hid but rather use all means to supply them whilst they are afforded And as there is required in all Receivers an earnest longing after sanctifying grace which is here vouchsafed so the other qualification suitable hereto I told you is a Resolution to improve this grace that is to lay it out and shew forth the fruit of it in an holy conversation This is an effect of the former and indeed necessarily flows from the nature of grace which is no way desirable but for use and exercise not is it possible that in should ordinarily lie still in the heart and not be brought forth into act and shewn in the life He that desires patience humility purity temperance to what purpose is it but to overcome the temptations which he meets with in the world to the contrary vices and to shew forth these fruits of the Spirit in all his converse Whence it appears that no man is worâ—hy to come to the Lords Table who is not resolved by the grace of God to live an holy life and to be led by the Spirit in all his ways He that hath got any sin which he is resolv'd to keep is not like to have any desire after that grace which should mortifie and quell his sin nor any mind to remember that Death which was to deliver us from this present evil world He 's like to be far from a right remembrance of Christ who will not be perswaded to imitate him for certainly that 's one end of our remembring his Death that we may thereby be drawn to follow his example which he gave us then as well as in his life by his constancy patience charity to his enemies and ready resignation of himself to his Fathers will As he walked so ought we to walk and from his very death may we fetch directions for our life This resolution for holinesse which I am speaking of is indeed one branch of our Faith in Christ being no other than our consent to take him for our King to guide and govern us in all our thoughts words and actions and therefore having said something to it under that Head as also the former of Repentance I shall at present passe it over CHAP. VIII The third benefit is eternall happinesse with God 3. THE last of those benefits which I named obtained for us by the death of Christ and to be remembred at the Sacrament is eternall happinesse It is by his resurrection from the dead and consequently by his death that Believers have a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in the heavens for them 1 Pet. 3.4 It was his blood that redeemed them to be Kings and Priests to God Rev. 5.9 10. He gave his flesh for the life of the world Joh. 6.51 By Jesus Christ God calls us to eternall glory 1 Pet. 5.10 He opened the entrance into Paradise which sin had shut up It was his will not onely that they who believe in him should be kept from the place where Satan was but that they should also be with him where he is Joh. 17.24 This he pray'd for this he died for and is gone before to prepare a place for them and keeps them here to prepare them for that place and being ready they shall enter into the Kingdome He receives their Spirits when they die and will raise up their bodies at the last day Now their life is hid with Christ in God and when he appears then shall they also appear with him in glory Coll. 3.3 4. Be we sure then this Death of Christ cannot be remembred as it ought if the glory purchast thereby be forgotten How can we remember a dying Christ but withall we must call to mind that he vanguisht this death is risen again and ascended into glory whither in due time he will exalt his people Moreover that Covenant which is sealed to by this Sacrament promiseth an everlasting Kingdome to Believers and can any man forget such a benefit even whilst he is receiving a confirmation of his right to it Again here is that grace given out which is the pledge the seed the beginning and forecast of glory here is the meat which endures to everlasting life and who can forget his Journeys end whilst he is taking food to strengthen him for his travell To conclude here 's a communion of Saints which does in some measure shadow out and signifie that perfect communion which they shall have one with another when all the Elect shall be gathered from the four corners of the earth and with Abraham Isaac and Jacob shall sit down and for ever remain in the Kingdome of God Now hence it appears that the worthy Receiver must be one who hath taken the heavenly glory for his portion who hath got a treasure above and there placed his heart and his hopes for none but such a one can with any life and raisednesse remember this glory which is to be revealed He that is wont to solace himself with the contemplation thereof will rejoyce in every thing that hath a relation to it much more in the remembrance of that price that was paid for it But how can the earthworm whose soul lies groveling upon the dust bring himself to any affectionate thoughts of hidden treasures which cannot be got into his bags not coffers which he cannot so much as get a sight of Nor can the swinish voluptuous sinners that feed upon none but the muddy delights of sense take any comfort in the forethoughts of pure and spirituall pleasures such as are prepared for exalted purified souls Any whoever they be that place their chief conâ—entment on earth are not like with any pleasure to think of that time when they must leave this earth and enter upon another state where are no such sensuall enjoyments as here they blest themselves in Ignorant narrow souls have no heart to think of what shall be thousands and millions of years to come These poor sordid spirits are so glewed to the little trifles of the world that they look not so high as after Crowns and Scepters which Christ hath in store for his faithfull followers And they who never took much pains to secure or clear up their evidences for heaven but have taken it for granted that they must needs go thither at last or counted it an indifferent thing whether they doe or not will be farre from those lively apprehensions of the greatnesse of that love which purchast it and of the excellency of the blisse it self which are necessary for him who can rightly remember either Now to bring those who are yet strangers hereto to such an apprehension of the glory to come by Christ that they may chuse it as their portion and so be joyfully taken up in the expectations thereof in one word I would desire thee whoever thou art that hast but so much common reason as to distinguish between good and evil to consider well whether thou hast not
find that thou art such a one still as ever thou wast as earthly and carnall as ever as hard-hearted and stupid and as mad of Sin as ever and know'st not what it means to have thy heart broken for thy offences committed against the great God of Heaven and Earth Nay it may be thou prid'st thy self in being of the very same mind and disposition that thou art now ever since thou canst remember Thou art one that hast always lov'd God and believed in Christ and bore a good conscience towards all men and then I fear all 's little better than stark naught with thee for though there may be multitudes of good people in times of light and having good education that cannot distinctly tell when they were in a more especiall manner wrought upon and brought home to God yet few if any but can remember that once they were much worse than they are even that they were too like the rest of the world but now they find they are washed and cleansed Perhaps when thou hast sworn or been drunk or committed any the like wickednesse thou could'st cry God forgive me and say thou art a great sinner but still goest on and remainest as bad as thou wast If this indeed be thy case if thou art yet a meer stranger to this work of Christ upon thy soul who is exalted in 〈◊〉 first place to give repentance thou art at present very unfit to drink of that Blood which was shed for and which seals the Remission of sins Now that I may proceed in the method I promised by directing to the attainment of those graces which are wanting in order to the breaking of thy hard heart and humbling thy soul for Sin I might advise thee in the first place to look back into thy heart and life to find out thy particular sins not being content in the generall to confesse thy self a sinner as all men are for this is not so likely much to work upon thee but to fasten upon thy most remarkable sins and dwell upon and bewail them and so all lesser evils and that body of death which thou carriest about thee continually which was born with thee and is the ground of all the rest In this method partly may you find David's confession Psal. 51. at the beginning to the 5. verse Further I might direct thee earnestly to beg of God to open thy eyes and shew thee what thy estate is and discover to thee more of the evil of Sin before thou feel its sad effects when repentance will come too late Moreover thou art to use all other means appointed for the working of a true and saving sorrow for Sin as to observe what God speaks against it in his Word and to attend diligently to the most searching and awakening Preaching and to be much employ'd in those considerations that have a special tendency to the begetting of this frame and of this sort I might name severall as for instance to think frequently how great and gracious a God sin is committed against and what particular reasons thou hast to serve and please him from the mercies and means thou enjoyest think how he stands related to thee as thy Creator Preserver and Ruler and therefore disobedience to him is most odious impudent and undutifull Withall its good to consider how much hurt Sin doth to the soul which is so excellent a Being how it defiles debaseth and disquiets it how it exposeth the whole man to all kind of evils and sufferings here on earth and to everlasting torments hereafter and deprives men of those unspeakable joys which are to be had with and from God But to avoid tediousnesse I shall passe over these and many the like considerations and keeping to the Subject in hand shall rather direct thee to fetch matter for humiliation and repentance from the Crosse of Christ the remembrance whereof at the Sacrament should still keep up and renew thy godly sorrow If then thou art one who never yet sawest any great hurt in Sin but for all the ill language which is given it canst quietly and lovingly entertain it let me beseech thee a while to fix thy thoughts upon a crucified Saviour and then remain of this wretched opinion if thou canst Behold the Son of God become Man a most innocent holy person whose whole life was spent in doing good who heal'd Diseases cast out Devils pitied all that were afflicted taught the ignorant pray'd and wept for poor Sinners after all behold this blessed Jesus who had never in all his life been guilty of the least sin in thought word or deed nor ever gave just cause of offence to any man living behold him I say in the Garden a little before his crucifying sorrowfull even to the death in such a bitter agony that he sweat great drops or clots of bloud and what inward pains and sorrows dost thou think must those needs be which put him into such an unnaturall sweat as this though his patience was as much greater than any mortall mans as his sufferings themselves were for we cannot imagine that he who so calmly bore all those indignities and cruelties which were offered and inflicted by insolent men should be lesse patient in regard of those sufferings which he underwent immediately from God but we may conclude that these were infinitely the greater Then after this beginning of sorrows and after he had been most vilely abused and set at nought by the Rulers the chief Priests the Souldiers and common people after he had in a jeer been cloathed in a purple Robe with a Crown of Thorns on his Head and a Reed in his Hand after he had been laught at spit on whipt and buffeted behold him brought forth to be stretcht upon the Crosse where his enemies stood gazing shouting and wagging their heads at him whilst his tender hands and feet are struck through with nails that fasten him to the wood and in his soul he felt that pain which wrung from him that doleful complaint My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Now let me beg thee to dwell a while upon this Subjâ—ct with the reason and bowels of a man and then tell me whetheâ— in thy Conscience thou think'st it was for a small matter that the Lord of Glory underwent such grâ—evous sufferings What was Christ so prodigall of his Blood as to shed it for a trifle or was God so cruel as to put his own dearly beloved Son to all this smart for an inconsiderable thing Certainly if thou art a Christian thou canst not harbour any such base thoughts Well then what was it that put Christ to all this sorrow and shame and smart Ah friend it was thy sin and mine and the rest of the worlds that was the cause and canst thou then imagine it an harmlesse thing If thou doubt of what I say hear the plain word of God Isa. 53.4 5 6. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we
Christ as may prevail with all that love themselves to make out after it and depart from sin which alone can keep them from it And that 's the second Consideration which the Death of Christ helps us to in order to the working of a kindly Repentance namely the great goodnesse of God hereby revealed to poor sinners 3. From all that hath been said will more clearly appear the hainous nature of sin as a farther motive to Repentance in that it is a contradiction to all this love of God and an undervaluing of the greatest mercy that was ever bestow'd upon the world being in effect a trampling under foot of the blood of the Lord Jesus whereby we should be sanctified And hereby I mean those sins which have been committed since men heard of the Gospel For as the evil of sin did appear in the greatnesse of those sufferings which Christ underwent to procure a pardon so these his sufferings doe exceedingly aggravate their sins who have continued in them after they have been told again and again what their Saviour hath done to make satisfaction for them if they would not undervalue and despise it Oh how have you made a shift so often to hear and read of the life and death of Christ and yet have done all that in you lies to crosse the end of his coming into the world and to make his Death of none effect to you whilst yet you pretend to believe that his design was wholly for your good Oh unthankfull wretches to make such a requitall for such unvaluable love As if you studied how you might most dishonour and displease him who thought not his own life too dear to lay down for you Could you see him upon the Crosse wounded torn and bruised for your sakes and could you think of no other recompence but to give him fresh wounds by your wilfull sins Did he once despise the shame and endure the crosse for you and could you find in your hearts again to put him to an open shame and as it were crucifie him afresh Did he indeed deserve such dealing as this at your hands Bethink thy self Reader whether this hath not been thy case Hast thou not liv'd in those sins which Christ died to deliver thee from And what hast thou thereby done lesse than proclaim That there is more to be got by thy lusts than by thy Saviour that its better to remain in thy polluted corrupt estate than to be washt in the blood of Christ whereby our consciences are purged from dead works to serve the living God And did they vilifie Christ more that contemn'd him jeer'd him and put him to death If thou take thy fleshly pleasures and worldly profits to be of greater advantage than any thing that can accrue to thee by Christs Death dost thou not think as basely of him as any of his Crucifiers did And hadst thou been there with this frame of heart is is not most likely thou would'st have joyn'd with them what ever thou maist now think As they hated Christ because he told them the truth and reprov'd them for sin and therefore did all they could to rid themselves of one whose preaching and presence was such a burden to them so dost thou appear in effect an hater of Christ his life and doctrine whilst thou walkest so flatly contrary thereto And what 's this lesse than desiring that there was no God nor Christ to govern and judge thee no such Rule as the Gospel to be thy guide Nay let me tell thee thou who hast profest thy self a Christian and yet hast behav'd thy self thus unworthily toward Christ thou art herein more guilty than the Jews themselves for what they did was very much out of ignorance but thou after thou hast known that he is the Son of God and that he laid down his life for our sins hast manifested all thy contempt of him and rejected him from being thy Saviour whilst thou would'st not be saved by him from thy reigning lusts which thou hast loved more than him as Judas loved the money for which he was hired to betray him After thou hast known of that friendship which by the Crosse of Christ was shewn to the ruined world yet thou hast been an enemy to this crosse whilst thou hast made thy belly thy God and minded earthly things whilst thou hast delightfully liv'd in the practice of any known sin What then were the Jews prickt to the heart when they were convinc'd that they had crucified that Jesus whom God had made Lord and Christ and shall it not have the same effect on thee to consider thou hast been guilty in some sort of the same wickednesse and hast shewn forth the very same spirit that was in them For think not thy self more blamelesse because thou never saw'st Christ nor hadst any hand in his Death nor didst joyn with his enemies in accusing condemning and reproaching him but criest out against them as monsters of men that persecuted the most spotlesse Innocence with such savage fierceness for all this while thy guilt may be as great as theirs whilst thou hast as great an enmity against the image of Christ and the Law of Christ as they had against his person And that thou dost not wound him and spit in his face is not from the goodnesse of thy nature but because he is out of thy reach for were he now before thee and could it gratifie thy lusts so to deal with him it s much to be feared thou would'st not stick at it Whilst the Pharisees condemned their fore-fathers for killing the Prophets they followed them in the very same sin And suppose a Father had two Sons the one at mans estate the other an infant and the elder of these by following wicked courses should break his Fathers heart and occasion his death and the younger when he was grown up should lead the very same life that the other did but yet should take on him very much to condemn his Brother for being so disobedient and hard-hearted as to bring his Father to the grave is it not plain for all this that had he been in his Brothers stead he would have done the same that he did since he also takes those courses which were so grievous to his Father Thus it is to be remembred that Sin was that which put Christ to death as well as the Jews and this Sin is it thou lovest though thou seemest to hate them And as those Jews put his body to pain by their cruelties so dost thou grieve his Spirit by thy wickednesse And know he takes it as hainously from thee that thou should'st thus displease him as he did from them that they should persecute him to the death Nor art thou like to get a pardon at any easier rates than they even no other way than looking on him whom thou by thy sins hast pierced and bitterly mourning for this thy bloodinesse and ingratitude What saist thou then after all
they converst with and after some time this King taking pity on his banish'd Subjects should agree with his onely Son that if he would venture upon the hazards and troubles of so long a journey he should take a chief Officer along with him and go to these rebels with proclamation of pardon to all such who should acknowledge their crime and were willing to return into their own land there to live in the obedience and favour of their Soveraign and in order hereto would come to this Officer to be taught by him the language of their Countrey and how to behave themselves so as they might please their King and be fit to be in his presence when now the King's Son should come to these men and shew them his Commission and perswade them to be ruled by him who is come so tedious and dangerous a journey to free them from the miseries of banishment proposing the terms on which he will deliver them all those that believe he speaks true and hath power to help them and being willing to be delivered upon his conditions doe put their trust in him by his means to be restored to the favour of their Prince and their former habitations they doe by this very action manifest their love to their native Countrey and their willingnesse to live in obedience to their King whom they had displeased and doe hereby also engage to accept of this Officer that accompanies the Prince to teach them the language and manners of the Countrey they are about to return to The application of this to the matter in hand is very easie for in the same manner doth Faith in Christ and our acceptance of him implie our love to God and desire to live for ever in his favour which is that Christ offers us and by his death hath purchased for true Believers and it implies also our willingnesse to be sanctified by his Spirit that we may be made meet to live for ever in the love of God Oh hearken then and give ear all you lost sinners somewhat to pursue the former comparison all you that are the posterity of sinfull Adam who by his transgression banish'd himself out of Paradise you that are wandring up and down in this wildernesse and have even forgot the heavenly Countrey as if you were made onely to be inhabitants of this lower world here to live with the Beasts a miserable life for a while and hereafter to die like Beasts that perish and accordingly make it your onely work to run and ride to labour and toil for such things as are needfull for this present life without regarding that which is to come whilst you are thus estranged from God forgetfull of and daily running farther and farther from him behold a message of glad tidings and great joy is dispatch'd to you from heaven The great God that made you takes pity on you and is even grieved to see what a misery you have plunged your selves into when he made you so happy He is by no means pleased that such noble Creatures lately raised out of nothing for such glorious ends should through their own folly and the subtlety of the tempter be debased into such a wretched sordid slavery Wherefore in pursuance of his gracious designs for your recovery and to shew how his bowelâ— yearn over you he hath sent his own Son out of his bosome who is one with himself to take our nature upon him and to become one with us that he might be every way fit to be a Mediatour betwixt God and us that he might teach us by his doctrine encourage us by his example and make attonement for us by his death Accordingly all this is done the Son of God is come into the world and hath abundantly evidenced his Commission from the Father to treat with lost mankind about their reconciliation to him for the procuring of which reconciliation he laid down his life and being risen again he furnished his Ambassadors with authority to assure all that life was given to the world and this life was in the Son so that he who hath the Son hath life And this is that message which the Ministers of the Gospel at this day and to the end of the world are to proclaim to the sons of men This Sirs is the joyfull sound that is now in your ears If you will but trust your souls with Christ and consent that his Spirit should teach you the language of Canaan and work in you an heavenly nature and disposition suitable to the state and place he would bring you to then shall you be happy with God for ever What say you then shall Chriâ—â— be your Redeemer to bring you to glory upon these terms or not What have you to object against him Doe you think he does not mean as he speaks or that he cannot doe what he promiseth Dare you question his power his willingnesse or his truth If you will not believe his Word yet give credit to his Death Does not that tell you he is in good earnest with you and fully bent upon the Redemption of mankind And beside the miracles wrought by and upon him which fully witnesse for him let his Resurrection put you out of doubt that him hath God the Father sealed to this Office of Mediatour by this is assurance is given to all men that he is the Judge of to be world and therefore that all are delivered into his hands to save or condemn as he shall think fit and he hath plainly declared that to those who receive him he will give power to become the Sons of God but as for those who reject him upon them the wrath of God abides for ever But these things I shall branch out into two or three particular considerations to perswade you if it may be to accept of Christ the Prince of peace who comes with the tender of peace to your souls to accept of him I say to wash you in his Blood and sanctifie you by his Spirit that at length he may present you without spot or blemish into the presence of his Father CHAP. V. Perswasions to accept of the Redeemer and give up the Soul in Covenant to him 1. AND first consider I am onely perswading you to be Christians which you professe your selves to be And will you not indeed be what you professe Why doe you embrace the name if you dislike the thing I know you have false measures whereby you judge of Christianity and think perhaps that all who are Baptized and keep their Church and call themselves Christians are so indeed but you should rather say such doe professe themselves so to be but they are not so in Gods account except they are true to this profession He that wears a Noble-mans Livery seems to be his Servant but if he will not acknowledge him to be his Master by doing what he commands him you will scarce say such a one's his Servant however not a Servant to be
it as a farther assurance from God that his promises of mercy shall be made good to thee CHAP. VII The second benefit is Sanctification 2. THe second great benefit purchast by the Death of Christ and held forth in the Sacrament is Sanctifying Saving Grace for the enlivening and strengthning the souls of Believers There is no truth more plain in the whole Gospel than that one great end of Christ's Death was to obtain from the Father that the holy Spirit should accompany the proclaiming of the Gospel to enlighten the minds and soften the hearts of those who should not wilfully resist his workings that they might entertain the truth in the love thereof and that on these greater measures of grace should be poured forth to make them in all things conformable to their Maker according to the capacity of their natures which was the great design of the Redeemer even to restore apostate creatures to the image of God wherein they were created that so they might be made meet for his service here and the fruition of him hereafter A most lamentable mistake it is to confine Christs death onely to the procuring of a pardon and keeping sinners out of Hell since this was but in order to a work of grace on their hearts and onely such who submit to this work shall at last have a share in the absolute pardon For suppose a company of prisoners were taken in Warre who being weak and wounded cannot return into their own Countrey but must presently be put to death by the King that took them and in the mean time comes their own Prince and pays a great sum to obtain that the execution of them may be put off for some time and that his Physician may use medicines and apply plaisters to as many as are willing and that all such when they are made whole shall be sent to their own homes and the rest who will not be ruled by the Physician but spit out his potions because they are bitter and throw away his plaisters because they make them smart they are to remain in their prison and be put to death as they were sentenced Here we see the ransome that was paid was first to stop the slaughter of the prisoners and to get liberty to use means for their recovery to health and soundnesse and secondly to obtain that the recovered should be set free to return to their own Countrey and not onely the contempt of the ransome but of the Physician would bring death Thus had we by the Fall both brought our selves into danger of present destruction and disabled our souls that we could not return to that state whence we fell but the Son of God undertaking our Redemption obtained for us that the sentence of condemnation should not speedily be executed and that there should be assured hopes of escaping destruction and returning to happinesse for all those who make not their condition desperate by continuance in sin and rejecting of the cure which his Spirit would work upon them now the work of his Spirit is to plant and encrease grace in their hearts to heal the diseases and remove the weaknesse which sin hath caused that they may be enabled to walk in the ways of holinesse to their everlasting rest and the sending forth of his healing Spirit was the fruit of his blood Now as it will assuredly damn men to despise the blood of Christ as if it was of no force to be a ransome nor to attain those ends for which the Gospel saith it was shed so is it as dangerous and damnable to resist and sleight the Spirit of Christ let them pretend what esteem they will for his blood A like mistake also it is flowing from the former to limit the notion of free grace to meer pardoning mercy whenas it includes sanctifying 〈◊〉 so for in the instance now given the Physick I hope was as free a gift to the prisoners as the ransome that was paid for them notwithstanding this was without them and the other to be taken into them And in like manner is the giving of the Spirit into us as purely from the grace and mercy of God though merited by Christ as the giving of his Son for us accepting of us for his sake This I was willing to hint least any when they hear or read of being saved by Free grace should dream of a salvation to be had by a meer pardon without being sanctified by the Spirit That the making men holy in their hearts and lives was a principall end of Christs Death without which no happinesse is to be attained is I say a truth so evident in the very tenour of the Gospel that it may seem needlesse to produce particular proofs yet amongst the rest read these few Eph. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works c. Eph. 5.25 26 27. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it c. and that it might be holy and without blemish 1 Joh. 3.8 The Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Pet. 3.24 Who bare our sins that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse Tit. 3.4 5 6. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Read also Mat. 1.22 Luk. 1.75 Rom. 6.11 Galat. 1.4 Tit. 2.12 13 14. Heb. 9.14 Now though I acknowledge it is by the help of the Spirit that we are brought to believe for faith it self is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 yet I think we shall ordinarily find the promises of the Spirit to be made to those who are already Believers to advance and carry on the work of God upon their souls And to this end and of this nature is that Grace which is 〈◊〉 and given forth by the Sacrament even to refresh and nourish the souls of Believers to confirm and encrease those graces that are wrought in them and to bring them forward to farther degrees of perfection And this much the very elements themselves do teach us for as Bread is the support and stay of life and Wine that which makes glad the heart of man and both are needfull for the maintaining of life and encreasing our strength so are the Body and Blood of Christ alike necessary and usefull to our souls for he himself hath told us that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and that he who eats his flesh and drinks his blood dwelleth in him and hath eternall life with much more to the same purpose Joh. 6. The proper meaning whereof as will appear by the Context and the occasion of that Discourse I suppose is That they who believe in him having the same expectations of spirituall life from him that they have of temporall life from their food and accordingly receive digest and improve
a souâ— as well as a body and whether this soul must not remain in being and alive when thy body is rotting in the earth and whether then it doth not as much yea infinitely much more concern thee to seek out for somewhat that may at that time make thy soul happy than for what may now please thy senses Yea since thou must live somewhere for ever think whether it is not more worthy thy care to provide for an everlasting well-being than for the comforts of a frail short life If thou art thus farre convinced then make an impartiall search whether there be any thing here below that 's able to make thee perfectly happy Thy houses and lands thy pleasures and honours will any or all of these give in all that felicity which thou desirest or needest Are they of the same nature with thy soul or will they last as long as it will last must not all thy merry days at length come to an end And wilt thou be ever the better for all thou hast enjoy'd when once it 's over will the remembrance give thee any satisfaction In that night wherein thy soul will be required of thee what advantage wilt thou have from the goods thou hadst laid up for many years yea or from those goods thou hadst liv'd upon the years before When the earth and all its works shall be burnt up where will all thy possessions and treasures be If thou hast nothing to live on but what will be turned into flames what wilt thou then fix upon At that day when there shall be no marrying or giving in marriage no wives or children no relations or friends whose society will afford any such comfort as here it did when the interest of Princes and great ones whose favour was here thy shelter and thy pride shall all be vanisht what will thy confidence in men avail thee Examine these or any other outward prop whereon thou leanest and see whether it be not a broken reed And if so except thou art resolv'd against thy own happinesse methinks thou should'st now onely make choice of that which will never give thee cause to repent what thou didst as all things will but the eternall glory which God hath promised to those that love him But he that can once upon good grounds say This heaven is mine I shall see the face of God with joy and live in his love for ever may now lead a serene and chearfull life in the midst of all occurrences and need not be daunted at Death it self but rather rejoyced as it takes him to the possession of his treasure wafts him to his own home Wherefore if thou love thy life be perswaded to aim at this highest glory let nothing short of it content thee think no condition hard to get it rest not till thou hast made it as sure as thou canst that it 's thine and then having thus fixt thy end thou maist travell on with alacrity and speed and take abundance of comfort in the fore-thoughts of thy future blisse in using all helps afforded in thy journey to it and in the remembrâ—nce of that precious blood which was shed to purchase it and by consequence wil be fitted to celebrate the Sacrament CHAP. IX V. It must be a thankfull Remembrance IT is not possible that the death of Christ can be remembred as it ought without the most hearâ—y and unfeigned thankfulnesse to God for so great and glorious a mercy Hath he the heart of a man that can coâ—template the sufferings of Christ and the infinite unspeakable benefits thereby procured for poor sinners and not find himself raised to return thanks and praise to God for his gracious dealings with mankind This duty is so proper to the Lords Supper that hence it antiently obtained the name of Eucharist a return of thanks Since then every man who partakes thereof ought to be thus truly thankfull to God for his love revealed in Christ this again acquaints us what kind of persons Communicants must be namely such who are capable of rendring acceptable praise to God which doth but give farther evidence of the necessity of those qualifications before laid down None but such as have been made sensible of the evil of sin and of the danger they were thereby liable to will be heartily thankfull for that mercy which preventâ— this misery by purchasing and vouchsafing the forgivenesse of their sins How formall and hypocriticall are his thanks like to be for Christ who never yet saw what need he stood in of him Will he thank you for a plaister who never felt himself wounded Can he have any gratefull sense of the love that plucks poor sinners as brands out of the fire who never perceived himself in any such danger Can he be thankfull for ease and rest who never felt his strong lusts nor the curse of the Law and wrath of God as any load or burden upon him Nor can he be thankfull for the grace that is given by Christ who had farre rather keep his sins than be renewed and sanctified Little thanks will he return for the light who is but disturbed and troubled with it and so far shamed by it that he cannot pursue his wicked designs with that freedome and eagernesse as he could before whilst he was more in the dark where he had still rather remain How can he thank God for grace who rejects and despiseth it For being taken out of the snares of the Devil who wilfully fastens himself into them Will he praise God for liberty and ability to serve him who saith of his service what a wearinesse is it and thinks it would be better for him if he might live as he list and never be put upon so much trouble as godlinesse brings along with it Nor can he be thankfull for the glory to be had by Christ who hath not a sound perswasion of the certainty and excellency of it and who hath not firmly resolved to take it for his portion He that knows nothing better than bodily enjoyments and would think himself undone was he stript of these is like to be very cold in giving thanks for spirituall blessings In a word he that is sensible of no great benefit he shall have by Christ either here or hereafter cannot be expected to have any great measure of thankfulnesse for this mercy which he so little understands And this is the case of all unhumbled unsanctified ones to whom the Gospel is hid their minds being darkned by the God of this world And if these poor senslesse creatures should with a few feigned words pretend to give God thanks for Jesus Christ yet would it be but the sacrifice of fools a meer lip service and therefore no way acceptable to the most holy God Yea indeed they would hereby but very solemnly mock the Divine Majesty whilst they thank him for those mercies which they will not accept at his hands praising him for Jesus Christ and the benefits
he brings whilst they will have none of him or them on the terms that God propoundeth No no it is onely the broken-healed heart the humble raised soul that can be feelingly and affectionately thankfull to God for a Saviour who hath wrought so great works for them and in them and laid up such great provisions for the time to come They that were lost but are found they that were dead but are alive in these will their heavenly Father take pleasure and these will rejoyce in his love and return praise to him who sent his Son to seek and save that which was lost To bring men into such a state and frame that they may be disposed and enabled from an inward sense of his goodnesse to render such thanks to the Father of mercies as may be well-pleasing to him I should onely onely need to repeat what was before laid down to bring them to accept of Christ which when once they are brought to and arrived to any hopes of their acceptance with God through him then both in heart and voice with their lips and lives will they adore and praise him who called them out of darknesse into his marvellous light Wherefore study well your many and great necessities which Christ alone can supply Consider to what miseries by sin you stand exposed from which he alone can keep you Remember what he did and suffered how low he condescended for the sake of man and remember your own utter unworthinesse that ever the least love or regard should have been manifested to you and yet consider what great things are done for you into how good a state matters are brought what abundant blessings are freely bestowed on the humble and believing what rich and precious promises are made them what mercies are given for this life and that to come grace and glory and whatever is good for men nothing is withheld from them Let but the consideration of all the rich and precious priviledges which Christ gives to his servants sink into thy soul and then thou wilt find it even impossible not to magnifie the author and purchaser of such gifts nor wilt thou be able to refrain from expressions of thy gratitude and love and therefore maist worthily come to the Sacrament there to exercise and expresse those holy affections CHAP. X. VI. It must produce an holy love to Saints HE that rightly remembers the Death of Christ and and well considers the infinite love herein shewn to mankind cannot but be thereby wrought to an hearty love to all his fellow Christians And that 's the last qualification I shall mention necessary for all Communicants and which flows from their remembrance of Christ to wit that they be in charity with all men and have an especiall endeared love to all true Christians both those that communicate with them and others To this great duty of brotherly love we have the most forcible engagement that ever could be imagined by the example of our blessed Lord laying down his life for us and his behaviour at death even praying for his persecutors doth sufficiently tell us how we ought to behave our selves towards our bitterest adversaries We see then what a spirit we shall have wrought in us by a right remembrance of our dying Saviour not onely toward our friends but our enemies themselves As for that love that ought to be amongst all true Christians we find this is the new Command that he hath inculcated upon us and obliged us to by the great example of his unparalell'd love that we also should love one another Joh. 15.12 13. 1 Joh. 3.16 And this he hath made the very badge of his true disciples whereby they should be known from the rest of the world Joh. 13.34 35. And one particular end of our meeting together at the Lords Table is to testifie and strengthen our mutuall love This we shew by our eating and drinking together which is the custome of friends and this is one reason why this Sacrament is called the Communion in that Christians have here the most endearing fellowship with each other For hereby is not onely represented their union with Christ their Head and their spirituall communion with him but that nearnesse of relation they have amongst themselves being mystically united into one Body whereof Christ is the Head 1 Cor. 10.17 For we being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread Each Christian is so related to and joyned with the other that they go to the making up of one body as the severall grains compacted together make one bread and by their joynt participation of this one bread they declare themselves to be but one body the Children of one Father living in one Family and feeding at the same Table upon the very same food even upon Christ himself who is the true bread that came down from heaven and upon their being united to Christ as Head is founded this their so near and intimate relation to each other to be Fellow-members of the same body as they that have the same Soveraign are fellow Subjects they that have the same Parents are brethren And by their feeding on this Sacramentall food and Christ himself therein from whom the whole body being fitly joyned together makes increase unto the edifying of it self in love Eph. 4.15 16. having here a communion with him which fills and acts them with the same Spirit hereby I say they receive a farther bond and disposition to the greatest unity of hearts and affections So that we are especially engaged before our attendance upon this Ordinance to go our way and be reconciled to our brother The leaven of malice amongst all other wickednesse is to be purged out when we keep this Feast 1 Cor. 5.7 8. And indeed we shall find this the generall sense of people that they ought to be in charity with their neighbours before they come to the Sacrament whilst they discover too little sense of the necessity of other graces that are equally needful yea whilst they remain destitute of this very charity it self which they acknowledge to be so necessary for alas they are not so easily brought to the practice of their duty as to acknowledge and commend it For the plain truth is none can rise up to this excellent temper of spirit wherein one half of our Religion consists but he who is engrafted into Christ and transformed into his likenesse by the spirit of love which may dâ—rect those who are yet void hereof what course to take for the attainment of the same namely to get united to Christ by a living faith and fervent love whereby they shall find kindled in their breasts a new affection to all that doe with them love the Lord Jesus For certainly it is not enough for us that we have no malice in our hearts against any nor wish them any hurt this is a poor description of Christian charity and may be found in a Turk
apposite Text Ezek. 16.62 63. And I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord That thou maist remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God It is to be considered moreover that the promises of joy are principally made to this frame The spirit of the humble and contrite God hath promised to revive They that mourn shall be comforted And they who come to the Table of the Lord weeping are most likely to return from thence rejoycing 4. And when you are wrought to this humiliation for and hatred of sin you will easily be brought to the next part of your work which is stedfastly to resolve by the grace of God never more to give willing entertainment to the same but to be entirely devoted to God by Jesus Christ to love please and serve him all your days I have told you how at the Lords Supper you renew your Covenant to perform those duties which you were engaged to by being Baptized into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Renouncing carnall self you professe to place your happinesse in the love of God and no farther to regard or please your selves than is consistent with his pleasure Renouncing the world your own abilities righteousnesse and worthinesse and all ways to to happinesse which are set up against Christ you professe to take him alone for your Redeemer and to resign up your selves to him that he may bring you to the fruition of God and therefore Renouncing the Devill who would draw you from God and Christ to gratifie your lusts with earthly things you professe your resolutions to be led by the Holy Spirit of God in those ways that lead to his everlasting kingdome You who are truly willing to all this for to such I speak I would have you in the most serious manner to professe the same before God and especially in the prayers that you make in preparation for the Sacrament Bind your selves over to him by the strictest vow that he shall be your God and you will be his people Professe to him that he shall be the portion of your souls that you will have none in heaven but him and will desire nothing on earth in comparison of him that if he will but vouchsafe you his saving love in Jesus Christ you shall be indifferent to all things here below as knowing that in his favour alone you are abundantly provided for Acknowledge his right to govern you and dispose of you being your Maker and Preserver infinitely wise and good and engage to take him for your Soveraign and Lord to render a sincere unlimited obedience to his commands and quietly to submit to his dispensations Professe to him that you relinquish all right to your selves and give up all into his hands to do with you what he pleaseth consecrating all to his glory whatever he doth or shall afford you being resolved through his assistance so to improve and employ it Promise to him that neither your own will nor the will of any mortall man shall be obey'd in contradiction to his And bethink your selves of those sins whereof you have been more especially guilty in thought word or deed and of the duties you have omitted and engage your selves particularly against those sins and to the performance of those duties And then Remember under what notion you enter into Covenant with God and what kind of creatures you are even poor lost sinners loaded with much guilt which you could never by any satisfaction of your own making take off from your selves and also exceeding weak so that you cannot by your own strength give that obedience to God which he requires nor vanquish the difficulties which you will meet with wherefore it is of absolute necessity that you accept of Jesus Christ as your Deliverer and your Strength for he onely who hath the Son hath the Father also Professe then before God your unfeigned willingnesse to close with the Lord Jesus to all those ends for which he offers himself to the world Acknowledge to him that you neither expect mercy for any merit of your own nor set upon duty in your own might nor look for acceptance of any service for its own worth but that you humbly depend upon Christ the Mediatour for all that you stand in need of Acknowledge his right to rule over and in you as having bought you out of slavery with his own most precious blood to whose mild and gracious government you will therefore submit your selves Professe your willingnesse and earnest desire to have your hearts purged and sanctified by his Holy Spirit and your lives thereby directed according to the precepts of the Gospel Thus professe your acceptance of Christ and submission to the Spirit that you may be brought into the favour of God and be enabled to please and glorifie him by your holy conversation for all tends to this even to make you holy in heart and life Therefore are we married to Christ that we may bring forth fruit unto God Râ—m 7.4 And the fruits of righteousnesse are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God Phil. 1.11 In him we are created unto good works This is the effect of his death and resurrection that we might be dead to sin but alive unto God Rom. 6. throughout They are Christs Disciples that bring forth much fruit to the glory of God the Father Joh. 15.8 And therefore is the Spirit of life given us through Jesus Christ that we may be made free from the power of sin and death that the carnall mind might be taken away and we made subject to God and able to please him yea that we might rise up to an higher kind of life more spirituall and heavenly than was ordinarily attainable under the Law Rom. 8. the former part of that Chapter This being then the summe of all to devote your selves to God by Jesus Christ to live in his love and fear and in strict obedience to his laws till you shall be taken glory you that are firmly purposed to do this and have made promises thereof betwixt God and your own souls Do you eat thâ— Bread and drink the Wine in the Sacrament as a confirmation of these promises Let this be remembred I beseech you whatever you forget That hereby you do most straitly engage your selves to live a Righteous Sober and Godly life from this very day and to the end of your days This some give as the reason why the Name Sacrament is put upon Baptisme and the Lords Supper because they are of a like nature with that Oath which Souldiers were wont to take to be obedient to their Generall and rather to die than to forsake their Colours which military Oath was called a Sacrament and thus both by Baptisme and the Lords Supper are we consecrated to the service of God
lay his head It 's like you think if Christ was on Earth you 'd follow him though but in the company of poor Women and Fisher-men and though the most of the World should laugh at you for so doing why know hee 'l take it as well at your hands if you will but tread in his foot-steps and adhere faithfully to his interest though it should cost you the losse of all you had and of life it self And let the death of Christ be much in your thoughts let the love of God which was herein shewn be your daily delightfull study and ever leave a sweet tincture upon your spirits that by the power of love you may be moved and carried on in the whole of your duty Let this shame and drive you from sin let this make you laborious and unwearied in his service When you are set upon by a temptation stay so long as to set a bleeding Saviour before you and think how you have much such a case now before you as the Jews once had to wit whether Christ or Barabbas should be prefer'd whether your lust should be subdued or your Lord crucified afresh If you approve of the Jews choice in this case you had best imitate them If that which would murder your soul deserve to be spared rather than he who dyed to save it then go on give Christ a stab and sin boldly Consider further how Christ by his death hath acquired a title to you so that you must glorifie him both with body and soul as being not your own but bought with a price Bought you are not out of the hands of the Father that you should now have liberty to sin against him but out of the hands of Satan that being free from sin you may become subject to God and the servants of righteousnesse How wilfully blinde are they who take the more liberty in sin from the consideration of that death which was undergone to redeem us from a vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Where 's that Man's reason and ingenuity who when he was fallen into his Masters displeasure and brought into favour again by the great industry of the Son should think he might now safely disobey his Master Though the Son pittied the servant so much that he was loth to see him perish yet he loves his Father so well that hee 'l never purchas'd an allowance for his disobedience and indeed the servants disobedience is his destruction Christ died once to save the penitent but hee 'l never die more to save those that remain willfully disobedient Consider also Christ by his death hath purchast abundant grace for the supply of all your wants and now being at the Fathers right hand hath full power to give out of this store wherefore make use of him to obtain the same Even as the Egyptians received food from Pharaoh by the hands of Joseph so must you receive all you have from the Father by his Son Jesus Let then the very life you live in the flesh be by faith in the Son of God By earnest desires vented in fervent prayers be ever deriving virtue and vigour from him your head Be as desirous and craving as you are necessitous as hungry as you are empty that the good God accoâ—ding to the riches of his grace may furnish you with all plenty of spiritual blessings til you shall come up to the measure of the stature of Christs own fulnesse Eph. 4.13 3. If you would thus grow in grace Be diligent in the use of all the means of grace which Christ hath afforded and let them be used and improved as means You must I have told you be much in earnest Prayer to God in the name of Christ for what ever you are wanting in Let not one day pass without the practice of this duty you that have Families call them together and pray with them morning and evening If you neglect this how little do you differ from those Heathens who call not upon God and upon whom he will pour out his wrath Be diligent in attending to the publick preaching of the Word and prepare your selves before-hand with a resolution to obey what shall be made known to you to be the wil of God and beg his blessing on what you hear Consider when you come home wherein you are particularly concern'd in what you have heard and accordingly follow it Setting against that sin or upon that duty that you are thereby convinc't of When you can get time spend it in reading Gods Word and good Books which may explain and enforce that Word Especially you that have not much time on the week-days spend the remainder of the Lords day after publick worship in some such good employment and waste it not in idlenesse no nor an hour at any other time Read also to and with your Family and ponder of it afterwards that it may be more profitable to you Often discourse one with another about the matters of your souls soberly and seriously that you may afford each other what help you can It would be exceeding well if when you sit with your neighbours you would be thus employed in holy savoury conference to the use of edifying rather than in idle chatting and talking of persons and things that concern you not But especially they who are of the same Family and are more neerly relaâ—ed have more opportunity and engagement hereto and should be admonâ—shing one anoâ—her daily and provoking to love and good woâ—ks For the Lord's Supper I have already directed you at large and I hope you will practise answerably and be frequent therein not ordinarily neglecting any opportunity when you are call'd to it But as I desire you not to neglect these exercises of Religion so on the other hand as earnestly I would wish you to beware of resting in them as thinking all Religion is confin'd to them and so becoming lesse carefull of your carriage as to justice temperance inward piety and all vertuous actions Methinks the wretched error of those Sects that throw off all external duties of worship and crie up themselves as above Ordinances may teach this wholsome lesson to all professing Christians to beware of resting in these things and framing to themselves a Religion out of them These I grant are parts of obedience to God for he hath commanded them and they are waies for the exercise and encrease of our graces and to be as helps to godlinesse but to think that they give any discharge from the practice of godlinesse and make amends for sins we are loath to leave for which we do as it were compound with God by these formalities making sin our pleasure and his service a pennance for it these are conceits so gross that methinks none but a Papist or one willingly ignorant should entertain them Religion is no road of performances but a new nature attended with a new life It is the subjâ—ction of the soul to the will of God expressing it self
proffered them on the same terms that Heaven is how greedily would they lay hold on them If a rich man should say to them Love but this Gold more than the Dirt under your feet and you shall have it Oh how quickly would they purchase it and never think the condition hard If the poor man was enjoyned to prefer bread bfore a stone and to desire it more and then it should be given him do you think he would ever bee without it And yet when the blessed God offers them ten thousand times greater mercies upon such terms as these they refuse them as if they were requir'd to do some great thing for that which was not worth their labour What doth God command us but to love himself more than empty creatures To value an everlasting Kingdome before the frail comforts of this short life And yet we will not do it He bids us but love our best part even our Souls more than these vile bodies and to take most care for that which deserves most as being the more excellent When hee enjoyns us to fly from sin and embrace holiness it is as if he should say Beware of that which will do you the greatest mischief and close with that which will do you the most good Accept of Liberty and freedome and do not lye in Prison and Fetters bee in Health and not in Sickness and yet men will not bee perswaded When God saith prefer my pleasant service before the bondage of the Devil and thou shalt be happy for ever he doth as it were say Be but heartily willing to accept of happiness here and thou shalt have it hereafter but the most are unwilling And upon this it is that not only God but all the world yea themselves will for ever lay the blame of their destruction by their resolvedness and willfulness in the waies of sin they are merciless murderers of their own Souls The Devil may tempt and the world may allure but they cannot not force them to sin There is not one of all those millions that perish who can truly say that hee was unfeignedly willing to have sav'd himself but could not But as for those that perish from amongst Christians they have least of all to plead in their own excuse For they have been exhorted and besought again and again to put away their evil-doings to renounce their lusts and turn to the good waies of God and yet they would not hearken What though the Devil entic'd them to wickedness did not Gods Spirit also move upon their hearts to have drawn them to holiness But they who knew not how to resist the Devil as they were commanded could resist and grieve and offer despight to the Spirit of Grace Whilst they knew not how to reject nor get away from a sinful Companion they could put off their Ministers and godly Friends with flat denials if not with contempt and jeers What though the flesh was craving for forbidden fruit unlawful pleasures and satisfaction Yet did not Conscience contradict and check it Why then should flesh which had no reason for its desires be hearkned to and obeyed whilst Conscience which is the voice of God must be slighted and silenced Tell me whoever thou art that makest a Trade of sin and livest in the neglect of thy Duty to God that made thee and keeps thee alive not accounting it the business of thy life to serve and honour him but goest from one day to another without the serious thoughts of his glorious Majesty and all his wonderful works and mercies thou who seest no need of hearing or reading Gods Word of constant Prayer or receiving Sacraments that puttest off the thoughts of Death and Judgement and art careless of making preparations for the same Tell me I beseech thee what 's the reason of such a wretched sinful course as this Is it because thou knowest no better Was 't thou never told how thou oughtest to behave thy self Didst thou never hear who it is puts men upon sin and what wages they have for it at length Didst thou never read nor hear of a Saviour that came to call men to repentance and holiness and laid down his life to save all that will be his faithful followers and Servants It 's very strange indeed if thou hast lived in any such dark corner that thou wert never acquainted with these matters But it is most likely thou hast heard them again and again but all hath been to no purpose What dost thou not know who made thee and why thou wast made There 's few Children but can answer such questions as these and yet how few men that consider them or that live as if they knew them There are indeed many to be found especially of the meaner sort who tell you they cannot read nor are Book-learned and therefore they hope God will hold them excused and not require much of them but yet these people have learning enough to look to their business in the world and if they be sick they 'l seek for help or if they are wronged they 'l look out for relâ—ef And what have they not learning enough to know what they must do to be saved Have they been idle and unwilling to learn so much as to read plain English and do they think this will serve their turn to plead for their ignorance and neglect of Duty and wilful Rebellions against God What were they taught or commanded such difficult things that none but Scholars can understand or do them They can tell as simple as they are that the light of the Sun is greater than the light of a Candle that Gold is better than Brasse that a King is above a Constable that its better to have an estate of their own which they shal enjoy as long as they live than to be Tenants to another to be turned out when he will Do they know these things and is it any harder to know that God who made all things and put that goodness into them which they have is better than all those things which he made and therefore should be preferred before all Creatures That he who is Lord of all should be obeyed above all that to be like him is better than to be like the Beasts that a certain everlasting Glory is more worth than short uncertain comforts here below Again these men knew well enough how to eat and drink and to take heed of what might hurt their bodies they could avoid the persons and places that were infected if the house was on fire they would run out of it and call neighbours to help to quench it if they are upon the way and are told of quicksands and quagmires they can avoid them And yet have they not learning enough to do good to their souls and to take heed of that which will destroy them for ever and hearken to others that warn them of their danger They can be diligent enough to please those that do them
that engagement And suppose they do sometimes come to the Communion yet did they ever come to it with such a kinde of Spiritual appetite and expectation of strength and benefit as they go to an ordinary meal Or are they careful before hand to fit themselves for the Duty so as to profit by it What-ever they may pretend it is most manifest that Religion is not taken by them for the great work of their lives They are far from spending their time and busying their mindes like men that were sent into the world on purpose to serve God which they can say is the reason why God made them It is not their chief study and work so to know and please their Maker and to get their Peace made with him through the Lord Jesus that they may live with him hereafter in Glory for ever No no to the Consciences of these men I dare appeal this is the least matter of a thousand with them and there 's scarce any thing which they lesse regard They hear their Minister about these things as if he was telling them a story of no concernment or spoke in a strange Language which they understood not Was he but telling them the way to thrive in the world and get store of riches they would hear him more attentively and remember better what he said to them and not think they had done enough when they had stood in the Church for an hour as now they do He that hath made any trial may easily see that this sort of people do not give the same heed to one that discourseth to them about the matters of their own souls as they do to him that speaks of earthly things If you talk with a Citizen about his trade or with a Country-man about his Corn or Cattel or the weather or any the like subjects they can hold discourse with you well enough but if you come to speak of the unseen Kingdome and the way thereto What need we have to search into our souls to see that we have got a good sound Title to that Glory If you do but tell them of the shorness and uncertainty of life exhorting them therefore to get well prepared for death and Judgement How strange is such language as this to the ears of many Some laugh at it as babling others give you a bare hearing but are little affected with the weightiest matters delivered in the most piercing words that a man knows how to speak Nay many times they 'l be taken up with other things so much as not to minde or understand what is said to them nor do they afterwards remember it but are as much moved with the barking of a Dog or blowing of the winde as with the most serious affectionate exhortations you can give them And indeed how can men take any great pleasure to hear of things that are not in their own element but as it were out of their reach Would not the plain Country-man be ready to laugh and wonder at a Scholar that should talk to him in Latin or make him tedious discourses of any point in Philosophy though he spoke in plain English What 's all this to him He understands it not or if he did he may think what should he be the better for it And does not the Word of God tell us that the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit but they seem foolishness to him because they are Spiritually discerned The Doctrine of Regeneration by the Spirit to those that never felt it is still as strange as it was to Nicodemus And except we have before-hand got some inward apprehension of the things that we hear of all talk of them is but as an empty sound that signifies nothing Wherefore no marvel if they who think so seldome and understand so little of God and Christ and a work of grace to be wrought on their hearts are no more affected nor stirred when they hear of them And whilst they perceive no profit they should get by these things what should they hearken to them for They cannot by all you say get one penny more in their purse nor a meals meat nor a suit of cloaths and these are the most desirable enjoyments they are acquainted with And it 's no great wonder when we consider the education of the common sort if they be of such a wretched temper For perhaps they were born and brought up by Parents like themselves that knew not how to acquaint them what they were made for in any such manner as was likely to do them good and it may be never so much as seâ— them to School to learn to read English and in their childish years it cannot be thought they should have much understanding in Religion when they think of little else but their meat and play and when they grow up to riper years they are set to Trades and to work for their livings I speak of the meaner sort and when they come to be settled in the world and have Wife and Children then they have enough to do to provide for their Families and cannot spare time to learn the way to Heaven and if they live to be aged they think themselves too old to learne and are too deep rooted in their waies to be drawn to forsake them without little lesse than a miracle and so there are multitudes even within the sound of the Gospel that live and dye in lamentable ignorance and senselesness I know all this while in every state and time through which they pass the most have opportunities for learnâ—ng their duty if they had any heart to it but their mindes are still possessed with something else And though they may be somewhat constant in keeping their Church yet this being a thing they have always been wont to before they knew what they did they still hold on in a customary manner without duly considering what they come thither for not thinking that the Minister speaks to them and about matters that are for life or death the discourses also which they hear being upon particular subjects they are like to profit the lesse by them in that they have not such a sound and clear knowledge of the chief points of Religion as may enable them to understand and profit by Sermons And though from Children they may some of them be able to repeat their Creed and Commandments and Lords Prayer yet truly its very easie to say these over a thousand times without being much affected with them or well understanding them onely pattering them over by rote especially if they never had these principles clearly laid open and explained to them It may be also many of these never had any particular close counsel given them tending to awaken them to an apprehension of their condition to convince them of their sin and misery by nature and put them upon searching in good earnest after the way to escape damnation and be truly happy for ever Or if
for prayer or receiving Sacraments who are listlesse to all duties and feel no sweetnesse in them all such may hence learn what is the root and ground of this distemper what it is that makes them out of tast with these rich and savoury provisions which all healthfull souls doe so dearly love even because their secret but most powerfull thoughts are that they have nothing better than their Bodies to provide for and that to doe this is the chiefest businesse they have and that nothing is of any great use which makes not for this end But it would be quite otherwise with them if they were indeed clearly convinced and soundly perswaded that they have souls which will never die and that these are their best part and deserve most care and are as much to be preferred before the body as a man before the horse which he rides on and that these their immortall souls can onely be made happy by the favour of God out of which they are faln by sinning against him and that the great work of this life is to get all breaches made up betwixt God and them that so when they leave this world they may be restored to perfect happinesse in the enjoyment of God and that they can no way be thus reconciled to God but by Jesus Christ by whose merits and mediation their sins may be pardoned and by whose holy Spirit which is given by the Father through him they can onely be so changed and sanctified that they may be made meet for the inheritance of the Saints in the heavenly light of Gods presence and love Was the sound belief of these plain great and commonly acknowledged truths but well rooted in the hearts of men so as to overpower and change their affections we should soon perceive them to be other kind of persons in all their behaviour If they took it for the business of their lives to work out their salvation being convinced that they had nothing in the world to doe but this and what is in order to it then would they diligently labour after a saving knowledge of a crucified Christ which comprehends in it the whole of religion And then they would highly prize and diligently attend upon those means which Christ hath appointed for the manifesting himself and conveying his saving benefits to the soul. They would take care to be found in those ways wherein Christ is like to be found Whatever had relation to him would be very much esteemed by them and they would never be at quiet till they had done their best to make it sure that they had got an interest in him and through him a title to the Fathers everlasting love They would then rightly inform themselves what 's required of all that must be saved by Christ and these conditions they would endeavour to come up to and perform They would be willing to enter into the most solemn Covenant with him to take him for their Saviour in all his Offices by him to be brought to that glory which God hath prepared for true Believers and the keeping of this Covenant would be their study and care through the whole course of their life Now though considering these things it might appear a very fit method for the curing of mens mistakes and direct them in the way to blessedness first to represent and demonstrate to them that they have immortal souls and that the love of God is their onely portion and that this can no way be obtained but by the Lord Jesus and then to shew what is required to make us partakers of happinesse by him yet since these things are in some sort known and readily confest by the most I shall at present wave this method and chuse rather to drive at the last of these which will be found to contain all namely to direct and exhort poor souls to enter into Covenant and make a thorow closure with Jesus Christ that through him their sins may be subdued and pardoned their persons and natures reconcil'd to God that they may be blessed for ever in communion with him And even this is my chief design in laying down the following Directions to a due preparation for and a right receiving of the Lords Supper and in giving Motives to the serious and frequent performance of that duty which I look upon principally as a solemnizing and ratifying our Covenant with God by Jesus Christ and the sincerity of the heart in making this Covenant and our faithfulnesse in keeping it is the very heart and scope of Christianity For my intention in treating of this subject is not meerly to perswade people to come to the Lords Table alas what a poor thing is that to be rested in but to instruct them for a right coming to and hearty receiving of Christ himself then to come to the Sacrament there to make and renew their Covenant with him in a more formall and expresse manner the more to affect and deeplier to engage themselves For this being a sensible and solemn thing will be apt to make the stronger impression upon mens spirits and perhaps they will be sooner perswaded to this work because it is so much fitted to sense it self But the great danger is least they should rush upon that which they understand not the reason of and think they have done enough by bare receiving the Sacrament without considering to what purpose they doe it which would be greater madnesse and of worse consequence than for a man to run and lay his hands upon the book and kisse it and use the like ceremonies of an oath and never mind what he swears to nor afterwards think what he hath done though it was about a matter of life and death And therefore I shall endeavour by Gods assistance to prevent this miscarriage by shewing what is the nature and design of this Ordinance in a right participation whereof consists so much of religion since hereby a man professeth and engageth himself to be a sincere obedient Christian which may be understood by this comparison before I come to speak to it more fully that more ignorant Reader may the sooner have the notion fixt on his mind It is much what as if the Governour of a City after there had been a seditious insurrection of the Citizens should offer pardon to all that would acknowledge their fault beg his pardon and return to their former subjection and peaceable behaviour and moreover should enjoyn all that were thus affected to come take a piece of money which he would give abroad or to partake of a feast which he would make on purpose for the entertainment of such now would it not be madnesse and grosse impudence and dissembling for any to receive this money or go sit at this Table who were resolved yet to continue their rebellion and would imploy that very money and the strength they received from his meat against him that gave them whenas hereby they were to testifie their resolutions
it not enough to be able to say the bare words to repeat your Creed without book or the like but labour well to understand them and fix them deeply upon your minds as those things which are of greatest necessity to be known and remembred of any in the world But yet barely to know and remember them will not profit you except you so digest and improve them that they move your affections and guide you in your conversation It s a most lamentable mistake to think that the meer saying of what you believe and what you are to doe will save your souls as if there was some strange force in the very words which would make them usefull to all that should patter them over for by this means a Parrot might passe for a good Christian. If you had a Receipt given you directing you how to cure the Toothache doe you think it would take away the pain to get it without book and say it over by rote would you not rather see to read it and make use of the medicine which it should appoint Even thus must you read Gods Word and good Books to know what is your duty that you may set with all your might to the doing of it And indeed your knowledge is defective till it come thus to affect your heart wherefore let that be the mark by which you may judge of its truth and sincerity if it raise your affections and leads you forth to action 1 Joh. 2.3 4. For if you know that God hath in himself all fulnesse of goodnesse and know that you are needy and indigent and can onely receive supply and satisfaction from him you cannot but desire after him and seek how to get a part in his love If you know that you are in your selves lost undone creatures and that Jesus Christ and he alone is able and willing also to recover and save you you will then betake your selves to him for healing and saving mercy If you know that sin is your disease bondage and dishonour and holinesse your glory liberty and health you will readily comply with the Spirit of God to be freed from sin and to be made as holy as your nature is capable This then is true and saving knowledge which must be in all that can affectionately remember Christ at the Communion Of this knowledge Christ speaks Joh. 17 3. This is life eternal to know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent And of this the Prophet speaks Isa. 53.11 By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many that is he shall justifie those who have such a sound and working knowledge of him as leads them to the performance of what he requires of them For if men once come indeed to know that Christ is the Son of God who earnestly desires their good and enjoyns them nothing but what makes thereto surely they will readily then hearken to and obey him All this I adde to knowledge because it is very imperfect till it become thus fruitfull and will not vindicate those in whom it is from the imputation of ignorance Now to get your knowledge to be thus powerfull upon your hearts and lives I cannot advise you to any more necessary course than these two 1. Humbly to beg of God to work the truth with power upon your souls that you may receive it in the love thereof When you go to hear or sit down to read beseech God to accompany the Word by his mighty Spirit that it may sink into your minds and not become unprofitable but that it may enlighten and awaken you and reach to the very inwards of your souls and give you such insight into your selves and such a discovery of your duty that you may vigorously be carried on to the performance of it And then 2. You must often consider of those truths that you know you must dwell upon them in your minds till you are moulded changed and wrought upon by them For want of this Consideration chiefly it is that so many remain in ignorance and that many others who have some sleight knowledge are no more bettered by it for you must meditate upon what you read or hear that you may more clearly and distinctly understand it which you cannot doe if words slip out of your thoughts as soon as they are out of your ears And then after the doctrines of the Gospel are well understood you must farther consider wherein they concern your particular case and what use you are to make of them for otherwise how is it possible they should profit you Though you have never so much book-learning and brain-knowledge what are you the better for all if you improve it not your own good by this serious consideration Can you think ever to have a profitable saving knowledge of Christ if you use not seriously to think of him what need you stand in of him and what benefit he will be to you and what must be done to make him yours Can you get your sins mortified and pardoned if you will not so much as bethink your self what an evil thing sin is and what your particular sins are Can you be move with the hopes of glory if you have it not in your thoughts Can you escape your danger if you forget it and so are out of fear If then you would ever have any profit by your knowledge follow the Apostles advice to Timothy 2 Tim. 2.7 Consider what is said to thee at at any time and that 's the next way to obtain from the Lord understanding in all things so likewise 1 Tim. 4.15 Meditate on these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may appear to all If you have not time to spare purposely for meditation yet take time as you are upon the way or about any businesse which will permit you And let this be the chief subject of your thoughts which I am sure deserves them most even how you should doe to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ and never leave following on this enquiry till you be fully resolved to set about what 's required of you to that purpose As there must be this sound knowledge of Christ and of the chief points of Christian Religion in all that can duely remember Christ at a Sacrament so it will be readily granted that this Jesus Christ must be believed to be indeed the Saviour of the world as is declared in the Scriptures and all that is there laid down of his Incarnation Life Death Resurrection Ascension Intercession and coming again to Judgement must be believed to be true I will not make a distinct Head of this because it s necessarily supposed in the former as I have explained it for our knowledge of these truths is never like to be effectuall with us if we are not first of all perswaded that they are truths And the Reader might be offended if I should make any question whether he believes the Christian Religion and
thou dar'st not affirm either of these beware how thou mincest and lessenest thy sins when thou should'st repent of and bewail them for by so doing thou dost in effect thus blaspheme God Oh then let sin be call'd to the barre indict it for a murtherer as well thou mayst accuse it as guilty of the bloody death of the Lord of Life shew all the wounds and stabs that it gave him and see that thou pronounce sentence against it even utter death without any pity or remorse and heartily lament thy own basenesse in having so long given loving entertainment to such a monstrous murtherer and traitour And when ever thou find'st any favourable thoughts of sin arising in thy breast call to mind what it did against Christ and let that make thy heart rise against it and even boil with an holy hatred and desire of revenge And let the frequent remembrance of those streams of blood which thy sins fetcht from him open thy eyes to shed streams of tears or however work thy heart to an unfeigned sorrow for all thy iniquities for which thy Saviour was thus wounded 2. The next thing I would have have thee to enlarge thy meditations upon in the sufferings of Christ in order to the bringing of thee to a kindly repentance is that unspeakable love which is hereby manifested to the lost sons of men when I speak of Repentance I mean not meerly thy shedding of a few tears but an inward change of thy mind as I before shewed that thou should'st turn from Sin to the love of God and I know not what can be more likely to produce this than to shew thee the intolerable evil and mischief of sin that thou maist turn from it and the infinite goodnesse of God that thou maist be drawn to him Both these the Crosse of Christ most admirably holds forth so that well might the Apostle call Christ crucified the wisdome of God and the poweâ— of God 1 Cor. 1.23 24. How it shews the evil of sin to bring us to loath and leave it I have already shown and shall doe more in two following particulars That which I would now set thy thoughts upon is the inconceivable love of God in giving Christ for us and of Christ in being willing to lay down his life that as many as believe in him might not perish but have everlasting life Consider seriously how the great God hath sent after thee a poor worm the God whom thou hadst sinn'd against makes thee offers of peace the God who needs thee not yet appears desirous of thy happinesse when he might have poured out everlasting wrath upon thee he was willing to shew his compassion And see what he hath done in order to thy recovery He hath sent his own Son made of a woman made under the Law and delivered him to death for our offences and accepted of the satisfaction he hath made on the behalf of all that shall by him come to that God from whom they are faln and by his death not onely pardon of sin and deliverance from hell but a glorious Kingdome that shall never fade is purchast for all true Believers So that here 1. Thou seest plainly there is hope of pardon and acceptance upon thy hearty sorrow for and resolutions against sin And whom would not this encourage to come in freely acknowledging and protesting against their former backslidings and rebellions If indeed thou wast past hope it were as good keep thy sins while thou maist and make thy best of them But this is not yet thy case and if it hereafter should be thou maist thank thy own wilfulnesse For Jesus Christ hath brought in a better hope there is by him liberty proclaim'd to the captive freedome to all that are bound ease and rest to all that are burdened a pardon to all that are penitent And what will not this make thee stirre Is a golden Scepter held forth and wilt thou not lay hold of the opportunitie Is God willing to put up all the affronts he hath received from thee if thou wilt now come and submit thy self and will not this bring thee in Is he ready to be reconcil'd and art thou backward what dost thou rather hold off because he doth so invite and importune thee to him Because he is pleased with so much earnestnesse and compassion to call thee off from sin to himself dost thou the more securely run on in wickednesse Oh base ingratitude and meer madnesse Because there is hope of pardon discovered by the Gospel as procured by Christ therefore even therefore doe wretched sinners harden their hearts and embolden themselves to continue at a distance from God as if it was a matter of nothing to get their peace made with him or as if he must of necessity pardon and save them let them live as they list Thus vilely doe they pervert the very design of the Gospel Whereas were they ingenuous and reasonable they would acknowledge it to be a most forcible motive and engagement to cast away sin to hear that there was hopes of having forgivenesse and favour from God If a company of Subjects should rebell against their Prince what course would be more effectuall in all probability to reclaim them than to assure pardon to all that would throw down their arms But if they should be so base as to abuse the mercy of their Prince and think because he was so compassionate they might the safelier persist in their rebellion it is but just they should be destroy'd If thou love thy soul then beware how thou abusest the grace of God Wilt thou put away from thee the evil of thy doings wash thee and make the clean and so with humility and submission flie to God for mercy if so this mercy through Christ shall be assuredly thine But otherwise know there is not a word of comfort for thee in the whole Gospel nothing but what may strike thee with terrour For remember well that the death of Christ gives all the encouragement in the world to Repentance but not the least to Sin Yea it hath done more to destroy sin than all the terrours and threatnings of the Law Well then though thou art a lost sinner departed from God once without hope yet behold the God of heaven and earth takes pity on thee he would not have thee utterly perish though thou hast done so much to destroy thy self He calls thee back to him if thou wilt hearken and obey and humble thy self before him for thy departure from him and for all the dishonours done to his holy Name and wilt now at length devote thy self to his fear thou need'st not doubt of his favour So then here 's hope of mercy that may encourage all that hear it to Repentance 2. And in the next place there is so much love and goodnesse manifested in that way whereby this mercy is procured and tendered that may serve to work upon the hearts of all but flat
this canst thou without tears and groans look back upon all the disorders of thy life whereby thou hast done all that in thee lay to make those wounds of thy tender compassionate Saviour bleed afresh which he first receiv'd upon thy account I believe thou thought'st not of this no if thou hadst one would think thou could'st never have done it Thy design was onely to please thy flesh by all thy sensuall courses thou wast onely full of projects to maintain and raise thy self and thy posterity by all thy worldly designs and businesses wherewith through thy whole life though hast been so swallowed up But thou seest how the case stands that this while thou hast been most viley rejecting and even trampling upon the Lord Jesus who would have have brought thee off from thy vain conversation from all thy ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and hath followed thee with his Word and Spirit to that end and hath prest thee with arguments drawn from his matchlesse love discovered by his Death and hath besought thee to regard him yea to take pity on thy self but thou hast made light of all and hast gone on as securely and quietly in the ways of sin as if thou hadst never heard what sin did upon Christ. And what art thou resolv'd to doe so still shall nothing stop thee in thy career wilt thou not stay to hearken what a way it is thou walkest in nor think what unvaluable mercies thou all this while treadest under feet Hast thou not yet sufficiently abused thy Redeemers love and patience hast thou not made him wait long enough in vain wilt thou still make shew of deafnesse to all those messages he sends thee If so yet be thou sure of this thou shalt not be able to say at thy appearance before him that thou never knewest that sin was such an evil thing and so provoking to him for beside all other warnings that thou hast had I now declare to thee who readest or hearest these words that if thou still continuest in thy loose ungodly life living in swearing cursing drunkennesse whoredome covetousnesse cozening malice or any other known sin and wilfully neglectest thy duty to God going whole days without prayer or reading Gods Word profaning the Lords Day neglecting Sacraments if thou hold on this course thou dost no better than again crucifie and deny the Lord that bought thee and so hast no reason to complain if thou fall under the same condemnation which thou thy self wilt acknowledge Judas and Pilate and the rest of Christs enemies deserve and therefore that thou maist not be found amongst them loaded with the same guilt at Judgement I doe once again in the name of Christ beseech thee with all speed to change thy heart and life and use all means appointed to that end and after all thy wandrings now at length return to him the good Shepherd of souls who laid down his life for his sheep 4. Lastly the Death of Christ may powerfully move thee to repent of and forsake all sin as it holds forth this weighty but sad truth That all those who are despisers of this Death and by living and dying in their sins reap no saving benefit by it shall in their own persons undergo insupportable torments for this their unbelief and wilfull impenitence If thou believest the Gospel thou canst not but acknowledge that all men had been in a most miserable condition if Christ had not died and thou wilt grant that sin is a most perilous mischievous thing and an unspeakable provocation to the most holy God since nothing could appease his wrath but the Death of Christ without whose bloodshed we had obtain'd no remission And what then dost thou think is like to be thy case if through thy own fault thou art never the better for all Christ hath done but must thy self answer for thy sins and bear the punishment they have deserved Let the Death of Christ I say instruct thee what thou art like to expect if this be thy condition If as he himself speaks such things were done to the green tree what shall be done to the dry If he who was without the least stain of originall or actuall sin drank such a bitter cup when he stood in our stead what will be the portion of their cup who being poor frail creatures must make satisfaction for their own sins How will they ever up under all the load of Gods hottest wrath when he shall meet them in judgement and cause his fury to rest upon them And above all thy impenitent obstinate continuance in sin and contempt of Christ will lie heaviest upon thee in the day of vengeance These sins aganst the Gospel against mercy the greatest and freest mercy are most provoking to God most inexcusable in themselves and will therefore prove most pernicious to sinners Methinks then if thou hadst but any regard to thy self to thy own ease and comfort this should make thee out of love with sin to consider how dear its like to cost thee how pleasant soever it may now seem It was not for nothing that Christ felt so much sorrow and pain as thou shalt know to thy everlasting woe if thou pluck the heavy judgements of God on thy own head by sleighting him who would have kept them from off thee Assure thy self poor sinner as bold and confident as now thou art thou wilt never be able to contest with that wrath which exercised even the strength of Christ to bear it thou art never like to go away lightly with that which he felt so heavy For shame at length leave thy foolish plea that God will be more mercifull than to torment his creatures for hast thou not seen how he bruised his own Son who never offended him how he bruised him I say for our iniquities and will he then spare thee who in thy own person hast been a most stubborn hard-hearted rebel and hast cast away with loathing the mercies that were again and again even prest upon thee Thou hast no reason for such fond expectations What wilt thou tell Christ at Judgement that thou didst not believe that ever God would be so severe as to punish thee so dreadfully and everlastingly as his Word threatned and that therefore thou took'st somewhat more liberty in thy life than he allowed thee Darest thou come with such a plea as this But if thou should'st what wilt thou answer to Christ when he shall lay open what he underwent for thy sake and how thou madest light of his love will not this soon silence thee If he ask thee whether thou hadst not evidence and proof enough of the evil and danger that was in sin by his suffering so much for others transgressions wilt thou have any pretence left to justifie thy self I may perhaps urge this consideration but I mention it now as offered to us by the sufferings of Christ which doe most plainly declare that dolefull are the miseries prepared for those who
get no good by him but die in their sins which may bring all that are not in love with damnation out of love with that sin which will at length plunge them into it And thus you see how many motives to true Repentance are afforded us from the serious meditation on the Cross and Passion of Christ as this discovers to us the hainous nature of sin and as there is such mercy and love hereby reveal'd as may work upon and reclaim all that are ingenuous gratefull or wise for themselves and as this makes sin more monstrously vile which shall be committed against such mercy and as it shews that all men living in sin dying out of Christ are like to undergo unsufferable torments for their obstinacy And thus I have finisht the second qualification which is necessary to all worthy Commucants to wit True Repentance an unfeigned sorrow for a detestation of and a turning from all wilfull sin in heart and life CHAP. IV. III. A right remembring the great end of the Death of Christ to Redeem us from all iniquity and sanctifie us Of Faith and Covenanting with Christ. IT must needs be that if we rightly Remember the Death of Christ in the Sacrament we must then Remember to what end and purpose this was and this we shall plainly find in Scripture to be that he might Redeem man from that sinfull miserable state he was faln into and restore him to a state of holinesse and happinesse in the enjoyment of God from whom he was faln So 1 Pet. 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Ephes. 2.16 17 18. Heb. 7.25 And this is the meaning of all those places which speak of the Redemption we have obtain'd by Christ if we take it in its largest signification And to this purpose he offers himself to men to be their Redeemer to conferre upon them the pardon of their sin and give them victory over all their corruptions and the temptations of Satan and to lead them by his Spirit through this dangerous world till he shall bring them with triumph into the kingdome of the Father Now hence it follows that no man can Remember Christ as he ought who will not receive him to these ends and purposes for which he offers himself which is our believing in him For is he a fit man to celebrate Christs Remembrance who hath no love for him nor any liking to his undertaking nor will be perswaded to comply therewith And such are all they who reject him and the tenders of his mercy except they might have them in their own way and that doe flatly contradict his design in becoming our Mediatour by continuing still in their naturall corrupt estate alienated from God and liable to his wrath that is who are unbelievers So that here I mean no more than That without Faith in Christ we cannot rightly Remember him without we so believe that he is the onely Saviour of mankind that we resolve he and none but he shall be our Saviour in the way that he himself thinks fit But to make it yet plainer how unfit all such rejecters of Christ are to come to this holy Supper consider that our receiving of the Sacrament is appointed to be on our part as a token and sign of our making and renewing our Covenant with God in Christ in which if we be sincere then it is a seal on Gods part of his being in Covenant with us a confiâ—mation of our belief that he will be our God and fulfill all his promises to us and herein he gives us an earnest and pledge of the future blessings which we shall receive from him through his Son as I shall shew under the next Head Does it not then hence appear that all those who will not be held in any such Covenant are most unfit persons to come to this Sacrament the very design of our coming to which is to shew that we are a people in Covenant with God and by this solemn action taking and eating the Bread and drinking the Wine we are to testifie that we are so and doe hereby bind our selves so to remain What would this be but with much formality to mock that God who will not be mocked and even to run upon our own damnation provoking the Lord to destroy those who so impudently take his name in vain By this practice men are guilty of a down-right lye yea of grossest perjury for Christ in effect saiâ—h All you and you onely that take me for your Lord and Saviour come and partake of this Feast which I have appointed in remembrance of the Redemption I have wrought for you and yet multitudes who will not take him for their Lord to rule over them nor will be saved from their sins by him thrust in and partake of this Supper This is just as if a General of an Army having a mind to single out some of his Souldiers for some design should say All you that are willing to go along with me hold up your hands and yet many should hold up their hands who refuse to go what would this be but to befool themselves and abuse their Leader Or as if at the first appointment of the Passeover it had been commanded that they and they only should eat of the Paschal Lamb who would go out of Aegypt into Canaan under the conduct of Moses and yet many of the Israelites should prepare and eat it either because they were hungry or because they would do as the rest did without ever thinking what was the meaning of this action or what they hereby engag'd themselves to being resolv'd still to continue in Egypt neither caring for Moses nor the Canaan which he should lead them to Thus when Christ commands that all those who will depart out of the Egyptian bondage they are in to sin and Satan and be guided by him through the wilderness of this World till they come to the heavenly Canaan that they should appear at a Feast which he hath made on purpose to entertain them there throng in others to this Table who have no right to eat thereat as having no resolutions to leave their sin and thus to follow Christ who would lead them to glory These are the men that are found without their wedding garment whom the Master of the Feast will draw out from amongst the rest and dispose of them to a place and company more suitable for them as you may read Mat. 22.10 11 12 13. So that I hope you see that its a most unsuitable and unlawfull thing for any man to addresse himself to this Ordinance who is not heartily in Covenant with God since herein he professeth himself to be so and therefore if he be not he will be found a lyar both to God and Man But since this is made by some the very nature and design of the Lord's Supper to be a Foederal rite or an
prevail with them when they saw in good earnest what was like to betide them And if Christ would take this course and shew heaven and hell if that were possible plainly to their eye-sight it s like the most stubborn sinners would be awakened but he will not doe thus nor is there any reason he should Since we are made men to be ruled by reason why should he deal with us like bruits that must be led by their senses yet because he will not take this way with them bruitish sinners disregard him as if they needed him not But ah Sirs all you that could see no need of Christ when he was so urged and prest upon you when shortly you shall see all the world stand before him and shall behold the devouring flames into which all they must be cast who have not a part in his love then you will see what benefit comes by Christ then you will no longer count them fools that took it for their greatest businesse to get an interest in him Then if the most passionate wishes that you had been so wise would doe you any good if the loudest roarings and bitterest cries for mercy might preval you would think them all well spent but alas all will be to no purpose Cry Lord Lord with never so much noise and earnestnesse if thou wast here a worker of iniquity no other answer shalt thou obtain but Depart from me I know thee not And thou thy self shalt be forced to acknowledge that this Sentence is as just as terrible For didst not thou here hid Christ to depart from thee thou desired'st not the knowledge of his ways and is it not just he should then command thee to Depart from him as one he will not know nor own Heaven thou didst refuse since it was to be had on no other terms than submission to Christ and therefore thou must needs fall into Hell since there is no third place provided But perhaps thou wilt flatter thy self with a conceit that none of these things shall come upon thee in that as thou pretendest thou putst thy whole trust in God that he 'll save thee and reliest upon thy Saviour Jesus Christ alone to be kept by him from hell and the power of the Devil But beware I beseech thee how thou cheatest thy soul into that misery whence no trick or wile can ever fetch thee Dost thou put thy trust in God he 'll take thee to heaven when thou diest who now allowest thy self in those very sins for which he hath threatned to turn men into hell If indeed thou dost so then I hope it is some promise of his that thou bottom'st thy trust upon or else it is a vain confidence now shew me if thou canst one promise in the whole book of God that gives thee the least ground to hope for happinesse whilst thou continuest in an unregenerate naturall estate in love with thy sins take thy Bible and turn it over from one end to the other and see if thou canst find any such place but I could shew thee an hundred Texts where wrath is threatned to all unconverted sinners continuing such So that in plain English thy trust in God is no more than a wretched presumption that he will be so mercifull as to break his word to save thee and if indeed this word prove false than thy confidence will not deceive thee but if it prove true as for certain it will then woe be to thee for all this pretended trust And of the very same stamp is thy reliance on Christ whilst thou rebellest against him For tell me prethee does the Gospel say that every man who shall believe that Christ will save him shall be saved by him let his heart and life be what it will I am sure neither Christ nor his Apostles ever made known such a doctrine and if thy faith be grounded upon any other Gospel than Christ hath revealed thou art like to go seek another heaven than that he hath promised For he hath told thee plainly that without holinesse thou shalt never see the Lord that he is the author of salvation onely to those that obey him and that he takes off condemnation from none but such who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Now if thou dost truly believe in Christ thou wilt set thy self to seek for happinesse in the way that he hath appointed not in one of thy own devising for else it is a sign thou dost not depend upon him for salvation but on thy own fancy or Satans delusions or whoever it is whose directions thou followest rather than Christs If thou wast in a place where two ways meet and one man should bid thee follow him in this way and another should bid thee follow him in the contrary way if thou would'st come to thy journeys end is it not plain that thou believest him whom thou followest Or if thou hadst some dangerous disease and an able Physician should tell thee that if thou would'st depend upon him by the help of God he would recover thee and should leave with thee such and such Physick to take if in the mean time thou should'st take a conceit that thou mightest be well without following his advice and some one else should direct thee to an easier and cheaper way whereupon thou throwest away his medicines dost thou then depend upon this Physician for cure Thus the Lord Jesus the great Physician of souls assures thee if thou wilt depend on and trust thy self with him or believe in him he will keep thee from that everlasting death whereof thou art in danger and to this purpose he sends his Word and Spirit to cure thee of thy ignorance and wickednesse which is the disease of thy soul he would bring thee to Repentance and thoroughly purifie and sanctifie thy heart but thou think'st this a tedious course and wilt by no means submit to it come on it what will but fanciest thou maist be saved without so much adoe and that forsooth by reliance on Christ. Is not this a very wise businesse to rely on the Physician for health and throw away the Physick that should procure it I know well enough what thou would'st have Christ shall keep thee from hell but yet by all means he must give thee liberty to live in sin that is he must let thee carry fire in thy bosome but yet he must keep thee from being burnt he must let thee drink poison but yet he must keep it from griping thy bowels But believe it Christ came not into the World for any such ends This he hath purchast That no sins great or small shall damn the man that 's truly humbled for and forsakes them and depends upon him for a pardon and is made holy in heart and life but not that he who lives and delights in sin should escape misery which is indeed a kind of impossibility For man is in bondage and sin is his fetters now
any other condition than forsaking them If bare confession and begging of mercy might serve turn or if coming to the Sacrament might serve turn and yet still they might live as they list few would go without a pardon But remember God nowhere assures pardon to any man absolutely but upon a certain condition which except we perform we cannot look for the promised mercy What this condition is I have before told you even that you should repent of and give diligence to forsake all sin and receive Christ to be your perfect Saviour upon no other terms therefore expect to have a pardon confirmed to you by the Sacrament which will no farther avail you than as it receives power and efficacy from the promise without which it is a seal to a blank paper that will warrant you to claim nothing Suppose a Landlord should make you a Lease of an House upon condition that you would own your self his Tenant yearly pay him some small quit-rent should set his seal to this Lease all this would stand you in no stead if you denied that you was his Tenant and refuse to pay the Rent he required Wherefore to know whether your hope of pardon be upon good grounds and such as will not fail you examine whether you are such kind of persons as I have before described whether you are humbled for and brought out of love with every sin and doe with firm purpose of heart cleave to the Lord Jesus To bring you thus to depend upon Christ for a pardon in a right manner and upon sure grounds the considerations I laid down under the last particular may be of use since this is one part of that faith in Christ which I there exhorted you to that was an acceptance of him in all his Offices this hath a peculiar respect to his Priestly Office and is called Faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 Onely to adde a word or two more for the quickning of all such who have not much laid it to heart how to get their sins pardoned as if they thought it was a thing of no great consequence Consider I beseech you whether the Incarnation Life and Death of Christ was not a matter of huge importance to the world and tell me Reader dost not think thou art as much concerned herein as any other man Hadst not thou as much need of his Death as any And therefore doth it not stand thee upon to see whether thou sharest in the benefits of it as much as it doth any man breathing And tell me farther if all this preparation in the Gospel had been made for thee onely and Christ had come down from heaven and suffered on the Crosse for thy sake alone that thou mightest be saved by him on the same terms that now thou maist and should have sent thee a message calling thee by thy particular name assuring thee of all this and beseeching thee to accept of these offers of life dost thou think all this would have convinced thee of the greatnesse of Divine love and of thy need of mercy And would it have awakened thee to make out after the same and to doe all that was required to obtain it If so why then wilt thou not now be perswaded to the same care Since the Gospel speaks to thee as particularly as if it named thee and the mercy is as great and thy need of it as much as if thou alone wast concerned in it and thou shalt never have the lesse benefit nay rather more by having others to share with thee in it but thy misery if thou misse of a pardon will be never the lesse for having many companions in the same sad case with thy self Once again let me ask thee thou who now art so insensible of thy need of a pardon that thou wilt not take pains to get it in the way thou art commanded wouldest thou be contented at any rates absolutely and expresly to part with all hopes and expectations of it If thou might'st be hired with a thousand or ten thousand pounds would'st thou for such a summe of money professe thou didst renounce all right and title to Jesus Christ and all hopes of mercy through him Or would'st thou give this under thy hand in writing to the Devil or to any man that would help thee to a great Estate what would'st thou think of those who should doe thus would'st thou not look upon them as most wretched forlorn creatures Why be it known to thee if through negligence and stupidity thou seek not out after an interest in Christ that thou maist be pardoned and saved by him thy condition will at length be found as miserable as theirs If there should be certain acres of ground in Ireland promised to any one that would go thither to possesse them he that would not take the pains to go over would have no more advantage by them than he that should formally renounce his righâ— thereto Even so by carelesnesse and sloth maist thou lose all benefit by Christ as certainly as those poor creatures that are drawn to make compacts with the Devil and sell away their souls for a thing of nought To conclude if nothing I have hitherto said will move thee consider I entreat thee whether this thy undervaluing of pardoning mercy will remain always Sins thou hast I know thou wilt acknowledge yea many and great sins such as would sink thee to the lowest hell if they be laid to thy charge Dost thou not grant this And thou canst not but know that there will at length come a day of reckoning for these thy sins and dost thou think when thou must stand before the Judge and give up thy account that thou shalt not earnestly desire a pardon then will it then seem as indifferent a thing as now it does Then I say when without it thou must be sentenced to keep company with the Devils in the midst of scorching flames for ever and ever And thou canst not sure be so ignorant as not to know that none shall have a pardon then but those who got it now that 's a day for examining and declaring what our estates are whether good or bad that we may be dealt with accordingly not a time for getting them made better if they were naught before Wherefore if thou beest not a very bruit onely to mind what 's before thee if thou hast any foresight any belief of this Judgement-day that thou art going to now rouze up thy self and with all speed and industry labour to get that pardon which within a while to thy own most lively sense will be so needfull and stand thee in so much stead And when thou art wrought to such a sight of thy misery as makes thee desire after mercy and to such a loathing of thy sins as fits thee for it then thou maist be assured that God for Christ sake will be gracious to thee and thou maist comfortably addresse thy self to the Sacrament and take
zeal for him should be found pure selfishnesse And therefore they dare not make their own private apprehensions which they find not in the Creed nor in the Gospel the standard and measure of such as must passe for godly and be thought worthy their regard and esteem which is the constant note of one addicted to a party but I say they would have their friendship as large as their Lord and Masters since 't is for his sake that they have any friends at all Such is the affection which Gods Spirit works in his people and with which they are possest so farre as they are fram'd and moulded by his Spirit But moreover the charity requisite in Communicants consists not onely in a cordiall love to the godly whom they are to reckon upon as dearest friends but also in forgivenesse of injuries to all that are their enemies and have done or endeavoured to doe them wrong which temper is of flat necessity to all that would come worthily to this Ordinance Hither men come expecting a pardon and can he look for a pardon of his many and hainous sins from the great God of heaven and earth who will not forgive some small offence that he may have received from his fellow-creature Small I say for the greatest injury that can be done us by another is exceeding small and not worthy our notice so farre as we our selves onely are concerned therein Selfish men will never believe this but it 's a certain truth and so plain that many sober heathens doe with great earnestnesse inculcate it Alas what can they doe but a little hinder out thriving in the world or deny us that respect we would have by their carelesse carriage or speak meanly or falsly of us to lessen our credit Such like trifles as these are the worst that we shall ordinarily meet with from our bitterest enemies And are these such unsufferable injuries that by all means we must seek to be revenged Surely such a wicked spirit cannot enter into the breast of a Christian that remembers what he hath done against God and yet what he expects from him and what he hath already received And indeed there is nothing more likely to bring us to the performance of this duty to our brother than the serious consideration of the infinite mercy God hath shown to us in sending his Son and freely tendering forgivenesse through him This we find prest upon us Eph. 4.32 And be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 3.13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye And to engage us the more our forgiving of others is made a condition of being forgiven our selves Mat. 6.14 15. For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses How hard-hearted must that Servant be who when his Lord hath forgiven him ten thousand talents takes his brother by the throat and casts him into prison for an hundred pence How just is it that all the former debt should be charged by his Lord upon such a servant as you may find in the parable at large Matth. 18. from 23. to the end where after Christ had told how terribly that unthankfull cruell servant was dealt with he addes ver lâ—st So likewise shall my heavenly Father doe also unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespâ—sses To love God above all and our neighbour as our selves are the two great Commandments whereon depend the Law and the Prophets and which comprehend all our duty and to both of these we have the greatest help and strongest obâ—igation by the Death of Christ that ever could be thoâ—ght on Shall we not love him that hath thus loved us And shall we not shew pity and compassion to others who have received so much our selves Yea who shall be shut out from mercy if we be unmercifull No spirit in the world is so contrary to the Gospel as that of malice and revenge and retaining a secret enmity and spight against any person whatever As thou would'st escape the society and portion of Devils hâ—reafter beware how thou now entertainest this devilish nature than which nothing is more frequently forbidden in the Gospel and nothing more flatly enjoyned than the contrary temper Gal. 5.20 Now the fruits of the flesh â—re manifest which are these adultery fâ—rnicâ—tion c. hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders ver 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse fâ—ith meeknesse c. Col. 3.8 But now you also put off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy c. v. 12 13. Put on therefâ—re as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-sâ—ffering When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to rectifie the disorders they were guilty of in reference to the Lords Supper the first thing he falls upon is the Divisions that were amongst them 1 Cor. 11.18 That composednesse of soul that humility self-abasement and humble dependance upon free mercy which are so absolutely necessary for him that would profit by this Ordinance do all call for a quiet charitable frame of spirit toward our brethren when we betake our selves thereto And thus by Gods assistance have I in some measure shewn from the nature and design of this Ordinance which is to keep up the Remembrance of Christ how those persons must be qualified who can duly attend thereupon To repeat their description once again They who are furnisht with the knowledge of the necessary fundamentall truths of Christian Religion and doe believe them to be indeed truths being so verily perswaded that Christ is the Saviour of the world that they heartily consent to take him for their Saviour and therefore being humbled for and resolved presently to turn from all their evil ways doe humbly expect or at least earnestly desire the pardon of their sins from the mercy of God for his sake and are truly willing to have their hearts sanctified by the Spirit of God given out through him that they may lead an holy life and doe depend upon him to bring them to everlasting glory in the enjoyment of God upon whom they have set their dearest love and chose him as their onely portion being sincerely thankfull for the manifestations of his wonderfull love in Christ and by the power of this love are in charity with all men forgiving their enemies and having a peculiar affection to the members of Christ These and onely these are fit to partake of the Lords Supper Wherefore I entreat thee whoever thou art that would'st not wilfully delude thy own soul and rush upon this duty to thy hurt take thy self to task and
you imagine this one duty to be an exception from all the rest as having nothing in it which may make it worthy our performance Hath not he backt his commands with promises that we might have all kind of encouragement to his service Hath not he told us that to those who keep his Commandments he will manifest himself Doe you think then that when Christ first set up this Sacrament he hereby intended any advantage to those who should celebrate it If not he appointed them a meer piece of drudgery in some respect worse than the Jewish Ceremonies for they had their use to the spirituall and even as bad as thoâ—e buâ—densome ridiculous Ceremonies which make up so great a part of the Popish Religion but if you dare not affiâ—m this then I would know whether the same advantages doe not still continue to this Ordinance which were first intended to be communicated by it to the worthy Receiver Again did the Apostles and their companions get any good by it think you if not it 's strange they should be so exact and frequent in it iâ— they did fain would I know why the same good is not still to be got by serious diligent Christians Certainly Gods treasures of grace are not spent his fountain is not drawn dry no nor ever will be He that will be the everlasting portion of his people when this world is ended hath enough sure in himself for the supply of all their necessities whilst they are travelling through the world When millions of Saints have received that grace which leads them to glory there is not a jot the lesse for those that come after And as his graces are not exhausted so neither is the way of giving them forth changed in the same manner that his Spirit accompanied the word and Sacraments at any time since the Gospel was publisht in the same manner it accompanies them still for ought that any man living can shew to the contrary Christ is the same yesterday to day and for ever He who will be with his Ministers till the end of the world will be with his Ordinances till then with his people in the conscientious use of them Why should the first Christians be tied to that which we in after-ages may neglect Is not our case the same with theirs Are not our necessities as great And may not our profitings also if the fault be not our own To prosecute this a little farther as I promised Is not the Death of Christ as great a mercy to us in these latter days of his Church as it was to them in the first Have not we the same pardon offered to us the same promises given the same heaven prepared and the same sanctifying Spirit to bring us thereto Have we not then the same cause to be frequently mindfull of and thankfull for these mercies and the Death that purchast them in all ways prescribed to that purpose Are not we still of the same nature that men were then Such whose affections are much raised and quickened by sensible things by the help whereof we can with greater clearnesse and power conceive of thâ—ngs spirituall and can more affectionately remember what 's past when we see it represented and acted afresh before our eyes Is it not therefore our wisdome and duty to accept of such assistances as our Lord himself in his care of us hath afforded whereof the Sacrament of his Supper is a principall one every way fitted for that end Were they more dull than we that they should need such quickning means which we judge our selves past the use of Had not we as much need as they to be frequently renewing our more solemn repentance for sin and covenantings with God that so the consideration of those renewed engagements we lie under may the more overpower us to faithfulnesse and perseverance in his service Are not our wants of grace as great as theirs And therefore ought we not to wait in all those ways whereby these wants may be supplied which are the same now as formerly Is it not as rich a mercy now as ever to have all the blessings and priviledges of the Covenant of grace whether temporall spiâ—ituall or eternall not onely represented but made ovâ—r and assured to us in such a familiar manner Is not the exercise and strengthning of mutuall brotherly love by the maintaining of the most endearing Christian communion still a most pleasant and profitable duty now especially when all men have learnt to cry out how cold charity is grown Thus you see there are very many and those no small advantages that accrue to such as carefully manage this weighty duty and all of them continue still the same that they were in the time of the Apostles And let there be any other ground of their practice assigned or any other benefits which they hereby enjoyed and I question not to prove that we have the same or the like grounds and are capable of the same benefits with them Thus have I shewn you that to come in a due manner to the Lords Table is both your duty and your interest there is a command given by your Lord obliging you to what is good for your selves and indeed so doe all other his commands if well weighed And what more can be said to work upon men that have any Conscience or any self love to give obedience Wherefore if you be Christians yea if you be Men if you have any sense of Gods authority or of your own necessities make all possible hast out of that dangerous woefull estate which makes you unfit for and unwilling to this so profitable a duty and your souls being made ready let them bring your bodies hither Having been larger in these I shall be brief in those that follow 3 Is it not much to be feared that whilst yâ—u sleight the Sacrament you sleight those blessings which hereby are represented and assured to Believers You your selves would judge so by others in cases like this If the King should proclaim that he will give Estates in some of his Plantations to all that will come to the Court and take Patents from him and subscribe their nâ—mes to a Bond which onely ties them to acknowledge they had their Estates from his bounty and to live there accor-to his Laws is it not a sign that they who will not doe thus much doe very little care for the Estates that are offered them And doe not they manifest as little regard of heaven it self and all the promises of the Gospel who are loath to be at so much pains as to go to the Sacrament there to have all these confirmed to them being unwilling to bind themselves hereby to thankfulnesse and obedience to that God who makes them such large and bounteous offers He that refuseth a cheap and easie medicine which being duly taken may recover him from his sicknesse may well be said to undervalue his health Thus is it too apparent that
Consider whether by this thy contempt of the Ordinances of Christ thou maist not provoke him justly to withdraw them from us and to bestow them upon a people that will more prize and frequent and better improve them than we have done If Children be so indifferent to their food that they play with it or throw it away it 's fit it should be taken from them When people are wanton and curious that they know not how to be pleased but upon the least dislike reject their spirituall food it 's a sign they want that best of sawces a good stomach which it's just they should be brought to by being kept short Or if they be so lazy that they think it more adoe than needs to be diligent in those exercises of religion which our Lord hath appointed and take the greatest priviledges for burdens is it not just they should be eased of them for who will continue kindnesses to those who take them for injuries Yea can they expect any other than ere long to be removed into a world where they shall never more be troubled with such heavy impositions You that are now ready to say what a stirr's here with Sermons Prayers and Sacraments and think all your time lost that 's spent in them and are vext to think that you must have so many inâ—erruptions from your sins or worldly businesse be content a while and you shall have no cause long to complain of these things you now judge so grievous There 's none of this adoe in the Hell your ungodlinesse leads to but whether there be not sadder doings there your experience e're long is like to give you full conviction if nothing sooner will convince you Do but judge reasonably must it not needs be an high displeasure to God to see his Creatures contemn the most precious mercies as if they were nothing worth How would you take it if when out of courtesie you had invited a poor man to your Table and had made ready the best that could be had for him he should find fault with your meat and ask you why you troubled him to come from home to such a poor Dinner as this would you think he deserved to have the worst bit there If your Landlord or any rich neighbour should bid you to a Feast would you send word by his Servant that he nothing worth coming for but that you could provide for your self better at home Or if you should send such word do you think you shoâ—ld be invited twice And yet thus sawcy and unthankfull have you been toward the great God whilst you have kept away from his Table notwithstanding which he hath again and again sent forth his Servants to invite you thither in that way and to those ends which he hath revealed But oh Sirs do no more so foolishly so impudently I beseech you least at length you should move God to withdraw from you the mercies you trample on and you when it is too late should be put to seek with tears those blessings which once you cared not for and therefore must never have 8. Is it not a very great sign that you forget Christ himself whilst you can thus quietly passe from year to year without Remembring him at the Sacrament Could you possibly do thus if you bore him upon your minds and were sensibly affected with the frequent thoughts of all his love towards you Would you not then take all opportunities to expresse this your thankfull sense of his kindnesse The Children of Israel we read were enjoyned to keep the Feast of the Passeover as a memoriall of their deliverance out of Aegypt and if when they were come into Canaan they should after a few years have left it off might not God justly have taxt them with forgetting their deliverance it self And is not the case much what the same here So we find Exod. 12.26 27. that when their Children should see them keep this Feast and ask what the meaning was they were to answer It is the sacrifice of the Lords Passeover who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel in Aegypt in that night when he smote the Aegyptians and delivered our houses If now these Children when they were of capacity should refuse to keep this Feast as they were commanded is it not a sign that either they believed not what their parents told them or else thought there was nothing in it worth the remembrance Thus if any of you should demand what 's the meaning of our assembling together at certain times to eat and drink Bread and Wine in so serious a manner it may be answered you This is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper which he appointed in the night wherein he was betrayed for a memoriall of that Death whereby he destroyed the kingdome of Satan and delivered his people If you now take this to be true and think it deserves so solemn a Remembrance come as you have been directed and joyn with the rest in this work if you refuse this you can never sure have the face to say that you doe in your hearts Remember Christ. If one that had bestowed some great matters upon the Town he lived in should order at his death that the inhabitants of that Town should upon a certain day in the year meet together at a Feast to keep up the memory of his bounty if they neglected this might it not well be said they forgot their Benefactour And does not your neglect of this Sacramentall Feast as plainly shew a forgetfulnesse of your great Benefactour who ordained it Oh wonderfull that ever men who have heard who Jesus Christ is and what he hath done should be thus unmindfull of him Ah Sirs read the history of his Life think soundly of his Death and consider then whether he thus deserve to be forgotten by you Had he had no more thought of us where had we now been and what had become of us for ever Hath he done so much for you even without your seeking and when he requires so little of you is he denied If but a dying friend should take his Ring off his Finger and put it on yours and bid you look on that Ring and remember him should you not easily do it But much more if this friend had upon any account given up himself to die for your preservation and should onely engage you by remembring him to beware of that fault whereby your life was endangered and his was lost would not the memory of such a friend be ever fresh and precious with you if you had any humanity any sense of friendship and kindnesse And would not your bowels be even turned within you whenever you beheld his Ring But alas how farre comes this short of the kindnesse which Christ hath shewn to poor sinners in many circumstances as might easily be shewn And yet how is all disregarded with the most How few obey this that was one of his last injunctions to his followers
courses whatever shall be told you to the contrary is little lesse dangerous and damnable than to come to the Sacramnent with such wicked purposes Let this then suffice to remove your first mistake that you may take liberty in some sinful waies you have a minde to before you have taken the Sacrament The second gross mistake which I finde in your objection is that you think though at present you have no great minde to be so serious as to set upon preparation for the Sacrament yet that hereafter you shall when you have had your swinge a while longer and have taken a little more pleasure being as yet perhaps but in the prime of your youth and thereupon you hope that God will bear with you yet a while since you have such good purposes to become his servants for the time to come Should I go about fully to shew you the vanity of this conceit and your folly in delaying to return to God I might fill many sheets wherefore that I may not be tedious I shall do little more than represent to you the very true language and import of this pretence of yours that so you may be ashamed of ever using it more or harbouring it any longer When you talk of staying yet a while before you cast off your old companions and courses and bind your selves to a godly life at the Sacrament what do you in effect but say That when you have contemn'd Gods mercy and griev'd his spirit a little longer and done somewhat more to dishonour his name then you will betake your selves to him and become his people when you have done Satan yet a little more service then you 'l shake him off and take Christ for your Master when you have a while longer trod under foot his precious blood then it shall wash you from all your sins when you have run deeper on the score and added something more both to the number and hainousness of your transgressions then you 'l come for a pardon when you have done somewhat more to make God your enemie then you 'l seek reconciliation when you have let your lusts take deeper rooting then you 'l pluck them up when you have made them a little stronger then you 'l subdue them when the sore is festered then you 'l apply the Plaister when the gangrene is almost got to your vitals then you 'l seek a remedy thus foolishly thus presumptuouslie and baselie do they argue who think it is too soon yet to come home to God and be religious in good earnest I know you would be asham'd to speak thus and will scarce be perswaded there lodges so much wickednesse in your hearts but for certain there does whil'st you retain secret purposes to go on in any way of known sin Ah poor sinner that thou didst but a little know what thou doest whilst thou standst thus unresolv'd whither thou shouldest yet bid farewell to thy lusts and come over heartilie to God by Jesus Christ. Oh disingenuous creature dost thou think thou hast not provokt and dishonour'd thy Maker enough yet Hast thou not yet sufficientlie abused thy Redeemers grace and patience Hast thou not yet thrown away time enough and sinn'd away mercies and offers enough Is sin so sweet and profitable a thing that it should be so hard to determine whether it was best be forsaken or not Is God so hard a Master and his service such a burdensome thing that sinners must be wooed to him with so much earnestness and all prove too little with the most Is it so safe and desirable a state to remain still in the gall of bitterness and under the wrath of God Can you keep off this wrath which you are plucking upon you Have you both repentance and time at your own beck And are you sure of acceptance how long so ever you stay before you seek it will holinesse be good for you hereafter and is it not now Or are you afraid of being happie too soon wherefore weigh things well Sirs and then resolve whether there be any wisdome in delaying that work which may be put off too long but cannot be too quickly done that work to which in all reason and conscience you stand engag'd every hour even to be divorc't from sin and Satan and firmly betrothed to the Lord Jesus How long must he seek and sue for thy consent Why should not he have thy youth as well as any other Doth Satan deserve it better than he Did not he die for thee in the prime of his years and why should'st not thou live to him whilst thou art young When wilt thou have put away that wretched disobedient answer that it 's yet too soon to entertain him Hath he stood knocking for entrance till his locks are wet with the dew of the night and is it still too soon to open to him and let him in Oh beware least thy continued stubbornnesse should even wear out his patience least thy perverse carriage should provoke him for ever to leave thee and least if still thou think'st it not time yet to break off thy sins and set upon a godly life he should think it time to cut thee off and sentence thee to everlasting death In the mean time know that all thy good designs what thou wilt do and be hereafter will not be the least excuse of thy present wickednesse nor make thy case any better with God nay rather they make it worse since it appears thou art convinced in thy Conscience that thou oughtest to live after another fashion than thou do'st and yet wilfully neglectest thy acknowledged duty I hope then I have said enough to shew that thou hast no refuge no excuse that will hold whilst thou absentest thy self from the Sacrament out of a lothnesse as yet to reform thy life and do the duties to which this would bind thee Wherefore to conclude If it be thy purpose to continue in any sinfull course come to the Lords Table if thou darest for farre be it from me to speak one word to encourage thee to forswear thy self But yet on the other hand Go on in thy sins and stay away if thou darest for thou art in danger every moment of dropping into Hell whilst thou remainest in such a state Thou seest then to what a strait sin brings thee so that turn thee which way thou wilt whilst thou willingly carriest it about thee an Angel with a flaming sword stands full in thy way threatning destruction whether thou comest or comest not whilst thou continuest a resolved sinner thy case is sad and deplorable But yet one way remains and but one that I know for thy safety even with all speed to cast away thy sins and change thy heart and life and then come as soon as thou wilt to the Lords Table there to professe this blessed change and to confirm thy self therein And for thy encouragement take notice of two things 1. It is not an absolute sinlesse perfection
flie open that the King of Glory may come in Now in an especiall manner let your hearts be emptied of all trash that they may be fill'd with the good things which are here distributed If you were set to an heap of Gold and bidden to carry away as much as you could grasp you would keep no dirt nor stones in your hand that would make them hold so much the lesse Loosen your selves then from the inordinate love or thought of any created good your Houses or Lands your pleasures or employments withdraw your minds as much as possible from all temporall concernments with which whilst you are taken up the edge of your desire after heavenly things is extreamly abated And if you come not hither with great expectations you are like to be little the better If you have no higher designs but with a little seeming Devotion to eat Bread and drink Wine then Bread and Wine are the best things that you are like to meet with For is it probable you should find that which you never look after But if thou comest hither with an holy greedinesse after greater measures of grace thirsting for the living God as the Hart pants after the water-brooks and as the parched ground gapes for the refreshing showers then fear it not thy desires shall be gratified Thou canst not please God better than by looking for the greatest and best things from him which bring most glory to himself and do most good to thy soul. Beg earnestly then that by the power of his Spirit accompanying this Ordinance thou maist partake yet more of a new and divine nature that thou maist find strength and vigour diffused through thy whole man and maist now receive some communications of that light and life which Christ came into the world that his people might have and that they might have it more abundantly now pray that his Death and Resurrection may have their power and efficacy upon thee that virtue may issue forth from him for thy healing Beg that by this food thy lusts may be poisoned and destroy'd and every grace strengthned and encreast And be particular in thy desires Oh that something may be done this day against my pride and passion my worldlinesse and sensuality my distrustfull fears and discontents Oh that I may be delivered from that listlesnesse dulnesse and distractions wherewith I am haunted in holy duties Oh that I may find my heart hereby drawn nearer to God and carried out with more unweariednesse and cheerfulnesse in his service that I may be better enabled for a conscientious discharge of my duty in every place and relation that I do stand in and in the whole course of my life Blessed God thou who knowest the state of my soul give in to me I beseech thee what thou seest I need most I have an hard heart Lord soften it a dead heart Lord enliven it I am much in the dark Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Make me more humble holy and heavenly Oh take this season for coming in upon my soul and bestowing more of thy self upon me that I may become more like to thee These oh God are the mercies thou hast promised to thy people and bidden them to ask these thou art wont to convey by thine ordinances for these things therefore do I wait upon thee this day with no lower aims do I come to thy Table with such precious things is the Lord Jesus wont to feast his guests and of his infinite fulnesse it is that I hope to participate through him it is I hope to be strengthned with might in my inner man even to be made strong by the Grace that is in Christ Jesus Oh will the Head let a member perish Shall a branch wither for want of succour and juyce Blessed Saviour thou who wast so willing to shed thy blood for us art thou not as willing to bestow the fruits of it upon us Art thou not still as mercifull and tender as ever thou wast Thou who didst once so readily heal diseases and cure all that came to thee hast thou not as much mercy to souls as to bodies Lord I believe thou art as able and ready to help as ever If thou wilt thou canst make me clean and it is my hope that thou wilt Outward means without thee cannot do it yet here thou hast bid us attend and thus I do waiting for the descent of thy Holy Spirit Oh grant the requests of thy poor creature Say to me Be it unto thee even as thou wilt yea even as thou wilt oh Lord let it be unto me who art ever readily and strongly inclined to do thy people good Thus stirre up your selves and actuate Faith in such holy breathings as these and be assured such additions of Grace as you are fitted for and God in his infinite wisdome sees meet at present to deal out shall be conferr'd upon you and being refresht and strengthned with this banquet you may cheerfully walk on your way to glory 7. From all that hath been said of the greatnesse of the mercies here commemorated bestow'd and sealed to it will appear most reasonable and just that the hearts of all Gods faithfull servants should here be raised to the greatest height of divine love thankfulnesse and joy I put these together because though in the notion they are different yet in the workings of the soul they usually go together That same goodnesse which works love and thankfulnesse causeth joy too as it 's begun to be enjoy'd or strongly hop'd for And this is a frame most proper to a Communicant all his preparations being much in order to it Therefore should he get sensible of his misery and humbled for his sin that he may have the more affectionate thankfull sense of the mercy that pitied and pardoned him Wherefore labour much with your selves even beforehand to rise up to this ingenuous and pleasant temper which will prove so acceptable both to God and your selves Dwell intently upon that amazing mercy which God hath revealed to mankind in Jesus Christ which thing the Angels themselves desire to look into Ponder well the severall heightning circumstances thereof the meannesse sinfulnesse and misery of man the Majesty of God the dignity of Christ the greatnesse of his condescension and sufferings the fulnesse and freenesse of his purchase and offers Study all his dealings with your selves in particular whereby he hath accomplisht in you the designs of his love and continue these musings till you feel a fire of love and joy kindled within you Let not Satan so farre have his will of you as to cast you into these dejections and groundlesse perplexities which will rob God of his praise and you of your comfort Let him not be able to perswade you that God is cruell and unmercifull and hardly reconciled to returning sinners Have you not the strongest and most unanswerable demonstration at hand to confute him would you desire or can
travailing to Emaus crying out We trusted this had been He who should have redeemed Israel Luk. 24.21 Then would our faith be vain we should be yet in our sins But we may now comfort our selves and use the Apostles gradation Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It 's Christ that died yea rather that 's risen again and is even at the right hand of God And now with joy let this Resurrection and Glory be remembred as being the fore-runner of yours When in your thoughts you have descended as low as his Grave and there stand weeping to think how your sins have slain him imagine you heard some Angel bespeaking you in almost the same language that he did the Women at his Sepulchre Mark 16.6 7. Fear not yee for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified He is not here for he is risen as he said and is gone before you not into Galilee but into Heaven there shall you see him When therefore you shall in this Ordinance see Christ crucified before you think with your selves This is the Lamb that was dead but is alive and lives for ever By the celebrating of this Sacrament you are to shew forth the Lords death till he come Remember then he is to come for this second coming would Christ have you keep much in your thoughts as well as his first He left not this pledge of his love with his Church as a dying Man leaves some gift with his friends to put them in minde of him whom they shall never see more but as one who goes a long journey leaves his Pâ—cture with his Wife that she may be mindfull of him in his absence and be quickned to long after his return And good reaâ—on have you to be mindfull of the Glory of our Lord since you your selves will be sharers herein and so at once you remember both Here I told you you take an earnest of the everlasting treasures and the consideration thereof is exceeding necessary to raise your value of that which will otherwise appear but worthlesse and mean And conceive of your selves as in a journey to that Kingdome having here taken in by the way to refresh your selves as travellers are wont to tuâ—n in and bait And like the Prophet 1 King 19.8 In the strength of this meal you are to go on toward the Mount of God These are provisions sent by your Joseph to serve you by the way till you come home to himself Yet a few more Sacraments and you shall be past the need of all Here are some fragrancies and drops of sweetnesse for the refreshment of Pilgrims till the day breaks and the shadows flee away when we shall get up after our Lord to the Mountains of Myrrhe and the Hill of Franckincense Here a Table is spread for us in the Wildernesse and some clusters of Grapes prest into our Cup till we shall come to Canaan and enjoy the vintage Behold in this transaction at the Lords Table an emblem and shadow of the future glory and let your thoughts take advantage from what is here presented to ascend to the joyfull contemplation thereof yet within a while and you who are here his welcome guests shall sit down with your Master at his Table in his Kingdome and there shall taste of the fruit of the Vine new with him and shall eat of a Manna that is yet hidden to you and shall exchange your present company for the society of innumerable Angels and perfect Saints And let this something quiet your mindes though not take off the quicknesse of your desires all you holy souls who are acted by so noble and strong a passion that you are imâ—atient of that distance at which you yet finde your selves from him whom you love and are even weary of the World where you cannot fully enjoy him much more of your own hearts that are so estranged from him comfort your selves for within a very short while your eies shall behold him and you shall be fully satisfied in your most intimate accesse to and abode with him You may look back with joy on the Redemption Christ hath wrought for you and may look before you and lift up yâ—ur heads with joy as knowing the day of full and finall Redemption draws nigh Only see that you now thirst ardently after that spiritual communion with him which is here attainable in being possest by him and closely uniâ—ed to him that being joyn'd to the Lord you may become one spirit This is the blessed and only possible transubstantiation to be transformed into the likenesse of Christ which is of infinitely more advantage to the believing soul than if according to that monstrous Popish fiction he should chew the very gross flesh and swallow the raw blood of Christ For by this means his body would only be changed into ours but by the change I speak of our Spirits become like to his And if now you hold but this fellowship with Christ in the spirit shortly you shall have a real presence even to the satisfaction of sense it self Then shall you see him as he is for you shall be made like to him in that day of his appearance Then indeed shall Sacraments vanish as useless shadows you having got the substance Christ himself You need then no more behold him in a Glass but shall see him face to face and be perfectly changed into his Image Oh the difference that will be betwixt that clear sight and this dark alas through our own fault too dark remembrance Oh that 's the comfort we shall then have laid by all that stupidity and dulnesse which here attends us whatever we are about That full view of our blessed Lord will for ever cure us of all coldnesse and unbelief and ravish us into one eternall affectionate admiration of divine love If that joy which arose from faith and love whilst he was not seen was unspeakable and full of glory how inconceivable how transcendently glorious must that be which shall arise from his immediate sight If it be such a precious priviledge to have a right to Heaven here solemnly given us what will it be to enter upon actual possession Oh then Christians whilst you are remembring Christ at his Table let it rejoyce your hearts to consider that he is remembring you at his fathers right hand and thither will shortly exalt you All you whom the King of Glory now espouseth to himself as it were by Proxie as Princes take Wives by their Embassadours remember that the day is hastening when your marriage shall be more publickly and triumphantly solemnized when all you blessed ones shall be call'd to the great Marriage-Supper of the Lamb. Yet a very little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry And do you now get your souls mounted as high as you can climbe by all the means that are afforded you and stand ever wishly looking and diligently preparing for his appeearance and
in all commanded acts of obedience an eager and ingenuous pursuance after the blessed God in all those waies where in he is to be found and whereby he communicates himself to the soul of Man so that there is no contradiction betwixt inward holinesse and outward duties but much-what the same relation that there is betwixt life and eating breathing and motion for in these the divine life is exprest exercised and nourished But to think that Sacraments Prayers and hearing c. may serve turn without any inward holinesse and universal sincere obedience is as if a Man should think that the forced motion of a Puppet should make it pass for a living creature that great promises may pass for performances and that knowing what we must do and talking of it may serve instead of doing what we are taught Let them lay this seriously to heart who when their practices are ungodly and loose think to salve all by keeping their Church and saying their Prayers and all such who make more adoe about the externals in devotion than about the right ordering of their hearts and lives whereas all our devotions should tend to better these 4. If you would make good the promises you have made at the Lords Table to live a strict and godly life you will find it of singular importance yea of flat necessity to retain a great watchfulnesse over all your ways Ever keep up a sense of the danger you are in by reason of the frailty of your nature the deceitfulnesse of your hearts and the many temptations you are every where exposed to And therefore let this care secretly run through the whole course of your actions to beware of being surprized by sin therein In all emploiments companies and affairs still keep up this watch And think beforehand where your danger is greatest where you are most apt to be overtaken and there place the strongest guard Set a watch over your eyes ears appetites tongues hearts and hands that you be not by them betraid into any miscarriage When you find your self endangered by a present temptation then have some solid reason ready at hand to repell it with store whereof you should alwaies be furnisht with reasons drawn from God Christ Heaven or Hell or from your Sacramentall engagements as I shewed before and be sure have a strong resolution to check the first risings and beginnings of sin before it have gone so farre that your judgment is brib'd and blinded by your affections and have speedy recourse to the God of all grace that he would send you help from above Consideration Resolution and Prayer are three weapons wherewith the Christian Souldier may do wonders against the tallest sons of Anak that shall assault him in his way to Canaan Often take account of your selves and review your behaviour in actions that are past and let one days experience still teach you how to live the next better But upon the sense of any miscarriage let not your guilt drive you farther from God put you into unprofitable vexations and horrors but presently make hast to the throne of grace get your peace made with God through Christ and renew your watch with more diligence than ever but alwaies with the most humble and absolute dependance upon divine assistance ' T is too probable that some lazy wretches will here flye out as Naaman in a rage did against the Prophet when he heard he must wash seven times in Jordan for the cure of his Leprosie which he thought would have been done with a word speaking so perhaps you 'l tell me that you had thought Receiving of the Sacrament would so have kill'd your lusts and cleansed your hearts that you need have been at litle care about them afterward and will be ready to ask what good you got by it if you must take all this pains notwithstanding You slothfull souls may you not as well ask what good you get by Christs death and the giving of the Spirit Since notwithstanding both these you must take pains or else you are never like to be saved For know God will have you employ the faculties he has given you and the work of Grace is to heal your faculties and enable them for their proper employments He that made you Reasonable creatures will make you holy and happy as such and the help which he affords is to bring you to diligence and assist you therein and by that means to save you Thus Sacraments are onely profitable to the diligent and industrious their use being to quicken and strengthen but they are no refuges for the slothfull no encouragements to idlenesse Never think that God will make such a way to heaven that you may walk in it without using your legs 'T is you that must do the things required though it be by Christ strengthning you for whose sake also your frailties are forgiven Wherefore let me renew my advice that at all times and in all things you would be watchfull and maintain an holy jealousie over those hearts that have too often shown what they have in them Take this for the greatest work you have to do in the world to beware of sin and to be carefull to please God as the Souldier's whole work is to serve his Generall and the Servant 's to obey his Master yea more absolutely than so ought a creature to study his Maker's will and account this work your own greatest happinesse So avoid sin and all occasions and appearances of it as you would do the Plague in a Visited Town and be as carefull to watch all opportunities of doing good both to the souls and bodies of others as men ordinarily are of laying hold on their gain Often ask your selves wherein God is honoured by you or others profited and be ashamed to live to no better purpose than to eat and drink to sleep and dresse your selves for work or play And do not object against this constant watchfulnesse that it will take up all your time and hinder your necessary employments for by using it awhile it will grow even naturall to you and will no more hinder you in your affairs than it hinders a traveller in his journey to take heed of running into bogs and ditches Is it any hard matter to be alwaies carefull least you should hurt your bodies Wherever you are and whatever you are doing cannot you keep up this care and yet follow your businesse well enough Why then can you not take the same heed of your souls with as little trouble or hindrance 5. To help you in this watchfulnesse and guide you in an exact circumspect walking it will be exceeding profitable for you at all times to retain upon your minds a very awfull sense of the presence of the most Holy God Whatever you are about remember he observes you and ponders all your paths though you perceive not him Wherefore always order and behave your selves as before him Speak your words as in his hearing Spend
your time and do all actions as in his sight You may easier run from under thâ— heavens than out of his eye And consider he do's not onely look on you but narrowly regard yoâ— and concerns himself with you being highly displeased when you run into sin and takes delight in your holy conversation In whatever company you are be not drawn away by them in a kind of flashy humour as if the generall loosness and jollity did engage you to conform to them but remember God is in the midst of you who never gives you a dispensation to be wicked and whom it more behoves you to please than all the world beside though avoid all ensnaring company as much as possible Let this keep you from fear or shâ—me when you are call'd to speak against Sin or for God and Holinâ—sse He 's near that will justifie you you may therefore set your face as a flint When you are alone think not you may sin the more securely for God is with you and eyes all your moâ—ions as if he had none but you to mind In your addresses to God a sense of his neaâ—nessâ— will much awaken and affect you and is one of the best helps against wandâ—ing thoughts that you can have Beware of ever being so farre swallowed up with the noise and hurry of businesses or pleasures as not to attend to him that stands over you He that is present every where should be remembred at all times Read to this purpoâ—e Psal. 139. Such a powerfull habituall sense of a present God should you work into your minds that you may walk as before him even when you do not actually think of him as a Servant is all day doing that work which his Master would have him though he may not half that time be thinkâ—ng of him So though it be needfull that you should often actually think of God yet above all see that you never so forget him as to do that which is displeasing to him And to conclude this in any doubtfull action let this be one rule that you go by not to do that which whilst you are about you dare not boldly think of Gods presence 6. The last thing I shall say to you for the carrying on of an holy life to which you are bound by the Sacrament is That you be much in serious meditation of the last things Death Judgement and Eternity The frequent and lively thoughts of these will have a mighty influence upon your whole course To consider your latter end is both a discovery of and the way to wisdome Live every day as he that knows not whether he hath another day to live Think often What if I had but another monâ—h or year to sâ—end in the world how strictly and holily should I then live that time How carefull should I be of my thoughts words and actions How thrifty of my time How serious and affectionate in all my approaches to God How ready and willing to do or receive good Why let me now live after this exact manner since it may be I have not so much as a month or year to come however very much I am sure I have not and my preparations be they never so soon will not be lost Let others funâ—ralls put you in mind of yours and flatter not your selves with the hopes of long life because you are young and healthfull but see to get your souls in such a condition that a long life may not be so much the matter of your hopes nor death the cause of your fears And remember you are always going on to the Judgement seat of Christ where you must have a triall of ten thousand times greater concernment than those that use to come before Earthly Princes and Judges when the case must be decided where you must live for ever whether in the highest joys or the sorest torments Had you not need then now to be getting a good cause for according to the life you led here in the flesh will that sentence passe The wicked must go into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternall The God who sees you now will Judge you then by Christ the Redeemer Think what a life you shall wish you had led when you come to the end of it and must be Judged for it and lead such an one now When the sugred baits of sin are presented and you have much ado to hold off them then think what bitternesse it will be in the end compare the honey with the gall the present delight which is vanisht in a moment with the sting and pain which endures eternally and then judge and act like reasonable creatures But above all let your thoughts be even steept and swallowed up in the pleasant contemplations of that glory which shall be revealed in and bestowed upon all that love the Lord Jesus Whenever you are ready to faint and give out remember the joy that is set before you and let that remembrance cheer and revive you Consider what that goodnesse is which God hath laid up in himself for them that fear him till you find your love enflamed towards him and let that love put you upon more frequent thoughts and earnest longings after him Onely see to fill up all your time with suitable actions and then let it even please you to see your days post away so fast Alwaies keep it on your thoughts that you are in a journey to a glorious Kingdome and be often saying Now I am one day or month or year nearer than I was before Stretch out thy self with a longing look towards thy Fathers house Shortly I shall be in the arms of my dear Saviour and shall be joyning with Saints and Angels in the triumphant praises of Jehovah and the Lamb. And remember this happinesse consists chiefly in being made perfectly holy and therefore here must that grace be sown and grow up that shall then be ripened into glory And the more holy you are the nearer to heaven will you get whilst you stay on earth and the meeter for it will you be when you are taken off from the earth Ever keep up such a sense of the excellency of this future blessednesse as may blast all other things in your esteem and deaden the temptations that are taken from pleasures riches and honours Oh think how perfectly provided for must he needs be who shall have God for his portion How mad are they that would lose the least hope of this happinesse for the whole world And they that look for such great things what manner of persons ought they to be in all holy conversation and godliness Oh let nothing weary you or turn you out of the way Hold out awhile longer and you shall be plac'd out of the reach of all temptations for ever Fasten upon nothing on this side heaven with any great delight or long stay But still tell your selves it's time enough to be happy when God shall take you to himself so he will but here vouchsafe you that converse with him whereof we in this state are capable Let every thing you meet with be as a step toward Mount Sion and raise you nearer to heaven and make you more desirous of it And when you have been thus meditating and preparing waiting and desiring a while you shall assuredly find that your labour was not in vain Wherâ—fore let such considerations as these make you stedfast unmoveablâ— alwaies abounding in youâ— Lords work till at length you shall be translated into his Joy And thus I have dispatcht those Directions I promised for the promoting of holinesse whâ—ch was the last thing I had to do It now remains that we set our selves resolvedly and sincerely to the practise of what God hath revealed to be our duty which if we do we need not doubt of his assistance and blessing but upon our perseverance in well-doing to which we have obliged our selves may through our Mediatour confidenâ—ly expect his gracious acceptance and his glorious Câ—own Now â—he Gâ—d of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of his sheep by the bâ—ood of the everlasting Covenant Make you perfect in every good work to do his will wâ—rking in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesâ—â— Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Heb. 13.20 21. FINIS