that was ever vouchsaf'd to the Sons of Men was the coming of our Saviour to restore us the hopeful possibilities of Salvation to establish a new Covenant between God and us and to seal it by his Blood As in our Baptisin we were received into this Covenant of Grace and Mercy so have we since stained and polluted these white Robes by unholyness and disobedience and broken our part of the Covenant But now that we should refuse when we are called and invited to come and renew it in the Holy Sacrament that we should refuse to come with the rest oâ— our Brethren and commemorate the dying Love of this our Lord is equally strange and deplorable I shall therefore upon this consideration and because the great Festival set apart in memory of our Saviour's Resurrection from the Grave is at hand offeâ— you some Meditations touching that Holy and Comfortable that Divine anâ— Heavenly action that so we may coâ—â— to our Lord who has already invited uâ— willingly and chearfully faithfully and charitably humbly and penitently with Loâ—â— and Devotion and be found by him 〈◊〉 have that Wedding-Garment on whâ—â— may be accepted by him now and in 〈◊〉 day of Judgment Though there are some and thâ—◠†Dr. Hammond and Gomar Camero Synop. great Men that suppâ—â— the words of the Text 〈◊〉 not directly and propeâ—â—â— spoken of the Holy Saâ—â—â—ment because it was not then institutâ—â—â— yet because * Pro Carne Corpus habet Syrus quae vox in Euchar institutione legitur ad quam hic tanta quaedam allusio est Grot. in v. 53. others doubt not but there is a respect had to it being shortly after to be instituted and there are †Luc. Brugensis Mal. citant Synop. some that say expresly that it is to be understood and meant of the Sacramental eating and a * Dr. Sherlock of Religious Assemblies great and excellent persons sayes he does not in the least doubt of it I shall not therefore question to understand and take the words in the same sence also From which I might offer this Doctrine That worthily and with a due preparation to eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of our Saviour shall by placing him in our heart and us in his unite us more closely to him and is an happy earnest of Eternal Salvation For the Proof and Confirmation of which I might instance in St. Jo. 6.54.57.58 1 Cor. 10.16.17 and many other places of Holy Scripture But to make the Text more useful to our present designs I shall from it speak to 4 things First I shall briefly shew you that this is a necessary holy and Christian Duty to be frequently performed by us and the neglect of it infinitely dangerous Secondly I shall consider to what end it was instituted or appointed by our Blessed Saviour Thirdly Shew how we are to come prepared to partake of these holy Mysteries Fourthly and Lastly insist upon 4 or 5 Considerations after Receiving First that this is a necessary holy and Christian Duty to be frequently performed and the neglect dangerous For whatever we have an express Command of our Saviour unquestionably it requires our obedience and is ouâ— indispensable duty to be obeyed by unâ—â— readily and willingly with Sincerity and Constancy And this was one of the lasâ— injunctions which our dear Redeemer a little before his Death was pleas'd to leave with us Lu. 22.19 This do iâ— remembrance of me And that we might have the more full assurance of the truth of it the blessed Apostle when he speakâ—â— of this institution and command of ouâ— Saviour sayes I have received of thâ— Lord that which I also delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread c. 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25 26. I have sayes he received of the Lord as if he had said though I were not my self present when our Lord ordained and appointed this Memorial of his death and suffering by which we that name his Name are to shew forth his death till he come yet I do assure you Grot. that I received it that is either by the other Apostles who were both Ear and Eye-witnesses or by immediate Revelation from Heaven from our Saviour that the very same Night in which he was betrayed soon after to be buffeted reviled scourged spit on crucified for our Salvation that he instituted this holy Feast to be continued to the end of the World But then as this is a necessary and unquestionable Duty so is it to be performed not only once in the whole Course of our Lives once in this our present State and no more or once at the hour of Death as some of us are too apt to suppose and as willing to shew by their practice but a holy and heavenly Duty to be performed more frequently And for a Confirmation of this let us see First what the holy Scriptures say to the frequency of this action Secondly what was the Practice and the Custome of the first Worthies of the Christian Church shortly after our Saviour's time Thirdly Lay down some Reasons for our frequent attendance on those holy Mysteries And if from all these we find cause for our often Communicating at the Lord's Table if from Scripture from the practice of the first and purest ages of the Church of Christ and from Reason too then I hope that each soul present will lay this home to his own heart and take it into his most serious consideration and then ever for the time to come endeavour to make up his former too great neglects by his future frequency in this holy Duty First let us see what those Scripture are that either countenance or imply the frequent performance of this holy action for this let us consider Act. 2.42 They continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine in breaking of bread and prayers We read Act. 2.7 that on the first day of the Week they usually came together to break Bread So also 't is said 1 Cor. 11.25 Do this as often as ye shall drink it is remembrance of me The word stedfastly as is observed by a * Dâ—â— P. Christian Sacrifice Pious and Learned Person denotes the frequency of the action and the words as often may imply it also Oh here then before we pass any further let us six our thoughts and consider if those who first named the Name of Christ continued in it so stedfastly if at least on the first day of the week out of their flaming Love and Affection to their dear Lord and Master they remembred his Death with praise and thanksgivings how ill Copiers out of so holy and blessed an Example are some of us They were it seems so ready to commemorate their dying Lord so full of Zeal so willing and forward to go forth to meet him at his Table that they scarce ever put off their Wedding Garment but their whole lives were a constant and
universal Love and Charity to our Brethren To come with a readiness and willingness to be reconciled to them who have injured us and if we have done the wrong to be ready and actually to endeavour to reconcile them to us according to that of St. Matth. chap. 5. v. 23.24 If thou bringest thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift But to insist on this the more briefly clearly and distinctly we are to consider that the Charity we are to bring with us consists first in Forgiving second in Giving Now as to the first of these the two great and usual Miscarriages in our practice are first our Loathness and backwardness to forgive Secondly our great unwillingness when we have done a known injury to go and seek a reconciliation and to desire to be at peace with him that we have injur'd We are loath in the first place to forgive It may be we have listened to a Tale-bearer and we have been told an idle story and such a one has spoken ill of us or railed on us Instantly we swell and are all in a flame and can think of nothing but revenge and malice and a perpetual hatred and it may be nothing but his blood will satisfie our revengeful humour and bitterly say presently We will be even with him again But is this the patience and meekness and self-denial of the Gospel Is this the forbearing forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any one as Christ forgave us Col. 3.13 Is this to love Enemies and to bless them that curse us Matth. 5.34 Is this our best imitation of the Example of our great Master Jesus But let us not always so learn Christ but endeavour to bring the Soul to that mortified calm and peaceful temper as to be ready to forgive injuries and to bear them meekly sweetly and temperately and when the Tale-bearer shall come to thee and tell thee that such a one has reproacht thee Consider possibly it may not be true Si probra nobis benè oleant verbera Impacta malis naribusque rideant ut vix modesto diffluentes gaudio Reddamus alto gratias altas Deo Ac Improbanti lene pacis osculum Haec solida tandem est hilaritas frater Leo Inambulantum Regia in Crucis via Angel Gaz. and then thou art angry with him without a cause Consider again it may be it was in a very great Passion and by this time he may be sorry for it However labour to bring the Soul to that Christian pitch and disposition as to be able to say Has he spoken this of me God forgive him for it or to say to the bearer Remember me to him and tell him I heartily forgive him and shall be ready to do him any office of Christian Love whatever he sayes of me This would discourage the Tale-Bearer and heap Coals of fire on the head of the injurious Person Rom. 12.20 Coals of fire not to burn or inflame him but to melt him into Love or into sorrow for the injury This would be an excellent imitation of that great Lord of ours who prayed for his persecutors and laid down his life for his Enemies At least Consider this who would lose the benefits and advantages the joy and the Comfort and Satisfaction of being a Holy Communicant only for the small and unchristian pleasure of a revengeful Word a revengeful look or a revengeful action Or consider how much easier is it to forgive an injurious spiteful word or action than to lye under the wrath of God to eternal Ages Alway too let us take this for an Eternal Rule that if we Copy out the Example of Christ in forgiving whatever the reproach be God will force Light out of Darkness bring Glory out of that which was intended for our Shame and clear up our Innocence if in an humble holy and patient Life we be content to trust him with it Secondly The second miscarriage in this part of Charity is our great unwillingness when we have done a known injury to go to the person and seek and desire a reconciliation with him This I confess is a thing so much a stranger to the World that few look on it as a Duty But when our dear Redeemer has commanded it why cannot we deny our selves so far as to be content I say for a known injury to go to him and offer to be reconciled Oh no! the World will call us fools and whatever becomes of it our proud necks will never submit to this part of the Christian yoke But consider we renounced the World in our Baptism and shall we then suffer it to rob us of our Innocence and Duty Let the World account it so Remember our Lord sees not as the World sees nor judges as the World judges Again if we be ill spoken of for a Christian Duty that is St. Matth. 5.11.12 for Righteousness sake great then is our reward in Heaven And let us be content to stay for it till we shall receive it there Again let us not listen to the voice of an irreligious World in matters of Religion but above all let us consider our Lord has gone in the high way of the Cross before us he endured it and despised the shame O let us more readily do so too in this case Looking unto Jesus Hebr. 12.1.2 Let us remember too That Christ is come to mortifie our carnal tempers and to teach us self-denyal and to bear the Cross and what an excellent instance would this readyness to go and desire and offer to be reconciled to those whom we have knowingly injured be of our desires to imitate our Saviour and if we were revil'd and laught at to say with the Martyr of old Nunc incipio esse Christianus Now I begin to be a Christian and to be likened to my Saviour To conclude this point how much easier is it to desire to be reconciled to acknowledge our fault and ask a forgiveness when we know we have injured than to bear the terrors of Eternity and 't is a deplorable consideration to think that we can deny our selves nothing bear nothing do nothing though a little against the grain against flesh and blood for the sake of Immortality for the pleasures of the holy Sacrament and the Love of Jesus Secondly The second part of Charity consists in Giving Alms and Oblations have in all ages of the Church accompanied the feast of Charity and with great reason is it that in this Solemn act of Christian worship we should humbly offer some part of our possessions to God as a token of this that we thankfully own we hold all we have from him and therefore desire to pay back something again to him that is to those whom he has made his Receivers and the
whomsoever and wherein soever I have forgiven any freely and fully and truely be thou pleased O my dear Redeemer that all my former and all my future petitions may be heard and granted according to that instance And whensoever I have already or ever shall request to be forgiven as I forgive O merciful Lord forgive me as I then forgive And grant that for the future I may so Copy out the blessed pattern which thou hast left me that no Enemies Persecuters Slanderers Revilers or Injurious Persons may ever be able to conquer my love towards them Christ Sacrif But that I may still bear a kind and tender heart to the most outraged and provoking Spirits blessing those that curse me praying for those who despightfully use me returning Courtesies for affronts and injuries bewailing their Sins pittying their miseries and endeavouring to overcome evil with good Endow me with such a wise considering and sober Spirit that I may ever prefer the example of thee my Lord and Master before all the Customs and fashions of this World Enduring the mockeries the shame and contempt which may be cast upon me for the following his forgiveness and patience And do thou O God to whom vengeance belongeth pardon also and forgive those by whom I suffer wrongfully Spare them good Lord spare them and deny them not the Grace of Repentance that we may live together in eternal Love and Friendship with thee O blessed and holy Jesus Amen Our Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth As it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom And the Power And the Glory For ever and ever Amen The Bookseller to the Reader THE absence of the Author and his inconvenient distance from London hath occasioned these Errata's to escape the Press The Printer thinks it the best instance of pardon if his Escapes be not laid upon the Author and he hopes they are no greater than an ordinary understanding may amend and a little charity may forgive R. 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