the Lord in killing the Fornicators before the Congregation if this I say appeased Gods wrath for the whole Congregation how much more doth our Phineas who hath fulfilled all righteousnesse whom the zeal of Gods house had eaten up he is nothing but zeal it self and all that he doth unto his father is for our good How much more shall Christ pacifie Gods wrath who hath received the gash of Gods Sword upon his own body and would not have himself spared that he might do it As Jonah was three dayes and three nights in the whales belly so shall the Sonne of man be in the heart of the earth There is a mighty storme and Jonah is cast out into the Sea presently the storme ceaseth so Christ having suffered for us there is peace the storme is over Now follows in the next place in the Text By whom we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God These are the two priviledges that a justified man hath he hath a gracious accesse unto God Suppose he be in a fault as who is not if any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous These things have I written saith the Apostle that you sinne not but if any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father c. This is the state of a justified man though he do by his â—elapses provoke God yet he is in the state of a subject though he be a disobedient subject yet a subject not a forreiner as before but now ye that were not a people are become the people of the Lord. A childe of God in the midst of rebellion is sub misericordia as soon as he is in the state of grace he is under Gods protection he is no stranger though he hath his blood about his ears and is in his rags yet he may come to God by Jesus Christ he may come boldly to the Throne of grace that he may finde help in time of need The Apostle in Ephes. 2.18 sets down twice the great priviledges Christians have for thorough him we both have an accesse by one Spirit unto the Father it s Christ which makes the way To have a friend at the Court is a great matter especially when a man hath need of him Christ is gone before us and he lives for ever to make intercession for us and we need no other Mediator thus he bespeaks his Father Father this is one of mine that I shed my blood for one of those that thou gavest me I beseech thee have pity upon him and I beseech thee give him audience Ephes. 3.12 By him i. e. through Christ we have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father in whom we have boldnesse by the faith of him and access with confidence I go not now doubting unto God I prefer my suit with boldnesse Mark the Apostle St. James If any man want wisdome or any other thing let him ask it of God that gives to all men liberally and upbraideth not it is otherwise with men when one hath done a great man wrong and comes to desire a favour at his hands Oh Sir saith he Do you not remember how you used me at such a time or in such a place That he is presently upbraided with ' its cast in his dish but it is not so with God he gives liberally and upbraids no man so there is a free and a bold accesse with faith and confidence by whom we have boldnesse and accesse let him not doubt or waver that is a notable place here is bold accesse by faith unto God and by that we may be assured of whatever we ask if it be forgivenesse of sinnes we may be sure they are forgiven if we ask in faith we may be assured By the way take notice of the folly of the Papists who think that a man can have no confidence or assurance that his sinnes are forgiven This is our confidence that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Now is it not according to his will to ask forgivenesse of our sins Doth not he injoine us to do it Therefore what infidelity is it not to be assured of it And what impudency is it in them to go about to cut off