I who have sate so long at the Table of Devils by feeding my Lusts and serving Satan should be advanced to feast it with the Lord of Glory Even I who deserved the lowest place in Hell should here be sate in the highest place on Earth Let the thoughts of such wonderful love lead you into his Banqueting-house and suffer your Souls to be overcome with this Banner of his love that unparallell'd love that loved you and washed you in his own blood Again consider it is the Supper of the Lord he setteth us down unto This is that we eat and drink even our Lord's Last Supper on Earth This was the parting-Cup after which he was not to drink till he drunk it new in the Kingdom of God For preciousness Cleopatra's Cup was nothing to this tho filled with dissolved Pearls O the love that lay at the bottom to sweeten this Cup to us tho the bitterest to him that ever was put to the head of any Mortal and the more Gall and Wormwood to him the more Love and Good Will to us for whom he drank it This Last Supper on Earth is a Emblem of an after-Supper in Heaven And truly that large and long sumptuous Supper of the Lamb 's preparing above may make a Saint sit down satisfied with a short Dinner on Earth Let the Heirs of Glory never grumble at a dish of green herbs the poorest and meanest Morsel wiâ—h a Cup of cold water since the finest of the Wheat and Honey out of the Rock are too low expressions of thy Heavenly Commons a coming And for what our blessed Lord allows you here you have it with the heartiest welcome Christ sayeth to none of you Eat and drink and his heart is not with you That you are forbid to eat of for it 's the â—â—eâ—d of him that hath an evil eye Prov. 23.6 7. But this you are commanded to eat we offer it in his Name take it in obedience and believe a blessing 47. My sighing come before my eating says Job So must ours doâ—â—w before we can comfortably eat and drink here many a sigh and groan the body of death will cost us many a sad heart for sin Sigh saith the Lord to the Prophet to the breaking of thy Loins 1. That thou shouldst have been so unhappy as to have hand in cutting off the Messiah and slaying this Lamb of God that thy sins nailed him to the Cross and pierced his siâ—e yea his hands and his feet wounding the Son of God even to death with thy sins 2. That his Love hath been neglected so long and so much that the offers of his redeeming Grace hath met with so little hearty entertainment that his sufferings for our sins have been so faintly resented that we have carried so strangely to him that was so deeply concerned for us 3. That he hath had so little honour by us for whom he hath made so rich a purchase that we have laid out our selves so sparingly for him that spared not to pour out his blood for us yea that we should ever prove treacherous to him that was so true to our Interest 4. That now we can love him no more when his Banner of Love is so fairly displaved over us in this Ordinance of his own Supâ—er this Feast of fat things Oh that such choice entertainment should meet with so sorry welcome and such dull affections That our ordinary food should more refresh us than this heavenly Manna That we can meet our suffering Lord with so little remorse for sin and so little delight in his Love But tho grief preceed and go before yet let Joy take its own place and enter his Courts with praise Let transports of heavenly joy fill our redeemed souls that ever the glad tidings of the great salvation sounded in our ears that ever we heard of that great gift of God Jesus Christ and that he hath been at any time recommended to our heart with power that the holy Trinity hath so well contrived our Redemption in that ancient Covenant wherein the Father gave his Elect to Christ to be redeemed and the Son most readily undertook the Work and went through all its steps with such heroick and hearty resolution and good acceptation Rejoice O righteous ones that the Father laid help upon one so mighty able to answer all his demands and to pay our debts Rejoice that Heaven sent to the Earth by so sure a hand and hath made with us so sure and well-ordered a Covenant in all things we can be concerned in for life and Godliness that the Gates of Paradise which our sins shut are now so open unto us that sinners through their High Priest in Heaven have so free and bold access to this exalted Throne of grace but alas for our bruitish stupidity and unbelief that have carnal minds much more taken with a vain World and empty dying comforts than with all the Treasures of Grace and Mansions of Glory 48. This Feast of fat things here presented who can feed upon it Do we know the entertainment of this Table Here is represented the singular and wonderful love of a dying Saviour The great Mystery that Angels desire to look into The Lamb of God Sacrificed for sinners Can we behold it with dry eyes and dead hearts Qu. What impressions should it make upon us and leaves us under Ans 1. I 'll never give sin a good look again thro the grace of God that cost my loving Lord Jesus so dear 2. I 'll despise the love of creatures never lay it in the ballance with Christs Whether they smile or frown I 'll be little affected For her 's a love puts all love down A love who can comprehend in It 's matchless adventures and transcendent exceedings 3. My love should be a constant careful study of some answerable returns of love again 4. I 'll never like my self again Farther than I may be serviceable and suitable to this loving Lord that bled for me My members shall all be servants of righteousness unto Holiness my soul shall ever magnify the Lord my thoughts shall be captivated unto him I shall know no Friends nor Enemies but his My prayers shall be to him My Joy and my delight shall be in him My faith shall firmly rest in his righteousness and satsfaction my patience shall be imployed to bear his Cross my heart shall stand ever open to his Calls The zeal of his house shall eat me up My life shall be a transcript of his Laws and my death a desired dissolution to be with him In a word the Covenant I now renew with him at his own holy table I am willing should be laid against me for Conviction Accusation and humiliation in all my departings from him But knowing that without him I am nothing and can do nothing all my expectation is from him and amidst my best purposes sensible of my sin and weakness I do with holy David say O Lord when wilt
earth bears or we are capable of in the flesh If there had been a more proper and better way we are bound to believe our Lord would have left it with us And since this is a token left with us to remember us of his dearest love in dying for us and washing us in his own blood let us receive and celebrate it with the liveliest affections and the heartiest acceptation we are capable of Still considering with our selves that tho' it be good to be here where much more of Christ is to be seen to day than many places of the earth can afford yet that it 's far better to be in heaven where the vail of our mortality shall be rent and the vail of this infirm flesh of ours shall be made spiritual and glorious the shadows of Sacraments fly away and the glass of all Gospel ordinances be removed as useless even the pitcher be broken at the fountain and the great Riddle of our salvation fairly unâ—olded to us all clouds and vapours of sin and darkness dispelled and patience and prayers and o edience we l rewarded And in a word where a more immediate and princely presence of Christ shall be intimately and constantly enjoyed without any oâ—lowing fears of parting Now the hope and assurance of all this we come to seal Trifle not with so sacred a thing but set your heart to the receiving of your Lord here with all his sanctifying quickning and comforting vertue which our sinful sinking souls need so much Now for this end he meets us here to day 4. Here is the staff of bread and wine that maketh glad the heart of man The Communion both of the body and blood of our Lord â—hrist Lo here is both a peace offering for you and an offer of peace to you under heavens broad Seal How many burdened and weary souls have unloaded at this port O let not weakness so much deterr as wants drive us hither for sense of wants and weakness and unworthiness and wrath all fit for him who hath all fulness strength worth and merit and who bare the wrath of God for them that flee to him for refuge And think it not enough to make your appearance here without some fitness for so solemn an action It is not so incongruous to sport and laugh at your Father's Funeral as to sit here restless and unconcerned at the commemoration of our blessed Lords death yea bloody death and bitter passion Shall we see the head wounded here and the members have no feeling That we see the bread broken which represents the breaking of Christs precious body for us and have no broken hearts Yea shall we be called to Contemplate the wrath of his provoked Father pour'd into his Cup and drinking the dregs thereof and crying out under the weight of our Sins which brake the very rock of our Salvation and made the Stones of the Temple to rend in sunder Was his Body broken to let out his Blood And shall not our Souls be broken to let in ☞ Look well to three things if you would be worthy Communicants viz. To have Grace ere you come to exercise Grace here and to increase it by coming Now for you that have Grace but it runs low and is not lively as you would have it to entertain your Lord withal Know there is smoaking Grace as well as flaming Grace and Christ will not quench the smoaking flax and what if he suffer thy Graces to keep low to day that thy Heart may be lowly for it ☞ But for them that are at high water and Spring-tide let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Sensible Enjoyments are but slippery things here Man in his best estate in this Life is altogether vanity but while the Lord allows them on us let us be careful to improve them well ☞ But what if all within lies still and an heavy heart stir not yet for all that is said Then look unto him that can remove Mountains and raise the dead The warm breathings of Heaven must be fetch'd in by believing Prayer Song 4. ult And when thou hast called on thy Soul to awake and work and yet nothing within thy rebellious Soul will obey then call on him whom Seas and Winds obey When we cannot fetch Life into our dead Souls then remember the Prince of Life quickens whom he will ☞ 5. A sight of sin and a sight of Christ who suffer'd for it are our fittest Objects at such a time and in the sufferings of Christ we see most of sin's evil The death of all the creatures under the Law for man's sin was nothing to the death of Christ for it As God looks on Believers through a dying Christ and loves them so let us look on sin through a dying Christ and hate it Thy sin is indeed the Object of God's hatred but thy misery that comes by it will God pity and so pardon sin and shew thee mercy if thou canst hate thy sin and in token of thy hatred of it flee far from it and cry to God mightily for grace and strength against it And if a poor soul hath been labouring last night and this morning for a more humbling sight of sin than yet hath been granted him he must never think to see sin so exceeding sinful as in seeing Christ a sacrifice for sin and if it had not been for our sin all the other enemies would never have slain the Lord of Glory And when the worst of sin is in Christ's sufferings for it we must not only make use of Christ as a Glass to see sin in but as a Physician too to cure it And when he hath shewed us our sin we must not go to King Jareb with our wounds but the same hand which broke us must bind us up And be your sins what they will if you can penitently and believingly plead pardon in the mediation of a broken Redeemer there will be found Balm enough to cure and Blood enough to wash yea drown them all in the depths of divine mercy tho we must not sin that grace may abound and go and sin to make work for the Blood of Christ and go about prophanely to pose his mercy for tho the Blood of Christ for fulness and efficacy be a Sea yet for tenderness it 's a Sea of Glass and mingled with fire to burn up our Lusts We come either to God as a Physician or a Judge for either we bring Souls full of sores to be cured or full of sins to be damned To meet with Christ and not to part with sin is sad and dreadful as Christ came into the world to destroy sin so should we come now to Christ for the same end O the sin of our natures that old man the ill habits the strong lusts the ill haunts our hearts have got venture to set Christ against them all to day We cannot speak good of Christ but ill of sin too How sad to see the
be a solemn renewing of the holy Covenant first enter'd into by Baptism consenting to the Covenant we are there to renew 3. To be a living means to exercise and encrease Grace by representing the evil of sin and the infinite love of God in Christ 4. For a solemn profession of our Faith love and Obedience 5. For a sign and means of Vnity and Communion of Saints Christ hath appointed their consecrated representations to be in the eye of the Church in their manner and measure to supply the room of his bodily presence while he is in heaven The table in the tabernacle Exod. 25.23 24. May represent this Table of the Lord overlaid with pure gold and a crown of Gold round about it because of Holiness becoming it and a King sitting at it At this table should we be asking our own Souls what our thoughts are of Christ and what we have for him that it may be no idle visit you make or fruitless view you take of him but let your requests and great askings be ready on the string for more grace to your selves or true grace to your Relations what is upon your hearts for your Soul child yoke-fellow or son the Church of God Make sure you have grace before you come if you can I say if you can for every worthy communicant cannot profess himself certain of his sincerity but so far as he can discern by observing of his own heart he is truely willing to have Christ and his benefits on the terms that they are offered i. e. To take Christ in all his offices as King to rule him as Prophet to teach him and as Priest to pardon and save him And next we must be careful to exercise grace given They who have no grace can act none and therefore mustly by and sit idle here gazing on an unknown Christ And if any be here who know themselves to be ungodly ones I think they had best rise and run from their own damnation Some feed without fear or remorse for sin yea perhaps resolve to keep up some lust they know of To what end is this ordinance for you It 's a day of Darkness and no Light 2. The great voice of this Ordinance is Behold me Behold me We are called here to look on a pierced Lord Jesus And what shall we see in him See the maker of all things bowed down under the burden of our sins and weight of Gods wrath Look on him whom you have pierced and mourn Look on his wounds and weep Look on his Love and wonder Look on his satisfactions and Believe Look on his Victory and rejoyce Look on his purchase and contemn your earthly interests Here is the best and brightest glass in all the world God gives us to behold his son in and we may come as near him here as any ordinance can bring us When you look on the Elements stay not there till you ascend and see him who is invisible When by faith you come to see him whom your Soul loveth prostrate thy sinfull Soul with a holy wondering that sinfull dust and ashes may draw so near Study to get the fixed eye on him as loath to take it off being so well pleased with his beauty and worth Learn to think the less of other objects after you have seen the Lord. As Mahometans put out their eyes some of them after they have beheld Mahomets tomb that they may never defile their eyes with an other sight after so goodly and glorious a one The name of the Lord being so eminently engraven on all we are about should strike a dread and holy reverence on all our hearts the day the table the supper we are at are all the Lords but what if we be not the people of the Lord truly if we be not he bids us not welcome and what if we be here and the Lord not with us Then we had far better be else where But how may we know if we have him present even his sweet society and blessed company It 's his table we sit at and that is no small honour for he is a â—ing and that is not all he will sit with us himâ—elf and give us his own company and we may know it by this when the King sâ—tteth at his table my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof Song 1.12 Whence Obs 1. Believers wâ—ll observe what others doe not viz. When Christ is at the table and when not and it will be empty to them when he is absent 2. That Christs own presence must be depended upon both for sensible comfort to believers and for reviving their graces and making them lively It 's the exalted Kâ—ng oâ— glory 's own presence that makes his own grace in our hearts livelâ— and savoury It 's our keeping near him and his condescending to keep near us makes all his gracious work in us to bud and blossom 3. O the great condescention of God to sinful mortals that when he was invisible by reason of that infinite distance between the divine nature and ours he made himself to be seen in the flesh and now by his ascention having made his flesh also invisible by reason of the vast distance between his place and ours he hath made his flesh in a mystical sence even to be seen and tasted in the sacrament O if he hath humbled himself thus far unto our senses let us not by an odious ingratitude humble him lower even under our feet and trample on this precious blood of the Covenant by rushing on this so solemn and sacred a thing with a careless and unprepared frame taking no pains to get a broken and holy heart to intertain him with To take this sacrament into an earthly dirty heart is to take this heavenly bread and throw it into the dirt O do's any of you think to come hither and take these holy mysteries into your covetous proud lustful unrenewed hearts It 's plainly to resolve upon laying up his richest treasures in a noisom Sink and what an indignity is this Christ is in heaven himself and will not enter into any but an heavenly heart here And he who exposeth himself so much to the view of your senses calleth you to Spiritualise your earthly senses let that mouth that cateth at this table never speak vanity nor lies that hand which is reached out to receive him be no more a right hand of falshood or injury to any these eyes which look on your Lord here be no more gazing on Vanity or forbidden objects But to raise your hearts above beggarly Elements which you see this day with eyes of flesh consider this ordinance signifies and seales Christ and his Covenant with all his rich promises of grace and glory The body of our blesed Lord is really in heaven for he is risen and ascended but his body is as truely sacramentally here as really in heaven making the most clear representation of his death and solemn commemoration of it that the
119.60 as all spiritual purposes are to be manag'd but yet leâ— it be done with greatest seriousness and fulness of consent it being a bargain never to be broken a covenant never to be forgotten and doing a thing never to be undone again If the desires after Christ you make this Covenant with be true they will make worldly desires in a good measure dye and run low Sometimes you desire a thing so that all other things are so little they scarce come into your thoughts for that same thing you love so â—uch Such a desire had Christ to redeem us that even Sufferings were desirable in order to its accomplishment I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished 13 â—o seal our covenant are we come even that Câ—venant he maâ—e with his Christ the everlasting Covenant the sure and ordâ—red Covenant wherein lies all our salvation hereafter and all our consolation here O let our hearts be carried out according to the loving kindness of the Lord shewed in it Consider all the mercies of this Covenant and labour to taste in every one of them that the Lord is gracious This is the Salt of the Covenant without which our Morâ—el will be unsavoury There is something in the Covenant better than Salvation better than Heaven and that is the Lord our Righteousness and Jehovah our God He is not ashamed to be called our God let not us be a shame but a praise to him To have him for your God is to have all in God for your good and O then let all that is in you be for God Christ is here sending us by the hands of his Commissionated Officers the Cluster of Grapes as the first fruits of the Land of promise and commanding you to take and eat the Bread of Life He is reaching unto the thirsty Soul the fruit of the Vine turning it Sacramentally into his Blood bidding you drink it in remembrance of him till he come and feasting you with his fullest Love and satisfying you with the pleasure and presence of his glory Great and glorious things are soâ—nd here under the plainest dress that the eye of faith may be most exercised The glory of their Ordinances under the Law was a stumbling block to them for they rested in the Cabbinet and over-looked the Jewels The meanness of our Ordinances are so to us for we look not for the Treasure in earthen Vessels The Types were rich and our Memorials poor they had finer Spectacles we better Eyes If their Tree had more shadow ours hath more fruit Christ in commanding us to do this in remembrance of him builds a Monument of himself before he dies plain and simple to the eye but firm and lasting to continue till he come again and all that is said of him in the Gospel is here to be seen in this Sacrament Here may we see him dying and paying our Ransom the Lamb of God lying bound on the Altar heated with his Father's wrath On the Table we have a fair prospect of the Cross with the sacrifice of the Son of God set before us And let us say Lord if thou remember our sins we will remember thy Christ For in remembring his death we must by all means mind that as our sins slew him so his death conquers sin and expiates guilt and this is the food of the sacrifice that our souls must live upon And if this be rightly apprehended you see the great benefit by Christ here represented confirmed and participated And it 's easy to perceive how far they forsake their own mercies that for the sake of sin come not up to the terms of the covenant Iâ— ye think good give me my price it not forbear Any that come hither thinking to â—old â—ast their sins receive not Christ in the â—acrament but Satan receiâ—es them as he did Juâ—as after he had received the Sop Such be all these who come not hither to repent of sin but to câ—ver it 14. When we look into our Bibles we fâ—nd the Death and sufferings of Christ represented here a far greater matter than many make of it bearing so great a part in the â—criptures and making so great a figure there â—or we find the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ the chief thing manifested by the Spirit of God to the Prophets together with the Glory that should follow thereupon to him and his redeemed ones 1 Pet. 1.11 which shews us their prime study was taken up in this And this was likewise the end of all the discoveries of sin and threatnings of God's wrath in the Law even to point out the necessiâ—y of his sâ—tisfaction Rom. 10 4. And lastly the very substance and signâ—â—â—â—â—m of all Typeâ— aâ—d sâ—crâ—fices was but to point out the sufferingâ— of Christ and the glorious effects thereof Heâ— 20.1 Now no hing we hear of his Sâ—ffâ—rings in the World or see thereof in Sacraments makes any saving impression upâ—n us till thereby siâ— bâ—comes exceeding siâ—fâ—l and Christ exceeding prâ—cious among the many things we have seen in the World and works we have done whâ—n shall we begin to see sin in its own colourâ— viz. To sâ—e it the only thing that breâ—ks the Law and so dishonoureth the Law giver Crucified Christ Grieves the Spirit gratifies Sâ—â—an debaseth human nature dâ—stracts the world and damos Souls And yet for all this men cannot hatâ— sâ—n becaâ—sâ— it 's oâ—r â—o k Hel 4.10 O monstrouâ— sinful sâ—lfishâ—ess that fâ—r all the inconceivablâ— evâ—l in sin yet cannot hate it because it 's ours whâ—n â—o tâ—â—t we should hate it more than all th◠〈…〉 the whole woâ—ld Now this due sense of Sâ—n 〈…〉 exâ—lt Christ and make him â—â—â—â—â—ous who is the â—â—â—ha and Omega â—n the busâ—â—â—ss of Relâ—giâ—n without him you câ—n do nothing and lok for nothing It'â— by hâ—s â—treâ—gâ—h 〈◊〉 muâ—t wâ—â—k and by his Righteousâ—ess you muâ—t be â—ccâ—pted Isa 45.24 For indeed we cannot for sin â—hink of any mercy till God turn our eye on Christ in whom he is gâ—acious And the end of all we see Christ to be for â—s is to oblige us to love and obedience We have new representations of the favour of God and grace of Christ daily in these Ordinances that our obedience may be new our hearts and livâ—s â—â—larged and consecrated to the service of such a Saviour who hath Redeemed us with the blood we come here to commemorate Iâ— Faith â—ake these things real to our minds we shall be affected now and reformed hereafter If unbelief reign and we abide under its Power we shall be dead still and worldly as we were But look to him for a share of Heavenly Grace to â—xcâ—te our minds aâ—d thoughts to a Holy Zeâ—l and higher â—ctings than we are usually acquainted with in the lower regions of our converse 15. Having given up our names to Christ in Covenant we are obliged often to renew it to shew the â—â—â—câ—ritâ— of our heart
that tho we faâ—l in many things yet our heart stands to it delighting in the Law according to our inward man to shew that a man does not repent but his engagement is still pleasant to him as if it were to do again a man would do the same thing if it were every hour to let the world see there is not a heart drawing back from God and that the heart that is naturally unstable may become fixed for God And yet tho this making and renewing Covenants by this Ordâ—nance be so useful Christ hath not tied himâ—elf to Sacramental Seals for that Faith that eats and drinks the Blood of Christ without a Sacrament doth save And that Covenant whâ—sâ—â—ver believes in Christ shall be saved passeth the sâ—als effectually to a believer tho there were never an occasion of sealiâ—g iâ— sâ—cramâ—ntally Crede manducasti Bâ—lieve â—nd thoâ— hâ—st eaten saith Aâ—stin God needs no Seal to bâ—nâ— himself but to secure and settle uâ— Yet since we are graciously allowed the opportuniâ—y of contemplaâ—ing a crucified Saviour here these two thâ—â—gs among many others ought to be wonder'd at viz the price and the purchase And this adds to the wonder of bestowing Heaven on us that it comes as the reward of our service tho purchased by Christ All Heaven to them who had little or nothing on Earth all Christs â—lood for them who had nothing of his Spirit or Grace by Nature O wonder that a Heaven full of pleasures should be at last the portion of them who have had hearts full of sin and lives full of blemishes If a poor Beggar came iâ—to the King's Treasury and saw all the bags of Gold and Silver and one should tell him they are all laid up for you what would the man think It would strike him with a strange astonishment But whâ—t are these to Bags that wax not old and Treasure in Heaven laid up for you wher of if we had once a believing sight would make uâ— for ever think less of earthly riches nay you would be ready to go home and throw your bags of Gold and Silver to the Moles and to the Bats and say get ye hence ye stumbling-blocks of mine iniquity But again wonder at such a price paid for us so worthless worth nothing and yet cost him so dear Good Lord what do we for him that laid out so much for us If we have nothing he needs nothing yea he requires nothing but to accept his bounty and be ravisht with his love Tho we be utterly unable to pay being broken debtors yet let us even be ready to praise and be thankful debtors For this very End is this Eucharistical Feast instituted At this Festival Commemoration let the Founder of the Feast be remembred with praise and honour And here take we hold of the most solemn occasion for the most passionate and thankful remembrance of that love that gave us so great a gift as Christ to do and suffer for us And without this affectionate frame of heart we now frustrate the very end of the Institution 16. Here have we the Beloved standing and knocking and putting in for entrance at the door of our hearts saying open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled one Here is my divine lasting love that for all her sinful sloath and sleepy temper she was fallen into yet he never changâ—th her name but courts her love with kindest compellations still But the motive he presteth his acceptance by is melting and convincing above all open to me fâ—r my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night He begs a place in our hearts by all inconveniences he suffered for us O the dark and dismal night of his undergoing the wrath of his holy Father when our iniquities were laid on him Thus stands our Lord now knocking and begging our good will and likeing our Love and fellowship by all the wounds he received on the Cross for us Here are we called to behold they pierced my hands and my feet and shall not this pierce our hardest hearts to see the anguish of his Soul The rejected and slighted obtestations of a crucified Jesus will rise up aginst many in the day of their distress that they were besought to mortify their lusts and live to God by every drop of Christs blood shed for them but they would not hear That the requests of a suffering Saviour may have their due influence is this ordinance appointed bringing all his pain shame and sorrow to our remembrance We see he hath a good mind to be in our eye and thoughts If you see a Criple lay out his sores they beg tho' be hold hiâ— peace And if our suffering saviour this day be unlapping his wâ—â—â—â—d and laying his sâ—res open to view shall not they beg more powerfully and prevaile and remember all the wounds of our Lord he had in the house of his friends Now the very great voice of all his wounds are 1. Repent Look on me whom you have pierced and mourn 2 Believe when you see your ransom and sacrifice slain If Justice say I have enough and am satisfied why do not we think it enough even apply it and rest in it Take peace and content yea rejoyce in God thro' Jesus Christ by whom you have now received the atonement 3. The voice of Christs sufferings is my Son â—dive me thy heart If I have loved thee and washed thee in my blood It 's reason I have love again 4. It says 〈◊〉 bey and hearken to thy High priâ—st Hear him in all he hath to say he hath deâ—â—ly bought your obedience and attention to all his motions and Instructions Prov. 8.31 â—2 The force and strenâ—th of that tâ—erefore is never to be studied and undeâ—â—â—ood enough Get Christs Cross to give your lusts a deadly wound rest not till you see him and feel th m thereby disabled and miled to his Cross As for your Darling the world in its profits pleasures and honour hear Christ saying It frowned on me and will my ransomed smile on it It was despised and a little thing with me who knew so well a better and shall it be great with you Remember that to take Christ in and put Christ on are the two great Calls of Heaven in the Gospel And since your suffering Redeemer iâ— taken into heaven these gates of Glory flew wide open to him at his Ascention shall he be kept out of our hearts Are they better than it No but there was he better known and here his own received him not for they knew him not nay not only â—eaven hath received him and therefore so should our hearts but there hath he entred for us which also hath its own weight for his entring into our hearts here 17. Here come we to get more grace and strength to reâ—â—st the Devil and stand againâ—â— his temptations Now our encouragements to encounter this enemy of ours that roaring Lyon 1.
He is spoiled by Jesus â—hrist Col 2.15 2. More power is implo ed for Believers than can be against them 1. John 4.4 2 Kings 6.16 3. Victory oâ—er him is sure and near to Believers Rom. 16.20 Qu. But since we must be strong in the Lord and in the power oâ— his might if we wou d overcome may we not question with our Selves â—s once the â—hilistines with Dalilah concerning Sampson wherein lies the great strenth of a Christian This case Satan studies that he may know how to deal with us 1. The great strength of a Christian lies in his Covenant Relation to God and Union with Christ his head for tho weak in our selves yet a strong head have we in Heaven The Church is a weak Woman bâ—t hath a Redeemer miâ—hty to plead her Cause A Christians strength lies in his Confederated Friendship in Heaven the improvement of this is the laying out of that strength Psal 44 4. Tho Jacob was desâ—itute for outward help yet was he well befriended in Heaven and the blessed God whom he sought did his business for him against his Brother 2. In the gracious qualitieâ— brought into the Soul at Câ—nversion without which in a natural unrenewed State we are said to be without strength Rom. 5.6 So that Grace is a new party or Spiritual Power brought into the Soul for Christ to oppose sin and appear for God 3. In Divine Assistances for every Christian is weak or strong as â—ssisted as God girds or loosens us the girdle of his Loins wherefore we had need to keep in good terms with Christ that we fall not under his withdrawings of Gracious aids so needful for our Spiritual Warfare 4. In a careful retaining the impressions of Oâ—dinances O! pray that God â—ould stamp these glorious appreheâ—sions of himself on your minds that you have sometimes here and may not tâ—â—e in other Images to bow down unto Let the impression of these Ordinances of Word and Sacrament wear off and you are weak as others Peter had forgot Christ s work and so forgot himself Luke 22.61 and his M ster too Had Evah's thoughts been intent on the word the Lord hath said and not diverted to sensual Motions it had been sufficient to put by all the passes Satan could make against her O Christians be first sound that ye may be strong Job 17.9 The way of the Lord is strength only to the upright but the more a Hypocrite does in Reliâ—ion he is inwardly the weaker And for your encouraâ—ement let never a found heart despair of higher measures than â—ommon attainments â—or your helps viz. The love of Christ and hope of Heaven are greater than your hindrances can be 18. We say times of Trouble and great Afflictions are trying times but I say Sacrament seasons ought to be trying times with us Now in the trying of the truth of Grace we must labour to find out the habitual temper and disposition of hearts by the quality of their Acts. 1. If they be free and chearful not constrain'd or such as we had rather not do if we could help it Psal 119 108. 2. How frequent opportunity offering Psal 55.17 3. Thorough and serious else they prove neither habit nor disposition Rom. 12.11 4. We must try the Soul by the acts which make after the end as desire and love to God Christ and Heaven and this is more than to try our hearts by the Acts that make after the means only I know all gracious hearts would fain know their own sincerity 1 It is willing if sincere to know all its sin Job 13.23 even the worst of its own heart to câ—me to the light that it may be made manifest to its self yea had rather a l the World should know it than its rottenness should be hid from it sâ—lf it loves the most discovering Ordinances best but a Hypocrite had rather have a rotten Heart than be searched and repent 2. It 's willing to part with every sin it knows of it self when one is more willing to part with a sin than to keep it that puts the Soul out of danger by it 3. And then the best way to know our sincerity in this parting with sin is by serious indeavours in the use of all appointed means to oppose sin and carry on the spiritual Warfare against the Body of Death 4. And is obtaining some success and Victory The Spirit of God repeat that promâ—se to all the seven Churches of Asia to him that overcometh 0◠〈◊〉 vincenti every sincere Soul is in the way of overcoming the honest use of means gives some check to thâ— prevailing of Iniquity where no Conflicting with sin there can be no sincerity and every honest heart will be helped of God to some Victory and what ever men make now of other Victories this is that which you will have only cause of triumph in at the last as Valentinian the Emperour said on his Death-bed That of all his Victories one only comforted him and that was his overcoming his own naughty heart And that we may finish this Tryal we are upon in examining of our selves if we can find our sins and be humbleâ— for them and judg our selves with a righteous Judgment impartially and severely we may warrantably partake of the Body and Blood of Chriâ—t in the Sacrament tho we cannot discover our Graceâ— as we would For such examination as issues in self-judging hath the promise of not being judged of the Lord for unworthy receiving 1 Cor. 11.28 31. Now our sins which are the proper caâ—se of Self judging are the object of Self-examining rather than our Graces 19. Rom 8.3 God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh Obs 1. God's sending is a great Mistery It 's the Grandure of Earthly Princes that their Subjects send to them and a wonder if Rebels have access if they come in the humblest manner but he sends to us and sends for us that we may come anâ— be pardoned come and be saved 2. He sends his Son not an Angel 1 John 4.9 3. In the flesh he senâ—s his Son which is but gross in the state of Beggar to bring in the Blind and the Lame Heb. 2.16 4. In likeness of sinful flesh as like a sinner as might be not to be a sinner that he might save us from our sins i e. with infirmities and necessities that attend sinful man that no eye could descern a difference Isa 53 4. As the brazen Serpent was like a Serpent but had not the Venom of a Serpent This Incarnation of God is a Subject of the highest Admiration and fountain of the sweetest Consolation that the World affords O! the wonder of God's coming down to man to be handled seen and tasted of us a contract even for the wonder of Angels as the welfare of Man O wonder of wonders that ever it should be heard in Heaven or on Earth Let one of us become Man A Redeemer could never have suited
garment The best sight Christ could see of us here were to see us as once he saw Nathaniel sitting under the fig-tree an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile Joh. 1.47.48 Or as once he saw Mary and so taken with that sight that he points her out for others to see Luk. 7.44 weeping for sin and exceeding all the company in shewing love to Christ As the people would not eat till Samuel the Prophet came to bless the sacrifice unto them 1 Samuel â— 13 We can have no better proof of our High Priest's coming and blessing a Sacrament unto us than to be found with Mary at Christ's Feet in Penitential Tears of Love towards our Pardoning Redeemer But alas how dead lye we by the Ark of the Lord as is said of Vzzah 2. Sam. 6.7 whom God struck in his Anger with Death for a wrong touch of the Ark at a Time Here was God's severity shewed on a Man who meant well but gave the Ark a touch that he should not Now what wonder of God s Patience is it that some remarkable Judgments are not more frequently upon us for our untender touching of his most Holy things on Earth How often take we and touch we the Body of Christ with hard Hearts and unclean hands O! let us lament over our insensible Souls and say with David till better prepared How shall the Ark of the Lord come to me 2 Sam. 6.9 26. Luke 23.48 And all the people that came together to that sight smote their breasts and returned That sight that strange sight that sight of Christ on thâ— Cross Bleeding and Dying such another sight was never seen in the World Creatures Murdering their Creator The Church of God purchased with his own Blood no wonder then all the people returned amazed They smore their Breasts O! that it might break our hearts for that is the heart-affecting sight we come to see this day O! the Heart-humbling sight of Christs Sufferings the Son of God suffering for the sin of Man And as the Death of Christ is held out as the most wond rful Object â— that sight so is it recommended to us as the most excellent Subject to be Discoursed of not only as it was the great Subject of the great Apostles Preaching 1 Cor. 2.2 but as it is the only Subject mentioned of Conference between Christ Moses and Elias Luke 9.30 â—1 A Subject most wâ—rthy of the most excellent persons that can appear on Earth And our Saviour recommends the sayings of his Sufferings to a deeper impression on their Hearts than all the Miracles he wrought to their amazement who beheld them Luke 9.43 44. Now if Wisdom hath furnished her Table with the representation of so rare a thing yea with the Bread of Life from Heaven and the Cup of Salvation even the Cup of the New Testament in Christ's Blood let not so rich a repast be received as a common thing Our blessed Lord comes not with an empty offer but a full-hand and a free-heart to confer all his benefits and purchases the dispising of which by continued unbelief will be the worlds greatest condemnation It was charged on the Israelites as the great aggravation of their sin that they provoked God at the red sea even at the red sea the place where their miraculous salvation was wrought But how will it aggravate our sin to provoke God with a hard unprepared heart at the red Sea of his precious blood here represented by which we are Redeemed Let us never be friends with our own hearts till we can love our Saviour bet er and hate our sin more If Namaan when cured of his Leprosy went away resolved to serve no other God but the God of Israel what should we do whom Christ hath cured of many fâ—r more desperate and dangerous diseases Labour to be that ground which drinketh in the rain which cometh upon it and brings forth herbs meet for him that dresseth and receiveth blessing from God Heb. 6.7 Now what rain comparable to a showre of Christs blood in a sacrament Where we either receive great blessing or are brought nigh unto cursing 27. The Persians had a Festival day in the year they called Vitiorum interitum whereon they slew all Serpents and Venemous Creatures And suffered them to swarm till that day of year came about again It 's to be feared some do so at sacrament times who by some Confessions and formal humblings think to clear old Scores and then go away and take on new ones but if so such may look the unclean spirit will return with 7 worse and take a stronger Possession than he had formerly And sinners must know their Confessions and humblings are hypocritical if one Lust or known sin be left As 1 Sam. 16 11. Samuel said to Jesse are here all thy Children So when we leave some sins Christ says are here all Jesse answered There was one more says Samuel â—ill that one come I will not sit down So says Christ as long as there is one be â—ind I will not sit down with thee sit where thou wilt It 's dangerous to boast with the moral young Man in the Gospel I have done this and tother thing and yet one thing be lacking To have our door lock t up still to keep Christ and salvation out as a Covetous heart for the world a sensual heart for the flesh a proud heart for the Devil will marr all cannot be fit for heaven if the door were open would not go in where no fuell for such a lust And therefore let us make a diligent search and take great care ere you come to ransack well all the corners of a deceitful heart and truely repent of all sin viz. when our sorrow springs from the root and are affected with the seed of all sin even our corrupt nature and inclinations and when we repent of all known sin on the common account of sin as contrary to Gods holy Law and Nature And tho the heart be not always affected with a high degree of sorrow intensively yet is Repentance true if it be appretiative accounting sin the only thing to be sorrowed for and it we be displeased with our selves that the heart is not answerable to our light and convictions in the exercise of Repentance And think not that all your sorrow for sin without Faith in God through Christ will suffice The weeping eye must look upon Christ whom thou hast pierced with thy sin We must look for all good from him against whom we have sinned take up our rest in him and it 's faith and hope in God must purify our heart for him make our soul despise the world desire heaven loath self love the Lord and venture all on a word of promise trusting God with all the most dangerous like events of providence and consequences of duty 28 Two things had need be minded about this business viz. to prepare diligently Take pains with a dull heart cleanse a polluted
like Lions against sin and Satan 3. Hath he not past his promise for feeding his own yea to eat and be satisfied Psal 22. 6. Psal 111.5 Prov. 10.3 4. Hath he not made them worse than Infidels that feed not their own Family 5. Did he feed the multitude because he had compassion on their Bodies and wi l he not have compassion on the Souls or his own 6. Doth he feed young Ravens and will he starve Believers 7. Have we not his own invitation to the Feast and will the Master of the House make it a Fast 8. Shall we ear of the Tree of Life and hidden Manna in Heaven Surely he n ver meant to starve such by the way but allow t â—m sâ—me cauâ—â—r of the first ripe Grapes to refresh them in the Wildâ—rness 9 May we not plead with our loving Lord thus Lord I hear thou keepest a good House having bread enough to spare give me such a Portion as may commend it unto me and I will commend it to others 10. We may say How many hast thou refreshed of thy poor and needy Hast not thou said Whosoever will let him come and Drink freely upon thy call I come to drink of Wisdom's spiced Wine of this consecrated Cup that I may here and hereafter remember thy Love more than Wine 11. I plead my own necessitiâ—s and wants where should the poor be filled and the hungry feed but at the gates of the Rich and Full If thou hast not enough send me away empty but I make a Vertue of Necessity I must live by my Food as other Creatures do and is not Christ the food of a hungry Soul 12. I plead thy Glory for my feeding here will this commend thy bounty and compassion to send away from thy Fulness a starving Beggar without supply Let us cast an eye on that Miraculous Feast Christ made the Multitude Luke 9.17 And they did eat and were all filled and the fragments gathered up far exceeded the poor provision it was made of O! but it had Christ's blessing and that made much of a little And when we are Christ's Guests we should not only eat but look to be filled And gather up the Fragments incomes and expences of Divine Love and Favour Now that we may take this Feast up aright it is not a Sacrifice but a Sacrifical Feast or Covenant Feast of Peace and Friendship a Feast after a Sacrifice and by our eating here is declared our interest in that Sacrifice of Christ's Flesh offered to reconcile us to God even as they under the Law did â—â—t of the Sacrifice and so partake of the Altar to shew it was theirs that the Priest offered as if they had been at the Altar with the Priest And further this is a Feast of God's providing as Abraham to Isaac God will provide himself a Lamb for a burnt Offering and therefore was the Sacrifice accepted because it was of his providing for known unto him alone it was what would satisfy his own Justice And strâ—ngâ— it was that this Sacrificeing of his Son should be a sweet smelling Savour a more wonderful word was never written Eph. 5.2 How dear must our Salvation be unto God that made the greatest Sufferings of Christ so pleasing to him which other wise the Lord would have abhorred Wherever the Sacrifice is said to be a sweet Savour its â—aid to be made with Fire Num. 28. and 20 chapters shewing that nothing but Christ s Sufferings can Satisfy for our sin For all the Sacrifices only signified Christ but could not satisfy God 36. Our proper exercise here consists of Meditation Petition and Resolution For Meditation the thoughts of the righteous are right it 's no small part of our work to have right and proper thoughts at present 1. Think how unworthy I am to appear here and have place among them that stand by tho I were not admitted to sit down with my Lord himself I who to Natural Corruption have added such a heap of actual Transgressions inward enmity and outward contrariety to God Ignorance unbelief apostasy despising of grace and abusing of patience have so filled up my measure and made so great a part of my wretched days and unworthy Life 2. Think how worthy and honourable is Christ to whose holy Table I presume to approach He who is the Fathers dorling and delight the light of Heaven and the great Blessing of all Nations who hath obtained a name above every name at whose name every knee must bow and whom the Angels of Heaven all do Worship He whose Table I am now sitting at on Earth sits highest in Heaven at this very moment 3. Think again how good it is to sit here with a sound Heart we cannot be better set on Earth But if a Hypocrite how ill I am set having not on a Wedding Garment I mock God harden my own heart heap up wrath eat and drink damnation by Crucifying the Lord afresh 4. Think what is my business here but to meet the Lord Chriâ—t by his own appointment that I may get more acquaintance and grow more in Love with him and to be more obliged to him by a new sight of my Redemption by him and receiving some Spiritual gift 5. Think what is prosered me here His Love his Grace his Peace his Pardon his Covenant and Kingdom 6 You have never a right thought here if you think not of a bleeding Christ a suffering and satisfying Redeemer hanging on the Cross and all your sins hanging on him For what else could ever bring him there having no sin to suffer for of his own and all power to avoid suffering by any And think again how he was dealt with on terms of Justice that we might be dealt with on terms of Mercy And â—â—â—t which would have been in so many drops of an Eternal Hell to us was made to meet on him in one great Sea drinking up Dregs and all O! think ransomed Saved Sinner if Christ had not drunk thy Cup of Wrath to free thee thou must had such a Cup put to thy head as if brought to a great Sea fill'd with Gall and Wormwood and Justice say to thee Now sinner thou that likedst so well the Cup of sin â—o here is the Cup of wrath drink and never leave Drinking while one drop is left Now see your obligation to Christ and despise him if you can And see how sad it had been to be without him 37. As for Petition and Resolution that belongs to this purpose in hand Q. What Petitions are here to be preferred A â— For much of Christs gracious and powerful presence a clear day without clouds that he would not hide himself at such a time and disappoint the Expectation of the needy but so countenance his owâ— work as we may comâ—â—â—dâ—â— unto others 2. For a heart humbling look of your dear dying Lord O how should it humble us to see how my sins humbled the Lord of glory 3. Put in
present world seduce many Souls from their Allegiance to Christ and the care that is due to their Salvation How are most deceived with the specious appearances and painted Slavery of the world to make us happy enough without Christ The covetous Pharisees mocked at Christ and Farms and Business do still excuse worldings from a serious and hearty imbracing of Christ's glorious Offers Q. What shall we do that we may not betray Christ and prove false to our Covenant and Profession in times of Tryal A. 1. Leave not a root of bitterness behind no beloved Lust unmort fied this was Judas his bane the love of the world he kept up under a profession and this betrayed him into Satan's hand and he stuck not to betray his blessed Master into his Enemies Hands 2. Rest not on doubtful Evidences of your Heavenly Interest but get things better cleared between God and your Consciences It will be a dreadful snare to you when sufferings come to the loss of Life and Estate and not be sure of Christ and Heaven 3. Keep your selves in the Love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal Life Love if alive will be strong at Death all the floods of Affliction cannot drown it 4. Keep up a close Communion with God constantly in secret If you slack in secret Prayer and wear out of personal acquaintance with the Fountain you will wither and your strength dry up like a Pot-sheard and your foot soon slide 5. Let never a day go over your head without actual Faith on some promise that this may keep you from fainting under discouragements Ps 27.13 6. The most refined formal lifeless Religion will not always secure you from being scandals on Earth and being cursed wretches in Hell eternally 45. That your minds may not be empty and wandring doubtful what to fix upon enquire Q. What doth this Ordinance call for A. 1. A Crucified Christ calls for Crucified sins 2. Be saying to thy self did this Blood satisfy God and shall it not satisfy me Why then O my Soul do'st not thou rest more intirely in this ransome and possess more of that rich Legacy his word hath left us and his Death hath purchased My peace I leave you my peace I give you and in me ye shall have peace and this man shall be the peace 3. Think whose Body and what a Body is here represented The blessed Body of the Son of God that was our Sacrifice broken bruised and bleeding on the Cross for us That same body that his Father gave him who needed it not but for us to receive our buffering in that Body that Devils envy to this day even that the Human Nature should be assumed into a personal Union with the Divine An honour denied the Angels That Body that hung on the Cross a spectacle to men and Angels for shame pain and a curse due to us That same Body that was laid in the Grave and raised up unto Glory God in our Nature appearing in Heaven for us preparing a place for us perfuming it with his Glorious Possessions and Presence 4. Think how due it is I should remember him in my Life who remembred me so kindly at his Death especially having made a Law for it in this Ordinance and making the remembrance no more costly nor painful than you see it this day He might have sent us a Jerusalem Jouâ—â—â—y to the holy Grave and appointed some costly Offerings there But let us bless our Merciful Lord and Law giver that hath spared us these expences and is content we should remember him in this plain Gospel Simplicity 5. Think you are now remembring your best and dearest Friend in Heaven or Earth who loves you beâ—â— and hath done most for you Wherefore with what affections should he be remembred and how precious should every thouâ—hâ— of him be to your Souls Song 1. 4 Psal 139.17 6. Think how miserable you had been to eternity if he had not remembred us in our low estate And what you have deserved that needed such a surety and Sacrifice Q. How may we know if our remembring of Christ in this Ordinance hath been good and right A. 1. If we have here a remembrance of the right stamp we leave not off remembring of Christ when we are gone but the life of a Christian in hearing reading meditating and praying will be much more a remembring him in his ways than others attain to 2. We will cause others remember Christ with us as we can Psal 45. ult 3. It will leave a lasâ—ing desire of remembring him here again Psal 42.2 4. 〈◊〉 right its Virtue will run thro gâ—â—all our Diâ—â—ies and Actions till we come again 〈◊〉 thâ—ll find is more easy to perform every duty and â—bey every precept As we sind sin that Dagoâ— fall before this Ark of the Lord temptations resisted and services Spiritualized we may jâ—â—g of this case 5. A right remembrance of Christ will make a Sanctified Soul even forget the best and most needful things on Earth to remember him now in Heaven 6. It will humble thee for former forgetting of him and stir up a holy hatred against vain thoughts that kept Christ out a few moments of a Sanctified remembring thy sweet Saviour here will send thee away with a sad Heart for thy forgeting of him days without number 46. Q. What came we hither to learn at the Table of the Lord A. 1. Humility from a meek and lowly humbled suffering Saviour Phil. 2.57.2 Patience from this Lamb of God that opened not his Mouth Learn here to possess your Souls in Patience and suffer not every trifle to provoke you 3. And here may we learn to Love where it shines out so gloriously 4. Self-denial and a publick Spirit who not regarding his own ease and pleasure glorified his Father in Redeeming us 5. See here your strong rock and learn to live by Faith A sight of a Crucified Sanctified Saviour should give us confidence both in Duties and Dangers In Duties this sight should lift you up above all your doings when you see what your surety hath done and suffered for you And in Dangers your great help to believe he will not let your temporal evil sink you is his delivering your Souls from eternal Miseries and Hell and the second Death 6. We can no where at a better advantage learn with them that are Redeemed from the Earth the new Song of Promise than here at such a solemn sight of our Suffering Redeemer But that we may learn our Lessons the better let us be considering where and with whom we are sate Solomon says Prov. 23.1 When thou sittest with a Ruler consider what is before thee It 's a great Ruler we sit with and a great Feast ser before us Now let us consider we sit at the Table of the Lord and we eat the Supper of the Lord. If this be the Table of the Lord what wonderful condescention is this that