in any wise admit to the receiving of the Holy Communion any of his Cure or Flock which be openly known to live in sin netorious without repentance Nor any who have maliciously and openly contended with their neighbours untill they shall be reconciled If by Church he mean the Church of England as it now stands and hath stood since the downfall of the Prelates Hath not Suspension been revived and ratified by the Assembly of Divines siting at Westminster an Assembly I may say I hope without flattery as Learned and plous as ever the Christian World saw And afterward confirmed by Civill Sanction of both Houses of Parliament in the Form of Church-Government that bare Church-membership though never so much contradicted by practice is sufficient for admittance to the Sacrament Upon which account I might refer him to my former answers yet I shall adde a little Church-membership being a relation must needs have some foundation which foundation failing the relation cannot hold what is this foundation but consent either implicite or explicite to walk with the Church of God in all the waies of God for His glory and their mutuall edification This consent failing the Foundation of Church-relation ceases and such a person unchurches himself and that visibly too where this consent failes visibly as it doth in persons who wilfully refuse knowledge and live against conviction in scandalous sins And can the Church then bee blamed for denying the Sacrament a speciall Church-priviledge to those who renounce their Baptism and unchurch themselves who really deny the faith and are worse then Infidels 1 Tim. 5. 8. who are among us but are not of us 1 John 2. 19. And if such be in the visible Church and ever will be so long as it is Militant can you blame Church-Officers for endeavouring to find out such by their fruits Math. 7. 16. to uncase false Brethren and deny them the Sign who renounce the thing signified As for the seeming Contradiction he would fasten on me pag. 27 28. He that reads it observantly may easily perceive the Cavill since our undertaking to fit the people is but conditionall provided they will be ruled by us and therefore if ignorant persons will be ruled by us we shall endeavour to fit them by instruction if scandalous persons would be ruled by us wee shall teach them to live unblameably whereby they may be visibly worthy And to make all sorts really worthy if they will be ruled by us wee shall endeavour their conversion and actuall preparation though when we have done all we can we dare not say we endeavour our utmost de jure we leave that to Mr. Humphrey The question about an unregenerate mans duty to abstain from the Sacrament which Mr. Humphrey touches upon page 28 I shal pass here as referring it to its proper place And being rightly understood I hope it will not appear so heterodox Sect. IV. Mr. Humphrey If we must hold the Sacrament to be a means of grace only to the Regenerate and that none may come without these Sacramentall graces c. we cannot approach this holy Table but the terrours of the Lord must fall upon us as trembling to be guilty of the blood of Christ and eat our own damnation The best of Gods people who are most apt to question their spirituall estates will be discouraged and others upon sleight tryall will conclude their estate to be good presume upon the Sacrament and thereby bring upon themselves security and the blood of their own souls c. This I take to be the substance of page 29. and 30. The case is very serious and pathetically propounded Ans 1. We all agree from expresse testimony of Scripture that they who receive unworthily eat and drink judgment to themselves and are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 2ly Mr. Humphrey is not ignorant of a twofold unworthinesse as well as worthinesse acknowledged generally by our Divines viz. the unworthinesse of Person and of Preparation and that either of these unworthinesses make a man obnoxious to the forementioned guilt and danger 3ly It s confest that hypocrites may be very confident and true Nathaniels may doubt very much they have neither the worthinesse of person nor preparation or through infirmity sloth and negligence may faile very much in point of preparation yet have the worthinesse of Person 4ly We must distinguish between the rigour of the rule as laid down doctrinally and the equity of the rule as reduced to practice To explain this by the Law of the Passeover the rigid rule was no unclean person should eat thereof yet it might fall out that many unclean persons did eat thereof and that without blame or danger provided they were not supinely negligent either in avoiding or searching out their uncleanesse Otherwise no man durst have eaten the Passover since its possible he might have been defiled though unwittingly 5ly Abstinence from the Sacrament is twofold 1. Out of profanesse and slighting of Christ and his grace 2ly Out of clear conviction or grounded jealousie about our spirituall estate In like manner Receiving of the Sacrament is twofold 1. Out of Custom or other sinister respects 2ly Out of Conscience rightly informed about truth of grace inherent or deceived and mistaken or doubting and scrupulous namely when it cannot clearly either assent or dissent Or when it inclines in assent to the better part yet with fear and jealousie of the contrary These things premised we say 1. That for Persons totally destitute of the worthinesse of person such are all in their natural condition it were happy if the terrours of the Lord were more upon them that by fear of murthering Christ they might be kept from murthering Christ at the Sacrament 2ly If upon tryall an erring conscience tell them they have truth of grace they are exposed to a snare whether they receive or not since if they come not they sin against their consciences and if they come they receive unworthily and thereby contract guilt and incur danger as it is in other cases when an erring conscience puts a man upon sin as duty or pulls a man from duty as sin 3dly If any doubt of truth of grace be the ground of his mistake right or wrong and thereupon fear to receive 1. this abstinence of his is far from a slighting of Christ 2ly cannot bee prejudiciall but advantagious to his soul provided hee sit not down in a doubting and despondent condition 4ly A true Nathaniel wanting evidence and so fearing to aproach is by the Sacrament put upon it to be more diligent in making his calling and Election sure And by self-examination backt with prayer and advice of experienced Ministers and Christians may through the blessing of God attain such a measure of evidence as that he may with comfort approach the Lords Table and go away with a double Portion of the spirit of evidence and for such in speciall the Sacrament was instituted as a Cordiall
wickednesse he rejected Christ virtually compare 1 Sam. 10. 19. John 12. 48. Yet at the same time he was a Church-member and did not renounce Christ formally 2ly Therefore there is a twofold renouncing of Christ 1. Virtuall by wittingly acting or living in any known sin especially grosse and scandalous 2ly Formall and expresse by word and deed as Witches Jews and Turks do Both these a man may do yet be a Church-member in Mr. Humphrey his sence till Excommunicated The latter makes him faederally unclean not so the former at least presently Therefore the Children of the former are more capable of Baptism then the Children of the latter yea supposing the former were Excommunicated the latter not much more if the former be not Excommunicated A formall and expresse rejection of Christ and the Covenant contributes far more to Separation from Christ then a virtuall and interpretative rejecting of either By all hath been said it appears that by the two forementioned places compared which Mr. Humphrey would faine set together by the Ears I answer not my self but Mr. Humphrey My other three exceptions because he only Quibbles upon them but answers them not I passe as also his vapour in the close since my work is not to answer words but Arguments Mr. Humphrey For the close hereof I gathered up some Texts as Rev. 22. 17. c. that doth set forth the most free offers of Jesus Christ which though Mr. Drake make but light of c. Ans 1. I make not light of the offers of free grace but say those free offers are no ground for his Free Admission to the Sacrament since those offers are free to Heathen and excommunicate persons as well as to Church-Members who undoubtedly are not to be admitted to the Lords Supper 2 ly Add Church-membership to these free offers since persons jure excommunicate are Church-members and are also under these free offers yet may be kept away as Mr. Humphrey grants page 21. Is it not evident that free grace may be conditionally offered and applyed to Church members though they do not receive the Sacrament but are justly barr'd from it for the present 3 ly Whereas he addes Jesus Christ is proportionably gratious in his exrernall as he is in his internall priviledges c. What followes from thence but that as they who reject internall priviledges shall misse of and be kept from them so they who reject externall priviledges further then those priviledges are necessary in order to their conversion ought to be kept from them Object True if they reject them But we keep many away who desire the Sacrament Ans So Christ keeps internall priviledges from many who in some sense desire them Luke 13. 24. May not an Hypocrite desire truth of grace as a necessary means to free him from Hell c. who yet at the same time rejects and hates holinesse Now the signe and thing signified are Correlates and he that rejects either rejects both interpretatively He then that rejects Grace rejects the Sacrament the signe of Grace and therefore upon Mr. Humphrey his own Principle ought to be kept from it unlesse actuall receiving be a converting Ordinance c. of which afterwards What therefore Mr. Humphrey saies Pag. 59. What sense is there in this Jesus Christ is to be freely shewed forth to bring men home effectually to him and yet must the Receiver make out that right unto the Minister before we dare offer or conditionally apply him to them reaches not our case home We granting that Christ ought to be freely offered and conditionally applyed to all be they Church-members or not But is there no way of offering or conditionally applying Christ to all or to any but by his actuall receiving the Sacrament Mr. Humphrey We must not make the notion of sealing so dreadfull and bring so much blood upon our soules we need not fear to judge the Heathen visible Rebels c. Ans 1. If the notion of Sealing a mans own Damnation must not be made dreadfull I know not what must 2 ly What ever cavill may be made about the notion of Sealing he will not deny but to eat and drink a mans own Damnation is very dreadfull and that every one who receives unworthily doth 1 Cor. 11. 29. 3 ly We should not indeed bring so much blood upon our soules but they who receive unworthily do bring so much blood upon their own soules if the Apostle speak true verse 27. and they who admit such when they may be regularly kept away are accessary to this their blood-guiltinesse 4 ly Are Heathen visible Rebells who never profest subjection to Christ and is not he a visible Rebell who after yea under profest subjection acts open Rebellion doing the same and worse acts of hostility against Christ than Heathen do 2 Kings 21. 11. and 1 Cor. 5. 1. Was not Judas at the time of Christs apprehension for all his profession as visible an enemy of Christ as the Ruffians who came to take him 5 ly Should not all care and diligence be used to discover and make visible those Judasses who after and under profession are worse enemies of Christ than heathen are Matth. 19. verse 14 27. Rev. 3. verse 15 16. Mr. Humphrey Page 60. The word is no sealed word even outwardly but to the Church Ans This is gratis dictum In the Word Preached the Covenant is held forth conditionally to all the World instance Mark 16. 16. and John 3. 16. And if all the World be in the Covenant conditionally then when ever the Covenant is sealed as it is ever in the Sacrament it 's sealed to all the World conditionally and that whether they receive or no yea though they be not so much as present as a Pardon may be sealed conditionally to Traytors though they be absent yea in the height of their Rebellion Is Christs death shewed forth to all at the Sacrament 1 Cor. 11. 26. and is it not offered to all at the Sacrament and sealed there to all conditionally Why may not open Rebells be present at the sealing as well as at the publication of a Pardon Here seemes to lie Mr. Humphrey his great mistake in that he thinks the Covenant is not sealed to me unlesse I actually receive Indeed by receiving I in a speciall manner put to my Seal and God doth more particularly seal to me but whether I receive or no God in the Sacrament seales to the Covenant in which I being comprehended as a party it s no more absurd the Covenant should be sealed to me being absent then it is absurd a Covenant of Indentures should be sealed to a person absent yea to a child unborn who likewise doth seal virtually though not formally As at every Baptisme grace redounds and the Covenant is by it sealed not only to the party Baptized but also to all present yea to all the world conditionally who are not hindred from presence at any Baptising And why
mainly in this reverence then it doth not lie mainly in the acting of Faith Love Hungring and thirsting after Christ Evangelicall repentance c. Which how absurd and contrary not only to the consent of Orthodox Divines but chiefly of the Scripture it self which placeth Evangelicall worthinesse in closing with Christ and unworthinesse in the rejecting of him and withdrawing from him Matth. 5. 3 4,5 22. ver 5. 8. Acts 13. ver 45 46. Such cold loose and jejune interpretations may well make cold and loose Christians but will contribute poorly in order to receiving worthily Mr. Humphrey Pag. 35. What is the meaning of that phrase not discerning the Lords Body Is it the not putting a difference between this Sacred and a common Table When men have no more respect to this Bread and Wine then to their ordinary meates Ans 1. By way of concession this is a grosse breach of the rule indeed and which grosly ignorant persons are very subject to This grosse sin we should endeavour to prevent by Sacramentall tryall and instruction of the Ignorant how ever our care herein find little favour in Mr Humphrey his eies 2ly The very laying open of the sin in the Text imports a contrary duty of discerning the Lord Body if we would receive worthily and this lies not barely in historicall faith discerning the Elements to be holy in use though common in nature and that the Lords Body is distinct from them though united Sacramentally with them but principally in the discretion of saving faith and love words of knowledge in Scripture being put for acts of the will and affections whereby the Heavenly Eagles discerning the body fly to it and feed upon it the discretion of tast being held forth in the Sacrament as well as the discretion of sight and otherwise what is our discerning of the Lords Body more then a Devill may do Intellectuall discretion without cordial discretion is so far from being a main part of receiving worthily that without this latter it doth but aggravate our sin and increase our doom Let my soule never rest nor please it selfe in such discerning Mr. Humphrey The Apostle enquires not into the state of the person whether regenerate or not but lookes to their manner of receiving c. Ans 1. But doth he not put them upon enquiry into their own estates What else is meant by that precept Let a man examine himself c. Let the Apostle interpret himself 2 Cor. 13. 5. Gal. 6. 4. And when is there a fitter time to examine my estate actions growth then before and after a Sabbath or Sacrament Sabbath daies being with them Sacrament daies 2ly If they must look to the manner of receiving must they not then see to it they receive graciously and what was either their receiving or remembring Christs death as to their particular good and comfort if they did not both in a right manner 3ly Can we be so uncharitable as to imagine they came not to the Lords Supper as a memoriall of Christ Could they either name or receive the Lords Supper and at the same time utterly forget the Lord whose Supper it was and look at it only as a common Supper Mr. Humph. If the meaning of either of the phrases were to come without faith or regeneration as some too harshly presse it then the Corinthians that were punish'd for this sin must have been not only chastened but condemned with the world which they were not verse 32. Ans 1. It s probable divers of them did come without faith and regeneration many of every Congregation being in their naturall condition and under impenitency which the Apostle hints of the Corinthians in particular 2 Cor. 12. last and 13. 5. compared yet it followes not they were condemned with the world since they might repent in their sicknesse which the Apostle prescribes verse 31. as the remedy 2ly Even the godly amongst them might haply come profanely though they made it not a common Supper and undoubtedly to these God gave repentance before their death His argument then is very weak to conclude their damnation from their unworthy receiving They indeed who repented not were damned but there is no connexion between any mans sin and his damnation unlesse that sin be accompanyed with finall impenitency 3ly If it be harsh to say that they who come without faith and regeneration receive unworthily when it 's delivered only in thesi how harsh is it to charge a Church in hypothesi with such high profannesse that they received the Lords Supper but as a common Supper and never so much as remembred Christ in it who is both the Author Matter and End of the Sacrament and whose Name in an speciall manner is called upon it Page 36. Mr. Humphrey opens that expression of being guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ and grants that unworthy receivers contract this guilt by offering an indignity to the thing signified but he approves not that harsher language of murthering Christ Ans 1. Whether he that is guilty of blood be not a murtherer 2ly Whether degrees of murther vary the kinde 3ly Whether in murther all be not principals 4ly Why should sleighting of Christ in Apostates be murther Heb. 6. and 10. and not in unworthy receivers If sleighting my Brother be murther shall slighting my Saviour be no murther The least murther is murther as well as the greatest This language therefore by Mr. Humphrey his leave is not harsh unlesse it be harsh to call a Spade a Spade His next head of explication Page 37. is about selfe-examination wherein Mr. Humphrey and we agree very much To his second caution I shal only add thus much That whosoever upon tryall is truly sensible of and grieved for the want of grace humbled under and resolved against sin this man hath truth of grace at present and is the worthyest communicant in Gods account In his third caution he grants that in order to better preparation against the next Sacrament a wicked man may abstain at present but if he resolve to go on in sin then he is bound to come and to apply damnation to himselfe unlesse he repent Ans 1. By way of concession every obstinate sinner is bound to apply damnation to himselfe in statu quo 2ly This he may do in an especiall manner when present at the Sacrament though he receive not 3ly By receiving so maliciously he contracts more guilt then by abstaining it being a Judas sin to betray and murther Christ any where but most of all at his own Table to eat of his bread with a resolution of lifting up our heel against him John 13. 18. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord how much more when he brings it with a wicked heart Prov. 21. 27. 4ly Supposing it were his duty to come and apply Damnation by receiving what if he will not apply Damnation and comes with an intention not to apply Damnation but
the whole Objection Ans 1. If this be good Logick then the Sacrament seals as much to unbelief as to faith since it seals judgement conditionally to unbeleef as well as mercy conditionally to faith 2. It s absurd to say it seals conditionally to faith It seals indeed mercy conditionally to a person that hath not faith and judgement conditionally to a person that hath faith but it seals absolutely mercy to faith and judgement to unbeleef I pray upon what condition doth the Sacrament seal mercy to faith Is not faith here the very act of beleeving And doth the Sacrament seal grace to beleeving upon condition of beleeving True it seals mercy to a person upon condition of beleeving but to say it seals mercy to faith upon condition of faith how absurd and all one as to say it seals to the condition upon condition of the condition would not here be progressus in infinitum 3. After all This answer doth not satisfie the Objection For whether the Sacrament seal conditionally or absolutely to faith still it is a seal of faith and to faith and still it seals to a Blank supposing the person receiving be unregenerate which is the Blank the Objection looks at Mr. H. ib. Here is his constant error for the writing the Sacrament seals to is not the inward Covenant in the heart but the outward in the Gospel Ans 1. By way of concession of the last branch That the Sacrament seals to the outward Covenant and in that respect never seals to a Blank 2. By denial of the first branch That the Sacrament seals not to the inward Covenant or writing For 1. It seals to it by way of obligation binding all Receivers to the inward Covenant as the condition 2. It seals the outward Covenant and writing to the inward the good things promised to faith and grace 3. It seals the inward Covenant or writing by confirming faith of evidence and this by ratifying the signs of grace upon record in the Covenant which signs are the touchstone of faith the Sacrament assures the Scripture trials of Faith are good experience assures those signs are in Peter the conclusion is Peters faith of evidence which depends upon the major sealed by the Sacrament as well as upon the minor confirmed by Peters experience 4. To the beleever it seals the inward Covenant namely the condition not only by way of obligation as a duty but also by way of security as a priviledge assuring him of future actings of faith of growth and of perseverance Hereby it appears the great error is on Mr. H. his part who asserts That the Sacrament seals not to the inward writing or Covenant Mr. D. How can the Minister say This it the blood of Christ for the remission of sins to the unmorthy Mr. H. As Christ said the same to Judas Ans 1. What is this but a begging of the Question Let Mr. H. first prove that Christ said those words to Judas and then make as much of that instance as he can 2 Suppose Judas did receive doth not Christ immediately and particularly note him as a person of whom he meant not those words and who should have no part and interest in his blood or pardon Luke 22. v. 20 21 22. If Mr. H. will press our Saviours example for Judas his receiving why doth he not likewise press the same for the publick and personal nomination and uncasing at the Lords Table of every Judas that is guilty of the body and blood of Christ and who had better never have been born if he repent not unfeinedly of his betraying of Christ such rugged work undertaken by him would soon open his eyes to see the justness equity and expediency of suspension Mr. H. p. 185. Mr. D. confesses God doth not attest our faith Ans Mr. H. abuses me by mangling my words I say page 128. of my Bar God doth not in terminis attest my faith at the Sacrament The Sacrament ratifies only what the Covenant holds forth but the Covenant doth not hold forth Thou Peter or John by name hast true faith and art in the state of grace no more than it holds forth Thou Peter and John by name shall rise at the day of judgement But it were absurd to say the Gospel doth not attest Johns resurrection because it doth not say particularly Thou John shalt rise and it is as absurd to say The Scripture doth not attest Johns faith because it doth not say particularly and nominally Thou John beleevest Dr. D. The Seals may be applied before all not to all Mr. H. ib. He that looks on shall be sure to be damned if he eat not Christ spiritually and to be saved if he receive Christ spiritually whether he partake of the elements or not And what then becomes of all this dreadfulnes that is laid upon our consciences with a bare touch not taste not handle not This actual receiving then serves but to affect us the more solemnly with our condition and be a more serious obligation by the outward to that inward eating whereby alone we look to be saved Ans 1. By concession We are saved only by eating Christ spiritually yet withall we may be damned by eating Christ Sacramentally if we eat him not worthily therefore his condition who eats Christ Sacramentally but not spiritually is worse caeter is paribus than his who wanting faith to eat him spiritually forbears to eat him Sacramentally He that kisses Christ and betrayes him hath more to answer for than he who betrayes him without a kiss The higher profession we make of love to Christ the worse is our sin in murdering him but he who receives makes an higher profession of love to Christ than he who at present forbears as fearing he doth not love Christ and beleeve savingly in him therefore an unbeleeving receives sins more than an unbeleeving abstainer and here lyes the dreadfulness laid upon our consciences though Mr. H. is pleased to put it off lightly 2. Again by concession Actual receiving serves to affect and oblige us more solemnly to the inward eating whence it follows that he who eats outwardly but not inwardly sins more caeter is paribus than he who eats neither inwardly nor outwardly because the former sins against a greater obligation as M. H. well notes which therefore makes for us and against himself M. H. ib. p. 186. M. D. is notable The Sacrament he counts not a seal properly but figuratively to the Covenant it self I pray mark it So in the former leaf he concludes it tropically a seal now read but a few lines further in the very same page and he tells us As it confirms the Covenant it confirms faith and if this be not to seal in a proper formal sense Theologically I know not what is Is not this pretty The Sacrament is not a proper formal seal but figurative and metaphorical and yet if it does not seal in a proper formal sense he knows not what does