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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77851	A treatise of self-judging, in order to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper. Together with a sermon of the generall day of judgement. / By Anthony Burgesse pastor of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664. Demonstration of the day of judgement against atheists & hereticks.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1658 (1658)	Wing B5661; Thomason E1904_1; ESTC R209997	46,977	246

dejected not to look upon a Christ without duties nor yet oppose duties to Christ 2. Another ground why God may even break the bones yea the heart as it were of his own children when offending him is from the many aggravations that are to be found in the sinnes of the godly so that the like cannot be found in the transgressions of the wicked man insomuch that the offences of the godly do in some respects more displease God then all the sins of wicked men As first when the people of God sin it is against more experience of the sweetness and comfort by grace and also of the bitterness of sin which they have felt in their own souls and certainly this must highly aggravate thy sin thou knowest what the songs and joys are of an heart reconciled to the Father through Christ Thou knowest how bitter a thing it is for God to shut thee out of his doors for thy transgressions to give thee childrens bread no longer but to suffer thee to live upon husks Oh what an aggravation is this to every sin thou fallest in to remember these experiences Alas the wicked when they sin they never tasted of a better life they never found any thing sweeter then the creature therefore they think they do not sin to their loss and so they have not experimentally felt the terrours of the Lord it may be upon their souls hence it is no wonder if they eat poison for honey but for thee who hast been taught all these things upon thy soul to meddle with sin that cost thee so dear to deprive thy self of that joy and heaven thou hast had Oh tremble under the approaches of any sin to the●● Christ used this as a motive in his prayer for those who crucified him Father forgive them for they know not what they do but how shall Christ say forgive thee who knowest what thou doest All the experience God hath wrought in thee about holy things doth sadly aggravate thy evil ways 2. As the godly sin against more experience so they also rebell against more light and knowledg which is always highly aggravating a sin What made the Angels sins to be so greatly displeasing to God What made Adams sin so highly offensive amongst other reasons this was one They sinned against a great deal of light and knowledge which God had indued them with Now the godly man hath not onely natural light but revealed light he is supernaturally illuminated and that not only in a common way as many Hypocrites are but in a special and peculiar manner such as no reprobate can attain unto oh then how greatly must God be offended when thou shalt sin against that quick penetrating and tender light which shineth in thy breast and therefore God will judge thee for thy he●rt-sins thy soul-sins the pride there the unbelief there because thou hast light to discover all these Any false motions any sinfull inten●ions any corrupt minglings of thy self with the things of God these God will judge because thou hast spiritual light within thee which like the Sun-beams make thee discover those atomes those secret little sins that other vi●●● u wouldst never take any notice of remember then what light thou hast put under a bushel as it were and then no wonder if God judge thee for this 3. The godly mans sin is more hainous then the wicked mans because of that love that Free-grace those bowels of mercy shewed to him which never were to ungodly men No wonder then if of all sins God will not bear the abuse of his love and his grace especially that discriminating grace he gave his Son to thee not to another who if converted might have done him more service his Grace did convert thee change thee when thou wast as froward as others wallowing in thy lusts as others and so how can God take thy rebellion against so much Free-grace what patience is it that Hell doth not swallow thee quick up As the Apostle argueth comparatively the excellency of Christ To which of the Angels said he Thou art my Son so to what wicked man to what unconverted man abiding in his sins hath God drawn nigh with that grace and favour as he hath to thee how unreasonable is it to turn grace then into wantonness Argue as Ezra did cap 9.13 Thou hast given us such a deliverance as this and should we again break thy Commandments O Lord thou hast done for me more then for many thousands who sit under the power of their lusts and shall I despise this love of God 4. The godly mans sin is to be aggravated because of the special priviledges which God doth bestow upon him for he maketh him his Son his Friend admits him into his presence and favour Now thou who art at such a Feast always shouldst never be without thy Wedding-garment Seemeth it light to you said David to be Son in Law to a King and thus is it a small matter to be taken into Gods favour to be his adopted children to be in communion with him to stand as it were before him surely this must greatly aggravate thy sin The more favour and honour from God the more abominable is thy sinfulness Michal told David falsly Thou hast made thy self like one of the vile persons but it is true of thee Is it for one accustomed to the Kings presence to be tumbling in mire and dirt Oh shame thy self in thy humiliation for this how uncomely is this to a justified person how unsuitable to the spirit of Adoption observe that passage 1 Kin. 11.9 God was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from God which had appeared to him twice How many times in a gracious manner hath God appeared to thy soul and wilt thou provoke him 5. The godly mans sins are the more hainous because committed against greater obligations and bonds to the contrary for every duty every ordinance is a greater obligation against sin The more thou hast prayed against passions yet passionate the more thou hast prayed against pride and yet proud and so of every sin the greater is thy sin God will bring thy prayers thy duties to witness against thee haply the wicked man never or very seldom hath prayed against his evil ways but in every confession in every prayer thou hast bewailed and resolved against such evils and therefore in this respect the greater aggravation of sin when committed Again the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that is a strong mighty obligation against sin Now the godly they are admitted to this Ordinance they are not commanded to stand in the Court but they may enter into the Holy of Holies they are children and this bread is to be given to them Now if they walk in proud sinful waies what a witness wil this ordinance be against thee did ye receive Christ to serve the Devil Did ye receive Christ to vaine unbelieving thoughts Oh know that all sins after obliging

the unworthy receiving of this ordinance That it hath left some impression upon all Churches to keep off those that are dogs and swine not to give this bread and pearle to such let them be Episcopall some of them at least Presbyteriall or Congregationall Hooker in his Posthumus bookes of Ecclesiasticall Poli● sixth Booke pag. 57. doth affirme that by the Church of England Every noto●ious offender was to be kept from that ordinance and which is remarkable that all Ministers had equally power to do it The Socinians do highly presse the casting out of all evill persons and condemne the Evangelicall Churches for remissnesse therein yea Erastus one of the first that troubled the Church about the admission of persons to the Sacrament doth yet often professe that he onely understands such sinners to be admitted as publickly repent of their sinnes and promise amendment He maketh it a great injury done to him as if his opinion were that all who name themselves Christians yea though neither willing nor thinking to depart from their evill wayes were to be admitmitted therefore professeth he so disputeth of these points as that he would have the custome of their Church observed Erast Contr Thes lib. 6. cap. 2. And he speaketh expressly against the promiscuous admission of all without any examination It is an injury and a calumny he saith to charge that opinion on him lib. 6. pag. 34. Certainly these thunderbolts of Paul have made deep impressions upon mens hearts though otherwise not willing to be affected with much strictnesse herein 8. We may observe it is a blessed and happy thing that Paul did thus by the Spirit of God inlarge himselfe about the institution of this ordinance for although three Evangelists relate the institution of it John onely omitting it yet Paul instead of a fourth Evangelist doth with much inlargement make mention of it for who could have gathered such conclusions as Paul did from the meer institution had not the Spirit of God immediatly guided him so that these very sins of the Corinthians we may as the ancient Adams sin call them felices culpae for their corruptions gave occasion to Paul for such a large and pithy amplification about it And therefore as it was a mercy to the Church that many heresies arose even in the Apostles daies which made them speake so distinctly and clearely against them as about Justification by the works of the Law c. Yea the doubtings of the Apostles in many particulars is the cause why we doe not doubt now about the same things Which made one say Plus debeo Thomae dubitanti quam Petro credenti I owe more to Thomas doubting then Peter believing As I say the event of such heresies or doubts was in mercy to the Church so disorders and corruption in the Discipline of the Church did provoke the Apostle to speake so much about this ordinance as he doth And it was Casaubons good wish that men had been more industrious to bring in the Primitive good order in Church-discipline then subtilly to dispute without Scripture-light in many controversal points this would have bin more acceptable to God Exer. 16. pag. 396. Lastly Observe amongst the many arguments for our right approaching this in my text is none of the meanest wherein we may consider First the duty supposed with the object of it if we would judge our selves what the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth imply will appear in the doctrine Grotius thinketh this place may not unfitly be expoūded of their publick Church-censures as if the Apostles meaning were if you had godly discipline this were faithfully put in order this would prevent Gods judgments for he thinketh by the severall factions that were the discipline of the Church lay prostrate but I will go in the most generall interpretation of it and so the words may be considered either in the Thesi as a Theologicall Aphorisme That self-judging will prevent Gods judging of us in all cases or else in Hypothesi in the particular as it doth relate to the Sacrament Hence Erasmus renders it in the past sence If we had judged our selves we had not been judged of the Lord. I shall take in both these considerations Secondly There is the benefit proposed or discovered upon our self-judging we should not be judged The Apostle speaketh here of believers as well as wicked men yea chiefly of believers because he addeth vers 32. When we are judged we are chasten●d of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world The world and the godly are directly opposite here are then three doctrines in this text as the naturall off-spring of it First That self-judging preventeth Gods judging Secondly God doth judge even his own people for their sins Thirdly The sins which God judgeth them for are not only morall grosse sins but their ordinance-sins their Sacrament-sins committed against positive institutions For the first He that judgeth himself taketh the way to prevent Gods judging of him What our Saviour saies of judging of others Mat. 7.1 Judge not lest ye be judged is clean contrary here Judge your selves and that severely impartially else God will judge you You see there must be judging if you do not judge your selves here God will judge hereafter if here be not a judgement of discussion in hell there will be a judgement of condemnation This self-judging it is the marrow and soul of all Christianity for want of this it is that there are so many hypocrites and Apostates in Religion for want of this that there are so many Pharisaicall and self-righteous men If this duty were more practised there would be more truth and sincerity in the waies of godliness so that in this very thing the prophane and the godly man part the Pharisee and the true believer are divided the hypo●rite and the true Saint differ they may both pray they may both abound in gifts and inlargements they may both be frequent in the Ordinances but the one judgeth himself and the other doth not or cannot or dare not he is afraid to search into himself so that this is a duty required of us in our whole life but especially upon some extraordinary occasions as here in this Sacramentall Administration Had Jehu judged himself had Judas judged himself they had not been such scandals in Religion But let us rip up as it were and discover this great and weighty duty of self-judging and herein we are to know that many things are antecedent to it some things constituent of it some things concomitant of it and some things consequent from it and all these manifested will make us able to judge of this self-judging What things are antecedent to self-judging To the Antecedent or introductory things we referre these particulars 1. A man must erect a tribunal and barre as it were in his own heart and assume to himself a superiority and dominion as it were over himself for thus all judgement is exercised

repentance and self-judging a voluntary giving of God glory and shaming themselves and this is the duty still of all such publique grosse sinners that do offend the Church Thus they came to John Baptist publiquely confessing their sins Matth. 3.6 And those who used unlawfull arts came and burnt their books though of a great value before Paul Act. 19.19 It is not shame or peoples talk or any such carnal consideration could hold them in when their hearts were truly broken and if such Church-discipline were in use would there be so much bold and impudent prophannesse as is every where If they were called upon as Joshua to Achan to give glory to God Josh 7.19 they would not then presse to Sacraments without a wedding garment yea with goar blood of their sins upon them but would rather with the leper stand aloof off crying out I am unclean unclean and with another Calcate me insipidum salem trample on me as unsavoury salt They would not then rage at the Minister and say the Sacraments are their dues but would acknowledge publike shame and sorrow was due to them They would not presse to make us guilty of unworthy giving while they are of unworthy receiving Et dum se solvere cupiunt ligare Sacerdotem as Ambrose speaketh excellently while they seek to lose themselves to binde the Minister But it is not all the books all the arguments in the world that will do this it must be an humble heart truly contrite before God To hear men cavilling whether Godly order be Jure Divino when the world knoweth their prophannesse their impiety is not Jure Divino may make us conclude that it is not arguments or books but an humble self judging heart that must decide this controversie The concomitants of this self-judging The next thing is the Concomitants And fi●st self-judging is accompanied with exalting and setting up of God as David Psal 5.4 Thou maiest overcome when thou art judged So much as the soul judgeth it self so much it cleareth God O God my perdition is of my self if temporal if spiritual judgements fall upon me I must clear thee I cannot charge the holy God foolishly Thus man is low and God is set up 2. This is accompanied with sincerity and ingenuity Examine me and try me said David Psal 26.2 The sincere heart is willing every secret corner of his soul should be searched into but the hypocrite of all duties cannot abide this self-judging he will never say Even my son Jonathan shall die 3. It is accompanied with much shame and relenting of soul He is judged even as a poor malefactor is judged that bitterly laments his misery and therefore the whole work of conversion is in this self-judging The last thing are the Consequents of self-judging The consequences of this self-judging which are 1. A readinesse to every duty to every holy performance He that hath judged himself faithfully he cryeth out with Paul What wilt thou Lord have me to do Thou hast never throughly deeply judged thy self if thou canst not pull out thy right eye 2. He doth renounce all his own righteousness flying alone to Christ and seeking for justification by him alone The Pharisee did not judge himself and so he saw not the need of Christ We thus judge saith Paul 2 Cor. 5.14 if Christ died for all then all were dead descendēdo ad coelum ascenditur by descending we ascend to heaven 3. They are patient and humble under all those chastisements God layeth upon them for their sins they judge themselves worthy of them and hell it self Why should a man complain of the punishment of his sins Lam. 3.39 Thus they accept of their punishment 4. They have a deaf ear against all the censures and calumnies wicked men cast upon them They judge themselves more then all the world doth and for that heart corruption which the world cannot know 5. This will make him a savoury experimentall Christian he can tell how to speak to the temptations to the doubts of other mens hearts and to the cases of conscience in godly men by this duty constantly performed he cometh to have wonderfull skill in heart-work he knoweth more then books can teach him he closeth with a heart searching Ministry he speaks from the heart to the heart of another Lastly He doth not sinfully censure others he hath enough to do to judg himself neither can he give way to uselesse disputes and opinions in Religion Oh this self judging will make a man avoid all these endlesse questions that beget nothing but strifes therefore it s excellent counsell to those who spend their whole life in disputes and opinions to be more acquainted with self judging and thou wilt finde thy own heart will help thee to work enough thou wilt finde errours lusts such combats and rebellions in the practicall way of powerfull godlinesse that thou wilt be amazed to see how men can take up so much time abroad and keep so little at home Some practical Corallaries or Conclusions from the truth premised Let us adde some Corallaries or Conclusions from the truth premised 1. That a natural unregenerate man cannot judge himself he wants all the forementioned Antecedents so that in this sense it is true The spiritual man judgeth all things 1 Cor. 2.15 Can a beast judge what the reason of a man is 2. This self-judging is not opposite to an Evangelical Gospel frame nor to the Spirit of Adoption you may think this is too legal this will incourage doubtings banish fears certainly the Apostle did not intend to prejudice grace or to take the Corinthians off from Christ while he presseth this duty 3. This self-judging though a duty yet is wisely to be managed we must not judge in our temptations in our sad thoughts or when the Devil distempers thy eye-sight 4. This self-judging is not to keep us in uncertainties but as we are to prove all things in doctrine yet not be Scepticks we must hold fast that which is good so about our hearts we must judge yet so as to make our Calling and Election sure This self-judging must not oppose assurance 5. No man can so judge himself as to finde out all the naughtiness of his heart he cannot empty this Sea if our hearts condemn us God is greater then our hearts 1 Joh. 3.20 God seeth more vileness and corruption in us then we are able to finde out 6. Under Gods judgements or upon special approaches to him we are to receive this duty Therefore we are more solemnly to perform it at this time in approaching to the Sacrament for hereby we shall prevent Gods Judging of us 1. Every Sacrament we have received God took notice of God hath not forgot all thy former unworthy receivings Thy old sins thy old formality may be matter of trembling to thee as Melancthon said Totus cohorresco c. I am all in a trembling to think how once in Popery I went boldly

into thy self much corruption will appear and when this is found out thou art to pass a sentence upon it O Lord I judge my self for this folly this lust I am ashamed of my self I dare not in my own name draw nigh unto thee especially let the Communicant condemn himself in these things first all his former prophane ignorant and irreverent approaches to this Table Oh let thy heart tremble to think with what security and joll●ty thou didst draw nigh to this Ordinance being full of ignorance not able to discern of the duty in hand full of prophaneness coming in thy sins and going away in thy sins It is a speech of Chrysostom That a man had better never have received the Sacrament in all his life then to have taken it once unworthily Therefore bewail thy self think how many times thou hast made thy self guilty of the body and blood of Christ Such sins God hath not forgotten tho thou mayst have forgotten them Happily the Corinthians did not think that it was for this sinne God did so greatly afflict them and how little do people lay to heart their former Sacrament-sinnes whereas horror should take hold on thee as often as thou doest remember with what boldness and prophanesse thou didst come to these dreadfull mysteries 2. Judge and condemn thy self for thy failing in all those duties thou wast obliged too by this Ordinance If thou receivest these Ordinances and art as proud as carnal as sensual there is no more quickened obedience in thee thou doest not live a more heavenly and spiritual life after this heavenly food Know here is also matter of condemnation The life of Christ should appear in him who hath received Christ As a man coming from an Apothecaries shop carrieth about him some of the sweet smell there The Jews would not taste any thing after the Paschal Lamb that the taste might be long in their mouths If you see one live upon excellent fare yet as faint and as diseased as before this argueth some vitiated principle within were there a true principle thou wouldst finde this Ordinance to be such strength to thy soul as Elias food was to his body But thou wilt say because I am conscious to my self of my sinfull wayes and I cannot get out of these snares therefore I will never come to this Ordinance To this I answer this wil not serve thy turn for then thou bringest thy self into a perplexed necessity of sinning if thou comest to a Sacrament with these lusts upon thee thou eatest thy damnation and because thou do●st wilfully live in a state unfit for a Sacrament thou indangerest thy damnation also therefore thou hast no way to take but to reform to repent and to be made partaker of it This I speak to warn all such as live in a wilfull incapacity and unfitnesse for a Sacrament they will not receive because daily fal ing into such sins but wo unto thee that thou doest thus wilfully indispose thy self how doest thou obey that command Do this in remembrance of me How greatly doest thou contemn Christ and his benefits with the seal thereof therefore lay this to heart tremble Thou that livest in a wilfull unfitnesse to come to a Sacrament thou art no waies fit to die no waies fit for heaven and darest thou continue in such a life when if death cometh thou art sure to fall into hell Meditate on this Am I not fit for a Sacrament how then am I fit to die Cannot I meet Christ in an Ordinance and can I meet him as a Judge and so if no fitnesse for a Sacrament no fitnesse for heaven Without are dogs this is true both concerning heaven and the Church Dethick Maior Tuesday 20th of May 1656. IT is Ordered that Mr Anthony Burgesse be desired from this Court to Print his late Sermon at Pauls Sadler A DEMONSTRATION OF THE Day of Judgment against ATHEISTS HERETICKS For the awakening of the Ungodly and the Comfort of Saints especially those of them that are afflicted and oppressed Preached at St Pauls May 11. 1656. By Anthony Burgesse Pastor of the Church of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire LONDON Printed for T. Underhill at the Anchor and Bible in Pauls Church-yard 1657. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE Sir John Dethick Lord Maior of the City of London AND The rest of the Aldermen RIGHT HONOURABLE THis Sermon formerly preached b●fore you and entertained with your good approbation is now in Obedience to your Order made more publick whereunto I was more willingly induced because of the special usefulness of the Subject The Doctrine of the Day of Judgement with the practical improvement thereof being much insisted upon bo●h by our Saviour and the Apostles yea the Duties in reference to this Day are so importunately urged as that Whether we eat or drink whether we walk or sit still our thoughts and meditations should be fervent and affectionate about it and which is the more to be observed this Truth is a fountain from which cometh bitter and sweet In it is both a sting and honey from the same root springs the Rose and the prickles Would we raise up our dejected and disconsolate hearts the thoughts of this Day like Davids Harp would expell all such evil apprehensions Would we awaken our dead and dull spirits Would we curb and bridle our immoderate affections the meditations upon this Day would be like a fiery Sword to keep fr●m them Hence it is that the Scripture maketh this two-fola Use thereof for Comfort to the Godly I mean Therefore Luk. 21.28 they are commanded upon the approach of that Day To lift up their heads for their Redemption draweth near It is a Day of Redemption to th●e who art kept a prisoner in this Aegypt of the world A mighty Deliverance will then be wrought for thee from sinne and misery How blessed then and comfortable must the thoughts of this time be to thee Luthers expression was Sermon de Signis prae extr Jud. That he had rather never have been born than not to be in hope of this Day Hence it is that God exerciseth his children in this Wilderness that Canaan their rest in Heaven may be more desired Luther ibidem saith of himself That once he was very angry and could not endure the matter of the Lords Prayer wherein Christs Kingdom is prayed for but after that God had tossed him up and down with the waves and tempests that he met with in this world then no Petition could be more welcome to him He that doth not look for and hasten Christs coming is not yet weaned enough from the world his corrupt heart is not burden enough to him The things of this world have too much interest in his soul and therefore with the children of Reuben they had rather take up their habitation on this side Canaan because the Land was fruitfull and advantagious But where the heart is raised up to a spiritual frame there their hopes desires and ardent