of the world after our lusts and corruptions but when once we are truly partakers of Christ crucified then we are crucified to the World and the World to vs and then we scorne the things of the World the great riches and high promotion and the beautifullest things we account them as Dung of the Earth Againe when we consider Christ crucified there we behold how patient we should be in affliction euen to the death there is the picture of our whole life which must be a continuall course of mortification and there is the seasoning of our death looking thoroughly vpon Christ crucified it is that which seasons our death that whensoeuer death commeth and seaseth vpon vs it shall be a sweet passage to a better life Againe when we see Christ crucified we see all euils turned to good they are seasoned to vs in the sufferings of the Lord Iesus and if we haue any comforts we enioy them so farre forth as they are seasoned vnto vs in the Blood of Christ Lastly when we consider Christ crucified there we find all good things purchased for vs Grace and Mercie and Peace and eternall Saluation There is a World yea a Heauen of Treasure and riches gathered for vs and that we are made partakers of by a due view and Faith in the meditation of Christ crucified and therefore whosoeuer would haue any true rellish of Christ he must labour for the rellish of the Blood of Christ Vse 2 The second Vse teacheth vs the difficultie of the worke of our Redemption it was a maruelous difficult and a hard thing which could not be effected but by the Blood of the Sonne of God Oh how deepely had we plunged our selues into a bottomlesse Sea of miserie that nothing could plucke vs out but the Death and Blood of Iesus Christ How fast did the filth of sinne sease vpon vs both in our Bodyes and in our Soules that nothing could wash and cleanse vs from it but the Blood of Christ How desperately were we entangled in the Snares of the Diuell that nothing could loose vs but the Death and Blood of Christ How fearefully had we enthrall'd our selues to Death Hell and Destruction that nothing could deliuer and free vs but the Blood of Christ How infinitely had we exposed our selues to the wrath and vengeance of God that he being a God of compassion and of himselfe most gracious and ready to forgiue sinnes yet he could not be moued to haue pittie and companion vpon vs but onely by the cruell and cursed death of the Lord Iesus The more difficult the worke on his part the greater was his loue to vs and therefore the more thankfulnesse we are to render vnto him Vse 3 The third Vse It teacheth vs the certaintie of the worke of our Redemption and the certaintie of the state of the Children of God It is confirmed by Blood and therefore it shall stand sure and firme for euer If so be that our sinnes can be more powerfull to destroy vs then the Blood of Christ to saue vs then is our Redemption vncertaine If so be that Death and the Diuell which haue beene already ouercome and trampled vnder Foot by Christ if these Principallities and Powers can recouer themselues and get vp in Armes againe and make Warre against Christ and bring him downe from Heauen againe and crucifie him the second time then is our Saluation and Redemption vncertaine But if that be impossible then it is impossible that those that haue part in this Couenant should faile of Saluation and Redemption Vse 4 The fourth Vse It teacheth vs the preciousnesse of the worke of our Redemption you see it hath cost the verie Blood of the Sonne of God himselfe How preciously and highly did the Lord value our Soules who was pleased himselfe that knew the worth of euerie thing to set our Soules at such a high rate as the Blood of Christ How deerely did he esteeme and loue vs when he would come and purchase these poore Soules of ours and pay so high a price for them And how preciously ought we to carrie and behaue our selues and possesse these Vessels of ours in holinesse and honour and giue vp our Soules a liuing Sacrifice to our Lord Iesus 1 Cor. 6.20 You are bought with a price saith the Apostle therefore glorifie God in your Bodyes and in your Soules for they are Gods God hath esteemed so highly of you as to set you at the rate of his own Sonne And Christ hath esteemed so highly of you to buy you so deerely and therefore doe not commit sinne filthinesse and vncleanenesse but giue your selues to holinesse and pietie that God may be glorified and honored by you Vse 5 The fifth Vse It teacheth vs the sufficiencie and perfection of the worke of our Redemption All that euer was and could be done was done of Christ What could he haue done but to be holy all his life and to be subiect to the Death euen to the Death of the Crosse Who can add any thing more perfect to this worke of our Redemption What can any Man adde vnto this worke of our Redemption No no it colt more then so to redeeme our Soules What can we doe any thing of our felues if we doe either it must be some holy doings or some holy sufferings What are our doings to Christ his doing Surely nothing and therefore nothing that we can doe can add any thing Then for our suffering what is the shedding of the Blood of Men to the shedding of the Blood of Christ Infinitely incomparable is the one to the other Therefore seeing our Redemption is accomplished by his Blood it is not the Blood of Man that can add any thing thereunto And therefore you see Christ hath done all in all and so let him be acknowledged our perfect Redeemer Vse 6 The sixth and last Vse It teacheth vs what an vnrecouerable losse they doe sustaine that doe prophane this worke of Redemption that haue had some shew of interest in it yet gaue it ouer and prophaned the Blood of the New Testament and counted it an vnholy thing and fell away from God and that holy profession that they tooke vpon them Alas what shall become of them that fall from God If their sinnes be not forgiuen them then they must needs goe to Hell and be damned Whither shall they fly to haue their sinnes forgiuen And where shall they plead for mercie They must plead it in Christ and in none else In Christ they cannot plead it for they cannot plead the pardon of sinne but in the Blood of Christ Christ dyed but once he suffered and was crucified but once and cannot dye againe and therefore as many of vs as haue taken the professsion of Christ vpon vs looke that we doe not let goe this holy and heauenly profession but let vs labour to sticke fast to Christ to his Death and Blood and then thou mayst be sure that the worke of thy Redemption
his owne Sonne having taken our sinnes upon him when we consider this right then wee begin to fall out with sinne and to hate it and to defie this cursed brat of the Devill that hath brought the Sonne of God to such a cursed and shamefull death so in our mortification we can never attaine to any true measure of it till we have toyled our selves in the due meditation of Christs death when we see and consider that Christ himselfe hath suffered such things afflictions temptations infirmities death it selfe then we begin to dispence with our owne mindes and are contented to suffer together with him and to mortifie our flesh and to crucifie the old man and with patience to undergoe and endure all the fiery tryalls It is the Apostles rule 1 Pet. 4.1 2. so in the matter of temptation the best helpe and strength wee have is Christ crucified Rev. 12.11 they overcame Satan in the blood of the Lambe When the Tempter comes our faith presently takes hold upon the blood of the Lambe upon the death of Christ we know that by that Satan was overcome and so by that we have comfort against temptation we consider we have crucified Christ by our sins already and therefore we will not harken to him to crucifie him the second time we consider that all the promises of God are sealed up unto us in the blood of Christ and thereby wee stand fast striving and suffering and waiting upon God in faith and patience and so we overcome the enemie in the blood of the Lambe so in our expectance of any good thing to come from God first wee are perswaded that Christ died for us that God spared not his owne Sonne but gave him to death for us and thence we doe comfortably conclude how shall he not with him give us all things also Rom. 8.32 In the matter of our perseverance we still are fearfull and faine we would be comforted how we should persevere Meditate soundly upon the death of Christ and there thou shalt have sound comfort for thy perseverance Rom. 5.9 10. If God reconcile us to himselfe by the death of Christ when we were his enemies much more now being reconciled by his blood we shall bee saved by his life the Lord that hath shewed us so great mercy as to bring us out of the state of sin and damnation when wee were his enemies will surely so uphold us being reconciled unto him that wee shall never finally fall into that cursed state againe Lastly for the matter of our repentance we can never truly repent till we meditate soundly upon the death of Christ Zach. 12.10 They looke upon him whom they have pierced and then they lament and be sory as for their first borne when they see him pierced and consider that they have pierced him then they shall lament In that Sermon of Peter Acts 2. whereby so many were converted unto God though many powerfull and profitable instructions were delivered yet they were never thereby stung till hee tells them in verse 36. This is Iesus whom you have crucified this went as a dagger to their hearts for presently they were pricked in their hearts and cryed out Men and brethren what shall we doe verse 37. here beginnes repentance when they see they have crucified the Lord of life and so it is with us when once the Holy Ghost takes us along into the meditation of Christs death and presseth it soundly upon our hearts that we be they that have crucified the Lord of life then we are astonied and at our wits end and then we repent and forethinke our selves of the evill we have done we can never understand what a broken heart is till we find our owne hearts broken with the meditation of the death of Christ when we consider advisedly with our selves concerning Christs sufferings what an agony he endured in the garden where he sweat water as it were drops of blood and was faine to be comforted by the Angels and when we thinke with our selves that we heare him complaine as though we were present with him My soule is heavie unto the death when wee consider him how his hands and feet and sides were wounded and nailed and pierced upon the Crosse and how tender his pretious body was one goring to him in his sinlesse body being more to him than many thousands to our bodies that are hardned with sinne and when we consider what a fearfull complaint came from him in the anguish of his soule My God my God why hast thou forsaken me how can we chuse if wee have any tendernesse of bowells in us in the world but melt and bee broken in our hearts and spend our spirits in the compassionate meditation of such a wofull spectacle but then if we consider further that all this was endured for us Innocent Lambe hee had done nothing amisse but it was all for us and for our sinnes This should make us more broken hearted at the thought of these things yea if wee had but good nature in us for who is there among us who being condemned to dye if any other should take our death upon him but wee would bee wonderfully moved in the thought of his death how much more then ought we to be compassionately moved at the thought of that cruell and shamefull death which the Sonne of God endured for us I say if we had but good nature in us But consider lastly how that he hath not only endured these things for us but that wee in a despitefull manner have brought all these things upon him and see if we have not just cause to breake our hearts asunder with griefe at the thought of Christs death the Iewes hands were the outward instruments our sinnes the actors they cryed out on earth to Pilate Crucifie him crucifie him but our sinnes cryed our in heaven to God much lowder Crucifie him crucifie him and that was the voice that prevailed and brought him to that shamefull death when the sinfull soule considers this with it selfe I have crucified the Lord of glory I have killed the Lord of life then the heart melts and relents and is gored and pierced with these thoughts as sensibly as our Saviours body was with the nailes and speare and the blood did not more freely gush out of his sides and body than bleeding teares doe gush out of a broken heart and wounded spirit of a poore wretched sinner thus affected with the meditation of the death of CHRIST Lastly this teacheth us what manner of remembrance of Christs death it is wee must labour for it must bee both religious and affectionate the Iewes remember Christs death but not religiously they doe it in scorne and hatred of him Hypocrites remember Christs death and that as a matter of religion as they professe but it is without affection and without truth but thou that desirest to remember Christ rightly and savingly thou must labour and see that thou remember him religiously and affectionately
remember it with thankfulnesse to God with compassion to Christs sufferings with hatred to thine owne sinne with faith in Christs pretious blood and with a true desire and endeavor to be like to him in his death by thy mortification how wondrously doe men erre touching this duty they will say we remember that Christ dyed for us all so pass it over as a sleight thing some will goe further and meditate upon it once a yeare or upon Good Friday somewhat more than ordinary alas this comes farre short of the right remembrance of Christs death whosoever thou art that lookest to be saved by the death of Christ see thou make it thy daily and continuall meditation and labour to grow acquainted with it every day better than other and take this for the conclusion of all so much as thou dost meditate religiously and affectionately on Christs death so much interest thou hast in Christ and in his salvation The end of the twelfth Lecture THE THIRTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER IN 1 Cor. 11.26 it followeth For as oft as you shall eate this bread and drinke this cup you shew the Lords death till he come This being the portion of Scripture which through Gods direction we have already entred into for our preparation to the Lords Table and the next Sabbath God will 〈◊〉 we purpose to communicate in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper therefore according to our wonted manner wee are now to consider of some meditations whereby wee may be the better sitted to the holy participation of that saving ordinance of Iesus Christ We have entred as you may remember into these words already and have shewed the drift of them and the dependance of them with that which went before we shewed you the parts of them that this verse consisteth of two parts as first an action performed in the former part of the verse As oft as you shall eate this bread and drinke this cup Secondly a caution or condition that this action is to be performed withall is the latter part of the verse Ye shew the Lords death till he come I will not make my repetition of that which I have spoken before we spake onely of that which concerned the coherence and dependance of this verse with the former that whereas our Saviour saith in the verse going before Doe this in remembrance of mee the Apostle saith here As oft as you doe this you shew forth the Lords death till he come Now then wee are to come to the handling of the parts of the verse and first to beginne with the action in the former part of the verse wherein we are to consider these two things First the parts of the action The eating of this bread and drinking of this cup whereby the Apostle describes the Lords Supper Secondly the frequenting of the action As oft as you shall eate this bread and drink this cup the parts of the action are the eating of the bread and the drinking of th◠cup. To begin with that there be sundry other actions of much use and significancy in and about the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as namely the blessing of the bread the breaking of the bread the distributing of the bread and such like but because that this here the eating of the bread and drinking of the cup because this action is the accomplishment of all the rest for all that is done besides in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the blessing of the bread the breaking and distributing of it tends to this namely that the receiver may profitably eate and drinke and comfortably communicate in these holy mysteries therefore the Apostle makes mention of this action onely as this I say being the accomplishment of the rest even the eating of this bread and drinking of this cup we are here therefore to consider of some particulars and the first particular that here we are to consider of is this that the Apostle being here to describe the Sacrament of the Lords supper he doth describe it and set it forth by a matter of action or a matter of use He describes the Sacrament it selfe by the use of the Sacrament by the eating of the bread and the drinking of the cup. Doctr. The matter that hence wee are to observe is this namely That the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in regard of the nature of it in it selfe as also in regard of the benefit of it to us doth wholly and altogether consist in the participation and use of the Sacrament I say both for the nature of it and likewise for the benefit of it for the Apostle speakes here of both he speakes of the nature of this Sacrament as appeares by the rehearsall of the institution in the three verses before going wherein the nature of the Sacrament is fully set forth and likewise he speaketh of the benefit of the Sacrament as appeares by the application of that institution as also by the whole discourse he makes from the sixe and twentieth verse to the end of the Chapter For explication of this doctrine understand that the Sacrament is then said to he in use when it is used administred and received according to Gods owne ordinance then is the Sacrament in use so long as the Sacrament is thus in use so long it is in the nature of a Sacrament and so soone as this use ceaseth so soone ceaseth the nature of the Sacrament in that particular So for the benefit of it the Sacrament being thus used there is much benefit to be received by it but without this use there is no benefit to be had by it at all it is true the benefit of the Sacrament to the faithfull receiver continues with us after the receiving of it and we finde benefit and comfort and sweetnesse by it but because the benefit doth arise wholly and onely from the use of the Sacrament therefore the doctrine stands firme namely That the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in regard of the nature of it in it selfe as also in regard of the benefit of it to us doth wholly and altogether consist in the participation and use of the Sacrament the Apostle speaking of the Sacrament both in the nature and use of 〈◊〉 hee speakes of a matter of use So oft as you eate this bread and drink this cup you shew the Lords death till he come It is not onely to have it but to eate it and drinke it For proofe of this point take Christ his example Matth. 26.26 Iesus tooke bread c. there was bread there and there was wine at the feast of the Passeover but the bread and the wine did not make it the Sacrament of the Lords Supper no saith the Text Iesus tooke it blest it brake it and distributed it saying Take eate this is my body So likewise he did the cup. This was matter of action on his part then likewise matter of action on the receivers
when wee come to heare the word and receive the Sacrament there will be a sweet digesting and battening in the inner man Indeede the whole worke of the Spirit it is done meerly in the power of the death of Christ Iesus Gods Spirit doth nothing in the heart of any man or woman for the matter of salvation but it is done all in respect of the death of Iesus Christ Fourthly it will be a notable bridle to thee from sinne an excellent meanes to restraine thee from sin that howsoever thy corruption drawes thee on and Sathan hee tempts thee and the world that allures thee the flesh that provokes thee How shouldest thou stand against all these enemies Oh if thou have the death of Iesus Christ and the remembrance of it soundly in thy heart then all these speakers to thee they shall speake unto thee as to a stone-wall to a deafe man Gal. 6.14 The Apostle faith there God forbid that I should rejoyce in any thing save onely in Christ and him crucified whereby the world is crucified to mee and I unto the world Let the whole world set upon me to tempt me yet it shall not prevaile for the whole world is crucified to me and I unto the whole world by the Crosse of Christ I am as a dead man unto the world A man that hath the death of Christ soundly seated in his heart hee cannot wittingly and willingly sinne against God Indeed this light may be and is sometime darkened in us by the mist of corruption and temptation and then we may be and are oft-times over-taken with sinne but so long as this light is cleare within us sinne shall never bee able to overcome us There is such a strong stay against sinne in the serious thoughts of the death of Christ that so long as that these are within us sinne cannot prevaile against us A fift benefit is this it will furnish us and inable us to the dutie of prayer that we shall come to God at all times humbly and yet chearfully too humbly alwayes acknowledging and bewailing our sinnes and mourning that we are the parties that have crucified the Lord of life and of glory and yet cheerfully as resting upon the merits and death of Iesus Christ for our reconciliation And howsoever it be that we finde many infirmities and imperfections in our prayers and thinke with our selves that therefore God will not heare us yet let us comfort our selues in the remembrance of the death of Christ this being in thy heart and conscience be of good cheare the Lord Iesus Christ hee makes continuall intercession for thee and hee takes thy prayers and puts them up and presents them unto God in thy behalfe in his owne name and so makes thy prayers acceptable before the Lord. The last benefit is this this should be a singular meanes to make us fit and ready to die to worke in us an earnest looking for and hastning of the day of Christ Hee that hath the death of Christ soundly seated in his heart hee is fit and ready to die For first by this practice by the continuall remembrance of the death of Christ we alwayes looke death as it were in the face and being every day and every houre so well acquainted with it we are not afraid of it when it comes Againe hereby by the remembrance and sound meditation of the death of Christ wee dye daily as the Apostle saith our sinnes die in us and our lusts die in us and our affections and rebellions dye in us and so wee are halfe dead already that so when death comes to take hold upon us it hath not so much to doe with us as with other men Take this for a certaine truth that a man of mortification who hath his heart broken for sinne and that hath his lusts and affections and rebellions in some good measure mortified and crucified within him I say death is nothing so tedious and irksome to such a man as it is to another Wee see this by experience in the case betweene Christ and the two theeves that were executed with him Iohn 19. The manner of their death was thus They were to bee crucified and nailed upon the Crosse and then to hang till they dead wee cannot say of any one thing that it should give them their deaths wound but the custome was that when they were crucified they should have their legs broken thereby to make an end of them the Text saith that they came to the theeves and brake their legs but when they came to our Saviour Christ they brake not his for he was dead already he had none of those rebellions none of those resisting lusts within him to strive against the ordinance of God as the other had but he did sweetly yeeld up the ghost in obedience unto God and therefore Death had nothing to doe with him so much as with the other So likewise wee finde it with men of mortification Thirdly by this remembrance of the death of Christ continually we see all the evills and all the harmes of our death taken away in his death and so there is no cause to us to feare it at all Fourthly wee see by this that Christ himselfe who is our Lord and Master and Head hee hath undergone this before us and therefore wee are content in a holy resolution to undergoe that which he hath done shall the members fare better than the Head No surely Fiftly and lastly by the continuall remembrance of the death of Christ we see and behold that it was a full and finall end of all his afflictions and that thereby he entred into glory wee consider from thence as it was with him so it shal be with us when death comes it shall put an end to all trouble and affliction and the consideration of this should quicken us up to desire death to desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ O beloved when a man comes to lye upon his deaths bed he would give all that he had to be fitted for death and to be sure of comfort Oh let us make the death of Christ therefore our continuall meditation and this is that which will yeeld us such a gracious preparation for our death as that nothing in the world shall doe the like besides and therefore let these considerations stirre us up to a reverent and conscionable performance of this duty of the remembrance of the death of Christ Iesus so much good and so many benefits as are to be reaped by it why surely we are utter enemies to our owne good if we doe not travell conscionably in the faithfull practice of this duty let not the difficulty of this duty in it selfe let not the distastfulnesse of it to flesh and blood nor the losse of carnall pleasure and worldly profit nor let not the harsh censure of the gracelesse people of the world nor let not the bent of our naturall life which is utterly against it make it unpleasant
honoured by vs in the performance of this businesse He will be sanctified in all that come neere him Leuit. 10.3 In this action we approach nearest to God euen to become one with Christ Iesus and hereby to be incorporated into his Body as Bone of his Bone and Flesh of this Flesh and therefore we must sanctifie and glorifie God in this exercise aboue all other It grieues me to see the Transgressors in this kind how horribly the Lord is dishonoured amongst Men euen in this most glorious and sanctified Ordinance some comming onely for fashion sake few for consciences not one amongst a great many with that due preparation that may make their seruice herein acceptable to God and Gods holy Sacrament comfortable and profitable to their owne Soules In zeale therefore for the Lord of Hoasts that his great Name and Maiestie may be rightly and truly glorified in the right and true vse of this his sauing Ordinance I desire to fit you to a reuerent and faithfull participation of this holy Sacrament as not knowing wherein either I or you may honor God more and doe him better seruice The fourth Reason is the preciousnesse of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ the greatest and weightiest and most vnualuable businesse that euer was performed since the Worlds Creation He the Lambe vndefiled and without spot a sinlesse Man the Holy One of God his owne glorious Sonne the Liquor that is prest out of such goodly Grapes must needs be a sweet and pleasant Iuice the Blood that issues out of his blessed Body and from his sacred Wounds must needs be most pure and most precious euerie drop of this heauenly Dew is worth a worlds ransome therefore not to be thought or spoken of much lesse to be purposely remembred and solemnely represented in the Sacrament but with all holy preparation and affection and eleuation of Spirit For the deepe impression of the death of Iesus Christ into our Hearts let vs consider rightly these three things which will be as so many spurres vnto vs to stirre vs vp to a more reuerent estimation and embracing of this Sacrament First the bitternesse of his death to him Secondly the sweetnesse of it to vs Thirdly the acceptablenesse of it to God First the bitternesse of it to himselfe It was exceeding bitter to him it cost him many a deepe sigh and groane many teares and strong cryings Hebr. 5.7 A sore Agony in the Garden with a bloody sweat in his Body Luke 22.44 And a deadly heauinesse in his Soule Math. 26.38 A hard conflict with the terrors of Death and the wrath of God vpon him for our sinnes for that grieuous trouble spoken of Math. 26.37 could not arise from any bodily feares or paines but he was then coping and closing with the very terrors of God due to vs but to be endured by him God set him as a Marke before him to shoot at him and to spend vpon him all the Arrowes of his Vengeance which were prepared for all beleeuing sinners from the beginning to the end of the World For many Men haue suffered a bodily death without any such daunting Christ is of a more valorous spirit then so many a sore blow did he receiue both from God and Man Men smot him and buffeted him Math. 26.67 They platted a Crowne of Thornes and put it on his Head and smot him on the Head Math. 27.29 30. And all this and a great deale more came vpon him yet there was none to pitty him Ps 69.20 The Lord from Heauen he smot him and brake him and layd vpon him Esay 53.6.10 as it were stroake vpon stroake till he had reuenged himselfe to the full vpon him He did not spare him though he were his owne Sonne Rom. 8.32 For when Christ was vpon the Crosse then he was reputed the common sinner of the World and so all the Vials of the wrath of God were to be poured out and emptied vpon him Was this Death so bitter to him and shall we be lightly affected toward it Shall we come coldly and vnpreparedly to the memoriall of it Shall we see this bitter Death of his acted as it were in a holy Tragedy before our Eyes and shall not we be much moued and yearne in our Bowels at the sight and thought and memoriall of it Put the case we should be condemned to dye and another Man in loue should take our death vpon him for vs how compassionately would wee bee affected towards him and the death that hee suffers for vs Wee would goe into our Chambers and mourne and waile and melt in our selues at the thought of his suffering for vs and his loue to vs and our wretchednesse that hath brought him to such a death much more should we be stirred vp to a thorough feeling of the sufferings and death of Christ Iesus which we wretched sinners haue brought vpon him For it was more that the Sonne of God should dye then if the whole World should dye The bitternesse of his death was caused by the bitternesse of our sins and therefore the thought of his death should alwayes stirre vs vp to true repentance to a hatred and detestation of our sins and to looke vpon the Lord Iesus with a broken Heart and a mourning Spirit and a wounded Conscience and a sighing Soule whom we haue so grieuously pierced with our sinnes Zach. 12.10 They shall looke vpon him whom they haue pierced they shall mourne for him c. Secondly the sweetnesse of it to vs it is maruailous cordiall and comfortable to vs Gaule and Vineger to him but Milke and Hony to vs his abasing is our exalting his sufferings are our victorie his torments our ease his wounds our cure his crosse our crowne his shame our glorie his death our life he dying in our stead looke how bitter our death was to him so comfortable is his death to vs looke how much he was disparaged by our death so much are we aduantaged by his it was but one death in it selfe but it is double in effect as our death that is being due to vs so it was a bitter death to Christ but as his death that is to say as being endured in his Person for vs so it is to vs most comfortable We were healed by his stripes Esay 53.5 He bore our stripes and thereby are we healed we changed states with our Sauiour and he with vs he receiued our sinnes we receiue his righteousnesse he our miserie we his happinesse he our death we his life a blessed change for vs that in stead of Sinne Death and Hell thereby deserued we should find Righteousnesse and Life and Heauen purchased by the death of Christ Iesus when the Life and Blood of Christ Iesus gusht out of his Body by his wounds then were all the Fountaines of Heauen as it were all the Flood-gates of Gods Mercie set wide open and then was all Grace and Comfort and Life and Saluation showred downe vpon all
that Christ must suffer and rise againe there it is said that he must doe thus and thus That repentance and remission of sinnes might be preached in his Name giuing vs to vnderstand that repentance and remission of sinnes they are not purchased by Christ nor haue no power from Christ nor are not to be preached in his Name but onely so as they come from Christ suffering and being punished for vs Christ must first suffer that repentance and remission of sinnes might be preached in his Name 1 Pet. 3.18 Christ must suffer and dye for sinne that he might bring vs to God So it appeares in the last part of the Verse that he suffered and was put to death faith the Text And what was it for Why it was for sinne For the taking away of sinnes and the bringing of vs to God that is to say the making good of this new Couenant that is to say That God would be our God and we his People that he would forgiue vs our sinnes and remember our iniquities no more these haue their power vertue and efficacie from Christ as he being punished for vs. Hebr. 13.12 Our Sanctification there is ascribed to the suffering of Christ that is to say to the death of Christ For Christ that he might sanctifie the People with his owne Blood hath suffered or dyed without the Gate Secondly Christ in his Offering or Christ sacrificed for vs Ephes 5.2 Christ hath loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs to be an Offering and a Sacrifice of a sweet-smelling sauour to God He is a sweet-smelling sauour to God generally in respect of his sacred Person and he is a sweet sauour in respect of his blessed Nature and in respect of his holy life but more especially in respect of his pretious death wherein he gaue himselfe as a sweet-smelling sauour to God Hebr. 9.28 Christ was once offered to take away sinnes insinuating vnto vs that Christ was powerfull for the taking away of sins How as he was Christ offered or as he was Christ sacrificed Hebr. 10.10 So likewise our Sanctification is by the offering of Christ Christ by that one offering of his hath sanctified vs. So likewise in the twelfth Verse there is our Iustification and in the fourteenth Verse there is our Consecration by one Offering and in the fifteenth and sixteenth Verses there is the New Testament confirmed by name by the verie offering of Christ So the Apostle implyes the reason by the offering of Christ Thirdly Christ in his Obedience or Christ humbled for vs In Hebr. 10. from the sixth Verse to the ninth there you shall find that the worke of the New Testament and of our Redemption is ascribed to Christ his doing of the will of God He tooke away the first and established the second he put away the Sacrifices of the Law of burnt Offerings and established the New Testament that is by doing the will of God by his obedience and humiliation Rom. 5.19 For as by one Mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many also be made righteous It is the obedience of Christ that iustifies vs and makes good vnto vs the Couenant of Grace And that we may know that it was not all the obedience of his life which was most holy that could serue the turne the Apostle telles vs Phil. 2.8 9. That he became obedient euen to the Death of the Crosse The lowest degree of his Humiliation was the highest degree of his Obedience and thereby he became a perfect Mediator Fourthly Christ on the Crosse or Christ crucified for vs And this intends more then the rest This intends not onely a bare dying of Christ but a violent a shamefull and a cursed Death Coloss 1.20 Christ hath made our peace by the Blood of his Crosse that is to say by the suffering that he did endure specially vpon the Crosse Likewise in Coloss 2.14 15. He fastned our sinnes vpon the Crosse and there tryumphed ouer the Powers of Darkenesse which is the verie matter of our Redemption And in Iohn 12.31 Now saith Christ is the Prince of the World cast out What speakes he there of his Crosse And if I be lift vp then will I draw others after me Now are the Faithfull to be drawne vnto Christ after that he had dyed vpon the Crosse It was Christ vpon the Crosse that vanquished the Diuell Death and Hell and drew the Faithfull to him And in Iohn 19.30 Now it is finished saith Christ when he was vpon the Crosse the last breath that Christ fetched When all his humiliation was finished then the worke of our Redemption was fully accomplished Hence it is that the ioy of the Faithfull is not so much in knowing Christ as in knowing Christ crucified 2 Cor. 5.16 I know no Man saith the Apostle after the Flesh no not Christ himselfe What not Christ himselfe No not after the Flesh not as a Man not as a holy Man not as a Iew not as one of my owne Blood but Christ crucified I esteeme to know nothing saith the Apostle but Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 And indeed this is the verie substance of the Gospell Christ crucified 1 Cor. 1.23 We preach vnto you saith the Apostle not simply Christ but Christ crucified and therefore in the eighteenth Verse it is called The preaching of the Crosse and suffering of Christ All this shewes that Christ in his Crosse and Christ crucified he is the Person by whom the New Testament and the worke of our Redemption is established Then fifthly The Death of Christ or Christ dying for vs Rom. 5.10 We are reconciled to God by the death of Christ There you see our reconciliation is ascribed to the death of Christ So also our Sanctification is ascribed to the death of Christ in Coloss 2.22 likewise in Hebr. 3.14 15. there it is said That Christ hath vanquished the Diuell by Death and hath deliuered vs from Death and the bondage that we were in All this was by the death of Christ by Christ his dying for vs. So in Hebr. 9.15 it is said that Christ is the Mediator of the New Testament thorough Death Then the sixth and the last point is the Blood of Christ or Christ killed and slaine for vs. True Christ layd down himselfe willingly in obedience to God for vs vpon the Crosse and in loue to vs his People He gaue himselfe for vs and he shed his owne Blood for vs Yet in regard of the Act and the Instrument he was no better then slaine killed and murdered and his Blood and Life was taken from him verie wrongfully But yet notwithstanding howsoeuer it be his willingnesse on the one side and the Iewes crueltie on the other side yet so it was that his Blood was shed and the shedding of his Blood is that whereupon the New Testament and the worke of our Redemption is stablished Rom. 5.9 We are iustified by the Blood of Christ there our Iustification
is ascribed to the Blood of Christ so our Redemption is ascribed to the Blood of Christ Ephes 1.7 Reuel 5.9 and in the 1 Pet. 1.19 all runs vpon the Blood of Christ Reuel 1.5 We are washed from our sinnes in his Blood 1 Iohn 1.7 The Blood of Christ cleanseth vs from all our sinnes The fetching of vs within the Couenant of Grace is by the Blood of Christ Ephes 2.13 and so indeed is the whole worke of our Redemption ascribed to the Blood of Christ You see then how rich and plentifull the Scripture is in this Argument all tending wholly to this effect to teach vs that the verie matter whereupon the New Testament and the worke of our Redemption is founded and stablished is the Blood of the Lord Iesus I am bold to insist so long vpon the proofe of this point because the Scripture is so plentifull in it Wee will come now to the Reasons Reas 1 The first Reason may be drawn from the nature of a Couenant amongst Men Wherein stands it Not in the making and writing of it but in the sealing of it Here is a Couenant made betweene God and Man that he will forgiue vs our sinnes and that he will sanctifie vs and it is sealed by the Blood of Christ and therefore it is called the Blood of the New Testament It is true indeed that all the Couenants and Promises of God are firme and sure in themselues because God hath made them and they need no Seale yet because God hauing made this Couenant respectiuely that he would haue it sealed and confirmed by the Blood of Christ Iesus Therefore looke whatsoeuer force and benefit it is of to vs it is by vertue of the Blood of Christ And hence it is that whosoeuer can shew this Seale for themselues that they haue part in this Blood of Christ they may challenge that they haue their part in the Couenant and whosoeuer cannot they haue no part in it Reas 2 The second Reason is drawne from the nature of a Testament which must alwayes be confirmed by the death of the Testator and is not of force before the partie be dead the Apostle applyes it so in Hebr. 9.16 17. Reas 3 The third Reason is drawne from the nature of a Sacrifice a burnt Offering a propitiatorie Sacrifice a Sacrifice for sinne No Sacrifice that was to be offered for sinne but it was to be killed and offered in Blood Leuit. 1.7 and therefore Christ comming to be a Sacrifice for the sinnes of the World he must be killed and slaine Reas 4 The fourth Reason it holds by way of proportion betweene the New Testament and the Old The Old Testament was confirmed by Blood and so must the New In the Old Testament the Pascall Lambe must be slaine and killed and so in the New Testament Christ must be killed and slaine Likewise the Sacrifice of the Law must be killed slaine and Blood shed so the Sacrifice of the New Testament Christ must be slaine and shed his Blood Reas 5 The fifth Reason is drawne from the rigour of the Law which did necessarily require it and could not be dispenced withall but whosoeuer sinnes must dye the death and therefore Christ being our Redeemer he must endure that death which we must haue suffered else the Law could neuer haue beene satisfied Reas 6 Againe it stands with the Iustice of God which must haue an absolute and perfect satisfaction It cannot be satisfied with any thing in the World but with the Blood of the Sonne of God Acts 20.28 Take heed therefore vnto your selues and to all the Flocke ouer the which the Holy Ghost hath made you Quer-seers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne Blood Marke now this stands with the Iustice of God God was offended and he must receiue full satisfaction therefore when Christ came to satisfie he could not satisfie but onely by his Blood Nay I say more Christ could not haue satisfied but that it was by the Blood of the Sonne of God that the infinitenesse of the Person satisfying might be answerable to the infinitenesse of the Person offended and that is the chiefe reason of the Doctrine Reas 7 Then another Reason is the haynousnesse of sinne The reward of sinne is death and where is no shedding of Blood there is no remission and therefore whosoeuer comes as a Mediator of the New Testament to procure for vs the remission of our sinnes his Blood must be shed else our sinnes still remaine vnpardoned And so much for the Reasons The Vses Vse 1 First It teacheth vs what it is that the Eye of our Faith should principally respect and looke vpon Christ and the hand of our Faith principally lay hold on when we doe imbrace Christ namely the Blood of Christ the Crosse of Christ the Obedience and Suffering of Christ c. in a word Christ crucified that is the subiect that our Faith must take hold vpon Christ crucified is the obiect of our knowledge 1 Cor. 2.2 I desire to know nothing but Christ and him crucified And the same is the matter of our reioycing Gal. 6.14 God forbid that I should reioyce but in the Crosse of Christ The Blood of Christ is the ground and verie foundation of our Faith Rom. 3.25 Through Faith in his Blood c. What is it that the Faith of a beleeuing Man doth most properly embrace but the Blood of Christ The Iewes reuile vs because we beleeue in a crucified God and the Gentiles they deride and mocke vs because we trust to be saued in him that could not saue himselfe but sufrered such a cruell death Well howsoeuer it be saith the Apostle that he is to the Iewes a stumbling blocke and to the Grecians foolishnesse yet vnto vs he is the power of God and the wisedome of God He is the verie power of God without which God cannot ordinarily saue a Man And the verie wisedome of God without which God will not ordinarily saue a Man It is a world of heauenly comforts that a spirituall minded Man may gather vnto himselfe in the meditation and the beholding of the death of Christ when we thinke of Christ crucified and of Christ shedding his Blood there you may see First our sinnes punished to the full Secondly there we may see our sinnes pardoned to the full Thirdly there we may see our sinnes crucified and mortified and subdued by his Blood and by the power of the death of Christ soundly applyed to our Soules and Considences our sinnes begin to dye and to be mortified and to be crucified in vs. Fourthly in Christ crucified we may behold the Flesh crucified Gal. 5.24 we may see our wicked humors to be mortified and to be beaten downe and crucified within vs. Againe when as we thinke vpon Christ crucified why there we doe find indeed the verie crucifying of our selues to the World and the World to vs Gal. 6.14 Before we were caried after the things
serve for all nor to say they will doe it hereafter though they omit it now but as often as they doe the one they must doe the other as often as they doe receive they must thinke upon the Lords death But some will say What are we never to remember Christs death but then when we communicate Yes this is not spoken by negation as if we should never remember him but then but by affirmation that we must specially remember it then above all other times as that Sacrament being instituted and sanctified specially for that purpose next it is said So oft as yee shall eate c. ye shall shew where you see the Holy Ghost presseth it upon every one for his owne particular shewing thereby that it is not enough that the Minister shew forth the Lords death for all them that bee there present but every one is to shew it forth for himselfe Further it is said Shall eate this bread c. you see here hee speakes of the Sacrament and he describes it by the use or the actuall participation of it thereby shewing that the benefit of this Sacrament doth not consist in the seeing or the having of it but in the use and communicating in it And note here further that the Apostle calls it bread even after the words of consecration it is bread still and yet it is the body of Christ in regard of the use it is altered and is the body of Christ but in regard of the nature of the creature it is bread still Consider yet further that he nameth not onely the eating of the bread but the drinking of the cup together with it he saith not Or drinke this cup but And drinke this cup whereby we may see that they who separate the cup from the bread in the use of this Sacrament as the Papists doe they doe wickedly put asunder that which God hath joyned together and this being spoken directly to the people doth extend the words of our Saviour when he said Drinke ye all of this as well to the people as to the Ministers next it is said You shew forth the Lords death that is to say you set it forth after a speciall and eminent manner you shew it forth by your practice for all they that truly receive the Lords Supper doe as it were act the death of Christ as a holy Tragedy upon a holy and spirituall stage the word may either be expounded affirmatively you doe shew forth or imparatively as enjoyning them that they must shew forth both tend to the same effect that this Sacrament is the very shewing forth of the Lords death the word in the originall entends a shewing forth in the highest degree with much seriousnesse and earnestnesse as prescribing a zealous and affectionate setting forth of Christs death in the use of this Sacrament It is said further the Lords death which we must not understand as if it were meant barely of his dying or of his crucifying but his death together with the benefit and fruit of his death and whereas hee calls it here the Lords death it may seeme some contradiction For if Christ suffer death how should he be Lord or if Christ be Lord how should he dye but if wee consider it well we shall finde that it is a sweet medley that the Apostle here makes when hee saith it is the Lords death Christ dyed as being man but Christ even in his death shewed himselfe to bee the Lord that had the power over death And because he that dyed was the Lord thence it comes that his death is beneficiall unto us As it is said Acts 20.28 God hath purchased his Church with his owne blood as his blood being therefore effectuall for the purchasing of the Church because it was the blood of him who being man is God also Lastly it is here said till he come that is to say in bodily presence to judge the world Therefore he is now absent in body even from the Sacrament if he were bodily present at the Sacrament as the Papists say then what need a memoriall of him till his comming Hereby we see also that so long as we are here we need the helpes of Sacraments to strengthen our faith and God hath provided that we shall have them so long as we need them even till the end of the world but when he comes then we shall have no further use of them and therefore then they shall cease all things are for us and for our good so long as we need them we shall have them but the things that are the Sacraments Gods saving ordinances shall utterly cease to bee when wee shall have no further use of them So much for the meaning The third point is the parts of the Text first an action to be performed in the former part of the verse secondly a caution or condition in the latter part First an action to be performed the receiving of the Lords Supper wherein the Apostle offers to our consideration these things First the parts of the action secondly the frequenting of the action the parts eate and drinke things diverse in themselves yet both together making up one and the same action of receiving as in our ordinary suppers wee eate and drinke and each differs from other our eating is not our drinking nor our drinking is not our eating yet in the generall both make but one action the taking of our supper Secondly the frequenting of this action often as this action is to bee performed and done so the doing of it is to be frequented as often c. we must not make an annuall thing of it to be performed once a yeare a prophane thing amongst Christians but there must be an often frequenting of it In the latter part of the verse is a caution or condition that we must performe in receiving wherein principally is to be observed first the caution it selfe shew forth the death of Christ secondly the frequenting of it which is to be borrowed from the first part of the verse as often as you eate shew forth the Lords death c. for this is a particle common to the whole verse and serue each part alike as who should say As often as you eate this bread and drinke this cup so often you shall shew forth the Lords death Lastly here is the continuance of this caution or condition till he come How long is it to continue even so long as the world stands till the Lord come to judgement Whosoever thou art thou must shew forth the Lords death in receiving this Sacrament till his comming that is for the parts of the verse Now we come to the Doctrines For as often as you shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup you shew forth the Lords death till he come Where you see that this speech of Paul is inferred by way of reason from the words of our Saviour verse 25. Doe this as often as do it in remembrance of
mee the conferrence of both these speeches together ministers this profitable observation namely that the true and right remembrance of our Saviour IESVS CHRIST is our affectionate and religious remembrance of the death of our Saviour Christ Remember me saith Christ verse 25. that is saith Paul the Lords death verse 26. Remember it so that you shew it forth that is religiously and affectionately Zach. 12.10 I will poure upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace c. there is a promise of the Spirit to be poured downe on the faithfull under the Gospell and one principall effection of it there mentioned is this that they shall looke on Christ that is they shall remember him and meditate upon him Well what is the principall object in Christ that they shall set their meditations upon his piercing that is his death and sufferings when he was pierced with thornes and nailes and Speare and how shall they be touched with this remembrance of him Surely very religiously and affectionately grieving and lamenting as for their first borne Here then is the right remembrance of Christ that is our affectionate and religious remembrance of the piercing and death of Christ Rev. 13.8 Christ Iesus is the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world But how doe the faithfull whose names are written in the Lambes booke of life apprehend him Not simply as a Lambe but as a Lambe slaine that is in his death and crucifying that is the true and right apprehending of him Gen. 3.15 The seed of the woman c. when the Lord himselfe first published the Gospell he propounds the seed of the woman to be beleeved in that is CHRIST but with speciall reference to his death for that is the very bruising of the Serpents head CHRIST on his Crosse spoiled principalities and powers Col. 2.14 and the bruising of his heele there spoken of is an intimation of the death and sufferings that the Devill and his Instruments should bring upon CHRIST and yet these very sufferings of Christ shall break and destroy all their power this was Adam and all the faithfull to beleeve of Christ and this is their true and right remembrance of Christ This was shadowed in the sacrifices before the Law as in the Passeover Exod. 12.6 7. they should kill it and strike the blood on the two posts c. what is the meaning of this wee must carry the streames of our meditations on Christ towards his killing and death and blood And so under the Law Heb. 9.22 almost all things are by the Law purged with blood What is the meaning of this That all that beleeve in Chritst are thereby admonished still to have the eye of their mindes setled on the meditation of the blood of Christ if ever they looke to bee purged from their sinnes by Christ they must bee purged by the blood of Christ so the Prophets set forth Christ in this manner Esay 53. from the first to the seventh verse hee that of all the Prophets spake most plainly of him sets him forth principally in regard of his death as he was wounded and broken and oppressed and afficted the Prophet leaves them the best memoriall of Christ and therefore he acquaints them with the death of Christ The Apostles observed the same rule 1 Cor. 17.3 First of all I delivered unto you how that Christ dyed for our sinnes no doubt but hee would teach them Christ so as hee might worke a most affectionate impression and remembrance of Christ in their hearts and how doth he this By teaching them Christs death first of all as the chiefe and maine ground of all the rest And looke how he taught them so hee practised himselfe 1 Cor. 2.2 I esteemed not to know any thing amongst you save Iesus Christ and him crucified for his knowledge he esteemed to know nothing else and so Gal. 6.14 for his rejoycing God forbid that I should rejoyce in any thing but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ and both these are spoken by way of exclusion disclaiming all other knowledge and rejoycing in comparison of that because that is the rise and ground of all the rest To conclude the Word and the Sacraments are purposely fitted to worke this remembrance in us 1 Cor. 1.18 the word is called the preaching of the Crosse that is it the Minister must specially preach and the people learne Gal. 3.1 the Apostle taught Christ and his death to them so plainly as if hee had beene crucified amongst them and so the Sacraments are fitted to this end first Baptisme Rom. 6.3 4. we are baptised into his death and buried with him in baptisme and so the Lords Supper as you see here is to set forth the Lords death c. The reasons First Christ in his death was most pleasing to God and wherein should wee or can wee bee better affected with the remembrance of Christ than in that state wherein hee was most pleasing to his and our heavenly Father God cannot properly be said to be pleased with his Sonne at any one time more than another but we speake it after the manner of men and by way of supposall if ever God could be better pleased with him at one time than at another it was at his death Ephes 5.2 then he was an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to God I but you will say then God was most angry with him pouring on him his fierce wrath and vengeance from heaven True he was most angry with him in regard of our sinnes which he beheld on him and punished in him but in regard of his owne decree thereby accomplished and Christ his perfect obedience therein yeelded and the absolute satisfaction for our sinnes there made by his precious blood even then God was best pleased with him we feele it through Gods mercy for we are sure it was his death and blood that we are reconciled to God by and that God was pleased with us for and therefore Christ himselfe must needs be most pleasing to him in that estate Secondly therein Christ shewed his greatest love and affection to us and how shall we remember him with our best affections but in that state wherein hee shewed most love and affection towards us Iohn 15.13 Greater love than this can no man shew than to give his life for his friend this love Christ hath shewed us he gave his whole state for us he spared not his precious body his precious blood his precious life his precious soule for us all these are precious yea infinitely precious in themselves yet hee thought nothing too precious to give for us but exposed them all in his death to the wrath of God for our redemption whosoever thou art that canst thus remember Christ thou hast many strong bonds and motives to binde thee fast to thankfulnesse and love and obedience to God in Iesus Christ and that is to remember him
Christ hath but one person his manhood hath his subsistence in the person of the Sonne of God so that Christ both God and Man is but one person but the natures that is to say his Godhead and his manhood are still distinct and severall things notwithstanding the union of the person Now on the other side that which is likewise proper to Christ as he is man the same is affirmed of him as he is God As for example Luke 1.35 That which shall be borne of thee shall be called the Son of God That Christ should be borne of the blessed Virgin in respect of his Godhead is blasphemy to imagine but because Christ in respect of his manhood was borne of the blessed Virgin and the same Christ man was also Christ the Son of God therefore by reason of this neare union of the two natures in one and the same person of the Son of God it is truly said that Christ the Son of God was borne of the blessed Virgin Acts 20.28 there it is said that God purchased his Church by his owne blood if a man should speake this of himselfe it might seeme blasphemie but God spake it and therefore it is true it is spoken of Christ for it is he alone that hath purchased it and it is a proper thing to purchase it as he was man but not as he was God for man hath blood God hath none yet notwithstanding by reason of the union of these two natures it is said that God purchased his Church by his blood because the same Christ that is man is also God and therefore truly may it be said God hath purchased it c. So here the Lords death saith the Text that Christ dyed this is a proper thing belonging to him as he was man but as he is Christ the Lord it is not so proper yet it is affirmed to be the Lords death that is by reason of the neare union of these two natures and therefore that which is proper to Christ as he is man is affirmed of him as he is God this is a deepe mystery and yet notwithstanding it may reasonably well bee conceived of us it agrees with the whole current of the Scripture and therefore we must hold it as an undoubted truth the matter being thus cleare concerning the Lords death let us come to the Doctrines that hence arise for our instruction the death of the Lord the doctrine hence to be observed is this Doctr. 1 That howsoever Christ Iesus was shamefully crucified and put to a most ignominious and cruell death upon the Crosse as ever any man could be put unto yet notwithstanding even in that state of his death he was then the Lord and still shewed himselfe to be the Lord even the glorious Lord of heaven and earth The doctrine containes two branches and each of them is to be proved severally The one is that Christ was the Lord in his death and the other is that Christ shewed himselfe to bee Lord in his death This I take to be the reach of the Text that he was the Lord in his death Acts 2.36 Let all the house of Israell now know for a surety that God hath made him both Lord and Christ this Iesus I say whom ye have crucified Marke it he speakes there of Christ in regard of his death This Iesus whom ye have crucified and in that state he calls him Lord God hath made him Lord even this Iesus whom ye have crucified so that Christ was Lord even when hee was crucified See how the Apostle layes these termes together the Lord and Christ and Iesus Some man may say It may be he was the Lord before his death but not in his death or else after his death but the Apostle shewes that he was Lord even in his death so long as hee was Christ and Iesus so long he was Lord but he was Iesus and Christ in his death and therefore he was Lord in his death Acts 3.15 God hath glorified his Sonne Iesus whom ye betrayed and denyed ye have killed the Lord of life whom God hath raised from the dead He speakes there of Christ in the state of his death he calls him the Sonne of God that is to say hee was the Lord when he was betrayed when hee was denyed and when he was killed yet he was the Lord still in all that meane estate When they had him in their bloody clutches yet still he was the Lord when they killed him yet still he was the Lord of life Ye have killed the Lord of life saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.8 Which none of the Princes of this world have knowne for had they knowne him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory Mark the Text saith they have crucified the Lord of glory though they knew him not to bee the Lord of glory yet God knew it that he was the Lord of glory whom they crucified hee called him the Lord of glory even when he was crucified Marke it glory and shame are most directly contrary one to another even as the East is to the West or Heaven to Hell to be crucified is the greatest shame that ever can befall man to be the Lord of glory is the highest and the greatest degree of glory that ever can be conceived of God Christ being crucified was the Lord of glory even in that low and base and meane estate in that shamefull state of his still hee was the Lord the glorious Lord of heaven and earth and so he shewed himselfe to be the Lord of glory which is the next point and the other branch of the observation and now to be proved For proofe of that look into Phil. 2.6 7 8. there the Apostle tells us that Christ whilest he was of no reputation whilest he was in the form of a servant whilest he humbled himselfe to the death of the Crosse all this while he was equall with God hee was the Lord all this while even in all the time of his crucifying In the ninth tenth and eleventh verses there you shall see he shewed himselfe to bee the Lord of glory wherefore the Lord hath given him a name above all names that at the name of Iesus should every knee bow both of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord unto the glory of God the Father As Christ was the Lord when he was crucified so hee shewed himselfe to bee the Lord when he was crucified for then was that done by Christ in regard of his obedience by which and for which hee did obtaine a name above all names and he did justly deserve to bee acknowledged a Lord of all Lords a glorious Lord that at the name of him should every knee bow and every tongue should confesse that he is the Lordunto the glory of God the Father So that Christ did doe that upon the Crosse whereby hee shewed himselfe
should wee love the glorious Lord of heaven and earth seeing the Lord of heaven and earth hath so loved us as to dye for us Also it teacheth us patience seeing Christ the Lord hath dyed for us therefore we must not thinke much to suffer temptation and affliction yea death it selfe Christ the Lord hath gone through these before and therefore no doubt but he will bring us through the like with joy and with comfort Christ the Lord hath dyed for us this will breed and worke faith and boldnesse in us we may be bold to hazard our soules upon Christ knowing that our salvation is sure and firme it is the Lord that hath wrought it by his death and it is not all the Devills in hell can disanull that salvation which the Lord hath wrought for us Againe it ministers matter of rejoycing that we doe not onely beleeve in Christ crucified but we rejoyce in Christ crucified Gal. 6.14 God forbid that I should rejoyce but in the crosse unto me and I unto the world this Crosse I oppose against all my feares afflictions and temptations and persecutions against all that ever can come I am crucified to the world and the world to me because the Lord hath dyed for me Lastly this is a matter of excellent comfort to Gods children for hereby we may discerne the infinite worthinesse of the death of Christ and the infinite preciousnesse of his death Why was the death of Christ so precious why because it was the death of Christ the Lord not the death of Christ as he was man but of Christ the Lord of life and glorie When wee consider that so many thousand shall be saved wee thinke with our selves how shall these bee saved why the infinite blood of the Lord is sufficient for us al this death being the Lords death it must needs be of force and power and vertue and merit to procure mercy and grace and forgivenesse of sinnes to all those that have a true faith and doe earnestly endeavour and desire to be conformable to this death of Christ The end of the sixteenth Lecture THE SEVENTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER NOw wee are to proceed as God shall inable us in the handling of the 26. verse of the 11. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians because this afternoones exercise we must spend in the matter of preparation against the next Sabbath for the receiving of the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as ye shall eate this bread and drink this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till hee come We divided this Scripture as you may remember into these two parts first an action to bee performed in the former part of the verse namely the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper set forth here by the name of eating this bread and drinking this cup. Secondly the caution that this action is to bee performed withall that we have in the latter part of the verse ye shew forth the Lords death till he come In this caution in the latter part of the verse we observed the caution it selfe namely to shew forth the Lords death secondly the often using or the often observing of this caution For though that be not here expressed yet it is to be supplyed out of the former part of the verse and is in common understanding to be read thus As often as ye shall eat this bread and drinke this cup so often yee shew forth the Lords death till he come Thirdly and lastly here is the continuance of it how long this is to continue why till the end of the world till the day of Iudgement till the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ ye shew forth the Lords death till he come In the caution first we observed the matter that is to be remembred that is the Lords death then secondly we told you here wee must consider of the manner of the remembring of it how must it be remembred by a shewing forth by a lively and a kinde of sensible expressing of it yee shew forth the Lords death till he come Concerning the matter to bee remembred namely the Lords death there wee shewed you first what is meant by the death of the Lord namely both the act of his death in respect of himselfe and likewise the benefit of his death in respect of us for that also must be remembred in the receiving of the Sacrament Then when as it is said here it is the Lords death I shewed you that howsoever Christ as he was Lord could not dye yet notwithstanding the death that Christ did suffer is rightly called the death of the Lord because Christ being man was also God and Lord yet by reason of the union of both these natures in one and the same person therefore that which is proper to Christ as he is man is rightly affirmed of him as being God and Lord. And thence we drew this observation in that it is here called the Lords death namely that howsoever Christ Iesus was cruelly and shamefully crucified and put to a most cruel and ignominious death upon the Crosse as ever any man could bee put unto yet notwithstanding even in that state of his death he was the Lord and shewed himself to be the glorious Lord of heaven and earth It followes now that we are to goe on Wee have spoken hitherto touching the Lords death as it is considered absolutely in it selfe we are yet further to speake of the Lords death by way of application or by way of reference of it to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for so you see here the Apostle speakes of it respectively unto this Supper As often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come where by it is plaine that looke what the Apostle speakes here concerning the Lords death the same is confined expressety to the reference of the Lords death to the Lords Supper we must alwayes remember the death of the Lord Christ Iesus every one of us that looke to have any part or to have any benefit by it must remember it at all times but yet when as we come to communicate in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper then there is required of us a more speciall meditation thereof than generally at other times Again even in the participation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we must meditate upon whole Christ Christ borne Christ living Christ dying Christ buried Christ risen againe for Christ was given wholly for us upon the Crosse and Christ is given wholly unto us in the Lords Supper and therfore there we must receive Christ wholly and meditate upon whole Christ I but yet in this case when wee come to receive the Sacrament then wee must more meditate and our hearts and our mindes must more runne upon the death of Christ than upon any thing else that ever Christ did or suffered for us it is the death
of Iesus Christ expressing it lively the bread is a sollide substance so is the body of Christ the bread is the food of our bodies the strengthening of our hearts the staffe of our life in the state of nature here is a lively representation to spirituall minded men that the body of Iesus Christ is the spirituall food of our soules the strength of the hidden man of our hearts it is the staffe of the life of God in the state of grace to every true beleever and so likewise the wine shewes forth the blood of Christ the Wine is a liquid substance so is the blood of Christ but principally the sweetnesse of the smell of the wine the pleasantnesse of the taste of the wine the comfortable cheerfulnesse of the wine whereby it doth glad our hearts this is a most lively expressing unto us of the blood of Christ Iesus this shewes unto a spirituall minded man if this wine be so sweet and pleasant and comfortable oh what a sweet savour hath the blood of Iesus Christ oh what a pleasant relish is there in the blood of Iesus Christ oh what comfort and cheerfulnesse is there in the blood of Iesus Christ to every distressed and beleeving soule that can finde and feele these things within himselfe this they doe single each by it selfe now put both these together as both of them are tendred together to us in the Sacrament then here is a full refreshing set forth unto us that there is a full refreshing to every beleeving soule in the death of the Lord Iesus Christ so much for the signes Secondly concerning the actions in the Sacrament both on our Saviours part and likewise on our our part on our Saviours part he tooke the bread and brake it what is that to say but as if our Saviour should say Doe you see mee breake this bread thus thus is my body broken for you so for the cup when hee tooke the bread and brake it he distributed and gave it among them here is a manifest shewing forth of the extension of the death of Christ that the Lord Iesus Christ is the common Saviour of all them that beleeve He tooke the bread saith the Text and hee gave it unto them and so of the cup. Then againe here is an action on our part as our Saviour bid them to take it so wee doe take it wee take the bread we eate it we take the cup wee drinke it what is this but a shewing forth of the death of the Lord except our hands belye our hearts except we be otherwise then we seeme to be when we take the bread and eate it when wee take the wine and drink it we openly professe that wee are of the number of them that take hold on Iesus Christ and doe apply him particularly to the comfort of our owne soules Thirdly the words of institution in the Sacrament the words what are they why first and formost the Text saith He tooke the bread and brake it and bid them to take and eate here you see first he bids us to take it to shew us hee intended that his body is ours and that his death is a sacrifice to God for us whereby our sins are satisfied for and whereby we are reconciled to God then he saith This is my body he speakes demonstratively and he speakes it by way of an essentiall predication he saith this is my body as if our Saviour should say to every spirituall minded man and woman This Sacrament is as lively a representation of my death as if my body and blood were here crucified and shed before your eyes and so likewise it followes this is my body which is given for you and my blood which is shed for you for the remission of sins here is a full shewing forth of the Lords death here is the Gospell preached at the administration of the Sacrament that the blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sinnes It followes in the last place Doe this in remembrance of me as if our Saviour should say doe this in remembrance of my death for so the Apostle expounds it hee had repeated our Saviours words in the verse going before Doe this in remembrance of me and he comes and expounds it here Doe this in remembrance of my death as if our Saviour should say consider well and advisedly of this Sacrament for this Sacrament is in it selfe a remembrance and a lively memoriall of my death and so you must esteeme of it and so you must make use of it and so to every beleever it shall be made good for all saving purposes Thus you see the doctrine is proved both by the circumstances the substance and the whole frame of the Sacrament that the Sacrament being administred and received according to Gods own ordinance is a fresh and a lively memoriall a sensible representation a through setting forth of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ the reasons of the doctrine are these Reason 1 The first reason is drawne from the nature of the Sacraments the sacraments are as it were glasses wherein we may see and behold the true forme or the true shape or the true likenesse of that which is represented in the glasse a glasse must be both true and cleere it must be true that it may not cast a false shadow upon us not to reflect another manner of shadow than is cast upon it it must bee cleere that the true object that it doth represent may be cleerly and lively represented unto us the sacrament of the Lords Supper is a glasse it must be a true glasse and a cleere glasse what is the object represented by it the principall object of the Lords supper that is resembled unto us in it is the death of Christ then consider the object that is to be seene and beheld in this glasse is the death of Christ the sacrament is a glasse wherein this is to bee beheld a glasse must be true and cleere and therefore the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must cleerly and plainly and lively shew forth the Lords death which is the principall object there to bee considered Againe Sacraments wee know are teaching signes fignes ordained of God that they may bee teachers unto us and teachers you know must speake plainly they must speake teachably they must deliver the matter with a lively voyce so as it may be best knowne discerned and understood and worke instruction in the hearts of those that it is to be learned by the Sacraments are teaching signes the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a teaching signe the lesson that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper teacheth is the death of Iesus Christ and therefore the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must teach the death of Iesus Christ lively and cleerly and so must be a through shewing forth of Christs death Reason 2 A second reason is drawne from the proportion of the word with the Sacrament the word that shewes forth Christ lively
vnto us therefore the Sacrament that shewes forth the death of Christ lively to us too that the word shewes forth the death of Christ lively it appeares Gal. 3.1 Oh ye foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that ye should not beleeve the truth to whom Christ Iesus was before described in your sight and among you crucified The Galathians they never saw Christ crucified in their lives but yet Paul did preach Christ crucified so plainly and so effectually to the Galathians that he did as it were present Christ crucified before their bodily eyes he did so worke by the operation of Gods spirit in his ministery that they had a more sure and plaine apprehension of the death of Christ within them then many of those that stood by and saw him crucified if it be so in the word it is so in the sacrament if the word do so lively represent him the sacrament doth it much more for the sacrament is a visible word that is to say looke whatsoever the word sounds unto us in our eares that the sacrament presents and exhibits before our eyes the sacrament is a visible word now that which I see to bee done before my face is more lively represented unto mee than that which I heare with my eares therefore if the Word describe the death of Christ lively then doth the Sacrament much more Reason 3 The third Reason is drawne from the end of the institution What was the end of the institution of the Sacrament what purpose had our Saviour when he instituted the Sacrament Even this purpose chiefly that he might leave among his Disciples to the end of the world a pledge a token and pawne as the memoriall of his death that he suffered for us the end that Christ aymes at he will not have frustrate that which Christ doth he will doe it throughly If hee come to set fire upon the earth what is his will but it should burne If Christ ordaine a memoriall of his death it shall be a cleare memoriall this Sacrament was ordained of purpose by him for his remembrance Doe this in remembrance of me saith hee therefore it is a lively representation of his death and except wee will impeach either the power or the goodnesse of Christ Iesus as who should say he could not make a lively representation of his death or else he would not we must needs confesse that this Sacrament is as lively a memoriall of his death as ever could be devised I might adde other reasons as namely concerning the state of the New Testament The state of the new Testament requires that all things should be most cleare and most plaine and especially the death of Christ that that should be most clearly represented unto us Zach. 12.10 I will poure forth my Spirit upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem and I will make them that they shall looke upon me whom they have pierced that is behold me as it were with their bodily eyes Now the meaning is that hee shall deale with them to this effect by his Spirit but yet collaterally it reaches also to the Word and Sacraments for if he doe deale with them so by his inward Spirit then the outward meanes must bee answerable so then the reach of the place is to teach us that in the time of the Gospell Christ Iesus shall be represented before our eyes and this shall bee by the Spirit of God in our hearts but still it must bee understood that the Word and Sacraments must be answerable hereunto and therefore the Word and Sacraments must represent Christ Iesus unto us as clearly as if hee were nailed upon the Crosse before our eyes Vse 1 The Vses of the Doctrine are these The first Vse is this First here is matter of instruction calling upon us for many good duties that the consideration of this doctrine should raise us up to performe Is it so that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is such a lively representation such a fresh memoriall of the death of Iesus Christ then this should teach us that our private and publike preparation before wee come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I say our publike but especially our private preparation should be such as may bee answerable unto that businesse that we have in hand and seeing when we come to the Lords Table wee come to behold Christ here before us as it were with our bodily eyes in the outward signes and with the eyes of our mindes under and within those veiles therefore every one of us must labour so to be fitted and so prepared before we come hither that we may be worthy and profitable beholders of Christ crucified and worthy receivers of the mysteries and benefits of his precious death Take this for your rule and remember it well and let this bee practised if not in the same kinde yet in the like whensoever wee have a purpose to come to the Lords Table let us still have our hearts meditating upon Christs death all the weeke long but especially over-night and that morning that we are to receive let us labour carefully to endue and informe our selves with the thoughts of the death of Iesus Christ How should that be why reade some good booke of that argument especially reade the Booke of all Bookes I mean the Booke of God if thou canst not reade get another to reade it to thee read the 53. of Esay there we may see how lively he sets before us the death of Christ long before Christ himselfe felt the smart of it and so proceed to reade the story of his death in one of the Euangelists as Matthew Marke Luke or Iohn as all are very pregnant for that purpose and we know that howsoever there bee some men that have set forth this argument very worthily yet all of them come farre short of one line of the Holy Ghost one chapter in the Booke of God being well understood shall doe us more good being seriously meditated upon than all other Books besides I say reade the Chapters of the story of the death of Christ and as thou readest them take them to heart and pause deliberately upon them and consider of them well and pray to God to imprint the same into thy heart by the finger of his Spirit and if thus thou doest from one Communion to another thou shalt finde through Gods blessing that whensoever thou commest to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper thou shalt there see thy Saviour most clearly but if thou be not carefull thus to meditate of Christ before-hand thou shalt be but an unprofitable receiver and beholder of these mysteries I will make the matter somewhat cleare by a comparison If there were a Martyr to suffer for the profession of the Gospell two men having knowne him before goe together to see his death the one of them knows him but a little and hath heard of the cause only in some generall termes but the other hath more neere
acquaintance with him and hath better informed himselfe of him and was by when he was arraigned and heard his arraignment and his inditement and all the passages of the businesse and what was alledged against him by his accusers and what he answered for himselfe and why the sentence of death was passed against him which of these two men shall be most affected with the death of this Martyr Out of question hee that was so lately acquainted with his arraignment and his inditement and with the whole cause of his death the death of that Martyr shall strike much into this mans heart and worke soundly upon him whereas the other man which knew of him but in generall shall bee moved with it but little or nothing at all So it is in this case when wee come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wee come to behold Iesus Christ executed and put to death to every spirituall receiver in a spirituall manner to reade the story concerning the death of Christ to meditate upon those things conscionably and religiously with a desire to profit by them it is as if so bee a man should have stood by when Christ was arraigned and indited and heard what was spoken against him and what sentence was passed upon him For when the Holy Ghost pennes a story he will pen it throughly and if we lay downe our hearts to be wrought upon by the power of the Word wee shall finde such a powerfull working by it that it shall bee more effectuall to us than it wee had beene there present to have seene the death of Christ So then by reading the story before-hand wee being as it were present with him at his arraignment and inditement thinke with your selves whether this will not be a notable meanes to make the death of Iesus Christ effectual unto us in the Sacrament and if we looke for any benefit by the Sacrament let us come with this preparation before-hand Iohn 13.19 Christ saith I tell you these things before-hand that when ye see these things come to passe ye might beleeve He speakes there partly concerning his death the words that Christ spake concerning his owne death hee puts upon his Disciples before-hand that when it did come to passe they might beleeve this would bee a meanes to cherish faith in them and to make them beleeve it the better so if wee come to the Sacrament reade the Word of God that part of the Word that principally concernes the death of Christ and meditate upon that which Christ hath told us of before-hand that so we might beleeve it and this will bee a notable meanes through Gods blessing to make us that we shall beleeve that the death of Christ is ours and that it is effectuall for our redemption The second Vse for instruction is this Is it so that the Sacrament is such a lively representation of the death of Christ then this teacheth us that the publike cariage of the whole businesse of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must be framed and fashioned so as it may make most for the lively setting forth of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ and herein are many duties required of us The first duty of all is this the Word is to be preached that so the people may understand and know that which belongs to God and to their owne salvation else it will bee but a blinde Sacrament but especially the Gospell the voice of the Gospell namely the free remission of sins by the blood of Iesus Christ that is to be pressed upon them againe and againe that they may be stirred up in their affections to esteeme and receive it graciously it is a course that God hath used in all Sacraments still to joyne together with the Sacraments the Word preached Before the sacrament of Circumcision was administred the Word was taught so likewise the Passeover as is cleare in Exod. 12.35 It is noted there that when their children should come to aske what was this Passeover Tell them saith God that this is the memoriall of the great deliverance of their fathers many hundred yeares before out of the bondage of Aegypt So likewise Christ saith in the Sacrament of Baptisme Goe teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Matth 28. He doth not say Goe and baptize and let teaching alone but Goe teach there is the ground and foundation and then he builds upon it the administration of the Sacrament Goe teach and baptize in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost If teaching be not joyned with the Sacrament it is but a dumbe sacrament if men should come here to the sacrament of the Lords supper and be not taught what it meanes and what belongs to it it should be with them as it was with the Israelites Exod. 16.15 That saw Manna like Coriander seed the Text saith they knew not what it was but when Moses came and said This is the bread that God gave them from heaven now they come to relish it So when we come to this sacrament and see the bread and the wine except we be indued with the knowledge of Christ and we understand Christ and him crucified know the nature of the sacrament wee shall not know what to make of it but if the Word be preached then we beginne to grow to some understanding and some life in the businesse and to relish this Sacrament as the spirituall Manna the heavenly food of our soules Secondly as the word must be preached so likewise confession of Faith ought to made Generally here amongst us wee make confession of our Faith by the tendring of our bodies but indeed the confession of our faith ought to be published before the receiving of the Lords supper this is a right shewing forth of the Lords death Marke it the Apostle saith yee shew forth the Lords death hee speakes not to the Ministers onely but to the people yee shew forth therfore they should make some publike confession that they beleeve in Christ Iesus And this is a matter that tends much to the setting forth of the death of Christ Thirdly Prayers are to be made for therein likewise wee shew the death of Iesus Christ First there must be confession of our sins and wee must search into our hearts and lives narrowly and throughly and the more we search into them the more clearely we shall see Christ his death Together with confession of sinnes wee must use supplication and petition calling earnestly upon God for Christ his sake which thus was crucified for us that hee would forgive us our sinnes in his blood and this will give great light to the setting forth of the death of Christ and then also thankesgiving must be given to the Lord we must thanke and praise God that it hath pleased him so to set his love upon us as to give his Sonne to die for us cursed and miserable sinners as we are
in memorie Marke the words of the Apostle there whereby you are saved saith hee if you continue and keepe in memory those things except yee have beleeved in vaine As if the Apostle should say they that are saved by the death of Christ they continue in the death of Christ they keepe the death of Christ alwaies in memory otherwise they beleeve in vaine they professe faith but it is but a shew of faith without this there is no true saving faith in them at all In 2 Tim. 2.8 The Apostle chargeth Timothy Remember saith hee What should hee remember that Christ Iesus made of the seede of David was raised againe from the dead according to the Scripture The Apostle covertly and joyntly under the name of Iesus Christ his Resurrection presseth upon Timothy the remembrance of the death of Christ Remember saith hee Christ crucified The Apostle had exhorted Timothy before that hee should suffer affliction like a valiant souldier that hee should looke to his ministery and fulfill that with a good conscience but whatsoever hee did or whatsoever hee suffered still hee must remember Christs death and his rising againe from the dead And see what a preparative the Apostle gives to Timothy in the Verse going before Consider what I say and the Lord give thee understanding in all things By that preparative that hee gives to Timothie in the seventh verse he would raise him up to a more serious remembring of the death of Christ in the eight verse as that being the weightiest duty of all other the Apostle Paul gives himselfe for example in this case both in his preaching and likewise in his practice see it in his preaching 1 Cor. 2.2 I esteeme to know nothing save Christ Iesus and him crucified as if the Apostles heart and minde where wholy possessed and wholy swallowed up with the thoughts of Christ crucified or with the thoughts of the death of Iesus Christ that his tongue could runne upon nothing so readily as upon that and so likewise in his practice In the 2 Cor. 4.10 Every where saith the Apostle we beare about in our bodies the dying of the Lord Iesus Christ The Apostles remēbrance of the death of CHRIST was not such as ours commonly is a bare contemplation of him a bare thinking of his death but it was such as ours should bee a practicall feeling of it a practicall remembring of it certaine sensible effects in his body by affliction or by persecution still minding him of the death of Christ Wee beare about in our bodies saith hee the dying of the Lord Iesus and this was not onely for a time but it was continually so with them so saith the Text Every where doe we beare about in us the dying of the Lord Iesus The word in the originall signifies altogether that is to say at all times and in all places in all places wheresoever we come still wee beare about in our bodies the dying of the Lord Iesus Christ Every day and houre that goes over our heads still we beare about us the dying of our Lord Iesus that shall suffice concerning the proofe of this out of Scripture Now let us come to handle some Reasons of it the Reasons of it are these Reason 1 The first Reason is this why must the death of Christ be had alwayes in continuall remembrance of those that professe his name and embrace his Religion Why Christ himselfe hee alwayes remembers us ever did ever doth and ever will and therefore shall not wee alwayes remember him In Exod. 28.12 there you shall finde how that the two Onyx stones wherein were written the names of the Children of Israel they were to be put upon the shoulders of Aarons Ephod the Text saith in remembrance of the Children of Israel because that Aaron did beare the names of the Children of Israel alwayes in remembrance before the Lord. That was a type and a shadow here is the substance Christ Iesus is our Aaron the true High-Priest there spoken of that hath all the names of the faithfull written alwayes in his memory and carries them alwayes as it were upon his shoulder still presenting all his chosen before the Lord Hee alwayes remembring us remembring us in his whole life remembring us specially at his death for then he paid dearest for us now that being gone away frō us in regard of his bodily presence yet still hee remembers us and makes continuall intercession for us before the Lord Shall our vile persons being so gracelesse alwayes bee remembred by the Lord Iesus Christ and shall not the Lord Iesus Christ and his precious death bee alwayes and continually remembred by all of us Hearken what the Spouse saith in Cantic 2.6 compared with Cant. 1.12 in Cantic 2.6 the Spouse there speaking of Christ her welbeloved saith that his left hand is under my head and his right hand doth direct me Cantic 1.12 My beloved is as a bundle of mirr he unto me he shall lye betweene my breasts This Spouse is every beleeving soule every true beleeving soule When once we doe enter into a due consideration how dearly we are beloved of our Husband Christ that hee layes his left hand under our heads and embraceth us with his right hand that he still remembers us and nourisheth and cherisheth us then doe we presently fall into a holy resolution that surely wee will be kinde to him seeing he is so kinde to us and he being so kinde to us as alwaies to cherish us and remember us therefore we will remember him he shal rest and lie betweene our breasts we will alwayes make his death our continuall meditation and remembrance If an ordinary man should die for us that we by his death might escape and bee acquitted from death would not our hearts in common and naturall kindnesse evermore be running upon this mans death Surely it would Why then seeing the Lord IESVS CHIST hath interposed himselfe in our stead and dyed for us and by his death hath acquitted us from that death which wee should have suffered why should not our hearts and mindes bee alwayes running upon him and upon his death Some may say May I not remember Christ aright though I remember not his death I answer thou canst not remember Christ except thou remember his death for hee hath purchased his Church by his death and look what interest thou hast in him or he in thee it is onely by the death of Christ and therefore thou canst not remember him savingly without thou remember his death and have it graven within thy heart Can a woman forget her Child that she hath travelled for and endured so much paine for Can the Lord Iesus Christ forget us that hath endured so much paine for us farre greater then the travell of a woman No it is impossible Christ Iesus cannot forget us at any time therefore seeing Christ Iesus ever did remember us and ever doth and ever will and it is impossible that hee should
mortified and killed within us In this state of humiliation that we are in there is nothing so powerfull and effectuall to kill sinne as the death of Iesus Christ in this state we must be fitted still and prepared to the glory that shall be revealed the thoughts of the death of Iesus Christ continually meditated upon are an excellent preparation for us to glory for if we remember the death of Christ affectionately as we ought wee suffer with him and therefore we shall be sure to raigne with him wee are dead with him and therefore also shall live with him these thoughts being so sutable and agreeable to our present estate therefore the remembrance of Christs death must alwaies bee present with us The uses of the doctrine are these Vse 1 the first use is this here is matter of reproofe this serves then to reprove two sorts of people First it serves to reprove the prophane and carnall gracelesse wretches of the world that will never enter into any serious thoughts of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ if so be that to blaspheme Christs death to blaspheme Christs blood to make mentiō of it in their fearfull oathes damnable protestations if that be to remember Christs death they remember it often enough oftner then they are able to justifie but as for any holy religious reverent devout and saving remembrance of Christs death that they never enter into no they seek all the means they can take all the courses that ever they can to turne such thoughts out of their hearts such thoughts are too sad and too sorrowfull for them they cannot endure them take a man that lies wholy in his sinne hee had as lieve thinke upon hell as upon the death of Iesus Christ soundly and seriously as he ought to doe but let such gracelesse wretches know that for this they shall never bee had in remembrance before the Lord for any mercy because they doe not remember the death of Christ wherein alone mercy is tendered to mankind Secondly it serves to reprove some of our nice and sluggish professors that content themselves now and then with the thoughts of the death of Iesus Christ happily when they come to the Lords Table happily when any affliction or cross or extremity comes upon them when they have any pang or torment of conscience comes unto them for their sinnes then happily they will entertaine the remembrance and the thoughts of Christs death but they cannot endure to make it their continuall taske which is the duty here prest upon us these men must know that God doth not love to be served by spirts and fits whatsoever we doe in the service of God let us doe it soundly and constantly God cannot endure such service as theirs is God requires intire obedience that we should obey him in all our courses and that at all times especially when just occasion of any duty is offered unto us Now then seeing just occasion is daily offered that wee should alwaies bee meditating and our hearts running upon the death of Iesus Christ therefore God requires it at our hands that wee should alwaies remember it this fire should never go out of our hearts it must glow and burne within us night and day It is fit that Gods children should have some set time when they should enter into a serious meditation of the death of Christ and yet not to thinke our selves acquitted if we doe it onely then but that that should prepare us to remember it ever after as we shewed before in our bodily repast A second use of this doctrine is this Vse 2 here is matter of tryall for us whereby wee may know our selves whether we be in the right way or no whether we doe truly professe the faith of Christ as we ought to doe all of us professe Christs religion wee know wee can have no part in Christ except we have part in the death of Christ and we know we can have no part in his death except it be remembred of us and applyed unto us in our continuall meditation therefore let us conclude this that so many of us as professe religion if wee doe not apply the death of Christ to our selves from time to time by due meditation whatsoever wee professe surely wee professe in vaine and this will be a witnesse against us that we are not the true children of God if so be that you would learne how you might come to know whether you have the right remembrance of the death of Iesus Christ within you learne it by these two or three markes see it in the morning when you awake doe you finde your hearts seasoned with good thoughts of the death of Iesus Christ with thoughts concerning forgivenesse and mortification and reconciliation to GOD and likewise if you have these thoughts or the like at night when you goe to bed this is a certaine evidence that your soules are seasoned with the death of Iesus Christ againe when we are in the duties of our calling all the day long we must still have our hearts lifted up and setled upon the death of Christ and our thoughts must be running upon our justification and our sanctification and our conformity to the death of Christ yea in our very mirth we must still preferre Ierusalem when we are in our greatest mirth in our honest recreations for those that are unhonest there is no hope of any spirituall comfort in them but in our honest recreations doe we prefere the death Iesus Christ before all those things that wee for a while doe solace our selves withall especially in the use of the meanes of salvation in the hearing of the Word the receiving of the Sacrament When we come to heare the Word do we finde in our selves a desire to be drawn on to see Christ crucified before our eyes When wee come to the receiving of the Sacrament is it our chiefe practice to remember Christ crucified affectionately and to have our hearts throughly seasoned with the power of his death these bee undoubted signes and assurances unto us that wee have our part in the death of Christ Vse 3 A third use is matter of exhortation for us Ministers teaching us that we should still labour to sprinkle all our speeches private and publike with some matter concerning the death of Christ with some matter concerning Christ crucified it was almost the whole doctrine of the Apostle still to preach Christ crucified but the use doth concerne all both Ministers and people therefore this should stirre up every one of us both Ministers and people that we should labour to make the thoughts and the remembrance of the death of Christ to be ordinary with us to bee familiar with us still make that as familiar with us as ever possibly we can in all our courses let us remember the death of Christ if wee remember that soundly then it shall goe well with us whatsoever befals us that we may bee the
better inabled and the more quickned to the performance of this duty First I will give you a taste of the meanes whereby wee may attaine to make the death of Christ so familiar to us and then I will shew the benefits that we shall receive hereby if we conscionably travell in this course The means of it are these in few words If we would have the death of Christ familiar unto us we must be sure that we doe never passe it over with a sleight meditation but let it be soundly taken to heart doe not thinke upon it as an ordinary common thing but conceive of it as a matter that doth concerne us and our good most of all let us thinke upon the death of Christ in that which he suffered and endured in his soule and body for our sinnes how hard it went with him in the Garden when hee sweat water and blood when his soule was heavy even unto death and how much more harder it went with him when hee was upon the Crosse when he said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me That he that was in singular favour with God should be made the very marke of Gods wrath to light upon that he who was the worlds Redeemer should bee exposed to the obloquy and reproch of the whole world that he who was the Lord of heaven and earth should be now in the hands of the powers of darknesse wee should yearne in our very bowels and be much troubled in our inmost affections at the thoughts of these things Secondly we must be frequent in the use of the meanes in the hearing of the Word in the receiving of the Sacrament and prayer for by this meanes wee shall make this death of Christ our owne there God tenders unto us the death of Christ let us come thither with hearts desirous ready and willing to receive it and there we shall be sure to have it Let it be our reach in all these duties to have an eye upon the death of Iesus Christ seeking to have that soundly fixed and fastened upon us whatsoever we faile in else still let that above all other sticke most close to us Then againe wee must labour to worke the remembrance of Christs death into our affections this is the right memory of heavenly things when the heart affects them the heart will surely remember that which it doth much affect When I see any thing that causeth deepe affection within me either much sorrow or much joy or the like I will remember that soundly then let us labour to worke the remembrance of the death of Christ into our affections let it still worke love in us because Christ loved us to die for us and let it worke hatred in us against sinne because it was sinne that brought him to his death and let it worke sorrow in us that he should bee so cruelly murthered and put to death for us And let it worke rejoycing in us that wee for our parts by his death are saved and by his stripes are healed Let the death of Christ worke these affections in us and then it shall be our owne never to forget it Lastly let us put our selves to the power and the rule and the directions of it let us suffer our selves to be swayed by the death of Iesus Christ in all our courses let it beare rule with us the counsell that our Saviour gives in the like case Iohn 7.17 If any doe my will the same shall know my doctrine any Christian that labours to be well acquainted with any duty the best way to bee acquainted with it is to labour for the obedience to that duty so if wee would remember Christ his death then let us labour to submit our selves to the power and obedience of it Whatsoever we doe let us examine it whether it be agreeable to the death of Christ if it be not then to say with our selves wee will not doe it though we may gaine all the world by it these are the meanes whereby wee may attaine to the habit of this grace namely to the continuall remembring of the death of Christ Iesus a saving remembrance The other point is the benefits that hereby will arise unto us If wee remember continually the death of Christ in our hearts we shall have many and great blessings The first blessing is this By this means we shall have a Book alwayes ready in our bosome alwaies a book about us to teach us every Christian duty for the death of Iesus Christ is such a Booke that will instruct us in every duty that belongs unto us To give you an instance in two or three Would you learne humility and meeknesse looke into the death of Christ Philip 2.5 6. that shall be sufficient to teach you humility and meeknesse and obedience Would you learne patience the death of Christ is a book to teach you patience Heb. 12.1 2 3. Looke to the author and finisher of your faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse and despised the shame c. consider him therefore that yee faint not Would you learne love to the brethren Christ his death teacheth you this duty in the highest degree 1 Iohn 3.16 If Christ so loved us that he laid downe his life for us then how ought wee also to lay downe our lives for the brethren Lastly to deny our selves is a speciall lesson that all Christians are to learne this is effectually taught us by the death of Christ 1 Pet. 4.1 2. Christ hath suffered in the flesh that we should not live to our selves but to him and this is a lively teacher if the death of Iesus Christ be soundly layd up in thy heart it will both teach thee the duties to bee performed and also inable thee to performe them A second benefit is this thou shalt have wonderfull peace and unspeakable comfort from God by this meanes Our sinnes they accuse us our consciences they accuse us the devill hee accuseth us daily before the Lord O but if thou have a remembrance of the death of Christ in thy heart there is a Supersedeas for them all that pacifies and appeaseth them all and that is a generall release and acquittance from all that ever they can charge thee withall Thirdly we shall have much spirituall growth and increase by the word and the Sacrament and much spirituall growth if once our hearts be seasoned with the death of Christ What doth the word and the sacrament teach but the death of Christ that is the substance of them all Then if once the death of Christ be grafted in thy heart before Oh with what comfort and chearfulnesse and with what great profit shalt thou heare the word and receive the sacrament When our stomacke hath some liking to our meate and our meate hath some affinitie to our stomacke then there is a quicke digesture Why so if so bee our hearts be seasoned with the death of Christ why then
beleeuers Math. 26.28 This is my Blood shed for you for the remission of sinnes it was the shedding of his Blood it is the remission of our sinnes the smart was his the sweetnesse is ours he is wounded we are cured he is punished we are acquitted he dyes for vs and by his death we are made aliue Thirdly and lastly the acceptablenesse to God it was infinitely pleasing to God his Father there is God and Christ and Man Christ enduring the bitternesse of death Man redeemed and deliuered by it God himselfe therewithall infinitely pleased Man had sinned and thereby enthralled himselfe to Death and Hell and Damnation and except he be redeemed he perisheth without recouerie God was offended and his wrath did burne like fire against Mankind for their sinnes and except he be pacified they are all damned without mercie Christ Iesus came and tooke our Nature vpon him and dyed for our sinnes and by the bitternesse hath redeemed vs and pacified God His offering himselfe for vs was a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God Ephes 5.2 Alwayes the beloued Sonne of God but then best-beloued if we may esteeme according to our apprehension when he was performing the highest and vtmost act of his filiall obedience Obedient to the death euen to the death of the Crosse Phil. 2.8 When is a Child best-beloued of his Father but when he is most obedient The Lord was alwayes well-pleased in him Math. 3.17 but then most of all if we may iudge by the effects when he was vpon the Crosse for then and thereby was the Lord well-pleased thorough him with all the Faithfull Col. 1.20 the Lord then smelling a sauour of rest whereby as in the dayes of Noah Gen. 8.21 he was pacified towards the World Spices are sweetest when they are broken and pounded and so was Christ when his Body was broken and pounded vpon the Crosse And as when Mary brake the Boxe of Oyntment the whole House was filled with the fauour of it Iohn 12.3 So when Christ who was full of good Oyntments Cant. 1.2 had his Body broken on the Crosse Heauen and Earth were filled with the sweet sauour thereof and many reasons may be alleaged why it should be so well pleasing to God First it was Gods pleasure and ordinance that Christ should dye for vs and he ordained it in the heighth of his loue to vs God so loued the world c. And he cannot chuse but be infinitely pleased with his owne worke specially the worke of his greatest loue Secondly he delights not in the death of a sinner but rather that they should be conuerted and liue therefore this being the Life and Saluation of sinfull beleeuers it must needs be delightfull and pleasing to God Thirdly it was as it were Gods owne Blood Act. 20.28 For howsoeuer God is not as Man made of Flesh and Blood yet the Person of Christ who was our Mediator being God and Man the Blood that came from him as he was Man by reason of the personall Vnion of both Natures in that his owne Person may iustly be said to be the Blood of God and how can it chuse but the Blood of God should be infinitely pleasing to God Lastly it must make amends for all the sinnes of all Beleeuers now all our sinnes euen the best of them are maruailous filthy and loathsome before the Lord our verie righteousnesse is as a filthy Clout before the pure Eyes of Gods Iustice and therefore there being so many Beleeuers to be saued and euerie Beleeuer hauing so many sinnes and euerie sinne being so loathsome and odious before the Lord it must needs be a verie sweet Sacrifice that must take away all that filthinesse and that obedience must needs be infinitely pleasing to God which makes perfect satisfaction and recompence for our infinite sinnes Now if it be so sweet and infinitely pleasing to God shall we neglect it Or come like Stockes and Stones vnto it without feeling and without life without a liuely and a sensible apprehension of the infinite excellencie of this sweet smelling Sacrifice Let vs stirre vp our selues to esteeme reuerently of it as it well deserues and to take delight in it as God delights in it and accordingly let vs be fitted to the celebration and memoriall of it in this Sacrament In my vnfained affection therefore to the Lord and our Sauiour Iesus Christ and to his precious Death and Blood-shedding so bitter to himselfe so comfortable to vs so pleasing to God that the honour thereof may be rightly and worthily aduanced in our Hearts as at all times so especially in the liuely commemoration of it in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I haue vndertaken this taske of preparation earnestly desiring that the precious death of the Lord Iesus Christ may be preciously and graciously entertained answerable in some measure to the excellent worthinesse of that great Mysterie Let vs therefore labour to make some vse of these things Let vs consider first that it is one of the greatest parts of our Christian dutie to be well instructed and furnished for this Sacrament Secondly what daunger it is to our Soules if we come vnprepared for then we eat and drinke our owne damnation when we are eating and drinking the Diuell is blind-folding of vs and carrying our Soules to Hell Thirdly let vs looke withall to Gods glorie Is God most glorified by this Then let vs be best prepared to it Lastly let vs consider the preciousnesse of the death of Christ the greatest worke that euer was performed since the World began that Christ the Sonne of God should shed his Blood for the sinne of Man It ought therefore to be prepared vnto with much eleuation and with much affection of mind And when we haue it before our Eyes and come to shew forth the Lords death we must bring with vs all preparation reuerence faith and eleuation that we can by Prayer or any good endeuour attaine vnto and we must further consider the bitternesse of the death of Christ and must come as if then we were to be crucified with him euerie one of vs that looke for a part in his death for the forgiuenesse of sinnes the bitternesse of his death must goe to our Hearts we must looke vnto him whom we haue pierced by our sinnes with mourning Eyes and drouping Hearts and then we must consider how comfortable this his death is to vs it is the greatest blessing that euer can befall vs in this World Life Remission of Sinnes Saluation and what not It is all in all Lastly consider how infinitely pleasing it is to God and know that if it be so pleasing to him if we prophane it he will be infinitely displeased with vs. Let these things therefore stirre vs vp to a reuerent partaking of this holy Mystery Thus you haue some seasoning before hand see how you can profit by it in the weeke you haue some-what now to put you in mind what you are
with an eie and respect to his Death on the Crosse his Body broken his Blood shed yet notwithstanding that is not all we are not to stay there but it hath a further reach otherwise those that stood by our Sauiour Christ when he was crucified put the case that one of them had sprinkled his Body with the Blood of Christ should he haue had a Communion then with Christ Certainly no. Therefore our Faith must reach further and not stay in the Body and Blood of Christ but it must reach to the fruit and comfort that comes thereby to sanctification and eternall life For so Christ spake Math. 26.28 This is my Blood which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes Consider of Christ his Death his Body broken his Blood shed we must haue a further reach to discerne the sauing fruits and benefits of his Death as forgiuenesse of sinnes sanctification and eternall life So then we see what is meant by the Body and Blood of Christ The Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ Now the third point to be spoken of is the manner of the performing and accomplishment of those things in the Sacrament or Supper of the Lord. We must vnderstand it to be thus performed that is to say that this Communion with Christ or the Communion that we haue among our selues we must not so vnderstand it as if it were begun or made but so performed as according to the nature of the Sacrament will reach vnto it that is to say it is there confirmed ratified and sealed vp vnto vs the Body and Blood of Christ is communicated vnto vs by the way of Seale of Pledge of Ratification the Sacraments doe not beget Faith in vs but they confirme Faith where it is begotten already Rom. 4.11 After he receiued the signe of Circumcision as the Seale of the righteousnesse of Faith which he had when he was vncircumcised c. The Sacrament that comes and seconds it and ratifies it vnto vs. Then here is the case at our first conuersion when God gaue vs an effectuall calling God drawed vs neere to himselfe and worked Faith in vs and touched our Hearts by his Spirit and so makes this holy Communion betweene Christ and vs and so makes vs one with him and he with vs. Well Faith being thus begotten in vs by the preaching of the Word the Vnion being thus made then God admits vs to his Table to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the point now in hand He admits vs there that so this Communion already made betweene Christ and vs might be further confirmed and ratified The Sacrament doth this not as an efficient cause but as an outward instrumentall cause It is not done by the deed done as the Papists say the deed done is not enough to conferre grace no it is no such matter the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ The meanes that Gods children are conuerted by and effectually called is the Word thereby Faith is wrought in them and a holy Communion made betweene Christ and them after they are admitted to the participation of the Sacrament by which Sacrament as an outward instrumentall cause this Communion being already begun and made is further ratified and confirmed This is the meaning of those words that it is the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ Now we come to the obseruations that here ariseth for our instruction First concerning the Communion betweene Christ and the Faithfull and then the Communion between the Faithfull and themselues The Communion that is betweene Christ and the Faithfull is confirmed vnto vs in the participation of the Lords Supper that is it is an effectuall Bond Pledge and Seale of that holy and blessed Communion that the Faithfull haue with Christ and Christ with them In Math. 26.26 the Text saith there that our Sauiour tooke Bread and gaue it to his Disciples that is Christ communicated himselfe to vs in the Sacrament Now we are to proue that Christ communicated himselfe to vs in the Sacrament He gaue it to his Disciples what freer then the guift And withall he presseth it vpon them and bids them take eat this is my Body What can be spoken more frankly and more freely And therefore being spoken by him that neuer spake any thing that he meant not in his Heart it must needs be a verie franke and free bestowing of himselfe Yet as you will say here is Bread and here is Wine frankly and freely giuen but what is this to Christ his owne Body Yes that Bread in a Sacramentall sence is the Body of Christ he giues the name of the Signe to the thing signified this Bread is his Body whatsoeuer he speakes and performes concerning the one he doth concerning the other He was not so franke free and liberall in giuing Bread as he was in giuing his Body to feed vpon So the like is concerning the Cup in Vers 27.28 First here you see then that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in regard of the first institution is a Bond and Seale of the blessed Communion that we haue with Christ He gaue himselfe to vs. In Iohn 6.51 52. there Christ tels them that He it the liuing Bread which came downe from Heauen if any Man eat of this Bread he shall liue The meaning is that Christ gaue vs his Flesh to eat spiritually In Vers 53. it is said Except ye eat the Flesh of the Sonne of Man and drinke his Blood ye haue no Communion with Christ But that which is most pregnant for our purpose is in Vers 56. where it is said He that eats my Flesh and drinkes my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him What neerer Communion can there be then this that we dwell in him and he in vs Who are they that partake of this He that eats my Flesh and drinkes my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him And is not this his Flesh eaten and his Blood drunken In the participation of the Lords Supper is ratified the sweet Communion that is betweene Christ and vs. I doe not say that that in the sixth of Iohn is vnderstood properly of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper but is mystically applyed to this of eating Christ by Faith and therefore iustly agrees with this of the Lords Supper when we meditate vpon Christs workes in the Sacrament or out of the Sacrament not eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood after a spirituall manner that is in the generall there if we doe this in the vse of the Sacrament we doe it in a particular manner So then it is so in all our spirituall eating of Christ and drinking of his Blood we dwell in him and he in vs then much more in the participation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper when our Faith is lift vp to Christ that we feed vpon him more thoroughly and earnestly and therefore much more doth that place take hold of our
doubt and therefore because we should not be thus perplexed and in despaire he giues vs his Spirit to witnesse to our Spirits that he hath in the Blood of Christ smelt a sweet Sauour of rest that our sinnes are pardoned and we reconciled Againe we may know it by peace of Conscience Rom. 5.1 Being instified by Faith we haue peace towards God He giues vs peace of Conscience when he forgiues vs our sinnes all is then pacified our Consciences which before were like the Surges of the Sea tumultuous and raging are then layd into a sweet calme I doe not say that this shall be alwayes so but we shall know it some times or other and find it to be as the pledge of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and howsoeuer by reason of our sinne and weakenesse that may faile for a time in our sence yet the truth of God stands sure for euer Againe we may know it by the dying of sinne in vs for it is effectuall to kill sinne as the shedding of Christs Blood was the death of himselfe so his Blood is the death of our sinne This is one sure token that our sinnes are pardoned when we find this bond of sinne loosed and that we are set at libertie Vse 2 The second Vse teacheth vs the excellencie of the state of Gods Children that the Faithfull are aduanced to they are freed and haue remission of all their sinnes A Man that liues and lyes in his sinne vnpardoned is in a wofull case his sinne is bound that is he stands obliged therein to abide the danger and penaltie of eternall death and condemnation but when he is once forgiuen his sinne is loosed that is he is loosed from his sinne before he was hampered in the Snares of Sathan in continuall subiection to the terrors of Gods wrath fast held in the Fetters of an accusing Consocience linked in the Chaines of eternall death and condemnation But when God releaseth him he deliuers him from all these he quits him of this bond and breakes it in peeces and sets him free from all danger and not onely so but he bestowes a contrarie state of happinesse vpon him as he deliuers him from the power of Sinne and Sathan so he translates him into the glorious libertie of the Sonnes of God as it is said Thus shall it be done to the Man whom the King will honour So shall it be said of him whom the King of kings shall honour whose sinnes are pardoned in the Blood of Christ Vse 3 Thirdly This serues to reproue the Doctrine of Merit which generally is taught in the Popish Church howsoeuer many of them in priuate conference will not confesse it yet in their life and practise they shew as much There is a perfect contradiction betwixt Mans Merit and forgiuenesse of sinnes Mans Merit is a matter of Iustice Remission of sinnes is a matter of Mercie Mans Merit is a matter of Debt Remission of sinnes is a matter of Grace Mans Merit challengeth Saluation of dutie Remission of sinnes puts it wholly vpon Gods bountie all our Merit is Gods Mercie We thorough Grace are interested into the Merits of Christ without which no manner of Merrit doth concerne Mankind no not the name of it I am perswaded that the Children of God can neuer heare mention of Mans Merit but presently they thinke of eternall condemnation They that thinke they can merit I aske them did they euer sinne or no If they say no they lye For no Man liueth and sinneth not If they say they haue sinned Then I answer before euer they can merit any thing this sinne must first be forgiuen and tell me canst thou merit the pardon of this sinne No that must be remitted in the Blood of Christ for so the Papists themselues will coufesse If thou canst not fatisfie for one sinne much less for many and much lesse canst thou merrit newnesse of Life Grace and Saluation Whosoeuer challengeth this to themselues they detract from God and incroach vpon Christs Office and the power of his Blood which onely is meritorious But if these two could stand together yet they debarre themselues of the benefit of Christs Blood by which comes remission of sinnes So that these magnifiers of the Merit of Man while they thinke they goe the high way to Heauen they tread the high way to Hell and euerlasting destruction Vse 4 The last Vse teacheth vs the singular wisedome of God in working by contrarie meanes by destroying Sinne and Sathan by Death We despightfully shed Christs Blood and yet of this Blood the Lord made a soueraigne Plaster to take away our sinnes The shedding of his Blood was the grossest sinne that euer was heard of and yet see his admirable wisedome that by this he tooke away our sinnes Sinne and Sathan thought to haue destroyed Christ by Death by Death he vanquished and ouer-came them both We crucified him by our sinnes by Death he crucified and ouer-came our finnes We shed his Blood by our sinnes God in mercie and Christ in mercie made it to be a Salue for our Sores Our shedding of his Blood by his ouer-ruling Hand ouercame our wickednesse and was a meanes to take away our sinnes and to saue our Soules The end of the eighth Lecture THE NINTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER THAT you may be fitted and prepared for the worthy receiuing of the Lords Supper the next Saboth day we are now to make digression into the Argument of the Lords Supper Let this course not see me tedious to any nor let it not be vnprofitable to any for if we labour to be prepared and fitted against those dayes we shall receiue that profit and comfort by the Lords Supper that will make vs amends for all our labours We haue entred as you see into a place in Math. 26.28 where the Sacrament is called The Blood of the New Testamens which is shed for many c. I haue shewed you first concerning the New Testament which is the first thing in nature to be handled Secondly haue shewed you concerning the Blood of Christ which is the second thing in nature The third particular is the Remission of sinnes which is the benefit that comes by this New Testament and the Blood of Christ this point was handled last Now remaines the fourth and last particular and that is the Persons that are made partakers of this benefit Remission of sinnes by the Blood of the New Testament This is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many c. Here is no particular description of the Persons by their Place Qualitie Degree Nation State or any such matter of speciall note but onely in a generallitie by their number Many If we confider it well we shall find that it carries the force and intendment of a double exception The first is of restraint Not all but many The second is of inlargement Not few but many First of the exception of restraint Many
of obedience and the want of preparation that we may be fitted to this Sacrament that therein we may discerne Christ and hunger after Grace and receiue both the matter of Iustification and Sanctification is one cause why we want this assurance Vse 4 The last Vse of the Point Seeing it is so that the Sacrament is an effectuall pledge of the whole Couenant of Grace then we that are faithfull receiuers are Iustified and Sanctified Let vs therfore goe our way as our Sauiour saith and sinne no more least a worse thing befall vs. Now we are washed by the Grace of Iustification from our sinnes let vs not like the Swine wallow againe in the mire of finne Now we are loosed from the Fetters and Bonds of sinne from the Intanglement Snares of Sathan let vs not intrap our selues againe let vs not like a gracelesse Prisoner to day deliuered vse such courses as may bring vs to the same condemnation to morrow but esteeme our libertie verie deere and precious We are reconciled to God our debts are payd let vs not run in with him againe so much as in vs lyes but let vs resolue pray and indeauour our selues after the things that concerne our peace thus graciously confirmed vnto vs and auoyd all such as may hinder the same And though we get not the vpper hand of our selues at the first yet in time we shall find a senceable increase of Grace in vs Let vs know if we be faithfull and follow after these things God is faithfull and will make them good vnto vs. The Vse is this That seeing God vouchsafeth this mercy that here is giuen vs a finall acquittance of all our debts and sinnes seeing he giues vs his Promise and Grace and puts a pledge into our Hands that he is our God that he will forgiue vs and remember our iniquities no more seeing he hath promised to write his Law in our Hearts and to put his feare in our inward parts let vs go away changed from the filthinesse of Flesh Spirit let vs wait vpon God rest vpon his Promises let vs know he is faithfull and what he hath promised shall be performed if we beleeue his good words let vs beleeue his deeds if when he saith our sins are pardoned then much more when he giues this Bread Wine as a signe and pledge thereof Thus let vs labor to be fitted against the next Lords day let vs meditate on these things that we may come preparedly vnto this holy Table let vs labour to partake of the Couenant of Grace we may say O Lord how often haue we bin at thy Table and yet neuer the better we neuer vnderstood it before we now find this Sacrament to be of the New Testament a Seale of the whole Couenant of Grace of our Iustification our Sanctification a pledge vnto vs that our sins are pardoned that thou wilt put thy Law into our Hearts wilt write it in our inward parts These things heretofore we haue not considered let vs now take them to Heart repent vs of our former faylings so addresse our selues that we may come with our right Wedding Garment vpon vs and so be welcome into thy presence THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER BEcause of the Sacrament the next Sabboth God willing to be administred we are therefore to spend this Exercise vpon such matter as may make for our fit preparation thereunto for that is the course which hitherto wee haue obserued and which wee propounded in the beginning So that wee are to goe on where wee left the last day of preparation in the sixe and twentieth of Mathew and the latter part of the eight and twentieth Verse This is my Blood of the New Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes We haue shewen the last day how these words are to be vnderstood with refference to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and therein we obserued as you may remember that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is proper and peculiar to the New Testament as here our Sauiours words are This is my Blood of the New Testament Secondly We shewed you that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is an effectuall Seale and Pledge of the whole Couenant of Grace that is to say both of the matter of our Iustification and likewise of the matter of our Sanctification Now we are to speake in the last place touching the Persons here mentioned so farre as they haue their interest in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper so as the things themselues that are here spoken are intended in a double sence First absolutely to the Death of Christ it selfe Secondly respectiuely to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper So the Persons that are here spoken of are to be considered answerably in both these sences First as they haue their interest and part in the Death of Christ And secondly as they haue their part and Interest in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Wee haue spoken of the Persons in the first sence heretofore as they haue their interest in the Death of Christ We are now to speake of them as they haue interest in the Lords Supper and for to furnish this Text so farre forth as it makes for our present purpose The Persons here spoken of as you see are set forth in generall tearmes Many But Luke in his two and twentieth Chapter and the twentieth Verse reports this saying of our Sauiour as being spoken with particular reference and applycation to the Disciples the Persons onely then present at this businesse This is the New Testament in my Blood shed for you Mathew saith for many Luke for you Both one and the same speech of our Saviour and if wee vnderstand them both aright and expound the one of them by the other we shall find a sweet concurring and agreement betwixt the Euangelists themselues and likewise much profitable matter by this their ioynt testimonie concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The Sacrament it selfe in respect of the institution and vse of it is a publike Ordinance that is common to many The whole Church of God and all the Faithfull from time to time are to take the benefit and to make vse of it to the end of the World and that is one part of Mathew's meaning here when he saith for many But the particular administration of this Sacrament at that time when it was first instituted was peculiar to the Disciples onely as they onely then receiuing it and that is some part of Luke's meaning when he saith for you But yet further also wheresoeuer this Sacrament shall be thus in vse and thus administred it must be done in an Assembly Many must be present at it And that is the other part of Mathew's meaning when he saith for many On the other side those Persons to whom it shall be thus administred must receiue it with particular apply cation It must be for you
a Diuel Iohn 6. Iohn 13. why then did he administer the Sacrament vnto him amongst the rest Answ I answer Our Sauiour knew this not as he was a Minister but as he was God and that was not belonging to the Office of his Ministerie but in regard of the power of his Godhead so that it must not be drawne into the Office of his Ministerie because he knew he was a Reprobate yet he deliuered it vnto him We cannot know certainly that any Man is a Reprobate we are to cast him out if he so carrie himselfe till such time he reformes himselfe But our Sauiour as being a Minister knew him not to be reprobate and therefore was not to repell him The Reasons of the Point are these Reas 1 None haue part in Christ but Beleeuers and therefore none must haue part in this Sacrament but Beleeuers None haue right to the signes but they that haue right to the thing signified They that beleeue shall not perish And therefore none ought to communicate but Beleeuers Reas 2 Secondly It is so in the other Sacrament it is to be administred to them that professe Faith Marke 16.16 Acts 8.39 Philip said vnto the Eunuch If thou beleeuest thou mayst be baptized At the least a profession of Faith is required Reas 3 It holds likewise by proportion to the Sacrament of the former Testament in roome whereof this succeeded No Stranger but such as would become formable to the Congregation of the Israelites to partake in it Reas 4 Likewise It holds by proportion to the outward signes None can partake of the outward signes vnlesse they haue Hands and Mouthes and Stomackes to take feed and digest them And so no benefit in the spirituall Grace without the Hand of Faith the Mouth of Faith and the Stomacke of Faith the Hand of Faith to lay hold of it the Mouth of Faith to feed on it and the Stomacke of Faith to digest it No benefit without this and therefore none ought to partake of it but such as haue it Vse 1 The vse is matter of instruction to the Ministers of God that they be choyce and warie in admitting the People to the Lords Table They must haue some good probabilitie that they be found Christians they must deale with them in publike and priuate to see if they be fit and they must labour to make them fit Vse 2 But specially it concernes the People and therefore it teacheth them in the second place to examine themselues whether they be fit to come or no whether they haue on this Wedding Garment or no. Haue you Faith Are you Beleeuers Doth the Spirit of God witnesse so much within you Doe you find the fruits of Faith in holinesse of life conuersation Then come and welcome If otherwise you find not this more or lesse assuredly you haue no part nor portion in this busines Many scorne to be examined specially the elder sort they are loath to haue their infirmities their weakenesse insufficiencie and ignorance to be knowne Proud Hearts they had rather goe to Hell then to haue their infirmities discouered But all in particular must examine themselues and because they that are not of the Ministerie cannot so search themselues as we can therefore they must come vnto vs and if we vpon tryall say vnto them Now you are fit then they may come with cheerefulnesse Gods Messenger vpon the conference had with them hath bid them come and therefore they may come with much more cheerfulnesse and certainly shall find much more profit But what measure of Faith is required will some say Surely this I will speake no measure of Faith that Man can attaine will serue in Gods Iustice but any measure shall serue in the acceptance of Gods Mercie If true Faith though neuer so little and weake be of good cheere it shall saue thee Let it proceed from a good cause and yeeld good fruit within thee and then as I said though weake and small yet it is accepted of God in Christ It was the case of these Disciples at the same time Were they Men of great Faith No of small Faith for the most part were ignorant at the least doubting of the Resurrection of Christ without which all Faith is in vaine at the least they were not so thoroughly perswaded as they ought to be and yet well welcome in those beginnings and rudiments of Christian Faith He administred the Sacrament vnto them And therefore let vs looke our Faith be true and let vs desire and groane after more and then though it be mixed with many doubtings and failings yet the Lord will accept it and in mercie will couer our infirmities in the obedience of Christ and so we shall find the fruit of sauing Faith in the vse of this Sacrament He shall make it good vnto vs for all sauing purposes * ⎠* The end of the eleuenth Lecture THE TWELFTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER WEE are now to divert and turne aside into the Argument of the Lords Supper specially against this season of the yeare above all other wherin not only those which are sincere in Religion but even those that are counterfeit in Religion pretend a kinde of conscience to come to receive the Lords Supper The fist head that we reduced all those things which wee purposed to propound concerning the doctrine of the Lords Supper were the names and titles that are given to it wee have shewed foure of them namely the Lords Table the Lords Supper the Communion the New Testament now we are to proceed to a fifth name or title that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is stiled withall that is the memoriall or remembrance of Christs death though the Sacrament be not expressely and in so many termes so called in any one place of Scripture yet it is very necessarily and directly gathered both from the words of our Saviour himselfe as also from the words of the Apostle Paul from the words of our Saviour Luke 22.19 Doe this in remembrance of me but much more plainly out of the Apostles words 1 Cor. 11.26 You shew forth the Lords death till he come the eating of this bread and the drinking of this cup is the shewing or setting forth of the Lords death till hee come And these are the words that wee purpose 1 Cor. 11.26 God willing to insist upon for our proceeding in this businesse 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as you shall eate this bread and drinke this cup you shew the Lords death till he come You know that names are justly given unto things according to the nature of the things named what is the nature of this Sacrament the Apostle shewes here that to eate this bread and to drinke this cup is to shew forth the death of Christ by way of remembrance till hee come therefore this is a fit and proper name to this Sacrament the memoriall or remembrance of Christs death Now because as you see
as thou shouldest remember him he that can once speake by experience in his owne heart as the Apostle doth Gal. 1.20 that Christ hath loved mee and gave himselfe for me will empty himselfe also and say as the Apostle did I live and yet not I now but Christ Iesus lives within me his love to us in dying for us stirres up our love to him in dying with him and as the nature of true love is to transanimate or transforme the lover into the thing loved so we are turned as it were into Christ we live not but he lives in us and surely we can never be perswaded to give over our selves thorowly to God service till wee be brought unto it by the thorow meditation and remembrance of Christs death Thirdly therein Christ hath beene most beneficiall to us and wherein is he most worthy of our remembrance but in that whereby we have most benefit by him and that is his blood or his death We have reconciliation by his blood Rom. 3.23 Redemption by his blood Heb. 9.12 and forgivenesse of sinnes by his blood 1 Iohn 1.7 all good things temporall and eternall are purchased to us by the merit of his death and contrary all evill things are thereby turned away Why doe wee remember Christ Not because of any good that he receives from us but because of the good that we receive from him now his death is that whereby we receive greatest good from him yea in some sort all the benefit that ever we enjoy by him his Incarnation Resurrection Ascension are so farre forth beneficiall unto us as they have reference to his Death and therefore except we remember Christ in his death howsoever we remember him otherwise it is no true remembrance of him at all Lastly therein he shewed himselfe most powerfull and victorious over his and our enemies Heb. 2.14 He hath destroyed through death him that had the power over death that is the Devill 2 Col. 14 15. He hath nailed our sinnes upon the Crosse and there hath spoiled principalities and powers how can we remember him better than in state wherein he gave the utter overthrow and deadly stroke to all our enemies he told them that it was then their very houre and power of darknesse and it is true to doe what they could but not what they would for that was but as it were a mocke to them for indeed it was their very houre to be destroyed and his very houre to triumph over them as our Saviour himselfe speaking of his death shewes plainly Iohn 12.31 Now is the judgement of this world now shall the Prince of this world be cast out If there were a Champion that should undertake a combat for us and overcome our enemies wee would not consider so much other circumstances of his person or state but specially his cariage and behaviour in managing our combat and his act of overcomming Christ our Champion hath overcome all our enemies in his death upon the Crosse and therefore that is the fittest object for our hearts to be set upon in the remembrance of Christ The Vses The first use serves for reproofe of those that are so nice and dainty that they cannot endure to meditate on Christs death the matter of his resurrection and ascension and glorification are pleasing unto them but the matter of his death that is harsh and distastfull all of us could be content to goe with Christ to Mount Tabor where he was transfigured that we might see his glory but we are loth to goe with him to mount Calvery where hee was crucified to taste of his sufferings the Iewes bewrayed this humour in the corrupt nature of man when they said Let him come downe from the Crosse and we will beleeve in him If Christ could be separated from his crosse and sufferings and from his death generally all would be forward enough to take hold upon but let us know that except we have our part in Christ crucified we shall never have our part in Christ glorified the crosse of Christ was his way to glorie and our due meditation and participation on his Crosse is the onely way for us to come to the participation of his glory But some will say to thinke upon Christ crucified and slaine and murdered and tormented these be bloody thoughts how should we digest them I answer First it is needfull for us that we should bee possessed with such bloody thoughts that thereby we may bee brought to see and take notice of the uglinesse and fearfulnesse of our sinne but secondly wee doe not dwell in the grosse and carnall meditation of his wounds and blood-shedding as the Papists doe but we are spiritually minded in the meditatiō of his death and therein we behold Gods decree in giving his Son for our redemptiō his wrath against sinne and his mercy to us in the forgivenesse of our sins and this is it that makes our meditations and thoughts of Christs death to be most comfortable and heavenly thoughts Secondly this teacheth us that wee should labour to bee skilfull and well practised in the meditation of Christs death and to have our eye continually upon Christ crucified That which our Saviour said to Thomas Iohn 20.27 Put thy finger here and see my hands and put it forth and put it into my sides though it were spoke there of his materiall wounds yet every one of us must take it spiritually to be spoken to our selves wee must put our fingers our hands into the holes of his sides we must dive deep by our meditatiōs into the secret mysteries of his death that therby we may become his true beleeving Disciples the death of Iesus Christ is of all other things most serviceable and profitable and comfortable to us even in respect of all the parts of Religion Wouldest thou behold the love of God towards thee and know how dearly hee loves thee See it in the death of Christ God hath given his Sonne not onely to become man for us but even to dye for us and to endure the greatest extremities for us that ever could be thought upon here is a cleere glasse wherein we may behold the height and the depth and the length and the bredth of Gods love towards us touching the forgivenesse of our sinnes every one would faine bee perswaded of it but we can never attaine to any sound perswasion thereof till wee search and see thorowly into the death of Christ Gods wrath against sin is infinite and it passeth all our apprehension to conceive how hee being so just and righteous can possibly forgive a sinner till by our thorow acquaintance with the death of Christ we finde therein infinite matter of satisfaction to Gods infinite justice so in our hatred to sinne we can never loath sinne as we should doe but by looking into the death of Christ where we see that it was so loathsome and so odious to God that it did kindle Gods infinite wrath even against
tender himselfe in his feast and spread his table and call us as the King called her to eate and to drinke of that which he hath prepared if wee refuse to come as she did what can we expect but that there shall be a divorce made betweene God and us I will not acknowledge you for my spouse will God say you shall have no more my ordinances nor Oracles amongst you Let us I beseech you rightly consider of these things and so farre as we are guilty labour to reforme them in our selves and according to our power in others It is strange to see and to heare what strange alligations men make to colour themselves in this their negligence it is strange to see how witty men are to colour these things and to deceive their owne soules it is the Devills wit he puts it into them now the true ground and reason why they come not oft to the Sacrament is because they contemne Gods ordinance and are unthankfull to the Lord Iesus Christ for his infinite love and withall also it is a kinde of sluggishnesse that is in them that they are loth to put themselves and their hearts to such examinations and tryalls and provings and siftings and rippings up to such denying of themselves and such faithfull promises to God of new obedience as every one that comes as a worthy receiver must have they are loth to put themselves to this hardness therfore they communicate not oft in this Sacrament and this is the true reason why they are loth to come to it they say it is a toyl to come so oft it is true it is a toyle to the flesh and to corrupt nature but no toyle to a childe of God but joy and comfort to him Yet further you shall heare what they will alleadge and pretend besides some of them say there is no such necessity that we should receive it so oft and they give you some reasons for it as first why say they the Sacrament of Baptisme is a Sacrament of good use as well as the sacrament of the Lords Supper and that is to be communicated in but once and why then should wee communicate so oft in the sacrament of the Lords Supper I answer baptisme is ordained for our admissiō into the Church and house of God and there can be but one admission into if but when wee are in then we must grow further and further to bee incorporated into Christ and that is by the sacrament of the Lords Supper our baptisme gives us our admission and entrance though the power of baptisme continues to our lives end and whosoever feeles not the power of his baptisme in the course of his life that man was never truly baptised though the outward action of baptisme bee not to be reiterated yet still it continues in being to our last end still we are baptized into the death of Christ still wee must labour to bee that which we are baptized to be to be like to Christ and to follow him So then you see there is great reason why baptism must be but once because that is the admission of us into the Church but this is our going forward in the Church and in the work of grace therefore we must not stand still but proceed forward in this exercise continually Againe another reason that they alleadge is this I but say they was not the Passeover in the former Testament a sacrifice answerable to the Sacrament in the new Testament and that was celebrated but once a yeare and why then should this be often I answer there is great reason the time of the celebration of the Passeover was a ceremony and so a part of Gods worship to the Iewes the Passeover was commanded to be celebrated once and but once in the year and they should have sinned if they had celebrated it more then once but the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is to bee celebrated often and we sinne if wee doe not Besides that the Passeover was but for one temporall deliverance from the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh and that one deliverance was but once wrought but the Sacrament of the Lords Supper resembles unto us our eternal deliverance from sinne Sathan hell death and damnation and this is not onely wrought but dayly running on and all Converts are still dayly plucked out from hell and the jawes of Sathan The worke of our redemption is every day after that wee are throughly converted still the old man is crucified and the new man is repaired in us and therefore howsoever it were sufficient that the passeover was once celebrated and but once yet this sacrament crament of the Lords Supper is oft to bee received because it is the celebration of our eternall and everlasting redemption and deliverance a thing that is continually in working Lastly if so be that that were a good rule then it followes that as the Israelites were to celebrate the Passeover that day onely that they were delivered our of Egypt then it followes that wee should receive this Sacrament but onely upon good Fryday and no time else but they themselves confesse that that is Iewish and therefore by their owne confession this can bee no just reason against the often participation of this Sacrament Another reason that they have that there is no necessity in receiving it oft is the example of our Saviour Christ we need not to bee more carefull say they then Christ and he never received it but once in all his life time and therefore wee need have it but once I answer Christ to the time of his death was under the Law as hee was man and so was to behave himselfe and conforme himselfe to the ceremonies of the Law and therefore he was not to have a hand in this Sacrament of the new Testament till the time came that the old was to be abolished Besides that we must understand that hee was rather an Institutor then a receiver of this Sacrament and therfore he was to make choyce of the fittest time when it was to be done and that was as neere to his death as could be and therefore he spake of it as a thing past This is my blood that is shed for you so that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper must be as neere to his death as may bee and therefore it was fittest to bee instituted by him the night before he suffered Last of all if they say so then they must conclude by their owne rule that they must never receive the sacrament but when they are ready to dye if that reason hold good But as I said before our Saviour Christ was the Institutor of the sacrament therfore he chose that time that it might bee the fresher in memory Another thing they alledge is a matter of inconveniency oh say they if we should come oft it would be tedious to us I surely matters of God are tedious to worldly and carnall men tedious to flesh and
of our punishment our reconciling unto God the perfect and absolute redemption of our soules and bodies from that miserable and damnable estate that we were in this is the death of Christ and the right remembring of his death remember Christ dying the act of his death remember Christ dying the benefit of his death to us and this is the right remembring of Christ his death which is tendred unto us in the Sacrament of the Lord supper But yet withall when it is said remember his death we must not take it so as if therfore we shold neglect or forget the remembrance either of that which went before his death or of that which came after his death we must remember them also we must remēber that which went before his death as his birth his life his meannesse other parts of his humiliation also we must remember that which followed after his death namely his resurrection his ascension and other parts of his glorification for Christ is given wholly unto us in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and therefore we must receive him wholly for all the passages of our Saviour Christ before his death in his death and after his death they all make up together one and the same worke of our redemption and therefore all these passages must bee wrapt up together in one and the same apprehension of ours Wee must remember the death of Christ especially in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper but yet under the comprehension of the death of Christ wee must meditate upon those things that went before his death and those things that came after his death every thing in their kinde and in their place and order this we are to understand by the death of Christ Next it is faid here the Lords death By the Lord wee are to understand the Lord Iesus Christ who is Lord over all blessed for evermore Christ is the Lord by nature and being as the Father is Lord and the Holy Ghost Lord so also is Christ the Lord by nature and being But yet Christ is intituled to the name Lord by a kinde of excellencie and specialtie in regard of his office of Mediatorship wherby hee is Lord over all but especially Lord over his Church And wee must understand that our Saviour Christ is more usually called Lord at the time of his Death and Resurrection and afterwards then hee was before The Reason of it is this because howsoever our Saviour Christ was Lord alwayes and even in the dayes of his flesh did many wayes shew forth himselfe to be Lord yet notwithstanding at his death and afterwards he did then especially and most certainly prove himselfe to be the Lord and then hee did most manifestly shew and declare himselfe to be the Lord by doing that then which never any could doe but the Lord himselfe What the things are shall bee shewed God willing by and by The Lords death some may say this seemes to be a strange speech Here are but two words and yet they seeme to imply a flat contradiction one to another If hee be the Lord how could hee dye And if he dyed how could he be the Lord Could the Lord dye For answer hereunto wee must consider that our Saviour Christ consisteth of two natures God and Man he is perfectly God and Lord and withall hee is perfectly Man and by reason of the union of these two natures his Godhead and his Manhood in one and the same Person Christ there ariseth a certaine communion of the properties of both these natures whereby that which is proper unto Christ as hee is God is yet affirmed of him even as he is Man and whereby on the other side that which is proper unto Christ as he is man is affirmed of him as hee is God It is a deepe mystery of our faith and yet a necessary point to be knowne for without the knowledge of this wee cannot rightly know Christ I desire to make it plaine Christ I say is perfectly God or Lord and perfectly man and because that these two natures his Godhead and his manhood are so nearly united into one and the same person of the Sonne of God hence it comes to passe that there is a communication of properties that is to say those things that are proper to him as he is God are affirmed of him as hee is man and those things that are proper to him as he is man are affirmed of him as he is God To give an instance of the first those things as are proper to Christ as he is God are affirmed of him as he is man Iohn 3.13 For no man ascended up to heaven but he that hath descended from heaven even the Sonne of man which is in heaven Our Saviour Christ speakes it of himselfe even the Sonne of man that is in heaven when our Saviour Christ spake these words hee was upon the earth and not in heaven as he was man and yet there it is said the Sonne of man that is in heaven as though then hee were in heaven at that instant even as the Sonne of man How can these stand together he being man was on earth and yet in heaven at that instant The doubt is clearly answered thus Consider Christ consisting of two natures God and Man perfectly God and perfectly Man and then you shall finde by reason of this union in one person that well may the properties of the one be affirmed of the other Christ the Sonne of man is also the Son of God and as God so he was then and alwayes in heaven and because God and Man in Christ are but one person therefore Christ the Son of man is said then to be in heaven The Sonne of God was then in heaven Christ the Son of Man is the Sonne of God therefore Christ the Sonne of man was even then in heaven One thing must be observed for the right understanding of this mystery and that is this namely that those properties that belong to God are affirmed of Christ as he is man and so on the contrarie but we must understand it of the person of Christ and not of the natures of Christ that is to say for the person of Christ to speak of Christ in his person it is a true and a necessary rule the property of Christ as he is God is affirmed of him as he is man but in regard of the natures it is contrary that that which is proper to the nature of man is not to be affirmed of the nature of God to say that the Godhead dyes that is blasphemy but to say that the manhood dies that is true If Christ shold have said Ioh. 3.13 my manhood that in heaven that had beene an untrue speech for that was not then in heaven but that he in regard of his Godhead and the union of the two natures was in heaven that is a most true and holy speech The reason why we must put this difference is because
to be Lord. Rom. 1.4 there it is said that Christ was declared mightily to be the Sonne of God He speakes there of our Saviour Christ and calls him the Sonne of God that is to say the Lord. He saith He was declared mightily to be Sonne of God and how I pray you By the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead Now this you must understand that the power whereby Christ raised himselfe from death was in him whilest he was in the state of death and whilest Christ lay in the grave then was this power in him to raise up himselfe now by this power hee shewed himselfe to be the Sonne of God to bee the Lord and it is a mighty declaration of him to be the Sonne of God and therefore Christ declared himselfe mightily to be the Lord even in the state of his death Luke 23.42 the Thiefe he gives testimony to this truth our Saviour being upon the Crosse he saith O Lord remember mee when thou commest into thy kingdome Those that crucified him did not see nor take notice that hee was the Lord but the poore Thiefe did see him to be the Lord and did know that hee was the Lord and he beleeved in him and called upon him as the Lord wee never reade that ever he did know before that he was the Lord nothing brought him to know Christ to be the Lord but that which he discerned in him upon the Crosse So the Centurion in Matth. 27.44 the Text saith that the Centurion and others that saw those fearfull things that came to passe at the death of Christ Of a truth say they this man was the Sonne of God The Centurion for ought we know did never know nor take notice that this man was the Sonne of God till he came to behold his death but when he came to behold him on the Crosse by the eye of Faith he saw such evident signes of him to be the Lord that hee perswaded himselfe and takes his oath of it and saith Of a truth this man is the Son of God howsoever it is that they killed him yet of a truth this was the Sonne of God In the 51. and 52. verses those fearfull accidents that are mentioned there as the veile renting the Rockes cleaving asunder the graves opening and many of the bodies of the Saints that slept arose what did all this shew but that Christ did clearly manifest himselfe and prove himselfe to bee the Lord even in his death that the dead and insensible creatures were sensible of it the earth the stones and graves discerned it and the bodies of the Saints that were dead discerned it and did acknowledge it in their kinde What a fearfull upbraiding to the Iewes was this that either they did not see Christ to be the Lord or would not see him nor acknowledge him when the very stones and other insensible creatures were sensible of it So then you see the Doctrine is clearly proved by Scripture that Christ Iesus howsoever he was shamefully crucified and put to a most cruell and ignominious death as ever any man could be putunto yet notwithstanding even in that state of his death he was the Lord and shewed himselfe to be the Lord the glorious Lord of heaven and earth The Reasons of the Doctrine are these Reason 1 The first is this Hee was the Lord and shewed himselfe to be the Lord over his Church The first Reason I say is drawne from his Church Christ Iesus in his death was Lord over his Church and so shewed himselfe to be for then indeed by his death he did purchase and redeeme his Church he bought his Church then the faithfull were his owne by actuall redemption You know that those things which a man purchases and buyes at a deare rate and gives for them as much as they are worth they are his owne by a true title If so be that any man do redeem a man out of the gallies he is truly his Lord in the right kind of owning and the other is his servant Christ when he was upon the crosse then did he purchase and buy his Church by his blood and then therein he shewed himselfe in a most right sense to bee the Lord of his Church then were they his owne by actuall redemption and this is that which the Saints did acknowledge Revel 5.9 Oh worthy art thou to take the Booke and to open the seale thereof and why is he worthy more than any other Because thou wast killed and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood and therefore thou hast a true interest into us and thou art surely our Lord and worthy art thou so to bee acknowledged And our Saviour gives some intimation of it in the 18. of Iohn If I were lifted up from the earth saith our Saviour I would draw all men unto me What is meant by lifting up that is to say his crucifying If I were crucified I would draw all men after me The reach of the place is this That Christ by his crucifying and his death drawes all men and gathers all his Church to himselfe he purchases them and makes them his owne by redemption that he may be acknowledged their Lord and they his people and servants and surely as Christ did gather all beleevers from the beginning of the world by the power of his word and death and blessed Spirit so specially in the actuall performance of his suffering then chiefly did he draw all men unto him for then his Lordship after a speciall manner was advanced and the territories of his kingdome were much inlarged and now no longer was it to be bound and to be contained within the borders of Iudea but to have dominion from sea to sea unto the worlds end Oh what a mighty Lord did he shew himselfe to be even in his death Reason 2 Secondly as he was Lord over the Church so he was and so hee shewed himselfe to be even a Lord over his enemies What is the greatest honour of a Lord or whereby doth a man come to be most justly and rightly called Lord but by subduing his enemies under him Psal 110. The Lord said unto my Lord sit at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstoole Here is a true and a right Lord when he can subdue and trample his enemies under his feet Christ being upon the crosse in his death then indeed did he especially vanquish and trample his enemies under his feet Satan and all his instruments Then he tooke them downe to their greatest shame to their irrecoverable losse and utter ruine for ever See how the Apostle speakes of it Coloss 2.15 Hee hath spoyled Principalities and Powers and hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed over them in the Crosse What bee the enemies that our Saviour Christ hath why they are Principalities and Powers he hath vanquished them all the Devill and his Angells not onely as a man would say petty Devills but
had beene God there must bee infinite knowledge in the Redeemer that he may take notice of all the Saints of God from the beginning of the world to the end thereof this cannot be in any but in God onely Againe there must be infinite mercy in the Redeemer to forgive sinnes there must bee infinite wisedome in him to make all the redeemed wise to God and to their owne salvation in the Redeemer there must be infinite grace effectuall to call all those that shall be saved also there must be in him infinite power to save our soules to save any one soule is a matter of infinite power and therefore much more to save so many thousand soules as are from time to time called and converted unto the Lord. Lastly there must be infinite dignity infinite worthinesse and merit in that blood that must redeeme all those that God will save this cannot be but by the blood of the Lord that God which hath purchased us with his owne blood None of all these infinities can bee found in any but in God onely therefore the REDEEMER must bee LORD The use first that shewes us that God doth oft times worke by quite contraries in the matter of salvation as who should say he sets one contrary against another and brings the greatest good out of the greatest evill Christ is the Lord in his very death in his most cruell and shamefull death he was much magnified when hee was most debased the Lord of life and glory when he was killed and crucified thus it was with Christ and so it is in the members of Christ it was so in him that we may expect this in our selves and so wee finde it by experience how God workes with many of his children are they not ofttimes most glorious in their greatest abasement most comfortable in their greatest afflictions and are we not then oft times most neare to God when we thinke our selves farre from God are we not most spiritually and heavenly minded even in the most hellish temptations of Satan that we are exercised withall those that are in the state of grace know this to be true this is not sensible to the naturall man nor yet to the spirituall man many times for the present yet afterwards hee sees it and can say Surely the Lord is with me and I was not aware Looke but into an example of Paul in the like temptation 2 Cor. 12.9 10. the Apostle prayeth against the temptations of Satan the answer of God to him is this My grace is sufficient for thee my power is perfect in thy weaknesse and thereupon the Apostle sers his rest and saith When I am weak then I am strong Here you see that in matters of salvation God oft-times worketh by contraries shewing himselfe a strong God in a weake man a strange thing that God shold perfect his strength in mans weaknesse a man would think he should perfect his strength in our strength but he doth it in our weaknesse My strength saith hee is perfect in thy weaknesse So in the case of Stephen in the matter of persecution Acts 6. the last verse when he was there before the Councell they that sate in Councell looking upon him they beheld his face as the face of an Angel they admired him in that state of his basenesse as a glorious Angell It is not unseasonable for God so to worke by contraries for it magnifies the great and almightie power and wisedome of God that can worke by contraries and it magnifies the great mercy and goodnesse of God that he will doe so for us that when we are weakest then we are strongest that God commandeth light to shine unto us out of darknesse and makes our greatest misery a meere step to our greatest glory Vse 2 In the next place it teachethus how vaine the hope of wicked men is that take part against Christ and his members howsoever they may persecute us and bring us to death yet by our persecutions and by our death they themselves oft-times receive the greatest foiles Psalm 2.1 Why did the Heathen rage and the people murmur in vaine their hope is but vaine the Lord from Heaven laughes them to scorne saith the Prophet they get nothing by it when they have done all they can but derision and therefore let not wicked men boast of whatsoever hope they have to doe hurt to Gods children for their hope is but vaine neither yet let Gods children be cast downe with it but comfort themselves in this that the wicked when they are in their greatest hopes they are nearest to their fall and destruction Vse 3 Thirdly this should encourage us against the insultation of the Iewes they mocke us because we beleeve in a crucified Saviour O say they you doe beleeve in a crucified God this is a goodly Religion If we did beleeve in Christ onely as a crucified man then they might laugh at us this were starke foolishnesse but wee beleeving in Christ as God the Lord crucified therefore they have no cause to scoffe at us and at our faith It is the Lords death saith the Text therefore this is the onely saving wisedome of God to beleeve in Christ crucified or in our crucified Lord and we are so farre from being ashamed of it as that it is our greatest comfort and wee rejoyce in it even in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Vse 4 Lastly the last Vse is matter of exhortation to stirre us up that we should looke to our selves in the meditation of Christ his death alwayes to think upon Christ the Lord of glory whensoever thou dost enter into meditation of the death of Christ either at the Sacrament or not at the Sacrament yet still let thy eye of faith be fixed upon Christ the Lord to meditate of Christ his death is to meditate upon the Lords death It is true indeed that wee cannot apprehend Christ dying for us but onely as man as God he could not dye yet it is not sufficient to beleeve in Christ crucified as man for whosoever beleeves in Christ as a crucified man if he stay there and if his faith goe not one step further to say I beleeve in the Lord crucified he is in a most miserable and damnable case When once we come to rellish the Lord in the death of Christ then is his death most sweet and comfortable unto us this will make a great many of living springs of waters to rise up in our hearts when we meditate upon the death of the Lord Christ that we can say the Lord hath died for me this will worke reverence and devotion in us and therefore we must highly esteeme of it not as the death of a man but as the death of the Lord the Lord dyed for mee Oh how thankfull ought I to be to the Lord for this great kindnesse what am I poore sinfull wretch that Christ the Lord should dye for mee this will teach us to love the Lord Oh how
hee should come and deliver us from hell death and damnation now if so be that it were so in the Sacrifices and Sacraments of the Old Testament it must needs be so in the Sacraments of the New Testament too if it were so with them that lived before the death of Christ that had but the shadow in respect of us how much more must it be so with us that live in the cleare light Christ having already suffered in the flesh I grant we have no sacrifices propitiatory for sinne as they had Christ Iesus himselfe the onely true propitiation for our sinnes being once sacrificed on the Crosse there is no further place or use for any other propitiatory sacrifices whatsoever but yet seeing our Sacraments are as much to us as both sacrifices and sacraments were to the Iewes still the reason holds that if the sacrifices and sacraments of the Law tended chiefly to the meditation of the death of Christ Iesus the Messias as that being the chiefe object that they were therein to lay hold upon then certainly the principall and chiefe matter in the Sacraments of the new Testament and so particularly of the Lords Supper must be the death of Christ Iesus Reason 2 A second Reason is drawne from a comparison of the Word with the Sacrament it is so in the Word therefore it is so in the Sacrament it is so in the Word that Christ Iesus is the very substance of the Word the chiefe contents of the Gospell and therefore the Gospell is called the preaching of the Crosse of Christ that is to say the preaching of the death of Christ or the preaching of Christ crucified 1 Cor. 1.18.23 We preach Christ crucified unto the Iewes even a stumbling block and unto the Grecians foolishnesse And the Apostle in 1 Cor. 2.2 saith I esteemed not to know any thing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified or as we may expound it according to the originall I esteemed nothing worthy to be knowne save Iesus Christ and him crucified What nothing else worthy to be knowne is not the rejecting of the Iewes a matter worthy to be knowne is not the calling of the Gentiles a matter worthy to bee known is not the resurrection of the dead a matter worthy to be known Yes all these are worthy to be known but nothing worthy to be known in comparison of Iesus Christ him crucified there is the chiefe matter there is the substance of the Gospell now if so be that it be so in regard of the Gospel then it is so in the Sacraments too for the Word the Sacramēts as they must go together so they tend to one the same thing that which the Word tels us the Sacrament seales unto us If it be so therfore in the Word it is so in the Sacrament and this we must know as the letter of the word being only written or read can never profit us to salvation without we have the sense and the spirit of the word which is Iesus Christ crucified so the bread the wine in the sacrament profiteth nothing to salvation without Christ be seized upon and apprehended in our hearts all the other is but a shadow without this we have not the substance if we have not Christ crucified Reason 3 The third is drawne from the comparison of this Sacrament with the other Sacrament in the new Testament namely Baptisme the chiefe contents the chiefe substance of Baptisme what is it It is the death of Christ Rom. 6.3 Know ye not that all we which have been baptized into Iesus Christ have beene baptized into his death What are wee baptized into into the death of Christ there is the substance of our Baptisme what is it that we are washed by by the death of Christ or the blood of Christ Our Saviour saith in the 16. of Marke and the 16. verse He that shall beleeve and be baptized shall be saved but he that will not beleeve shall be damned he that doth receive the Sacrament and in or by the Sacrament doth apprehend Iesus Christ crucified and doth therein beleeve to bee washed and cleansed from his sin hee shall be saved saith our Saviour there is the outward element in Baptisme as water there is an outward action as sprinkling but the outward element and action is nothing without Iesus Christ doe wash us with his owne blood So it is in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the substance of it is the death of Christ Iesus the bread and the wine are the elements and they doe no more good of themselves than the water doth in Baptisme But the death of Christ being discerned in and by this holy mystery thus it comes to be a saving ordinance of God The reason stands thus The death of Christ being the substance of Baptisme it must also be the substance of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for Baptisme we know enters us into that estate which the Lords Supper confirmes us in and the Lords Supper confirmes us further in that holy estate which Baptisme enters us into now we must not enter into one estate and bee confirmed in another Therefore the substance of each Sacrament must be one and the same and so consequently the death of Christ being the substance of the one it must also be the substance of the other Reason 4 A fourth reason is drawne from the nature of this Sacrament it is the Testament of Christ and a Testament cannot be of force without the death of the Testator That the Sacrament is the Testament of Christ it is our Saviours owne speech in the 26. of Matth. verse 28. For this is my blood of the new Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes there is the Sacrament called by the name of the new Testament it is not properly the new Testament it selfe but it is not called because it is a signe and a seale of the new Testament now likewise that the Testament is not of force but by the death of the Testator that the Apostle Paul confirmes in the 9. to the Hebrewes the 14 15 16 and 17 verses by the example of mens Testaments and applyes it to the Testament of Christ Iesus saith he The Testament of man is not of force till he be dead Lay all this together and marke it well Christ Iesus himselfe is the Testator the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is his Testament the Testament cannot bee of force without the death of the Testator and so you see the whole force of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper consists in the death of Christ Iesus and therefore that is the chiefe matter in the Sacrament Reason 5 The last reason is drawn from the benefit thereby confirmed unto us What is the chiefe benefit Remission of sinnes and under that is comprised all the good that we doe receive by Christ Matth. 26.28 For this is my blood of the new Testament that is shed for many for the
in his death and whosoever we are that have our hearts rightly seasoned with the death of Christ why surely it will worke a conscionable obedience to the will and commandement of God to be sorrowfull for our sins past to deny our selves to mortifie the lusts of the flesh to dye to sinne these be the naturall effects of the death of Christ in the hearts of beleevers these we must bring with us to bee conformable to the whole wil of God as Christ was in his life and specially at his death I am come saith he to doe thy will O God and thus doth the death of Christ frame the hearts of every one of us to true obedience I am content to doe thy will O God this is as it were even the practising of the death of Christ crucified namely in our obedience to God denying our owne selves in mortifying our owne sinfull lusts and affections for wee must know that these meditations must not be dead meditations but such as must be lively and operative to quicken us up to obedience to Gods wil. The last grace is Thankfulnesse to acknowledge all honour and thankes to be due unto God for this great worke of our Redemption by the blood of Iesus Christ this is a chiefe grace that we must chiefly bring with us to the Lords Supper to give God the praise and glory of it and this is our rejoycing in the death of Iesus Christ it is not possible that a man should know Christ Iesus or that a man should love Christ for his death or that he should obey Christ but he must also rejoyce in the death of Christ and how should wee rejoyce in the Lord but by giving him thanks and singing of praise to him for this great benefit every one must bring these graces in some measure or else hee is not fit to come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Now if so bee the Lord should come among us and make an inquirie and rip up every one of us alas how should he finde every one of us to be empty of these graces or else full of imperfections in every one of them well yet though we have failings still let us labour for these graces let us pray to God for these graces and let us never doubt if we do pray and labour for them conscionably but that first God will give us in some measure every one of them secondly if wee come with a true desire God will graciously accept of our desire as if we had possession of the graces themselves but the chiefest matter is this that that which wee have and that which we want of these graces the Lord will supply them all out of the fulnesse of Christ who is full of grace and truth and of whose fulnesse we all receive grace for grace therefore let us seeke for these graces and labour for them and use the meanes and let us put our selves to the mercy and leasure of God and let us not doubt but that the Lord will be mercifull unto us and he will give them us so farre forth as shall suffice for the saving of our soules Another matter of instruction is this this teacheth us what it is that wee must especially looke after when wee come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that which is specially tendred unto us the death of Christ I shewed you first there must be hungring and thirsting and secondly what graces we must bring with us now what is the chiefe matter that we must ayme at the very death of Iesus Christ to discerne it and here we must inlarge our thoughts to many considerations First and for most we must consider with our selves that Christ dyed for us that he suffered a shamefull and a cruell death then when we have considered of that we must consider that Christs death is a sufficient ransome for mans redemption I but I must goe further and say that I am one of the persons that shed Christs blood thogh it were the Iewes act yet it was my sinne and then further that that blood which I have spilt the same shall bee effectuall through Gods rich mercy for the saving of my soule and then withall I must tye my selfe to obey the death of Iesus Christ and to be made like unto it and conformable thereunto The last Vse It should teach us what is the straine the highest straine the highest pitch that a man should reach at in the receiving of the Sacrament Wee must so discerne the death of Christ in the Sacrament that we may bee made partakers of Christs death First to be swallowed up of it with an holy admiration and a fervent meditation thereupon and secondly to be more and more incorporate into it by a holy kinde of union thirdly and lastly to be saved by it as by the all-sufficient price of our redemption First we must come to meditate and so to partake of it as that we be swallowed up with the meditation of the death of Iesus Christ the death of Iesus Christ is a bottomlesse depth man cannot reach it the Angels cannot reach it and wee cannot comprehend it and therefore the best way is when we have considered all the occurrences of it that we can let us lay our selves wholly into the hands of God to be swallowed up with that holy meditation of the death of Christ and to bee comprehended of that which wee are not able to comprehend Secondly to bee more and more incorporated into it by a holy kind of union every man that is a true beleever that is converted unto God is already incorporated into Christ his death so then when we come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we must partake the death of Christ so as that we may be the more incorporated into it that is to be made more and more one with Christ in his death than ever we were before more crucified and more mortified than ever wee were before there is no way whereby we can have part in Christ but by union and there is no way whereby we can have uniō with Christ but by being incorporate into him by the power of his death and there is no better way to make us more incorporate into the death of Christ than the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is and therefore when we come to this let this be our straine not onely to bee swallowed up with the meditation of the death of Christ but labour to be more and more incorporate into the death of Christ thereby Last of all let us so labour to bee made partakers of it that we may be saved by it as being the all-sufficient price of our Redemption for by the death of Iesus Christ the wrath of God is appeased the Law of God is fulfilled there the Iustice of God is satisfied for there our sinnes are pardoned there our ransome is payd there is all performed whatsoever is necessary for the salvation of mankinde and therefore
as at all times so then especially when we come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper let us labour to be so made partakers of the Lords death of that infinite benefit that ariseth by it that wee may be saved by it as by the all-sufficient price of our Redemption The end of the seventeenth Lecture THE EIGHTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER WEE are still to proceed God willing in the handling of this Text by occasion of the next Sabbath being a Communion day so that now we are to goe on where we left I shewed you that in the latter part of the verse there is contained a caution that the receiving of the Lords Supper is to bee performed withall the shewing forth of the Lords death wherein I noted to you in the caution it selfe these two things first the matter that is to be remembred and secondly the manner of the remembring of it The matter that is to be remembred is the death of the Lord Iesus Christ the maner of the remembring of it how is it to be remeÌ„bred why by a kind of shewing forth by a kinde of lively or sensible expressing of it Wee have spoken of the matter heretofore and even now we made repetition of that which was last spoken concerning this caution namely concerning the death of Iesus Christ Now as God shall inable us we are to handle the manner the manner how this death of the Lord Iesus Christ is remembred in the Sacrament is a shewing forth saith the Text a setting forth or a shewing forth for so the words signifie that is to say a kinde of lively and sensible expressing of the death of Christ is in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper one translation comes a little short of the power of the word in the originall which is worthy to be knowne we read it hence we shew the Lords death the originall word intends two things very materiall to our present purpose for it is a Compound word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the simple verbe it selfe is very significant but the preposition that it is compounded withall addes somewhat more to the significancy of it and makes it more pregnant and more full to the matter wee have in hand First the simple verbe it selfe signifies to shew to publish or to declare not simply but to shew and publish by way of a message or as it were by way of a lively voice In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper there must be certaine speeches and certaine words that are to be used there is a message that is to bee published whensoever the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is rightly administred If you aske what that message is I answer it is the very message of the Gospell the very doctrine of the Gospell free remission of our sinnes by the blood of Christ that is the substance of the Sacrament that is the doctrine of the Gospell and our Saviour himselfe when he did institute the Sacrament as it is in Matth. 26.28 there he saith This is my blood of the New Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes Here is the very preaching of the Gospell published in the administration of the Sacrament free remission of sinnes by the blood of Iesus Christ And surely the very same word that signifies the Gospell in the originall is derived from this simple verbe that here is used giving us some intimation that the message that is to bee published is indeed the message of the Gospell Why then in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Christ must be published by way of message or by way of lively voice But secondly the preposition that it is compounded withall that addes somewhat more what is that It must be done throughly it must be done earnestly for so the word signifies in the Originall as if â—â—e would say there must be a vehement publishing of it a vehement shewing forth It is not onely a shewing that will serve the turne much lesse a slender and a carelesse shewing of the death of Christ but it must be shewed throughly and earnestly as the matter it selfe is a matter of great waight and moment as ever was so likewise the shewing forth must be answerable thereunto It must be shewed most seriously and most affectionately and this the word signifies in the originall Yee shew forth the Lords death by way of a message and that earnestly till he come And whereas some reade it positively by way of approbation You doe shew the Lords death till he come and others doe reade it imparatively by way of command See ye shew the Lords death or You shall shew the Lords death both these in substance tend to one and the same effect And indeed the one of these doth consequently inferre the other For if wee reade it positively Yee doe shew the Lords death then this being a matter that is commended in them by the Apostle it doth imply that it is a duty and must be performed then if we reade it imparatively Ye shall shew or See you shew the Lords death till he come then it is implyed that all the faithfull that will conforme themselves to the ordinance of God they doe performe this they practise this at the receiving of the Sacrament they doe shew forth the Lords death till he come If we reade it positively it intends thus much namely that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a fit occasion or a fit meanes in and whereby we come to shew forth the Lords death If we reade it imparatively ye shall shew forth the Lords death it imposes a duty that whensoever we meet together at the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we must be shewing forth of the Lords death there is little difference betweene them and in effect they are the same and because I am loth to vary from our own translatioÌ„ but upon good occasion because our translation comes neerest to the originall because the originall doth naturally sound to this effect you doe shew the Lords death rather than yee shall shew forth the Lords death therefore I will not change our owne translation but take it positively as it is propounded that you doe shew forth the Lords deathtill he come so we will take it that the Sacrament is a fit subject or meanes in and wherby to shew forth the Lords death and this is the principall matter that this Scripture doth ayme at and this doth confirme directly the very point that we made choice of this Scripture for namely to prove that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a memoriall of the death of Christ The Text saith plainly As often as ye eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till hee come or remember or expresse in a lively manner the Lords death Doctr. The Doctrine then that here we are to observe for our instruction is this In that the Apostle saith here Whensoever you receive the Sacrament
ye shew forth the Lords death Hence observe that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper being rightly administred and received according to Gods owne ordinance is a fresh and a lively memoriall a sensible representation a through setting forth or a through shewing forth of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ I say if it be rightly received and administred according to Gods owne ordinance for so the Apostle meanes here for having in the 23 24 and 25 verses reformed the Sacrament of the Lords Supper according to our Saviours first institution thence he gives them this Item As often as yee eate this bread and drinke this cup c. as if hee should say that if it be rightly administred and instituted and received according to Gods owne ordinance then it is a lively representation and a right shewing forth of the Lords death Consider the whole frame and institution of this Sacrament made by our Saviour both for matter of circumstance and for matter of substance you shall see that both of them doe confirme this truth First for matter of circumstance there bee three circumstances that may be alledged to this purpose One is the time of this institution the night when he was betrayed another is the action that this institution did insue upon and the third is the cariage of our Saviour immediately before he instituted it First for the time the time when he instituted it when was it the night that hee was betrayed as it is in the 23 verse the Apostle doth not note the time but upon very just occasion Marke it over-night our Saviour instituted the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for the expressing of his death the next day our Saviour suffered that death which was in and by that Sacrament to be expressed How could our Saviour devise to have served himselfe better upon the advantage of the time to make the Sacrament to be a fresh and a lively representation and memoriall of his death than by respiting the institution of the Sacrament so neare as neare might bee to the time of his death the one was done over-night and the other the next day We know that such things as have some neare dependance one upon another in nature looke how more neerly they are performed in time so much the more doth the one give the better help to the remembrance of the other whereas if one be done long before the other they will not meet so readily and freshly in our memories for example the eating of the Passeover which was a type and memoriall of the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt was of purpose respited to the night before their departure they were to eate the Passeover over-night and the next day to depart that whensoever afterward they were to eate the Passeover it might renew upon them a more fresh memory of their deliverance out of Egypt whereas if they had had the Passeover a yeare or two before and a yeare or two after beene delivered out of Egypt then there would not have beene such a joynt concurrence of them together in their minds the Passeover would not have been such a palpable and present memoriall of their deliverance as it was so likewise Iesus Christ hee instituted the Sacrament of the Lords Supper over-night he suffered his death the next day that whēsoever after we come to receive the sacrament of the Lords Supper the time wherein his death was suffered following so presently upon the institution of the Sacrament the one of these might helpe forward the other that so the Sacrament might bee the more lively remembrance of his death the circumstance of the time of the institution being so neare the time of his death proves unto us that Christ had a full intent to make the Sacrament a fresh memoriall of his death The second is the action that this institution did ensue upon what was that why that was the eating of the Passeover as appeareth in the 14. of Marke 22. And as they did eate Iesus took the bread and when he had given thankes he brake it and gave it to them and said Take eate this is my body c. They were then eating of the Passeover so saith the Text as they were eating Christ tooke the bread and gave it to his Disciples c. The Passeover it selfe was as I have shewed you heretofore a Type and a memoriall of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by Moses but principally of their deliverance from sinne and Sathan by the death of Iesus Christ and yet notwithstanding immediately upon the eating of this Passeover did our Saviour Christ institute the sacrament of the Lords Supper as if our Saviour should say unto them well now you have eaten the Passeover this Passeover did not onely signifie your deliverance out of Egypt but principally your deliverance from sin and Sathan by my death for indeed I am that true Lambe of God slaine and eaten and signified in this Passeover but yet howsoever that did signifie my death unto you yet it was but somewhat darkly and obscure you could not be so sensible of my death by that but now I will give you a Sacrament that shall expresse my death and your deliverance most cleerly and that is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The very straine of the story in Matthew Marke and Luke c. being well considered doth afford us this collection That our Saviour presently after the eating of the Passeover did institute the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as if that were not cleere enough but this should bee most cleere for that purpose Thirdly the cariage of our Saviour immediately before the institution of the Sacrament as it is in the 13. of Iohn 16. to 22. wee shall finde there that our Saviour did teach unto his Disciples many good lessons he taught them humilitie and charity both by example and by doctrine moreover then he did foretell them of his death and told them covertly who should betray him he quoted a place of Scripture for it and all this was done upon the instant of the institution his teaching them humility and charity his foretelling them of his death his putting them in minde of these things and raising them up to the consideration of his sufferings before-hand all these concurre together by way of circumstance to teach that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a manifest shewing forth of the death of Christ the use therof for Christs own humbleness and love which then hee shewed by his practice are matters of speciall note in the death of Christ and our humblenesse and love which then hee taught us both by his doctrine and example are speciall fruits and uses of his death in us Now to the substance of it whether we respect the signes used in the Sacrament or the actions or the words in the Sacrament First concerning the signes the very signes they shew forth the death of the Lord the bread shewes forth the body
and to save us by condemning him Fourthly there is another duty required the words of the institution must necessarily bee rehearsed and this is a matter that gives wonderfull light to the death of the Lord Iesus Christ in the sacrament for when wee heare the minister make rehearsall of the same words of Christ then wee doe esteeme highly of the sacrament as if Christ were personally among us speaking to us with his owne mouth and delivering his body and blood unto us as it were with his owne hands this is a notable meanes to set forth the death of Christ Lastly it is a Christian duty and a needfull duty about the time of the sacrament to shew forth both our thankfulnesse and our cheerfulnesse even by singing of Psalmes It is true indeed there is no Psalme amisse because all were penned by the holy Ghost yet some are more fit and seasonable then others the fittest Psalmes are either teaching Psalmes or psalmes of thanksgiving if wee will have Psalmes of thanksgiving there is specially the 103 Psalme and the 116 full of good meditations to this purpose but if we will have teaching Psalmes teaching us the death of Christ for that is then most seasonable that teacheth us the matter of the death of Christ then take the second Psalme for that teacheth us concerning the death of Christ as it is applyed by the holy Ghost Act. 4.25 and so the 22 Psalm as it is alleaged 27 of Matth. for there are three severall places quoted out of that Psalme singled out applyed expresly unto the death of Christ and therfore they are most seasonable to be used and it is necessary that wee make choice of the most seasonable Psalmes that are fittest for that purpose Vse Another use is matter of reproose of the Popish Church many things in the Popish Church are hereby reproved I will but touch them that they doe directly oppose themselves against this doctrine and the truth and tenure of it directly whereas here the Apostle saith as often as you eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come the Popish Church doth flatly crosse this rule divers waies First in their halfe Communions they have the bread but not the cup is this to shew forth the Lords death no it is but to shew forth halfe the Lords death this is horrible wrong to the people and disgrace to the Sacrament and dishonour to God hath God given us a great light to see Christ by and shall men scantle it to halfe a light hath God given us both the bread and the wine to discerne the Lords body and blood by and to shew forth the Lords death by and shall we have the body and not the blood shall wee have but one halfe and bee deprived of the other Againe many times in the Popish Church they have their Masses as they call them without any preaching at all many times and usually it is so with them I cannot say that by this they overthrow that very masse of theirs from being a Sacrament I will not stand upon it but yet I say that practice of theirs is a wicked and a gracelesse practice directly against this doctrine of God you shew forth the Lords death how should it bee shewed forth but by preaching and teaching but they have little or no preaching or teaching amongst them but chiefly the words of institution they are to bee rehearsed oh but say they wee have these words of institution rehearsed and therefore you cannot but say that we have teaching I answer though they have the words of institution yet the Priest mumbles them to himselfe and the people heare him not Secondly if they doe heare him it is in an unknowne tongue they understand him not Thirdly when hee rehearses them hee turnes his face from the people as of purpose to suppresse the right shewing forth of the Lords death and therefore this practice of theirs shewes that they wold not have the people discerne the Lords death in this Sacrament These are fearfull abominations and this lyes heavy upon those people of God that live under Antichrist and therefore wee should with great thankfulnesse injoy and use these blessings that God hath bestowed upon us in the cleere exhibition of the death of Iesus Christ in the Lords Supper I but say the Papists we shew forth the Lords death more then you for wee lift up the Host is this to shew forth the Lords death no this is to shew forth their owne Idoll their owne breaden-God that themselves have made The end of the eighteenth Lecture THE NINETEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER NOw we are to proceed as the occasion requires for our preparation to the Sacrament the next sabbath in the handling of that Scripture which wee have made choise of out of the 1 Cor. 11. and the 26. vers For as often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup yee shew forth the Lords death till he come We have shewed you the two generall parts of this Scripture an action to bee performed in the former part the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and a caution that this action is to bee performed withall in the latter part of the verse the remembrance or the shewing forth of the Lords death til he come we have handled the first part of the verse wholy we have entred into the second part where we shewed that there is first to bee considered the caution it selfe the shewing forth of the Lords death Secondly the frequenting of this action or the often using of this caution to bee supplyed out of the former part of the verse as often as yee eate of this bread and drinke of this cup for that particle often serves indifferently for the whole verse as well for the former as the latter part as if the Apostle should say as often as yee eate this bread and drinke this cup so often ye shew forth the Lords death till he come Thirdly we shewed you here the continuance of the observation of this caution how long it must be kept why till Christ Iesus come to judgement to the end of the world The caution it selfe the shewing forth of the Lords death of that I have spoken already now therefore wee are God willing as the Lord shall inable us to speake of the second thing namely the frequenting or the often using of this caution the often shewing forth or remembring of the Lords death as often as ye eate this bread and drinke this cup so often ye shew forth the Lords death till he come which words we must not so understand as if so bee that the remembrance or the shewing forth of the Lords death were precisely confined and limited to the use of the sacrament of the Lords supper as if the Apostle should say that then onely the death of Christ is to bee remembred when the Sacrament is to bee received and
at any time forget us this should and must perswade us to make the death of Iesus Christ our continuall remembrance Reason 2 Secondly God alwayes remembers the death of Christ it is our duty and it is our grace and our happinesse to doe as God doth therefore seeing that God remembers Christs death alwayes oh how ought we to remember Christs death alwayes too It is true God cannot bee said properly to remember any thing because remembrance is of things past nothing is past in respect of God all things are still present before him neither can he be said properly to remember one thing more then another because hee cannot forget any thing But yet to speake according to the manner of man God may be said and God is said to remember things done yea some things more then others because he testifies and shewes by his outward proceedings more respect unto some things then unto other thus may God be said to remember the death of Christ and that more and above all things else because he shewes in his outward proceedings more respect to the death of CHRIST then to any thing else Whatsoever God doth in the administration of the world he doth it respectively to the death of Christ let it be to the preservation and salvation of the faithfull It is respectively to the death of Christ because they have their parts in him and he in them Let it bee to the destruction of the wicked it is respectively to the death of Christ they have no part in Christ whatsoever dangers thou escapest thou escapest them by the power of the death of Iesus Christ whatsoever benefits thou receivest it is by vertue of the death of Christ whatsoever grace God giveth thee he giveth it thee only in the remēbrance of the death of Christ whatsoever sinne God forgiveth thee he forgiveth it thee meerly in the shedding of Christs blood Is the death of Christ so precious that it is worthy alwayes to bee remembred by the Lord himselfe how much more then is it to be remembred by us Reason 3 A third reason we have continuall need and continuall use of the death of Christ and therefore wee must have it alwayes in continuall remembrance we must alwayes have it in a readinesse about us we have continuall need and use of the death of Christ great need as much as our bodies and our lives yea as much as our soules are worth our faith that requires daily to be strengthened why our faith that is stablished in the blood and death of Christ so the Scripture speaketh Through faith in his blood as the blood of Christ or the death of Christ being the very chiefe foundation that the faith of Gods children is rooted in and setled and stablished upon wee must pray continually every body knowes that it is the expresse commandement of the Apostle Pray continually we can never put up any the least pleasing petition to God but the eye of our faith must be fixed upon the death of Christ and therefore we must alwayes remember it wee are tempted daily to sinne no sound resistance of any temptation but in the death of Iesus Christ Rev. 12.10 11. If we ever overcome the accuser it must be by the blood of the Lambe sin must be mortified the death of Christ is the onely sword to mortifie and to slay sinne within us And last of all we sin dayly and therefore we have need of the forgivenesse of our sinnes and reconciliation and peace to be made with God continually no hope of forgivenesse of sinnes and of reconciliation but onely and meerly by the blood of Iesus Christ now ordinary wisedome and reason teacheth us looke what we know wee have continuall use of wheresoever wee goe wee will bee sure to carry that about us be it money or strong waters or the like wee will alwayes have it about us wee have continuall use and great need of the death of Christ even as much as the price of our life and soule is worth therefore let us alwaies have that in our hearts alwaies in a readinesse about us because we have continuall use of it Reason 4 A fourth reason is this the death of Christ Iesus doth alwaies labor for us and worke for us as a man would say and travels for us and that not in any small employment but in the best and the greatest worke that concernes our best good namely in satisfying our debts and in making our peace with God Heb. 12.24 the Apostle saith there that the blood of Christ Iesus that speakes better things then that of Abel the intendment of that Scripture is this wee sinne daily against God the sinnes that we doe commit doe cry out daily to heaven for vengeance to be poured upon us even as the blood of Abel did cry for vengeance to bee poured upon Cain but the blood of Christ Iesus that steps in for us and that speakes better things than the blood of Abel and calls to God for mercy and for forgivenesse and so prevailes against the cry of our sinnes and procures mercy and forgivenesse at the hands of God Heb. 10.19 20 vers there the Apostle calls the blood of Christ the new and the fresh and the living Way Well what is the meaning of it the meaning is this that whereas wee doe sinne and offend God daily the blood of Christ Iesus that daily makes our peace the death of Christ that is as it were day by day fresh and bleeding anew in the sight of God and so makes our peace with God It is true indeed when Christ offered himselfe upon the Crosse that then his blood was actually shed and never else yet it is as true that the blood of Christ bleedeth anew effectually in the sight of God when any sinne is forgiven any soule The death of Christ thus working and travelling for us shal not we remember it continuallie We must never forget those that worke and labour for us and for our good and shall wee not alwaies remember CHRIST IESVS especially in his death whereby hee doth effect our greatest good Reason 5 The last reason is this the thoughts of the death of Christ Iesus are most sutable and agreeable unto us in this present estate that we are in and therefore wee ought to remember it alwaies so long as we are in this estate the thoughts of his resurrection they are alwaies comprehended within the thoughts of his death and the thoughts of Christ his glory that being a matter which we can see here onely a farre off are not so fit for us in this abasement and humiliation and corrupt estate we are now in continually to feed upon but the thoughts of the death of Iesus Christ are most fitting for this present estate In this estate we are daily to bee cast downe before the Lord nothing will humble us so throughly as the thoughts of the death of Iesus Christ still wee must have sinne to be crucified
to us let none of these nor all these hinder us from being set upon this duty but let us breake through them all in an holy zeale and set our selves soundly to meditate upon the death of Christ in hope of these heavenly blessings that the meditation of this duty will bring us unto therefore still remember the death of Christ and as ever thou desirest to have a living teacher within thee remember the death of Christ as ever thou lookest to have comfort from God so look that thou remember the death of Christ as ever thou lookest to have spirituall growth and encrease by the Word and Sacraments still looke to the death of Christ as ever thou lookest to have a strong bridle to restraine thee from sinne so still let the death of Christ bee thy continuall meditation as ever thou desirest to come before God cheerfully and with comfort in prayer remember the death of Christ as ever thou desirest to be fitted and prepared to dye remember the death of Iesus Christ as ever thou desirest and lovest any one or all these blessings together remember the death of Christ and that continually let it never goe out of thy minde The end of the nineteenth Lecture THE TVVENTIETH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER WEE purposing God willing the next Sabbath to be partakers of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we are therefore according to our ordinary course to make preparation thereunto by this Sabbaths evening Exercise that so we may come with better grace in our hearts to that heavenly Table 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as yee shall eate this bread and drink this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come Which Scripture containes as you have heard these two parts an action to bee performed in the former part of the verse the receiving of the Sacrament as often as ye eate this bread and drinke this cup. Secondly a caution that this action is to be performed withall in the last part of the verse the remembrance or the shewing forth of the Lords death till he come We have fully finished the former part and through Gods mercy we have proceeded in the handling of the latter part to the last clause of all till he come ye shew forth the Lords death till he come I shewed you that this latter part of the verse containes the caution that the receiving of the Sacrament is to be performed withall it ministers unto us these things to be considered of First the caution it selfe namely the shewing forth of the LORDS death wherein wee shewed you what it was that was to be remembred the death of the Lord Iesus Christ and also the manner of the remembrance of it by a shewing forth or by a setting forth by a lively or a sensible expressing of it Secondly it doth commend unto us the frequenting of this caution that the death of the Lord Iesus Christ must be often remēbred for though that particle often bee onely named in the former part of the verse yet by all common understanding it is also to be understood in the latter part of the verse As often as ye doe receive the Sacrament so often yee remember the Lords death Thirdly and lastly here is the continuance of this caution the continuance of this duty take it so how long is it to continue why till he come so long as the world standeth till Iesus Christ shall come to judgement So then here we are now come to the last clause of all containing the continuance of this duty let this be done til he come till Christ come to judgement in which clause there be two things offered to our consideration the first is the continuance of this duty it selfe and that is directly and expresly affirmed ye shew forth the Lords death till he come That this duty must be continually and must never cease to continue in the Church so long as the world stands The second thing is covertly implyed yet plaine enough too if the words be well weighed and considered and that is the end or the reach that wee must ayme at in the performance of this duty namely the fitting and the preparing of us to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto judgment for so the very same particle till is used in the very same sense In the 1 Cor. 15.25 where it is said that Christ must raigne till hee have put all his enemies under his feet till he have put all his enemies the meaning of it is this First that Christs reigning shall be continuall till the very end of the world Secondly and the end of Christs reigning is this the utter destruction of his enemies and the trampling of them under his feet so it is in this case Doe this duty till he come that is to say this duty must be continued till Christ come to judgement and the end and the reach that we must ayme at in the performance of this duty is that we be fitted and prepared for his comming We cannot understand this clause clearly and fully except we take it with these two explications the first is this that howsoever this duty is imposed by name upon the Corinthians onely yee shew the Lords death till he come yet notwithstanding it is proportionably implied to all the faithfull by succession from time to time to the end of the world for the Apostle knew very well that the Corinthians in themselves in their owne persons should not live till Christ should come to judgement and therefore it was impossible that they should keepe this commandement till he come but the Apostle imposeth upon the Corinthians this duty for their time that they must observe it so long as they live and likewise imposeth the same duty upon the succeeding Churches from age to age to the worlds end that they must observe this duty so too so that is the first explication the second explication is this that howsoever this clause be here expresly referred onely to the latter part of the verse to the caution to the remembrance of Christs death Ye remember Christs death till he come yet it is implyed and intended to belong also unto the former part of the verse to the action it selfe the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper For as that particle of frequenting the word often is used onely in the former part yet it extends it selfe in sense to the latter so this clause of continuing till hee come though it bee named onely in the latter part yet in sense it doth extend it selfe to the former part of the verse so that both the remembrance of the Lords death and also the observation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper both these are to bee continued till Iesus Christ shall come to judgement for so the Apostle here expounding pounding our Saviours meaning in the words going before when he saith Doe this in remembrance of me he addes this rule of continuance doe
what we can while we live to further Gods ordinances to those that shall live after us leave some good monument behinde us to that effect If God have given us riches let us give something to maintaine Gods ordinances to the end of the world It is an excellent thing when God hath given any man abundance of wealth and hath given him withall a heart to part with some of it for the maintenance of Gods ordinances to the worlds end yea if occasion so require let us seale Gods truth with our blood this is the best monument of all Lastly and so I end all mans power being nothing of himselfe God being all in all wee must therefore pray to God while we live here not onely that he would continue his Word and Sacraments to us but pray that he would continue the same to our posterity after us to many generations yea even to the end of the world if it bee his blessed will In 1 King 8. Salomon when he built the Temple hee did not onely pray for that time but for the time to come Then whensoever hereafter thy people shall be oppressed with the sword or famine or such like and shall pray to thee in this Temple heare thou in heaven and be mercifull unto them So we must labour not onely to pray to God to fence his Church and plant his Vineyard and nourish those plants that are in it already but that he would still continue to make a supply of such plants so long as the Sun and Moone shall endure and this would testifie a true zeale that wee beare to the glory of God We know beloved in regard of our owne businesses if we purchase lands for our selves or our children we desire that it may continue for ever to our childrens children What shall we not be as zealous for Gods glory as wee are carefull for our owne children yes wee ought much more and therefore we should bee stirred up still to labour as much as in us lyeth by prayer and all other good meanes for the continuance of the Word and Sacraments and all the saving ordinances of God not onely unto us but to our posterity to our childrens children to the Church of God even to the end of the world The end of the twentieth Lecture The One AND TWENTIETH LECTVRE VPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER THE first to the Corinthians Chap. 11. verse 26. the last part of the verse till he come For as often as yee shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come You may remember how wee divided this Scripture into two parts we shewed that in the former part of the verse there is an action performed in the latter part of the verse there is a caution that it is to be performed withall in the former part of the verse is the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper The caution that it is to be performed withall in the latter part of the verse is the shewing forth of the Lords death till he come Not to trouble you with repeating of many things In this latter part of the verse we observed unto you first the Caution it selfe the shewing forth of the Lords death secondly the frequenting of the Caution that it must bee often done for howsoever this word often is not used in the latter part of the verse yet in all common construction and understanding it is to bee supplyed out of the former part of the verse As often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup so often shall ye shew forth the Lords death and lastly I came to speake of the continuance of this whole duty the whole that is here spoken of how long must this continue till Christ come that is to say as long as the world stands till Iesus Christ shall come to Iudgement Wee are entred upon this clause already I shewed you that this clause doth offer unto us two things for our consideration the first is the continuance it selfe of this duty how long it shall be to the end of the world that the observation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and the remembring or the shewing forth of the death of Christ must continue among the faithfull and be duly observed by them to the very end of the world that is directly affirmed here as you see I shewed you that there is another thing that is here covertly implyed and yet plaine enough if wee consider and weigh the words aright namely the end or the reach which the performers of this duty ayme at or which wee must ayme at in the performance of this duty namely to fit us and prepare us to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto Iudgement Wee have spoken of the former part already now as GOD shal inable us we are to proceed to the latter part and so to finish up this Scripture at this time Therefore here secondly wee must consider that which is covertly implyed namely the end or the reach that these actions or these duties aime at or that we must aime at in the performance of these duties to fit us and prepare us to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto judgement that the doctrine that hence we are to raise may appeare to be built upon a firme and a sure ground wee must shew these two things First that this particle that here is used till hath the same use in the same sense elsewhere in the Scripture not onely to signifie the continuance of an action till that time but withall to signifie that that continuance is such a preparation to such an action Secondly we must shew that it is so to bee understood here for it is not alwaies in the Scripture so meant therfore there must be some speciall inducement alleaged why it must bee so taken here Concerning the first that this particle is used in the same sense elsewhere I gave you one instance in the opening of the Text in the 1 Cor. 15.25 where it is said that Christ should raigne till he had put all his enemies under his feet For there is the same particle that is used here and it signifies not onely that Christ should raigne till his enemies should be destroyed but by his raigning his enemies should be destroyed Take another instance or two for better confirmation Gal. 4.19 My little children saith the Apostle of whom I travell in birth till Christ bee formed in you there is the very same particle also In those words the Apostle as you may see compares himselfe to a spirituall mother he is alwaies in paine and in travell in the spirit and in the worke of the ministery till such time as Christ should be formed and fashioned in the hearts of these Galathians till that time there that same word till intends these two things First that the paines and the travell of Paul in this spirituall child-birth did indure with in him till
such time as Christ was formed and fashioned in the hearts of the Galathians and moreover that those very paines and trauel of the Apostle in that very spirituall child-birth were a meanes wherby Christ was so formed and framed in them for so the comparison doth necessarily inforce from a naturall mother we know a naturall mother hath continuall paines and throes ever and anon till the child bee ripe to the birth and brought forth into the world it continues with her all that time I and besides those paines and those throes of hers are a meanes whereby the childe is so made ripe to the birth brought forth into the world and so it was with Paul in his spirituall child-birth the paines that hee did beare in this his child-birth it is to be understood that they did continue with him till that worke was effected and moreover that they were a meanes whereby it was effected Another instance Phil. 1.6 I am confident that the Lord that hath begun this good worke will performe it till the day of the Lord there is the same particle in the very same sense the Apostles meaning is this that he is perswaded that as God had given them the light of his Gospel and wrought faith in them so he would give them the light of his Gospell hee would still teach them and keepe them in the faith till the day of the Lord Iesus Christ And moreover that by this teaching and keeping of them in the faith hee would make them fit and ready for the day of the Lord so much for the first point namely that this particle which here is spoken of till is so used in this same sense that we doe now speake of it elsewhere in Scripture Secondly we are to shew what inducement is there to proue that it is so used here why the circumstance of the text affords it clearly these words that I have here you fee they are added as a reason of the words that went before for so the inference is for as often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death till he come The words that went immediately before are the words of our Saviour Doe this in remembrance of me the Apostle gives the exposition of these words by way of a reason for as often as ye shal eate this bread and drink this cup ye shew forth the Lords death til he come and so the exposition of the Apostle makes our Saviours words and our Saviours meaning to bee cleare as if our Saviour should say Doe this in remembrance of me till I come or against I come as who should say see that yee doe duely observe this same Sacrament of the Lords Supper till I come see that yee doe duely and affectionatly meditate upon my death till I come that when I doe come then ye may bee fitted and ready for my comming ye may be prepared by these meanes to give me the better entertainment and I seeing your faithfulnesse and your constancy and readinesse in observing my ordinances and my directions so duely I may then when I doe come give you a comfortable portion Doe this in remembrance of me till I come or against I come that so you may bee fitted and prepared for my comming This is the very straine and reach or the Text we are to understand one thing further and that is this that howsoever this is here intended particularly of these two duties of the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lord and of the meditation of Christs death yet notwithstanding by way of proportion and by way of consequence the same is also to bee affirmed concerning all duties in religion whatsoever all other outward meanes yea all other meanes of grace whether outward or inward for they all must joyne together in one and the same finall end This being the finall end of these two duties to prepare us to the day of the Lord Iesus Christ except wee will make a disproportion in religious duties as if some of them should tend to one end and some to another we must consequently understand that all the duties of religion they tend to this end to fit us and prepare us to the comming of Iesus Christ unto judgement The grounds being thus laid the doctrine ariseth plaine Doe this till I come the Sacrament of the Lords Supper duely observed and the effectuall meditation of Christs death and consequently all other duties and exercises of religion and all other meanes of grace both inward and outward they are so many serviceable meanes and instruments and helps unto the faithfull whereby they are fitted and prepared for the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto judgement Where I named the receiving of the Lords Supper and the effectuall meditation of Christs death that is cleare in this text concerning all other duties other Scriptures doe serve to make that cleare and give plentifull witnesse of it Matth. 25. from the first to the thirteenth there is the parable of the ten Virgins five were wise and five were foolish they went all out to meet their Bridegroome five had oile and five had none the Bridegroome comes they were all awake as they were asleepe before the wise they had their oile they went in with the Bridegroome the foolish they had none and they were kept out in a word the meaning of the parable is this Those Virgins are the visible Church here upon earth the wise Virgins they are true beleevers the foolish Virgins they are hypocrites their Lamps that they have all of them is the outward profession that they make of religion in the use of the outward meanes the Word and Sacraments these bee the Lamps these bee common both to the foolish and to the wise the oyle they have in their Lamps is the inward graces of Gods Spirit in their hearts faith and repentance and such like and these onely the wise Virgins had the foolish have none at all all these Virgins they goe forth to meet the Bridegroome as in the first verse the Bridegroome is the Lord Iesus Christ the comming of the Bridegroome is his cōming to judgment and so their meeting of the Bridegroome it is their fitting and their preparing of themselves for the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto judgement well then you see all these Virgins the whole visible Church the foolish as well as the wise the wise onely in truth the foolish in shew they as well as the other make use of their lamps of their cōmunion in the Word the sacramēts to what end to fit thē to Christ his comming for that is their pretence the wise they make use not onely of their lamps but also of their oyle too that is of their inward graces to what end to fit them to meet the Lord Iesus that when the Bridegroome doth come they may bee ready to enter in with him the case you see is very cleare all the duties of religion
that wee doe performe either outward duties or inward graces they bee as so many serviceable helps unto us whereby wee are fitted and prepared for the day of the Lord Iesus Christ our Saviour in the 13. verse of that Chapter by occasion of the excluding and shutting out of the foolish Virgins because they had no oyle in their lamps no grace in their hearts he therefore gives us an exhortation Wath therefore why watch because yee know not when the Sonne of man shall come As if our Saviour should say Certainly the Sonne of man shall come to judgement if he doe come and finde you unready you shall bee in a most wofull and miserable case watch therefore see that yee have your lamps ready in your hands especially see that you have oyle burning in your lamps that so when the Sonne of man shall come yee may bee ready to give him gracious entertainment and so our Saviour confirmes it by that exhortation that hee gives them watch c. that all these meanes and exercises of Religion what are they why they be serviceable helps to fit us to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ unto judgment Luk. 12.35 36. Let your loynes be girt about you and your lights burning and ye as men that doe wait for the comming of their Master that when he commeth and knocketh they may open unto him immediately In the girding of our loynes in the burning of our lights in our watching in all the duties of religion both outward and inward that we performe we must cary our selves as men that wait the comming of our Master from the wedding as men that expect the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ to judgement that whensoever he doth come and knocke when our Lord and Master shall come and knocke what may we doe we may open to him that is we may be ready to give him gracious entertainment and that immediatly without any lett or hinderance without any delay as being fitted and prepared thereunto by these duties and exercises before hand Luk. 21.36 Watch therefore and pray continually that ye may bee counted worthy to escape all these things and that ye may stand before the Sonne of man What good shall our watching doe us what good shall our prayers doe us what good shall all our religious exercises doe us that we doe performe here in this life what good saith our Saviour why they shall doe thee this good that they shall make thee to escape the terrors of the day of judgement and shall make thee to stand with joy and with comfort when the Lord shall come to judge the world Watch and pray continually that ye may escape and stand before the Sonne of man Titus 2.11 12 13 verses The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared teaching us that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present evill world looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mighty God and of our Saviour Iesus Christ The saving grace of God that there the Apostle speakes of teacheth us two things as the Apostle shewes It teacheth us first the good duties that we are to performe to deny ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse and our selves and to live godly and soberly in this present world and it teacheth us a second thing what it is that our eyes and hearts are to be fixed upon in these duties even the appearing of the Lord Iesus Christ looking for that blessed hope still have your eyes upon that looking for the appearance of the mighty God and of our Saviour Iesus Christ The Apostle Peter he goeth one step further for whereas the Apostle Paul he had said there looking for the blessed hope so manage all your businesses that ye may have a gracious eye to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ The Apostle Peter hee goeth one step further in 2 Pet. 3.11 12. Seeing that all these things must bee what manner of persons ought we to be in all holiness godly conversation looking for and hastning unto the comming of the day of the Lord in the performance of the duties of holines righteousnes we must not only have our eyes fixed upō the comming of the day of the Lord but hasten to it that is to say we must so cary our selves in the managing of these duties that in every good duty that we doe still we may bee fitted and better prepared for the comming of the day of God and nearer to it than we were before looking for and hastning unto the comming of the day of God You see these places prove the doctrine directly for all religious duties now for these two in particular I will give you a proofe for each and so come to the Reasons First concerning the performance of the dutie of receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that is a serviceable meanes and a good duty to fit us to the day of Iesus Christ our Saviour would give us to understand so much in Matth. 26.29 Henceforth I will drinke no more of this Vine till I drinke it new with you in my Fathers kingdome our Saviour used that speech immediately after the Passeover and after that hee had instituted the Sacrament of the Lords Supper immediately he makes a kinde of a sweet allusion betweene the drinking of the wine in the Sacrament and the drinking of wine in the kingdome of heaven Now you must consider that by drinking of the wine in the Kingdome of heaven wee are not to understand that we shall drinke wine there but that there we shall have a Communion with Christ in his heavenly kingdome which hee by way of allusion calleth the drinking of the wine new in his heavenly kingdome thereby our Saviour giveth us to understand that the conscionable and the religious receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the conscionable and religious and spirituall drinking of the wine in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a speciall meanes whereby we are furthered and fitted and prepared to drinke new wine with Christ in the kingdome of heaven that is to say to the participation of that glory that Christ shall make us partakers of in heaven for the other that the death of Christ effectually remembred doth so too looke Heb. 9.28 So Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many and the second time hee shall appeare without sinne to salvation The Apostle there makes a kinde of comparison betweene Christ and us in two things his death is compared to ours and likewise his judgement to ours we dye and we come to judgement Christ Iesus he dyeth and he shall come to judgement too he to judge we to be judged and we must make use of our death for our judgement and we must make use of the death of Christ with reference to his judgement not to meditate upon it as once suffered for us all as who
remission of sinnes Remission of sinnes is the benefit there is no remission of sinnes but onely by the blood of Iesus Christ as it is in the 1. of Iohn 11.7 It is the blood of Iesus Christ that clenseth us from all our sinnes On the other side in Hebr. 9.22 Where there is no shedding of blood there is no remission of sinnes then consider of it there is no purchasing of remission of sinnes by Christ but by his blood there is no obtaining of remission of sinnes by us but onely by participating or by communicating in the blood or death of Christ Iesus the death of Christ Iesus is not communicated unto us in the Sacrament except we partake of it and seize upon it by faith in the Sacrament therefore the chiefe and principall matter in the Sacrament is the death of Iesus Christ if so be that in the receiving of the Sacrament we come with our harts sprinkled with the blood of Christ Iesus by the Spirit of God why then we are sure to be made partakers of the whole benefit of the Sacrament remission of sinnes but if wee doe not come with the blood of Christ so sprinkled in our hearts by the Spirit of God we doe not seize upon the death of Christ wee have no benefit in the Sacrament if there be not shedding of blood there is no remission of sinnes Christ himselfe could never have redeemed us from death without his blood had beene shed for us and so we can never have any benefit by his redemption without his blood be sprinkled in our hearts and we take fast hold upon the death of Iesus Christ The Vses of the doctrine are these Vse 1 The first is this this yeelds us matter of reproofe of divers that doe come unto the Lords Table and yet are not sensible of the death of the Lord Iesus Christ they come to the Lords table but they know not what they come about Alas as Salomon saith Eccles. 4.17 Such men doe but offer the sacrifice of fooles they doe not know they doe evill they doe but offer the sacrifice of fooles because they doe not know what they doe that is the meaning of the place that they doe not heare or learne they doe not understand they are not well taught what it is that they must principally meditate upon when they come to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Sily men and women that so come to the Lords Table alas they know not that they doe evill they know not that they prophane the Sacrament in that they doe not receive the holy things of the Sacrament that is the death of Christ they know not that they make themselves guilty of the blood of Christ in that they receive not the body and blood of Christ by faith Christ he is tendred unto them but they know not that they doe eate their owne damnation in that they apprehend not the death of Iesus Christ which is the chiefe matter that is there tendred unto them and that the Lord calls them unto they offer the sacrifice of fooles they know not that they doe evill I will give you a comparison If so be that a man should goe into the market to fetch such and such commodities that he stands in need of he makes himselfe ready and goes forth and makes full accompt to bring them home with him but the foolish man never considers the price of these things what they will cost him and so hee takes no money to pay for them when as the price is the chiefest thing to be respected in that he goes about but he never considers that Is not this a ridiculous man is not that man like to come home as foolish and as emptie as he went out It is so with many of our Communicants many here come to the Lords Table for what forsooth to furnish themselves with such and such commodities for to receive the holy Sacrament the body and blood of Christ for to receive remission of sinnes and grace and comfort and such like these they come to receive I but they do not consider the price of these things what is that the death of Christ for these things cost Christ Iesus his most precious blood they doe not bring faith in their hearts whereby to purchase and get these things for themselves therefore such men goe away as foolish and ridiculous and as empty of grace as ever they were before yea they are so much the more damnable because they come thus unfurnished It is with many of us as it was with the Iewes that the Apostle speakes of in the 2. to the Corinthians chap. 3. vers 14 15. Their mindes are hardned for unto this day remaineth the same covering untaken away in the reading of the old Testament which veile in Christ is put away but even unto this day when Moses is read the veile is laid over their hearts They could see the outward things the sacrifices the ceremonies and the letter of the old Testament as the Apostle speakes I but saith the Apostle they could not looke unto the end they could not looke unto the substance of those things that were tendred unto them in this outward shadow that is to say they could not looke upon Christ that is the substance of all no saith the Apostle there is a veile over their hearts and to this day they continue in their hardnesse so I say it is with many among us wee come here unto the Lords Table we can see these outward things well enough the bread and the wine I but yet many of us doe not looke to the end of these things to the substance that is tendred unto us in these holy mysteries namely to the death of Christ wee doe not discerne the Lords body there is a veile over the hearts of many of us a covering of blindness over the harts of many of us therefore though we doe come often this month and the next month yet still wee continue in the hardnesse of our hearts we are never the better till this veile be taken away as the Apostle speakes of the Iewes till this veile be taken away by Christ till Christ Iesus doe take away this veile of blindnesse and shew them his death and present his death unto them and cause them to looke upon him whom they have pierced till such time that this veile be taken away and that he present his death to their hearts by his Spirit they shall never be the better for it they do continue in their hardnesse and they shall continue in their hardnesse for ever Therefore beloved let us not deceive our selves to thinke that wee are more holy and religious receivers than indeed we are let us try our selves when wee come to the Lords Table examine our selves upon this point what apprehension we have of the death of Christ what portion wee have in the death of Christ and accordingly as thou findest some measure of this grace within thee so
come and so expect a blessing from God but if thou have a veile before thee and thou canst not see and behold the death of Christ that is to say Christ Iesus crucified for the taking away of thy sinnes surely thou art not in case to come to the Table of the Lord. Vse 2 The second Vse of this Doctrine is matter of instruction and it serves to instruct us in many good Christian duties Is it so that the very substance and the chiefest matter of the Lords Supper is the death of Christ Iesus then this should teach us in the first place that wee should hunger and thirst long after this Sacramēt we must hunger thirst after grace we must hunger thirst after righteousnesse the death of Iesus Christ is our grace and our righteousnesse and the same also is the substance of this Sacrament therefore wee must hunger and thirst after this Sacrament Oh beloved that wee could but consider with our selves the worth of the death of Iesus Christ which was as great a matter as the whole world besides or if we could but consider the necessity of the death of Christ that without the sense and feeling of it in our hearts it is impossible that any man can be saved or if we could but consider the power of the death of Christ what a force it hath to beat downe the power of sinne hell and death and if we could consider the sweetnesse of Christ crucified the crucifying of Christ is the very life of a man that is truly regenerate and converted to God if wee could but consider the benefit of Christ Iesus crucified all grace and all glory belongs unto us by the death of Christ lastly if we could but consider the glory of Christ crucified Christ was most glorious upon the Crosse when he was in the height of his obedience and so God beheld him and then indeed did he procure most glory to us as it was his glory so it is our chiefest glory I rejoyce in nothing but in Christ crucified saith the Apostle If wee could soundly taste of these things the worthinesse of Christ crucified the necessity of Christ crucified the power of Christ crucified the sweetnesse of Christ crucified the benefit of Christ crucified the glory of Christ crucified we would hunger againe and againe after the Sacrament of the Lords Supper after the death of Christ therein tendred unto us it should whet us on to a spirituall appetite to this heavenly banquet This teacheth us in the second place what bee the graces that every one of us must be furnished withall when we doe come to the Lords Table What be the speciall graces why all graces that are any way respective to the death of Christ it is the death of Christ that there we come to celebrate now because every grace is in some sort or other respective to the death of Christ therefore every one of us shold come furnished in some measure or other with every grace but yet there be some graces that be more proper and nearer respective to the death of Christ than others are and these we must all be furnished withall when we come to the Sacrament they be so necessary that if we come not with them it is damnable for us to come at all There bee many I will but touch these five Knowledge Faith Love Obedience Thankfulnesse The first grace is knowledge we must bee indued with knowledge the knowledge of God generally and likewise of all other matters that be necessary to salvation but more specially the knowledge of Christ Iesus crucified we must know the story of his crucifying the benefit and power of his crucifying but yet more particularly we must know Christ Iesus crucified in reference to the Lords Supper there is the particular knowledge required of us the presence of Christ in that Sacrament the power of Christ in that Sacrament the benefits of Christ in that Sacrament these bee the things that wee must be well acquainted withall except we know these things wecome in a miserable case I shewed you that the death of Christ must bee meditated upon in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper here is the eye whereby wee doe discerne Christ crucified in these holy mysteries even the knowledge of Christ crucified in reference to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and therefore as ever thou lookest to have any benefit by the Sacrament of the Lords Supper whosoever thou art see that thou be experienced and well seene and well grounded in the knowledge of Christ crucified be not to seeke of this when thou doest come see that thou have this knowledge before thou commest hee that hath his money to seeke when he should pay for his meat is like to fast so if we have not this knowledge before we come to the Lords Supper if we be not well experienced in this grace we are like to fast we are like to him that hath his weapons to seeke when hee should goe to fight he is like to be beaten Secondly we must bring Faith with us that is the second grace faith to apprehend the death of Christ to apprehend Iesus Christ crucified and this is as it were the hand whereby we doe apply and lay hold upon Iesus Christ for it is but in vaine for us to know Christ crucified except we doe apply him to our selves the eie of knowledge cannot save us without we doe apply him with the hand of faith by faith we doe as it were lay hold upon Christ in the Sacrament and lay his death upon our sores as a plaister to cure them and as a cordiall to our soules to comfort them Thirdly there must be Love in us love to God love to Christ and love to our brethren for Gods cause for the death of Iesus Christ being first wel knowne and understood then secondly well beleeved and applyed by faith worketh in us a kind of sensible feeling of the love of God towards us in Christ Iesus and thereby kindles in us a love to God himselfe and to Christ and then consequently to our brethren if God hath so loved us we must also love him and if Christ have so loved us as to give himselfe for us how ought we to love Christ and to love one another for his sake This is the heart as a man would say whereby we do give entertainment unto Iesus Christ crucified whereby we doe embrace him within us and surely whosoever can come to this that our hearts be seasoned with a love to God and to Christ and to our brethren for his sake out of question the Lord Iesus Christ dwells in us and lives in us and we dwell and live in him The fourth grace is Obedience even obedience to the whole will of God here comes in the whole duty of a Christian as well repentance as new obedience This is a grace specially respective to the death of Iesus Christ Iesus Christ he was perfectly obedient