brotherly fellowship Brother-hood implyes sometimes fellowship as Zech. 11. 14. I will breake the brother-hood betweene Iudah and Israel The naturall relation between them could not be broken but their mutuall society and fellowship should be broken they should be divided and dispersed each from other So then they that love the godly love their brother-hood their company their conference and communion with them This evidenceâ— tâ—â— truth of Davids love Psal 1â— 3. All my delight is in the Saints on earth my delight is in their company and conference Many in the world magnifie the Saints in heaven yea some over magnifie them whilest they would give divine worship to them but in the meane time make little account of the Saints on earth nay hate them imprison kill and burne them Apoc. 13. 7. but David delights in the Saints on earth Psal 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that feare thee and of them that keepe thy precepts Try then where lyes thy delight What is the company and society thou affectest If it be the society of the godly thy love is to them But this discovers the hypocrisie of many mens love They doe love godly men with all their hearts But yet examine who be their companions and marke who they be in whose society they delight and are they such as are godly and religious Take they not more delight in the fellowship of drunkards vaine and â—â—â—thy persons Is not godly company the most irkesome wearisome thing in the world to them What can cleere it more that men love not the godly It may be thou commendest them and speakest all good of them but if thou joyne not in society with them thou doest but as those before spoken of Acts 5. 13. They gave the beleevers good words but they durst not joyne themselves unto them It may be thou speakest not against them not because thou lovest them but because thou lovest thy selfe that they may not speake against thee It may be thou speakest well of them and all because with good words thou wouldest buy good words againe This is love in word in tongue but not in deed and in truth Look where thy delight and company is there is thy love 5 True love is hardly angred easily pleased Hardly angred 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity suffers long Vers 5. It is not easily provoked It will suffer long and beare much ere it will break It may be provoked but not easily Easily pleased 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity is kind Iames 3. 17. The wisdome that is from above is gentle easily to be intreated God is love sayes the Apostle 1 Iohn 4. 8. And God is slow to anger Ps 103. 8. He suffers long Exod. 34. 6. He is not easily provoked And he is easily reconciled Psal 103. 9. Neither will he keepe his anger for ever Nay not easily to be intreated but he intreates and beseeches us the offending parties to bee reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now what makes God so slow to anger so quick so easie to be appeased Because God is love It is the nature of love so to be and love is his nature The Apostle presses Christians to two speciall things Col. 3. 13. For bearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any I but these bee hard things to bee done how shall a man come to be able to doe these things Therefore the Apostle teaches us a way how to doe it in the very next verse and words And above all things put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse The way to do these things is to get charity and love Mark then the nature of love It is not easily provoked it is hardly angred it is a forbearing grace It is easie to be pleased It is a forgiving grace It is hardly angred because it forbeares It is easily pleased because it forgives Love is a forbearer and a forgiver Try thy selfe by this If thou art exceeding loth to be provoked sufferest much and sufferest long and art willing to beare till the number and weight of the burthens grow so heavie and unsupportable that thy back is ready to breake before thou complaine If thou art willing to swallow injuries and wrongs one in the neck of another so long as they are swallowable that they would not choake or poison thee if thou shouldest offer to swallow any more for no charity bindes a man openly to wrong himselfe such forbearance argues that thou hast put on charity If offences be given thee and wrong grosse wrong done thee yet if thou canst readily cheerefully willingly and cordially forgive it is a good signe of true love But how farre are many from the truth of this grace in their hearts who are easily off the hookes and presently provoked and all to peeces upon a small offence given nay it may be upon no offence given at all only upon an accidentall slip or a faile in a formality and complement No forbearance argues small charity As far are they from love that are of implacable irreconcileable spirits once lost and lost for ever whom no kindnesses can overcome whom no satisfactions can appease nor no wisdome can set in joynt againe Quest But what if a man have done me wrong and diverse wayes injured me by offensive carriages whether am I bound to forgive him or no hee seeking no reconciliation with me Am I bound to forgive where forgivenesse is not sought and must I stay from the Sacrament because I have not forgiven one that wrongs me and seekes not peace Answ In forgiving of an offender there be three things 1 The letting fall of al wrath malice and desire of revenge 2 The testification of forgivenesse A solemne profession of remission 3 The re-acceptance and re-admission of an offendour into former society communion and familiar converse For the first A man is bound to forgive in that respect whether the party offending aske forgivenesse or aske it not A man must so forgive as that he must beare no malice nor nourish any thoughts of revenge For though mine adversary sinne in his obstinacy yet his sin will not warrant me to sin in malice and thoughts of revenge If mine enemy will not doe that which belongs to him yet I may not doe that which belongs to God Therefore for matter of revenge and malice we must alwayes forgive and unlesse a man doe so forgive as to let fall all malice and thoughts of revenge he sins in comming to the Sacrament For the second Our Saviour gives a rule Luke 17. 4. If he trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe unto thee saying It repents me or I repent thou shalt forgive him He doth not say If thy brother offend against thee seven times thou shalt forgive him seven times but if he say I repent Whether he say so or not I must forgive him in regard of malicious and vindictive thoughts But I
Principalities Ephes 6. with lusts and corruptions and can get mastery and victory over them Yea a Christian that is growne can wrestle with GOD himselfe as Iacob did Now when a man is so strong that he can wrestle with strong ones it is a signe that he hath growth in grace The man that growes in grace growes so strong that he can beare burdens the heavie burdens of afflictions and of the crosse An heavie burden laid on a childes back would breake his back but a growne man hath the strength to beare a great weight Sampson could carry the Gates of Gaza upon his shoulders when he was a growne man that would have crusht him to peeces when he was a childe He that can beare Christs crosse in any kind hath a proportionable measure of growth It is then with spirituall growth and strength as it was with Christs natural and spiritual strength Luke 2. 40. The childe grew and waxed strong in spirit So if we grow we wax strong in spirit Pro. 24. 10. If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is but small Small is their strength that cannot beare a scorne a lash with the tongue that shrink and sink at a sowre looke As the man is so is his strength say they to Gideon And as a mans strength is so is a man if but small strength small growth little strength as little growth 2 Secondly a mans growth may be judged by his stomack by his appetite to his spirituall food So we see it is in nature Young men have farre better stomacks to their meat than old men have and the reason is because they are growing for where there is growth there is a more speedy expence of the nourishment that is concocted and therefore hunger in young bodies is counted a signe of growth Men that have done growing are hungry also but nothing so soon hungry nor so sharp as yonger stomacks because where nature is growing it cals faster and sooner for a supply than where it hath done So it is here The man that growes in grace hath an hungry soule a sharpe appetite he is never well but when he is feeding he takes all occasions to be eating though he have had a good meale and have beene well satisfied yet hee is quickly hungry againe Though he have bin well fed on the Sunday yet he can have a stomack to a Sermon againe before the week goe about Though hee have had sweet satisfaction and refreshment at the Sacrament yet he hath a good stomack to the Sacrament againe before the moneth come about againe Growers are hungry and great feeders If it be thus with us we have an happy evidence of our growth But this shewes how few grow because so little hunger after their spirituall food in the Word and Sacrament You have many can goe fasting a long while together one meale in halfe a yeare nay in an whole yeere can serve their turne and it is enough richly enough in conscience what needs such adoe It is easie to judge such a mans growth what it is Their birth is rather to be questioned than their growth 3 Thirdly growth in grace is visible and sensible to others Where grace growes it so growes that others may discerne it and see it It is true here as Mark 4. 26 27. The seed should spring and grow up hee knowes not how We cannot see corn grow but we can discern when it is grown For when it is come from sprouting to the blade from the blade to the full corne in the eare by these severall degrees it is discerned that it is growne though wee could not see how it grew So though we cannot discerne the growing of grace yet we may discern when it is grown So Luke 2. 52. It is said that our Saviour increased in wisedome before men for it is referred to both things there specified 1 Tim. 4. 15. That thy profiting may appeare to all If corne be sowne and speere in the ground yet if it come not up and appeare above ground wee doe not reckon that it growes There is no man that growes in grace but his grace will be sensible in one kinde or other A Tree that is stinted and growes not and a Tree that growes and thrives may bee discerned each from other by their very bark and rind a man may distinguish them by their lookes By a mans looks and complexion it may be discern'd that a man is growing A mans growth is discerned by his visage by his voice A man that hath had a sicknesse that hath kept under his growth so long was ill coloured ill complexioned but if once his disease bee cured and a mans growth mends there followes an alteration of his complexion So is spirituall growth discerned when a man growes in grace there will bee an alteration of the visage an amendment of the complexion The visage of a man that growes continues not the same it did before Eccl. 8. 1. A mans wisdome makes his face to shine and the boldnesse of his face shall bee changed As when we have not seene some persons a long time they grow out of our knowledge there is such an alteration in their visage we scarce know them they are so altered by their growth that they looke nothing like the men they were wont to doe so in this case a mans visage and outward carriage strangely alters where the soul growes in grace the outward behaviour of a mans life so changes that a man knowes him not by his former lookes It may be a mans behaviour was covetous earthly carnall but if a man once grow in grace he is growne cleane to another kind of behaviour That look as it is said of Christ Luke 9. 53. They saw what he was by his face so may a growing Christian be discerned by his face the life of such a man hath another kinde of face and of lookes with it so as his old acquaintance wonder at it 1 Pet. 4. 4. Thus also is growth in grace sensible by the alteration of the voice When one growes towards mans estate his voice alters and changes he speakes no longer like a childe but he begins to have a big and a man-like voice 1 Cor. 13. 11. When I was a childe I spake as a childe but when I became as a man I spake as a man which is true not onely of the subject but of the sound of a mans speech So the growth of a Christian in grace is sensible by the alteration and change of his voice Even in this sense it is true though spoken in another that they that beleeve shall speake with new tongues Marke 16. 17. The vaine frothy earthly tongue is gone hee speakes not vainly foolishly so children doe but he speakes profitably to edification Iohn 3. 31. He that is of the earth is of the earth and he speakes of the earth 1 Iohn 4. 5. They are of the world therefore speak they of the
reached forth to receive Christs body at the Sacrament shold afterwards be stretched forth to oppression and violence that those mouthes and lippes that have drunke Christs bloud at the Sacrament shold be after and specially the same day defiled with the slabbering drivell of oathes filthy obscaene speech and rotten communication The Habassines after the receiving of the Sacrament thinke it not lawfull for them to spâ—t that day till the setting of the sun Brerew enquir cap. 23. 166. It is no better then superstition in them but yet their superstition will rise up in Iudgement against the monstrous profanenesse of many amongst us They that hold it unlawfull to doe so much as spit that day would they out of excesse of drunkennesse spue that day They that will not spit that day would they endure the Divells drivell to fall from their mouthes that day in ungodly oathes and unsavory rotten communication They that will not spit that day would they in that day spit in Gods face as common profane swearers and blasphemers doe But yet some againe there are that have so much reverence to the Sacrament and so much respect to the Ordinance that upon that day they receive they will carry themselves fairly and demurely If they be tempted by their companions to any irregular carriage they can answer Oh fie by no meanes I have beene to day at the Sacrament I may not so much forget my selfe And it is a good answer But yet that day once over the next day or a few daies after let out themselves and take their former sinfull liberties Now here let men a little consider themselves Doth the sacramentall efficacie last and doth the sacramentall covenant binde but for a day If because thou hast beene at the Sacrament to day it be a good argument that thou must not sin and breake out to day why is it not as good an argument for the next day for the next weeke for the next month the next yeer Is the efficacy the bond of the Sacrament stinted to a day Nay if thou returne to thy sins seven yeeres twenty yeeres after thou hast received if in so long a time thou shouldest not or couldest not receive againe yet still the bond is as strong upon thy conscience as if thou hadst received the Sacrament but this present day There is one and the same reason in both Sacraments The Sacrament of Baptisme is but one administred and that in our infancie and yet I know our Baptismall vow and covenant binds to the day of our death though we should live an hundred yeeres yea though wee should fulfill Methusela's daies The same covenant and vow wee make in Baptisme we renew at the Supper and the bond in this as binding and as lasting as in the other Sacrament That is true or should at least be true of both the Sacraments which Paul speakes of the Rocke 1 Cor. 10. 4. They dranke of that spirituall Rocke that followed them or went with them They dranke of the materiall Rocke which is called a spirituall Rocke because it was a type of Christ The Israelites did not onely drinke of the Rocke when they were at it but after they were removed and gone from it they still dranke of it But how could that be yes the Apostle saies The Rocke followed them That is the water that issued out of the Rocke followed them as they journyed and streamed after them in their removes So the Rocke followed them virtually the vertue and benefit of the Rocke followed them and went along with them So is it so should we have a care it should be that the Sacraments should not onely be efficacious when we are present at them and in the act of receiving them but their efficacy and vertue should follow us and streame after us all the while wee are travelling in the wildernesse of this world till we come into Heaven When we come to the Sacrament and doe not shew the efficacy and power of it doe not keepe our covenants and walke the more religiously and fruitfully after it there followes upon it these two evills 1 First God accounts such receiving no service done to him The Sacrament received without following and answerable obedience he reputes and accounts as no service at all to him Looke how God contests with his people Zech. 7. 5. 6 7. Did yee at all fast unto me even to me And when yee did eate and when yee did drinke did yee not eate c Should yee not heare the words c As if hee had said yee have kept many fasts for many yeeres but yee did no service to me in all your fasts for your fasting was no more service to me then when yee did eat and drink for your selves and for your owne pleasure and delight But how so Because with your fasting yee joyned not your obedience to me and my words there followed no obedience in your lives and therefore you fasted not unto me Did yee at all fast to me to me So likewise will God contest with such communicants as doe not expresse the power of the Sacrament and keepe not their sacramentall covenants in following obedience When yee received the Sacrament in the first second third and every moneth in the yeere did ye at all performe any service unto mee unto me And when yee did eat and when yee did drinke did yee not eat for your selves and drinke for your selves Should yee not heare the words which the Lord cries by his Ministers Your eating and drinking at the Sacrament is no more service to me then when yee eat and drinke at your owne ordinary tables for your selves and your owne pleasures so long as after your receiving and eating and drinking at my Table there followes no expression of the power of mine Ordinance no conscience of keeping your covenants in yeelding obedience to my words in your lives Now what comfort can we have in our having received the Sacrament if God accept it not as a service done to him Nay it is so farre from being a service accepted of God as done to him that he accounts it treachery against him It is true here which Hoseah speakes Hos 6. 7. But they like men transgressed the Couenant There have they dealt treacherously against me There that is in the very Covenant they have plaid false with me where they thought they did God great service there they abused him where they thought to please God there they provoked him to anger there they dealt treacherously against me It is in it selfe a service to God to receive the Sacrament and to make a Covenant with him And many thinke they doe God good service herein but they are deceived because like deceitfull false hearted men they transgressed the Covenant There there in the very Covenant they deale treacherously against GOD. And so it is no service but a provocation to the Lord For what can provoke more then treachery And what is it but treachery to transgresse so solemne a Covenant 2 Secondly we horribly pollute and take Gods Name in vaine and make our selves guilty of spirituall perjury before God What thinke we of perjured and forsworne persons What think we wil become of them When we take an oath solemnely at the Lords Table to forsake our sins to walke in obedience in the performance of such holy duties and then afterwards live in those sins still and in the neglect of those duties still Are we not forsworne If we sweare Siquidem vovens non solvens quid nisi peiero Bernard de Precept Disp c. 20. to doe such a thing and doe it not doe we not forsweare And is it a light thing with us to be forsworne and that by the breach of an oath and covenant made solemnely with God Doe but consider how heavily God threatens Zedekiah for breaking his oath and covenant with the King of Babylon Ezek. 17. 12. 21. Reade and well observe the whole place Zedekiah made an oath to Nebucadnezzar and brake it And what followes upon it Vers 15. Shall hee escape that doth such things or shall he breake the Covenant and be delivered Vers 19. As I live surely mine oath that he hath despised and my Covenant that hee hath broken even it will I recompense upon his owne head But how He should die for it in the midst of Babylon Vers 16. and it first cost him the losse of his eyes so soone as he had seene his children slaine before his eyes So smart vengeance hath God for perjury God hath sworne that he will be revenged upon such as are forsworne verse 19. And though men will yet GOD will not bee forsworne Now then will the Lord be so heavily avenged for breach of oath and covenant with a man nay with an heathen man and an Idolater Woe then to that man that breakes covenant with the great God of heaven and earth who will not be mocked who will not bee baffled withall who will be a swift witnesse and a severe Iudge against all such as grossely take his glorious Name in vaine and so foulely pollute his holy Ordinance And thus a man doing the duties required before in and after the Receiving of the Sacrament comes to the Sacrament after the due order And he that walkes after this Rule peace shall be upon him and all the Israel of God FINIS