when as it is the beleeving soules solemn mariage day What espoused Bride longs not for the mariage day when shee shall enjoy her Bridegroome Faith unites Christ and the beleever and contracts them together Now when once the contract is past there followes a longing for the mariage-day And this longing after the mariage-day is a signe of a contract made by faith Doth thy soule then long for those blessed nuptials with the Lord Christ when thy soule shall have the fill of his Love Doth the Spirit in thee cry Come Lord Iesus make haste my beloved Oh happy signes of true faith But now enter into thy soule O thou covetous worldling and thou voluptuous epicure c. Deale seriously and honestly and tell the plaine truth Is there any one thing in the world thou thinkest lesse upon wishest lesse or dreadest more than the comming of Christ When S. Paul disputed of Righteousnesse and the judgement to come before Foelix he trembled How many boast of righteousnesse even of the righteousnesse of faith but how troublesome are the thoughts of the judgement and Christ to come unto them How heartily could they wish oh that that day might never come Let such as cannot rejoyce in the thoughts of that day in some measure and desire it as the day of their refreshing question if not the truth yet the strength of their faith 2 Secondly The effects of faith in regard of our selves And they are these 1 First the Operation and effectuall working of the Word upon our hearts faith is that which makes all Gods Ordinances effectuall and so the word 1 Thess 2. 13. The word of God which effectually workes in you that beleeve Indeed the word workes on those that beleeve not workes their hearts to rage and rebellion workes to their hardning and damnation But it workes no good thing when faith is not to set it on worke Heb. 4. 2. The word which they heard profited them not because it was not mixed with faith The Gospell is the power of God to every one that beleeves Rom. 1. 16. Faith is as the vitall and naturall heat of the soule If the body be dead and without naturall heat give a man the most stirring and working Physick that is and yet it workes not because there wants a principle of life and heate to set it on worke Iust so is it here The word dispensed in the most powerfull manner that can bee workes not upon an unbeleeving heart because the heart is dead without faith but if any faith in the heart it makes the Word worke effectually Try thy selfe by this workes the Word upon thy soule workes it thee to a conformity to it selfe so as thou art cast into the mould of it Such efficacy of the Word argues a presence of faith in thine heart But how many discovers this to be void of faith How many have lived all their dayes and are even growne gray under the Gospell and yet what grace or goodnesse have all the Sermons that ever they have heard wrought in them more than in such as scarce in all their dayes ever heard Sermon Nay what is wrought in many but scorne rebellion resolution of disobedience wrath swelling and hellish boiling of the heart both against Minister and doctrine Are these the workes of faith or is it rather a signe that he workes in their hearts that effectually workes in the children of disobedience This is a fearfull signe that a man is in the state of unbeleefe 2 Secondly Sanctification and holinesse of heart and life Acts 15. 9. their hearts were purified by faith Pharisisme may wash thy hands but faith washes hand and Heart Pharisisme washes cleane the outside of the cup and platter but Faith makes cleane the inward part also yea there faith begins the worke Faith is not onely an holy but an hallowing grace Acts 26. 18. Amongst them which are sanctified by faith We finde a woman in the Gospell that had beene troubled twelve yeeres with a bloudy issue who was healed but how came shee to be healed She touches the garment of Christ touches but the hem and yet straightway the Fountaine of her bloud was dried up Marke 5. 29. It is true that it was Christ that healed her It was vertue that went out of Christ that healed her Vers 30. and yet Vers 34. Thy faith hath made thee whole Faith then fetches healing vertue from Christ and heales diseases The faith that is true faith fetches healing vertue from Christ Every mans heart naturally hath such a spirituall disease as shee had a bodily That disease which the woman had did typifie under the Law the naturall filthinesse of our hearts Prov. 4. 24. Observe the heart from thence are the issues of life Every action issues from the heart the Fountaine of all our actions This Fountaine is a Fountaine of bloud and all the issues from this Fountaine in our thoughts words actions all these issues are bloudy issues and very filthy and loathsome before God Mat. 15. 18 19 20. Hence hands defiled with bloud Isay 59. 3. Bloudy filth Isay 4. 4. Their way was before me as the uncleannesse of a removed woman Ezek. 36. 17. and Hos 4. 2. Bloud toucheth bloud Many bloudy issues out of the heart one issue meets with another and so bloud touches bloud Now when faith is once wrought in the heart it workes strange cures both in heart and life There were wont to be filthy issues out of the heart in vile loathsome noisome thoughts of uncleannesse wantonnesse covetousnes worldlinesse There was wont to be a filthy issue at the mouth a deale of vaine filthy rotten communication bloudy oathes and curses There was wont to bee issues in all the severall actions and passages of the life But now when faith comes into the heart that presently carries a man unto Christ touches him fetches healing vertue from him that dries up this Fountaine of bloud in some good measure and so heales all those loathsome bloudy issues It is true that where faith is there may be stil some ouzings of this Fountaine but yet the flux of it is nothing so aboundant and so continuall as formerly A mans heart naturally is like the Sea Psal 104. 25 26. This great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts There goe the Ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein In the sea there be vast Whales huge Leviathans that sport themselves and play in the deepes thereof but besides those huge Whales what a world of creeping and crawling smal creatures are there to be found therein Such is the heart of a naturall man there be therein not only some Leviathans some speciall uncleane and foule lusts some speciall Sea-monsters but there are also creeping things innumerable a world of crawling bugs and baggage vermin That looke as is said of Gods Angels Dan. 7. 10. Thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times
because ye did it not at first V. 13. The Lord our God made a breach upon us for that we sought him not after the due order As if hee had said It was not onely Vzzahs errour in touching the Ark contrary to that Num. 4. 15. but it was all your errors to carry it in a Cart when it should have beene borne upon your shoulders Indeed unto the Sons of Gershon and to the Sons of Merari Moses gave Wagons and Oxen according to their service but unto the Sons of Kohatb who were to beare the Ark Num. 4. 5 15. he gave none Because the service of the Sanctuary belonging to them was that they should be are upon their shoulders Num. 7. 6 7 8 9. A Gershonites or a Merarites burthen might be carted but not a Kohatbites they must put their shoulders to the burthen And for this irregularity was the breach made Indeed the Philistins sent home the Ark in a Cart but God brookes not the carting of the Arke in Israel God will beare with that in Heathens and Strangers which he will not brooke nor winck at in his owne people who must live by rule Hee will be sanctified in all those that draw neere unto him So precisely strict is God for the observation of his Ordinances and so jealous and so quick a Iudge in cases of the smallest prevarication The thirteenth Verse then is a reason of that counsell given V. 12. You must sanctifie your selves and you must bring home the Ark. We went another way to worke before and Gods displeasure brake out against us because we sought him not after the due order The Point then wee may learne is this That it is not enough to seeke God but we must seeke him after the due order that he hath appointed and prescribed And That where God is not sought after the due order there men not onely meet not with a blessing but with a blow and with a breach To goe and fetch the Arke and to enquire of God at it it was an Ordinance of God but to neglect the sanctification of themselves that they might bring up the Arke of the Lord and to carry it in a Cart this was not according to Gods Order His order was that they themselves should beare it and that they should sanctifie themselves before-hand for the service David and his people made full account of it when they went about that dayes worke to have had a good and a comfortable day of it but Gods order being neglected instead of a blessing they meet with a blow and a breach It proved a sad day they were sent home with sad and sorrowfull hearts It is true indeed that the carrying of the Arke upon a Cart was a faile but in point of outward order the due outward order was not observed And if God be so severe in making a breach upon them for the breach of an outward order How much more severe may it bee thought will he be in denying a blessing and in making a breach for the neglect and breach of that spirituall and inward order with which he requires holy services to be performed God hath prescribed not onely holy Ordinances and wayes in which he will be sought and found but he hath also prescribed an holy Order and a spirituall manner after which and in which he will be sought in the use of those his Ordinances Gods Ordinance and Gods Order must ever goe together Let us suppose that which cannot be Suppose that a man could seeke God in the right Order in regard of inward disposition of spirit in a wrong Ordinance yet God being sought in a wrong Ordinance though in a right Order no blessing but a breach were to be expected So contrarily Though a man seek God in a right Ordinance yet if he seeke him in a wrong Order for inward frame of heart not a blessing but a breach would follow As no blessing to be expected from a right Order in a wrong Ordinance so no blessing from a right Ordinance in a wrong Order The blessing is derived from God through a right Ordinance used after a due Order We shall see both going therefore together See Isa 64. 5. Thou meetest him that rejoyces and workes righteousnesse those that remember thee in thy wayes Here is first Gods blessing communion and fellowship with God Thou meetest him When God meets a man seeking him there is a blessing but marke in the next place how the blessing is met withall And that by doing two things First there is a seeking in Gods Ordinance That remember thee in thy wayes They that will meet GOD must seeke him in his owne wayes His Ordinances are his wayes and his walkes If wee make walkes and wayes of our owne there can bee no meeting of GOD in them because Hee will walke in no wayes but His owne Secondly there is a seeking in Gods Order that rejoyces that workes righteousnesse There must bee a seeking Him in that Spirituall manner with the heart set in due order in all those gracious dispositions that GOD requires and then GOD meetes a man But now as a man that seekes GOD out of His Ordinance meetes not with Him because he seekes Him not in His wayes so though a man doe seeke Him in His wayes yet if he rejoyce not and worke not righteousnesse but seekes God with an unholy a dead and a dull heart though he bee in Gods wayes and seeke God in a right Ordinance yet he seekes not in a right order and therefore neither GOD nor His blessing met withall GOD meetes with a man that seekes him in both joyntly Right Ordinance and right order The like we have Ier. 29. 12 13. Then shall ye call upon me ye shall goe and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you and ye shall seeke me find me when you shall search for me with all your heart Here is a promise of a blessing to them that seeke God But first they must seeke God in His Ordinance Yee shall call upon mee and yee shall go and pray unto mee not goe to Saints Angels Images Idols that 's none of Gods Ordinance Secondly they must seeke God after His Order when yee shall search for mee with all your heart Thus Gods blessing attends seeking in His Ordinance and Order joyntly If they prayed with all their heart that were His Order but if they prayed to an Image that were not His ordinance therefore in such a case would he not be found So againe if they prayed to Him that were His Ordinance but if they prayed with dead and dull hearts that were not His Order therefore neither in such a case would He be found But this is not all There is not only no blessing but there is a breach where God is not sought after the Due Order Wee shall see it true in the severall Ordinances wherin God is sought 1 In the Word God is sought in the Ministery of the Word
CHRIST in the Sacrament behold the Lord himselfe saies it unto you that if you come to the Sacrament and to CHRIST in the Sacrament and come in your unbeliefe Without faith that Christ and the Sacrament shall profit you nothing CHRIST and the Sacrament becoms of no effect unto you who ever of you come in the state of unbeliefe Vnbeleife freezes up bindes and lockes up the vertue of the Sacrament and CHRIST therein It is still with Christ in the Sacrament as it was with him in that case Mark 6. 5 6. He could there doe no mighty worke and the reason is rendred in the next verse Hee marvelled because of their unbeliefe So that their unbeliefe did in a manner binde CHRISTS hands It is sayd verse 2. that the astonished people sayd What wisedom is this which is given unto him that even such mighty workes are wrought by his hands And yet it is sayd that he could there doe no mighty worke CHRIST was a CHRIST that could doe mighty workes and yet there could doe no mighty worke because of their unbeliefe He could not doe any mighty thing why can any thing limit the mighty power of CHRIST Not so but he could not because this is the order according to which alone hee hath tyed himselfe to worke and be efficacious by namely that he will exert and put forth his mighty power in and unto those that beleeve 1. Pet. 2. 7. Vnto you that beleeve he is pretious Christ is pretious in himselfe but not pretious and efficacious to us but so farre forth as we beleeve Ephes 1. 19. The exceeding greatnesse of his power and the working of the might of his power is towards them that beleeve So that if no faith on our part no exerting nor putting forth of his power on Christs part So it is here The Sacrament and CHRIST in the Sacrament doth mighty workes There is a mighty efficacy in the Sacrament And yet it can doe no mighty worke in many it can doe no worke at all in many for their good because of mens unbeliefe which enervates the Sacrament and deads the force and operation of it to unbelieving hearts The Sacrament is pretious powerfull and efficacious to them that beleeve but the Sacrament received without faith is received without force and without fruit A faithlesse is a fruitlesse receiver Looke how it is with the Word so is it with the Sacrament Great things are spoken in the Scriptures of the power and efficacy of the Word No where more then Heb. 4. 12 13. The Word of God is quicke and powerfull c. And yet in the second verse of the same Chapter the Apostle tels us that it was powerlesse to some and wrought not with them But what was the matter For unto us was the Gospell preached as well as unto them but the word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it Though the Word in its owne nature were powerfull yet their unbeliefe made it powerlesse Iust so in the Sacrament though it be a powerfull Ordinance to doe great things in the soule yet the Sacrament administred doth not profit many because it is not received with faith and mens owne unbeliefe makes it powerlesse unto them It is said Luke 5. 17. That as Christ was teaching there were Pharisees and Doctors of the Law sitting by And the power of the Lord was present to heale them It is ever so that when any of Gods Ordinances are on foot that then there is a power of God present to heale As in the Word so also in the Sacrament Now if men come to the Sacrament with faith that faith of theirs drawes forth that power and sets that power on worke and so makes the Sacrament powerfull But if men come in their unbeliefe then they dead that power to themselves and so make the Sacrament powerlesse Moses hath a speech Deut. 32. 13. Hee made him to sucke hony out of the Rocke and oyle out of the flinty Rocke Give mee leave to allude to this speech The Sacrament is a Rocke and it is a Rocke in which is much sweetnesse and fatnesse hony and oyle But how may a man get this hony and this oyle out of this Rocke He made him sucke hony out of the Rocke There is neither hony nor oyle to bee had without sucking he that hath faith can sucke and so fetch out this hony and oyle But now though this Rocke have hony and oyle if a man sucke not he hath neither Now he that comes in his unbeliefe hee suckes not nor cannot sucke and so he hath but a dry Sacrament of it because he hath neither honey nor oyle Vnbeleevers they onely licke the Rocke doe not sucke it Veâ—ùm hi qui verbo tenus coâ—de 〈◊〉 mente aâ—â—di sacris intersunt vel etiam participant â—onis lambâ—nt quidem 〈◊〉 sed â—â—de nec mel â—ugunt nec oleum Cyprian de Caen. Dom. and so fetch not the honey and oyle out of the Rocke for it is sucking and not licking that must doe that A childe may licke the mothers brest and yet if it sucke it not gets no milke A thirsty man may licke the outside of the cup but that will never satifie his thirst He that comes to the Sacrament without faith and rests upon the use of the outward signe is like a man as Mr Tyndall speakes in the like case that thinkes to quench his thirst by sucking the Alepoole By all this then we may see of what necessity it is that every one that will come after the due order to the Sacrament come prepared with faith Like enough there be too many in the world that thinke there is no such necessity of faith So long as they be in charity with their brethren and owe no man any ill wil they hope all will bee well enough And this men ought to doe indeed but must take heed how they neglect the other Some Papists indeed have affirmed that faith is not necessary Cajetan at the conference at Augusta with Luther said Fides non est necessaria accessaro ad Eucharistiam Iuel def Apol. 283. for a man that is to come to the Sacrament but upon what hath beene in this Chapter premised let us be advised in this case above all things Ephes 6. to have a care to come with faith if we have any care to come after the due order Chap. 6. Of the necessity of Repentance in him that will be a prepared Communicant CHAP. 6 WE are come now to the third thing required in Habituall preparation to the Sacrament and that is Repentance He that will come to the Sacrament after the due Order must come with repentance must be a man that hath repented of his sinnes It is with the Sacrament of the Supper as with the Sacrament of Baptisme when administred to men of yeeres the Sacrament of Baptisme may not be received of men of yeeres without solemne
puzzle in his worke And therfore the master bids his servant first gird himselfe and then serve him It is just so in all Gods services and so in this service of receiving the Sacrament God requires a preparednesse to and an handinesse in the worke And therefore this girding up of our loines is exceeding necessary before our comming to the Sacrament First because God lookes that when we come to the Sacrament we should be ready to doe the worke he there requires If the loines of our mindes be ungirt and we come to the Sacrament with loose spirits distracted with a company of earthly cares we shall be unready to doe the worke of receiving CHRIST which he there commandes He will command us there to take and receive CHRIST Now if we come with loose hearts and mindes we must make God stay our leasure before we can doe it we must first have some time to gird up our loynes and to tucke up this tatter and that ragge and the other danglement that hangs about our heeles before we can take and receive CHRIST And so we must be girding and tucking when wee should be receiving Secondly because if we come with ungirt loines with loose spirits and doe Gods worke so we shall doe it puzlingly and fumblingly Our long garments hanging loose about our sides and heeles we shall make but poore worke of it If a master had commanded a Iewish servant with his loines ungirt to have gone to plow or to have digged in his vineyard how awkely would he have done these workes He could not have followed his Plough but he would ever and anon have been treading upon his loose garment and have beene ready to have fallen upon his face he could not have set his foote upon his spade but he would have beene treading upon the loose skirt of his garment which would have exceedingly hindred and troubled him in his worke he could not have been expedite in his businesse so long as his garments hang about his feet It wil be no better with us comming to the Sacrament with ungirt hearts and mindes our loose thoughts will be so troublesome that it will be impossible for us ever to make good worke of it And therefore looke how God would have that first Passeover eaten so must it be in eating the Sacrament Exod. 12. 11. And thus shall yee eate it that is after this order with your loines girded And thus shall you eat the Lords Supper with your loines girded And this is one maine part of girding our loines the setting aside putting by al our secular thoughts and imployments We shall finde two cases that made a man unfit for eating the Passeover Numb 9. 10 13. Vncleannesse by a dead body and being in journey a far off If a man had touched a dead body it made him uncleane and so unfit for the Passeover It was not fit an uncleane person should meddle with so holy an Ordinance But observe that not onely a man uncleane by a dead body was unfit for the Passover but a man that was in a journie a farre off Why was such a man unfit Like enough being in a journey his minde and thoughts would be so taken up with the businesse of his journey or being in a journey a farre off his minde would be so upon home and he would be so taken up with such cares and feares as usually men are filled withall when they are farre from home that he by reason of those thoughts and distractions would be utterly unfit for the Passeover Many are in the minde that if they be free from a dead body that if they have not defiled themselves with some grosse sinne of drunkennesse uncleannesse and the like that they are very fit for the Sacrament but in the meane time come to the Sacrament whilest they are in their journies with hearts undischarged of earthly businesse and cares and having their hearts in journies travelling up and downe after one worldly businesse or other even when they are at the LORDS Table Therefore let men take notice that a journey may unfit for the Lords Table as well as a dead body That he is unfit to come to the Sacrament that hath a company of earthly cares and thoughts pestering his minde as well as he that hath defiled himselfe with some grosse sinne It is lamentable to consider how many men bring their servants and the Asse even to the very mount how many are called away from the Lords worke to meete with their Sanballats and Geshems how many are in their journies when they are comming and when they are come to the Sacrament When our Saviour CHRIST overtook the two Disciples going to Emmaus he asked them this question Luke 24. 17. What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walke So let one but aske men What manner of thoughts are they that you have in your hearts over night before the Sacrament What manner of conferences and communications be they that they have one with another the night before nay the very morning as they walk together to the publique assemblies to receive the Sacrament How happy were it that they could answer as the two Disciples did there verse 19. Concerning Iesus of Nazareth concerning the benefits and the ends of the Sacrament and the preparation required to it But it is nothing so If their communications and conferences be not vaine foolish and froathy yet at the best they are but mercate communications conferences about Sheep Oxen about the prices of graine c. and with these conferences come they to the very Church doores when they come to receive the Sacrament Is not this worse then to have received the Sacrament of the Passeover a man being in a journey Is not this a pitifull preparation to this holy service When men come to the Sacrament piping hot out of the world out of their worldly conferences and from their worldly thoughts and have not some convenient time before discharged and disburdened their hearts of them must not that frame of heart and bent of spirit needs come along with them to the Lords Table And must they not needs be tumultuous and troublesome Must they not needs make such a noyse and such a dinne as must cause distraction in this holy service And how can such a frame of spirit agree with the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 7. 35. That you may attend upon the Lord without distraction Which is a rule as well for receiving the Sacrament as for all other services of God What doe such men bring upon themselves but the Aegyptian plague of the flyes The flyes came into Pharaohs house and the houses of his servants so as the Land was corrupted by reason of the flyes Exod. 8. 24. But in the Land of Goshen where Gods people were there were no swarmes of flies verse 22. It should be with the Lords people at the Sacrament as in Goshen there should be no flyes
there to trouble them with their buzing importunity It must be with a godly man at the Sacrament as it is sayd to have beene in the Temple There was abundance of flesh sacrificed in the Temple and yet they say there was never any flye seene in the Temple So should it be with us at the Sacrament not a fly to be seene or heard buzzing there The way to have it so is beforehand to drive away these flyes these buzzing thoughts by setting them aside the day before and then labour so to remove them as at last the Aegyptian flyes were removed Exod. 8. 31. He removed the swarmes of flyes there remained not one And when they are thus removed before then shall not a man be troubled with them at the Sacrament It should be a mans wisedome to deale with his lawfull and honest cares and the thoughts of his calling before he comes to the Sacrament as Nehemiah did with those Merchants before the Sabbath Nehe. 13. 19 20 21 22 23. When the gates of Ierusalem began to be darke before the Sabbath I commanded that the gates should â—e shut and charged they should not be opened till after the Sabbath and some of my servants I set at the gate c. So the merchants lodged without Ierusalem once or twice Then I testified against them and sayd unto them why lodge ye about the wall If you do so againe I will lay holde on you From that time forth they came no more on the Sabbath Do so with the honest and lawfull cares of thy calling before the Sacrament Shut up the gate of thine hart against them and let it not be opened till all the duties of the Sacrament-day be ended It may be they will be hankring and hanging about for entrance but set a watch at the gate of thine heart testifie against them rebuke them threaten them let thy spirit rise against them in an holy indignation and this will be a good meanes to helpe to a gracious liberty from Cessa ab inquietudine tua non siâ— tumultus quidam in corde tuo per corruptionem volitantibus phantasmatibus compungentibus te Cimphe natae sunt in terra Aegypti de â—â—mo mascae quaedam sunt minâ—tissimae inquietissimae inordinate volitantes in oculos iâ—â—uentes non permitteâ—â—es hominem quiescâ—â—e dum aâ—â—gâ—â—tur iterum iâ—ruunt dum abactae fuerint ruâ—su redeunt sâ—câ—â— omnia vana â—hantaâ—mata coâ—dâ—â— Aug. in fragm serm de De. alog their annoyance But for want of this preparation duty how many even when they are at the Sacrament are no lesse pestered with their cares and earthly thoughts then the Aegyptians with the bitings and burrings of their flyes Those flyes miserably pestred the Aegyptians and plauged them exceedingly what ever they were a doing they were about them very unquiet flying in the eyes of them not suffering them to be quiet If they drave them away they came upon them againe if they chased them away they still returned This was a vile vexation And this is the case of many comming to the Sacrament just so are they pestered with their cares and thoughts that these flyes even corrupt the duty as the Aegyptian flyes did the Lande And all is from the neglect of its dutie What acceptance a man is like to finde in such a service judge by that Law Exodus 22. 31. Ye shall not eate any flesh that is torne of beasts in the field ye shall cast it to the Dogges Torne flesh it was neither fit for service of men nor of GOD. Not for service of man for they must not eate it Yee shall cast it to the Dogges Torne flesh must not be mans meat but Dogges meate It was not fit for the service of GOD. For if torne flesh must be cast to the Dogs it had beene an haynous thing to have offered that to GOD which was to be given to Dogges And if a man had brought a torne rent beast for Sacrifice GOD by no meanes would have accepted it Mal. 1. 13. Yee brought that which was torne should I accept this at your hands GOD then will accept no torne Sacrifices Distracted communicating it is torne flesh A man that receives the Sacrament with his head and his heart full of worldly thoughts doth as highly offend as a Iew should have done that had eaten of a torne beast which should have beene cast to the Dogges He offends as highly as he that should have sacrificed torne flesh dogges meat to GOD. When thou commest to the Sacrament and hast not first separated thy selfe from these worldly thoughts and so likewise much more from all vaine idle lustfull thoughts and hast not first discharged thy selfe beforehand of all disturbing distracting distempering thoughts this is a torne sacrifice and should God accept it at thine hands God loathes rather such torne services And thus is the first thing to be done in this sequestration of our selves this setting aside and putting away all even our honest and lawfull thoughts of our callings and therefore much more all other sinfull and foolish thoughts Abstraction of the minde from whatsoever may cause Distraction 2 The second thing to be done in this sequestring and setting our selves Sicut enim Domina volens aliquod unguentum conficere preâ—iolum suscitat famulas suas atque ad semetipsam congregat imperat aliae tenere libram aliae â—eâ—eâ—e injungit aliam jube miscere c. Ita anima quae pretiosissimum â—stud unguentum componere ac servâ—â—e dâ—siderat omnes corporis suâ—sensus ad seipsam congreget segnitiemque ipsorum ac negligentiam deturbans tota solicitudine vigilare in hoc tantum quod proposuâ— cogat intendere Chrys de compunct â—â—rd l. â— apart is to summon and call in and to collect together all the powers and faculties of the soule to attend upon the businesse now in hand As David when he was to praise God hee cals upon all that is within him to set upon the service Psal 103. 1. My soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me blesse his holy name So when we now goe about to prepare our selves for the Sacrament call upon all that is within us all the powers of our soule to be ready to attend this businesse that now all other businesses being husht and ceased they bend all their strength to do the present worke in hand So fit we our selves for receiving as David fits himselfe for singing giving praise Psal 57. 7 8. My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise Awake up my glory awake Psaltery and Harpe I my selfe will awake early When he would sing and give praise to God first he hath his heart fixed or firmely prepared he doubles it my heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed The first may imply the fiâ—â—â— duty a setting apart of all other thoughts An heart taken up with worldly thoughts when a man goes about Gods
service is not a fixed heart but a wandring stragling heart a kinde of planetary spirit As there bee fixed starres and planets wandring starres so there bee wandring spirits and fixed hearts in Gods service Now Davids heart was a fixed heart an heart firmely prepared not taken up nor wandring after any by-businesse when hee prepared himselfe to that service The second may imply this second duty my heart is fixed and bent with all its power to do the duty and therefore hee awakens his glory his tongue his Psaltery his Harpe himselfe to the worke So should a mans heart be doubly fixed when he fits himself for receiving the Sacrament fixed as not drawne away and drawne about other businesse and fixed as bent wholly with all the powers of it to doe the work of preparation So fixed upon the businesse as he should summon and awaken all the powers of the soule to attend it Awake my understanding and mine affections awake my affections and all that is within me awake and stirre up your selves to attend this great worke in hand Chap. 10. Of Examination CHAP. 10 THe heart thus withdrawne from all avocations and bent upon the worke of preparation let a man in the next place come to the second duty of examination to that duty which the Apostle prescribes 1 Cor. 11. 28. Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. Vnto orderly receiving is required a precedent examination of a mans selfe A duty though to bee done at other times yet never more seasonable then before our comming to the Sacrament and yet a duty to which above al others we are naturally extreamly backward Might some slight formalities serve the turne wee could be contented withal but if men be pinched and pressed to a solemne examination of a strict inquiry into themselves they are ready to snuff at it and to say of this duty as they speake in that case Mal. 1. 13. Behold what a wearinesse is it It is a duty so CHAP. 9 wearisome and toilesome that they have neither list to nor leisure for it That therfore men may be the more cheerefull and willing to it consider these two things 1 This is an undoubted and a sure truth that a mans comfort depends as well upon his knowledge of his fitnesse as upon his fitnesse it selfe It is not enough to be fit and worthy but a man must know it So long as the conscience questions a mans fitnesse and is in doubt whether a man be fit or no though hee bee fit and well prepared yet the doubts of the conscience and the feares it is in will not only allay but quite forestall all the comforts that would arise from his fitnesse To a mans comfortable receiving it is as needfull to know his fitnesse as to have it There is no grace or good thing that a Christian hath but it may be knowne to him that he hath it What is a rich man better than a poore man if he be not privie to his wealth if he have treasure and know it not Wherein are his wants feares cares distractions and disquiets of spirit lesse than a poore mans It was Laodiceas ill condition Apoc. 3. 17. Thou sayest I am rich and knowest not that thou art poore And it is many a mans condition He saith I am poore and knowes not that he is rich This is the safer condition indeed of the two but yet for the present it is but a drooping and uncheerefull estate Therefore as our safety lyes in having Christ and his graces so our comfort lyes in knowing that we have them And know our wealth wee may A Christian not onely knowes God but hee knowes that hee knowes him 1 Iohn 2. 3. And hereby wee know that we know him A Christian not onely is in God but he may know that he is in God 1 Iohn 2. 5. Hereby know wee that wee are in him And 1 Iohn 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him A Christian may know that he beleeves 1 Iohn CHAP. 10 5. 10. He that beleeves on the Sonne of God hath the witnesse in himselfe A Christian may know that God loves him 1 Iohn 4. 16. And we have knowne and beleeved the love that God hath to us A Christian may know that he loves Gods children 1 Iohn 5. 1. By this we know that we love the children of God A Christian may know that he is of the truth 1 Iohn 4. 19. And hereby we know that wee are of the truth A Christian may know that God abides in him 1 Iohn 3. 24. And hereby we know that hee abides in us A Christian may know that he hath eternall life 1 Iohn 5. 13. That ye may know that ye have eternall life But now how comes a Christian to know all these things The way by which a man gets the knowledge of all these things is the examination of himselfe A man first tries and examines himselfe in all these and by examination comes to the knowledge of them and from the knowledge of them arises his comfort in them So it is in the case of fitnesse for the Sacrament It is abundance of comfort the heart hath in the knowledge of its owne fitnesse and this knowledge arises from the examination of a mans selfe A man that examines not himselfe for ought he knowes may come an unworthy guest hee knowes not whether he be worthy or no but this he knowes that hee that is unworthy is unwelcome and so cannot come but with a tremulous and an hesitant heart fearing lest instead of a blessing he may meet with a breach It is impossible in such a case that a man should receive comfortably I dare not say of eating the Sacrament as S. Paul speakes in the case of eating some meates Rom. 14. 23. And he that doubts is damned if he eat a man may come with doubts and feares to the Sacrament and come acceptably but this I may say That he that doubts of the lawfulnesse of his comming he exceedingly hinders his owne comfort if hee eate doubtingly doubting whether he be fit to eat doubting whether he may come yea or no eating with such doubtings must needs be prejudiciall to a mans comfortable eating Now the way to prevent such doubtings is to live by that rule the Apostle gives in that case of eating Rom. 14. 5. Let every man bee fully perswaded in his owne minde Be carefull beforehand to take such a course as may assoile and cleere up such doubts take such a course as may assure and perswade your hearts that you are fit in an acceptable measure to come to the Sacrament But what course may be taken to this purpose Let a man examine himselfe The way to put all out of doubt and to prevent such troublesome doubtings when we are come is selfe examination For when a man hath seriously examined himselfe hee shall thereby bee inabled to give a true
action to bee against credit profit his sensuality headstrongly headlonging him upon its satisfaction but yet not between wil and will affection and affection minde and minde no strife in the same faculty as in a beleever And there may bee a victory that an unbeleevers minde and his judgement may have over his sensuality pleading to him his losse of credit profit friends c. which is but a bare restraining of corruption in some one particular but this is far from a victory subduing and mortifying the power and body of sin to bring it into a languishing consumption which is the worke of faith Sin may live yea and rebell in a beleeving heart for it is with lusts in a beleevers heart as with those beasts Dan. 7. 12. As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time They had their lives for a time prolonged but their dominion was taken away So in a beleever his lusts have their lives prolonged for a time but yet their dominion is taken away they live but they live slaves and they dye gradually both they and their rebellions 4 Fourthly True faith growes and increases 2 Pet. 3. 18. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ yea it growes exceedingly 2 Thess 1. 3. Your faith growes exceedingly and Rom. 1. 17. The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith Graines of mustard-seed grow to the procerity and spred of trees in which the fowles of heaven may nestle Men may try themselves by this So much growth so much truth of faith But how would it puzzle the most to find any such growth They have beleeved ever since they can remember and yet what beleeve they more now than at the first The faith that grows not lives not the faith that lives not is dead Most mens faith therefore is fit for the grave Lord saies Martha of Lazarus Hee by this time stinketh for he hath beene dead foure dayes And what is theirs then but a carrion faith that hath beene dead more than so many yeeres for what more spirituall strength have they then at first what more experience of Gods dealing what neerer acquaintance with Christ or what sweeter communion with him Not a jot therefore not a jot of true faith 3 Thirdly Effects respecting our brethren and they are these 1 First Mercy Love Compassion and beneficence to the members of Christ in necessity Gal. 5. 6. Faith workes by love as by love to God so also to our brethren Therfore so often joyned together as an individuall paire 2 Thess 1. 3. Psal 5. 1 Tim. 1. 5. And therefore when Tyrus should be converted to the faith she should leave hoarding and heaping up her wealth and should find another manner of imployment for it namely to feed and cloath Gods Saints Isay 23. 18. Her merchandise shall not be treasured nor layed up for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord to eat sufficiently and for durable cloathing When Tyrus should once beleeve she should trade in a new kind of merchandise she should trade in workes of mercy and bounty in releeving and refreshing the necessities of Gods Saints Faith is full of bowels tender-hearted and open-handed to Christs members in want She is a right Dorcas Acts 9. 39. that makes coates and garments to cloath and keepe warme the backs and loynes of Christs servants in want If we finde such compassionate bowels in us hands ready to the good workes of mercy to do poore Christians good for Christs sake in those bowels there lyes faith If we do love a Saint because a Saint that love is of faiths working How doth this one thing damne the common faith of the world They beleeve in Christ that they do but how love they a godly man Is there any whom they more disaffect distast or against whom they shew more imbittered malice This malicious spitefull faith is not the faith of Christians Thus divels beleeve they beleeve and are malicious This is a divelish faith the divels so beleeve as that they tremble and yet tremble not to be malicious against those that doe beleeve And what is their bounty and mercy Alas they are not only close fisted but with the man in the Gospell they have a withered hand not able to stretch out their hand in any worke of compassion Such a creeple and same-handed faith is not the faith that will passe with God 2 Secondly a desire and an endeavour to bring others to the faith It having once tasted and found the sweetnesse and goodnesse that is in Christ and in the wayes of God it cannot rest but it must seeke others to bring them to participate of the same goodnesse with it selfe Phil. 6. That the communication of thy faith Faith is a communicative grace and a generative grace S. Paul once come to the faith hath Timothy his own son in the faith 1 Tim. 1. 2. When Andrew hath found Christ he cals Peter when Philip hath met with he must bring Nathaniel Faith indeed in one sense doth impropriat Christ and speakes as Thomas My Lord and my God but yet though in its application it make Christ her own yet not so as it would exclude others but knowing the all-sufficiency of Christ doth desire to make him common to as many as it can and in that regard sayes Our Lord and our God So far forth then as thou endeavourest to bring on others to faith in Christ so much evidence hast thou of faith in thy self But if others specially such as neere unto thee may be what they will for any care or endeavour of thine it is an evill signe that thou thy selfe wantest that to which thou hast no care to bring others Many other trials might be added for the discerning of our faith but these shall suffice referring the Reader to the larger treatises of such as have bestowed their profitable paines in this argument Chap. 12. The examination of Repentance CHAP. 12 HOw faith is to be examined we have seene let us now see how we may try and examine the truth of repentance How true repentance may be discerned we may know by that speech of Iohn Baptist Mat. 3. 8. Bring forth fruits therefore worthy of repentance fruits meet for repentance such as become and evidence repentance where true repentance is there bee ever such fruits And those fruits are these 1 First shame for sin True repentance is ever accompanied with shame Ier. 31. 19. I was ashamed yea even confounded c. Ezek. 16. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed yea it so individually goes with repentance that it is put for repentance it selfe 2 Thess 3. 14. That they may be ashamed that is that they may repent and reforme their evill course The Heathens said That blushing was the colour of Vertue meaning that it was a good signe to see a
Son go work to day in my Vineyard here are neither wages promised nor anger threatned and yet hee went It was neither hope of wages nor feare of punishment that carried him but meerely a sonlike love and the dutifull affection he owed to his Father that wrought upon his heart and constrained him to goe though at first he refused it And such is true obedience unto God Love unto God is the weight that sets the wheeles on going Iohn 14. If ye love me keepe my commandements 1 Iohn 5. 3. This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements Try we our obedience by this What is it that moves to obedience If thou canst plainely say as the servant Exod. 21. 5. I love my Master I will not goe out free so I love my God I will not sweare c. I love my God therfore I will yeeld him all carefull obedience If love be the weight and the oile that makes the wheeles run thine obedience is such as it ought to bee But this discovers a great deale of false obedience Some men yeeld obedience for the love of themselves the love of their credit Such was the Pharisees obedience in their almes prayers and fastings onely to purchase credit with men Such is a civill mans obedience whose obedience is only to such commandements and onely to such branches of those commandements the breach whereof would blemish his reputation and blurre his credit in the world Some yeeld obedience and worke in the Vineyard for their penny such as doe all they doe with a conceipt of binding God to them and bringing him into their debt Some againe yeeld some obedience neither for love nor wages but for meere feare for feare either of the penall lawes of men which fence any commandement of God or for feare of a greater measure of wrath in Hell None of all these is filiall obedience rising from love These are obedient workemen obedient slaves that dread the whip but not obedient children It is love to the Father not wages from the Father that is the ground of a childes obedience The sonne of a poore man that hath not a penny to give or leave him yeelds his father obedience as cheerfully as the sonne of a rich man that lookes for a great inheritance If there were no heaven Gods children would obey him and though no hell yet would they doe their duty So powerfully doth the love of their Father constraine them 2 Secondly the end of obedience that is obedience indeed is the honour and glory of God 1 Cor. 10. Whatsoever ye doe let all be done to the glory of God Iohn 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified that yee beare much fruit The maine end that true obedience propounds is the glory of him that commands When Christs people give him obedience it is the setting of the crowne upon his head what makes him more a King than obedience Cant. 3. 11. Behold King Salomon with the Crowne wherewith his mother crowned him Now this is the main end of right obedience that the Crown may be set on Christs head that it may bring him in the honour of the King the crowned King of the Church Phil. 1. 11. Filled with the fruits of righteousnes which are unto the glory and praise of God Let every man examine his owne heart what his end is in his obedience If wee have any other maine end but Gods glory it makes it obedience to our end and not to God How many yeeld that obedience they do not to set the Crowne on Christs head but to set the crown upon their owne heads So doe hypocrites that seeke their owne praise and credit or profit so doe all specially that doe any thing with a conceit of meriting at Gods hand Such obedience as hath squint respects at base and by ends is in Gods sight as base as the ends it lookes at 3 Thirdly the properties of obedience And they are these 1 First true obedience to God must bee universall And that in a three-fold respect 1 In regard of the subject or person that yeelds obedience he must do it with the strength of his whole man and all the faculties thereof Ps 119. 4. To bee kept exceedingly Psal 103. 1. All that is within me And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. 2 In regard of the object and of the commandements to be obeyed They must be all obeyed Deut. 6. 25. Psal 119. 128. The obedience to bee given to God is a filiall obedience 1 Pet. 1. 14. Now filiall obedience must be universall Col. 3. 20. Children obey your parents in all things for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. It is not well pleasing to God when children will obey their parents only in what they thinke good That is to yeeld obedience upon courtesie and not upon duty See what a filiall obedience the sons of Ionadab gave their father Ier. 35. 8 10. In all that he hath charged us According to all our father commanded It was but an homely businesse that Kish sent Saul about all considered Kish a man of great substance A mighty man of power 1 Sam. 9. 1. And Saul his son a choise young man and a goodly not a goodlier man amongst all the children of Israel and yet his father sends him with one of his servants to seeke the Asses And though it were but a meane service yet Saul yeelds him obedience Our obedience to God must be a child-like obedience a childe-like obedience is universall to all commandements without exceptions dispensations and reservations Here Saul failed 1 Sam. 15. 3 In regard of all time Obedience must not be for some times nor for a time Not for sometimes to bee sometimes on and sometimes off but it must be a constant setled even course of obedience that God lookes for Some men have their fits of goodnesse and have their good daies as men in an ague but are fickle and loose hearted hold not their hearts close to God and good duties Thus is that obedience which the Scripture calls walking with God Some take a turne or two with him go with him three or foure steps but that is not walking with him Walking with God implies a setled even course of obedience to him Neither must obedience be for a time but it must be continuall to our lives end Luk. 1. 75. All the dayes of our lives 2 King 17. 37. He shall observe to doe for ever more Phil. 2. 8. Christ became obedient unto death that is as Beza expounds it Vnto his dying day not onely obedient in his death but Christs obedience as it begun at his incarnation so it continued to his dying day on the crosse 2 Secondly true obedience is prompt and present ready and speedy without shucking and hucking without delayes and consults Psal 119. 60. I made hast and delayed not Mar. 1. 18. And immediately they forsooke their nets and followed him Zech. 5. 9. They
had the wind in their wings Wings and wind in their wings to note as Iunius observes their readinesse in their obedience Thy will bee done in earth as it is in heaven The Angels in heaven are exceeding ready and speedy in their obedience and therefore mention also is made of their wings It was Lots fault to linger Gen. 19. 16. There be that say they will repent and they will reforme their wayes Obedience makes haste delayes not Where there be delayes where there is lead in the heels or the wings be pluckt or clipt where men put off obedience to the time to come they may justly question the truth of their obedience 3 Thirdly true obedience is free willing unconstrained Psal 110. 3. Thy people shall come willingly Psal 40. 8. Then I said loe I come to doe thy will Obedience is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 9. 7. nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not grudgingly or of necessity not sad nor forced but Col. 3. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Rom. 6. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the soule and the heart His commandements are not grievous 1 Iohn 5. 3. To wicked men the word of the Lord is a burthen Ier. 23. 33. Cords and bonds Psal 2. 3. Yokes and bonds Ier. 5. 5. Now according to all these things frame Articles and Interrogatories and put thy conscience to examination This in briefe may suffice for the triall of the truth of grace Chap. 15. The growth of grace and our wants examined CHAP. 15 THe second thing to be examined followes the growth of our Graces It is a point that concernes a man at all times to looke to the growth of his Grace as that which must evidence the truth of it for where there is no growth of Grace there is no truth of Grace True Grace is growing grace There is a growing in knowledge 2 Pet. 3. 18. A growing in wisedome Luke 2. 40. A growing in faith 2 Thess 1. 3. All true grace growes There bee counterfeit and false graces and this is a maine thing that differences true and counterfeit ones True grace growes counterfeit grace growes not There is a great deale of difference betweene a true Tree and a pictured Tree betweene a true child and the statue or Image of a childe A true childe growes but the Image growes not it is no taller nor bigger at an hundred yeeres end than it was the first day it was made Where there is truth of grace there is life of grace and life will put forth it selfe and cause a growth as we see in living Trees and living men that are not yet come to the fulnesse of their growth they grow because they live And to shew that true grace growes we shall finde in Scripture severall ages of Christianity and religion which are the severall degrees of spirituall growth the severall degrees of the growth of a Christian ye have 1 His conception and the forming of him in the wombe Gal. 4. 19. 2 His birth 1 Peter 1. 23. 1 Peter 2. 2. 3 His childe-hood 1 Cor. 3. 1 2. Heb. 3. 13. 1 Iohn 2. 13. His infancy 4 His well-growne age or youth when he is past the spoone 1 Iohn 2. 13. Young men 5 His full growne age Ephes 4. 13. when he comes to mans estat Heb. 5. 6 His old age Mnason an old Disciple Acts 21. 16. when a man is growne a gray-headed experienced Christian 1 Iohn 2. 13. when men be grown Fathers Such as Psa 92. 12 13 14. All to shew that where there is grace in truth there will be growth And therefore it concernes us at all times to try the growth of our grace But though at all times it concernes us to examine the growth of grace yet in speciall manner doth it concerne us before we come to the Sacrament As the Sacrament of Baptisme is the Sacrament of our new birth so is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the Sacrament of our spirituall nutrition and growth And therefore is this a reason why baptisme is but once but the Supper is often administred and received because a man is born but once but after he is borne he stands in need to be fed often for his nourishment and growth And spirituall growth is a maine end and fruit of this Ordinance What makes the body grow more than the use of food in eating and drinking In the Supper there is provision of spirituall food to make us grow So that in this respect I may allude to that Zech. 9. 17. How great is his goodnes how great is his beauty corn shal make the young Man grow c. Gods goodnesse is great in the Sacrament he gives bread and wine and with them to every faithfull receiver the Body and Bloud of his Sonne that by the bread of his flesh and the wine of his bloud hee may cause Christians to grow So that it concernes us much to examine our growth that we may know what good our former receiving hath done us It is a great helpe to our profit in receiving the Sacrament to examine our selves how we have profited formerly Then may we know whether we have profited when we know whether wee have growne Such and so much as is our growth such and so much is our profit And when we finde that we have profited then may we comfortably still expect the like blessing upon our use of the Ordinance A man must needs go with little cheerefulnesse to the Lords Table when he knowes not whether he shall get any good by going or not That man that knowes not whether ever hee have received any good or no by his former receiving can have little hope of receiving any good by his future receiving But when a man sees he is growne by the use of the Ordinance then he must needs goe full of hope to the Ordinance The way to know a mans growth is examination and that by the signes of growth And they be these 1 First spirituall strength The more growth the more strength in spirituall things In nature strength followes growth Trees in their first beginings are weake will bend and bowe every way but as they grow they grow stronger and grow to that strength that they are fit for Timber and the strongest services When a Man is new borne and a Babe how weake and feeble a creature is he but as he growes up so he is stronger and stronger and is at last fit for man-like services So it is in spirituall growth A man at first is weake Rom. 14. 1. but growth brings strength The man that growes in grace growes so strong that he can wrestle with a spirituall enemy A babe or a childe cannot wrestle with a Man much lesse with a strong Man but a growne Man he can wrestle with a strong Man and haply can make his part good with him foile him and lay him on his backe So a growne Christian can wrestle with Powers and
Vessell brings up so little Surely there is a sufficiency of all spirituall good in Christ a fulnesse of blessing in Gods Ordinance all the fault is in our own indisposition we come w th dead livelesse formall narrow straight and closed hearts and that is the very bane of the businesses See how Saint Paul speakes to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 6. 11 12. O ye Corinthians our mouth is open unto you our heart is inlarged yee are not straitned in us but yee are straitned in your owne bowels So sayes Christ O ye sons of men mine hand is full mine hand and mine heart is open unto you mine Ordinance in the Sacrament is open unto you that is not straitned in its owne nature but it is ready to powre out it selfe to you What is the matter then that ye go away so empty mouthed ye are straitned in your owne bowels you have not opened mouthes nor inlarged hearts Certainly if men could come to the Sacrament as Hannah did to that service of Thanksgiving 1 Sam. 2. 1. it would be farre otherwise with us Mine heart saith she is inlarged over mine enemies So if we could say mine heart is inlarged towards my Saviour my desires and hunger is inlarged after him we shold then finde Gods hand suitably inlarged to our hearts Quest But how should a man get his mouth wide opened how should he get his desires thus inlarged after Christ Answ 1. First get a sense and a sight of Christs worth and thine owne wants Offer meat and drinke to a man that is full and he will not open his mouth to receive it The full despises the honey-combe but let a man alone till his stomack be empty and when once he feeles the pinches and twitches of emptinesse and when once he feeles the want of meat and drinke and so begins to prize the worth of it he will quickly open his mouth and open it wide readily and greedily too if food be presented to him Such a sense of the want and the worth of Christ would open our mouth wide indeed There is nothing so shuts up our mouthes as our senselessenesse of our wants and the worth of Christ The pincht Prodigall can thinke upon and desire the bread in his Fathers house Labour therefore to affect thine heart with the sense of thy want of Christ labour to feele how miserable thou art without him labour to see his riches excellencies and all his all-sufficiencies these things would be as keyes to unlock and open our shut mouthes 2 Secondly labour in private before you come to the Sacrament by your owne endeavours to stretch and widen your mouthes Strive by much prayer to get thine heart inlarged Inlargements of the heart in private prayer will fit the heart for inlargement in the Sacrament One duty affords contribution to another and one duty disposes to another Labour to have thine heart inlarged by private meditations and workings upon the promises This is that which is the mischiefe of all Men put off the worke of opening their mouthes till in a manner they be opening their mouthes to receive the Elements and having the work then to doe they are so shut up in hardnesse and deadnesse that they cannot by any meanes open their mouthes at all The heart will not on a sudden and at a beck be brought into a Sacramentall frame it is a worke that will ask time and paines The opening of the spirituall mouth and the widening of it is not so soone nor so easily done as the opening of the bodily mouth It is a worke that must bee done gradually and with some striving before hand It will aske much prayer The same God that must fill them it is even he that must open them and therefore hee must be sought to earnestly It will aske much meditation and strugling in private A man that would make a bladder capacious to hold spices he blowes it and rubs it and blowes and rubs it many times over and all to make it the larger If a man were promised that on such a day hee should have as much money as his purse would hold how would hee every day before be stretching and reaching his purse that by little and little hee might stretch it to such a bignesse and capacity that it might receive a great summe If therefore thou wouldest have thy heart capacious and large at the Sacrament bee often before the Sacrament strugling with thine owne heart and get it well inlarged by the serious use of private helpes Our customary formality undoes us When we should be eating and drinking then have wee our mouthes to open How can they eat and drinke whose mouthes are not opened It is said of Solomon in another case 1 King 4. 29. God gave Solomon largenesse of heart as the sand that is on the Sea shoare It is said of Hell Isai 5. 14. that Hell hath enlarged her selfe and opened her mouth without measure Now if it were thus with our hearts that we had largenesse of heart as the sand on the Sea shore if our hearts were inlarged and our mouthes opened without measure yet were there aboundantly enough in Christ to fill our hearts and satisfie the hungring desires of our soules our desires cannot exceed Christs riches nor Gods bounty he is able to give above all that we can aske or thinke and therefore let us labour with all our might for a distention and a dilation of our hearts and desires stretch and widen them to the utmost we possibly can Object Men seeme generally to have these inlarged desires this hunger and thirst for how desirous doe men seeme to be to come to the Sacrament and how wondrous ill would they take it to be kept back Answ There be false hungers and false thirsts false desires 1. First there is a desire that comes from custome and fashion It is the custome of the Time or the custome of the Towne and by any meanes they will bee neighbour-like and because others go to the Sacrament they must needs go too It is not any desire of Christ nor any hungring after him in his Ordinance that drawes them on but only a desire to doe as others doe You shall see many desire to go to a Feast whither they see all their neighbours go and will take it exceeding ill if they be not invited not because they want a meales meat or because they greatly care for the cheere but because the rest of their neighbours go and it would be some disgrace to them to bee left out and therefore are very desirous to goe though they weigh not the cheere a whit when they come there 2. Secondly there is a desire that comes from superstition Many have a strong conceit That the very deed doing what ever they be that do it and how ever they doe it will work wonders with them They are perswaded that if they do but receive the Sacrament that they shall receive some good thing
praying and praying hard and then when he is at prayer before Ananias his comming then God gives this Commission Go Ananias go thy wayes to Saul and let him be filled with the Holy Ghost for behold he prayes So if men before the Sacrament would spend time in prayer and be earnest in seeking God God would give a Commission and a charge unto his Ordinance Go and be effectuall and powerfull to such a man be a meanes to fill him with the Holy Ghost for behold he prayes and hath before his comming to my Table spent much time in prayer It was at the Sacrament of Christs baptisme that Christs prayer opened Heaven and brought downe the Holy Ghost Luke 3. 21 22. And there is no question but our prayers at the Lords Supper would the more easily and readily open heaven and bring downe the Holy Ghost if we did but begin the work at home in private prayer by our selves Vpon these considerations therefore let us bee stirred up to bestow much time in private prayer by our selves before our comming to the Sacrament Doe in this case as the Prophet speaks in that Zech. 12. 12 13 14. Every family apart their wives apart We must not only pray when we are met in publike and joyne with the Minister but we must pray in our Families pray in our Closets every Family apart the Husband apart the Wife apart the Children apart the Servants apart every soule apart by himselfe And have a speciall care in prayer to put up to God such Petitions as are suitable to the businesse of the Sacraments yea not onely is God to be sought by frequent and fervent prayer but when we finde our hearts more dull and untoward to the worke it is not amisse to quicken and put more life into our prayers by fasting It may be thou hast such hardnesse and deadnesse in thine heart as can not be cast out but by fasting and prayer Holy fasting proves an excellent preparative to holy feasting Fasting prayers wil bring feasting joyes Thus is God in speciall manner to be sought by prayer But how this is done is pittifull to consider Many know not what praying meanes He that cannot pray can never receive the Sacrament as hee ought to doe How rarely is God sought apart in the closet Or if any prayer be used what is it but mens customary formalities that they use at all other times which no more concernes the Sacrament than the riding of a journey or going to plough or any other common occasion There is no putting up of Petitions agreeable to the occasion no begging of those particular blessings that are to be had in the use of the Ordinance Not one of an hundred thinkes on these things Vrge men to prayer in this kinde and may they not answer as David to Saul when in his armour 1 Sam. 17. 39. I cannot goe with these for I have not beene accustomed to them So they cannot pray and seeke God when they are to come to the Sacrament because they are not accustomed to these duties at other times How can they pray before they come to the Sacrament that pray not at other times And thus we now see how we are to prepare our selves before we come to the Sacrament Now therefore be we exhorted to take paines and to be industrious in the doing of these duties of preparation up and be doing and the Lord will be with you And for our better encouragement to be painfull and industrious in seeking God in these duties of preparation know this That God will never be wanting to true and industrious desires and endeavours God will give good and happy successe sweet and gracious answers to all such as seek him industriously in those wayes and meanes that he appoints Luk. 19. 1 5. Zacheus had a great desire to see Christ but yet had great discouragements The crowd was great and he a little man But his discouragements dampe not his desires but his desires make him industrious against his discouragements He runs before climbes up into the Sycamore or wilde Fig-tree gets him a place there from whence he might see Christ over the heads of the multitude And what comes of all this Was it labour lost Was it paines taken to no purpose No. It proved paines wondrous well worth the while for do but see what followed upon it 1 First as soone as Christ comes neere him he lookes up to and sees him It had beene small comfort to have seene Christ if Christ had not seene him They that set themselves to seeke Christ shall not onely see Christ but shall be seene of Christ How many of the multitude see Christ crowd and touch Christ and yet are not once minded nor regarded by Christ But Zacheus who is thus painfully industrious to see Christ both sees and is seene 2 Secondly Hee not onely sees Christ and is seene of him but hee heares Christ and heares him call him by his name and in particular to speak to him For Christ to speake to him and to speake to him by name being a man he had never seene before how must this needs affect and ravish his heart 3 Thirdly hee invites himselfe home to his house to be his guest to eat and drinke with him If he had but barely seene Christ it had beene some content he had not altogether lost his end But that 's not all Christ lookes up to him casts up a gracious looke towards him Oh what a sweet comfort is it to have Christ looke graciously towards one And yet that 's not all neither but Christ speakes to him by name Zacheus As if hee had said Though thou knowest not me nor I ever saw thee before yet that thou mayest know that I take speciall notice of thee and beare a speciall favour to thee Loe I call thee by thy Name The good Shepherd knowes his Sheepe and cals them by name Iohn 10. Know therefore that I call thee by name and call thee by name as one of my Sheepe This was sweet If Christ had said no more but this Well done Zacheus thou out of a desire to see me hast taken paines now see me look upon me thy fill that had beene sweet but here is more yet Zacheus come downe I will go to thine house to thy Table with thee thou shalt be my Host and I will be thy guest Since thou hast taken so much paines to run and climbe and hast by thy paines overcome all discouragements Come come downe Zacheus thou shalt entertaine me have me for thy guest and have sweet fellowship and communion with me So sweetly so aboundantly were Zacheus's painfull endeavours recompensed Oh what sweet and precious figs doth Zacheus gather in this wilde fig-tree Who would not run and climbe and clamber with all his might into such a Tree to pick such excellent fruit When we therefore are to come to the Sacrament do we the like When we come to the Sacrament would
we not be glad to see Christ to have him look graciously upon us to have communion with him to have him invite himselfe to us to have him be a guest in our hearts Would we not be glad to have it thus with us Surely there is little comfort in the Sacrament when it is not thus with us Word and Sacrament both are but dead and dull services when Christ is not seene in them when we heare not his voice see not his face in them Therefore when we are to come to the Sacrament looke to that and provide for it before-hand that when we are come we may see Christ have him see and owne us But how may that be done Set thine heart first strongly to desire to see Christ and then though thou may have discouragements that there is a multitude and a crowd of duties to be done and that thy stature and strength is very little and therefore no great hope that thou shouldest get the sight of Christ in the Ordinance yet for all that hold on thy desires to see Christ and run before and get up and though it cannot be done without much adoe yet climbe up into the Sycamore Tree and thou shalt see Christ and have communion with him from the top of that Tree I but what is that Sycamore Tree what is this running before what is this climbing up It is out of a desire to see and enjoy Christ in his Ordinance an industrious paines-taking in private duties of preparation examination excitation and renewing of faith and repentance and striving in prayer with God This is running before this is climbing up into the Sycamore Tree And whosoever takes paines before-hand in the fore-named and forehandled duties of preparation he runs before he climbes up into the Sycamore shall speed as happily as Zacheus did shal from the top of that Sycamore so painfully climbed see Christ and enjoy fellowship with him All that come to the Sacrament say they desire to see Christ and injoy him there and yet to how many doth Christ say in effect at the Sacrament as the Lord speakes to Ezekiel Ezek. 12. 18. Son of man eat thy bread with quaking and drink thy water with trembling So Son of man eat thy Sacramentall bread with quaking and drinke the Sacramentall wine with trembling Go get your wayes home with a drooping and an heavie heart But why should they so do because they see not Christ nor Christ looks not at them vouchsafes no fellowship with them in his Ordinance Go thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart sayes he Eccles 9. 7. for God now accepts thy workes but contrarily may it be said to many Go thy way eat thy bread at the Sacrament with sorrow and drink thy wine at the Sacrament with an heavie heart for God accepts not thy work nor thy service herein Christ doth not looke upon thee doth not invite himselfe to thee And what may the reason of it be Men say they desire to see and injoy Christ in the Sacrament but they doe not run before they doe not take paines to climbe up into the Sycamore Tree Their desires are idle lazie slothfull there is no industrious preparation no industrious examination no industrious renewing faith and repentance there is no industrious praying and painfull seeking of God before hand And hence is our mischiefe and miscarriage we run not we climbe not and therefore we see not So long as Zacheus kept on the ground he saw not Christ nor could see him but when he had run before and climbed then he doth more than see him Our desires keepe on the ground we spend no time wee take no paines the week and the day before and therefore we misse the comfortable sight of Christ in the Sacrament But let our desires be once running and climbing desires let them once get up in the Sycamore Tree and they shall finde fruit worth the running and the climbing for Pro. 27. 18. Whoso keepes the Fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof so he that climbs the Fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof We must not thinke that these Figs will drop into our mouthes they must climbe for them that will have them and climbing is painfull They that will take Zacheus's paines shall reape Zacheus's gaines A little faith a faith of as small a stature as Zacheus if it be industrious and will take paines before-hand will helpe a man to great benefit and comfort from Christ in his Ordinance Though industrious preparation examination prayer c. be teadious and wearisome to sloathfull flesh and that pretends a presse and a crowd of earthly businesses that must be lookt to and a crowd of duties to be done that will keepe a man off from a possibility of seeing Christ yet all the wearisomenesse notwithstanding and presse of secular businesse notwithstanding hold thy selfe closely to this worke there will come that comfort and that sweet in the Sacrament that will pay for all Though it were troublesome to run before though it were a matter of trouble and difficulty to climbe and clamber into the Sycamore Tree yet findes Zacheus that precious fruit therein that richly payd him for all his paines Now besides all this paines in our own personall preparation we must also know that we must have a care to prepare others as wee stand charged with them in their severall relations to us Ministers must not onely prepare themselves but must do their best to prepare their people As Iosiah speakes to them 2 Chron. 35. 6. Sanctifie your selves and prepare your brethren so it may be said to Ministers sanctifie your selves and prepare your people so to Parents sanctifie your selves and prepare your children so to Masters and Governours sanctifie your selves and prepare your servants and your Families See Exod. 12. 26 27. It shall come to passe that when your children shall say What mean you by this service that ye shall say It is the Sacrifice of the Lords Passeover c. And Vers 48. When a stranger shall sojourne with thee and will keepe the Passeover to the Lord let all his males bee circumcised c. Such whom it concerned must looke that he were prepared before he came Thou therfore that hast others under thy charg have a care to prepare them instruct them direct them call upon them to have a care to come in due Order If thou know'st any sin or evill in them admonish them and advise them to repentance for it and to a resolution to a reformation of it before they come to the Sacrament And thus much for preparation to the Sacrament Ob. But when I have done all that I can I must say I am an unprofitable servant When ye have done all those things which are commanded you sayes our Saviour say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do The Lord then be mercifull unto me for if when I have done all
semper passio sist in memoâ—ia c. Cypr. de caena Dom. Mâ—dâ—tâ—â—io â—uminat â—â—vores vulne 〈◊〉 fixuâ—as â—la vorum lanceam ut acetum persecutoâ—uÌ„ faeviâ—iam Apostoloâ—um fugam moâ—â—em â—urpissimam corporis sepulturum Bernard Hom de dâ—ob Discip eâ—nt ad Eâ—â— wrath upon the crosse Behold the man saies Pilate That is our duty to doe now by meditation to represent unto our selves the bitternesse of Christ's passion Exod. 24. 8. And Moses tooke the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant So here Behold the Lambe of God that takes away the sins of the world Ioh. 1. and behold the blood of that innocent and spotlesse Lambe yea behold him now shedding his precious blood to take away the sinnes of the world and looke upon him as the Scape-goat bearing and carrying our sinnes upon him Represent we unto our selves in our meditations as lively as wee are able all the sorrowes of Christ's passion Ps 26. 6. How prodigious a darkenesse was there at Christ's passion for three houres together Surely a speciall end of this darknesse was to shew the dreadfull and horrible wrath of God against his owne Sonne now hanging on the crosse a sacrifice for the worlds sinnes was it nothing or was it but a small matter that God did manifest his wrath against him by letting loose the tongues and hands of all his carnall enemies against him but that the Lord himselfe from heaven would reveale his wrath against the unrighteousnesse of the world which now lay upon him Now stood Christ in our stead we should have suffered the horrour of darkenesse for ever even that blacknesse of darknesse as Iude calls it Now Christ undertaking for us he suffers darknesse And God by this as by a visible signe would testifie that the blacknesse of darkenesse caused by Gods wrath for sin was upon him Thereby conceive wee in some sort the sad plight and wofull agony in which Christ then was God causes the Sun to shine upon the Iust and the unjust Mat. 5. 45. But now that Christ is a sacrifice for our sinnes and to suffer his Fathers wrath for them he must not have so much as the common comfort of the light of the Sunne but as if hee were of all vnjust ones the most unjust the very light of the Sunne shall be taken from him and hee be left in horrid darknesse Do but looke upon Christ on the crosse under all our sins lying upon him and how heavie a presse how ponderous a waight was that But consider besides this how many were the paines of his body by their inhumane and barbarous usages what was the bitter exacerbation of his Spirit by so many base and ignominious reproches of all his malignant opposites what was it nothing to be scourged to give his cheekes to the smiters to be spitefully intreated to be spitted on and indure all those outragious insolencies of his enemies before and at his crucifying Oh! how bitter were these things But consider besides all this to have all the power of Hell against him and all those Lyons Bulls Vnicornes and Dogs to be taken up and imployed in assaulting and afflicting him Oh! how past all conception of the understanding of man was the smart of this misery Heere was Earth against him here was Hell against him And yet Earth and Hell not enough but Heaven it selfe against him After all this to have God his Father from Heaven by this prodigious dreadfull and long darkenesse to testifie his wrath against him here was that which added waight and perfection to all the rest To be three whole houres together under a visible signe of the darkenesse of Gods countenance under the darkenesse of the sense of his wrath witnessed from Heaven by the darkenesse of the Sun how bitter and sharp a conflict was this above all the rest Thus represent we to our selves Christ hanging on the crosse thus Behold the Lambe of God rosting in the fire of wrath yea further After that we have seene Christ thus for three houres space in deepe silence conflicting in this time of darknesse with all these sorrowes Now as not able any longer to hold his peace thinke wee that we heare him by that formidable cry manifesting the bitternesse and unutterable extremity of his passion My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me All these three darke houres was Christ drinking this bitter cup and now at the third houres end was he come to the dregs and lees of it This was the sharpest paroxisme and fit of his passion Now were the envenomed arrowes of the Almighty shot up to the heads in his soule And how can we see and heare Christ suffering all this for us and not withall in our meditations stand astonished at the heynousnesse and hideousnesse of our sinnes for which no other way of expiation could be made but by this bitter passion of Christ Behold in the passion of Christ as in a glasse the greatnesse of sinne Thinke we sadly with our selves Surely sinne against God must needs be more than men commonly esteeme it It could be no small matter for which the deare Sonne of God did suffer such horrible and dreadfull torments on the crosse Let we out our hearts therefore here in the meditation of the greatnesse of our sinnes And withall Ad victimam illam pendentem in cruce nos conferemus Ibi vere contemplabimur Deum ibi in ipsum cor Dei introspiciemus quod fit misericors quod nobis mortem peccatoris c. Luther in Gen. 19. let we out our hearts especially in the meditation and admiration of such unmatchable love and goodnesse as God hath shewen in the worke of our Redemption Labour to comprehend what is the bredth and length and depth and height and to know and see the love of Christ which passeth knowledge What heart is able sufficiently to admire the depth of the riches the bottomelesse depth the unfadomable depth of the riches of Gods love and mercy in Christ How may wee with David cry out Lord what is man that thou art mindefull of him Psalm 8. 4. and upon a better ground with Iob Iob 7. 17. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him especially that thou shouldest so be mindefull of him that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him as to give the Sonne of thy love to suffer the cursed death of the crosse to make us cursed children firebrands of hell damned hell-hounds heires of blessings and eternall life Is not here matter of meditation and admiration to take up all the thoughts and hearts of men and Angels And how should such love fire and inflame our hearts with holy love to God and Christ How should our hearts grow warme and hot within Tribue ut concaleat cor meum intra me in meditatione mea exardescat ignis Aug. medit c. 17. us That as David
Christ in it then faith suckes and when faith suckes then it fetches honey and oyle out of the Rocke As the Prophet speakes in that case Isa 66. 11. That yee may sucke and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation so in this There must bee sucking before there can be satisfaction The word and Sacraments are breasts of consolation and these be full of sweet milke but there can be no satisfaction unlesse there be sucking A child may handle the mothers breasts may play with them may kisse them but all this while the child is never the fuller Therefore the child when it would be satisfied it layes its mouth to the breast gets the nipple into the mouth and then suckes and drawes with all the strength and might and so fetches forth the milke out of the mothers breast So must it be in these case Men may come to the Sacrament and gaze upon the elements and eate and drinke them and yet not receive the sweete of the Ordinance but if they would have the milke out of this breast they must fall to sucking and to drawing with all their power and strength Then doe men sucke and draw the breast of the Sacrament when in the use of it they Actuate and set their faith on work Faith Actuated suckes vertue out of he Sacrament suckes from Christ in the Sacrament mortifying vertue to kill lusts healing vertue to cure the pollutions of the heart quickning vertue to enable to duties and actions of spirituall life Look how David speakes of wicked men in that case Psalm 73. 10. Waters of a full cup are wrung out to them So is it to all true beleevers in the Sacrament They have therein full draughts of Christs bloud they have their hearts filled as with the comforts of the Holy Ghost so with the efficacies of Christ they have waters of a full cup. But how come they by these waters of a full cup They are wrung out to them And how are they wrung out to them Faith being set on worke in the Ordinance and working upon the Ordinance that wrings out waters of a full cup that wrings out the juyce the sap and sweete of the Sacrament that wrings and presses out the succulency of it It is just here as it was in the dreame of Pharaohs Butler Gen. 40. 10 11. The clusters of the Vine brought forth ripe grapes and Pharaohs cup was in mine hand and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaohs cup. The Sacrament is as a Vine set before us full of clusters of rippe grapes and these grapes full of Iuyce Christ with all his fulnesse offered to us in this Ordinance Now our care and course should bee to have the liquour and bloud of these grapes powred into the cup of our hearts How may that bee done now As Pharaohs cup came filled Hee tooke the grapes and pressed them and crushed them into Pharaohs cup and so the cup was filled So must wee take these grapes and presse and crush them wee must squeeze forth the liquor of them That we doe when faith is Actuated and is set on worke in the use of the ordinance Actuated faith takes these grapes and presses them and wrings out of the Ordinance that which fills our hearts When therefore we are come to the Sacrament and now are to receive set we all the Powers of our faith on worke Lift up this eye to see Christ reach out this hand to lay hold upon and receive him set this mouth on feeding eating drinking sucking Set the mouth of thy faith to the breast of the Sacrament and Quomodo ergo capiunt qui lac capiunt Iesum Christum inquit Apostolus huÌ„c crucifixâ—â—m Suge quod pro te factus est cresces ad id quod est Aug. in Psa 119. sucke and draw at it with all thy might and draw hardest for that vertue of Christs thy soule stands in most need of David speakes of the marrow of Gods house and Ordinances Psalme 63. 5. He that will have the marrow out of the bone must breake the bone and knock the bone and that will fetch sorth the marrow So must faith worke and bestirre it selfe and take paines at the Ordinance and then the marrow of the Sacrament will bee had So should a man doe at and with the Sacrament as Christs Disciples did when they passed through the corne fields Luk. 6. 1. And his Disciples plucked the eares of the corne and did eate rubbing them in their hands They did not plucke off the eares and so eate the whole eaâ—es but first they rubbed the eares in their hands to fetch out the corne So at the Sacrament set faith on worke to rub the eares and fetch out the corne that is in them for foode A rub'd eare will yeeld corne fit for foode but there is no eating of eares unrub'd without danger Prov. 29. 33. Surely the charming of milke brings forth butter They must charme therefore and charme hard set their faith hard to this worke of charming that will have butter that will have benefit out of the Sacrament There is oyle in olives but before there could be oyle fetcht out of them to anoynt a mans selfe withall they used to treade the olives and so expresse the oyle out of them as appeares Micah 6. 15. Thou shalt treade the olives but shalt not anoynt thee with oyle It is threatned as a Iudgement but yet it implyes that oyle was fetcht forth by the treading stamping bruising and breaking of the olives with their feete The Ordinances of Gods word and Sacraments are olives full of good full of excellent oyle but these olives will not drop oyle upon us they must be stampt and trod if we would have oyle out of them to anoint our selves Faith Actuated and set on worke in and upon these ordinances that treads these olives and helpes us to the oyle of them And how-ever the Prophet in that place threatens it as a judgement that they should tread Olives and not anoynt themselves yet it never so falls out in this case He that Actuates his faith and sets it soundly on work to tread these olives he shall be sure to dippe his foote in oyle and to be comfortably anoynted in the use of the Ordinance It is only the want of faiths taking of paines in industrious treading of the olives that makes us go away dry headed dry hearted and unanoynted from the Sacrament and all other Ordinances Thus must faith worke hard at the Sacrament and eate her bread in the sweate of her browes Quest But how and in what manner is faith to be Actuated and set on worke in the use of the Sacrament Answ In the Sacrament consider three things First Sacramentall offers Secondly Sacramentall promises Thirdly Sacramentall Representations fix the eye of faith upon them all and set faith on worke upon them all 1 First in the Sacrament we have Sacramentall offers Christ Himselfe is offered
in which this bloud is put This bloud is held forth in this bason This is my bloud Now when this bloud is held forth to us in this bason wee should sprinkle our selves with this bloud That must be done by Actuating our faith and by the act of faith applying that bloud of Christ unto our selves We finde mention Rom. 3. 25. of faith in Christs bloud there is not onely faith in Christs Name but faith in his bloud Faith when Christs bloud is holden out to us either in the Word or Sacrament puts her hand into this bason or dippes the hyssope into the bloud in the bason and so besprinkles a mans soule therewith Faith applying CHRISTS bloud to a mans selfe doth put her hand into the bason doth dip the hyssop into the bloud in the bason ye doth with Thomas put her hands into the wounds of CHRIST and take bloud thence and besprinkles the soule withall When therfore we see CHRISTS bloud in the Sacrament we are to take it and besprinkle our selves with it that is we are to have faith in his bloud and by faith to apply the merit of Christs death unto our owne soules And this application is the Actuation of faith Nay that is not all faith seeing the wounds and the bloud of Christ not Cruci haeremus sanguinem sugimuâ— intra ipsa Redempturis nostri vulnera sigimus linguam Cyp. de Coen Dom. onely puts her hands into Christs woundss or into the bloud in the bason but faith layes her mouth to these wound and to this bloud and suckes these wounds suckes in this bloud with an holy greedinesse A faith Actuated in the Ordinance is a bloud-sucking faith Prov. 30. 15. The horse-leech hath two daughters which cry Give give Such an eager and holy greedinesse hath faith in sucking in Christs bloud It cannot be satisfied but still cries Give give Lord give me evermore of this bloud give me of this bloud to sprinkle my unrighteous soule Give me of this bloud to staunch the bloudy issues of mine heart Give me of this bloud to heale my leprose spirit Give me of this bloud to helpe subdue and mortifie my lusts Give me of this bloud of Christ crucified to crucifie old Adam and all my rebllious lusts Thus when a man suckes in earnestly the bloud of Christ whom he sees crucified and shedding his bloud in the Sacrament and suckes it in for his severall and speciall necessities then is faith Actuated in the use of the Sacrament And thus also may and must a man Actuate his faith for his comfort In this bason of the Sacrament I see Christs bloud Christs bloud is a reconciling bloud Rom. 3. 25. Col. 1. 20 21. It is justifying bloud Rom. 5. 9. We are justifyed by faith How by faith By faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. It is a pacifying bloud Col. 1. 20. Ephes 2. 13 14. A pardoning bloud Mat. 26. 28. Eph. 1. 7. It is a sanctifying bloud Heb. 13. 12. A purging bloud from dead workes Heb. 9. 14. A cleansing bloud 1 Ioh. 1. 7. It is a mortifying bloud such a bloud as fetches out the heart bloud of old Adam and delivers from the dominion of sinne The bloud of Christ crucified is crucifying bloud Rom. 6. 2 3 6. Gal. 6. 14. It is a bloud that sets prisoners free Zech. 9. 11. It is a bloud that makes men Kings and Priestes Apoc. 1. 5 6. It is a softning molifying bloud that makes the heart tender it supples a stony heart and Illa invicta vis duarum violentissimarum naturae rerum ignis ferti contemptrix hircino tamen â—sipitur sanguine faedissimo Animalium Plin. makes it a heart of flesh Zech. 12. 10. Goats bloud some say breakes the Adamant which neither Iron nor fire can doe but to bee sure the bloud of this Goat Lev. 16. the bloud of this Lambe breakes the Adamant heart of a man which nothing else can breake It is a quickning bloud that brings life and strength with it Therefore represented by wine in the Sacrament It is life-bloud bloud full of CHAP. 21 spirit that fills the soule with excellent vigour to holy performances Heb. 13. 20 21. Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Iesus c. typified by that Exodus 24. 7 8. Now what a deale of comfort may faith draw from all this Alas my person is unrighteous but LORD thy bloud is Iustifying bloud mine heart is uncleane but thy bloud is sanctifying bloud my lusts are many and mighty but LORD thy bloud is Mortifying bloud Mine heart is wondrous hard but Lord thy bloud is softning bloud mine heart is exceeding dead but Lord thy bloud is quickning bloud In this bloud of thine I beleeve this bloud of thine I thirstily drinke downe this bloud of thine I heartily apply with a comfortable expectation of all these blessed benefits Be of good cheare oh my soule here is pardoning bloud to comfort thee against thy guilt here is sanctifying bloud to comfort thee against the pollutions of thy nature CHAP. 20 here is crucifying bloud to comfort thee against thy lusts here is following bloud to helpe thee against thy hardnesse quickning bloud to helpe thee against thy deadnesse He was wounded for our transgressions Isa 53. 5. And here in the Sacrament we may see his wounds and faith must looke upon them as healing wounds With his stripes are we healed Isa 53. 5. what sweete comfort may faith fetch hence Looke upon the wounds of Christ on the Crosse as on the Cities of refuge whither thy pursued soule by the avenger of bloud may flye for safety and Sanctuary Indeed I am a grievous sinner I have wounded my conscience Feccavi peccatuÌ„ grande turbatur conscientia sed non perturbabitur quoniam vulnerum Domini recordabor NeÌ„pe vulneratus est propter iniquiâ—ates nostâ—â—â— Quid tam ad mortem quod non Christi moâ—te salvâ—tur Bernard â—iâ—p Can. Serm. 61. with my transgressions but behold my Saviour here wounded for my transgressions I have â—â—â—se to be troubled in my conscience for the wounds my transgressions have made therein but yet my conscience needs not sinke in a despondency of spirit whilest I looke at these wounds of Christ Here be wounds for wounds healing wounds for stabbing wounds curing wounds for killing wounds He was wounded for our transgressions what wound so deadly that cannot or may not be healed by his death and wounds what comfort is here for faith in the wounds of Christ crucified whose death is represented in the Sacrament a FoderuÌ„t manus ejus pedes latusque lancea foraverunt per has rimas licet mihi sugere mel de petra oleum de saxo id est gustare videre quoniaÌ„ suavis est dominus At clavis reserans clavis penetrans factus est mihi ut videaÌ„ voluntatem domini Quidni videaÌ„ per foramen clamat câ—edens sit
in Christo muÌ„dum reconcilians sibi patet Arcanum coâ—dis per foramina corporis Patent viscera misericordiae Dei Quidni viscera per vulnera pateant In quo enim clarius quam in vulneribus tuis eluxisset quod tu domine suavis multae misericordiae c. Ego vero sidenter quod ex me mihi deest userpo mihi ex visceribus domini quoniam misericordia affluunt nec desunt foramina per quae affluant Bernard sâ—p Cantic Ser. 61. They pierced my hands and my feete Psal 22. 16. They pierced his side with the speare and there came out water and bloud nay there comes out of those wounds honey and oyle unto faith By these passages may our faith sucke honey and oyle out of the rocke and may taste how good and sweete the Lord is The nayles the speare the wounds all preach unto faith a reconciled God that God is in Christ reconciling the world to Himselfe The Lords bowels are laid open by these CHAP. 21 wounds so as throughout them wee may see the tender bowels of his mercy and so as through them mercy flowes from those bowels unto us Oh my Dove that art in the clefts or holes of the Rocke Cant. 2. 14. Some of the Ancients understood those clefts of the Rock the wounds of Christ in which the Dove the Church hides and shelters her selfe However it may be alluded to and that should be no work of faith at the Sacrament when it sees those clefts of the Rocke opened like a Dove to betake her selfe therunto for shelter and security against all feares and distresses Tuta requies est infirm is peccatoribus in vulneribus salvatoris securus illic habito Patent mihi viscera per vulnera August Mannal Miles aperuit mihi latus Christ lancea ego intâ—ali ibi requiesco securus Aug ibid. that wrath and guilt may put the conscience to Doe any feares of wrath trouble thine heart Doth any Conscience of guilt disquiet thee with the feares of hell Why now in the Sacrament for thy comfort behold the holes in the Rocke where thou mayest be sheltred Dwell now in the rock and be like the Dove that makes her rest in the sides of the holes mouth Ier. 48. Nessell thy soule now at the Sacrament in the clefts of this Rocke See and fully beleeve thy peace to be made with God in Christs bloud and look upon him wounded for thy transgressions with such a faith as may fill thine heart with an holy security against all such feares faith thus Actuated cannot but send thy soule from the Sacrament with much comfort And thus much for the Actuation of faith which is the third thing in that holy disposition requirrd in the receiving of the Sacrament The fourth thing followes which is an exercise of thankesgiving to God for the great worke of our Redemption by the death of Christ And this must rise from an heart affected and enlarged in the use of the Ordinance the heart being warmed and growing hot with the sense of Gods goodnesse a man should breake out and give vent to his heart in magnifying CHAP. 20 the mercy of God for the death of Christ represented in this Ordinance and the fruit thereof is communicated to us therein In the use of our naturall foode there followes a cheerefulnesse of spirit Act. 14. 17. Filling our hearts with foode and gladnesse Now when the heart is cheered and refreshed with the creature it should then let out it selfe in thanksgiving to God Nehem. 9. 25. So they did eate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodnesse Psalm 22. 26. The meeke shall eate and be satisfied they shall praise the Lord that seeke him So when the heart is cheered with the sense of the sweetnesse of an Ordinance of the Sacrament when the Lord hath filled the heart with spirituall foode and gladnesse when we have beene filled and have delighted our selves in Gods great goodnesse in the Sacrament then let we out our hearts to blesse and praise the LORD See it in David Psal 63. 5. My soule shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse That blessing he looks for in Gods ordinances and what should then follow And my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull lippes When men are excessively filled with Wine they shout and make a noyse and sing and take on The Prophet alludes to it Psalme 78. 65. like a mighty man that Fons vitae replementem meam torrente voluptatis tuae inebria cor meum sobria ebrietaâ—e amoris tui Aug. medit c. 37. shoutes by reason of wine Such excesse and such drunkennesse the Apostle forbids Ephes 5. 18. Be not drunk with wine wherein is excesse But yet there an holy and a sober Inebriation the Apostle allowes and calls for But be filled with the spirit Drinke deepe of that Wine And where is that Wine to be drunke As in other Ordinances so in the Sacrament Here Christ makes merry with his people Eate O friends drink ye drink abundantly ô beloved or be drunken with loves Now when a man hath liberally Cant. 5. 1. drunke of this Wine of the spirit at the Sacrament what should follow That which followes in that CHAP. 21 Text Ephes 5. 19. Speaking to your selves in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall songs singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. When a Quo interius exteriusque rubricati a sapientibus hujus saeculi judicamur amentes man is made Red with this wine within and without as St. Cyprian speakes then should a man let out his heart in holy Iubilitions and Thankesgivings Haec ebriâ—tas non accendit sed extinguit peccatum c. Cypr. de caen Dom. unto God Doe this in remembrance of mee that is in remembrance of the great worke of your redemption wrought by me and doe it in a thankfull remembrance So remember it as to have your hearts in special manner enlarged in all thankefulnesse unto me for this worke And from this it is that this Sacrament beares the name of the Eucharist as being the Sacrament of Thankesgiving for the work of Redemption in the remembrance whereof it is celebrated Our Saviour gave a patterne of this Matth. 26. 30. When they had sung an Hymne So then they sang an Hymne together An Hymne is a Psalme of praise So the Iewes in the celebration of the Passeover did sing the 113. Psalme with the five following Psalmes which they called the Great Hallelujah which they began to sing after that cup of Wine which they called Poculum Hymni seu laudationis the Cup of praise And thus it should bee with us in receiving the Sacrament At all times upon all occasions wee should sing Hallelujahs to GOD but at the Sacrament wee should sing a Great Hallelujah at all times wee should thankefully blesse GOD for the worke of our Redemption but at the Sacrament we should have our hearts greatly