persons and that to all Eternity All this is represented to us in this Sacrament a Saviour groaning and weeping and sighing under the burthen of our Sins and thereby giving notice that if we grow not weary of Sin we shall weep and groan and sigh for ever and shall not the dreadful Spectacle fill my Soul with abhorrency and detestation of what I see so signally punished Shall not I run away from it and say to it Get thee hence thou evil and unclean Spirit touch me not what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols And if this Holy Sacrament be so great a preservative against Sin surely we cannot too often make use of it especially since we see how easily Sin doth beset us how often we are tempted to it and how we are daily encompassed with suggestions and provocations to it 2. This frequent Communicating cannot but be a mighty engagement to a pious emulation of the Virtuous and Gracious Life of the Ever-Blessed Jesus There is none but knows how frequent going into company that is of such a Temper and seeing their Manners and way of Acting is apt to produce assimulation of Disposition in the persons that frequent it That Society a Man frequently resorts to gives a tincture to his Nature and Inclination and consequently the frequent seeing and conversing with the Holy and Gracious Jesus in this Sacrament is very likely to have the same effect For in this Ordinance we do not only come to see him Bleeding and Dying for his Enemies but to look upon his eminent Virtues too his wonderful Meekness his deep Humility his unparalell'd Patience his chearful Submission to the Will of God his admirable Self-resignation his unshaken Contentedness his generous contempt of the World and his steady living in the thoughts of future Bliss and Glory Can I see these Virtues shine in his noble Soul and remember that they are set before me to raise my desires of being like him and believe that God expects and requires of me to transcribe them on my Temper Can I see how lovely how amiable and how beautiful these Graces are how in the midst of all his troubles they proclaim him to be the Son of God and in despight of all the contempt and scorn of Men and Devils speak him to be a favourite of Heaven Can I see how in the midst of all the Affronts and Derisions and Indignities he endured these Graces still made him amiable glorious in a Storm bright in that dismal Night-dress Illustrious in Misery Magnificent in Poverty Can I see how these Diamonds glister in the black Jet in which they are placed and notwithstanding the dull matter that doth encompass them are Diamonds still of an infinite value prized by God esteemed by Angels magnified by all good Men agreeable to Reason conformable to Gods Nature Can I see all this and continue stubborn and obstinate and an enemy to these Virtues Is not this enough to make me enamour'd with them to oblige me to long for them and to cause a disquiet in my Soul till it be possess'd of these inestimable Treasures And if this Sacrament be such an engagement to this pious Emulation and endeavour after the same gracious Qualifications is it not fit is it not expedient is it not reasonable is it not necessary that I should communicate frequently and Eat often and Drink often at this Table except I am afraid of being too lively too good or too serious 3. This Sacrament is a mighty promoter of fervent Charity and since the frequent exercise of this Charity is necessary frequent Comunicating must be so too this being the cause or incentive to the other That in an eminent manner it promotes and encourages Charity and Love to our Fellow Christians Concord and Unity Peace and Amity readiness of Mind to do good and bowels of Kindness to our Brethren none can doubt that 's sensible what Charity is represented in this Ordinance Here I see how the Great Commander of Heaven and Earth offers Reconciliation to a desperate Offender and whereas the Offender should be the first that should seek and implore God's Pardon God prevents him and with his Royal hands unask'd bestows upon him a Patent of Grace and Mercy Here I see how the Supream Judge who hath absolute power over our Life and Death is willing to be friends with a wretch that owes him Ten thousand Talents and willing frankly to forgive him all to discharge him of all his Debts and to supersede all Actions against him Here I see how the Everlasting Father is ready to receive the Prodigal into his House again to admit him to his Table who had spent all his Substance in riotous living ready to kill the fatted Calfe for him to put a Ring on his Finger and to betroth him to himself in Righteousness Here I see how he before whom all Nations are as Grashoppers offers to embrace the Worm that hath resisted him spoken ill of him prostituted his Glory expos'd Religion and studied and contrived ways to dishonour him Here I see the Son of God ready with the Balsom of his Blood to anoint the Wretch that made the Wounds and dying for the Men the multitude of whose Offences hath seemed to vye with the number of God's Mercies Here I see how infinite Light offers to twist its Rays with loathsome Darkness and how the greatest Prince proceeds to those excesses of Humility as to give the greatest Sinners room and entertainment in his Banqueting-House to call them Brethren and Friends and sheep of his Flock than which there are scarce more endearing Titles All this I behold here and shall not such a wonderful Scene of Charity blow those little sparks of Affection I find within into greater flames Can I see here what God hath done for me who have acted more treacherously against him than my greatest Enemy ever did against me and shall not this raise Compassion in me to my Fellow-servants and move me to lay down all Wrath and Enmity to them whose Injuries are but Fleabites in comparison of those I have offered to the Best of Beings And if this Sacrament be so strong an engagement to this Charity it stands to reason that frequent Communicating must be necessary too the rather because we are so often in danger of breaking the bond of Peace and dissolving the cement which must hold and knit Christians together So that 4. This frequent Cammunicating cannot but be acceptable to God and this he declared in the example of the Primitive Believers whose frequent receiving did so incline the Favour of God toward them that the Evangelist takes notice Acts 2. 47. The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved In this the Divine Bounty expressed its liking of their frequent repairing to the Table of the Lord This was not only a reward of their frequent Communion but God made that frequency a motive to others to embrace the true Religion Nothing
call his Friends the Angels together saying Rejoyce with me for I have found him that was lost He saw what it was for God to humble himself and take upon him the Nature of Man a Thing infinitely below him and to advance it above all Heavens above Angels Powers Ceraphim and Cherubim and place it at the Right Hand of God He saw what it was for Infinite Majesty to fall in love with Misery and for him that was adored by all the Host of Heaven to make himself of no Reputation on purpose to magnifie his Mercy in the greatest Misery He saw the happy Strife and Contention that was betwixt God's Justice and Mercy He saw how these Twins struggled in the Womb of Eternity and Mercy got the better and triumph'd over the Almighty's Rods and Axes He saw the Beginning Progress Order and Beauty of that Love He could measure the vast Distance betwixt Heaven and Earth betwixt God and Man betwixt the Judge and the Malefactor betwixt Infinite Purity and extream Wretchedness betwixt Righteousness and Sin betwixt perfect Innocence and perfect Misery And what a Paradox it must be to the holy Angels to see that Light which lights every Man that comes into the World submit to the Darkness of the Grave that some of Adam's Posterity might be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light This he saw and as a Man who was to shew his Church an Example he gave Thanks VI. Christ's Actions as they were intended for our Instruction so we cannot think that his Giving of Thanks was only to express his own Devotion as Mediator but that it was designed to teach us 1. Never to sit down at our common or ordinary Meals without praising God for the Blessings his bountiful Hand hath vouchsafed unto us This it seems is so necessary that the Holy Ghost reckons those Men among the Workers of Iniquity that sit down to Meat and praise not the Creator for the Provision he hath made for them Psal. 14. 4. Have the Workers of Iniquity no Knowledge who eat Bread and call not upon the Lord We render the Words As they eat Bread our Translators thinking the Expression to be a Similitude to express the Greediness of Persecutors who make a Prey of God's Servants but the Particle As being left out in the Original the Words denote another Sin of those Men that do eat Bread and call not upon the Lord at their Eating 'T is true the Duty seems to be observed by most People and there are few so profane as not to say Grace at their Meals but it is for the most part done so slovenly and so carelesly without any Sense of the Greatness of the Duty and of the Goodness of God that it is made a mere Formality which is as bad as the total Omission of it The Giving of Thanks before and after Meals must be performed with a Sense of our Unworthiness and God's Charity This is to be thought and taken notice of as much as the Meat that is set before us and Admiration of God's Compassion in feeding us will add to the Relish of the Victuals set upon the Table and that is to eat to the Glory of God as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 10. 32. 2. It was also to teach us Gratitude to our Benefactors here on Earth Though Men are but the Instruments whereby the Almighty's Blessings are conveyed to us yet there is a Gratitude due to them and such Gratitude as is expressed in kind Offices and Readiness to assist and help them when they stand in need of our Services But then this Gratitude must not be stretched to assisting of them in their Sins or complying with them in their Viciousness and Debaucheries or flattering them in their sickly Passions Man must not be pleased to the Dishonour of God And where Dust and Ashes is loved more than he he protests we are not worthy of him But to pray for them to honour them to study and embrace all lawful Opportunities to express our Respect and Esteem of them to requite their Kindnesses with equal Civilities or spiritual Advice and Counsel and Consolation is to act like Persons prompted by Christ's Example to be thankful 3. It was more particularly to direct us in our Praises and Thanksgivings when we come to the Table of our dearest Lord Here certainly if any where our Hearts ought to be fixed and ready to sing and give Praise 1. For putting us in a Way of being pardon'd and happy for ever We were all concern'd in Adam's Fall had all forfeited our Right to God's Favour and the Happiness we might have expected at his Hands God might have lock'd up the Gate of Mercy and made the Access to it impossible Having desperately turned our Backs upon him he might have let the Rebels sink deeper and deeper till they had come into the bottomless Gulf of Eternal Misery and no doubt all the Host of Heaven would have applauded his Justice And for him who was cloathed with Majesty and Honour unexpectedly and of his own accord to turn the Stream and to promise a Saviour and instead of making a Way to his Anger shew Men a Way to his Bosom and in the midst of all this Confusion and Perplexity to proclaim the acceptable Year to the poor Prisoners How can this be thought of in the holy Sacrament without Praise and Admiration 2 For revealing this wonderful Love to us A Favour Thousands of Heathens and Infidels enjoy not at this Day nay are wholly ignorant of A Love which is a Mystery that puzzles the Understandings of the wisest Men. How God intends to deal with Heathens and Mahometant is hard to determine only in general we are told that those who have sinned without Law shall be judged without Law Rom. 2. 12. Nor can we assign a just and satisfactory Reason why he makes not these Nations Partakers of the glad Tidings of the Gospel much less why he continues these Revelations to the Christian World though corrupt and debauched to a Prodigy But this we know That if any Thing in the World deserves our Praises this that we have such a Treasure communicated to us deserves it and more especially in this Sacrament where this Mystery of Reconciliation is a most proper Object of our Meditation 3. For passing by the Apostate Spirits and offering the Mercy of Reconciliation to the Children of Men. The evil Angels sinned as well as we yet the Son of God took not upon him the Nature of Angels â—ut took the Seed of Abraham 'T is true there was more to be said for Adam's Fall than that of Lucifer That Son of the Morning was all Spirit and Understanding and Man had a Body of Earth about him which though not troublesom in Paradise yet was the apter to receive Impressions of Sin from external Objects The rebellious Angels were the first that made a Breach betwixt God and the Creature and Man was seduced by them
beautifie the Meek with Salvation Let the Saints be joyful in Glory let them sing aloud upon their Beds let them praise the Name of the Lord for his Name alone is excellent his Glory is above the Earth and Heaven III. See here how rich a Meal God the Father prepares for our Souls even the crucified Body of his Son Shall we look upon that Celestial Food with dull and careless Thoughts Can we behold this costly Bread and forbear crying out Lord for ever give us that Bread Christian if thou meanest to be saved by the crucified Body of thy Lord thou must needs eat of it Not only thy Mouth must eat the Sacramental Bread and chew it but thy Soul must ascend and employ her self in eating of the crucified Body represented by that Bread Thy Soul thy Mind thy Will thy Affections must have the greatest Share in eating at this Table Thy Body hath little to do here that is only the Chariot that brings thy Soul to this Banquet Thy Soul not being engaged and busie here in Thinking Admiration Resolution Love and Joy the Cringes and Bowings of thy Body will be insignificant The End of our common Eating is Assimilation and in our ordinary Meals we therefore eat Food agreeable to our Bodies that it may be united to our Substance mingle with our Blood and become one with our Bodies So here our Souls must feed on the crucified Body of the Lord Jesus that we may become one with him All Creatures may be said to be one with Christ as he is God as he is their Creator in which respect he fills Heaven and Earth with his Presence and is not far from every one of us and in him we live and breath and have our Being Nay in a more particular manner every Professor of Christianity may be said to be one with him as he professes the same Religion which Christ taught his Disciples But this is not the Union aimed at in this Sacrament nor can the Union which respects our Profession only give any great Comfort to a Christian. The Union designed by this Sacrament is effected by the Spirit of Christ Jesus and the Soul that unfeignedly see◠here on the crucified Body of her Master gets the same Spirit that dwelt in her crucified Lord which produces the same Graces in her that shined in that great Shepherd of Souls and the same Mind the same Temper the same Disposition in substance at least though not in the same Degree is effected and produced in her by this Spirit as we see Rem 8. 11. Phil. 2. 5. And this is that Union every true Communicant is to aim at and from hence flows a Communion with Christ in all his Privileges and Glories whereby the Soul is raised up together with Christ and made to sit together with him in Heavenly Places though not by way of actual Enjoyment as yet but by getting a Right and Title to those Privileges as the Apostle informs us Ephes. 2. 6. By feeding on this crucified Body the Soul is nourished and gathers Strength against her spiritual Enemies becomes bold in Temptations resolute in Dangers couragious in spiritual Enterprizes The Soul that comes to feed on this crucified Body and comes not with this Intent comes in vain comes only to stare upon the Cross but not to be refreshed by it The Soul that after the Sacrament yields wilfully to the same Temptations it did before is ensnared by the same sinful Pleasure that ruin'd it before is led Captive by the same Lusts that intangled her before certainly feeds not on the crucified Body of the Lord Jesus because the Contemplation of that Crucifixion works no suitable Effects which if it did the Soul would unfeignedly destroy the Body of Sin according to the Apostle's Rule Rom. 6. 6. and offer up her Body a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God as it is said Rom. 12. 1. Make the Body obedient to Reason and Sense to Faith and the Flesh to the Spirit and it would keep under the Body and bring it into Subjection as St. Paul did 1 Cor. 9. 27. i. e. it would deny the Body those Satisfactions which are manifest Hindrances to the Things of the Spirit it would force it to Temperance to Hardships to Industry and Laboriousness in God's Service it would strive and take care that the Body might become a Temple of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. 〈◊〉 what the Soul doth in this Ordinance would leave such a Sense upon us as would not only enable but constrain us to glorifie God both in Body and Soul as the Scripture requires 1 Cor. 6. 20. These are the blessed Effects of eating the crucified Body of the Lord Jesus And the Soul that feeds on that Body will find these happy Consequences it will not go away empty from this Meal and though for the present it doth not see all these Effects yet there is that Impression made on her by this Eating that these Effects will afterward discover themselves in her Life and Conversation The PRAYER O My God! What Care dost thou take of my immortal Soul that it may not starve Thou hast made large Provision for my Body in the Earth in the Air and in the Water The Earth brings forth Herbs and Roots and Cattel to feed it The Air affords Fowl and Feather'd Creatures to nourish it The Water provides Fish for it But none of all these can satisfie my Soul that must have a spiritual Diet and rather than it shall want thou hast given thine own Son to be her Food O mysterious Love Can I after tbis have low and mean Thoughts of thy Goodness O sweetest Jesu if my Soul feeds not on thee if must die and be separated from thy glorious Presence for ever If it feeds on thee it is made for ever Oh! be thou my most beloved and most delightful Food Thy crucified Body alone can keep my Soul from fainting Thy Death must yield me Life Thy Sufferings must give me Joy Thy Agonies must afford me Comfort Thy Torments must work mine Ease Thy Nails and Thorns must be my Bed of Roses Nothing else can give my Soul Rest. When the Snares of Death and Hell encompass me I will lay hold on these Horns of the Altar here I shall be safe safer than in the Arms of Angels Thou that diedst for me livest for ever to intercede for me and having such an Advocate I may come boldly to the Throne of Grace O let me not survey this glorious Provision made for my Soul with carnal Eyes O let me ponder seriously not with flying and transient but with steady and fixed Thoughts how thou hast favoured how thou hast loved how thou hast dignified this miserable Soul of mine that I may rejoyce in thee for ever and ever Amen CHAP. XII Of remembring Christ in this Sacrament or doing what we do here in remembrance of him The CONTENTS The Death of Christ Jesus the principal thing to be
the Lord Jesus will answer and though he may knock often yet at last the Gates will be opened to him The Everlasting Door the Gate of Grace and Mercy shall be unlocked to him and he shall get more Grace greater Strength larger Influences his Incomes shall be greater his Revenues more plentiful He will open the Windows of Heaven to him and refresh his Ground with kindly Showers They shall drop on the Pastures of the Wilderness and the little Hills shall rejoyce on every side Such a Receiver is like to abide in Christ and his Word like to abide in him He may be sure of his Love sure of his Friendship sure of his favourable Looks For him Christ laid down his Life indeed and he may be confident that he is one of his little Flock for he hears his Voice and is willing to be guided by him For him the Saviour of the World hath prepared a sure Refuge a Munition of Rocks where he shall dwell securely free from the stormy Wind and Tempest Such a Receiver believes in him and he shall not die Nay Though he were dead yet shall he live Because Christ lives he shall live too And though his Life be hid with Chrst in God yet when Christ who is his Life shall appear then shall he also appear with him in Glory His Faith shall at last be turned into Fruition his Hope into Vision his Expectations into Enjoyment He shall see Christ at last in his Majesty He shall see him in his Wedding-Robes He shall sit down with him at last at the Supper of the Lamb and lean on his Bosom and the Angels will say Behold the Disciple whom Jesus loved He shall walk with him in shining Garments and the King's Daughter which was all glorious within here shall be all glorious without too Her Glory shall be the Joy of Saints and the Envy of all wicked Men. Such a Person rejoyced in his ligâ—t here and he shall be decked with Eternal Light He that is the Light of both Worlds shall be his Everlasting Companion and Darkness shall not annoy him In a Word Christ will lift up the Light of his Countenance upon him and he shall be safe The PRAYER O Great and admirable Saviour who hast said I will give unto him that is a thirst the Fountain of the water of Life freely my Soul thirsteth for thee my Flesh longeth for thee in a a dry and thirsty Land where no water is to see thy Power and thy Glory I am unworthy to receive so Glorious a Guest into my Soul I am unworthy to wash the Feet of the Servants of my Lord Unworthy of the least Crum that falls from thy Table The Angels purer than the Sun think themselves unworthy to Praise and Glorifie thee How unworthy then must I think my self to receive thee the sweetest and the brightest Being into my House yet thou offerest to come and make thy abode with me What Bounty is this Whence is it that the Sovereign King of Heaven and Earth will come and dwell in me who am a sink of Misery a stye of uncleanness a den of filthiness How unworthy am I of this astonishing Saviour I freely confess that I have deserved to be plunged into the depth of Hell rather than to receive thee the Glory of Heaven and Earth into a Heart so defiled so polluted so corrupted with Sin and Misery Yet since thou dost freely offer me this unspeakable Mercy Come Lord and make thy Residence in my Soul I desire to receive thee with all Love and Purity and Devotion To this end destroy in me all that is contrary to thee and enrich my Soul with all suitable dispositions to receive thee I hate my Sins I renounce them I desire to think of them with horror because they were the cause of thy Torments and of that death thou sufferedst on the Cross I would hate them as the Angels and the Saints of Heaven do I am sensible thou art worthy of all Honour and Glory and from my Heart wish that I never had offended and dishonoured thee O that I had something of that Sorrow I see in thy Soul when thou madest thy Soul an offering for Sin Thy Soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death It was my Sin that caused that Sorrow O let me participate of that Sorrow O Jesu my Light my Righteousness my Sanctification my Redemption Open mine Eyes that I may see the vast Mercy offered me in this Blessed Sacrament Give me that Repentance that Faith that Love which may make me a worthy Receiver of thy Benefits I humble my self before thee I throw my self down at thy feet I give my self to thee I dedicate my Thoughts my Words my Actions my Understanding my Will my Affections to thy Service Set up thy Kingdom in my Soul Destroy my inordinate Self-Love my Anger my Pride and all my disorderly Inclinations Let thy Humility thy Charity thy Patience and all thy Graces reign in me Where thou art there is Heaven If thou art in me I shall not fear what Man or Devils can do against me for thou wilt hide me in the secret of thy Presence from the Pride of Man thou wilt keep me secretly in a Pavilion from the strife of Tongues Blessed be the Lord who hath shewed us his marvellous Kindness I will sing of the Mercies of the Lord for ever with my Mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all Generations Amen Amen CHAP. XVIII Of the sad Effects and Consequences of Unworthy Eating and Drinking in this Holy Sacrament and First of Temporal Judgments The CONTENTS The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is rendred Damnation explained and its various significations discussed Of Temporal Judgments in general which are or may be procured by Eating and Drinking unworthily at the Lord's Table Several Instances of Persons who have felt signal Judgments for prophaning Holy Things This applied to the Holy Sacrament How Men Eat and Drink Temporal Judgment to themselves explained There being many unworthy Receivers at this day who meet with no Signal Judgment in this Life what we are to think of it and how we are to reconcile this Impunity to the Truth of the Apostle's threatning A Question resolved whether such Judgments if they befall an unworthy Receiver do expiate his Sins God proved to be a consuming fire and in what sense Though it be dangerous to Eat and Drink unworthily yet this ought to be no discouragement from coming to the Lord's Table The Prayer I. THE Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 29. in general tells us He that Eats and Drinks unworthily Eats and Drinks Damnation to himself A fearful word The Writer of the Life of Ida de Nivella tells us that whenever she pass'd by the Altar where the Eucharist used to be celebrated a trembling seiz'd upon all her Joynts a kind of Ague fit came upon her and a Sacred horror invaded her Soul imitating the Earth in that particular which trembled at
this World may'st bid me enter into my Master's Joy 44. And it was about the Sixth Hour and there was a Darkness over all the Earth until the Ninth Hour THE Sun loses his Splendour at Noon The Deed was black and Heaven draws a Curtain over it Yet notwithstanding the Miracle the greatest part of the Spectators continue obstinate When Men's Hearts are set upon Sin and the World how little do even Miracles prevail O my Soul How many strange Providences hast thou seen and yet thou hast not mended thy Life upon it Thou hast seen Miracles of Judgment and Mercy yet thy Heart hath been hard Oh learn to take more notice of God's Dispensations and believe that the strange things that happen to thee and others are Calls from Heaven to the Inhabitants of the World to learn Righteousness 45. And the Sun was darken'd and the Veil of the Temple was rent in the midst WHat a Motive was this to Men to rend their Hearts This was a Sign that God would lay the Inclosure open and that Christ was to break down the Partition-Wall and make both Jews and Gentiles one To this Rent thou art beholden O my Soul Thy Father was an Amorite and thy Mother an Hittite thy Ancestors were Heathens and Idolaters by this Rent they were brought to the Light of the Gospel and upon that Account thou enjoyest the Gospel now Remember how unworthy of this Favour thou hast walked many Years and how thou hast dishonoured this Gospel with thy Life Oh learn to bring forth Fruits as become the Doctrine which is according unto Godliness and let thy Conversation be such as may promote God's Glory and thine Eternal Happiness 46. And when Jesus had cried with a loud Voice he said Father into thy Hands I commend my Spirit And having said thus he gave up the Ghost NOW the Sacrifice is offered and this Death reconciles God to the sinful World This Death which had been so often foretold both by the Prophets and Christ himself is at last accomplished and Pardon of Sin and the Possibility of Men's arriving to Eternal Life by a true Repentance is hereby purchased This Death puts an End to the Curse of the Law And from this Death O my Soul date thy Happiness Though wicked Men who had an Hand in it were the Means whereby it was effected yet the Son of God would die and his voluntary Death is the meritorious Cause of thy Eternal Life Oh look upon it with Wonder and Admiration And while thou standest amazed at it see withal how thou thy self may'st end thy Days If thou livest like a Child of God thy Father in Heaven will receive thee when thou diest Thy Father will not send thee to Hell but being a Father he will stretch forth his Almighty Arms and receive thee to himself like a faithful Creator 47. Now when the Centurion saw what was done he glorified God saying Certainly this was a righteous Man TO make a right Construction of Things is the Way to Spiritual Wisdom This Man justly concluded that Heaven could not possibly shew it self so much concern'd about a Person if he were not an extraordinary Favourite He judged rationally and this brought him to a true Knowledge of Christ and to an open Confession and Declaration of the Sufferer's Innocence O my Soul Consider by what Miracles and Testimonies that Truth thou professest hath been confirmed and conclude it is Divine No Religion hath those Evidences of its Divinity and Celestial Original that the Christian hath and coming from God thou hast the greatest Reason to believe that all its Promises and Threatnings will be fulfilled and seeing that all these shall be fulfilled what manner of Person oughtest thou to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness 48. And all the People that came together to that Sight beholding the things which were done smote their Breasts and returned SMiting their Breasts was a Sign of their Grief and Anger of their Grief because so excellent a Person had been so inhumanely butcher'd and of their Anger against those bloody Men that had condemned and executed him See here O my Soul what Entertainment thou art to give thy Sins In looking upon them divide thy Affections betwixt Grief and Anger Grieve that thou hast offered so many Indignities to thy Blessed Master Be angry with thy self for being so base and ungrateful Grieve that thou hast forgotten the End for which thou wast created and be revenged upon the Sins that caused it And the best Revenge is this to see and take care that thy Degrees of Sin be truly answered by thy Degrees of Sanctification and Heavenly-mindedness 49. And all his Acquaintance and the Woman that followed him from Galilee stood afar off beholding these things THough it is some Ages since Christ was crucified yet in imitation of these Religious Women thou may'st stand afar off O my Soul and behold the Spectacle still When the Circumstances of it are left thee in Writing and the doleful Story stands upon Record thou canst ascend Mount Calvary and see those things acted as if thou hadst been present And Oh little dost thou think how much this Sight will edifie thee Look often upon the Cross and thou wilt find what a Damp it will strike upon all thy sinful Pleasures and how little reason thou hast to hancker after those things whereof so many good Men after they have been sensible of their Errours have been ashamed 50. And behold there was a Man named Joseph a Councillor and he was a good Man and a just IN the midst of Temptations God preserves this Man though his Riches Greatness Reputation and Friendship of the Grandes did strongly entice him to consent to the Death of the Lord Jesus yet he would not and was resolved rather to hazard all than have an hand in the Condemnation This was an Argument of a generous Spirit to bear up under the strongest Assaults and Enticements in the World and to keep an uncorrupt Soul in the midst of Dirt and Filthiness Thou livest in a very evil Generation O my Soul Dare to preserve thine Integrity in the midst of all the Floods of Ungodliness that surround thee And the more thou art discouraged from Goodness and Righteousness the more vigorously stand up for it and maintain it and thy God will be with thee 51. The same had not consented to the Counsel and Deed of them He was of Arimathea 4 City of the Jews who also himself waited for the Kingdom of God TO wait for the Kingdom of God is the Way to resist and to overcome Temptations He that is resolved not to lose his Share in God's Kingdom hereafter will not stand upon his Losses and Crosses here for he knows that the future Kingdom will recompense all No Nan will venture so much for Christ as he that firmly believes the Kingdom of God and fixes his Eye of Faith upon it O my Jesus Give me a clearer Sight of
despised by thee than to be made the filth and off-scouring of all things Give me a just esteem of thy favour let me prefer it before all the Contents of this present World Let me feel that thy loving kindness is better than life this life will sade away but thy Mercy endureth for ever Let Goodness and Mercy follow me all the days of my life and make me dwell in thy House for ever Amen CHAP. II. Of the Mystery of Christ's Instituting this Sacrament in that very Night in which he was betray'd The CONTENTS The Treachery of Judas His Character and how That is imitated by Nominal Christians at this day Christ betray'd to wicked Men and to Devils betray'd partly for filthy Lucre partly for his unchangeable integrity The same is still done by Hypocrites in Religion This Sacrament instituted that very Night when he was betrayed for three Reasons The different appearances of Sin when Surveyed slightly and when considered in its designs and Tendencies While we detest the Treason of Judas we are to take heed we do not become guilty of the same Crime The Prayer 1. THough in the first Chapter I have already hinted the reason why Christ made use of the Night to institute this Holy Sacrament yet the Evangelists laying an Emphasis or weight upon his instituting of it that night in which he was betray'd it 's fit we should search into the Mystery of it But before we can do this some Circumstances of that Treason must be considered which will give light to Christ's design in pitching upon that time and no other The Person that did venture on this height of Impiety was Judas Iscariot a a Man who by this Treason hath indeed left an Everlasting Name behind him but such an one as all Ages must detest and talk of with greater Indignation than the Heathens did of Herostratus who to make himself illustrious by doing mischief burnt the famous Temple of Diana By this Man the Ever-blessed JESUS was betrayed and if you will allow me to give a true Character of him some of us in this Glass may see their own treachery and deformity 1. He was betray'd by one who made profession of Religion but was a Hypocrite i.e. his Actions contradicted his Profession professing one thing he did another and seeming to be good he proved a Devil Hypocrisie at this day makes Men Traitors to Christ even their coming to the Temple of the Lord and adhering to their known Sins their frequenting the Ordinances of God and being unconcerned at his Promises and Threatnings their believing the Articles of Religion and acting contrary to the design of them their sinding fault with those sins in others which they have no aversion from in themselve their speaking honourably of God with their Lips and dispensing with affronts put upon him in their practices and what can we call this but Judas-like to betray the Son of Man with a Kiss to say Hail-Master and deliver him to be Crucified to cry Hosanna and by and by Away with him at once to embrace and to decide him to hug and to contemn him to how the knee to him and mock him and in imitation to the rude Soldiery to cloath him with Purple and to strike and buffet him 2. He was betray'd by one who by no argument of love or mercy could be wrought into a sincere reformation He had seen the Miracles of his Master himself by his Masters influence did wonders and he saw Divinity shine in him nor was Christ wanting in warning Teaching Instructing Entreating and admonishing of him yet nothing could prevail with him to purge out the Leven of Malice and wickedness and is not Christ betray'd this way by thousands at this day He that despises you saith he to his Servants and Instruments despises me and then if his calling to Men by his Ministers by signal providences by Mercies by Afflictions by their Consciences by their Infirmities and Sicknesses Weaknesses and approaching Death will not make them sensible of their Duty if in despite of his endeavours to keep them from being undone they scorne both his Yoak and his Love what greater treason can they be guilty of especially where they make his mercy a shelter for their sin are therefore evil because he is good and are tempted by his Patience to be refractory and obstinate II. He was betray'd both to wicked Men and Devils 1. To Wicked Men such as the Scribes and Elders of the Jews his sworn Enemies and this way he is still betray'd for though there be no Scribes no Pharises at this day yet there are Atheistical and sensual Men who seeing Christ's Religion made a Clock for ill Designs and bad Practices take occasion from thence to speak evil of it as David having professed much zeal to God and falling afterwards into very monstrous sins made the Enemies of the Lord Blaspheme and laugh at the advantages the Jews boasted of above the Doctrines and Principles of their Neighbour-Idolaters Indeed to see Men wicked and vain under a shew of Piety and while they profess to be followers of Jesus live directly contrary to the example and precepts of the Holy Jesus makes that pretended Devotion ridiculous and instead of converting Men of loose Principles drives them farther off and tempts them to think all Religion to be nothing but a Cheat And though this Inference is unjust and absurd yet still these dangerous Inferences will be laid at their door who either contradicted the Principles of their Religion by their actions or made it a Stalking horse to ill Designs and Purposes 2. He was betray'd to Devils too who seeing him in the hands of bloody and barbarous Men left and forsaken as it were by Heaven and that Divinity which dwelt there took the greater boldness to set upon him by temptations and as these foes watch opportunities and then molest most when Men are least able to controul their insolence so seeing the Saviour of the World thus seemingly forsaken we may suppose they assaulted him with greater fierceness partly because his design had been to destroy their Kingdom and partly because he had so often dispossessed them of their Habitations It is therefore the Opinion of the Learned Men that in the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ fell into trembling fits the Devil appeared to him in a visible and most dismal shape which occasions an Angels descent from above to comfort him but whether it were so or no the Fiend seeing him betray'd and deliver'd into the hands of his own slaves without all peradventure triumph'd in his misery and insulted over him with greater scorn and in imitation of David's Enemies cry'd Aha So would he have it so doth the Hypocrite betray Christ to the Devil who hearing the painted Christian talk of Mortification and contempt of the World the two fundamental points of his Masters Religion and seeing him act point blank against them doth not only deride and despise Religion but casts
Word As the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God Psal. 42 1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord Psal. 84. 1 2. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy righteous judgments at all times And though I grant something of an Hyperbole in those Phrases yet still they import that his desires were strong hearty and vehement and such must be the desires of the Soul in eating the Lord's Supper to be conformable to her Lord and Master 3. It is to eat with unfeigned resolutions to resist all known temptations to those particular this we are most prone and inclined to this shews that we eat with an 〈◊〉 to grow strong and that this is a true Sacrament to us or a Vow whereby we tie our selves to be faithful to our General and to fight against his Enemies Many a man that comes to the Lord's Supper feels some faint resolutions against Sin in general but that works upon him no more than sparks of Fire serve to warm a frozen man and therefore it 's necessary that in eating a Christian should feel invincible resolutions to subdue those particular sins he is most apt to fall or rush into and to which his Calling Employment Converse and Figure in the World doth most solicite and tempt him else he beats the Air and fights with shadows and if he doth not single out those Enemies that are most apt to do him mischief resolution to fight against the powers of Darkness in general gives these unregarded sins that do him most hurt opportunity to live secure and to keep possession of what they have already got into their clutches The Preceeding Considerations reduced to Practice I. THE manner of any Religious performance makes it either pleasing or displeasing to God This turns the scales and two acts of Piety which seem to be the same many times are not because the manner of the performance makes a vast difference in the value The examples of the Publican and the Pharisee praying in the Temple and Abel's and Cain's offering Sacrifices are notorious instances of this truth David pays his Vows Psal. 66. 13. So doth the Harlot mention'd in Prov. 7. 14. The former is precious in the sight of God the later odious the reason is the former proceeded from a sense of gratitude and a relish of the Sweetness of God's Service the other from a base design to compensate God for the sins the strange Woman lived and delighted in It is so in eating the Lord's Supper and as St. Paul saith of the Jews They are not all Israel which are of Israel neither because they are the Seed of Abraham are they all children Rom. 9. 6 7. so all that seem to eat of the Lord's Supper do not therefore eat to the same purpose some eat as Enemies others as Children some as Strangers others as Domesticks some as Slaves others as Heirs of the Promise Look to the manner of thy Eating Christian. Eat like a person that is sensible he sits down at the Table of the greatest Prince the Prince himself being present Eat like a person sensible that the King in whose presence thou art is thy best and greatest Friend Eat like a person sensible that thou hast deserved to sup with Devils to feed on Flames and to drink the Dregs of the Cup of God's anger Eat like a person sensible that from the condition of a miserable Slave thou art advanced to the Dignity of a Child and Son of God Eat like a person sensible that no merit no desert of thine nothing but the incomprehensible Goodness of God hath brought thee to this Honour and Prerogative and it 's impossible thou canst eat amiss for this sense will oblige thee to eat with joy and trembling which is the most proper Devotion for a Creature to express in the presence of his Creator II. Conversation is a great means to do things as we ought He that converses with men of his own Trade will learn how to manage it to his advantage He that converses with great Persons learns how to please them He that converses with ingenious Workmen learns to do things to his and other's satisfaction The same Rule is to be observed in eating the Lord's Supper and he cannot but eat it to God's liking and his own comfort that before he eats converses with himself and while he is eating converses with God and after he hath eaten converses with the holy Angels 1. Conversing with our selves before we eat consists in asking our Hearts What have I done What sins are those that I am apt to lodge in my Bosom What evil desires am I ready to entertain What disorders what corruptions find countenance or approbation in my Soul Is it revenge Is it rendring railing for railing Is it frothy discourses Is it vain Romantick Imaginations Is it weariness of God's Service Is it backwardness to Holy Duties Is it unwillingness to to know the Will of God Is it discontent in the condition I am in Is it intemperance in Eating and Drinking Is it a desire of Vain-glory Is it sudden Anger Is it Impatience or Worldly sorrow Is it Grief and vexation that I cannot have my Will in such outward things as my Appetite desires Is it Lov◠and Affection to the Vanities of this World What dangerous Guests are those And shall I entertain them What are these but Enemies to the Cross And shall I make much of them or let them go out and in without controul Either these Corruptions must be gone or my Saviour will not stay with me Shall I with the Jews refuse my great Redeemers company and desire a Barabbas I am now going to the Cross of Christ and shall I approach with these Ensigns of Rebellion in my Soul Will Christ vouchsafe a favourable Look to me where he sees such Satyrs dance I am going to Mount Calvary and shall these menstruous rags be my Attendance No no I will not loose Heaven for this I will set my Face against these Foes I will let them see that there is something dearer to me than their Presence or Company even he who laid down his life for me These Bryers and Thorns shall not stop my way Away ye evil Spirits you have haunted me long enough I 'll be afraid of you no longer I 'll take courage and fight against you for God is on my side Why should I fear in the day of Trouble 2. Conversing with God when we Eat imports contemplating what God hath done for us in Christ Jesus how God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their Trespasses unto them for in this Contemplation the Soul addresses her self to God O my God what cost and charges hast thou been at to redeem such a Wretch as I am How hast thou bow'd the Heavens Lord thou didst make thy self a Curse for me that
the Honour of the true God which the Pagans did to their false and imaginary Deities Yet see the abuse of these Feasts of Charity 1 Cor. 11. 22. especially in the Church of Corinth in the days of the Apostles For St. Paul being busie abroad partly in Planting partly in Confirming Churches the richer sort of the Christians at Corinth began to think it below them to admit the poor to that Familiarity as to eat with them in these charitable Collations and therefore either prompted by their own Pride or encouraged by some false Teachers that had Mens Persons in admiration because of advantage would indeed send the Meat and Drink they had prepared to those Oratories or places of publick worship but when they came they superciliously separated themselves from the Poorer sort and ate and drank by themselves and so freely that many of them became drunk and in that condition had the hellish impudence afterward to come to the holy Sacrament If they left any thing at these Feasts the Poor might take it and make the best of it if not they were forced to go away hungry and too often discontented So early grew this abuse and though in Process of time these Feasts were used after the Eucharist and in many places in Church-yards at the celebration of the Memories of holy Martyrs at the Dedication of Churches and at the Funerals of holy Men and Women yet nothing could keep out Intemperance and Excess and Disorders for which reason the Church at last thought herself obliged to abolish and put them down which was done accordingly by the Council of Laodicea in the Year of our Lord 364. by the Council of Carthage in the Year 419. and by the Council of Constantinople in the Year 692. II. Whence Abuses of Holy things arise is no hard matter to guess for 1. We find them spring from an Itch of Novelty Men not contented with the plain and simple Truths God hath vouchsafed to Mankind are strangely tickled with new things which are often called Refinings or Improvements of old Truths under which plausible name they are easily swallowed down Hence rose the various Idolatries in the World that it became as modish to invent new Gods as it was to invent new Fashions in Cloaths and Habits Adam no doubt deliver'd the notion of one Eternal invisible God Creator of Heaven and earth and the decent worship of him to his posterity This notion being become common and stale the succeeding Ages thought themselves obliged to invent something new and counted it more gay and glorious to worship the Creator in the Creature and seeing the Sun and Moon and Stars that they were the brightest Monuments of God's Power they easily fell into the Worship of those Luminaries till the more brutish among the People adored them as Gods indeed and this novelty once broach'd one God brought in another and as Men were still fond of Novelties so they went on and fell a Worshipping deceased Hero's and Princes in whom the Image of the Supreme Deity resided and who had been famous for some notable exploits or benefits and from hence they still went on even to the Worshipping of Trees Herbs Plants Beasts Crocodils Fishes and creeping things one Age still thinking to out-do the other in new inventions of objects of Worship till it came to pass that those were counted most Religious that Worshipt the greatest number of Gods as the Athenians who had more Gods than any one City besides of which the Apostle takes notice Acts 17. 22 23. 2. Another cause of these abuses is an Opinion That God is pleased more with the Externals than the Internals of Religion an Opinion which Men are very apt to slide into because they find the Internal Devotion is troublesome and requires intention of the Mind and mortification of the Affections and the other is more easily performed To this Original the Corruptions that did over-spread the Jewish Church owe their rise who in despight of all the Warnings of the Prophets to the contrary laid the stress of their Piety on the strict observations of their Sabbaths new Moons Sacrifices Phylacteries and legal Purifications This gave Mahomet occasion to corrupt Religion for knowing what would please the sensual inclinations of Men he craftily drew People away from the Internal Worship and Consecration of the Souls and Affections to the Supreme Being and taught them to place all Devotion in these five external Acts of Worship Saying their Prayers five times a day keeping the Mouth Ramasan giving the hundredth part of their incomes to Pious uses Washing before Prayer and making a Pilgrimage if possible to Mecca And thus the Church of Rome at this day comes to deviate from the true Religion not only by adding new Articles of Faith to the antient Creeds but by turning the whole Worship of God in a manner into Ceremonies and external Services Saying so many Ave-Maries visiting such a Saint's Shrine Processions offering Wax-Candles to the Virgin Praying by Beads undergoing Penances c. 3. A Third cause of these abuses is a mistake of Fancy and Passion for true Religion and Revelation From hence have come all the barbarous attempts of Pretenders to the true Religien against Magistrates and a well setled Church and State From hence have risen all those Enthusiastical conceits both in this and former Ages whereby the Gospel it self hath been in danger of being overthrown From hence come those rude and undigested Notions of Hildegard Bridget Catharine of Siena Teresa St. Francis and others in Popery who by their Dreams and Visions have sought to establish the erroneous Doctrines of the Roman Church From hence it was that the Messaliani of Old pretended and made People believe that upon a Man's Regeneration or being purged from Sin the Devil and his Angels came out of his Mouth in the shape of Swine To say no more in Men and Women whose notions of Religion are crude and undigested and who are made up of a strong Fancy and stronger Passions Religion must needs run into Wild-fire and pervert the simplicity of the Gospel 4. A Fourth Cause is suiting Religion to our own Humours Lusts and Interest The Tartars therefore embraced the Mahometan Religion and rejected the Christian because the former gave greater liberty to the Flesh. This made the Heathens invent to themselves Deities that were favourers of their Vices And from hence it was that in the Primitive Church Basilides Carpocrates Valentinus the Nicolaitans and Archonticks denied the necessity of a Holy Life because they loved to wallow like Swine in the Mire and in all probability upon this ground it was that Hymeneus and Philetus as the Apostle informs us 2 Tim. 17 18. affirm'd and gave out that the Resurrection was already past because they were loath to be called to an account for their evil lives 5. False Teachers and turbulent Souls are another cause Discontented Men because they cannot be Great or Rich or have their Will
Sacrament which is to consecrate our selves to God in Christ Jesus and that is not to be done without a very serious Use of this Ordinance in which we acknowledge with the deepest Humility that our Souls and Bodies and all the Gifts and Graces we have are the Effects of his Bounty and declare our unfeigned Purposes to speak and act and think as he would have us and dedicate our selves to his Service professing that we will use the Blessings he hath given us to his Glory and the Good of his People will resign our selves to his Providence and be content with the Lot and Portion he shall think fit to assign us and be thankful for Afflictions too as well as for Prosperity they being both his Gifts and Blessings and say and confess under the various Dispensations we shall meet withal Lord not as I will but as thou wilt And who can forget himself so much as to think that all this may be done without a serious Behaviour IV. The Church of Rome at this Day makes strange Work with Consecration of the Elements in the Supper of the Lord. And though they are told by one of their own Popes Gregory the Great that the Apostles consecrated only with saying the Lord's Prayer yet they boldly according to their Custom place Consecration in the Priests muttering these Words Hoc est Corpus meum hic est Sanguis meus This is my Body This is my Blood over the Bread and Wine Which Words partly by their own secret Virtue and partly by virtue of the Priest's Office immediately upon their being secretly pronounced change the Bread and Wine into the substantial Body and Blood of Christ whereof we shall have Occasion to speak more largely in the Sequel And this is their Consecration contrary to the Sense of the Primitive Church which was of Opinion that Consecration was performed by Prayer and Praises And though some think that Christ used a peculiar Form of Consecration which is either lost or the Church did not think necessary to preserve yet that Fancy is altogether needless since we are told by the inspired Writers that Christ gave Thanks In which he either observ'd the usual Form used in the Passover Blessed be God who hath created the Fruit of the Earth and Blessed be God who hath created the Fruit of the Vine Or Blessed be thou O Lord our God King of the World who bringest forth Bread out of the Earth and Blessed be thou O Lord our God King of the World who createst tbe Fruit of the Vine Or some other though it is more probable that he did not vary from the common Practice of the Jews in this Particular And what is this but Consecrating the Elements and Sanctifying of them For every Creature of God is good and not to be refused for it is sanctified by the Word of God and by Prayer saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 4. 4 5. The Greek Church at this Day lays the Stress of Consecration upon the Prayer of the Holy Ghost as they call it whereby the Holy Spirit of God is invited to come down and make a Change in the Bread and Wine In our Church we joyn Prayer and Praises and the Words of Institution which is the safest Way and such as no rational Person can find fault with though the Words of Institution are sufficient in this Case which we discover in our Practice when the first Consecrated Bread and Wine are spent and the Number of the Communicants require a new Consecration V. Though the Gospel tells us only in general that Christ gave Thanks yet we cannot but suppose that they were particular Things he praised the Divine Bounty for and it is very rational to conclude that he gave Thanks 1. For the Providence of God which watches over Mankind and brings forth Fruit out of the Earth to satisfie the Desire and natural Appetite of Man God the Creator of all Things provides Food and Sustenance for all his Creatures He causes the Grass to grow for the Cattel He sends the Springs into the Valleys which run among the Hills they give Drink to every Beast of the Field the Wild Asses quench their Thirst the Lions receive their Prey from him He it is that hath appointed Toads and Snakes to be proper Meat for the Stork and Flies for the Nourishment of Spiders for some Birds of the Air he hath design'd Variety of Seeds and Worms of the Earth for others He provides Leaves for Caterpillars and those Insects for the Use of other Animals and the young Ravens that make a noise and upon that Account are said to cry to him are fed and maintain'd by his Power He prevents the Crocodile from doing excessive Mischief by making the Ichneumon his Enemy and the lesser Fishes prove a Prey to the greater by his Order In all these Things the Divine Providence displays it self and because the rest of the Creatures are not endow'd with Reason to celebrate God for his Bounty he hath placed Man in the Earth and enrich'd him with an Angelical Soul to be the Trumpet of his Glory and to take notice of God's feeding his Creatures of all sorts and sizes and particularly the Children of Men and when he sees Bread before him the Staff of Humane Life to admire the Wisdom Power and Goodness of the Almighty And upon this Account it was that Christ as Man and Mediator gave Thanks and when he took Bread blessed the Author of it who had made it agreeable to Man's Nature and gave it Strength to nourish him sent the Former and the Later Rain to nourish the Seed in the Ground and gave his Sun-shine to warm and ripen the Corn into Perfection 2. It was not God's Providence alone that he gave Thanks for but for the more indearing Expressions of God's Love to Mankind too And this we need not wonder at when we read how at other Times he magnified his Father's Goodness to sincere Believers particularly Matth. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes No Man ever saw the immense Charity and Goodness of God to the lapsed Progeny of Adam in those lively Characters that he did We can only speak of it with stammering Tongues and give some faint Descriptions of it but He felt it The Sense of that Love over-spread his Soul and he saw the Heighth and Depth and Breadth and Length of it He beheld the Miracles of this Love in all the amazing Circumstances and what it was for God to give a Son to redeem a Servant to expose a Lamb to buy a Wolf and to let an innocent Sheep be led to the Slaughter to ransom Swine He saw how that Compassion extended it self and what it was for the Word to be made Flesh and to run about to seek the lost Sheep and when he had found it to rejoyce over it and
yet still these Spirits as bright as they were were Creatures and as Creatures mutable and as mutable subject to falling and falling might expect Mercy and Compassion from an All-merciful Master yet in the great Work of Redemption no Regard is had to them but to Man only and he alone with his Race and Posterity is put in a Possibility of being saved and pardon'd a Mercy fit to be remembred in this Sacrament but not to be remembred without Thanksgiving and Praises 4. For the Opportunity we have of remembring Christ's Death in the holy Sacrament That we have Liberty to meet in the House of God to behold his Power and Glory to speak of his Love and Compassion and to come to his Table and to come of often and so freely without Disturbance or Molestation without Fear of Danger from the Tabernacles of Edom or from the Ishmaelites from Moab or the Hagarens Though these are Things which seem to be no great matter to an Eye that looks on Things superficially yet to a Person that knows how in the Greek Church the holy Sacrament is consecrated but once a Year how in Heathenish Countries where Ministers of the Word are scarce this Ordinance is used but seldom and how great an Hindrance to Goodness the celebrating it but rarely is how apt the Inward Man in such Cases is to faint and languish and grow sick for want of it will think himself obliged to open his Heart and Mouth in Praises at this holy Table and adore the Divine Bounty which hath given him Will and Strength and Opportunity to come to this comfortable Ordinance 5. For feeling our Hearts affected with the Mystery of Reconciliation or finding in our selves those happy Qualifications which make us worthy Receivers at this Table To feel in our Hearts a lively Faith a Faith which with Moses sees him that is invisible a Faith that overcomes the World a Faith that purifies the Heart a Faith that with Abraham moves us to sacrifice and offer that to God which is most dear to us a Faith that makes us patient under Reproaches and Injuries a Faith that is fruitful in good Works To find in our selves an Hope that makes not ashamed an Hope that makes us wait for the Kingdom of God as the Husbandman waits for the Fruit of the Earth an Hope that upholds our Hearts in Afflictions an Hope that makes us look upon that within the Vail into the Sanctuary of Heaven and counts the Troubles of this present Life not worthy to be compared with the Glory which ere long shall be revealed in us To find in our selves an holy Charity which believes the best of our Neighbours and thinks no Evil except there be very great Cause for it a Charity which suppresses Revenge and Malice and not only suppresses it for the present but labours to destroy it too a Charity which moves us to Kindness and Compassion not only verbal but actual a Charity which makes us tender-hearted forgiving one another and forbearing one another To find all this in some measure must needs fill our Hearts with strong Desires and Endeavours to be thankful VII This Praise and Thanksgiving cannot but be essential to this holy Sacrament not a mere Ornamental Thing without which the blessed Effects may be perceived and felt For 1. Is it possible to behold God's bleeding Love and not cry Praise the Lord O Jerusalem Praise thy God O Zion Is it possible to see the surprizing Humiliation of the Son of God and not to say Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Is it possible to see God offer himself for his Enemies and not to sâ—ng Lord what is Man that thou so regardest him and the Sons and Daughters of Men that thou hast such Respect to them Is it possible to see Innocence nailed to the fatal Cross not for any Sins of its own but for our Transgressions and not to break forth into Admiration with St. John Behold what manner of Love the Father hath shewn to us that we should be called the Sons of God The Heart must be of Stone that can survey these Wonders and be silent or dumb to joyful Praises 2. What Comfort or Consolation can be supposed to flow into the Soul without it Praise is the Gate of Mercy The Soul that praises the Divine Love much will have a greater Sense of his Love and feel the Power of it and feel how it melts the Heart supples the Spirit softens the Inward Man and makes it fit for the Impress of the Image of the Son of God As the Jews say of the Spirit of Prophesse That it rests on valiant and chearful Men so it may be said of the Divine Love Where the Soul is much and often engaged in Praises of it there it loves to dwell there it is ready to build Tabernacles and take up its Residence The Preceeding Considerations reduced to Practice I. EVen the meanest Capacities from hence learn the Way to arrive to holy Thoughts viz. by making the most ordinary Blessings Occasions of Praise and Thanksgiving Nothing is more common than Bread yet for this the Son of Man gave Thanks and in doing so bid us imitate his Practice when the like familiar Mercies come before us or present themselves to our View About the Time of the Council at Constance two Cardinals as they were travelling upon the Road not far from the City saw a poor Shepherd weeping and thinking that some sad Accident might have befallen him either his Dog lost or some of his Sheep stolen had the Curiosity to ask him the Reason of his Tears who answer'd I am looking here upon a Toad and cannot but weep to think what an ungrateful Beast I have been to my God to whom I never before in all my Life gave Thanks that he â—e did not make me so homely and so odious a Creature The Truth is you and I can hardly walk the Street but we meet with Men either ragged or lame or maim'd or blind or dumb or some other way deform'd and extreamly miserable Can we look on such Objects and not think with our selves what a Favour and Mercy it was in our great and gracious God not to plunge us into that wretched State but to give us Necessaries and Conveniencies a right Shape and Soundness of Limbs c. These 't is true are but very ordinary Blessings yet if we consider how many Thousands want them and that God who can do all Things and whose Hand is to be seen in all Things might as easily have reduced us to such a miserable Condition as he hath done others and that it is nothing but his Infinite Goodness and Wisdom that hath made this Distinction this cannot but quicken our Understandings And if so none of us can complain that we have no Faculty of furnishing our Minds with holy Thoughts To this purpose certainly was our Reason given us that we might
remembred in this Sacrament What kind of Death it was shewn in four Particulars How this Death is to be remembred The Benefits of this Remembrance laid down Though the Death of Christ be the principal thing that is to be remembred in this Sacrament yet that puts no stop to other Remembrances Christ's Example makes it lawful to preserve the memory of any signal Mercy or Providence we meet with Those that do not remember Christ's Death in this Sacrament do very much forget themselves The remembrance of his Death a Motive to forget the World and the Vanities of it This Remembrance the best Defensative against Sin The Prayer I. AS these words Do this in remembrance of me do necessarily import the Bread in this Sacrament to be a Memorial of Christ's Crucified Body or that which is to put us in mind of it and consequently suppose that Christ's real Body is absent so how Christ is to be remembred here must needs be worth our serious enquiry What Christ calls Doing in remembrance of him the Apostle the best Interpreter of his words stiles Shewing forth his Death 1 Cor. 11. 26. So that his Death is the thing that is to be remembred here by all the Communicants And that this Death is worth our serious remembrance will easily appear if we consider what Death the Death of Christ Jesus was For 1. It was the Death of God According to the Quality of the Person dying so his Death is more or less surprizing hence the Death of a King makes a greater noise in the World than that of a Peasant The Death remembred here is the Death of the King of Kings and though as God he could not dye yet it may truly be said that he that was God did die not in his Godhead but in his Humanity not as dwelling in a Light inaccessible but as dwelling in a Tabernacle of Flesh. Plutarch relates that he had heard his Master Epitherses tells this Story How in the Emperor Tiberius's time under whom Christ suffered intending to Sail into Italy he went aboard of a Ship laden with many Goods and Passengers One Evening coming near certain Islands call'd the Echinades the Wind slackening and the Ship being becalm'd with a slow pace they arriv'd at last at the Isle of Paxae Several of the Seamen and Passengers sitting up that Night and drinking on a suddain from off the Island came a Voice calling to Thamus the Master of the Ship thrice When you are come as far as the Palodes proclaim that the Great PAN is dead The Master and his Company doubtful what to do whether they should do according to the import of the Voice or no resolved at last if the Wind favour'd them to pass by the Palodes and say nothing but if they were becalm'd about that place then to cry as they were directed So sailing on and coming to the place they found themselves strangely becalm'd whereupon Thamus call'd aloud That the Great PAN was dead which words he had no sooner spoken but great Howlings and Sighings and Lamentations were heard By PAN the Heathens meant the God of the Universe or him that rul'd govern'd and influenced all and it 's probable this Voice had relation to Christ Jesus who suffered about that time at Jerusalem and that upon the news of this Death Howlings were heard it 's very likely this noise was made by Fiends and Devils whom the Death of the Son of God filling all in all put into those excesses of consternation and sorrow And lest any Man should object That the Furies of Hell had no reason to mourn at his Death but might rejoyce rather that their great Antagonist was gone it must be noted That they feared the Power and Virtue of that Death such Virtue as in a short time would make all the Powers of Darkness tremble and destroy their Empire When Abner Saul's General was carried to his Grave King David follow'd the Herse and said Know ye not that there is a Prince and a great Man fallen this day in Israel 2 Sam. 3. 38. If such a death as Abner's deserv'd to be taken notice of what must we think of the Death of the Lord Jesus Not a Great Man only but one of whom it was said Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the Earth and the Heavens are the work of thy Hands Heb. 1. 10. How justly is this death remembred by his Followers And what a mixture of Passions Amazement as well as Gladness Trembling as well as rejoycing ought it to cause in all Christian Hearts to think that our God died for us A Captain hath his like a General his Fellow a Prince may be parallel'd with others a King may meet with others of his Rank and Quality but God hath no equal 2. It was the Death of a Person higher than the highest for his Enemies Regulus Codrus Mutius and among the Jews Moses had courage to die for their Country and the good of the People they were related to but still they were their Friends but here a Person ador'd by Angels worshipp'd by all the Host of Heaven the Comfort of Paradise the Joy of Seraphim the Terror of Devils the Lord of Life the Eternal Son of God the Brightness of his Father's Glory and the express Image of his Person dies for Men for Men miserable and wretched for Men that were Sinners for Men that were proper Objects of his Justice for Men that were haters of God acted like Enemies had affronted their Maker Crucified their Redeemer came out against him as against a Thief who took pleasure in trampling on his Laws rejoyced in their Disobedience had made a Covenant with Hell conspired against him who had given them their Being laugh'd on the brink of Destruction were Heirs of Hell and had no other Inheritance but Damnation for such this wonderful Person dies and this makes his death miraculous and astonishing Rom. 5. 8. 3. It 's Death that Nature and all the Elements were confounded at and Heaven and Earth seem'd to be at strife which of them should be most concern'd at it insomuch that we are told of Dionysius the Areopagite the Person mention'd Acts 17. 34. when he was yet under the Clouds of Paganism that beholding the stupendous Eclipse of the Sun which happen'd about the time that the Saviour of the World died brake forth into this memorable saying That certainly either Nature was going to be dissolv'd or the God of Nature suffer'd If ever Nature endur'd a Convulsion-Fit it did now The Sun disdain'd to look upon the barbarity of the Murther and hid his Face that he might not see his Creator die The Earth trembl'd as if it were asham'd to see Men stupid at the dreadful Spectacle The Rocks broke as if they would testifie against the Sinners that could stand under the Cross without broken Hearts The Vail of the Temple was rent as if it would chide the Wretches that could see the
And from hence flows the joyful Exclamation of the Apostle Gal. 2. 20. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me and the Life I now live I live by Faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me For this Faith enlightens the Soul gives it clear Apprehensions of Christ's Love makes her active and lively and teaches her to overcome the World 1 John 5. 4. 4. This Remembrance is making Approaches to Heaven and Eternal Happiness Every fresh Remembrance is another Step to Paradise What an Encouragement is this to come to the holy Sacrament Every time we thus remember the Death of Christ we get nearer to the Throne on which the victorious Son of God sits triumphing over Hell and Devils For the oftner he is remembred thus the more our Souls are elevated and become more spiritual in their Aspirations and the farther we proceed in Grace the nearer we come to Glory Heaven in Scripture is compared to an Hill and is the Mount where God is seen Every time we come to the Table of our Lord and remember him thus we climb higher and mount up with Wings as Eagles till at last we reach the Top where there is a perfect Calm no Air no Wind no Tempest no infectious Breath to disturb the Conquerors IV. But though the Death of Christ be the chief Object of our Remembrance at this holy Table yet that is no Argument but that we may lawfully remember some other Things relating to his Person or Greatness or Holiness particularly 1. His Divine Life before he was Incarnate A Life which no mortal Tongue can describe A Life in the Explication of which the blessed Cheruhims themselves must fall short A Life known to none but to him who knows all who hath Life in himself and is the Life and the Father of the Spirits of all Flesh. How truly might he say to the Jews Joh. 8. 58. Before Abraham was I am He was indeed from all Eternity lived in the Bosom of the Everlasting Father and his Life was most pure some holy most peaceable most pleasant most glorious A Life of infinite Content of infinite Satisfaction of infinite Joy and of infinite Love A Life spent in Eternal Love of the great Fountain of Divinity the express Image of which he was A Life employed in kind Thoughts to poor Mortals and in Divine Contrivances how their Misery might be retriv'd their Bands loosen'd their Dangers overcome their Enemies vanquished and their Souls advanced to Celestial Mansions A Life undisturbed by the Noise of Wars unacquainted with Tumults free from all Annoyances unmolested by the Disorders of a giddy and confused World A Life of Eternal Calmness which no Waves no Billows no Wind no Storms no Tempests could discompose A Life of perfect Serenity and immense Sweetness A Life employed in the Eternal and Incomprehensible Enjoyment of his own Perfections and which the inspired King gives us a very lofty Description of Prov. 1. This life Christ lived before he was pleased to visit this benighted World with his healing Beams and it concerns us to remember this Life that from that Consideration his Humiliation in coming to dwell among us may appear in livelier Colours 2. To this may be added His laborious Life here on Earth after he was Incarnate A Life despicable from his Infancy contemptible from his Cradle A Life of Poverty a Life of great Misery of Distress and a Thousand Inconveniencies A Life he lived to let us know that the meanest and most miserable outward Condition is no Lett or Impediment to our being beloved and esteemed in Heaven A Life he lived to shew with what Patience and Courage we are to bear the Troubles that a merciful God lays or sends upon us A Life he lived to declare to his Disciples that through many Afflictions they are to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and are not to promise themselves great Ease and Rest here but are to look for a Recompence in the Resurrection of the Just A Life employed in doing good to shew that we are not to be idle here but to busie our selves in that Work which will give the greatest Satisfaction even working out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling A Life he lived for our sakes to facilitate our Access to Pardon and the Throne of Mercy A Life he lived to make our Lives comfortable and the Remembrance of this Life must needs inhaunce our Esteem of his unparallell'd Goodness who could and would deny himself both in the Glory of his Divinity and the Comforts of this present Life for our Good and the Welfare of our Souls The Preceding Considerations reduced to Practice I. CHrist's Example makes it lawful to set up Monuments of Mercies and to preserve the Memory of any signal Deliverance or Providence either by External Symbols or by keeping Anniversaries and Days of Devotion Indeed this was a very ancient Practice countenanced by God and warranted by his Approbation It was from hence that Moses preserved a Pot of Manna to put After-Generations in mind how God had fed his People in the Wilderness And Moses said This is the thing which the Lord commandeth Fill an Omer of it to be kept for your Generations that they may see the Bread wherewith I have fed you in the Wilderness when I brought you forth out of the Land of Egypt Exod. 16. 32. It was from hence that Aaron's Rod budding blossoming and bearing Fruit was kept in the Ark to tell Posterity how miraculously the Priestood was established in the Line of Aaron and for a Token against the Rebels as the Holy Ghost speaks Numb 17. 10. It was from hence that Joshua commanded Twelve Stones to be taken out of the River Jordan That this says he may be a Sign among you that when your Children ask their Fathers in time to come saying What mean you by these Stones Then ye shall answer them That the Waters of Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord when it passed over Jordan And these Stones shall be for a Memorial unto the Children of Israel for ever Josh. 4. 6 7. In imitation of these Precedents the Jewish Church afterward of their own Accord unanimously agreed to keep an Anniversary to remember their Deliverance from the Rage of Haman Esth. 9. 17. Both Eusebius and Sozomen tells us of a Statue which the Woman who was cured by our Saviour of her Bloody Issue erected to his Honour at Caesarea which lasted a considerable time till Julian the Apostate pulled it down and erected his own in the room of it After such Examples who can think it unlawful for a private Christian to keep either a Fast or a Day of Thanksgiving when either some signal Affliction hath befallen him or some remarkable Mercy hath happen'd to him and to spend that Day in Exercises of Devotion whereby he may either work his Soul into greater Detestation of
Cup and drinks like a thirsty Man with a thirst after Righteousness drinks Salvation drinks everlasting Mercy drinks to the content and satisfaction of his Soul and out of his belly shall flow fountains of living waters i. e streams of Grace and Goodness shall flow from his Heart to the watering and enriching of those that are round about him John 7. 38. And this must needs make it a Cup of Consolation for what greater comfort can there be than to drink the rich draught of Pardon of Peace and Mercy and Joy in the Holy Ghost as every Soul is supposed to do that comes to this Ordinance with unfeigned Resolutions to have her conversation in Heaven 4. A Cup he took to put us in mind how necessary God's Goodness Favour and Providence is to us for this was expressed in the Law by making God the Portion of their Cup as we see Psal. 16. 5. The Lord is the Portion of my Inheritance and of my Cup a phrase much used among the Jews of the devouter sort when they would declare not only their interest in God's special Providence but the necessity of having a Right and Title to it A Cup is a necessary Utensil in a Family and there is scarce any person so poor and needy as to want a Cup so hereby they expressed both the absolute necessity of having a special interest in God's Love and the possibility the poorest body was in to arrive to this Priviledge A Man may be happy without Lands and Houses and happy without an Estate without Father and Mother without Children without a Prince's Favour but he cannot be happy without an interest in God's Gracious inclinations and Complacency Even an Idolatrous Laban Gen. 31. 30. was in some measure sensible of this Truth for when Rachel had stollen her Father's Images he seem'd to be much concern'd for them If thou wouldst needs be gone wherefore hast thou stollen my gods As if he had said I could have been content with thy taking away my Daughters my Grand-children my Cattle and my Sheep but to steal my gods than which nothing is more dear or more necessary to me this I cannot brook A Cup therefore Christ made use of in this Sacrament to tell us of what concernment it is to have God for our Friend and if he be our Portion we need no more if he be the portion of our Cup we have Wealth and Bliss enough and may defie all the Powers of Hell who in this case may assault but cannot prevail against us Indeed if Christ be ours and will vouchsafe to intercede for us we are more than Conquerors O Jesu Thou art our All our Crown our Glory if thou be for us we need not fear who is against us Let thy Wounds be ours and our wounded Spirits will be at rest O tell us that thine Agonies are ours and we will triumph over death and sing O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory 5. A Cup he took to bid us mind what he had so often told the Pharisees and to hint to us that whenever we see this Cup in the Sacrament we ought to ask our Hearts whether we make clean the inside of the Cup and Platter as the expression is Matth. 23. 27. i. e. Whether we purifie our inward Man our Souls and Spirits from those covetous disorderly unclean Desires Thoughts and Imaginations which are so apt to harbor there True Religion is no outside business but must be rooted in us and a Sense of the Love of God must be riveted into our Spirits that there God may become truly amiable to us and what we feel within may force as it were the outward Man into a suitable Fruitfulness Most Mens Religion like their Cloaths adorns only the ovtward Man and saying their Prayers going to Church and doing such little things as are no trouble to their Lusts or sinful Appetite are the principal Ingredients of their Divinity but this is not the Light which Christ's Religion gives for that strikes the Understanding works upon the Will and puts all that is within us into Fermentation This cleanses the Heart from filthiness the Thoughts from vanity the Mind from prejudice the Affections from love of the World from malice hatred and supercilious contempt of our Neighbors and the desires from revenge and greediness after the Shells and Husks of outward Comforts so that true Religion is a new Principle which produces a new Creature and newness of Life 2 Cor. 5 17. 6. And why may not we piously believe that his making use of a Cup was also to encourage our Charity and Hospitality expressed sometimes by giving a Cup of cold water to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Matth. 10. 42. He that knows any thing of this Holy Sacrament knows it is a Feast of Charity a Feast at which we remember our Spiritual Poverty and lying at the Gate of Heaven fuller of Sores than the famous Beggar before the Palace of Dives and can the undeserved unexpected and inexpressible Charity of God to our Souls shine in our Faces and not warm our Hearts and Bowels into compassion and commiseration to the poor and needy such especially as are of the Houshold of Faith If we are so low in the world and Providence hath put us in so mean a condition that we can give no more than a Cup of cold water and do but run to the next Well or River and fill the Cup and bring it to a distress'd and fainting Christian a good Man and a Disciple of our Lord even that shall be interpreted favourably and God will find out a recompence for it a recompence which shall make the Giver sensible that it was for that Cup he gave that he receives that Mercy provided still that this Charity proceeds from a sense of the Love of God and tenderness to the necessities of the Humble Man This consideration one would think should be baulked by none that comes to the Lord's Table where the Lame and Blind and Maim'd are entertain'd for such abasing Thoughts of our selves we are to entertain here and if so How easie how natural is the Inference If so miserable a Creature as I am feasted here and God gives Bread of Life to my hungry Soul How can I express my Gratitude better than by casting my Bread upon the Water especially when I am promis'd to find it again after many days floating on the Rivers of Pleasure which are at the Right Hand of God for evermore VII Both the Evangelists and St. Paul taking notice that Christ took this Cup after he had done with the Cup in the celebration of the Passover we must not pass it by without making some Remarks upon it And 1. It was to teach us Order in our Duties and to avoid confusion in our Holy performances God is the God of Order and 't is fit his Servants should resemble him in this particular Greater Duties must ever be
a just cause lascivious desires and appetites and revengeful actions c. have so severe a Sanction annexed to them if they be cherished and lov'd is this because the less they are the sooner and the more easily they are avoided and therefore it must argue strange aversion from God not to oblige him in so small a thing and that Men after they have enter'd into this solemn Covenant at the Table of the Lord may be allur'd and enticed by Temptations and perswaded to allow themselves in known Sins both great and small and thereby null the Covenant we have no reason to question since Experience is beyond all Witnesses in the World 7. The only Plank left us after the Covenant is thus broken and null'd to swim out of the Gulph of perdition and to regain God's favour is confess'd on all hands to be true and deep repentance and particularly a Repentance attended with Fasting Alms and great future Self-denials In the stricter Ages of Christianity especially in the Second and Third Centuries it was very much question'd whether a Person who had solemnly and deliberately entr'd into a Covenant with God either in Baptism or in the Lord's Supper if afterwards he fell into some of these three Sins Adultery Murther or Idolatry was capable of regaining the favour of God promis'd in this Covenant The African Churches especially were very stiff in this point yet the more moderate allow'd of a Second Repentance reckoning the first to be that which had been made by adult Persons in either of these Sacraments and the second if after a new fall or wilful precipitation into any of these crimes he rose again with very great purposes and resolutions but if a Man fell again into any of these Sins after the Second Repentance they look'd upon the Third as impossible Others though they did not exclude the Persons thus fallen totally from the possibility of God's favour and Salvation in case he repented either the Second or third time yet did not think fit to receive him again into the Communion of the Church and this which the African Fathers look'd upon only as a thing convenient Novatus enrag'd it 's like because he could not be made a Bishop improved into absolute necessity which made his followers exclude all such Persons as were fallen after their first Repentance into any of these Sins from their Communion That which gave occasion to this Doctrine was their too rigid interpretation of some places in Scripture particularly that of Heb. 6. 4 5 6. and the other 1 Joh. 5. 16. which places are to be understood rather of a malicious denying the Faith and forsaking the very Profession of Christianity and turning Jew Heathen or Infidel than of the aforesaid acts of Sin The Roman Church was the first that receiv'd such sinners after a tedious and laborious Repentance into their Communion again for which Tertullian expostulates with the Bishop of Rome and accuses him of Rashness imprudence and breach of the ancient Canons However since the Apostle himself 2. Cor. 2. 7. received the incestuous Person into the Communion of the Church of Corinth and desired the Corinthians to do the like after a sufficient demonstration of his Repentance after such falls into wilful and habitual Sins be sincere and true exemplary and laborious that there is just hopes such a person may renew his Covenant get a Title again to the promises of it and be readmitted to God's Favour and Complacency But then 1. This Repentance ought to be speedy To live long in such Sins after the first wilful breach of this Covenant is dangerous hardens the Heart gives the Devil greater power over the Soul and the Person thus sining knows not but he may be given up to hardness of Heart and to reprobate mind in which condition he may be snatcht away by Death and haled to the great Tribunal 2. Such a Person must not make a trade of Repenting and sinning for if he fall often into the same Sin and still pretends to repent it s a sign the Repentance is counterfeit his love to God fickle and unsincere his resistances of God's Spirit strong and the inward Man left without a Guard to secure it against the assaults of the Devil 3. Upon this new Repentance greater watchfulness than ordinary must be used and the Penitent must become a gainer by his Sins i. e. the dreadfulness of his fall must help toward the great exemplariness of his Life and the Sins he hath lived in must make them dread them more than ever A very signal growth in Grace must succeed his Fall and the Ball having been struck against the ground must now rebound the higher His time must now be redeem'd and he that hath been so careless must now double his diligence He must therefore love much now because he expects much should be forgiven him and his greater fervor in Religion is the best demonstration of his unfeigned return from his Apostacy The Preceding Considerations reduced to Practice I. IT must needs be great presumption for Men and Women to enter into a solemn Covenant with God in this Sacrament and not to consider the weight and importance of it Christian when thou enter'st into this Covenant with the Holy Trinity thou solemnly obligest thy self that as thou hopest for Heaven and Happiness as thou hopest for Pardon and Salvation as thou hopest to have thy Sins wash'd away with the precious Blood of Christ thou wilt take Christ's Yoke upon thee endeavour to be humble and meek as he was learn of him and die to the World crucifie thy Lusts and Affections fight against the vanities of the World and labour to conâ—orm to the great example of that Saviour that spilt his dearest Blood for thee Either thou understandest what this engagement means or thou dost not If not how darest thou touch the Sacred Elements with polluted Hands If thou understandest it and art not firmly resolv'd to take care to perform what thou promisest so solemnly how dost thou think to escape the Judgement of God Art thou afraid of breaking a solemn promise made to a Prince and great Man whose Smile or Frown can either help or prejudice thee much and art thou not afraid of violating thy Engagements to the great God of Heaven What dost thou make of God Dost thou take him to be some Heathen Deity that hath Eyes and sees not Ears and hears not Dost thou oblige thy self to be his Subject and dost thou turn Rebel His Child and become a Prodigal His Confederate and conspire against him with his Enemies Dost thou take him for thy Lord and wilt not thou do what he saith If these thy unfaithful dealings with thy Lord and Master be enter'd into Gods Book of Accounts as certainly they are and the black Roll shall at last be open'd and read in thine Ears dost not thou think what Terror Amazement and Confusion thou wilt be in O Sinner There is no jesting with
and Lye and Cheat no more and yet forgets the Oath of God that is upon his Soul and dares fall to his old Sins again that Man's last Estate is worse than the first and he slights him by whom he must be saved despises him who alone can make him happy refuses that Blood which alone can cleanse him undervalues the only Champion that can secure him against the Rage of the roaring Lion loses and rejects the Prop which alone can support him against the wrath of an offended God and affronts that Friend which alone can help and comfort him in the day of Vengeance II. This Sacrament being a standing Ordinance and a notable means of Grace as much as Prayer and hearing the Word of God it must necessarily follow that Men who look for Grace and Salvation must make as great Conscience of this as of any other and if they account it a Sin to neglect Prayer and hearing the Word they must look upon it as sinful too to neglect this Ordinance If this be a means of Salvation as well as the rest he that hopes to be saved must seriously make use of this means else he can have but little hopes of arriving to the end without the means Surely this Sacrament is a means whereby you and I must come to love the Lord Jesus Christ a Duty of that consequence that he that love him not in sincerity lies under a severe threatning and is liable to a dreadful Curse 1 Cor. 16. 22. But how shall we ever love him to any purpose except we use the means whereby that Love must be raised and kindled in our Breast Doth any Man hope to thrive in the World that will not bestir himself become active in his profession and apply himself to Labour Does any Man hope ot arrive to Learning and Scholarship without Books or Reading Does any Person hope to keep himself warm in Winter that puts on no Cloaths Or was ever any so foolish as to hope to come to his Journies end if he sits still in a Tavern or Alehouse by the way If this Sacrament be a means of obtaining Happiness will that Happiness fall to our share without using the proper means If thou refusest to come to this Ordinance how can God be kind to thee how can he visit thee with the Favour he bears to his own People How can he wash thee with the Blood of the Lamb How can he make thee Blessed and a companion of Seraphim and give thee a right to the Treasury of Christ's merits when thou neglectest the means whereby these Mercies must be consigned and applied to thy Soul And therefore III. How wretched how sad must be the case of that Soul which neglects to shew forth the Lord's Death in this Ordinance when the Lord shall come to Judgment When the Son of God shall appear in all his Glory and the Sinner who neglected this Holy Sacrament shall be brought before him it will not be an ordinary fright the wretch will be in especially when the King of Glory shall accost and ask him How canst thou hope to share in my Glory that didst not think my Death worth remembring in the Congregation of my Saints How canst thou hope to participate of my Happiness that wouldst not weep at my bitter Passion How canst thou hope to be advanced to my Throne who wast ashamed to look upon me hanging on the Cross How canst thou hope to enter into thy Master's Joy that would'st not by lively representations of my suffering in the Sacrament I ordained be melted in Tears How canst thou hope for a seat in the Eternal Mansions where no defiled thing must enter that wouldst not cleanse thy self from filthiness Or how couldst thou hope to be cleansed that wouldst not make use of my Blood to wash thy self Here none can be happy that were not Holy upon Earth and how couldst thou expect to be Holy that didst neglect the means which was intended to enrich thy Soul with Holiness Such an Address of such a Majestick Person and to an offender too that knows and cannot but know that all this is true must necessarily strike the Malefactor dumb fill him with horror and make him cry out though too late O that my Head were Water c. Expostulations of displeased Princes with their Servants that have acted contrary to their Will in things of far less moment have cast them into Grief and Swoons and fatal diseases and we must needs conclude that in the case we speak of as the Person offended is greater than the most puissant Prince in the World and the neglect greater than if a Man had neglected to provide for the security of a Temporal Kingdom so the Expostulations will be more terrible and the Sinner's Heart to whom they shall be spoken in far greater consternation IV. This shews with what temper and disposition we ought to come to this Holy Table even with the same temper we would or desire to be in if within a few hours we were sure to be summoned to Judgment Were any of you to appear to Morrow Morning before the Bar of God and had you all imaginable assurance of it that by such a time you must certainly attend there would you lie or swear or dissemble or break out into a passion or pray carelesly or be backward to do good or be averse from Holy thoughts and discourses c. I trow not and as you would not appear before the Judge with an unmortified temper of Mind so neither can it be adviseable to appear before him at this Table with such a disposition As the appearing before his Judgment Seat would make you call your most serious Thoughts together and make you loath the charms the inticements and the alluring temptations and suggestions of the Flesh and of the World so your appearing at this Table requires the same inclinations for as in the day of Judgment the King will come forth and behold the persons cited into that Court to see whether they are qualified for Heaven and Happiness so in this Feast he comes to look upon the Guests and to see who comes with a worldly and carnal disposition and takes as much notice of the frame and temper of your Hearts as he will do in the last day Here thy great Master comes and takes a view of thy Thoughts Words Desires Affections and Actions whether they proceed from a principle of Love and Submission Happy the Soul that sits down at this Table with a sense of her duty and the greatness and goodness of the Master of the Feast for such a Soul anticipates her future bliss and feels in some measure the sweetness and comfort of the joyful Absolution which shall be pronounced upon her with greater solemnity in the last day even this Come ye blessed of my Father receive the Kingdom c. The PRAYER O Thou Eternal Wisdom who alone knowest what is best for me who hast established this
will keep God in his Eye that he may not sin against him that he may do what is just and righteous in his sight and that at Night he may reap Comfort from a Review of his Actions of the Day Lawful Business is consistent with watching against Temptations and keeping our selves unspotted from the Pollutions of the World and this St. James calls Pure Religion Jam. 1. 27. And if this pure Religion be joyned with our Business I do not see how our lawful Business if we mind it the Day or Week before can make us unworthy Receivers 3. No Man hath so much lawful Business but if he pleases he may find time to retire and enter into his Closet and walk with God Where a Man pretends that his lawful Business allows him no time for Devotion 't is to be feared he either tells a Lye or he manages his lawful Business very ill or imitates the carnal Sort of Mankind who when they have spent the whole Day or the greatest part of the Day in Fooleries and needless Business give out they have no time and can find no time for God's Service A Conscientious Man if he be really so will take heed how he conforms to the World in this particular and if he manages his Affairs with discretion I question not but he will find time to ask his Heart what it is that is nearest to him whether God or the World what his chief Aim or Design is whether to be rich or to be good And as he will find time to ask himself such Questions so he will find time for pious Exercises whereby his Soul may be brought to a serious Sense of the Mystery proposed in this holy Sacrament and if he do so his lawful Worldly Business the Day or Week before as it need not discourage him from coming to this holy Table so it need not fill his Head with Doubts and Fears that coming to it having been engaged in much Business the Day before will make him an unworthy Communicant 6. Worldly Crosses Troubles and Disappointments do not make a Man an unworthy Receiver I do not deny but Crosses and Troubles of the World if they fill the Mind with Torments and mistrustful Cares if they depress the Understanding make it lie groveling on the Earth and mind little else but Second Causes if they possess the Soul with despairing Thoughts drive it into Discontent draw it away from Heaven render the Promises of God insipid to her and do so far prevail with her that the future Joys and the Bliss of the other World are insignificant things to her these Effects do not look very amiable in the sight of God are no very tempting Objects to the Son of God the Master of this Spiritual Feast and are so far from being Allurements of his Blessing that they are like to procure his Curse But I consider Worldly Crosses as abstracted from all these Abuses and as such they cannot make a Person eat and drink unworthily 1. Because What were the Communicants under the first Persecutions of the Church but so many afflicted distressed troubled and evil-entreated Christians Their Crosses were great their Afflictions heavy and their Pressures grievous they were in daily danger of losing not only their nearest Relatives but their Lands Houses Possessions they were hunted pursued driven from their Dwellings the Heathens were set against them the Jews were their Enemies they were reproached they were made Spectacles to Angels and to Men they were tormented they were committed to Wild Beasts they were harassed beaten bruised they were wrongfully accused of Treason of Sedition of Atheism of murthering their Children of promiscuous Copulations and of other Crimes they were hated branded with odious Names they were charged with being the Causes of Plagues Inundations Famine c. Yet nothing of these discouraged them from coming to this Table they came to it to chuse and thought themselves the fitter to approach because they were made conformable to Christ in his Afflictions 2. A Man may have such Crosses and yet be very Conscientious 'T is far from being impossible to be afflicted and yet good miserable and yet serious destitute and yet religious hated and yet a Lover of God In the midst of the greatest Troubles a Man may put his Confidence in God praise him for his Goodness rejoyce in him because he hath promised him Eternal Life keep his Tongue from Evil and his Lips from speaking Guile take occasion from his Troubles to consider the Emptiness of Sublunary Comforts the Permanency of Spiritual Consolations the Sweetness of God's Favour the Beauty of God's Providences the Wisdom of his Dispensations the Happiness of Lazarus in the midst of all his Sores and Boyls the Designs of God to make him humble and patient and to fit him for Eternal Happiness And where a Person makes this use of his Afflictions there is nothing can dispose him better for receiving the holy Communion 3. This Sacrament is an excellent Help to bear our Troubles and Misfortunes with a contented and chearful Mind For here the Lord Jesus is represented to us as dumb under all Reproaches unmoved at all the bitter Language that is given him silent under the Rage of Enemies meekâ—under the foulest Accusations giving his Back to the Smiter and not opening his Mouth under the Scorns and Derisions of his Adversaries contented under all his Losses courageous under all the Calumnies that False Witnesses invent against him satisfied with the Will of God bearing his Cross without murmuring answering calmly to his Oppressors patient under his Scourges ready to do good to those that came to apprehend him And is not this a powerful Motive to bear what Providence thinks fit to inflict upon us And therefore Crosses and Worldly Troubles separated from the ill Management of them cannot make a Person an unworthy Receiver Where Men storm and fret and burn with Revenge under an Affliction will be their own Carvers will be vindicated their own way that way that Flesh and Blood suggests and will rid themselves of their Trouble by unlawful Means these indeed if they receive they eat and drink unworthily But that is not a necessary Effect of the Affliction but a Product rather of their Wickedness and Carnality which instead of being cherished must be cut off and mortified 7. A Man's having formerly received unworthily and coming again afterwards to the holy Sacrament with a great Sense and Abhorrency of his former unworthy Receiving doth not make him an unworthy Receiver For 1. If it did we might as well say that he who hath sinned grievously cannot safely venture on a true Repentance To have done ill is no Bar to a sincere Return but a Motive to it and though the Sin be never so great yet if he can so order and manage his Remorse that it may be hearty kindly and attended with a real and universal Change of Life and Love to Goodness he hath no reason to despair of
Perfections but to have thy Imperfections supplied Thou comest not hither to boast of thy Cleanness but to be washed from their Sins Thou comest not hither to glory in thy Merits but to receive an Alms at thy great Master's Hands his Grace his Love his Compassion will make thee worthy Thou comest not to give him an Account of thy Riches but as an hungry Beggar that wants Bread to feed on the hidden Manna All that is required of thee is to look upon thy Redeemer as thy greatest Friend and to use him like a Friend to make his Friendship an Enforcive to love him and so to love him as to hearken to his Counsels to be govern'd by his Directions to bid farewel to all things that will destroy that Friendship to repent of thy Unkindnesses to him and to prefer his Advice before that of Flesh and Blood to hearken to his Instructions more than to the false Suggestions of the World and so to remember that thy Sins have contributed to his Crucifixion as to punish them with Frowns and Mortifications If thou art willing to this he will supply thy Defects he will satisfie thy hungry Soul he will feed thee from his Storehouse and make thy Soul Partaker of his purchased Possession Let not thy Unworthiness discourage thee 'T is confessed thou art a poor vile Worm a Sinner a wretched Creature not worthy of the least of all his Mercies not worthy to be taken notice of not worthy of the least Glimpse of his Favour but still if he is pleased to count and esteem thee worthy it is Contempt of his Love if thou dost not accept of this gracious Offer and come and liâ—t up thine Hands towards his holy Oracle If thou wilt but look upon thy Sins as Enemies and if they do assault thee wilt vigorously oppose thy self against their Attempts and if they do surprize thee once or twice wilt renew thy Courage against them and do any thing rather than yield to them and set up this Resolution in thy Heart that the Lord shall be thy God thou shalt be worthy he will give thee Grace which shall make thee worthy His Flesh shall nourish thy Soul his Blood shall enrich the Ground of thy Heart his Presence shall give thee Life his Assistance will make thee spiritual his Spirit will enable thee to rejoyce in him that made thee make thee a worthy Conqueror worthy of the Tree of Life and worthy of that Pardon he hath purchased for thee on the Cross when in his own Body he bore thy Sins upon the Tree that thou being dead to Sin mightest live unto God III. Among the various sorts of Persons that are loth to come to this holy Sacrament those betray strange Imprudence as well as Obstinacy that are loth to part with their Sins and therefore are loth to come for fear they should eat and drink unworthily and make themselves guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord and eat and drink their won Damnation But O Generation of Vipers Who hath told you that this is the way to escape the Wrath to come Who hath been so wise as to inform you that this way you may flee from the Indignation of the Lord In what Scripture have you read that your not coming to this Sacrament because you are loth to prophane it by your Sins will save you from Perdition 'T is very true and you are in the right when you suppose that your Refractoriness to Reformation and Amendment makes you unworthy Receivers But can you imagine that you are ever a whit the safer for not coming Will not the Sins you live and continue in do your Work for you and make you Heirs of Damnation The wilful Neglect of this Sacrament is a damnable Sin And can you think that your not coming will make your Condition more easie and tolerable 'T is true you pretend you will not prophane it and therefore do not come You are sensible it requires Reformation and because your Circumstances will not permit you to lead better Lives you are loth to add to your Danger by eating and drinking unworthily But when your not coming to this Sacrament makes you miserable as well as your coming and receiving unworthily 't is strange that the Point of adding some Grains to the Bulk of your Misery should make you afraid of coming I will not deny but Eating and Drinking unworthily doth in some measure aggravate the Evil a Man lives in because he adds Scorn to his Impiety but as long as his Impenitence without coming and his coming unworthily do both involve him in the Danger of Damnation it is a foolish Plea to preted you dare not come for fear of aggravating your Condemnation as if Damnation were tolerable and the Degrees of it only intolerable But we see what you drive at You hope some time before you die and when you will not have those Opportunities of sinning that now you have you may receive it and save your Souls at last But to hear Men talk of what they shall do hereafter when they have not one Minute of their Lives at their Command is so ridiculous that it needs no Answer This is certain your Sins are sweet and your evil Lives make you fit to live in the World and therefore you will not come But will this Argument hold Water do you think when God shall plead with you Surely your Sins are very precious things that you dare refuse coming to this holy Ordinance for them The Scripture calls them Filth and Poyson for so they are in the Eyes of an holy God And are they dearer to you than the Love of God They are perfect Leprosie And had had you rather be full of Sores and Boyls than come hither to be made clean They crucified your Saviour And will you keep that which murther'd him They are the Disgrace and Reproach of your Souls And will you delight in your Infamy They are the things that separate betwixt a glorious God and you And will you uphold that fatal Distance and Separation They exclude you from the Kingdom of Heaven And will you be content with that Exclusion Are you wise and understanding Men And will you not open your Eyes and see your Danger What do you call Contempt of God if this be not it What do you call slighting of Incomprensible Mercy if this do not deserve that Name Can you hope for God's Pardon at last that refuse to accept of it in this Ordinance Do you believe you have Souls and that it is your Interest to secure them against Mischief And will you prefer a few airy volatile Joys before their Safety Sinner When is it that thou dost intend to reform Is it when an angry God looks thee in the Face and an evil Conscience upon thy Death-bed presages thy future Torments Is it possible that an offended God will then fly into thy Embraces whom thou didst not care for all thy Days Behold in this
Sacrament the Son of God doth not only offer to reconcile thee to thy God but shews thee the way too how it shall be effected to thy Content and Satisfaction Here he offers to enrol thy Name among the Friends of God but it is impossible to make thee God's Friend while thou maintainest thy Enmity against him To leave thy Sins and to come to this Sacrament are one and the same thing these two are inseparable to divide them is to divide Light from Fire which implies Impossibility Oh think therefore Till I come to this Ordinance God will be my Foe and should I be snatch'd away while God is so who will plead for me when I come to appear before God I will arise therefore and go to my Father c. IV. As squeamish as some Sinners are there are others that dare come and receive unworthily and be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord and be no more concern'd than if they had committed any trivial or indifferent Action Such are they who are the same after they have received as they were before vitious before and vitious after revengeful lascivious unclean malicious proud Boasters intemperate Back-biters implacable unmerciful before and after too nor doth the threatning that they make themselves guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus fright or discompose them Lord How stupid a thing is Sin How hard how insensible doth it make the Heart What Venom doth it shed upon the Soul Who would imagine that Men could be so perverse Men that live under the Gospel too as to be guilty of murthering Christ Murthering of Christ You will say Who can murther him now he is in Glory What Bug-bears are these to fright poor silly ignorant People with So easily do Men slide from Hypocrisie into Prophaneness and from Prophaneness into the Scorner's Chair But What if Christ be in Heaven and out of the reach of thy Baseness and Malice If Christ interpret thy Continuance in known Sins after thou hast been viewing his Death and Crucifixion in this Sacrament as murthering of him how great how heinous and of how deep a Dye must thy Sins be What Guilt what Loads what Mountains of Wrath must we suppose dost thou lay and pull down on thy Shoulders Who can tell so well the venomous Influences and Tendencies of thy Sins as he that perfectly understands the poysonous nature of it If he saith that it amounts to murthering of him Will thy laughing at the Conceit excuse thy Folly when his Anger shall be kindled Need he value thy Flouts and Jeers that hath Flames and Vengeance at command to lash thee into better Manners It is impossible he should be mistaken in his Verdict of things And wilt thou say he doth not speak what is true Art thou wiser than he Or dost thou see farther into things than he Must his Wisdom be modell'd by thy shallow Reason Or shall a Creature dispute the Oracle of its Creator If he sees and knows that thy wilful Impenitence runs so high as to make an Attempt upon his Life again wilt not thou believe him or darest thou charge him with a Lye The Holy Ghost speaking by St. Paul protests so much And wilt thou add sinning against the Holy Ghost to all thy Offences Believe it Sinner 't is Death to the Lord of Life to see a Creature for whom he took such pains wallow still in those Sins after Receiving which he was supposed to abjure in Receiving 'T is Death to him to see thee more tender of keeping thy Word with a Man that must die than with him that lives for ever 'T is Death to him to see thee wilful in breaking that solemn Promise thou madest under his Cross and didst seal with drinking of his Blood Thou dost in this Sacrament make a Covenant with him and oblige thy self as thou hopest to have a share in his Merits that thou wilt be guided and governed by him who to the Astonishment of Men and Angels died for thee and there cannot be a more sacred Tye and to see thee violate that Oath and break through that Vow into Damnation into that Damnation from which he came to rescue thee this is Death to him and a new Attempt upon his Life and if thou darest be so barbarous so inhumane as to do so Heaven and Earth will be Witnesses against thee and that very Blood which thou prophanest will be a Witness against thee and all the Saints that see thee prophane that Blood will be Witnesses against thee and it is enough to make the Lord repent that ever he died for such a Wretch O then play not with these Mysteries for it will be hard for thee to kick against the Pricks But V. Let the worthy Receiver rejoyce in the midst of all these Terrours These Thunder-bolts do not reach him These Threatnings do not concern him He is safe under all these Storms They will not fall on him to crush him These Hail-stones will not bruise his Head This Weight will not sink him He can pass through all these Messengers of Death and fear no Evil Even he who sees greater Comfort in a crucified Saviour than in this gaudy World and can admire the Mercies purchased by his Death while others stand gazing on stately Buildings and sumptuous Palaces Even he who makes Conscience of performing what he promises to a glorious God and feels Desires in his Breast to be more and more conformable to the holy Life and Example of Christ Jesus and to whom no Interest is so dear as that of a crucified Saviour who loves as he loves without Hypocrisie or Dissimulation Let such a Soul be glad in the Lord and believe that God will command his Loving-kindness in the Day-time and in the Night will cover him with the Shadow of his Wings Let him not be disquieted nor think God hath forgotten him when his Soul is bowed down to the Dust and his Belly cleaves unto the Earth Christ the Son of God will certainly manifest himself unto him be present with him pour Grace into his Heart and Comfort into his Soul give himself to him be his Hiding-place compass him about with the Songs of Deliverance and say unto him I will instruct thee and teach thee in the Way which thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine Eye Such a Person receives Christ indeed receives him with all his Blessings and with all the Spoils he recovered of the Enemy He receives him with all the Wealth he hath fought for and purchased with his Bâ—ood He receives him with all the precious things he hath laboured for in the Sweat of his Brows He receives â—im laden and abounding with glorious Promises which shall by degrees be all fulfilled in him for they belong to him they are his Right they are his Portion Christ will make him worthy to receive them He shall ask and his Master will give He shall seek and find too He shall knock and
Seriousness what Protestations of Cautiousness and Fear of offending God for the future Yet when God hath restored thee when the Almighty hath been so favourable to thee as to give thee the Desires of thy Heart how careless hast thou been of thy strongest Promises How regardless of the strictest Engagements How negligent of thy Duty How hast thou returned to thy former Vomit and with the Swine that was washed to her wallowing in the Mire 7. Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread when the Passover must be killed HOW many Easter-Days hast thou lived to see O my Soul Days when thou shouldst have risen with Christ from the Death of Sin and applied thy self unto a Life of Righteousness Yet thou art the same still thou wert so many Years ago What Lust hast thou mortified what Corruption hast thou killed what darling Desires hast thou sacrificed for Christ Art not thou as dull and as dead in God's Service as thou hast been heretofore The Sins that thou hast left was it the Love of God or the Change of thy Condition that made thee abandon them On the blessed Day of thy Saviour's Resurrection may be thou hast been devout and serious but what strange Liberty hast thou given thy self soon after How hath thy Piety and Goodness died again and thy Carefulness to please God given up the Ghost and expired 8. And he sent Peter and John saying Go and prepare us the Passover that we may eat HOW often O my Soul hath God sent his Spirit and his Messengers to thee with an Order to prepare and meet thy God by a serious Repentance Yet thou hast either resisted his Spirit or disobliged his Messengers or undervalued their Summons How little hast thou regarded the Condescention of so great a God! How little hast thou minded the Favour God did thee in visiting so worthless a Creature Dost not thou remember how thou hast pretended that thou hadst either Farms to see or Oxen to buy or an House to look after and thus hast put off thy God that would fain have gathered thee as an Hen doth her Brood under her Wings 9. And they said unto him Where wilt thou that we prepare HOW careful are the Disciples that they may do nothing contrary to their Master's Will How do they enquire after the very place where he would have them prepare O my Soul How little hast thou been concerned whether thy God were pleased or not Thou hast been so far from observing the Circumstantials of Religion that thou hast not minded the Substance How hast thou rushed into Sin as the Horse rushes into the Battel without being sollicitous or concerned about offending God! How little hast thou enquired what thy Lord and Master requires of thee How contentedly ignorant hast thou been of his Laws and how loth to know thy Master's Will that thou mightest not be obliged to do it 10. And he said unto them Behold when you are entred into the City there shall a Man meet you bearing a Pitcher of Water follow him into the House where he enters in HOW strangely doth Providence order things Just at the Disciples entring into the City God orders this Man to meet them How wonderfully O my Soul hath God made the Second Causes to meet for thy good How hath God turned such Men's Hearts towards thee into Mercy and Compassion How often when thou hast been in Trouble hath God sent thee a Deliverer How often when thou hast seen no probability of Help hath God come in with his Salvation Yet how careless hast thou been of his Providence How apt hast thou been to ascribe these Events to Second Causes Dost not thou blush to think thou shouldst be so dull as not to see God in such Dispensations 11. And ye shall say to the good Man of the House The Master saith unto thee Where is the Guest-Chamber where I shall eat the Passover with my Disciples HOW often O my Soul hath thy great Master attempted to enter into thy Heart and to make that his Guest-Chamber And how surly how ill-natur'd how impudent hast thou been in refusing so great a Guest whose Presence would have enriched thee with infinite Treasures Temporal Profit Honour Ease and Pleasure have but gently knocked at the Door and thou hast listen'd and heard and run to open to them See where thy Love and thy Treasure lies Christ hath stood without knocking and calling Open to me my Sister my Spouse for my Locks are wet with Dew But how loth hast thou been to rise from thy Bed of State or from thy Couch of Luxury to let in that Heavenly Friend Were it not just when thy Prayers knock at Heaven Gate that he should fling them back into thy Face and say As thou wouldst not hear when I called so shalt thou call and I will not hear 12. And she shall shew you a large Upper Room furnished there make ready AND O my Soul hath not thy Lord shewn thee very often a large Upper Room even Heaven it self where the Supper of the Lamb is to be kept and to which thou hast been invited Yet how hast thou preferred this Dunghil Earth before it How contemptible have those Everlasting Mansions been in thine Eyes How hast thou hugged thy Plenty here below and how contentedly hast thou lived without any Assurance that the Eternal Riches shall fall to thy share How little hath that Heaven affected thee How little have thy Affections been stirred with the Thoughts of it How often hast thou looked upon that glorious Place without any Longings to be there or to feast there with thy great Redeemer 13. And they went and found as he had said to them and made ready the Passover THis is the Property of God that he cannot lye If he saith or fore-tells things they must necessarily come to pass Yet how hast thou lived O my Soul as if thy God were false to his Word Thou hast lived in Sin and yet hast believed that God would receive thee at last into Glory Thou hast embraced Follies which he hath protested shall exclude thee from the Kingdom of Heaven and yet hast fancied that thou shalt be happy What is this but to make God a Lyar and to hope that he will not be so good as his Word When thou hast hoped for Heaven without Holiness for a Crown without Conquest for an Everlasting Reward without bearing the Heat and Burthen of the Day and for the same Felicity the Son of God enjoys without imitating him in his Meekness Patience Humility and Charity Hast not thou plainly flattered thy self that God would break his Word and act contrary to his Promises and Threatnings 14. And when the Hour was come he sate down and the Twelve Apostles with him SEE how the great Saviour of the World disdains not to sit down at the Table with a Company of Fisher-men Yet how scornfully O my Soul hast thou looked sometimes upon thy Neighbour What high Thoughts
satisfactions hath not this been counting the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing 21. But behold the hand of him that betrays me is with me on the Table AND didst thou never approach the Table of thy Lord with a treacherous Heart O my Soul Hast not thou pretended Friendship when thou hast been an Enemy while thou hast been loth to part with a darling bosom sin or to examine what secret sins thou wert guilty of that thou mightest not be forced to part with them Hast not thou shewn much love with thy Lips while thy Heart hath gone astray from thy Redeemer Thou hast it may be confessed thy self to be a sinner in general and so hast joyned thy self to the croud of God's People and come to the Supper of thy Lord But while thou hast been loth to descend to any particular sins hast not thou thereby discovered thy secret love to sin and thy feigned and counterfeit love to the Holy Jesus 22. And truly the Son of Man goes as it was determined but woe unto that Man by whom he is betrayed HOW dreadful a thing is it to be instrumental in a Sin And yet thou hast made nothing of it O my Soul How hast thou suffer'd thy self to be imployed by others in things which have been apparently unlawful How apt hast thou been to tell a Lye after another especially for a near Relation or a Superiour How apt hath thy Conscience been to dispense with Offences against a Gracious God to please those from whom thou hast expected some benefit and advantage Hath not the Word of God been Blasphemed by wicked Men through thy neglect of thy Saviours Commands How often hast thou scandalized and given offence to other Men by thy unchristian And how little hast thou minded the threatnings of the Holy Ghost in this case And while thou hast not only sinned thy self but holpen to draw others into sin hast not thou thereby made thy self lyable to the Righteous Judgment of God 23. And they began to enquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing INdeed Self-examination is the only way to come to a right knowledge of our selves Yet how careless O my Soul hast thou been of this Duty How easily mightest thou have found that thou wert guilty of such a sin and didst transgress such a Command but thou would'st not How much better is it to be acquainted with our own Hearts than to be strangers to our selves And what danger dost thou involve thy self in for want of this Holy search How dost thou prepare for Self-delusion And how impure must thy Heart grow what a Dunghil what a sink what a stye of filthiness where it is not purged by such explorations The Disease being known it may be cured but lying hid it kills and destroys when we think all is safe How easie a matter were it to enquire whether thou art that Hypocrite that unprofitable servant that loiterer that slothful Person that busie body which the Holy Ghost condemns Yet thou hast shunned this search and been afraid of it as of Poison Whereas it is the only Medicine from which thou may'st promise thy self an happy recovery 24. And there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted greatest SEE how worldly Thoughts will croud in if we do not watch even when we are engaged in the most serious acts of Worship And hast not thou found such worldly sensual Thoughts enter into thy Mind O my Soul when thou hast been employed in the greatest Duties even at the Holy Sacrament it self And have not they come in with thy allowance and approbation and when they have surpriz'd thee hast not thou harboured them made much of them and been loth to expel them How reverend should thy Thoughts be upon such occasions How free from such Extravagancies How sequestred from a vain World How should they be taken up with the love of God! How should the Glory of God ingross their strength and power See by this which way thy Byass leans Behold by this how strongly thy Heart bends to things below O when will it fix upon the things which are above 25. And he said unto them the Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise Authority upon them are called Benefactors HOW unfit and improper is it for a Christian to conform to the Word As improper as for a Man of reason to imitate Children or Mad-men Yet how fond hast thou been O my Soul of the pomp and glories of this World How hast thou admired the Riches and the Grandeur of it How hast thou wished thy self in such a great Man's place Though the Apostles were somewhat ambitions before Christ's Ascension into Heaven yet after the effusion of the Holy Ghost they saw with other Eyes and despised these sublunary Honours and Dignities as much as they esteemed them before O my Soul when wilt thou follow this great example By the Rules of thy profession thou art to despise the World and though thou art in the World yet not to love the World Notwithstanding this Command how dost thou hancker after these Onions and Garlick those certain Marks of the House of Bondage How strong is thy Appetite to follow the fashions of the World And how apt art thou to make the humour of the age thy pattern 26. But ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve AY Self-denial is that which doth best become a Christian that 's the best Ornament he can put on and which makes him look most lovely in the Eyes of God Yet how inconsiderable hath this dress been in thine Eyes O my Soul How loth hast thou been to deny thine Eyes such a dangerous object thine Ears such a Syren's Voice thy Mouth such a delicate dish thy Feet such vain company thy Tongue such a smutty jest thy Hand such a lustful touch and thy Mind such a lascivious or covetous thought How hast thou thought thy self undone when thou hast not had what thy sensual appetite did crave and how raging have thy desires been after that which would ruin thee How loth hast thou been to deny thy self in superfluities and to bestow them on the poor How hard hast thou thought it to shun such a place where thou knewest thou shouldst be tempted and be perswaded unto Sin 27. For whether is greater he that sitteth at Meat or he that serveth Is not he that sits at Meat But I am among you as one that serveth HOW beautiful is Humility The Son of God himself is enamoured with it tho' his business was to Command not serve yet he chuses to serve rather than to exercise Authority How unlike thy Saviour hast thou been O my Soul How Proud How Self-conceited How apt to prefer thy self before others And how apt to think better of thy self than others How apt to
sometimes hast thou been from this exercise O my Soul when thou hast gone into dangerous company how loth hast thou been to arm thy self with Prayer When thou hast been in trouble how little hast thou thought of this Sovereign Remedy or if thou hast made use of it how cold how faint how superficial have been thy Supplications How often hast thou had greater confidence in the arm of Flesh than in the strength of God! Prayer hath chased away Armies turned to flight the Host of Aliens stopt the mouth of Lions quenched the flames of Fire made the Sun stand still and the shadow go back ten Degrees hath shut and opened Heaven and yet how slender how weak how indifferent hath thy Love been to this Spiritual Engine which hath conquered the Fort above and even forced the Almighty into Pity and Compassion 41. And he was withdrawn from them about a Stones-cast and kneeled down and prayed OUR Saviour when he means to pray most earnestly retires from all company yet how irksome hath retirement been to thee O my Soul What a burden hath it seemed and how glad hast thou been when company or Business have call'd thee away from that Penance and given thee a diversion How much more pleasing have crouds and mulitudes of business and people been to thee than privacy In serious retirements thou mightest have seen the brighter goings of God and had larger experience of his Power and Goodness but thou hast been afraid of meeting thy God in private and by that means deprived thy self of the gracious influences which he imparts to them that love his company Behold thy Redeemer bows his knees and kneels on the cold ground to offer up his Supplications to his Father How strangely hast thou consulted thine ease in Prayer How afraid hast thou been to kneel if thou hast had no Cushion How loth to put thy flesh to any trouble in God's Service Did the Son of God prostrate himself upon the Grass or Earth he stood upon and art thou afraid of hurting thy self in Prayer if thou hast not the accommodations of Softness and Luxury 42. Saying Father if thou be willing remove this Cup from me nevertheless not my Will but thine be done AN excellent Example and with the Example a Command to resign our Will to God's Will even in the greatest Troubles and Calamities And dost thou observe this O my Soul Art thou content with the Will and Pleasure of God when he lays affliction upon thy Loins Dost thou say freely and without murmuring It is the Lord let him do what seems good to him O how hast thou repin'd sometimes How impatient hast thou been under thy chain How unwilling to submit to the hand of God! How forced hath been thy Humiliation Where hath been thy belief of God's Wisdom and Goodness If thou believest God to be infinitely Wise and consequently that what he sends on thee is most wisely order'd why dost thou murmur If thou believest him to be infinitely good and therefore intending all that happens to thee for thy good why dost thou think the ways of the Lord are not equal 43. And there appeared to him an Angel from Heaven strongth'ning him IF this Blessed Minister of Heaven did comfort him with Words we must suppose he humbly besought him to look upon the Glory set before him and reflect on the vast good that would arrive to all Mankind by his Passion and that he encouraged him to go on with the great work of Redemption O my Soul And hath not thy God sent an Angel to thee a Minister of his Word in thy Afflictions and encouraged thee by the hopes of Eternal Glory to bear up and to be undaunted under all the Waves and Billows that went over thee Nay hath not thy God himself suggested to thy mind what benefit thy Affliction would yield what peaceable fruits of Righteousness what hatred of Sin what love to Holiness and what Humility it would produce And yet none of these have been able to keep thee from sinking How sensual is thy Mind How earthy are thy Affections What Polishing what Refining do they want yet And yet if Affliction which is the Furnace that must purifie the Gold will not do it what can be supposed to do it 44. And being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of Blood falling down to the ground SEE O my Soul how thy Sin presses the Son of God! see how great the horror of it is that it forced him into Agonies and these Agonies vent themselves in a Bloody Sweat He saw the Wrath of God that flaming Sword which hung over thee the revenging Arm that God shook against thee He saw the Hell thou hadst deserved the Torments thou hast merited the Agonies thou hadst involv'd thy self in He saw thy Sins in their full latitude and extent what encroachments they had made on the Divine Nature what affronts they had offer'd to the great Majesty of Heaven being very sensible of the infinite purity of God he saw the dreadfulness the monstrousness of thy Transgressions which had made War with that Divine Purity He saw the Fire and Brimstone the everlasting Furnace the burning Lake that was design'd to be thy Recompence He saw it and trembled He saw it and stagger'd He felt it being infinitely compassionate and feeling it laboured to shake it off and to get from under it and as he struggles with the Load his Sacred Body breaks forth in a strange kind of Sweat Didst thou ever consider O my Soul what thy Sins did cost Hadst thou considered it how couldst thou have been so merry so blithe so jocular in the Commission 45. And when he rose up from Prayer and was come to his Disciples he found them sleeping for Sorrow STrange Sleep should oppress People when they have Death before them Yet why wonderest thou O my Soul when thou hast slept securely at the very Gates of Hell in the Suburbs of Destruction How hast thou even shorted in Sin when the Messengers of God have cried out Fire Everlasting Fire over thy Head How quiet hast thou been how secure how jolly when the Fiends have been about thee as the Philistines about Sampson How hast thou played and laughed and smiled when the Eternal Wrath of God hath been ready to seize on thee How was it that thou wert not afraid How was it that thou didst not give a Start in the midst of thy Slumber What if thou hadst awaked in Hell 46. And said unto them Why sleep ye Rise and pray that ye enter not into Temptation INdeed Sleepiness and Idleness is the Devil's Opportunity to persuade us into Sin Had the Disciples prayed instead of sleeping 't is possible they would not have fled when they saw Danger nigh And hath not the Devil prevailed with thee by Idleness O my Soul When thou hast with David taken thy Rest and Ease hath not Satan brought a
Villanies and Abuses And dost not thou remember something like this in thy self O my Soul When thou hast engaged in a Sin that hath been heinous and dreadful hath not that Sin wanted Support from other Sins And hath it not forced thee to call in other Follies to maintain it How hast thou defended thy Theft or Uncleanness with a Lye and that Lye with another Lye and the second Lye with an Imprecation and that Imprecation with a constant Asseveration of the same Falshood How hath one ill Word brought in another And how hath the Neglect of Charity provoked thee at last to Malice and Injuriousness 66. And as soon as it was Day the Elders of the People and the Chief Priests and the Scribes came together and led him into their Council WHat Haste do these Men make to ruin their immortal Souls For fear they should not dye their Souls with a Guilt deep enough they get up early And do not these Men's Proceedings put thee in mind O my Soul of the Haste thou hast made to Everlasting Destruction How early hast thou got up to offend thy God! How often hast thou begun the Day with vain and sinful Thoughts How often hath the first Word thou hast spoken in the Morning been an ill Name or an angry Expression How often hast thou made it thy first Contrivance in the Morning how to be revenged on such a Person and as soon as it hath been Day hast gone and executed thy premeditated Malice And hast not thou done so as to other Sins How early in a Morning have thy Lusts ingrossed thy Thoughts as if thy first Thoughts and Actions had been the Devil's Due and that God were to have his Leavings 67. Saying Art thou the Christ Tell us And he said unto them If I tell you you will not believe AND hath not this been thy Temper O my Soul How often hath God told thee that thou art in danger and yet thou wouldst not believe How often hath he assured thee that thou canst have no Share no Benefit in Christ's Merits except thou repentest and yet thou wouldst not believe How often hast thou been told that Christ died that thou mightest die to Sin and yet thou wouldst not believe How often hath the Spirit of God endeavoured to convince thee that except thou dost examine thy self whether thou art in the Faith or no thou canst not be sure of Salvation and yet thou wouldst not believe him Oh how often hath it been proclaimed in thine Ears that thou canst not love God except thou prefer his Will before thy Gain or Pleasure and yet thou wouldst not believe And whom couldst thou blame if God should condemn thee as an Unbeliever who hast resisted the known Truths of his most holy Oracles 68. And if I also ask you you will not answer me nor let me go THus hast thou dealt with thy Conscience O my Soul Thou hast neither permitted it to censure thy Actions nor suffer'd it to ask thee any Question When thou hast done something amiss and it hath checked thee how hast thou dashed its Reprehensions When it hath condemned thy Pride and Censoriousness how hast thou bid it meddle with its own Business How often would it have asked thee which way thou hopest to be saved and thou hast turned away from the Motion How often hath it been ready to demand of thee whether the Courses thou takest are agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel and thou hast presently diverted the Suggestion Nay how often hath it actually expostulated with thee why no Warning no Threatning could prevail with thee and thou hast put it off like Felix to come and discourse with thee another Day when thou art more at leisure 69. Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the Right Hand of the Power of God O My Soul Thou hast been in a manner as confident of thy sitting at the Right Hand of God as Christ himself yet without any solid Ground Oh how ready hast thou been to apply the Promises of the Gospel without regarding whether thou didst fulfil the required Conditions How often hast thou flatter'd thy self that thou shalt see God in Glory when at the same time thou hast lived in Sins which exclude Men from the Kingdom of Heaven See through what Sufferings the Son of God enters into his Glory And canst thou think thou shalt reign with him except thou suffer with him Before he took possession of his Kingdom he fought his Way through all Opposition And canst thou hope to be conformable to him in Bliss except thou art content to be conformable to him in his Work and Labour of Love 70. Then said they all Art thou then the Son of God And he said unto them Ye say that I am THis Question which the Priests and Elders among the Jews put captiously to our Master the Lord Jesus I have reason O my Soul to put to thee in good earnest Art thou a Child of God or not If thou art what mean the Vanities thou doatest upon What means that Fondness of the World that fills the Chanels of thy Heart What means thy Averseness from imitating the Primitive Saints in their Self-denials If thou art a Child of God why wilt not thou be governed by the Spirit of God Why hath thy sensual Appetite so much power over thee And why art thou so loth to be holy as thy Father in Heaven is holy If the Actions of a Child of God are no part of thy Life how dwells thy Heavenly Father's Nature in thee And when all the Children of God must strive to have the same Mind in them which was in the Son of God how comes thy Mind to be so carnal and so wedded to Things below 71. And they said What need we any farther Witness For we our selves have heard it of his own Mouth VVHat these Men say maliciously of Christ God may too truly say of thee O my Soul What need is there of any farther Witness when thine own Mouth bears witness against thee Wert thou to appear before the great Tribunal at this Instant how justly might God condemn thee by thine own Confessions How justly might he say to thee Thou didst confess that Heaven is not to be got with a Wish Why then wouldst not thou bestow more Care and Pains about it Thou didst confess that thou canst do any thing in the World for Profit sake sit up at Night work hard go tedious Journeys put thy self to a great deal of Trouble for a Sum of Money Why then wouldst not thou bestir thy self for far greater Profit even an Eternity of Joy and Glory Thou didst confess that he that would not work deserved not to eat And how then canst thou expect to enjoy the Bread of Life even my Everlasting Kingdom when thou didst not care for working and couldst do more for Twenty or Forty Shillings than for the Everlasting Riches The XXIII Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel Paraphrased
1. And the whole Multitude of them arose and led him to Pilate AMong this Multitude no doubt were some who formerly cried Hosannah to the Son of David But how variable is Mankind in their Devotion And O my Soul Dost not thou see thy self in this Glass How fickle and inconstant hast thou been in thy Religious Temper Sometimes Fire then Ice again sometimes hot then cold again sometimes diligent in Prayer then careless and supine again And is this agreeable to thy great Master's Temper who loved thee to the End Should thy God love thee at this rate love thee to Day and forsake thee to Morrow where wouldst thou hide thy Head in the Day of Battel 2. And they began to accuse him saying we found this Fellow perverting the Nation and forbidding to give Tribute to Caesar saying That he himself is Christ a King THis was nothing but a downright Lye for he had not only paid Tribute for himself and Peter but charged the Spies that were sent unto him to give to Caesar the Things that were Caesar's But their Interest is maintain'd by the Untruth and therefore they make nothing of the Sin O my Soul how little hast thou stood upon a Lye when thy Interest hath seemed to require it And to clear thy self how regardless hast thou been of speaking Truth of thy Neighbour and thy self How little hast thou regarded the God of Truth whose Eyes were upon thee and who saw the Falshood and Perverseness of thine Heart Thou hadst need for the future redeem thy Time and speak the Truth from thy Heart whatever thou sufferest and losest by it And let a good Conscience be ever dearer to thee than the Breath and good Opinion of Men For mark the perfect Man and behold the Upright the End of that Man is Peace 3. And Pilate asked him Art thou the King of the Jews And he answered him and said Thou sayest it HOW often O my Soul hath Christ asked thee this Question Am not I thy King Thou hast indeed answered with thy Lips That he is But how far hath thy Heart been from him and how loth hast thou been to be govern'd by him How boldly hast thou sometimes thrown off his Yoak and how unwilling hast thou been that this Man should reign over thee Canst thou have a better Prince to rule thy Thoughts and Words and Actions Did ever any miscarry under his Rule And canst thou think thou shalt 4. Then said Pilate to the Chief Priests and to the People I find no fault in this Man AN Heathen finds no Fault in Christ Jesus Yet Hast not thou O my Soul found fault with him when thou hast disputed his Precepts thought them hard and troublesome and his Commandments grievous Hast not thou blamed him in so doing when thou hast thought that he hath not consulted thine Ease nor considered thy Circumstances and tied thee up to hard Meat hath not this been harbouring strange Thoughts of him Can he that is the Fountain of Wisdom do any thing that is irrational Or canst thou think he did not design thy Good when he commanded that which crosses the Inclinations of Flesh and Blood And ought not this to make thee say to him for the future Speak Lord for thy Servant hears 5. And they were the more fierce saying He stirreth up the People teaching throughout all Jury beginning from Galilee to this place AND must thy stirring up the Souls of Men to love their God my dearest Lord be called Sedition Oh then let there be such Sedition and such Uproars in my Soul Let there be a perpetual Contrariety betwixt the Flesh and the Spirit in me that my Spirit may never yield to the evil Motions of the Flesh Stir up my Soul to stand up for thy Honour and Glory Commence a War within me whereby I may be engaged to fight for him who hath redeemed me from the Power of the Grave and given me a Title to Immortality 6. When Pilate heard of Galilee he asked whether the Man were a Galilean A Galilean was a Nick-name And when the Jews called one a Galilean they meant an inconsiderable Person How meanly doth Pilate speak of thee my Blessed Jesus But he knew thee not Had he been sensible of thy Divinity he would not only have spoken of thee with the highest Respect and Veneration and fallen down before thee but wonder'd at the Mystery that the Creator should thus suffer himself to be abused by his Creatures and be content to be made an Object of their Scorn whose Souls and Bodies he might have lash'd with Eternal Fire Ignorance wanders in the Dark and passes by that Medicine which is of greatest Use and yields the greatest Comfort Oh drive that Darkness from my Mind and let me know nothing with that Delight and Satisfaction as I do thee my Jesus thee my Crucified Redeemer 7. And as soon as he knew that he belonged to Herod's Jurisdiction he sent him to Herod who himself was also at Jerusalem at that time PIlate intended to have Herod's Opinion of Christ. Which was just as if two blind Men should judge of Colours or pretend to guide one another by which Attempt they both fall into the Ditch O Jesu What could Herod judge of thee that knew not thy glorious Designs nor had any Knowledge of thy Spiritual Kingdom The Things of the Spirit are Foolishness to the Natural Man So they have been to me Before I knew what the Riches of thy Grace were I had strange Thoughts of Holiness and looked upon it as a needless thing I prize it now Thanks be to thee who hast open'd mine Eyes and not suffer'd me to continue in the Shadow and Valley of Death 8. And when Herod saw Jesus he was exceeding glad for he was desirous to see him of a long Season because he had heard many things of him and he hoped to have seen some Miracle done by him SUre this Man knew not what a Miracle was nor the End for which those wonderful Works were wrought Could the vain King think my blessed Lord that thou didst work Miracles to make Men Sport which were the Seals of Heaven affixed to thy sacred Doctrine O Lord I long not to see thy former Miracles wrought over again only one Miracle I beg thou wouldst work in me and turn my Heart of Stone into an Heart of Flesh and expel the Leprosie of Sin out of my Soul which if thou wilt grant I will speak of thy marvellous Acts and my Mouth shall shew forth thy Praise In the Congregations of the Saints will I bless thee 9. Then he questioned with him in many Words but but he answered him nothing NO doubt the Questions were trivial and below the Gravity and Holiness of my Saviour Had he asked What he should do to be saved None would have given a speedier Answer O my Jesus How wouldst thou have embraced the Opportunity and received the inquisitive Man with the same Tenderness
that thou didst the humble Publican But the Questions no doubt were mean and ridiculous and such as Men put to Fortune-tellers They deserved no Answer By thy Silence O my Lord thou teachest me how to behave my self upon the like Occasions when Men ask impertinent Questions about Religion with an Intent rather to cavil than to be edified In such Cases let me keep my Mouth as with a Bridle but let my Lips be ever open and ready to give an Answer to every Man that doth ask me a Reason of the Hope that is in me with Meekness and Fear 10. And the Chief Priests and Scribes stood and vehemently accused him VVHat could they accuse thee of O thou King of Saints All that they could charge thee with was That thou hadst healed their Sick and cured their Blind and dispossessed their Demoniacs and taught them the Way to Eternal Happiness And was this a Crime which Men of Ingenuity would have thought the greatest Mercy But Envy draws the Goodness it sees in others with a very black and soure Face and because it self springs from Hell derives the sweetest Actions of its Neighbours from the same Original O my Lord do but in my Soul what thou hast done in Judea and I will own thee as the Author and Fountain of my Happiness Let Envy and Strife die in my Soul that Confusion and every Evil Work may die there too and my Heart may become an Habitation of Peace for the Prince of Peace to rest in for ever 11. And Herod with his Men of War set him at nought and mocked him and arrayed him in a gorgeous Robe and sent him again to Pilate GReat Indignity To dress him like a Fool and then to send him with the Noise and Hissings of the People about him through the Streets back again to Pilate What Patience was here Who among the Children of Men that had Power in his Hand to be revenged on such Contempt would have born this with Equanimity For there goes nothing nearer the Heart than Contempt especially in Persons innocent and great But not the least Discontent is seen or heard in thee under all this Mockery my dearest Lord. It was to shew me an Example and to let me see that there is no walking to Heaven on Carpets and a Foot-cloth It was an Act great and heroic and Heaven that judged of thy Patience and Contentedness saw greater Valour in that Act than in all the Martial Enterprizes of Herod and his Soldiers Lord make me ambitious of the same Conquest And let me never think my self to be like thee till my Passions be subdued to Faith and Reason 12. And the same Day Pilate and Herod were made Friends together for before they were at Enmity between themselves A Strange Friendship which is made by dishonouring God and hath Sin and Impiety for its Foundation Such Friendship the World is acquainted with and Men become Friends one to another because they agree in committing Sins much of the same nature and size This makes Drunkards kind And one ill Man takes the other to be his Friend because he wills and nills the same Two Carnal Humours are alike gratified each counts Vertue needless or burthensome but Sin and Extravagance is the Diversion and Business of both O my Soul come not thou into their Secret Unto their Assembly mine Honour be not thou united But thy Friendship sweet Jesu is that my Soul longs for If thou be my Friend I need no more Thou art more than all the Friends I have in the World Where-ever I am be thou my Friend while I live when I die when I leave this World and when my Soul must appear before thy Tribunal and I shall never be confounded 13. And Pilate when he had called together the Chief Priests and the Rulers and the People HE calls both Priests and People together because they were of one Mind Men agree more in Sin than in Goodness and Wickedness unites them more than Religion O Jesu If all Men would tread in thy Steps and follow thy Precepts what an happy World would there be Yet even those that pretend to be of thy Religion hate one another and are divided more than Jews and Infidels Oh when shall that happy Day come that we shall all be of one Heart and of one Soul No Religion gives greater or better Rules for Charity and Union than that which thou hast taught Mankind Oh give me that Charity which bears all things and endureth all things Unite my Heart unto thee that I may fear thy Name Plant thine own sweet Temper in me that I may reign with thee for ever 14. Said unto them Ye have brought this Man unto me as one that perverts the People And behold I have examined him before you and have found no fault in this Man touching those things whereof ye accuse him HOW doth this Man labour to convince the wicked Jews of their Errour O my blessed Master What pains hast thou taken with me to convince me of my Faults and I have notwithstanding been loth to know them What Checks hast thou given me for my Pride and Passion and I have drown'd them and passed them by without taking notice of them When I have neglected a Duty how hast thou by Suggestions and setting the Examples of thy Saints before me endeavoured to withdraw me from my Omission Oh let me frustrate thy Pains no more Let it not be said that I was deaf to thy Admonitions When thou drawest me let me follow thee When thou leadest me let me walk in the Way thou chusest for me that I may come at last to enjoy thee with thy Saints and those who through Patience have inherited thy Promises 15. No nor yet Herod for I sent you to him and lo nothing worthy of Death is done of him O Blessed Saviour Even thine Enemies must justifie thee Thy Innocence was so bright and illustrious that Impiety it self could not charge thee with any Errour And when even thy Foes do vindicate thy Cause I that pretend to be thy Friend must not be backward to assert thy Honour and Glory Let me justifie thee by mine Actions and believe that I cannot honour thee more than by adorning thy Doctrine in all things Let my good Works bear witness that I honour thee and in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation let me sanctifie thee in my Heart and Life that whereas Men speak evil of me as of an Evil-doer they may be ashamed that falsely accuse my good Conversation in Christ Jesus 16. I will therefore chastise him and release him HE had not deserved so much as Chastisement yet the Judge being desirous to save him from the creator Danger inflicts this upon him for a Shew rather 〈◊〉 out of Malice Even wicked Men sometimes have good Desires and Purposes so had I before I knew thee my dearest Lord but those Purposes came to nothing I purposed often to mend my Life but
offended what tremblings will invade them How will they quake for fear What pitiful shifts will they betake themselves to but all in vain O let that dreadful day be ever before mine Eyes Let the future shrieks and groans of impenitent Sinners even now in this my day sound in mine Ears that I may be frighted from Sin O let me think what their ways will end in and turn my feet away from their Paths O let me not follow their pernicious ways that I may not be condemn'd with the World 31. For if they do these things in a green tree what shall be done in the dry JUdgment must begin at the House of God and if it first begin at us what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God And if the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Ungodly and Sinner appear God is resolved to judge the World and even the best shall have a taste of his Justice The Afflictions that befall the good in this World are but the beginnings of his indignation against Sin and by the Blood of Christ they shall be saved from the wrath to come But if these be the beginnings of God's anger what will the progress of his Justice be and where will it end O blessed Saviour How fearful will the end of all ungodly Sinners be If I must be afflicted O let me have my share of it in this World that I may not sink under the burden of thine indignation hereafter 32. And there were also two other Malefactors led with him to be put to death VVHat an opportunity had these wretches to save their Souls even at the last moment of their Lives An opportunity the like of which never was before nor ever will be Here was an happy day for them to have secured Christ's Favour who would not have denied his Grace to them had they been but willing to accept of it upon this extraordinary occasion Kings and Princes bestow extraordinary Acts of Grace at their Coronation or upon some remarkable Solemnity Now had been the time for these Malefactors to have laid hold on Eternal life which they never had any hope of before But how do Men let slip the opportunities God puts in their hands So have I my Blessed Jesus many a time when I have been in a good frame when thou hast put good Thoughts and Resolutions in my Heart what opportunities had I to to make my self for ever But I have return'd to the love of the World despised these opportunies of Grace and justly deserved thou shouldst deny them me for ever Dear Saviour visit me once more with thy Salvation with the Day-spring from on high and I will admit thy Beams into my Soul that I may be enlighten'd edified sanctified and preserv'd for ever 33. And when they were come to the place which is call'd Calvary there they crucified him and the Malefactors one on the right hand and the other on the left HEre begins the act at which Heaven and Earth stood amaz'd What a spectacle was here The Son of God nailed to the Cross and hanging betwixt two Thieves Did not the hands of the Soldiers that nailed the Saviour of the World to the Cross tremble Did not their Hearts fail them when they tied him to the Tree No their hearts were flint and adamant No other could have been engaged in the Service O wonderful stupidity they knew not what flesh they touch'd They knew not it was a Body fram'd by the Holy Ghost and the fruit of the Virgin 's Womb Here O my Soul here the work of thy Redemption is commenc'd O look upon the Heavenly Creature that hangs here and think what Riches are treasured up in his Cross Here he shew'd himself a Mediator indeed hanging in the middle betwixt a Penitent and a Prodigal betwixt Heaven and Earth betwixt the Living and the Dead They crucified him What did the Angels think to see their Lord and Master thus used What dost thou think of it O my Soul Job's Friends seeing the greatness of his misery sate silent by him in the Dust seven Days Look O my Soul upon this object sit silent and admire for thy Lord's grief is great 34. Then said Jesus Father forgive them for they know not what they do LOrd Jesus What a Miracle of Mercy dost thou work here I know not which is the greater wonder those thou dist formerly when conversant on the Earth or that which I see now perform'd on the Cross. To pray for Men who had abused thee to a Prodigy To beg of thy Father to forgive their Insolencies and not to exclude them from the possibility of Repentance Can I think of this and not believe that this was to teach me how I must behave my self toward those that have done me wrong Canst thou forgive such injuries and shall not I forgive them that trespass against me One would have thought that these affronts and indignities which were offered to thee would never have been forgiven yet they are no sooner offer'd but thou intercedest for their Remission O let no injury that 's henceforward offer'd me seem too big for pardon O let me freely pass by the offence committed against me that my Father which is the Heaven may forgive me my Trespasses 34. And they parted his Garments and cast Lots VVHat a rich Spoil did these Soldiers get and they knew it not If a good Christian that understood the great Mystery of Godliness had got such a Treasure how would he have valued it what Joy what Comfort would it have been to such a Soul Not that there is any great virtue in the Cloaths of the Son of God A Man might have kept them and yet by leading an ill life have perish'd Eternally but Who would not have preserv'd these precious Relicks if he had known what Person it was that wore them It would have done him good to have looked upon them and admirable Reflections he might have made upon them But to Men that knew not God these things were of no value O my Soul Thou hast not priz'd the good Things thy God hath bequeathed to thee How little hast thou valued the Means of Grace thy Saviour left behind him Henceforward learn to make a better Use of them that they may be Health to thy Navel and Marrow to thy Bones 35. And the People stood beholding and the Rulers also with them derided him saying He saved others Let him save himself if he be Christ the chosen of God IT could not but cause strange Admiration to see him who had been known to be a Prophet mighty in Word or Deed come to such a doleful and dreadful End But for any Man to be so impudent as to deride him in his Misery this was extraordinary bold and insolent Yet Men that have done a very ill thing think themselves obliged to justifie it by their Gestures and Actions partly to keep themselves from Reproach and partly to
quiet their unruly and tumultuous Consciences O my Soul Dread these things as Hell-fire and let not Sin reign in thy mortal Body lest thou be tempted to stand in it and to think well of it and defend it and by that means make thy Case desperate and thy Disease remediless and irrecoverable 36. And the Soldiers also mocked him coming to him and offering him Vinegar TO give a dying Man Vinegar is to increase his Torments and mocking of his Misery To add Affliction to Affliction hath been counted inhumane by most Nations How like Beasts and Brutes doth Want of Religion make Men Nothing makes them act more rationally than Religion Religion is the Image of God and he that practiseth it cannot but be like God O my Jesus Give me such a Sense of it that it may shine through my Actions and People may see whose Child I am Oh when shall my brutish my beastly Affections die When shall I imitate my Father which is in Heaven and act like a Person who hath a Soul infused from above the Gift of the Father of Lights with whom there is no Variableness nor Shadow of Turning 37. And saying If thou be the King of the Jews save thy self A Frothy Humour to what Inconveniences doth it lead Men It makes them speak ill of God before they are aware and while they give way to their Jests they very often affront Religion and Holiness that is its individual Companion O my Saviour Give me a serious Temper Gravity of Behaviour Sobriety of Speech Discretion in my Words and Considerateness in my Carriage Let me not dare to offend thee to please Men nor attempt to make the Company I am in merry with breaking Jests upon things at which the holy Angels tremble 38. And a Superscription also was written over him in Letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew This is the King of the Jews HOW doth God concur with the Actions of sinful Men contrary to their Designs and Purposes Pilate when he writ this Title over the Cross in all these Languages perhaps did it only to gratifie his Humour but God so directed it that all Nations intimated by those Languages might read there that this Jesus was the Saviour of all the World and that no Nation was excluded from a Title to the Merits of his Cross and Passion O Jesu Thou art no Respecter of Persons But in every Nation whosoever serves thee and works Righteousness is accepted of thee As poor as mean as inconsiderable as I am yet if my Heart be upright toward thee thou wilt receive me and love me Oh give me such an Heart as thou delightest to dwell in And if thou art in me I shall possess a Treasure which the Moth cannot corrupt and Thieves cannot steal away 39. And one of the Malefactors which were hanged railed on him saying If thou be Christ save thy self WHat Rudeness was this Strange That his Misery should not make the Wretch more modest But his Concern was only for this present Life All that he desired was to be free from his present Pain that he might pursue his Sensual Inclinations as formerly How may a Man's Sensuality be known by his Talk O my Soul look well to thy Words and Discourses If thy Heart be touched with a Sense of a future glorious Life thy Tongue will delight to speak of it If thou have an Aversion from such Discourses all thy Professions of Eternal Life will be mere Wind and Air From the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaks If Heaven and a glorious Eternity hath possessed thy Heart thou wilt find Opportunities to utter thy inward Feelings of those things with thy Tongue 40. But the other answering rebuked him saying Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same Condemnation FRiendly Reproof is a great Duty Yet O my Soul how loth hast thou been to give it and how loth hast thou been to take it when this precious Balm hath been poured out upon thy Head by a charitable Neighbour How hast thou looked upon it as Gall and Wormwood And what hard Thoughts hast thou entertained of the kind Monitor calling him either faucy or medling with things that did not concern him And how often hast thou let thy Neighbour sleep and rest in his Sin when thy Fraternal Correption might have rouzed him from his Slumber Oh be humbled for this great Omission And when a Malefactor on the Cross thinks himself obliged not to suffer Sin upon his Neighbour be not thou backward to save a Soul from Death 41. And we indeed justly for we receive the due Reward of our Deeds But this Man hath done nothing amiss AN humble Acknowledgment of our Sins and Demerits is the Way to God's Bosom This is the first Discovery of this poor Man's Repentance and he begins with the noblest Act of it which is seeking to draw others to a Sense of better things In this O my Soul thou hast been very remiss and neglectful even in propagating Religion and exhorting others to seek God's Face Henceforth be more diligent in gaining Proselytes to Christ Jesus And what if thy Admonition prevails not thou hast discharged a Duty and may'st rejoyce in having acted according to the Will of God 42. And he said unto Jesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom HEre is a Mind set upon Heaven and despising the World than which nothing is more acceptable to God He is content to endure Shame Pain Tortures Prickings Aches and all the Indignities that Man can offer to him so Christ will but remember him in his Kingdom O Jesu Son of God! give me such a Mind and Temper which may be content with any thing so I may but obtain a Share in the Pleasures at thy Right Hand Let even Sword and Famine and Hunger and Thirst and Nakedness seem nothing to me so I may but enjoy thy Embraces in the End Asure me and convince me that the Afflictions of this present Life though never so great never so painful never so lasting never so bitter or piercing are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which e'er long shall be revealed in me 43. And Jesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise HOW ready is Christ to cherish the Penitent that abhors himself for his Deformity and sees greater Beauty and Excellency and Satisfaction in the Ways of Holiness and a Spiritual Life than in all the Comforts of this World Blessed Saviour How ready art thou to stretch forth thine Arms to such humble and contrite Spirits Thou art readier to grant than they to ask and even before they cry thou hearest them Oh let this be an Encouragement to me to deplore my Sins and to bewail mine Offences to detest what I have been doing against thee and to seek first thy Kingdom and its Righteousness that now that thou art in thy Kingdom thou may'st remember me and when I leave
overcome the Evil with Good Rom. 12. 21. 54. To bear with the infirmities of the Weak Rom. 15. 1. 55. To avoid familiarity with Sectaries and such as disturb the Peace of the Church Rom. 16. 17 18. 56. To practise the Rules of that Charity which are set down 1 Gor. 13. 4 5 6 7. 57. To bring forth those Fruits of the Spirit which we find specified Gal. 5. 22 23. 58. To learn to be wise unto Salvation 1 Cor. 3. 18. 59. If a Man be overtaken in a fault to restore him in the Spirit of Meekness Gal. 6. 1. 60. To redeem the Time we have lost by our greater diligence in God's Service Eph. 5. 6. 61. To resist Temptations to Sin with all our might Eph. 6. 13 14 15. 62. To study Modesty and Decency in all our Actions 1 Thess. 4. 3 4 5. 63. To esteem the faithful Teachers of the Word very highly for their Works sake 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. 64. To comfort the feeble-minded to support the weak to be patient towards all Men 1 Thess. 5. 14. 65. To rejoyce in the Lord always Phil. 4. 4. 66. To use and shew Moderation to all Men Phil. 4. 5. 67. To give Thanks in every thing and to give God the Glory whether we Eat or Drink or whatever we do 1 Cor. 10. 31. 1 Thess. 5. 18. 68. To abstain from appearances of Evil 1. Thess. 5. 22. 69. To prove and try things by the Word of God and to hold fast that which is good 1 Thess. 5. 21. 70. To be conteut with Food and Rayment if God doth not think fit to give us more 1 Tim. 6. 6 7 8. 71. To be steady and constant in our Duties without fainting Rev. 2. 20. 72. To study great sincerity and simplicity in our Actions 2 Cor. 1. 12. 73. To be rich in good Works where God â—aâ—h blessed us with Riches in this World 1 Tim. 6. 17 18. 74. To use great Temperance in Eating and Drinking 1 Cor. 9. 25. 75. To use great modesty in our Apparel 1 Tim. 2. 9. 76. To visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions Jam. 1. 27. 77. To bridle our Tongues Jam. 1. 26. 78. To be easie intreated to that which is good Jam. 3. 17. 79. To say of things we intend to do If the Lord will and we shall live Jam. 4. 15. 80. To call for the Elders or Ministers of the Church when we are sick and to let them pray over us Jam. 5. 14. 81. If we are chearful to sing Psalms Jam. 5. 13. 82 If we have done any thing prejudicial to our Neighbours to confess our faults to them Jam. 5. 16. 83. To endeavour to convert others to the love of God Luke 32. 32. 84. To have our Conversation in Heaven and to look more at the things which are not seen than at those which are seen Phil. 3. 20. 2 Cor. 4. 18. 85. To be sober and vigilant over our Actions 1 Pet. 5. 8. 86. To grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 3. 18. 87. To use Hospitality and to be kind and obliging to Strangers Heb. 13. 2. 88. To lay down even our Lives for our Brethren if it be for the good of the Church 1 Joh. 3. 16. 89. To use the World as if we used it not 1 Cor. 7. 31. 90. To give diligence to make our Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 7. 10. 91. To imitate the good Examples we see before us Heb. 13. 7. Phil. 3. 17. 92. To be courteous and affable in our Discourses and Behaviour 1 Pet. 3. 8. 93. To repent of the Sins we have fallen into and to forsake them 2 Cor. 12. 21. These are the Duties we find Commanded in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and by looking over these two Catalogues we may soon perceive what we have been doing against God our Neighbor and our selves and wherein we have been defective But then 3. This Self-Examination will not be compleat except we consider these Sins and Duties with respect to our present temper and inclination and therefore 1. As to the Sins which upon a survey of the Catalogue we find our selves guilty of or prone to our hearts must be ask'd whether we have an aversion from them whether we are resolved to shew our dislike and hatred to them for the future whether we do think it worth our pains to exercise our selves in the mortification of them whether our real purpose is whenever we are tempted to any of them to oppose the Temptation and to keep our selves unspotted from the insection whether the bent of our Soul is wittingly and wilfully to allow our selves in the Commission of them no more whether we do in good earnest intend to enquire and take advice and to use the proper remedies to be rid of them whether we are resolv'd to shun the apparent occasions of them and whether in case we do through incogitancy run into any of these errors to get up again presently and endeavour to bring our selves to an habit of cautiousness of offending God and whether we will pray much and work hard to shake these Vipers from our bosoms 2. As to the Duties which upon a view of the aforesaid list we find we have neglected enquiry must be made whether we see and taste the sweetness of them whether we do heartily believe that the perfection of our nature consists in them whether we do earnestly resolve whatever comes of it to be possessors of them whether they ingross the desires of our hearts whether we have any ardent longings after these Spiritual accomplishments whether we prefer an holy fruitsulness in these Virtues before Temporal felicities whether we have a sense of the great necessity beauty and excellency of them whether we do not content our selves with bare wishes after them but are fully purposed to take the way whereby we may obtain them whether we are resolved to improve the single and accidental Acts into a lasting habit and disposition and whether we will be earnest with God for the assistance of his holy Spirit that they may take root in us and solicit the Grace of God to prosper our endeavours whether we think them worth having and will act like persons that do think so whether if we have done them imperfectly the purpose of our Souls is to perform them with greater sincerity whether if foiled at any time in the pursuit of them we mean to take fresh courage and to fall on again till we arrive to a facility in the practice and if gentler means will not prevail whether we will use the severer and more rigorous ways of mortification and offer even violence to our desires rather than go without them If our hearts can and dare answer in the affirmative and say Yea to these Queries we are safe and may believe God hath mighty blessings in store for us and will bestow them upon us in the use of this Holy
Judge and he that thus condemns himself judges himself IV. The third act of Judging our selves is to inflict Judgments upon our selves By which I do not mean maiming or wounding our selves or cutting off an Arm or a Leg or whipping our selves but inflicting such Judgments on our selves for the Sins we have been guilty of and so often fallen into as are neither hurtful to the Body nor unprofitable nor prejudicial to the Soul but serve rather to bring the Soul into an excellent temper These Judgments though the design of them is to meliorate the Soul yet they are in a great measure to be inflicted on the Body because the Body tempts the Soul to great extravagancies and by presenting a thousand pleasant Objects to her leads her into Nets and Snares and Dangers The Judgment therefore must be laid upon that part which is the tempter and that being under restraint the Soul may more freely move toward her Center God blessed for evermore It 's true naturally no Man hates his own Flesh but cherishes it and makes much of it but Grace and the Gospel teaches us to treat it with greater rigour To be too fond of the Body in St. Bernard's sense is a Charity which destroys Charity a Mercy which is full of Cruelty for this is to serve the Body in order to kill the Soul Is this Charity saith he to tender the Body and to neglect the Soul To caress the Handmaid and to let the Mistress starve Let no Man think that for being thus merciful he will ever obtain mercy So that the Flesh and Body are to be treated as a wild or unruly Horse if we curb him not he will give us a fall Our Bodies are greater Enemies than we are aware they are friends too but the hurt they do too often to our Souls shews they are greater Enemies than Friends and therefore the Fathers do so often call the Flesh the Grave of the Soul a Prison where we are held Captive and a Dungeon where we sit in Darkness The Platonists used to say that our Souls deriving their Original from Heaven are sent into this World to shew forth the Praises of God here on Earth as the Angels do in Heaven but the Body the Soul is in is a kind of Inchanted Castle in which the Soul through the flatteries of the Flesh forgetting too often her nobler Extraction is diverted from her glorious Designs and debased to vile Employs And to this purpose Seneca That the Body is the weight and punishment of the Soul lying heavy upon it ready to link it and putting Shackles upon her if Philosophy do not make a Reformation The Body therefore being such a treacherous Servant must feel the effects of our Justice as it hath been the great instrument of the Sins we have committed that it may be more modest in its Desires And accordingly we find that good Men in all Ages when they have sate as Judges upon themselves to shew their detestation of the Sins they have been guilty of have inflicted Judgments on that part which is most sensible of any thing that is uneasie not out of any ill will to it for it is God's Creature but to preserve both Body and Soul unto Salvation So David punish'd himself for his Sins sometimes by mingling his Drink with Weeping Psal. 102. 9. Sometimes by making Sackcloth his Garment Psal. 69. 11. Sometimes by weakening his Knees with Fasting and Prayer Psal. 109. 24. Sometimes by making his Bed swim with Tears Psal. 6. 6. Sometimes by great acts of Self-denial as overcoming Shimei ' s Malice with Patience and Meekness 2 Sam. 16. 10. And delivering him that without cause was his Enemy Psal. 7. 4. And keeping Fasts and Humiliation Days for the recovery of those that were his Enemies Psal. 35. 13. Sometimes by lying all Night upon the Earth or Floor 2 Sam. 12. 16. Sometimes by rising at Midnight to praise God Psal. 119. 61. So the Penitent Publican punish'd himself by a violent smiting his Breast Luke 16. 13. So Mary Magdalen punished her self by washing the Feet of the Lord Jesus with her Tears and wiping them with the Hair of her Head Luke 7. 37. So Zacheus punish'd himself by giving the halfe of his Goods to the Poor and by fourfold Restitution Luke 19. 7. So St. Paul punished himself by keeping under his Body and bringing it into subjection 1 Cor. 9. 27. By making himself a Servant to all that he might gain the more 1 Cor. 9. 19. By labouring Day and Night that he might not be chargeable to the Church 1 Thess. 2. 9. By denying himself in Marriage 1 Co. 9. 5. So Daniel punished himself for his own and his People's Offences three Weeks together by eating no pleasant Bread by avoiding Flesh and Wine and forbearing to anoint himself Dan. 10. 2 3. So the Primitive believers punished themselves by various Self-denials in the Pleasures Satisfactions and Recreations of the Flesh and of the World thereby to express their Anger either against Sin in general or against some particular Sins they had run into But the most usual Judgment that good Men have ever inflicted on themselves as a Testimony of their Displeasure against themselves for offending God hath been Fasting and Prayer or chastening their Flesh by frequent Fasts spent in deprecations of God's Judgments and in other exercises of Humiliation and when Men have said to them Why are you so cruel as not to spare your Flesh They have answered We spare or use it as we do the Earth which we plough and cut with Coulters that it may bring forth more Fruit. V. This judging our selves in all its acts is certainly very pleasing to God especially before we come to the Holy Communion else St. Paul would never have told us in the passage mentioned in the beginning of this Chapter that by doing so we do put a stop to God's judging of us So that we have reason to believe that God upon our accusing our selves or humble Confessions stops the mouth of the Accuser of our Brethren which is open against us who this is we may learn from Rev. 12. 10. even the Devil who brings severe Accusations against us before God night and day and as he wants neither Wit nor Malice to do it so we have an instance of it in the History of Job Chap. 1. Ver. 9. Where appearing among the Sons of God whether wrapt up in a dark Cloud or in the form of an Angel of Light is not said but among the Angels that gave an account of their Negotiations here on Earth to God he appear'd and as those Ministring Spirits were commending Job for his exemplary Virtue so he displeased at the fair Character immediately seeks to blast and sully it by aspersions and misconstructions and thus we must suppose he deals with other persons that have the same inclinations to Virtue for those Examples are recorded in Scripture not only to tell us what happened just at
in us we shall be desirous to dye to the World and have great inclinations to suffer with him and this is not to be done but by bridling both Soul and Body through a severe Mortification IV. In inflicting Judgments upon our selves the Word of God must be our guide He that should use all the Mortifications he meets with in Ecclesiastical History especially in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries after Christ might run himself into great Errors and Inconveniencies The Scripture is ever the safest Rule which when Men have forsaken and thought to do more than is commanded or recommended by Examples in that Book they have been often lest exposed to great Temptations He that follows an Example of Penitential rigor recorded in Scripture though some imprudence may mingle with the imitation yet it is an error of the Right Hand There have been excesses of Devotion in all Ages and even good Men have sometimes run beyond the bounds prescribed them by Almighty God into superstition especially in things relating to voluntary affliction of the Body and from hence have grown those abuses in Popery where Penances have swallow'd the measures of substantial Piety and Men's inflicting of Judgment upon themselves hath been a means to make them neglect Faith Judgment and Mercy This shews the necessity of keeping close to the Rule of Scripture which besides the Precepts hath thought fit to Record such Examles as are sufficient to instruct us both in the nature of Repentance and the Rigors that in some cases are to bear it company It 's certain that in some persons strong habits of Sin will not be dissolved or broke but by Corrosives and violent Remedies and where a Man sees that the corruption which cleaves to him baffles all softer Applications he must needs save himself from being undone by lancing the wound Maimonides the learned Jew in his Rules of Ethicks gives this advice to his Disciples that would arrive to any considerable degree in virtue He saith he that hath been guilty of one extreme i. e. He that finds an habit of a certain sin in himself to become good must at first at least run into the opposite extreme of the Virtue which is its contrary till he be qualified to walk in the middle way without danger i. e. He that finds himself very cholerick and passionate to arrive to an habit of meekness must at first run into an excess of meekness and be patient and silent and contented even under injuries and actions that in some measure deserve his anger and continue thus for some time till his Soul be quieted like a weaned Child and then he may abate of that excess and use his meekness with greater discretion so he that hath been proud to mortifie that ill habit or extreme must apply himself to the other and be humble even to contempt and reproach so long till his stubborn affection be subdued and then he may use his humility with greater moderation We see by this that Jews as well as Christians are sensible that without a rigor and severe Discipline there is no arriving to any height of Goodness and Religion yet as this inflicting Judgments upon our selves is a thing of great use in the weighty Work of true Repentance and in the support of a serious Life so care must be taken that all opinion of Merit be laid aside in the practice of it for if such a Worm get into the Timber of the Sanctuary it soon rots it nor must we think that after we have exercised such Acts of Justice upon our selves for the Sins we have committed we may upon the credit of it take fresh liberty to offend God The design of it is to mortifie our Appetite to Sin an therefore must not prove fewel of that Fire To this must be added Discretion and Moderation in the management of these Acts of Justice and as by inflicting upon our selves the Discipline of Fasting and Humiliation before the Holy Sacrament not a few Christians find much Comfort if their Bodies be able to bear it so in times of Sickness or bodily Weakness this inflicting of Judgment on our selves becomes useless and unnecessary for in these cases God inflicts Judgments and therefore we need not All we have to do at such times is to kiss the Rod and to bear God's gentle Corrections as things we have both deserv'd and are intended for the renewing of our inward Man Our English Histories tell us of two Men in the time of Popery one who upon his Death-bed when the Priest came to him with the Holy Sacrament would be dragg'd like a Traitor out of his Bed to the place where the Priesthood and another who hearing the Bishop was come to Administer the Sacament to him would needs crawl out of his Bed half naked with an Halter about his Neck to receive it But as I know not what Motives or Impulses they might have for these Actions so I am loth to judge whether they did ill or not The PRAYER MY Lord and my God! my Shepherd my Master my Helper and the Lifter up of my Head my Light my Way my Wisdom my Righteousness my Sanctification my Redemption O how I could be revenged on those Madnesses Follies Vanities I have been guilty of I do not only confess them unto thee O thou searcher of all Hearts but I could even bruise and wound and tear my self for being so basely and so monstrously ungrateful to the best of Masters if that were a Sacrifice pleasing unto thee How stupid how sensless have I been How averse from that which is my greatest interest Ah! how like a blind Creature have I groped in the dark and thought my self secure and safe while I have stood upon the brink of destruction How bold and daring have I been and what pains have I taken for Pleasures and Recreations which besides the unreasonableness and transitoriness and inconstancy of them could not be expiated neither O dearest Saviour but by thy Blood and Death O how heavy how dreadful must my Sins be that require so costly a satisfaction O Eternal Father To see what thou hast done for my Salvation To see how for my sake thy Son thine only Son is in a manner left destitute without Help without Assistance without Comfort what can I think but that in some respect thou didst love me more than him That I might rejoyce he must be sorrowful to a Prodigy that I might be healed he must be wounded that I may be cleansed he must spill his precious Blood O how faithful art thou to forlorn Man Thou hast piomised to restore him and behold Thou givest the richest Treasure of Heaven to effect it Ah! how can I see my dear Redeemer weep and not weep my self He grieves not for his own Sins but for mine he bewails not his own faults but my Transgressions he never sinn'd but I am he that hath offended thee a thousand times I beseech thee accept of the
said she was voluntarily poor and we love Gold and Silver he was humble and lowly but we affect Dominion and Greatness he was always in Affliction we hunt for Carnal Pleasures The wisest Person living could not have spoken greater sense and if Christ's Actions were intended for Patterns it will naturally follow that as he entirely resign'd himself to his Father's Will before he went to dye so it 's very fit that his Disciples when they come to remember his Death in a most solemn manner in the Sacrament should follow him in that Self-resignation the rather because like him we resolve in this Sacrament and promise for the Glory set before us to run with patience the Race which is set before us for which this Self-resignation is absolutely necessary as will appear more fully from the following Paragraph 2. Without this Sel-resignation one great End for which we pretend to come to this Sacrament is not to be obtain'd which is to learn to imitate Christ Jesus in his Patience under all sorts of Sufferings which can never be done without a holy Self-resignation He that doth not resign his Will to God's Will in all things must necessarily fall into discontents when any trouble doth surprize him especially if it be of the greater sort for he will either look altogether upon the second Causes whereby his misery comes which will make him quarrel with the Dog at the Stone thrown at him or he will imagine that he might have prevented it and that it was nothing but his own carelesness and imprudence that caused it and that will make him fret and fume or he will fancy that he hath not deserved such an Affliction and that will make him repine or he will compare his present afflicted State with the more happy condition of his Neighbors and that will occasion great murmurings and complaints or he will do little but pore upon his wretchedness and that will fill him with melancholic Thoughts or he will measure his Felicity by Worldly Prosperity and that will unavoidably bring the Sorrow of the World upon him but a Person that hath resign'd his Will to the Will of God can think nothing strange This one thing that his Affliction is the Will of God will hush and quiet all compose his Thoughts lenifie the bitterness and grievousness of his wounds lessen his grief cause chearfulness in his Soul fortifie his Mind and make him say with David I was dumb I open'd not my mouth because thou didst it Psal. 39. 9. not to mention the Sweetness our Souls would taste and be sensible of in this Holy Sacrament if they came with this Self-resignation to the Will of God for this would be a preparative for greater Gifts for larger Effusions of the Holy Ghost and richer Communications of inward Comforts The Preceding Considerations reduced to Practice I. GOD Jer. 18. 2. doth very fitly compare himself to a Potter who by the motion of his Wheel and the activity of his Hand gives the Clay what form and shape he pleases and the reason why he makes use of that similitude is because himself formed Man of the Clay of the Earth and from hence it 's very easie to infer that if we suffered our selves to be managed by his powerful hand as easily as the Clay doth by the Potters we might become most beautiful Vessels Nothing in Nature resists the Will of God The Heavens readily conform to his pleasure and all the Stars move and shine by his Order and Appointment the whole Creation doth exactly and punctually submit to his Law and Night and Day do not make a false step in obeying the Constitutions of the great Architect if they should what confusion would the whole Universe fall into So our Will if it suffer it self to be entirely Govern'd by the Divine every Member and every part in this little World Man wou'd move in excellent harmony their motions wou'd be circular and orderly for nothing causes greater confusion in the Frame than when we are loth to leave our selves to his Conduct This is the way to arm our selves against all danger This abates their force and enfeebles their violence when they come This checks our needless Curiosity and while we enquire for what reasons God sends such things upon us this one answers all Objections It is the Will of God II. We see here by what standard we are to measure Christian perfection even by this Self-resignation of our Wills to God's Will The more we advance in this the more perfect we are and though an absolute perfection is not to be obtained in this life yet to come as near that absolute Conformity and Self-resignation which shall be in Heaven as we can is counted Christian Perfection even on this side Heaven It was therefore wisely said by Alphonso King of Arragon when one of his Familiars ask'd him Who it was that he counted the happiest Man His Answer was Him who receives all things whether sad or pleasant as coming from a kind and wise Father's hand with an even mind And we are told of a Man that had the Power of Miracles conferr'd upon him and being ask'd of his Friend How he came by that Power He Said He knew not except God should like one thing in him which was that he was never lifted up by Prosperity nor cast down by Adversity and whatever happen'd to him still he look'd higher to the Origin and Spring from whence it came and that ever day he made it his business to desire nothing but what God desires and all his Prayers tended that way that God's Will might be entirely fulfilled and accomplished in him Even the Heathen Philosophers placed Perfection in following God i. e. in a chearful submission to every thing that God would have done and therefore we have a notable address of the Heathen Epictetus to his great Creator an address fit to be imitated by every Christian. Great God saith he use me henceforward according to thy pleasure I am altogether of thy mind It is indifferent to me how thou dealest with me I refuse nothing if thou seest it good for me Lead me where thou thinkest it convenient Cloath me in what Garment thou pleasest whether it be whole or torn either shall be welcome Whether thou wilt have me bear the Office of a Magistrate or lead a private Life whether thou wilt have me stay in mine own Country or let me be driven into exile whether thou wilt have me rich or poor In all this by my equanimity I will justifie thee before Men. This Prayer from the mouth of an Heathen is astonishing and the rather because we see few Christians arrive to this Self-resignation that have far greater helps and had we no express Command for this Self-resignation in the Bible yet that general Precept of considering and doing whatever things are true and just and honest and lovely and of a good report would oblige us to imitate the very Heathen
rejoyce in nothing so much as in this that I love thee XX. O my bountiful Saviour O my loving Redeemer When when shall it be that I shall love thee perfectly Here on Earth I must not hope for this Happiness but in Heaven I shall O Heaven Heaven How desirable art thou Where the Love of Jesus shall eternally reign in my Soul Where my Love shall be perfectly pure perfectly Seraphick perfectly Extatical and Eternal Ages shall not alter it At present I am in Prison encompassed with a Mortal Body and must sojourn in a wicked World Oh when will that Day that Hour that Minute that happy Time come that I shall be delivered from this Dungeon and translated to that place where Love is all in all where Love knows no End no Decay no Period where it is pure without Mixture invariable without Changes eternal without ceasing Come Lord Jesu Come quickly Particular Acts of Devotion at the Acts of Consecration and Receiving of the Consecrated Bread and Wine At the Minister's pouring out the holy Wine into the Cup. O Jesu Who can think of the flowing of thy Blood without being desirous to be washed with it Or I fancy I do at this present stand under thy Cross and see thee bleeding for my Sins Or Oh. Let thy Blood flow upon my wounded Soul that I may become a sound Member of thy Mystical Body At the Minister's laying his Hand upon the Bread O Blessed Saviour Lay thy Hand upon my Soul that all my Distempers may depart from me Or Oh lay hold on my Soul as the Angel did on Lot Save me from the Flames and let me escape into the Mount of God that I perish not At the Minister's Breaking the Bread Lord Jesu In suffering thy Body to be broken for my Sins I see the Vehemence the Strength and Fervour of thy Love Oh make me all Love all Fervour all Charity Or Oh break the united Forces of my Sins scatter them by thy mighty Arm. Gather the broken Planks of Vertue in my Soul unite them make them whole and strong and secure against the Fury of Winds and Tempests At the Minister's pronouncing the Words This is my Body Lord Let me look off from these material Things and shew me Things invisible and Heavenly Or O Lord The Benefits of thy wounded Body my Soul longs for Oh say They shall be thy Portion At the Minister's touching the Cup. Lord Touch my Soul that it may feel the Power of thy Super-abundant Charity Or Oh! Touch me as thou didst the Blind of old that I may see the Bowels of thy Compassion and rejoyce in the glorious Sight At the Minister's pronouncing the Words This is my Blood Lord My Soul wants Wine of another nature than is in this Cup Oh wash it and cleanse it and purifie it in thy Blood Or Lord Speak thou to my Soul and say I will be thou clean At the Receiving of the Bread Lord Let thy Death be my Life And the Bread represented by this Bread feed me into Everlasting Life Or Lord As thou hast provided Food for my Soul so give me a Taste and Relish also of this Food and a Tongue to praise thy Name for ever Or Lord As thou hast given thy Body for me so I freely offer my Soul and Body as Living Sacrifices to thy Majesty At the Receiving of the Cup. Lord Nothing is more precious than thy Blood Oh! Let it warm my Heart that it may comply with thy Will wlthout wavering Or Lord Bid me look upon thy Blood and in thy Blood upon the Reconciliation wrought by it to the Comfort and Edification of my Soul Or O Lord I am heavy laden and my Pollutions are great And as thy Blood alone can remove that Burthen so free me from those Spots and Wrinkles which make me look deformed in thy Sight CHAP. XXVIII Of the proper Acts of Devotion after we have Received The CONTENTS The Time that is left after our Personal Receiving before all have Communicated not to be spent in Gazing or Looking about Acts of Devotion to be used after Receiving and relating to the Wisdom Mercy Liberality Love Goodness Greatness and Majesty of God to our own Vileness and Unworthiness c. IT falls out so often that when we have Communicated and our Souls have been fed at this Table a considerable Space of Time remains before the united Praises and Thanksgivings of the Congregation begin again This Time be it more or less must not be spent in looking about or in sitting still or in thinking of what Objects our Fancy is pleased to offer and present to us but in holy Aspirations And that the Communicant may know how to employ himself in that Interval it may not be amiss to set down some pious and proper Ejaculations whereby he may exercise his Mind according as Time will permit I. O God! Thy Love in Christ Jesus deserves to be praised admired and magnified There is all that in it which can engage a Soul to break forth into Praises and Hallelujahs There is Beauty Wisdom Condescention Mercy Liberality Sweetness Power Greatness Majesty in it and all these in the highest Degree which would force even a dumb Man to speak of thy Glory II. I adore thee O Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity for that infinite Care of my immortal Soul which I see in all thy Proceedings and Transactions and particularly in the Cross of my dearest Redeemer Here thou seemest to empty all thy Stores and pourest out thy Grace abundantly upon the Heads and Hearts of thy Servants Behold Bless ye the Lord all ye Servants of the Lord which by Night stand in the House of the Lord Lift up your Hands in the Sanctuary and bless the Lord. The Lord that made Heaven and Earth hath blessed us out of Zion III. O Charming Son of God! I alone am not able sufficiently to praise thee and therefore I wish that every Drop of the Ocean every Grain of Sand every Leaf of the Trees of the Field and every Sprig of Herbs and all the Creatures that ever were or are or shall be might be turn'd into Seraphick Tongues to praise thee IV. O Jefu When I behold thy wonderful Love how it hath bowed how it hath stooped to so mean a Creature as I am the Thoughts of it force my Soul into the humblest and deepest Prostrations Thou art Beauty I am Deformity Thou art Wisdom I am Ignorance Thou art Light I am Darkness Thou art Omnipotence I am feeble Thou art Purity I am Filth and Dung Thou art rich I am Poverty it self Thou art happy I am Misery it self Thou art Perfection I am Weakness Thou art All in All I am nothing V. O Blessed Saviour When I see how Men fall in love with a mortal and fading Beauty which to Day shines bright as the Sun to Morrow by Sickness or Death is all tarnish'd and decay'd how do I blame my self that I do not love thee better whose
I might be advanc'd to bliss I see what a costly thing my Salvation is since to purchase it the Son of God did die Yet how light do I make of Heaven O God what moved thee to love me thus And shall I think any thing to dear to part with for thy sake Into what Labyrinths do I run my self while I am mine own Keeper Thou hast paid dear for thy right to rule and govern me and shall I after all be loath to be govern'd by so Gracious a Master Here I make an offering of my Heart if thou wilt but vouchsafe to accept of it it is a Present unworthy of thy Greatness and Majesty yet thou art pleased to require no other sacrifice Hence forward speak Lord and thy Servant will hear and when the Characters of thy Mercy wear out or decay in my unconstant Soul Lord write them there afresh write them with the Blood of Christ that they may be everlasting and may be an Eternal fence to me against the suggestions and persuasions of thine Enemies 3. Conversing with the Holy Angels after we have eaten requires imitation of them in their Praises and Obedience Bless the Lord ye his Angels that excel in strength that do his commandments hearken to the voice of his word saith the Psalmist Psal. 103. 20. Praise and Obedience are inseparable Virtues the one without the other makes dull Musick in the Ears of God Let no Man think that because Angels are invisible Spirits and afar off there is no conversing with them He that doth their work is their Companion their Brother and their Familiar with such they love to be such persons they love to visit and he that doth so may be as confident they are on his right hand as if he saw them for God hath said so Psal. 34. 7. and therefore it must be true whether our carnal eyes behold them or no. Praising is not only to offer up a Psalm or Hymn after we have eaten but living in a sense of the love of God and he that doth so cannot but be obedient and faithful to him that hath so signally manifested his mercy in his Misery The PRAYER O Thon who art the Bread of Life who canst feed Souls and nourish Spirits into Immortal Life who hast food the World knows not of and by secret influences canst enrich and enlighten those that wait at the Pool for the stirring of the Waters O bring my mind in frame O teach me to eat in this Sacrament of thy Love to the satisfying my Soul Make the food of sin odious and bitter to me I have fed too long on that stolen Bread Open mine Eyes that I may see how miserable I am if I do not relish what thou hast set before me Thou hast given me a Soul and thou would'st have it thrive In this Sacrament is that which shall strengthen my Heart I want only a mighty hunger and thirst O thou who hast given me an Appetite after the meat which perishes give me a Holy greediness after that which endures to everlasting life O let the Benefits of thy death prove life to my Spirit Raise it above this dull and Corruptible Flesh that it may triumph over its base desires Bring thou back my Captivity and let my Chains fall off Let the Liberty of thy Children which consists in a chearful going on from virtue to virtue be my delight and ornament so shall the King take pleasure in my Beauty and my Soul shall rejoyce in Thee for ever Amen CHAP V. Of the various abuses of this Holy Sacrament The CONTENTS The most Sacred things in all ages have been abused Instances drawn from the brazen Serpent Gideon's Ephod and the Love-Feasts of the Primitive Christians Abuses of Holy things rise from several causes The Lords Supper hath undergone the same fate The Holier any thing is that is abused the greater is the Crime A great abuse of this Holy Sacrament is to fancy that like a spell it will Charm sin out of our Souls without strong endeavours The abuses committed in this Sacrament no just Temptation to neglect the use of it The Prayer I. THere is nothing so sacred or holy but hath been and may still be abused by sensual Men. Moses Numb 21. 8. by God's special Appointment erects a fiery Serpent or a Serpent of Polished Brass shining bright as Fire a symbol of God's Presence and Power to heal the tormented Israelites who had been stung by fiery Serpents insomuch that if any of the persons thus stung look'd upon the Figure he actually recovered So remarkable a History depending upon this brazen Serpent it was laid up for a Monument yet in process of time this became an object of Idolatry which moved Hezekiah to break it in pieces and call it Nehushtan 2 Kings 18. 4. The very same happen'd to Gideon's Ephod Judg. 8. 27. a thing innocently enough contrived and in all probability piously intended as a standing testimony to future Ages what a signal Victory God had given his People over the barbarous Midianites yet after his Death when with his Life his Power and Authority over the bruitish People were gone they went a whoring after it i. e. fell to worship it an accident which proved the ruine of Gideon's Family and of thousands besides in Israel What could be more innocent than the Love-Feasts in the Primitive Church Mention is made of them Jud. vers 12. They were Feasts made in the Oratories or places where the Primitive Christians used to assemble for the Celebration of Divine Worship and at the charge of such as were well to pass or richer than the rest to these the poorer sort were invited and sat down at the Table with the rich ate with them and carried the Leavings or Fragments home and this being done with great expressions of Love and managed with singular Meekness Charity and Humility with brotherly Familiarity and with holy Discourses without Excess or Intemperance and all sanctified by Prayers and Psalms and reading the Holy Scriptures the Apostles both permitted and encouraged these pious Collations and after them their Hearts being thus impregnated with Charity they applied themselves to the Use and Celebration of the Eucharist That which gave occasion to these Love-Feasts was either Christ's eating the Passover with his Disciples immediately before the Communion or the custom of the Jews who used to eat and drink together in some Chamber or Building adjoyning to the Temple when they offered their Sacrifices or which is more probable from the antient custom of the Grecians who having brought rich Guifts they intended for their Gods to the Temple converted them into Feasts of Charity to which the Poor as well as the Rich sat down and all ate together no respect of Persons being observed at that time which Practice not a few Christians being lately crept out of the darkness of Heathenism it 's like retained changing only the Object of their Worship and doing that to
her receiving the Body of Him who fills Heaven and Earth with his Presence but whether it was so or no I enquire not At these words of the Apostle a serious Reader hath reason to tremble and to be afraid and take care he comes not to this Table without a decent behaviour And indeed not a few are so frighted by these words that they think it safer to abstain from this Sacrament than to come to it tho' it is evident that they might come and yet prevent that danger if they were not more in love with their own than God's Will What we render Damnation here is in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we may justly question whether by this word is always meant an everlasting separation from the Glorious Presence of God having our Portion with Devils feeling the treasures of God's everlasting Wrath and suffering the vengeance of Eternal Fire That the Word is used sometimes in Scripture in this Sense is evident from Joh. 9. 39. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where though our Translation Reads For judgment am I come into the World yet the Greek Interpreters Theophylact especially interprets the expression of Damnation I am come into the World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their greater punishment and condemnation and Rom. 13. 2. They that resist shall receive to themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Damnation On the other side it is as certain that by this word is very often understood no more than Judgment and particularly some extraordinary signal exemplary punishment whether Spiritual or Corporal inflicted in this present Life therefore our Translators finding the word ambiguous like Men of Integrity and Honesty have put the word Judgment in the Margent and indeed the words v. 30. where the Apostle explains himself and shews what he means by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 import so much For this cause saith he many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep which words cannot be conveniently applied to any other but some exemplary punishment in this World inflicted on the first Offenders and Prophaners of this Ordinance However since the Word is of that large extent it 's fit we should consider it in both significations as it imports both Temporal and Eternal Judgment and consider the reasonableness of the Commination So that we shall be obliged to speak 1. Of Temporal Judgments in general 2. Of Bodily Sickness and Weakness 3. Of Spiritual Sickness and Weakness or Sleepiness And 4. Of Damnation it self All which are implied in this one word and are all just consequences and very sad effects of unworthy Eating and Drinking in this Holy Sacrament II. I begin with Temporal Judgments in general which he that Eats and Drinks unworthily Eats and Drinks to himself That Judas receiv'd this Sacrament unworthily none of those Divines that believe he receiv'd it at all doth doubt but see the vengeance that attended him he went and hang'd himself and though it is confess'd that his Betraying of innocent Blood was one cause of it yet this unworthy Receiving may very well be supposed to have been another The Judgment falling upon him after Commission of both those Crimes both may justly be supposed to have been the ingredients of it The Guest that came to the Royal Supper without a Wedding-Garment went home with Fetters on his Feet Mat. 22. 12 13. which was no other than an Emblem of the Judgments that those may look for that come defiled and polluted with Impenitence to this Table It hath been observ'd by most Historians both Civil and Ecclesiastical how God as patient as he is for the most part yet hath frequently reveng'd the contempt of Sacred Things by visible Judgments Nadab and Abihu for offering strange Fire unto the Lord are suddenly consumed by Fire Levit. 10. 2. Uzziah for invading the Priests Office is soon after struck with a loathsome Leprosie 2 Chron. 26. 19. and Josephus takes notice of one Theopompus who attempting to take something out of the Bible and to mingle it with some profane Discourses of his own ran mad upon it and continued so for Thirty days till applying himself to God by Prayer he at last recover'd And he adds of one Theodectes a Poet who having taken some passages out of the Word of God to embellish his looser Verses a sudden blindness seiz'd upon him And to go no further than our own Chronicles William the Conqueror destroy'd no less than 36 Mother Churches in Hampshire to make his New Forest And besides all this takes away all their Plate and Treasures even Chalices Soon after his Son Robert rebels against him his second Son Richard was kill'd in the New Forest and himself at last is thrown by his Horse and dies upon 't his Body for Three days lies neglected and at last is buried by a private Gentleman at Cane where the Clergy refused to bury him till an agreement of Rent was made and in fine his Bones are digg'd up again and scatter'd abroad William Rufus afterward who stor'd his Treasure by the sale of Church Chalices and Jewels was accidentally as the Story says kill'd by Sir Walter Tyrrel the Arrow glancing from the Deer and by as signal a Providence dispatching him as Ahab King of Israel was kill'd by an Arrow shot out of a Bow drawn at a venture 1 King 22. 34. The Heathens themselves have observ'd a signal Vengeance which hath waited on the Profaners of Holy Things And therefor Aelian makes this remark upon Ochus Artaxerxes that having spoiled and robb'd several Temples he was in a short time after miserably slain and his Body thrown to Dogs and Cats and Vermin and of his Shin-bones his Enemies made Hilts and Handles for Knives and Swords and other Instruments and Lactantius mentions a passage concerning the Potitii a Noble Family who having been notoriously guilty of profaning the Sacred Rites of Hercules Thirty of that Family died all in less than a years time And Appius who was the encourager of the Sacriledge was struck blind And Servius saith of Glaucus the Son of Sisyphus that having derided and mocked some Holy Rites he was torn in pieces by his Horses If it be said that these sad accidents were inflicted by the Devil whom these Heathens worshipp'd and that these were only the effects of his Tyranny over Mankind yet from hence we may infer that as the Devil is the Ape of God so from God he hath learnt to punish the abuse and profanation even of his own worship And if Lucifer cannot endure to see his own Sacred Rites profaned how shall we think that God who is of infinite Holiness will permit such abuses to be committed in things appertaining properly to him without some manifestation of his Vengeance When the French under Charles King of Sicily had turn'd the stately Church of St. Narcissus into a Stable and the Altars there serv'd for Mangers for their Horses a new sort of Flies was sent by an invisible Hand which
that Kingdom that the Kingdoms and Glories of this World may not beguile or tempt me to love the World If I love the World the Love of the Father cannot be in me Represent the Beauty of thy future Kingdom to my Mind in lively Characters that my Admiration of this present World may decay and I may be content to sell all for the Pearl of Price that is before me 52. This Man went unto Pilate and begged the Body of Jesus IT is base to forsake a Friend when he is under a Cloud Then to shew our Respect to him when he lies unjustly under Contempt and Disgrace is true Affection It was bold and great and like a Friend to beg the Body of Jesus when it was counted a Disgrace to be any way concern'd for him How hast thou deviated from this admirable Example O my Soul when a Person whom thou hast courted and admired in the Day of his Prosperity hath through the Venom of malicious Tongues and more malicious Practices fallen from his Glory and Respect How hast thou withdrawn thy self from him been afraid to speak the Truth of him and to give him that good Character which thou knewest he deserved As thou dealest with Man so it is to be feared thou wilt deal with thy God and Religion when it becomes dangerous to own them Up and be earnest with thy God to give thee invincible Integrity which may mock all Storms and be the same to God and to thy Neighbour in all Conditions Stick close to God and to thy Friend and rejoyce in a good Conscience for that will bring thee Peace at last 53. And he took it down and wrapped it in Linen and laid it in a Sepulchre that was hewn in Stone wherein never Man before was laid REligion is an insignificant thing if it cost us nothing Good Men love to be at Charges for their God and the Good of their own Souls O my Soul How loth hast thou been to let those Persons reap thy Carnal Things which have sown unto thee Spiritual Things When thou hast thought nothing too much for thy Luxury and Pride and Ease how hath it gone against the Grain to be expensive for Religion Thou hast loved to serve thy God cheaply How loth hast thou been to express thy Gratitude to God by being liberal to his distressed Members and thy Spiritual Guids Oh learn by this Example to prize thy Spiritual Good more and let thy bountiful Actions shew that thou hast the highest Value for the Concerns of Eternity 54. And that Day was the Preparation and the Sabbath drew on O My Soul How little Preparation hast thou made for the Everlasting Sabbath and thine Eternal Rest Dost thou hope to rest for ever among the Flowers of Paradise and is it not high time to prepare for it Dost thou think to rest at last under the Wings of thy Everlasting Father and is it not time to rise and work as it were for thy Life that thou may'st find Repose in the Everlasting Tabernacles Was ever any admitted there that would not sweat and labour here Oh labour against thy Corruptions wrestle with Temptations fight with thy Spiritual Enemies live in Contemplation of the highest Good embrace thy Saviour with the warmest Love strive to do much Good in thy Generation and thy Rest will be sweet 55. And the Women also which came with him from Galilee followed after and beheld the Sepulchre and how his Body was laid TRue Goodness is never weary of following Christ It follows him to the very Grave It may meet with Stops and Rubs in its Way but it gets up again and is not tired with Running the Race which is set before it O Blessed Jesu Thou hast not been weary of working and suffering for me Let me never be weary of loving thee When my Flesh would make me give over running after thee assist me with new Strength and Courage that I may hold out to the End And since none shall sit at thy Table in thy Kingdom but those that have continued with thee in thy Temptations Oh let my Soul feel the Power of thy Spirit which may lift me up that I may mount up with Wings as Eagles may run and not be weary walk and not faint till I am within the Gates of Heaven 56. And they returned and prepared Spices and Ointments and rested the Sabbath-day according to the Commandment MY dearest Lord though I have no opportunity to prepare Spices and Ointments for thy Burial yet thou hast shewn me how I may offer an Odor of a sweet Smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God This is a life fruitful in good Works No Incense smells sweeter in thy Nostrils No Persume casts a nobler scent in Heaven than this Enrich the ground of my Heart fatten it with thy Blood water the Furrows thereof with thy Heavenly Dew and shine upon it with thy Gracious Beams and bid the Tree of my Life advance and Bud and Blossom and bear fruit even the Fruit of Charity of Meekness of Humility of Patience of Goodness of Faith of Love of Temperance of Sobriety of Watchfulness and of contempt of the World that I may have my Fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting Life The Preceding Considerations reduced to Practice I. HOw justly after this prospect may God say What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it St. Bernard hath an Elegant Discourse upon this Subject to shew what force the serious consideration of Christ's Incarnation and of what he hath done for us and particularly of his Sufferings and Death hath to kindle the Fire of reciprocal Love in our Hearts God being desirous saith he to restore Man who had lost himself and to rescue him from the clutches of the Devil said within himself If I should force this wretched Creature against his Will and Choice to the Duties he is to discharge and perform I should make a Beast or an Ass of him instead of a rational Man nor would he come to me voluntarily of his own accord and with a good Will nor would he be able to say I will freely sacrifice unto thee Therefore to make his coming to me a matter of choice and rational freedom I will terrifie and fright him to see whether that will drive him to Repentance and accordingly he threatened him with misery which no Mortal is able to express with everlasting Darkness and a never dying Worm and unquenchable Fire But stubborn Man nothing terrified with all these Thunders God was resolv'd to try what Promises would do and since naturally he is desirous of Riches and Honour and Pleasures and long Life God accordingly promis'd him infinite Treasures of Glory unexpressible Dignities in Heaven and such Pleasures as the Heart of Man is not able to conceive they are so big and large and overflowing and a life free not only from all evil but from any end or period and abounding
with all manner of Felicities But seeing that even this would not prevail there is but one thing more said he that can be tryed And seeing there is in Man not only a Fear and Desire but a Principle of Love too than which nothing is stronger to draw and incline his Will to Action Accordingly he came himself and appeared in Flesh and carried himself so lovingly toward the Sinner and proceeded to so great an excess of Charity as to lay down his Life to save him And therefore he that after this continues hard and impenitent saith the Father will not turn to him nor offer his Heart and Love to him deserves most justly to hear this unwelcome voice O man what could I have done more for thee to gain thy Love and affection than I have done Indeed what can we desire he should do more for us What can we desire more after his spilling his Blood and enduring for us more than any Man ever did There is no greater Testimony of Love If he had had a better thing than his Blood he would have bestowed it upon us But Love cannot go beyond this and therefore when Christ just at the moment of his Death cry'd It is finished We are not only to understand by that saying That the Shadows of the Old Testament the Desires of the Patriarchs the Figures and Prophecies which went before of him were at an end and accomplish'd or that the malice of the Jews the sury of the Devil the captivity of Sin and the reconciliation of the World were finish'd and consummate but the meaning withal is that all the Arts and Methods and Stratagems of Love had now received their accomplishment and that beyond this there was nothing could be supposed capable to allure or entice Men to express their Love and Affection to their God and that beyond this he knew of nothing else that could draw or gain their Affection than to be made Man and to die for them And if God be come to the utmost bounds of condescension in this attempt and prevails not judge O Sinner judge whether thou art not most deservedly cast into Eternal Darkness II. There is a great difference betwixt bare reading of Christ's Passion and meditating of it The former makes little or no impression the later touches and affects The former is no more than looking on the Wine but the other is drinking of it He that reads may have his Thoughts all that while in the Indies upon his Business or the affairs of his Calling and when he comes from reading may be able to give but a very small account of his pains except it be some general Notions and an imperfect draught and that 's no better than taking up water in a Sieve which runs out as fast as it is put in But Meditation fixes the Thoughts and takes notice of the weight and importance of the History This examines the end and designs of the various passages This takes a view of every circumstance and finds there are greater Mysteries in the particulars than at first sight appear'd This finds out new Mines and makes that shining Gold which was but Oar before I have heard of some ill Men that have been able to rehearse the whole New Testament word for word but he that meditates but upon one Verse of the Book shall receive greater advantages by it than the other by repetition of the whole Bible But all Persons have not Heads and Understandings fitted for Meditation and therefore those that have not must either make some short Remarks or Reflections upon what they read according to the Directions and Method before laid down or make use of the Conceptions and Meditations of other Men which may possibly affect them as much as Thoughts of their own However by applying the Meditations they read and reading them attentively they make them their own and though they sharpen their Shears and Coulters at other Men's Shops yet that 's no hindrance to their Spiritual profit and Edification nay some are of that temper that they like other Mens contemplations better than their own partly out of a natural mistrust of their own Abilities partly out of respect to the Names and Persons of Learned and pious Men. But what-ever Meditations are made use of in this Case seriousness must give them Life and an intent to quicken our Souls and inward Man must be the impulsive Cause and from hence the Thoughtful Christian may expect very Blessed Effects and Consequences Yet III. When I urge this Meditating on Christ's Death and Passion by way of Preparation and draw out this Meditation to so great prolixity for fear of being misunderstood I must add these following Rules and Cautions 1. It is chiefly intended for such as have time and leisure from whom God justly expects more than of those who are forced to employ their time early and late in hard labour for a livelyhood not but that the way to Bliss is one and both Rich and Poor must observe the same substantial Duties upon which the future Reward is promised and both are obliged to be Just and Sober and Temperate and Meek and Humble and Kind and Tender-hearted and lovers of God and devout but as the Rich have more time and leisure so God expects they should exceed the other in Goodness and employ that time which the other are forced to bestow in the sweat of their Face upon Contemplations of Nobler Objects whereby they may become shining and burning Lights and by their Example supply the use of Books to the poorer sort who in their Actions may compendiously view their own Duty and be incouraged to follow their good example with Humility and Godly Fear 2. This prolix Meditation may lawfully be forborn upon urgent occasions when a person either is to receive the Holy Communion on his sick Bed or is on a suddain call'd out to communicate with a Person who is sick In these Cases shorter Reflections and Ejaculations coming from an Heart set and fix'd upon the Love and Will of God are acceptable because upon such occasions Christ's Rule holds I will have Mercy more than Sacrifice 3. Nor is it necessary to tye our selves to the length of it As to this we may use Liberty and Discretion must guide every Christian who know best what he is able to bear and what not Sometimes only a few Verses of the afore mentioned Chapters may be pitch'd upon for our Minds to expatiate upon sometimes a greater and larger Field may be set before us and whereas from the variety of managing our Directions being sometimes short sometimes prolix this scruple is apt to arise that this is a sign of weariness and inconstancy and unsteddiness in God's Service that scruple must be removed by consideration of Christ's and the Apostles example the former praying sometime all night and sometime using only some few Ejaculations to his Heavenly Father the other sometimes exercising themselves in Devotion till