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
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
that which is the whole comfort of a Christian The assurance of his salvation Thus it is indeed with those that have no feeling nor confidence as those who are in hell think there is no heaven and they who teach such uncomfortable doctrine can receive no comfort farther than the Priest giveth it them It s true there is no true assurance but in the true Church but there it may be found And as I began with sowing in tears so I would end with reaping in joy that is the next thing in the Text for which I passe over the other part of it I begin with humiliation but end with joy and not onely that joy which we shall have in the Kingdome of heaven but on earth while we have these things but in hope and expectation A man that would reckon up his estate doth not only value what he hath for the present but he reckons his reversions also what he shall have after such a time what will come to him or his heirs Gods children they have a brave reversion glory and honour and a Kingdome It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdome we are all the children of God but it doth not appear what we shall be when he appears we shall be like him and appear as he is He shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body we are here sonnes but yet but in a strange Country no body knoweth what he is and therefore he meets with many affronts The King when he was in France went for an attendant on the Duke and is he troubled at it No he knew that the world knew it not they knew not what he was and therefore he is not troubled at it So is it with the children of God but when they shall appear they shall be advanced and their enemies ashamed By the way let not the people of God be discouraged by the taunts jeers and reproaches of wicked men they know not what you are and therefore make light of you as they did of Christ himself Well besides what we have in reversion the very hope we have of it works wonderful joy in the heart of a Christian David did not live to see the glory of Solomons Temple but he made provision for it and cast the model of it and he took much delight in the contemplation of what it would be The consideration of these hopes makes my flesh rest in hope and my heart rejoyce Psal. 16. The consideration of the resurrection made Davids heart rejoyce The consideration of that which is to come should bring abundance of joy unto a Christian these are strange things not like the joy of a natural man for his heart is sad in the midst of laughter but these rejoyce with a joy unspeakable and full of glory Here are some sparks some beginnings of the glory of heaven and of that great joy which we shall have hereafter but I cannot speak of these things in an houre But forasmuch as the Divel transforms himself into an Angel of light there is no work of Gods Spirit in the hearts of his children but Satan like an Ape labours to imitate in the hearts of wicked men to make them secure we must know that there are joys in some who are not regenerate They that received the Word on the Rock received it with joy the Word if it be apprehended and hath but the least footing brings joy with it But now to know how I may get this joy how comfortable a thing is it to have such a comfort on earth as to know that I have this true joy and to be able to distinguish this joy from the joy from the flashes those fleeting joys of the wicked which are but as the crackling of thornes under a pot for theirs is but as a blaze that suddenly goeth out Now if thou wouldst know thy joy aright and whether it differ from that counterfeit joy which flesh and blood and the Divel suggests Look to the things that go before and produce this joy 1. The first thing that goeth before true joy and produceth it is an opening unto Christ when he knocks at the door of thy heart As in that famous place in Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me There is if thou open a sweet and familiar communication between Christ and thee he communicates himself at dinner and supper A man comes not melancholy to meals Christ will come and make merry with thee he will sup with thee familiarly But how is it with thee Hath Christ knocked and thou hast given him a slievelesse answer and hast thou joy it is a false joy But when Christ knocks at the door of thy heart there must be an opening the door on thy part when he knocks by his Word and Spirit And dost thou give such an answer as the Spouse in the Canticles Cant. 5. I am come into my Garden my Sister my Spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice I have eaten my honey-combe with my honey Now Christ coming to Supper knocks at the door and would bring in a great deal of joy I sleep saith the Spouse but my heart waketh it is the voice of my well-beloved that knocketh saying Open to me my Sister my Love my Dove my Undefiled when God comes and wooes us and desires to communicate himself unto us and desires us to put off our cloaths dost thou look for comfort if thou openest not At last I opened to my Beloved ver 6. But he had with-drawn himself and was gone my soul failed when he spake I sought him but I could not finde him I called him but he gave me no answer When thou givest not Christ entertainment when he comes thou mayst seek and not meet with him It is observed that the Keepers of the Wall are the greatest strikers Those whom God hath set to be Watchmen instead of comforting they smite ver 7. The Watchmen that went about the City they found me they smote me they wounded me they took away my vaile from me she gets raps from them who should protect her because she did not entertain Christ if thou findest any comfort after Christ hath knock't and thou hast opened unto him then it is true joy and thou mayst make much of it 2. If it be true joy there goeth faith before it for being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ So that the exercising of the acts of faith is a spiritual means to raise comforts in our souls John 6. I had need to speak of this for there is want of the exercises of faith is it enough think you to have faith once exercised He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him It is not enough to eat once a year A man
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
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
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
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
hath the promise And therefore the Scripture compares it to conjunction with Christ. And as in the Sacrament we spiritually eat his flesh and drink his blood the conjunction is between Christ and his Church And therefore the Scripture compares our conjunction by faith to the mystery of wedlock What makes a marriage its consent Wilt thou have this man to be thy husband she answers I will that expression makes the marriage The knot is knit by this mutual pledging of troth all other things are but subsequents of it So God saith Wilt thou have my Sonne Thou shalt have with him all his wealth though for a time thou must go bare and fare hard yet thou shalt have a Kingdome When a man considers deliberately here is the losse I must deny my self and obey him but I shall have a Kingdome Gods blessing and peace of conscience All things considered casting the best with the worst then the resolution is this is a true saying worthy of all acceptation c. I 'le take him on any termes be they never so hard for I shall be a saver in the end when we can take Christ as it were with all his faults this is the will which God requires There is another comparison in Scripture John 6.35 it s compared to hunger and thirst Believing was exprest by coming Believing is exprest by hungring and thirsting So when I see such a will and desire after Christ that I hunger and thirst after him that a hungry man longeth not more for bread nor the Hart thirsteth more for the water-brooks than my soul doth for Christ why then there is a promise made unto us and a promise is never made unto us till we be in Christ. Matth. 5. Rev. 22. Esay 55. We finde promises in them all in Mat. 5.6 Blâ—ssed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for theirs is the Kingdome of heaven they shall be filled Consider here what the nature of hunger and thirst is they shall be filled which implies they were empty before but now they shall be filled Suppose now I am not fill'd with Christ What am I without him No I want him yet there 's a blessing to the hungry and thirsty and there 's no blessing without faith If we be not heires of the faith we cannot be heires of the blessing Dost thou finde in thy self an hungring and thirsting after Christ Thou art blessed this faith will save thee Now faith will say I am wonderfully pained faint and even starved that I cannot be filled with Christ yet be content man thou shalt be filled with him in the mean while thou hast him and hast blessednesse and shalt be blessed It 's said 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe in the Name of the Sonne of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the Name of the Sonne of God Mark how the Apostle distinguishes these two things thou believest on the Name of Christ yet sayst thou though I believe I am not sure of my salvation I do not know it Why let not that much trouble thee that 's a consequent of it and that assurance will follow after therefore you should not confound it with believing These things have I written unto you that ye might know c. then there is a conclusion to be deduced from the premisses so that a man may have full hold of Christ and yet not be fully assured of his salvation So then here is the will which is the first thing But the Lord works the deed also And whereas it is said that God takes the will for the deed the place had need be well understood when we say God takes the will for the deed it is not alwayes true unlesse it be thus understood When a man hath done to the utmost of his power what he is able hath endeavoured by all means then God will take the will for the deed but if there be ability in me and I do not as much as I am able I do not my utmost endeavour then God will not take it but now God works the will and the deed when a man comes to the Throne of grace and sets forward in his journey towards God the first thing he doth is to come to the Throne of grace with Christ in his armes and then having fast hold on Christ he hastens and delayes not having hold as Joab on the horns of the Altar He hastens he sees its no time to delay he sees its now a time of need and Need as the old proverb is makes the old wife trot Is it not need to make haste when the pursuer of blood follows to the City of Refuge who would make delays and demurs and not run as fast as his legs would carry him Asson as I apprehend my need and see the golden Scepter stretched out then I come with might and main with Christ in my armes and present him to the Father and this is the approaching and drawing near in the Text to the Throne of grace But now when I am come thither what do I say there What shall I come and say nothing The prodigal soon resolved to go to his Father and say I will up and go there 's the will and say there 's his speech The believer is not like to the sonne that said to his father I will go but went not but when his father bids him come he will come he will not onely say so but will draw near and then he hath a promise He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast off But when we come thither what must we do why we must take unto our selves words according to the Prophets expression Hos. 14.2 Take unto you words and go unto the Lord and say Take away all our iniquities and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips When he comes to the Throne of grace the thing that he doth is he presents unto the Father Christ bleeding gasping dying buried and conquering death and when he presents Christ to him he opens his case and confesses his sin to the full and sayes Lord this is my case As a beggar when he comes to ask an almes of you he will make a preface and tell you his extremity Sir I am in great want I have not tasted a bit of bread in so many dayes and unless you help me by your charity I am utterly undone Now when these two concur that there is true need in the beggar and liberality in him of whom he begs it encourages the beggar to be importunate and he prevails you may know when the beggar hath need by his tone accent or language The needy beggars tone and accent is different from the sturdy beggars that hath no need but yet though the beggar be in great misery if he see a churlish Nabal go by him he hath no heart to beg and follows him
this end he is content to part with his money the same minde had those in the Acts of the Apostles who in a storm cast their wares into the Sea with their own hands Acts 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 willingly and yet half unwilling for the saving of their lives they would part with these things yet it was with a great deal of repining and reluctancy As we read of Phaltiel when his wife was taken from him he followed behinde weeping till they bid him be gone and return back So these men forsake their sinnes and hate them but it is but imperfectly they part with them but they part weeping Well at this parting there may be a great deal of joy it may taste not only the sweetnesse of the Word of God but because they are in a disposition and way to salvation they may have some kinde of feeling of the joyes and taste of the powers of the world to come as the Apostle speaks Hâ—b 6.4 It 's impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakâ—rs of the Holy Ghost c. There 's a supernatural work wrought in them and they have tasted the good Word of the Lord they begin to have some hope and rejoyce in the glory of the world to come what 's the difference then here 's a tasting but as it is John 6. it 's not said he that eats my flesh and tastes my blood but he that eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall live for ever There is a difference betwixt tasting and drinking there may be a tasting without drinking and the Text saith Matth. 27.34 When they gave Christ vineger he tasted thereof but would not drink He that can take a full draught of Christ crucified he shall never thirst but shall be as a springing fountain that springeth up to everlasting life but it shall not be so with him that doth but taste The Vintner goes round the Celler and tastes every Vessel he takes it only into his mouth and spits it out again and yet knows by the tasting whether it be good or bad the wine goeth but to his palate it reaches not to the stomack So a temporary believer tastes and feels what an excellent thing it is to have communion with Christ and to be made partaker of his glory but he does but taste it Look in Hosea 5.15 where we have another instance of this temporary Believer Ye would think they sought God in a good sort and in as good a manner as one could desire well but how did they seek him it was only upon occasion in time of affliction I will go and return to my place untill they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early and again Hosea 6.4 the Lord complains of them notwithstanding They will in their affliction seek me early was not this a fair returning Come say they let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us c. What a deal of comfort did they seem to gather from the wayes of the Lord but see what follows Hosea 6.4 O Ephraim saith the Lord what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for your goodnesse is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away that is it is but a temporary thing wrought by affliction which will not abide As when a wicked man on his death-bed desires that God would spare him and restore him to his health and that he would become a new man all this comes but from the terrours of death for it oft proves that if God restores him he becomes as bad if not worse than ever he was before But that I may not hold you too long 2. Take this for another difference That Gods children can as earnestly desire grace as mercy The temporary desire mercy but never desire grace The believer desires grace to have his nature healed to hate his former conversation The temporary never had nor never will have this desire should one come to the temporary believer and tell him God will be merciful unto him you may go on and take your fit of sinne you shall be sure of mercy he would like this well and think it the welcomest news as could be because he only fears damnation self-love makes him only desire freedome from that but now the childe of God hates sinne though there were no Hell Judge nor Tormentor he begs as hard of God for grace as for mercy and would do so were there no punishment His nature being chang'd he desireth grace as well as mercy which the temporary never does 3. The last mark is from the words of the Apostle Neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Love and the new creature puts Gods children on work their hearts are first altered and changed by being made new creatures As the Scripture saith his flesh is circumcised he is a dead man deadnesse argueth impotency of doing those things which a living man doth he cannot walk c. The temporary will not sinne for fear of after-claps but this man cannot sinne his heart is changed he is dead to sinne we see how both abstain from sinne but the perusal and disposition is not alike The temporary sinner perchance commits not the sinne but he could finde in his heart to do it he saith not with Joseph How can I do this great wickedness and sinne against my God the other saith I could do this evil well enough but I will not Thou canst not bear those that are evil as in the Revel Now he that is born of God cannot sin there is that seed that spring in him that for his life he cannot sin but it turns his heart from it for his life he cannot tell how to swear lye c. or joyn with others in wickednesse but this must be understood of the constant course of their lives I speak not what they may do in afflictions when they are surprized but in the course of their lives they commit sinne as if they knew not how to do it the other doth it skilfully these coblingly and bunglingly they do it ill-favouredly thus it is with a wicked man in doing a good work he cobles it up Thy faith then must be a faith that worketh by love can'st thou do those good works thou doest out of love then my soul for thine thou art saved Get me any temporary that loves God and I shall say something to you Hast thou then a faith that causeth thee to love God a working faith and a faith that will not suffer thee to do any thing displeasing to him if thou hast such a faith thou art justified before God 2. And so I come now to the point of justification the greatest of all blessings Blessed is he saith David whose transgression is forgiven and whose sinne is covered blessed is