reclaim him and bring him back this will well become us to endeavour And where we cannot avoid the sinner we may shun his evil works and by declaring against his sin we may take off the suspicion of our approving his evil ways What I have said hitherto must not be so understood as if I would encourage those men to Communicate who are not fit to do it I have not said any thing which can be reasonably judged to import any such thing He that is not fit will eat and drink damnation to himself And therefore every man is obliged very severely to examine his own Conscience But yet certain it is that there may be those who are unfit whom yet I cannot by any law of God or man exclude from it And as certain it is that we may very lawfully communicate with those who are yet very unfit to communicate themselves And when the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. blames those who did not Communicate as they should do yet he does not blame either those who ministred to them or those that did Communicate with them And therefore those that do receive this Sacrament ought to be very severe in the examination of themselves They may be such whom we cannot lawfully exclude nor yet can you lawfully separate from them and yet not be such as God will accept And therefore such men ought not to think themselves fit because the Ministers of Souls cannot exclude them as unfit and because the best Christians cannot lawfully withdraw from them For it is very certain that there are many things may render us unfit to Communicate which yet do not make us liable to the censures of the Church Though we may not justly be rejected as Criminals yet we may for all that be such in the eyes of God And therefore it will well become every one of us to set about the examining our Consciences with fear and trembling Let us not think our condition good because the Church does not exclude us from these holy Mysteries We may be very evil men and yet not be liable to the censure of the purest Church But it will become us to judg our selves where our Superiors do not and indeed cannot judg us We shall do well to erect a tribunal in our own breast and to condemn our selves for those follies and impieties which other men cannot condemn us for And there being now among us at once so great a decay both of piety and discipline also the best advice that can be given in the case is that we would take severe accounts of our selves and conduct our repentance by the continual advices and ministery of a Spiritual guide For by this alone or principally as a very excellent person tells us was the Primitive piety and repentances advanced to the excellency which we often admire but seldom imitate and the event will be that besides we shall be guided in the ways of holiness in general we shall be at peace as to the times and manner of receiving the holy Sacrament _ And we shall not so frequently feel the effects of the Divine anger upon our persons as a reproach of our folly thepunishment of ourunworthy receiving the divine Mysteries And this says he was earnestly advised and pressed upon their people by the holy Fathers who had as great experience in their conduct as they had zeal for the good of Souls Fourthly there are others who do grant it to be their duty to receive but yet notwithstanding refuse to do it and that because they may not be admitted to do it after such a manner as they would and as they think they ought to do it And perhaps these men do particularly except against kneeling when they do receive it and because this is required by the Law and they account it a sin to yield obedience to it therefore they refuse to receive at all Now I shall particularly consider those Objections which are or may be brought against kneeling And Obj. First it may be objected that kneeling is not agreeable to our Saviours example when he did institute this Blessed Sacrament and therefore it is unlawful The Disciples of our Lord did not receive it kneeling and therefore we may not Answ In answer to this I shall not put the Objector upon proving either what the posture was or that it was not that of kneeling in which the Disciples did receive this Sacrament with our Lord but I will suppose that they did not kneel but that they used that gesture which was commonly used at their meals that is that they did lie along upon beds which is said to be the gesture used at meals in those times and in that place yet I shall shew notwithstanding this that we may not refuse to receive the Sacrament upon our knees For 1. It is not to be thought that we are more obliged to follow the example of Christ and his Apostles in their gesture which is but a circumstance of an action than we are in the other circumstances of time Vid. Dr. Sanderson de obligat Consepraetict 3. and place and habit Now those that make this Objection do themselves depart from Christs example in the other circumstances of time and place and habit and think it no sin to do it and are therefore by the same reason at liberty in the other Our Saviour gave the Sacrament in a private house and in an upper room He gave it also in the Evening and after Supper and when he gave it he gave it in a Coat without a seam yet for all this these men that make this objection do not in these things follow the example of Christ nor yet require other men to do it I know no reason can be given why we are not as much obliged to one circumstance as another 'T is not certainly to be believed that we should be only obliged to the posture and not also to the time and place If we must do it in the same gesture why do we not also do it at the same time and place And if we use our liberty in the time and place it is strange we should make so great a stir about the gesture 2. It is very certain that if our Saviour and his Disciples did lie along upon Beds when this Sacrament was instituted that who ever does sit or stand when he receives the Sacrament does deviate from Christs example as well as he that kneels For none of these are the gesture which our Saviour and his Disciples are supposed to have used And if on behalf of sitting it be pleaded that that being our Table-gesture ought to succeed to that which our Saviour used I answer 1. That we are not by any law of Christ forbid to receive the Sacrament unless we can receive it in such a gesture as is commonly used by men at their Tables nor have we any such command that does oblige us to use any certain gesture 2. That then it must be
Convivium Caeleste A plain and familiar DISCOURSE Concerning the LORDS SUPPER SHEWING At once the nature of that Sacrament as also the right way of preparing our selves for the receiving of it In which are also considered those Exceptions which men usually bring to excuse their not partaking of it The Second Edition with some Additions By RICHARD KIDDER Rector of St. Martin Outwich London LONDON Printed by John Richardson for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chappel 1684. The Epistle Dedicatory To my Ever Honoured and very Good Lady the Lady Dawes of Putney Madam THere are many Books already extant upon the Argument which the following Discourse treats of And those also so very good in themselves and so very happy in their Authors that I cannot think that this which follows will ever deserve a name amongst them For as it was at first drawn up for those whose needs required all plainness of speech so it now adventures abroad in the very same dress in which it was at first composed and delivered And therefore I might well find great reason to dispute with my self whether or not I should adventure this Discourse abroad But whatever demur these things might make yet sure I am I did not doubt to whom I ought to address it when I was once resolved to make it publick 'T is due to you Madam whatever it is upon more scores than one And though it be unworthy of so good a name as it will now bear yet I am certain that it needs it I shall not need to recommend to your Ladiship the subject of this following Tract You are already greatly in love with that part of your duty which is here discoursed of You are firmly resolved to lead a life of Religion and to give up your self to the obedience of the Laws of your Lord and Saviour Now certainly you will find nothing a greater help to you than frequent and devout Communions are You will find great need in your pilgrimage towards Heaven of such Spiritual repasts and viands Nothing can be more welcome to a pious Soul than to meet with these happy opportunities of becoming better And they that love their Lord must needs be very forward to celebrate the memory of his death and unspeakable kindness to them The doing of this as we ought will redound greatly to our advantage We shall by this means be reconciled to God and in perfect charity to one another We shall be more fit to live and more prepared to die We shall the better support under our sorrows and be the more strong against our temptations our burden will be the lighter and yet our strength the greater We shall here receive new strength and vigor to walk in Gods ways We shall think that easie which once we thought intolerable We shall lead at once an innocent and an useful life The advantages of frequent and devout Communions are not to be expressed Here are joys which no man can rob us of Treasures more valuable than that of the Indies Every pious Soul will witness to this truth And therefore Madam I doubt not but you will the more favourably receive this treatise for the arguments sake which it discourseth of But still Madam I have farther reason upon my own account to make my acknowledgements to your Ladiship Your kindnesses to me have been very great and have laid a great obligation upon me to shew my thankfulness to you And as an unfained testimony of my gratitude I am bold to present you with this Discourse It is indeed but a small tribute of thanks which here I pay you but yet is such as I have and your Ladiship will I hope rather regard my mind than the thing it self However I shall be extreamly glad if any thing that is here offered may be of any use to your Ladiship in advancing your eternal interest and concern You have made a good beginning and a wise Choice in devoting your self to a Religious Life Continue Madam in this purpose This will turn to your account when all other things will fail you There was never greater need of regular and exemplary piety than now Religion is now become the scoff and derision of profane and foolish men It is not now the mode to be severely Pious Pure Religion and undefiled is very rarely to be found It is infinitely sad to think that so excellent a Religion as ours is should be almost every where either misunderstood or spoken against Your Constancy now will be more rewardable than at other times You will now see cause to shew a great regard to the Laws of your dearest Lord when they are so commonly trampled upon Count it your honour to be truly good And dare to own your Saviour before men and he will confess you before his Heavenly Father We are concerned to refute the Atheists and to defend the excellent Religion which our Lord hath left us against gain-sayers But there is not a more effectual way of doing this than by an exemplary and pious life This does more than our most subtile and nervous reasoning a great example of Piety does more good than a learned Pen. This is the most likely way to prevail against those that oppose themselves Our enemies mouths are stop'd if we take this course These Arguments are unanswerable and will convert more to the Faith than our Reasons are like to do Now Madam you can thus defend your Religion against contentious men This is the way to restore us to what we should be I have great reason to believe that your Ladiship will be a great example of real piety That you will strongly pursue every vertuous and good thing But yet Madam you will pardon me that I put you in mind to persevere and to abound in every good thing This proceeds not from any distrust but from a great and sincere desire of your happiness That the Almighty would keep your Ladiship from every evil thing and bless you with all the blessings of this and a better Life is the most hearty prayer of Madam Your Ladiships most humble Servant Richard Kidder The PREFACE HOW plain a Precept we have to partake of our Lords Supper and how much it would be for our advantage to do it I shall not need to represent to the Reader in this place That is done in the following Discourse And all that I shall here trouble the Reader with is First that he would be pleased to understand that this Discourse was by the Author designed for the use of those men who stand in need of the most plain and easie directions And therefore it is accordingly fitted for such men who have not either the leisure or the other advantages of perusing the more large and elaborate Discourses upon this Subject Secondly that the Authors lot is fallen among those who do very rarely partake of this Sacrament and that therefore he does the more insist upon
search for leaven against the Passover Pesach c. 1. S. 1. that they should do it by the light of a Candle We had not need be in the dark when we go about such a work as this is and we had need have a clearer light than that of our own Consciences is The Law of God is an unerring rule by this we must try and search our selves And therefore we had need know this Law or else we shall not be able to judge our selves by it and consequently very unfit to approach unto the Table of our Lord. By this Law we may find out what we have done amiss This glass will discover our spots And though we may think our selves very innocent yet upon our trial we shall find many things amiss For the Commandment is exceeding broad we are very apt to say with the man in the Gospel all these things have we kept from our youth up Matth. 19.20 But we consider not how far the Law of God extends and reaches We are commanded to have no other gods before the Lord our God We perhaps are ready to think that we do not break this Law till we fall down and worship some new Deity But we are much deceived in this For by this precept we are obliged to love God above all things to pray to him fear him trust in him give him thanks and in all things to prefer him above all the things of this present World And therefore if we find our selves devoid of the love of God or which is all one full of the love of this World and of our sins if we find we love or fear or trust in any thing more than in him that we do not give him hearty thanks for his mercies nor yet heartily pray for his grace and assistance we may certainly conclude that we are offenders against the Law of God We are commanded that we should not kill Now not only he that sheds his brothers blood but he that hates him and censures him is guilty of a breach of this Law He that hates his brother is a murderer 1 Joh. 3.15 Again when we are forbidden Adultery we are guilty when we look on a Woman to lust after her For the Law as was said afore is exceeding broad It does not only oblige the outward but the inward man It does not only forbid us to do but also to think any evil When it commands a duty it must be supposed to require all those things which are the means that lead us to it And when it forbids a sin it must be thought to forbid whatever would induce us to it We have reason to think our selves guilty not only when we do directly break the letter of the Law but when we transgress against the inward and spiritual meaning of it We are guilty not only when we commit a sin our selves but when we make others to sin nay when we do not reprove and hinder others when we can There are many wayes by which we become transgressors And there is no better way to find out our iniquity than by comparing our lives with the Law of God If those men did but carefully do this who now pride themselves as better than their neighbours they might find very foul spots where as now they think all their wayes clean This would shew them those faults which their pride and lust will not now let them see Our Conscience is many times but an imperfect light and is always so when 't is not enlightned from the Law of God 'T is that Rule by which we are to measure our selves And therefore if we would find our sin let us take this light to direct and guide us in our search 3. We must be very particular in this search That we are sinners we may easily find but we must not satisfie our selves in this but must find out our particular sins which we are guilty of For if in order to our pardon we must confess and forsake our sins we had need find them out if we do not do this it is not like we should confess them and forsake them For how can we be thought to confess and forsake those sins which we are ignorant of And if we do not this what hopes can we have of pardon Indeed where we cannot by our utmost search find out every sin we may yet hope for pardon if we humbly and penitently beg it with the Psalmist who prays to God to cleanse him from his secret faults Psal 19.12 But this we may hope when we cannot find out our particular sin when we can do that we must know it is our duty to do it in order to our confession and our parton In which the Reader may be assisted by the heads of self-examination at the close of the Book called the Whole duty of Man And a thing very advisable it is that we should have ready by us at such times as this a most particular Catalogue of our sins and that we do in our private prayers as particularly confess them to God It is very easie and common to confess our selves sinners to God but there is a great cheat in that general confession and if we would have pardon we must be more particular 4. We must not only make a particular search after our sins but we must also well consider of the degrees and aggravations of them For all sins are not alike There are many circumstances that do encrease our guilt and therefore if we would not hide our fault we must search after these things Now there are several things which do greatly enhance our guilt and make our sins more exceeding sinful that give them a deeper dye and stain Now every sin is a transgression against the Law of God but yet there are some sins which are more hainous than others 1. As for example when our sin is such as is not only against the Law of God but against our own Conscience also when we know the Law and our Conscience does make a faithful report of it and yet we will commit it He that knows his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes This is no small aggravation of our guilt when we rebel against the light This rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft We have no manner of excuse left us in this case and therefore ought to humble our selves greatly under such sins as these are 2. Again when we are vincibly and culpably ignorant and bribe or blind our Consciences our guilt is also greatly aggravated Perhaps we will not know our duty that we may not be though obliged to do it Or we have certain arts to bribe our Consciences or have found out ways to stop their sentence This is a most hainous aggravation of our guilt and comes up very near to that which was named last He is not only a very wicked servant that refuses to do what he hears his Master command him but he
as he calls them who being out of love with the Sacrament through loathing of examination of their woful profane lives make it their constant practice to abandon all Sacraments And when they are cut off by mens censures for this their contempt they are content so to live and are no whit troubled a man knows not whether the disease or remedy do worse with them I might compare them to Cain save that I should wrong him by so unjust a comparison Cain because he had villainously and sacrilegiously defiled the Ordinances which Abel and he joined in was debarred of them and for ever cast out of Gods presence But as cursed as he was he could lay it to heart and say it was too great for me to bear But these Atheists and Swine are so far from that that they willingly content themselves to be cast out and think it a good bar to keep them from that which they are glad to be rid of If ye ask why they do thus they say they have business to do and cannot skill of this new doctrine of trial or cannot be reconciled with their enemies But oh monsters in the shape of men Surely ye shall pay double for your contempt both of the means and the duty it self Oh! But if they come not they shall not eat say they and drink their own damnation Answ Yet they escape not let them tell me whether of these sentences be more easie viz. They eat and drink their own condemnation by coming Or take him and bind him cast him into utter darkness where there is wailing weeping and gnashing of teeth for not coming If there be any odds much good do them with it But their deep Logick cannot help them to any Thus he And thus much in answer to this pretence I now proceed Object 3. Thirdly there are others who perhaps are afraid of Communicating with profane and wicked men And this is that which keeps them back They say they dare not Communicate with the wicked It is supposed that they who make this pretence do not make the former For it might seem very strange that the same man should use both this and the other also that he should at one time pretend he dares not Communicate because he is not fit to do it and at another time pretend that he dares not do it because he looks upon other men to be unfit to receive with him For by the first he would seem to insinuate that he hath a very mean opinion of himself and by this that he thinks very well of himself how ill soever he judges of his brother Having premised this I answer Answ First that we ought to be very careful that we be not too censorious that we do not too boldly take upon our selves the office of a Judge which belongs not to us Let us have a care that we be not too rash Secondly suppose it as it is pretended yet is there no reason we should suffer for another man's fault Will not you do your duty because another man neglects his You may not come unless you be fit and will you not come till your brother be fit too Shall another mans fault discharge you from your duty Christ commands thee to do this thy duty is plain and determined He did not put in this exception and how then do you dare to do it Another mans neglect will not be charged upon thy score It is a very unreasonable pretence that you must not come till you are satisfied that other men are fit as well as you Thy own sins must keep thee back but must another mans do so too It would be very strange that when you are fit it should be then in the power of another man to render you unfit The Apostle says let a man examine himself and so let him eat but he no where puts this in that we must examine others also You would have an hard task of it indeed if you might not proceed till you were satisfied in other men as well as in your selves You are never like to Communicate if this be a sufficient objection Have a care you do not think Christ hath commanded you that which is unpracticable We know not when we may Communicate if we may not do it till others are prepared as well as we 'T is very unreasonable to think that we shall be thus easily excused Thirdly We may by no means separate from our brother till he have been admonished and reproved and he be found incorrigible Matth. 18.15 Our Saviour hath taught us our duty in this plainly Hast thou reproved thy brother for his offence as Christ does direct How knowest thou but that thou mayest by that means gain him Thou mayest not separate from him till he appear to be incorrigible and then indeed when the Church hath cast him out thou art to with-draw But then still it belongs not to every private Christian to exclude an offender from the Communion It is no part of our duty nor are we by any means fit for it We should be too forward to use this power amiss and not to go that Christian way which our Saviour does oblige us to Matth. 18. We know that among the Corinthians there were evil men that were carnal 1 Cor. 3.3 others that were injurious and that went to Law with one another before infidels Chap. 6. There was fornication and incest among them chap. 5.1 And those there were that did behave themselves unchristianly at the Lords Table chap. 11. Yet we find not that the censure of Excommucation is sent out against any but the incestuous From whence it is easie to conclude that to Communicate with such is not unlawful in a Christian Church To which I may add that when the Apostle reproves them for their unworthy receiving this Sacrament it is their own proper negligence he reproves and not their joyning together in the service Fourthly our communicating with an evil man does not make us partakers of his sin For that which we communicate with him in is the profession of Christianity and the service of God And certainly I may joyn in the profession of my Religion with him who is no more than a bare professor This is not to joyn with him in his sin but indeed in doing my duty to Almighty God Sin is not caught as infectious diseases are by standing near one another we then are infected by an evil man when we imitate his bad example It is very evident that Judas received this Sacrament among the other Disciples our Saviour did not send him away and yet he knew his wickedness lest he should infect the other Disciples We are required to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Eph. 5.11 The sin we must avoid and reprove but we cannot always avoid the sinner I confess we ought as much as we can to avoid the evil doer we ought not to chuse his company unless it be out of a design to
one says well that they who never repent till they dye If we love our Lord greatly and have upon our minds a great sense of his kindness we shall be glad to pay him our acknowledgments of Praise and Thanksgiving But if we do this as seldom as we can it is a sign that we do it rather out of fear than love that we do it rather because 't is the custom of the Country than because it was the command of our dearest Lord. For it is most certain that if we loved our Saviour much we should delight to remember him frequently It is so I am sure in all things else which we love We take a pleasure in remembring our dearest Friends and Relatives we frequently mention those things which have given us a pleasure or profit But doubtless we might be perswaded to do this frequently if we were once wrought upon to do it an all and as we should For the very same reason that moves the devout Soul to do it once will also move him to do it frequently And that we who profess Christianity should not do it at all that we should dare to omit so plain a precept is to me one of the strangest and most unaccountable things Indeed where men have no mind to do their duty they are apt to cavil and dispute and make excuses Thus do those men do who had rather dispute wittily than live well We please our selves with little arguments and great prejudices and are not only content to neglect our duty but which is much worse we go about to justifie our neglect Thus do we slide from one error to another But all this while we do but deceive our selves and others God is not mocked We shall be judged hereafter by the unerring Law of God It is not our mistaken Conscience that shall absolve us if Gods Law condemn us We shall be judged by what is written and not by what we ween and think in the case This consideration if it had but its due weight with us would be of great moment to move us to the most diligent and impartial search after truth And then certainly we should not be so easily prevailed upon by weak arguments and by the carnal and sensual delights of this world to neglect so plain and excellent a duty Whereas now we have some little Objections against our duty or else we have our Farms and Merchandize or Yokes of Oxen that hinder us from doing it I shall end all with the words of a late pious and learned Writer upon this occasion By this time I hope you see that it is good for you to draw near to God at his Holy Table if you have any desire to be good Christians or any savour of spiritual pleasures You must wholâ—â— cast away all remembrance of your duty and be lost to all sence of rational satisfaction or else be strongly inclined considering what hath been said to take the pains to prepare your selves or rather to keep your selves in a constant Preparation for frequent Communion there with our Blessed Saviour An innocent holy and useful life cannot but commend it self to you if it be but on this score that you may be entertained with such a comfort as to know the love of God in Christ to you and be fit to be feasted continually with such delightful pledges of it How is it possible for any considerate persons to despise or neglect such means of their contentment The Table of the Lord methinks should be more acceptable to them than a Stage and they should run more greedily to this Divine Feast than they do to the Theatres He should have more guests and a greater croud to attend upon him than those so much frequented places For what do they see represented there but some of the follies of Mankind the passions and misfortunes of a miserable Lover the wiles and subtle contrivances of some ingenious person or such like things some of which never were But here is represented the great wisdom of Almighty God the manifold wisdom of our Creator into which the Angels desired to look and of which they are gladsom Spectators The incomparable kindness of our Blessed Saviour that ardent love which offered him up to God upon the Cross and which he still continues now that he is in the Heavens as we see by these remembrances which he hath left us of it The rare method of our Salvation The wonderful way which Heaven hath contrived to bring lost Souls again thither the glorious conquest which the Saviour of the World hath made over Sin the Grave and Hell all which we here behold his Captives and our selves the prize which he desires to win by all his labours Do not men then extreamly betray their infidelity is it not plain that Christian piety lies languishing and dying when such numbers will spend a great deal of time to prepare and dress themselves to be seen in the Theater and we cannot prevail in some places with any considerable company to meet us at this glorious representation which we make at the Table of the Lord They that will be at the pains to go to the former every day content themselves nay think it a great trouble to put their Souls into a posture to come to this holy place once in a whole year And God knows how many there are that will not put themselves to that pains neither who rarely appear before God at this Holy Solemnity and whose faces are scarce ever seen in the presence of our Saviour O shameful ingratitude which you that read these things if you are believers can never endure I think to be guilty of If you give any credit to this History of the love of God in Christ Jesus recorded in the Gospel you will spend some time sure to dispose your selves to make frequent acknowledgments to him by receiving these holy Mysteries You will be ashamed that so much time should be consumed in triming up your selves to see and to be seen in other places and little or none that you may come before God and behold the great things that he hath done for your Souls For the love of God consider at what charge he hath furnished this Table for you how often he hath invited you to it how desirous he is that you would shew him so much love as not to refuse him your company there Think how ill he must needs take it if you will not accept of his singular kindness nay that you your selves will not be pleased when you reflect and consider of how much joy you have deprived your Souls by denying him so much of your duty For there is no compare between all the jollities in the world and this one single pleasure of giving hearty thanks to God for his unspeakable mercy to us in Christ Jesus Do but come and see Satisfie your selves by waiting on him at his Table with such thoughts as become his presence If you have the