profess that Jesus is risen from the dead and that he is the Christ without any molestation And therefore this profession is no argument now that we have a saving Faith But were it now with us as it was with the first Christians it would be indeed an argument of our sincerity If it would cost us our lives or estates to confess the Faith of Christ then we might hope well of our selves if we retained our confidence unto the end This would argue us to be the faithful and genuine followers of our Lord. It is an easie thing to profess the Faith when we lose nothing by this profession But we cannot be his Disciples till we do prefer him before our Houses and Lands and our Life it self This was that which the first Martyrs or Witnesses of the Resurrection did They durst own Jesus to be the Christ though they paid their blood and sacrificed their lives for him No terrors or torments could make them deny the Lord that bought them The Faith of the Gospel was dearer to them than all the best things of this present life They that did this were indeed born of God And their patient sufferings for Christ were an evident argument of the sincerity of their Faith Secondly it is very certain and this follows from what was said before that the confessing of Christ the saying that he is the Lord the believing that Jesus is the Christ and confessing that he is come in the flesh do imply a life agreeable to such a profession 1 John 5 4 5. If the belief of these things have an influence upon our lives if it regulate and form them to a due and proportionable obedience then indeed we are born of God and shall be saved If we believe that Christ is risen and do which such a belief should teach us to do also rise with him to newness of life If we believe Jesus to be the Christ and accordingly submit to him in all his offices if we call him Lord and then do whatsoever he commands then indeed we are Gods Children and shall be saved It is very evident that no less than this can be meant by those expressions which are before named we cannot imagine that it is enough to call him Lord though we obey him not To believe that he rose from the dead when we lie in the grave of our sin and filthiness Certainly these expressions import the belief and profession of these truths and a life answerable to such a belief Were it not so it would be a most easie thing to be a Christian and our Faith were very reconcileable with our evil lives And therefore I add 4. A true and saving Faith is productive of a good life We must not only believe that what God hath revealed is true but we must consent to it and yield our selves obedient The Gospel may be looked upon either as an History of things that were done and said or as a tendry and offer of mercy upon terms and conditions which are therein specified and propounded And accordingly he that believes to Salvation does not only assent to what is therein revealed and made known but also consent to embrace the mercy that is there offered upon those terms upon which it is propounded For a man may believe what is revealed to be true and to have come from God and yet refuse to give up himself to the obedience of those precepts and rules which are there injoyned him in order to his eternal Salvation The holy Scriptures require of us such a belief as is accompanied with obedience And when it commands us the belief of the Gospel it requires that we should shew by our actions that we do believe it That is that we should so behave our selves as we do in other things which we do believe and how we do in other things it is easie to observe If men do upon rational grounds believe that they may attain their ends be it riches or honour c. by using such or such a method and course they do diligently set themselves to work that they may accomplish their designs Nay a very small assurance will set men to work in these cases The Merchant out of the uncertain hope of wealth will venture himself and what he hath upon a rough and a doubtful Sea The Ambitious man of Wars for the hope of a victory and a triumph will adventure his life upon the chance of battel The Husbandman that believes he shall fill his Barns and Coffers by his labour and pains will rise up early and sit up late and eat the bread of carefulness He will spare nor cost nor pains he will not be dismayed with the burden of the Summers heat nor the keenness of the Winters cold he will do and he will suffer no pains or care are thought too much that he may obtain his end Men do this when they have no assurance of success and when the thing which they aim at is not worth their while Yet these pains they take because they beleive their success is possible and that their labour may not be lost If men did believe the Gospel at this rate what would they not do that they might lay hold of eternal life Here 's a sure word of promise and here 's a great promise too here 's all the encouragement that can be imagined here 's eternal life before us that unspeakable gift and the greatest assurance of it upon the terms offered God himself who cannot lie or repent hath promised if we did believe this as much as we do other things which we have not such reason to believe we should not be idle and lazy but we should give all diligence we should always abound in the work of the Lord knowing that our labour would not be in vain in the Lord. Certainly thus it would be with us if our Faith were as it should be if it were genuine and of the right stamp But if we sit still and be unconcerned in the great affair of our Souls if we be lazy and without devotion we may indeed boast of a Faith but it is a dead Faith and we may please our selves with a good opinion of our estate but sure it is we are not risen with Christ but we are dead in our trespasses and sins Then we do indeed savingly believe the Gospel when this belief of it begets in us a good life Unless it have this effect upon us we are infidels and unbelievers For we cannot think our selves better then the Heathens for our Faith if our works be not better than theirs If we know these things and do not do them we are worse than they who know them not He believes as he should do that lives as he does believe The Gospel tells us that without holiness no man shall see God Heb. 12.14 Who can imagine that the man believes this who does confidently expect to go to Heaven and yet takes no care to pâ—â—ge and
cleanse his heart He that believes it as he ought endeavours to be holy as God is holy Again the Gospel tells us that we must not swear at all Matth. 5.34 Nay more than that that we shall give an account at the day of judgement for every idle word we speak Matth. 12.36 Now certain it is that there are many who swear in their ordinary conversation and others also who forswear themselves and whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness And who can think that such men as these are do believe the Gospel as they should do He believes aright who does practise those precepts which he professes the belief of He that does not that is an unbeliever He may profess that he knows God but in works he denies him Tit. 1.16 and they that do so the Apostle reckons among the unbelieving ver 15. Our Saviour tells us that he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life i. e. he that obeyeth the Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he presently adds he that believeth not the Son or he that obeyeth not the Son as those words may well be rendred shall not see life Joh. 3.36 And when the Apostle tells us that God sware to some that they should not enter into his rest he adds that it was to them who believed not so we render the words but they might be rendred to them who obeyed not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And then he presently infers we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief Heb. 3.18 19. To believe on the name of Christ is to receive him Joh. 1.12 But if we receive him as we should we must receive him and acknowledge him in all his Offices as our Prophet Priest and King That is we must believe the truth of his Doctrine as he is our great Prophet and that Teacher who came from God and then we must obey his Precepts as he is our Lord and our King as well as expect pardon from him as he is our Priest and our Atonement We must receive him as he is offered to us in the Gospel and not only confidently expect our pardon from him but we must receive him as God hath sent him and God hath sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities Act. 3.26 Now that it is such a Faith in Christ as I have been speaking of which the Scriptures require of us in order to our eternal Salvation will appear 1. If we consider the great end of the manifestation of Jesus Christ or the great purpose for which he was sent into the World Now we must not think that Christ came into the world and did and suffered those great things which we read of him only to procure our pardon and indemnity we must not think that the only end of all this was that we might be delivered from the evil effects and bad consequents of our sins he would be certainly a welcome Saviour to the worst of mankind upon this score For provided we may enjoy our sins we are content that he should suffer for them We are very willing that he should bear the blame provided we may but have the liberty to commit the fault Though we love our sins well yet are we not fond of the sorrows which they bring with them We are willing enough that Christ should pay our scores and well pleased to live in our sins and take it kindly that Christ would die for them But certain it is that Christ appeared and suffered for us too that he might deliver us from the power and dominion as well as from the guilt of our sins He did not die for sin that we might live in it He never came to discharge us from our duty we think unworthily of our Saviour and of our Religion if we think thus He came to plant the divine life in our hearts to make us better and more like unto God Let the holy Scriptures speak in this matter His name is called Jesus because he should save his people from their sins Matth. 1.21 It is ridiculous to say that by sins is meant no more than the punishment of them Nor can we think that Christ came into the world for no other end He would then have taken away the effect and left the cause remaining This would be to remove the less evil and to let the greater continue as if a Physician should only project how to remove or abate the symptom and take no care to suppress the disease and remove the morbifick matter which is the cause of it Certainly we think meanly of our Saviours design if we think this was all his business in the World He came to save us from our sins and they are a greater evil sure than the effects of them This is a nobler conquest than to deliver us from death And this sure was the great purpose of our blessed Saviour When God promised the Messias no less blessing was contained in that promise than this that we might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our Life Luk. 1.74 75. The Apostle certainly understood the great end for which Christ appeared He tells us that for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8 And that this was one great end why our Lord laid down his life no man can deny that gives any credit to the Holy Scriptures There we are told that he gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 Again it is said that he gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil World Gal. 1.4 And that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5.15 He dyed for his Church indeed but then he gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be Holy and without blemish Eph. 5.25 26 27. The same Apostle tells his Colossians that Christ hath reconciled them in the body of his flesh through death to present them holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight Col. 1.21 22. Besides what hath been said we are from the death of Christ exhorted to an Holy Life 1 Pet. 4.1 2. Rom. 6.3 4. 1 Cor. 5.7 8. Which certainly we could not so effectually have been had our Saviour only dyed for our Indemnity and to procure our pardon But since he dyed for sin that we might not live in it well may we from his death be exhorted to an Holy Life and Conversation Which if we do not lead we do then frustrate and make void the
our offences if we do not from our hearts forgive our brother his Our hearts must be perfectly cleared of all the leaven of malice before we can as we ought keep this Feast CHAP. XII I Come now to shew how we must behave our selves after we have been partakers of this Table of our Lord. And that I shall do in the following Severals 1. Let us out of gratitude for so great a favour from Gods hands shew mercy to the poor This the Jews did upon a festival Jom Toff c. 1 and they give particular rules about it It well becomes us when God hath vouchsafed to entertain us at his Table to entertain the poor at ours We can make no amends to God for his mercy to us but yet we may shew our gratitude by shewing mercy to our poor brethren who bear his image God hath substituted them to receive our grateful acknowledgements This we shall cheerfully do if we have upon our minds a lively sense of the mercies of God to us and of our unworthiness of the least of them We read to this purpose what the first Christians did That they brake their bread i. e. received the Lords Supper from house to house and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart or liberality praising God and having favour with all the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Dr. Hammond in loc or as it hath been thought those words do import exercising mercy and shewing kindness to those that wanted We shall do well to imitate this example and when God shews us so much mercy let us not be without compassion to one another For verily if our hearts be hardened against our poor brother we have great reason to think our selves void of the love of God 2. Let us use an after examination Let us presently reflect and consider what was amiss in us when we were waiting upon our Lord and humble our selves for it forthwith Otherwise it is to be feared we shall soon relapse to our wonts and be so far from being better that we shall be much worse If we do not rebuke our selves quickly we shall soon return to our vain Conversation again 3. Let us by all means sequester our selves from our worldly divertisements and concerns and employ our time in prayer and praises It is very advisable that we should be alone that we should for some time separate our selves from our worldly employments and spend our time in our private devotions Our Saviour after he had kept this Supper with his Disciples and sung an Hymn or Psalm of Praise after it with-draws from his Disciples and betakes himself to prayer unto God And this he does three several times The world will be very ready to thrust in upon us and to make us forget our vows and good resolutions we shall be in great danger if we be not very cautelous And therefore we must pertinaciously resolve to watch over our hearts and when our Souls are clean we must be greatly careful that we be not defiled again We must do here as Physicians advise us to do when we use their prescriptions we must also take care that we use them cum regimine we must not take cold nor commit any other error which will make their rules become ineffectual When our house is swept and garnished we must take care that an unclean Spirit do not re-enter lest our latter end be worse than our be ginning 4. Let us be very careful that we do not relapse and fall back into an evil course of life Certain it is that it stands us in hand to use our utmost care to this purpose We must do as the Spouse did when she had found him whom her Soul loved she held him and would not let him go Cant. 3.4 We must not only receive our Lord Jesus but we must also walk in him We must for the time to come devote our selves to the service of our Lord. We must set our selves upon the obedience of all his precepts and upon the mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections We must inure our selves to the works of Religion and the labours of a pious life We must use our selves to bear the Cross to forgive injuries to bridle our anger to cross our carnal desires and appetites and contradict the cravings of the Animal life If we presently return to our sins again we shew that we have but played the part of hypocrites and dissemblers and shall pay dear for our hypocrisie Our condition will be very sad if we now return to our vomit Let us therefore renew our purposes of a new life and be greatly careful that we return no more to folly We may reason thus with our selves when we are retired into our Closets I have now once more renewed my Covenant with God I have promised him solemnly that I will be his servant I have to bind my self the faster taken the body and blood of my Lord. I am now fast bound to be constant and faithful to him Sure I am that God with whom I have had to do is a God that will not be mocked I may deceive others him I cannot deceive What a wretched creature shall I be if I should now prove false What cords will hold me if I break this How can I think that God will ever trust me or how can I ever trust my self if I now relapse The blood of Christ will call for vengeance against me if I now run on in my former courses My sins were great before but now they will be aggravated Wo is me if I now run on in my excess of folly Shall I suffer any corrupt speech to proceed out of that mouth which hath received my Lord Shall I abuse my body to intemperance which my Lord hath entered into How shall I ever look my Lord in the face if I should now betray him or deny him Good God look upon thy servant and whatever plagues I meet with in this world suffer me not to forsake thee Have pity upon me O God and let me not start aside from thy precepts Let me die rather than I should deny thee Suffer me not so far to dishonour thy name and wrong my own Soul Let thy grace be sufficient for me do thou give me power that I may keep thy statutes at all times Thus may we reason with our selves when we come to our Closets after we have received the Body and Blood of our Lord. And we shall find it very needful to awaken our selves to a new obedience as we would avoid the greatest indignation of Heaven For certain it is if we willfully return to our follies again we shall bring great wrath upon our selves And though perhaps we may not be punished with sickness and sudden death as the Corinthians were for the abuse of this Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.30 yet are there more dismal plagues than these which will overtake us such are hardness of heart blindness of mind
least spark of goodness you will find it shine and glow and spread it self to your infinite joy and contentment of heart Among all the various degrees and conditions of Christian people there will none be found that come hither with sincere affection to do this in remembrance of their Saviour but may go away rejoycing loaded with many Divine benefits Heads of Self-Examination by which we may be directed to find out what sins we are particularly to repent of either before the Sacrament or at any other time which we set apart for Repentance and Humiliation of our selves Wherein are laid before us the several duties we owe to God our Neighbour and our Selves To God FAith or belief of his Word A well grounded Hope in his Mercy Love and Fear of Him above all Trust in him Submission to Him Honour to His Holy Name Word Appointments Thankfulness Worship Repentance To our Neighbour in General Justice which requires a doing by him in all respects as we would be done by and forbids all injury whether it be by drawing him into Sin endangering his Life depriving him of his Peace invading his Bed his Goods or good Name and forbids all Envy and Malice and Covetous desires of what belongs to Him and Charity by which we wish well to him and are disposed to assist and help him In Particular To our Superiors Reverence and hearty Obdience and Submission to our Equals unfained Friendship and Kindness To our Inferiors Gentleness Mercy and a great care of their Souls To our Selves Humility Meekness Consideration Content Diligence and Watchfulness over our Selves Chastity or purity of Heart and Life Temperance in Eating and Drinking Moderation in our Sleep or Rest and Recreations and in our Garb and Expences Hy these Heads we may examine our selves And we must particularly confess wherein we have failed and we must not onl confess the sin but the circumstances of aggravation with which it was attended Of which see the first chapter of this Book And as we must confess with shame and sorrow so we must come to the Sacrament with express resolutions to forsake these sins for the time to come A Prayer before the Sacrament O Most Glorious and for ever Blessed Lord God Thou art and there is none like unto thee in Heaven or in Earth thy Wisdom is infinite thy Power irresistible and thou art of purer eyes than to behold the least iniquity with approbation It is of thy unspeakable Mercy that I am not long ago consumed I blush and am ashamed when I lift up my eyes unto thy Divine Majesty I do in all humble reverence prostrate my self before thee and implore thy gracious favour in the name and Mediation of Jesus Christ the Righteous who ever lives to make intercession for those who come unto God by him I do acknowledge thy many mercies towards me I received my being and my breath from thee I have ever since I came into being been sustained by thee Thou hast preserved mine eyes from tears my feet from falling and my Soul from death My Life and Health my Liberty and all the comforts of my life are intirely owing to thy gracious goodness and bounty But above all thou art to be acknowledged for thine inestimable Love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ for the means of Grace and hope of Glory Thou hast given thy Son to dye for me revealed thy gentle and holy Laws to direct and guide me promised thy Spirit to assist me propounded Eternal Life to encourage my endeavours I have been received into thy Church by Baptism and promised and professed obedience to thy holy Laws But notwithstanding all these obligations to sincere and universal obedience I have many wayes offended against thy Divine Majesty I have not honoured thee as my Creator nor loved thee as my Father nor obeyed thee as my Soveraign Lord and Master And whereas I have been very sensible of the kindness shewed my by my fellow Creatures I have had but very little sense of the innumerable and underserved favours which thou hast heaped upon me from time to time I have sinned against thee in thought word and deed I have sinned greatly and deserve the death which by my wickedness I have pursued I am guilty after the clearest light and knowledge Here make a particular confession of sin after the most indearing mercies and favours after the most solemn Vows and promises of obedience and the most awakening Judgments I have sinned under sufficient means of Grace and after many experiences of the evil of departing from thee I have contemned and despised thy divine Majesty and suffered my self by an easie and small temptation to be drawn away from thee the fountain of my Life and Happiness and the great lover of Souls O Lord look down from heaven with an eye of pity and compassion upon me a wretched sinner I am less then the least of thy mercies and am vile in my own eyes I beg thy pardon and forgiveness for Christ his sake who came into the World to seek and save that which was lost In a deep sense of the wickedness of my former life and the hainous nature of my offences I approach unto thy Divine Majesty with full purpose of amendment of Life I trust in thy mercy O Lord through Christ Jesus and do with all possible thankfulness keep in memory his precious death And being very sensible how much I stand in need of thy mercy and forgiveness of all my sins and the circumstances of aggravation which have attended them I do declare that I do forgive all my Enemies and that I come before thee with sincere and universal Charity to all mankind Search me O Lord and try my heart and lead me into the way Everlasting I am coming to thy Holy Table to renew the Covenant with thee which I have broken I am unworthy of the Crumbs which fall from thence But most gracious Lord look upon me in Christ Jesus Help me that I may attend upon thee without distraction Work in me all those holy and heavenly dispositions which may render me fit for this service Grant that I may come before thee with lowly thoughts of my self and the most raised apprehensions of thy love in Christ Jesus strengthen my weak Faith perfect my Repentance confirm my resolutions of amendment and enlarge my Charity grant that I may receive Christ Jesus my Lord and that I may walk in him That I may partake of the benefits of his death and of the fruits of his intercession at thy right hand I most humbly beseech thee not only to pardon all my past sins and to speak peace to my Soul but that thou wouldest renew my nature and write thy laws upon my heart Englighten my dark mind rectifie my crooked will sanctifie my depraved affections and purifie all the thoughts and intentions of my Heart and grant that for the time to come I may forsake
Convivium Caeleste A plain and familiar DISCOURSE Concerning the LORDS SUPPER SHEWING At once the nature of that Sacrament as also the right way of preparing our selves for the receiving of it In which are also considered those Exceptions which men usually bring to excuse their not partaking of it The Second Edition with some Additions By RICHARD KIDDER Rector of St. Martin Outwich London LONDON Printed by John Richardson for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chappel 1684. The Epistle Dedicatory To my Ever Honoured and very Good Lady the Lady Dawes of Putney Madam THere are many Books already extant upon the Argument which the following Discourse treats of And those also so very good in themselves and so very happy in their Authors that I cannot think that this which follows will ever deserve a name amongst them For as it was at first drawn up for those whose needs required all plainness of speech so it now adventures abroad in the very same dress in which it was at first composed and delivered And therefore I might well find great reason to dispute with my self whether or not I should adventure this Discourse abroad But whatever demur these things might make yet sure I am I did not doubt to whom I ought to address it when I was once resolved to make it publick 'T is due to you Madam whatever it is upon more scores than one And though it be unworthy of so good a name as it will now bear yet I am certain that it needs it I shall not need to recommend to your Ladiship the subject of this following Tract You are already greatly in love with that part of your duty which is here discoursed of You are firmly resolved to lead a life of Religion and to give up your self to the obedience of the Laws of your Lord and Saviour Now certainly you will find nothing a greater help to you than frequent and devout Communions are You will find great need in your pilgrimage towards Heaven of such Spiritual repasts and viands Nothing can be more welcome to a pious Soul than to meet with these happy opportunities of becoming better And they that love their Lord must needs be very forward to celebrate the memory of his death and unspeakable kindness to them The doing of this as we ought will redound greatly to our advantage We shall by this means be reconciled to God and in perfect charity to one another We shall be more fit to live and more prepared to die We shall the better support under our sorrows and be the more strong against our temptations our burden will be the lighter and yet our strength the greater We shall here receive new strength and vigor to walk in Gods ways We shall think that easie which once we thought intolerable We shall lead at once an innocent and an useful life The advantages of frequent and devout Communions are not to be expressed Here are joys which no man can rob us of Treasures more valuable than that of the Indies Every pious Soul will witness to this truth And therefore Madam I doubt not but you will the more favourably receive this treatise for the arguments sake which it discourseth of But still Madam I have farther reason upon my own account to make my acknowledgements to your Ladiship Your kindnesses to me have been very great and have laid a great obligation upon me to shew my thankfulness to you And as an unfained testimony of my gratitude I am bold to present you with this Discourse It is indeed but a small tribute of thanks which here I pay you but yet is such as I have and your Ladiship will I hope rather regard my mind than the thing it self However I shall be extreamly glad if any thing that is here offered may be of any use to your Ladiship in advancing your eternal interest and concern You have made a good beginning and a wise Choice in devoting your self to a Religious Life Continue Madam in this purpose This will turn to your account when all other things will fail you There was never greater need of regular and exemplary piety than now Religion is now become the scoff and derision of profane and foolish men It is not now the mode to be severely Pious Pure Religion and undefiled is very rarely to be found It is infinitely sad to think that so excellent a Religion as ours is should be almost every where either misunderstood or spoken against Your Constancy now will be more rewardable than at other times You will now see cause to shew a great regard to the Laws of your dearest Lord when they are so commonly trampled upon Count it your honour to be truly good And dare to own your Saviour before men and he will confess you before his Heavenly Father We are concerned to refute the Atheists and to defend the excellent Religion which our Lord hath left us against gain-sayers But there is not a more effectual way of doing this than by an exemplary and pious life This does more than our most subtile and nervous reasoning a great example of Piety does more good than a learned Pen. This is the most likely way to prevail against those that oppose themselves Our enemies mouths are stop'd if we take this course These Arguments are unanswerable and will convert more to the Faith than our Reasons are like to do Now Madam you can thus defend your Religion against contentious men This is the way to restore us to what we should be I have great reason to believe that your Ladiship will be a great example of real piety That you will strongly pursue every vertuous and good thing But yet Madam you will pardon me that I put you in mind to persevere and to abound in every good thing This proceeds not from any distrust but from a great and sincere desire of your happiness That the Almighty would keep your Ladiship from every evil thing and bless you with all the blessings of this and a better Life is the most hearty prayer of Madam Your Ladiships most humble Servant Richard Kidder The PREFACE HOW plain a Precept we have to partake of our Lords Supper and how much it would be for our advantage to do it I shall not need to represent to the Reader in this place That is done in the following Discourse And all that I shall here trouble the Reader with is First that he would be pleased to understand that this Discourse was by the Author designed for the use of those men who stand in need of the most plain and easie directions And therefore it is accordingly fitted for such men who have not either the leisure or the other advantages of perusing the more large and elaborate Discourses upon this Subject Secondly that the Authors lot is fallen among those who do very rarely partake of this Sacrament and that therefore he does the more insist upon
so not vouchsafing to eat together hath been also taken for an argument of estrangedness and a great difference Thus we read that the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews for that is an abomination to the Egyptians Gen. 43.32 And the Apostle when he would have the sincere Christian not so much as to countenance the debaucht and lewd Professor of Religion he will not permit him so much as to eat with him 1 Cor. 5.11 By what hath been said it does appear that eating and drinking together hath been a mark of kindness and hath been used when Covenants and Agreements have been made between men Now when we partake of the Lords Supper we have fellowship with God himself 1 Cor. 10.20 21. We eat at his Table and do become his guests But because we can have no fellowship with him when we walk in darkness 1 Joh. 1.6 therefore we cannot partake aright of this Supper of our Lord unless we put away the evil of our doings unless we put on the Wedding-Garment and renew that Covenant which we did once make with God and which we have so greatly broken 2. That this Sacrament was ordained for a renewal of our Covenant with God appears from the words of our Saviour when he did first institute and appoint it When he gave his Disciples the Cup he adds This is my blood of the New Testament or Covenant as that word signifies which is shed for many for the remission of sins Mat. 26.28 For the better understanding of which words we may remember that it was an antient custom in the World Tacit. Annal. l. 12. when men entered into Covenant with one another that they did it by shedding of Blood they did slay a beast and pour out its Blood and thus they did ferire faeduâ— strike a Covenant with one another In token I suppose that he that should fail of performing his part of the Covenant which they entered into should perish as the beast did which was slain before them Nor was this a custom among the Gentiles only but also a custom that God made use of among the Jews his own people For so we read that when God gave his Law to that people and that Law had been read in the audience of the people and the people had promised obedience to that Law that they entered into Covenant by blood For it is added that Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said behold the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Exod. 24.8 This was the blood of that Covenant which God made with that people To these words our Saviour may be thought to allude when he was ready to lay down his Life and shed his Blood for our Remission he gives his Disciples the Cup and tells them This is my Blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins That blood which Moses sprinkled was the blood of beasts but this is the blood of Jesus that was the blood of a Covenant but of the old but this is the blood of the new and better Covenant That was shed for the Jews only but this is shed for many for Jew and Gentile for all that believe The blood of the Law of Moses did not expiate for all sins but this blood is shed for the Remission of sins yea of those sins which could not be remitted by the Laws of Moses For by Jesus we have the forgiveness of sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses Act. 13.39 So that as the Blood which Moses sprinkled was the blood of that Covenant which the Jews entered into so is the blood of Jesus which he shed for us the blood of the New Covenant and he that drinks of this blood renews his Covenant and doth most solemnly take upon himself the observation of the Lawes of Christ When Moses had read the Law to the people and they had promised Obedience then does he sprinkle them with the blood of the Covenant and by that federal rite they are received into Covenant with God And so when our Blessed Saviour had taught his Disciples the will of his Heavenly Father and was ready to shed his blood for our remission he ordains this Sacrament of his blood which when we do partake of as we should lays a strict obligation upon us to obedience of the Laws of God which are made known to us in the Gospel When we drink of this Cup we renew our Covenant with God and do most solemnly bind our selves to a faithful and sincere Obedience we do as it were take a Sacramental Oath of Allegiance and if we be treacherous and false we are perjured persons and make our selves guilty of the blood of Jesus II. Another end of this Sacrament is that we should remember the love of our Lord Jesus Christ in laying down his life for us This do in remembrance of me Luk. 22.19 As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come 1 Cor. 11.26 The Jewish Passover was appointed for a memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt Exod. 12.14 And this Christian Passover was instituted for a memorial but of a greater deliverance than from the bondage of Egypt of our Redemption from sin and death So great a mercy as the deliverance out of Egypt might not be forgotten much less may this Redemption which our Lord hath wrought And as the Passover was commanded that they might not forget their freedom from Egypt so is this Sacrament appointed that we might never forget a greater freedom which our Lord hath purchased for us from the tyranny of sin and the bitterness of death There was a mercy in that deliverance but in this a miracle of mercy God in that shewed his love to his people but in this there are all the dimensions of love here 's breadth and length and depth and height here 's a love which passeth knowledge Eph. 3.18 19. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Joh. 15.13 But our Saviours love hath out-stript this and exceeded it greatly for he died for his enemies And God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 Our Books tell us many stories of the great love that one friend hath shewed another Lucian Toxarseu de Amicitia but none of them tell us of such a kindness to enemies as what our Saviour shewed in his Death Here 's a love that out-strips not only all the Laws but all the examples of friendship nay a love that surpasses the love of Women Our Saviour became poor that we might be rich he died that we might live he became a son of man that we might be made the sons of God and left his
glory that he might shew us the way to it And by his sufferings and death hath become the Author of Eternal salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 Indeed God wrought many deliverances for his people the Jews by the hands of his servants Moses and Joshuah and the Judges and Kings of Israel but all these together did not work so great a deliverance as our Blessed Saviour did when he made his soul an offering for sin when he despised the Cross and the shame of it and wrought an Eternal Redemption for us They delivered Gods People from their ill Neighbours our Saviour hath delivered us from our sins and from the evil men our selves They delivered them from Tyrants he hath delivered us from the power of the devil and from an eternal slavery They saved their bodies from slavery and bondage Our Saviour saves our souls from sin and death They fought for their people our Saviour suffered and dyed They delivered them for a time our Saviour for ever They saved the Jews but our Lord is the Saviour of mankind Jacob in his last words to his sons tells them what shall befal them in the last dayes and when he comes to Dan he tells him â—e shall be a serpent by the way an Adder in the path that biteth the horse heels so that his rider shall fall backward Gen. 49.17 This the Jews understand to be foretold of that great deliverance which Sampson of this Tribe of Dan should be an instrument of who wrought a great deliverance of his people from the Philistines V. Targ. Hierosol Jonath in locum But then Jacob presently adds in the next words I have waited for thy salvation O Lord v. 18. The meaning of which words according to the same Jews is this as if Jacob when he had foreseen the deliverances which should be wrought by Gideon and Sampson had said thus I do not expect the deliverance of Gideon and Sampson which will be but a temporal deliverance but thy salvation O Lord is that which I expect for thine is an eternal salvation They were indeed deliverers of Gods people but none of them could do that which our Saviour does who saves his people from their sins Mat. 1.21 And blâ—sseth us in turning away every one of us from our iniquities Acts 3.26 So great a salvation hath our Saviour wrought for us so great a love hath he shewed in laying down his life for us that it ought never to be forgotten as long as the World endures And that it might never be forgotten our Saviour hath appointed the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to be a standing memorial of his great love in dying for us Do this says he in remembrance of me We are indeed ready to receive mercies and also very ready to forget that they are bestowed upon us And therefore God hath taken this care that we might never forget them He did so with the Jews who were a very unthankful people and very prone to forget him that had done so many kindnesses for them Lest that people should forget their Creator God appointed the Sabbath-day to be observed in memory of the Creation of the World Exod. 20.11 When he brought the Israelites out of Egypt he ordains the Passe-over in memory of that deliverance Exod. 12. And besides that he obliges them severely to observe that feast and frequently by his servants puts them in mind of that deliverance and over and above appoints the Sabbath-day also which was at first commanded upon another score as a weekly remembrancer of that great deliverance Deut. 5.15 But he that delivered them out of Egypt did also carry them through the Wilderness and in memory of that mercy in redeeming them from the travels and pilgrimage of the desert he appoints an Anniversary feast viz. the feast of Tabernacles Lev. 23.43 Other Festivals there were and divers memorials of the mercies of God shewed to that people and to their fathers They who were so apt to forget Gods mercies were provided with such services as should put them fairly in mind of them God hath done thus mercifully with us also He hath not only given his Son to die for us than which there cannot be a greater mercy but he hath ordained this Sacrament as a perpetual memorial of so great a love And as among the Jews those services which God required were very proper remembrancers and monitors of the mercies they had received so it is in the case that is before us Their Sabbath which did succeed their six days labour put them in mind of Gods creating the World and ceasing from those works Their Pass-over brought to their mind the mercies of God in their Redemption from Egypt Their feast of Tabernacles plainly shewed them the estate of their Fathers in the Wilderness And so the Sacrament of the Lords Supper does after a lively manner represent unto us the Death of our Blessed Saviour He died indeed a great while since and at a place far remote from us there could be but few that were eye-witnesses of what was then and there done but few in proportion with those that would be concerned in his death And therefore God out of his great mercy to us hath ordained this service that what we could not see done at first we might see repeated in the Sacrament afterwards Here we have Christ crucifyed represented to us The Bread and Wine put us in mind of his Body and Blood And when we see the Bread broken and the Wine poured forth we are taught to remember the Passion of our Lord how his body was broken and bruised and his blood was shed for us God would have us lift up our hearts from these symbols and signs to that which is signified and represented by them And if we do so we may by our Faith see Christ crucified before our eyes And that which was done so long ago and so far off will be anew represented unto us The Apostle tells his Galatians that before their eyes Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth and crucified among them Gal. 3.1 Yet certain it is that Jesus Christ was crucifyed at Jerusalem a place very far remote from the Country of the Galatians But yet he that was crucified at Jerusalem may well be said to have been evidently set forth before the eyes of the Galatians Vers Syriac and crucified among them also i. e. Jesus Christ crucified was as it were painted and most lively represented unto them They did not see him indeed hanging on the Cross at Jerusalem but yet by the preaching of the Gospel and celebration of this Sacrament they might behold Christ crucified and that which was done at so great a distance would by these means become as if it had been done before their eyes But it is not a bare historical remembrance that will serve our turn neither It is no hard thing to be able to remember the history of the passion of our
a greater and instead of preventing he will but increase and enhaunce his own condemnation CHAP. II. I Shall now mention some of those practical Inferences which the severals beforenamed do suggest unto us 1. If this Sacrament be intended for a renewal of that Covenant we entered into in Baptism we may see what great reason we have at this time to examine our selves and to bewail our misdeeds and strengthen all purposes of amendment of Life The end of its institution does most severely and indispensably require all this at our hands We must prepare our selves to meet the Lord that he may be sanctified by us when we draw nigh unto him We read that at the giving of the Law when the Israelites entered into Covenant with God how solemnly they were prepared for it Exod. 19.14 15. lest their uncleanness should render them unfit for so great a work God is holy and they that make their approaches to him must be so likewise We must purifie and cleanse our hearts and cast out every thing which does defile before we are fit to make so solemn an address to Almighty God God will be sanctified in them that come nigh him Lev. 10.3 Certainly God is too wise to be imposed upon and mocked too holy to behold our iniquities too just to clear and absolve the obdurate and impenitent sinner We must not come to this holy Table before we have examined our own hearts and bewailed our sins and come we must with full purposes of amendment of Life If we cannot find that we are thus prepared we must not dare to adventure If we find that we love our sins and are not willing to part with them we shall eat and drink damnation to our selves when we eat of this bread and drink of this Cup. 2. Hence also we may see the great obligation that lies upon those which do partake of these holy mysteries to lead holy lives for the time to come It is no small sin after we have been partakers of this â—â—crament of the Lords Supper to relapse â—â—â—o our former sins and misdeeds It is â—â—ngerous looking back after we have so â—â—â—â—mnly set our hand to the Plough â—â—en the unclean spirit is gone out of a man and after that his house is swept and garnished if then he shall return thither again the last state of that man will be worse than the first Mat. 12.43 44 45. A relapse is many times of greater danger than the first disease 'T is always so in spiritual things He that commits the same sin after he hath communicated contracts a greater guilt He does not only sin against his Conscience but against his most solemn Vow and promise He sins against greater grace and with greater scandal he offends them that communicate with him and opens the mouths of them that do not He does by his Saviour as Judas did he eats of his bread and lifts up his heel against him Joh. 13.18 The sin of an unbeliever is great but this is much greater still this is the highest treachery and falseness We betray Christ when yet with Judas we kiss him and salute him with an Hail Master Nothing can be more detestable than this is No wonder that the rule Soldiers and the Roman Pilate should be unkind to our Saviour but that a Disciple should deny him and betray him this is that which swells the sin to the greatest magnitude You then that eat of his body and drink his blood have you a care that you betray him not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom in 1 Cor. 11. For shame let not those hands minister to oppression or injustice that have received the Body and Blood of Christ Let not oaths lyes and filthiness proceed out of that mouth into which the Body of our Lord hath entred Let those vessels be kept clean which have been the receptacles of these sacred Mysteries Let them be shut up as the Gate in Ezekiel against every evil thing because tâ—e Lord the God of Israel had entred in by it Ezek. 44.2 Let there be no passage for any thing which would defile the man where thy Lord hath entered You have taken Christ for your Lord have a care now that sin do not reign in your mortal bodies Do not despise the Blood of Christ who died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5.15 Know this that if you sin wilfully now there remains no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10.26 27. God will not be mocked by those that trample on the Blood of his Son It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God You run into an unspeakable danger whatever you may think of it You have entered into Covenant with God and you cannot fall back without contracting a great guilt unto your selves It was the ancient manner that when a Covenant was made they did slay a beast shed its blood and cut it asunder Jer. 34.18 19. in token that he that did not stand to his Covenant should himself be obnoxious to the like severity When God makes a Covenant with us in the Gospel he gives up his Son to death the blood which he shed is the blood of this Covenant Heb. 13.20 and 10.19 If now we transgress and trample upon the blood of Jesus we are liable to all the wrath of God which our Lord endured and to bear it also to all eternity And though we may escape temporal plagues yet will it be worse for us if we fall into hardness of heart blindness of mind and a reprobate sense These are the surda verbera those secret and benumming strokes those stupifying ones which do not indeed so much amuse our senses and render us examples to others of Gods displeasure but yet they are of as ill an Omen and presage and of a worse consequence by far than the heaviest and sorest afflictions that befall our estates or bodies in this present world You then that have been cleansing and purifying your selves have a care that you do not defile your selves again Let every such man rather say with the spouse I have put off my coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Cant. 5.3 Have a care you do not with the dog return to your vomit and with the sow that was washed to the wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2.22 I shall conclude this particular with the words of Siracides He that washeth himself after the touching of a dead body if he touch it again what availeth his washing So is it with a man that fasteth for his sins and goeth again and doth the same who will hear his prayer or what doth his humbling profit him Eccles 34.25 26. 3. Hence we may see what great reason we have to give
thanks to God that he is pleased to make that our duty which is so much our interest and for our advantage He obliges us to renew our Covenant with himself which it is our greatest interest to do He obliges us to that which tends to our own happiness and welfare and without which we could not but be miserable He will have us remember the death of our Saviour and his love he shewed us He will have us partake of a Sacrament that does not only bring us nearer to himself but also unites us faster in the bond of love to one another He would that we should partake of these Mysteries which are the seal of his Covenant and give us great assurance of his readiness to pardon our sins That is in one word God would have us be happy and he does oblige us to be so 'T is our advantage that he designs in all this His love is without any interest but that of ours Who would not enter into Covenant with so good a God who would not remember the love of so dear a Lord Who would not be knit fast to his brother in closest bond of love Who would not have assurance of the pardon of his sins These are the greatest blessings that we are capable of receiving the greatest that Heaven can bestow upon us What can be more desireable than to be at peace with God and at unity among our selves What more reasonable or more to be wished for than that we should remember the love of our Saviour and receive a good assurance of the pardon of our sins And this is the design as you have heard of this blessed Sacrament It is appointed for such blessed purposes as these How suspicious or shy soever we be of it this is the errand it comes about It hath a design to make us more holy and more happy than we were This is all the plot which it hath upon us God hath not only been pleased to give us his Son to die for our ransom but he gives him again in this Sacrament for our food and nourishment O the unspeakableness of Gods kindness to us Methinks every man should break forth into his praises methinks he should say Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies who satisfieth thy mouth with good things Psal 103.2 3 4 5. Methinks our mouth should be filled with praise and thanksgiving to God for these his kindnesses to our Souls 4. Hence we may learn what great reason we have to embrace so blessed an opportunity of becoming better Great are the benefits which would redound to us from â— frequent and a devout Communion And certainly this service must needs be welcome to that Soul that is weary of his sins and heartily and earnestly desires to be rid of them For it lays a most severe obligation upon us to search our hearts and amend our ways and set things straight between God and our own Souls This service obligeth us to that which every pious Soul would chuse of it self It binds us to be faithful servants of God to be hearty lovers of our brother to be grateful acknowledgers of the love of Christ and diligent seekers after the pardon of our sins Who would not welcome such a blessed opportunity that loves his God and is weary of his sins Who is it that desires to lead a new life that would not be glad of so excellent a service 'T is to be feared we are too much wedded to our sins when we refuse this service which would divorce them from us 'T is much to be feared we have no great sense of the love of our dying Saviour when we will not upon his command Do this in remembrance of him Or that our sins are no burden to us when we despise the evidence of our pardon If we did but worthily partake of this Sacrament we should be more fit to live and more prepar'd to die We should be more fervent in our services to God and more sincere in our love to our brother the love of Christ would constrain us to obedience and his Commandements would not be grievous to us This would put an end to our unnatural differences and quarrels it would restore love and charity it would deliver us from our slavish and dreadful fear of death In a word it would change this Earth into a kind of Heaven and him that is now a cold professor of Religion it would make this Sinner become a Saint and a zealous doer of the will of God Such a mighty change would a frequent and a worthy participation of these mysteries introduce into the world It would bring back the primitive spirit into the hearts of Christians when Communions were frequent and devout then did every holy and good thing obtain And were they again restored the Devils Kingdom which hath now gotten ground would not only shake but fall to the ground This would overturn his strong-holds as the barly-cake of Gideon did the Tents of the men of Midian And therefore no wonder that he labours so greatly by his instruments to prevent this which would subvert his Kingdom And this is so effectually done that now the professors of Christianity either partake amiss or not at all This is the case of many I wish I could not say of the most of Christians Nay and those that do not receive at all are grown witty too they think they can defend themselves from being guilty of a default I shall not here examine what they have to say for themselves but yet this I shall say that the command of our Saviour for our Communicating is so plain and the reason of it so great that nothing can discharge us from it but either the impossibility of doing it for want of opportunity which we cannot plead or a countermand from him that gave us the law which we must never expect Nothing else can discharge us not our common excuses not our mistaken and scrupulous Consciences which cannot evacuate the Law of God for hereafter we shall be judged not according to what we ween or are of opinion in the case but by a more sure and unerring rule the VVord of God I conclude this particular only adding that if we diminish or take from the Word of God and deny that to be our duty which the Word of God requires we have too much reason to fear that God will take away our part out of the book of life Rev. 22.19 CHAP. III. I Shall now proceed to shew how we may become worthy partakers of this Sacrament of our Lords Supper which was ordained for such great ends and conveys so great a blessing to all those that partake of it as they ought For there is something to be done by us before we can be prepared for so great a
his Corinthians of the danger of unworthy receiving 1 Cor. 11.27 presently puts them upon examining themselves and then upon eating this Bread and drinking this cup ver 28. We may die by a famine as well as by a surfet by not partaking at all as well as by partaking amiss He in the parable that came to the Marriage-feast without the Wedding-garment was cast into outer darkness Matth. 22.13 But then for those that were invited and would not come at all the Lord said that none of those men should taste of his Supper Luke 14.24 He that comes unworthily runs into a great danger and so does he that does not come at all There is but one way of escaping the danger and that is by calling in Gods help and a diligent preparing and fitting our selves Which we have great reason to do now 3. Because we do at this time make a very solemn approach to God We are going to his Table to be his guests to eat and drink with him And certainly we had need prepare our selves most diligently did we but rightly consider this When we go to the Table of a great man we do trim and spruce up our selves It will well become us to come hither with clean hearts when we consider that God hath an all-seeing eye and that he cannot endure to behold iniquity God will be sanctified by us or upon us It is no trifling and small matter that we are now about We make a very near approach unto God and had need therefore purge our hearts of our uncleanness lest God make a breach upon us We had need prepare to meet the Lord and sanctifie him in our hearts Let us not dare to trifle in a matter of so great weight nor to go about to mock God and impose upon him before whom all things are naked and open Nor let us by any means dare to serve God at all adventures and do such a work as this is negligently and deceitfully If we do God will be very far from accepting us or our service Wherefore draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double-minded Jam. 4.8 Here is before us life and death let us quit our selves like men girding up the Joyns of our mind and imploring the aid of Heaven that our Souls may live No less than the life of our precious Souls is concerned in this matter As we do order this affair we may either live or die Now certainly these things that have been named above will be sufficient to awaken us and provoke us to diligence if they be but believed and considered throughly Having shewed the necessity of preparing our selves I come now to shew how this must be done And first I shall shew what preparations we are to make before we do partake Secondly what behaviour will become us when we do receive Thirdly what we must do after we have received CHAP. IV. I Shall now shew what preparations we are to make in order to our worthy receiving of this Sacrament And here I might premise that in general and holy life is a very good preparative to this service Were our whole life a life of Religion we should be always in a good readiness for this service That which fits us to die fits us to receive this Sacrament of the Lords Supper And certainly and holy life is the best preparative for death and therefore it must needs be very useful and necessary to our worthy partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ He that is fit to receive the Sacrament is fit to die and he that is fit to die is fit to receive the Sacrament one and the same preparation serves for both And if an holy life be a good preparative to death it must be so for the blessed Sacrament also But then though an holy life make a man habitually prepared for death yet there are for all that several things advisable to the dying man upon his sick-bed in order to his actual preparation for his departure hence And so it is in this Sacrament though an holy life be a good preparative yet it is but an habitual one and it is requisite that he that leads an holy life should notwithstanding that make an actual preparation before he make his approach to this holy Table And what we are to do in order to that I shall now shew 1. It is very requisite we should set some time apart for this work that we should sequester selves from our worldly affairs and business and be at leisure to attend upon the great concernment of our Souls But when we are alone we must be greatly careful that our worldly thoughts do not thrust in upon us and divert or distract us We must do as Abraham did when he sacrificed and the fowls came down upon his Sacrifice he drove them away Gen. 15.11 We must send away our worldly thoughts and cares at this time that they may not disturb and hinder us but that we may altogether attend upon that more weighty concern which we are about If we do not this we may when we are alone be as much in the World as we are at any other time And therefore we shall do well not only to set some time apart from our worldly occasions but when we have done that we must obstinately resolve that no worldly thought shall get entrance into our hearts at that time We shall be sure to be sollicited by our vain thoughts then but we must call in the aid of God and use our utmost diligence to keep them out We must empty our selves of these buyers and sellers we must overturn their Tables of exchange and with a great zeal whip these thieves out of Gods Temple This perhaps we may think a matter of some difficulty but there is nothing greatly difficult to him that is resolved nothing can be so to him that humbly and fervently implores the grace and aid of God Besides it is for the life of our Souls that we do this And if we loved our Souls as well as we do our Estates or Bodies and I might say our sins we should not find any difficulty in this matter For for the sake of these things we can spend many days and not complain and therefore have no reason to think much of spending now and then a day in consulting the interest of our immortal Souls And sure I am there are no portions of our time better spent than those we spend in the diligent service of God and about the securing the eternal interest of our Souls We shall one day wish that some of those hours which now we carelesly spend in doing nothing or in doing amiss which we spend in impertinent visits or in riot and drunkenness had been spent in our Closets in fervent prayer to Almighty God and in caring for our pretious Souls If ever we would have our Souls do well we must
his sorrowes He did not dye for sins that we might live in them but that we might dye to them His Death is a very forcible argument against the life of our lusts and a great motive to obedience We little regard our dying Lord if we at once remember his Death and break his Lawes 2. Again our Lord at his Death gave us a very great example of forgiveness of enemies and therefore when we remember his death we have very great reason to forgive our offending brother Our blessed Lord met with great enemies and such as had the greatest reason to be his friends He that eat of his bread lift up his heel against him He was betrayed by his own Disciple delivered to death by him that pronounced him innocent scourged and mocked by a rude and heady multitude He is numbred among Transgressors who had committed no sin He was hanged on the Tree who had never tasted the forbidden Fruit. He was put to death by those whom he came to seek and to save He had done them many kindnesses whilst he was among them He healed their sick fed their hungry restored their blind dispossessed their Daemoniacks and raised their dead He offended none of their Laws He paid Caesar his Tribute took care the Priest should have his Offering observed their customs went to their Festivals and was so far from profaning their Temple that he shewed a great zeal for defending it from common uses There could be nothing said against his Doctrine nothing against his Life His enemies that bare witness against him could not agree and it was infinitely plain that he was innocent And yet his Countrymen thirst after his blood and prefer a Murderer before him They want patience when our Lord wanted none They cry out Crucifie him crucifie him And what does our Lord do he cryes out too but not for Vengeance but for Mercy Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luk. 23.34 Certainly then we should be ashamed to remember these things with malice in our hearts well may we forgive our enemies when our Lord hath forgiven his We must not dare to remember the Death of Christ and to remember our Neighbours unkindness together We may not think of revenge when our Lord shewed so much mercy We cannot rightly remember Christs Death when we do not imitate his example He taught us what we should do by what he did himself We shall look very unlike our Lord if we retain our malice and ill-will 3. If we consider that Christs Death was not only for sins but also for our sins we shall still find a greater obligation upon us to forgive one another God gave his Son to dye than which there cannot be a greater miracle of Love and if God so loved us we also ought to love one another 1 Joh. 4.11 It was for us our Saviour laid down his life and who are we Had we deserved this love were we his friends that he was at this pains and cost No surely but we were sinners and enemies and yet he laid down his life for us Rom. 5.8 10. If then Christ dyed for his enemies we ought to forgive ours and then especially we are obliged to do it when we pretend to remember the Death of Christ How can we now pull our brother by the throat for a few pence when our Lord hath forgiven us so many Talents We are very ungrateful for our Lords kindness if we are unkind to one another Did we but consider Gods mercies to us we should think our selves obliged to be merciful to one another And methinks it should be easie for us to forgive our Neighbour if we did but consider how very much we need Gods forgiveness and how far we are from deserving it If our Lords eye have been so good to us why should ours be evil to one another what miserable wretches should we be if Gods mercies to us had not been greater than ours is to one another He hath forgiven us our great scores let us not retain then our grudges to our brother For shame then let us purge out this leaven of malice when we keep this Feast Let us shew our selves kind to each other when we do remember the kindness of our Blessed Saviour Besides our brothers offences against us are small in respect to ours against God We offend against an infinite Majesty we transgress the Eternal Laws of Reason How coldly do we pray to him for the greatest Blessings How insensible are we of his many mercies How very stupid and incorrigible under his severest judgments How void of the love of him who hath loved us so much If he should mark iniquities how should we be able to stand We are not able to answer for one of a thousand But yet we hope for Mercy upon our Repentance and our Faith We expect pardon from God for all these amisses And had we not this hope we should be of all men the most miserable We have then very great reason to be reconciled to our brother when we stand in so great need that God should be reconciled unto us and when we hope for the pardon of our sins from God which we do from Christs death and at this time when we do commemorate it we have a sufficient motive to forgive our brother Especially our Saviour having said If you forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will aso forgive you But if ye forgive not men their Trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Mat. 6.14 15. 2. Another great end of this Sacrament is that Christians may be knit together in the strictest bond of Love and Charity It is as I shewed you before a Feast of Love It was designed to bring us together and to make us all of one heart And a very effectual instrument it is were it rightly understood and used to that end and purpose It would soon make us one again It would bring together those who now are separated from one another When Communions were frequent in the Church Christians loved one another and kept together But when they became more seldom selemnized then the feuds among the professors of Christianity grew also For indeed this Sacrament was intended to maintain us in Love and Charity And therefore if we do not heartily forgive our brother we do destroy also this end of its Institution It is very indecent to see men at odds that eat and drink at the same common Table But it is a great wickedness to come to this Holy Table with malice and ill-will to our brother in our hearts We must not keep this feast of love with the leaven of malice VVe cannot partake of this Sacrament but we must profess a kindness to our brother and if we mean it not we are like Judas that gave his Master good words when he was ready to betray him and shall be miserable as he was into whom the Devil and the morsel entered at
every evil way and purifie my self as thou art pure Keep me O Lord for the time to come from every thing that is hurtful to me and displeasing to thee From the excesses both of care and fear from snares and great perplexities from carnal desires and brutish inclinations from covetousness and hatred from envy and pride from vanity and dissimulation murmuring and discontent And make me stedfast in justice and charity in humility and meekness in purity of heart and heavenly mindedness and sincere devotion And to these Holy ends vouch safe me the presence of thy Spirit and power of thy grace and endue me with heavenly Wisdom and all this I beg for the sake and in the Mediation of Jesus Christ Our Father which art c. Ejaculations to be used at the Lords Supper THE Lord hath done great things for me whereof I am glad If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life At the Receiving of the Bread THou hast said O Blessed Jesus I am the living Bread which came down from heaven If any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever Be it unto thy Servant according to thy Word in which thou hast caused me to trust Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my Life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Many O Lord my God are thy wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to us ward They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred I am thine O Lord I devote my self to thee O save thy Servant who trusteth in thee I have enclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway even unto the end Depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandments of my God At the Receiving of the Cup. O Blessed Saviour let thy Blood purge my Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood I will not henceforth live unto my self but unto him who dyed for me and rose again Blessed be the Lord my God who only doeth wondrous things And blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole Earth be filled with his Glory Amen and Amen After Receiving BLessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant Mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead To an inheritance uncorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Perfect that which concerneth me and forsake not the work of thine own hands I intreat thy favour with my whole heart Be merciful unto me according to thy word I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous Judgements O hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not A Prayer after the Receiving the Sacrament BLessed be thy glorious name O Lord for all thy unspeakable mercies to me and to all the World I adore and magnifie thee for thy great goodness in giving thy Son to dye for me and making me partaker of his most pretious Body and Blood O Lord what is man that thou thus regardest him And what am I a vile and wretched sinner that thou shouldst be thus favourable to me Thou hast been pleased to admit me to renew that Covenant with thee which I had broken and to give me assurance of thy readiness to pardon so vile and great a sinner as I have been I have received the pledges of thy love and been admitted to thy holy Table I have there devoted my self again unto thee my Soul and Body all my powers and faculties I have vowed obedience to thee and after the most solemn manner consecrated my self to thy service Thou art a God that knowest the heart and art not to be mocked I tremble when I consider thy infinite power wisdom and holiness Let these thoughts beget in my Soul a great fear of thy Holy name a great care to do thy will Grant I may not for the future turn the grace of thee my God into wantonness and that I may not receive the Grace of God in vain There is nothing hid from thee Thou knowest my weakness and infirmities and the temptations with which I am assaulted and to which I have too often yielded I am surrounded with snares and my spiritual Enemies are powerful and active O Lord help thy Servant and grant that I may both resist and vanquish them by the aid of thy Holy Spirit Keep the possession of my Soul which I have unfeignedly surrendred up unto thee Unite my heart O Lord to fear thy name and grant that I may spend the remainder of my time in obedience to thee and in acts of Charity to my brethren Create a clean heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within me Forsake me not O Lord if thou leave me I perish Guide me by thy Counsel and at last receive me to thy glory I do greatly desire the Salvation of mankind and humbly commend to thee this Church and Kingdom the Kings Majesty and all our Superiors in Church and State humbly intreating thee to direct and guide them all into those holy wayes that are pleasing to thee and beneficial to those who are under their charge and influence And work in the minds of all Christians an unfeigned Charity a peaceable temper patience and exemplary meekness and all the other fruits of thy Holy Spirit And grant me thy heavenly grace that I may so use things temporal that I may not miss of thy Eternal Bliss for the sake of Jesus Christ my onely Mediator and Advocate Amen A Morning Prayer for a Family O Almighty and Eternal Lord God the great Creator of Heaven and Earth and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ look down from Heaven with pity and compassion upon thy servants who humbly cast ourselves down before thee in a great sense of thy mercies and our own misery There is an infinite distance between Thy Glorious
great end and purpose for which our Lord was sent into the world Now this makes it evident that where there is a saving Faith in Christ it is accompanied with an Holy Life And that we do but pretend to be Believers of the Gospel if we do not obey its Precepts and perform those Conditions which it doth require at our hands For we then do believe the Gospel when we believe all the parts of it Now certain it is that the Gospel does not only bring us the tydings of pardon but it makes known the conditions upon which this Grace and Favour is offered And it will avail us nothing that we accept the pardon if we do refuse the condition upon which it is offered unto us for this is but to believe the Gospel in part and to be but almost Christians The Gospel does not only contain an History of what was said and done and suffered by our Lord but also promises precepts and threats and he does fully believe this Gospel who not only believes the truth of what is there related but obeys its Precepts submits to the condition of its promises and reveres its threats We do easily believe that Christ dyed for our sins but this is but part of what the Gospel tells us We must also believe that therefore we are not to live in them And that he did not only dye to redeem us from wrath but from our vain Conversations also We believe that Christ is our Atonement 'T is well but then we must believe that he is our Law-giver and our Lord and must own him for our King as well as for our Priest And if we believe that he dyed for this end that he might be our propitiation and our ransom we must also believe that to this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living Rom. 14.9 And certainly if we think it an act of Faith to acknowledge him for our Priest and consequently to rest upon him for our Salvation we must needs think it an act of Faith to acknowledge him for our King and Lord and consequently to obey his commands And unless we do obey him we do but mock him when we call him Lord Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things which 〈◊〉 say Luk. 6.46 If Christ be our Redeemer he is our Lord too and if he came to procure our pardon he also came to amend our hearts and lives for the time to come And methinks the words of St. Peter are very plain and yet very Emphatical also to the purpose in hand He tells the Jews that God had exalted Jesus with his right hand and for what end he had exalted him he adds in the next words to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give Repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins Act. 5.31 So that if we believe him to be our Saviour yet we must believe him to be our Prince and when we hope for forgiveness of sins we must be first endued with repentance in order to it Our Saviour he is but then he is our Lord first He is the Author of Eternal Salvation but to whom is he so it is to them that obey him Heb. 5.9 He came to save sinners 't is true but he came to save them from their sins They must be divorced from their sins or else may not expect to be saved He was not obedient that we might have leave to rebel he did not suffer for sin that we might live in it without controul He did not do his Fathers will that we might do our own He did not come only to dispossess the Devil out of Temples and Oracles or the bodies of men but to drive him also out of mens hearts and lives He came to set us at liberty from our sins and from the evil effects of them And we may not think we have gained the end of our Saviours being manifested till we are set free from the slavery of our sins And that Faith which lets us spare our sins and suffers us to live in a contradiction to the commands of Christ will never save our Souls 2. This will farther appear to be a great Truth that a true and saving Faith is productive of a good life and that the Gospel does not require a less Faith than this if we do consider the Faith of Abraham who is the Father of the faithful His Faith is much spoken of in the New Testament and seems to be set there as the pattern of our Faith And therefore it will be worth our while to consider what kind of Faith that is which the Holy Scriptures take so great notice of Abraham for Now there are two things very remarkable in this Faith of Abraham 1. That he did believe that God would make good his promise which he had made to him And this he did firmly believe notwithstanding the great unlikelihood of the thing promised had he consulted with flesh and blood He had a great assurance that God would make his word good unto him though it seemed to contradict the ordinary course of nature and the common reasonings of Mankind He knew not how the thing could come to pass but yet he judged him faithful and able to do it who had made the promise to him ' Being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead when hs was about an hundred years old neither yet the deadness of Sarahs Womb He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform Rom. 4.19 20 11. Thus did Abraham against hope believe in hope v. 18. He could have no natural hopes that this promise should be verified but yet he believed it would because God had made the promise upon this it is that he rests and stays himself He does not dispute either Gods Veracity or Power Now then our Faith is like that of Abraham when we do believe what God hath revealed and promised though the thing revealed should in it self seem very mysterious and strange to our reason and the thing promised very unlikely in it self to come to pass We ought to believe that which God sayes for his revealing of it makes it evidently credible though the thing it self be not in it self evidently true We have sufficient reason to believe when yet this reason does not stand upon the evidence of the thing but upon the veracity of him who makes it known to us Then we do believe as Abraham did when we acquiesce in Gods Veracity and Power He that hath a true Faith does believe what God hath revealed and doubts not but God will make his promise good He does intirely trust in God in whom he hath believed And he will neither reject an Article of Faith because his reason cannot comprehend it nor yet will he distrust Gods