be a solemn renewing of the holy Covenant first enter'd into by Baptism consenting to the Covenant we are there to renew 3. To be a living means to exercise and encrease Grace by representing the evil of sin and the infinite love of God in Christ 4. For a solemn profession of our Faith love and Obedience 5. For a sign and means of Vnity and Communion of Saints Christ hath appointed their consecrated representations to be in the eye of the Church in their manner and measure to supply the room of his bodily presence while he is in heaven The table in the tabernacle Exod. 25.23 24. May represent this Table of the Lord overlaid with pure gold and a crown of Gold round about it because of Holiness becoming it and a King sitting at it At this table should we be asking our own Souls what our thoughts are of Christ and what we have for him that it may be no idle visit you make or fruitless view you take of him but let your requests and great askings be ready on the string for more grace to your selves or true grace to your Relations what is upon your hearts for your Soul child yoke-fellow or son the Church of God Make sure you have grace before you come if you can I say if you can for every worthy communicant cannot profess himself certain of his sincerity but so far as he can discern by observing of his own heart he is truely willing to have Christ and his benefits on the terms that they are offered i. e. To take Christ in all his offices as King to rule him as Prophet to teach him and as Priest to pardon and save him And next we must be careful to exercise grace given They who have no grace can act none and therefore mustly by and sit idle here gazing on an unknown Christ And if any be here who know themselves to be ungodly ones I think they had best rise and run from their own damnation Some feed without fear or remorse for sin yea perhaps resolve to keep up some lust they know of To what end is this ordinance for you It 's a day of Darkness and no Light 2. The great voice of this Ordinance is Behold me Behold me We are called here to look on a pierced Lord Jesus And what shall we see in him See the maker of all things bowed down under the burden of our sins and weight of Gods wrath Look on him whom you have pierced and mourn Look on his wounds and weep Look on his Love and wonder Look on his satisfactions and Believe Look on his Victory and rejoyce Look on his purchase and contemn your earthly interests Here is the best and brightest glass in all the world God gives us to behold his son in and we may come as near him here as any ordinance can bring us When you look on the Elements stay not there till you ascend and see him who is invisible When by faith you come to see him whom your Soul loveth prostrate thy sinfull Soul with a holy wondering that sinfull dust and ashes may draw so near Study to get the fixed eye on him as loath to take it off being so well pleased with his beauty and worth Learn to think the less of other objects after you have seen the Lord. As Mahometans put out their eyes some of them after they have beheld Mahomets tomb that they may never defile their eyes with an other sight after so goodly and glorious a one The name of the Lord being so eminently engraven on all we are about should strike a dread and holy reverence on all our hearts the day the table the supper we are at are all the Lords but what if we be not the people of the Lord truly if we be not he bids us not welcome and what if we be here and the Lord not with us Then we had far better be else where But how may we know if we have him present even his sweet society and blessed company It 's his table we sit at and that is no small honour for he is a â—ing and that is not all he will sit with us himâ—elf and give us his own company and we may know it by this when the King sâ—tteth at his table my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof Song 1.12 Whence Obs 1. Believers wâ—ll observe what others doe not viz. When Christ is at the table and when not and it will be empty to them when he is absent 2. That Christs own presence must be depended upon both for sensible comfort to believers and for reviving their graces and making them lively It 's the exalted Kâ—ng oâ— glory 's own presence that makes his own grace in our hearts livelâ— and savoury It 's our keeping near him and his condescending to keep near us makes all his gracious work in us to bud and blossom 3. O the great condescention of God to sinful mortals that when he was invisible by reason of that infinite distance between the divine nature and ours he made himself to be seen in the flesh and now by his ascention having made his flesh also invisible by reason of the vast distance between his place and ours he hath made his flesh in a mystical sence even to be seen and tasted in the sacrament O if he hath humbled himself thus far unto our senses let us not by an odious ingratitude humble him lower even under our feet and trample on this precious blood of the Covenant by rushing on this so solemn and sacred a thing with a careless and unprepared frame taking no pains to get a broken and holy heart to intertain him with To take this sacrament into an earthly dirty heart is to take this heavenly bread and throw it into the dirt O do's any of you think to come hither and take these holy mysteries into your covetous proud lustful unrenewed hearts It 's plainly to resolve upon laying up his richest treasures in a noisom Sink and what an indignity is this Christ is in heaven himself and will not enter into any but an heavenly heart here And he who exposeth himself so much to the view of your senses calleth you to Spiritualise your earthly senses let that mouth that cateth at this table never speak vanity nor lies that hand which is reached out to receive him be no more a right hand of falshood or injury to any these eyes which look on your Lord here be no more gazing on Vanity or forbidden objects But to raise your hearts above beggarly Elements which you see this day with eyes of flesh consider this ordinance signifies and seales Christ and his Covenant with all his rich promises of grace and glory The body of our blesed Lord is really in heaven for he is risen and ascended but his body is as truely sacramentally here as really in heaven making the most clear representation of his death and solemn commemoration of it that the
earth bears or we are capable of in the flesh If there had been a more proper and better way we are bound to believe our Lord would have left it with us And since this is a token left with us to remember us of his dearest love in dying for us and washing us in his own blood let us receive and celebrate it with the liveliest affections and the heartiest acceptation we are capable of Still considering with our selves that tho' it be good to be here where much more of Christ is to be seen to day than many places of the earth can afford yet that it 's far better to be in heaven where the vail of our mortality shall be rent and the vail of this infirm flesh of ours shall be made spiritual and glorious the shadows of Sacraments fly away and the glass of all Gospel ordinances be removed as useless even the pitcher be broken at the fountain and the great Riddle of our salvation fairly unâ—olded to us all clouds and vapours of sin and darkness dispelled and patience and prayers and o edience we l rewarded And in a word where a more immediate and princely presence of Christ shall be intimately and constantly enjoyed without any oâ—lowing fears of parting Now the hope and assurance of all this we come to seal Trifle not with so sacred a thing but set your heart to the receiving of your Lord here with all his sanctifying quickning and comforting vertue which our sinful sinking souls need so much Now for this end he meets us here to day 4. Here is the staff of bread and wine that maketh glad the heart of man The Communion both of the body and blood of our Lord â—hrist Lo here is both a peace offering for you and an offer of peace to you under heavens broad Seal How many burdened and weary souls have unloaded at this port O let not weakness so much deterr as wants drive us hither for sense of wants and weakness and unworthiness and wrath all fit for him who hath all fulness strength worth and merit and who bare the wrath of God for them that flee to him for refuge And think it not enough to make your appearance here without some fitness for so solemn an action It is not so incongruous to sport and laugh at your Father's Funeral as to sit here restless and unconcerned at the commemoration of our blessed Lords death yea bloody death and bitter passion Shall we see the head wounded here and the members have no feeling That we see the bread broken which represents the breaking of Christs precious body for us and have no broken hearts Yea shall we be called to Contemplate the wrath of his provoked Father pour'd into his Cup and drinking the dregs thereof and crying out under the weight of our Sins which brake the very rock of our Salvation and made the Stones of the Temple to rend in sunder Was his Body broken to let out his Blood And shall not our Souls be broken to let in ☞ Look well to three things if you would be worthy Communicants viz. To have Grace ere you come to exercise Grace here and to increase it by coming Now for you that have Grace but it runs low and is not lively as you would have it to entertain your Lord withal Know there is smoaking Grace as well as flaming Grace and Christ will not quench the smoaking flax and what if he suffer thy Graces to keep low to day that thy Heart may be lowly for it ☞ But for them that are at high water and Spring-tide let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Sensible Enjoyments are but slippery things here Man in his best estate in this Life is altogether vanity but while the Lord allows them on us let us be careful to improve them well ☞ But what if all within lies still and an heavy heart stir not yet for all that is said Then look unto him that can remove Mountains and raise the dead The warm breathings of Heaven must be fetch'd in by believing Prayer Song 4. ult And when thou hast called on thy Soul to awake and work and yet nothing within thy rebellious Soul will obey then call on him whom Seas and Winds obey When we cannot fetch Life into our dead Souls then remember the Prince of Life quickens whom he will ☞ 5. A sight of sin and a sight of Christ who suffer'd for it are our fittest Objects at such a time and in the sufferings of Christ we see most of sin's evil The death of all the creatures under the Law for man's sin was nothing to the death of Christ for it As God looks on Believers through a dying Christ and loves them so let us look on sin through a dying Christ and hate it Thy sin is indeed the Object of God's hatred but thy misery that comes by it will God pity and so pardon sin and shew thee mercy if thou canst hate thy sin and in token of thy hatred of it flee far from it and cry to God mightily for grace and strength against it And if a poor soul hath been labouring last night and this morning for a more humbling sight of sin than yet hath been granted him he must never think to see sin so exceeding sinful as in seeing Christ a sacrifice for sin and if it had not been for our sin all the other enemies would never have slain the Lord of Glory And when the worst of sin is in Christ's sufferings for it we must not only make use of Christ as a Glass to see sin in but as a Physician too to cure it And when he hath shewed us our sin we must not go to King Jareb with our wounds but the same hand which broke us must bind us up And be your sins what they will if you can penitently and believingly plead pardon in the mediation of a broken Redeemer there will be found Balm enough to cure and Blood enough to wash yea drown them all in the depths of divine mercy tho we must not sin that grace may abound and go and sin to make work for the Blood of Christ and go about prophanely to pose his mercy for tho the Blood of Christ for fulness and efficacy be a Sea yet for tenderness it 's a Sea of Glass and mingled with fire to burn up our Lusts We come either to God as a Physician or a Judge for either we bring Souls full of sores to be cured or full of sins to be damned To meet with Christ and not to part with sin is sad and dreadful as Christ came into the world to destroy sin so should we come now to Christ for the same end O the sin of our natures that old man the ill habits the strong lusts the ill haunts our hearts have got venture to set Christ against them all to day We cannot speak good of Christ but ill of sin too How sad to see the
What shaâ—â— we do to get this appâ—â— end A. 1 Love 〈◊〉 an inâ—â—â—â—â—ing â—hing He that Loves most gets â—â—â—â—st Christ John 14.23 And if we Love God dâ—â—eâ—â—eth in us It was the be oved Discipie that leaned on Christ's Bosom 2. The farther we keep from sin the nearer we get to Christ 3. Faith and Hope in their lively actings bring us near to God It 's said That by the better hope the Gospel brings in we draw near to God Heb. 7.19 It hinders â—â—r approaches much to keep off from Christ by estranging unbelief and keeping the Affairs of our own Soul unsetled 4 To have Zion much on our Hearts might bring us nearer sometimes than all our own affairs can even when Abraham became an Intercessor for Sodom he drew near much more we for Zion If the things before us here rightly understood work not upon us we may conclude nothing will or ever can that comes from Heaven If God's good word and Christ's Seals of Love left with us make not Hearts stir towards him there is no hopes of Life in our case tho one should be sent from the Dead to Preach and Administer among us To get the Heart above to God by his Ordinances blessed of God is to have part in the first resurrection that the second Death may have no power over us Look to it that ye be none of them to whom Christ will say I never knew you even when you have pleaded by your eating and drinking in his presence For many may never come to tast of thâ— Supper of the Great King at last for all their â—â—ting here And that you may not miss of the blessed Entertainment of that Supper take heed that in Sealing Covenants here with the Lord you be truly devoted unto Christ and see the danger by Ananias and Saphira of keeping baâ—k any thing from God that is so solemnly once made his let heart and life be his and for him since the Lord Jehovah makes himself yours and all he is for you And after you have Covenanted to be his let your great care be to be meet for his Communion and fruitful for his Service even to abound in the work of the Lord. And let never your Heart grudg any pains in preparing to meet your God since one lock of God's reconciled Face by Ch i st Sacrificed for â—s will abundantly compence all the pains of your Preparation and charge of Service Lev. 9.4 where God's gracious appearing to his people is made their encouragement of costly service 41. Luke 22.20 This is the New-Testament in my Blood The Old was the Blood of Beasts the New is the Blood of God Acts 20.28 The Church of God purchated with his own Blood Nothing without Blood can profit us in the New Covenant No remission nor purging and washing without Blood no converse with God nor access to Heaven without it Heb. 9.12.10.19 For Christ enters in by his own Blood or he could make no entry for us All is done by Blood but no worse Blood could serve than God's which shews our loftness and his Love We lay in our Blood and Filthiness Christ brings his tâ— wash us other Blood defiles this makes white Rev. 7.14 O! Precious Blood and rich love it's strange that this â—east of Fat things should in some respect be a Banquet of Blood We know that in the Treacherous and cruel Worlds Banquets and Feasts of pretended Kindness have been finisned with the Blood of the Guests themselves but no such thing here it 's the Master of the Feast entertains the Guests with the purchase of his own Blood Moses's Wife said to him in a pet A Bloody Husband hast thou been to me because of the Circumcision but a Bloody Wife hath the Church been to Christ by â—eason of sin Redeeming us from it with his own Blood Now that Advice Acts 20.28 belongs to us Take heed to the Church of God purchased with his own Blood Now if the Ministers the Shepherds aâ—e to take heed to the Flock because purchased with â—hrists Blood then 1. Let us take heed to our own Souls for the same reason because they weâ—e so dear bought I neâ—lect them not let them not live to sin be estranged from God nor guilt lye upon them and drop into Hell at last 2 Take heed unto the Souls of one another that were purchased with this precious Blood Do nothing that may tempt them to sin and think light of Christ 3. Take heed to this Ordinance for the Blood of Christ is in it 4. Take heed to Christ himself for the sake of this Blood shed for your Sins to purchase your Souls Hear ye him that hath redeemed you turn not away from following and hearing him who justly might have turned you into Hâ—ll for your sins but hath blessed every one of you in turning you away from your Iniquities and to take you away into Heaven Now this great sight of this precious Blood are we come hither to behold in the Glass of this solemn ordinance Great Solemnities call for great Preparation and Observation especially what is represented and for what end come and behold the Works of the Lord Psal 46.8 even the glorious work of your Redemption by the Death of Christ A work greater than that of making the world yea the greatest work that ever was done in the World nay more one great end of making this goodly Fabrick of Heaven and Earth was that it might be a stage upon which that glorious work of our Redemption should be Acted a work wherein Mans happiness lies wherein Gods attributes are Glorified to the height and for which the Church Triumphant shall think Eternities leasure little enough to sing forth their Heavenly Hall â—llujah's 42. Many things commend this Ordinance of the Supper above all others 1. It 's setled in the Church for all Christians to remember Christ unto the world's end even till he come again while the Sun and Moon endure will Christ have the kindest commemoration in this Ordinance 2. It was that wherein Christ had his last Fellowship with his Church on Earth Now we please our selves by calling to mind our last meetings with our dear deceased friends their last words and actions have their special remarks most commonly â—et Christ's last entertainment have the best impression It was this shut up all his sweet converse with his own before his death 3. Divine Wisdom hach suited this Ordinance to our weakness and capacities accommodating heavenly things to our outward and natural senses for as we hear of a Saviour in the Word so here we see taste and handle him in the same meat Mary was forbid to touch our Lord as not ascended but now this ascended Lord allows us to touch taste and handle him in those appointed figures of him 4. It hath the greatest fitness and advantage of awaking our affections representing his dearest love in dying and redeeming us in suffering and satisfying for us
present world seduce many Souls from their Allegiance to Christ and the care that is due to their Salvation How are most deceived with the specious appearances and painted Slavery of the world to make us happy enough without Christ The covetous Pharisees mocked at Christ and Farms and Business do still excuse worldings from a serious and hearty imbracing of Christ's glorious Offers Q. What shall we do that we may not betray Christ and prove false to our Covenant and Profession in times of Tryal A. 1. Leave not a root of bitterness behind no beloved Lust unmort fied this was Judas his bane the love of the world he kept up under a profession and this betrayed him into Satan's hand and he stuck not to betray his blessed Master into his Enemies Hands 2. Rest not on doubtful Evidences of your Heavenly Interest but get things better cleared between God and your Consciences It will be a dreadful snare to you when sufferings come to the loss of Life and Estate and not be sure of Christ and Heaven 3. Keep your selves in the Love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal Life Love if alive will be strong at Death all the floods of Affliction cannot drown it 4. Keep up a close Communion with God constantly in secret If you slack in secret Prayer and wear out of personal acquaintance with the Fountain you will wither and your strength dry up like a Pot-sheard and your foot soon slide 5. Let never a day go over your head without actual Faith on some promise that this may keep you from fainting under discouragements Ps 27.13 6. The most refined formal lifeless Religion will not always secure you from being scandals on Earth and being cursed wretches in Hell eternally 45. That your minds may not be empty and wandring doubtful what to fix upon enquire Q. What doth this Ordinance call for A. 1. A Crucified Christ calls for Crucified sins 2. Be saying to thy self did this Blood satisfy God and shall it not satisfy me Why then O my Soul do'st not thou rest more intirely in this ransome and possess more of that rich Legacy his word hath left us and his Death hath purchased My peace I leave you my peace I give you and in me ye shall have peace and this man shall be the peace 3. Think whose Body and what a Body is here represented The blessed Body of the Son of God that was our Sacrifice broken bruised and bleeding on the Cross for us That same body that his Father gave him who needed it not but for us to receive our buffering in that Body that Devils envy to this day even that the Human Nature should be assumed into a personal Union with the Divine An honour denied the Angels That Body that hung on the Cross a spectacle to men and Angels for shame pain and a curse due to us That same Body that was laid in the Grave and raised up unto Glory God in our Nature appearing in Heaven for us preparing a place for us perfuming it with his Glorious Possessions and Presence 4. Think how due it is I should remember him in my Life who remembred me so kindly at his Death especially having made a Law for it in this Ordinance and making the remembrance no more costly nor painful than you see it this day He might have sent us a Jerusalem Jouâ—â—â—y to the holy Grave and appointed some costly Offerings there But let us bless our Merciful Lord and Law giver that hath spared us these expences and is content we should remember him in this plain Gospel Simplicity 5. Think you are now remembring your best and dearest Friend in Heaven or Earth who loves you beâ—â— and hath done most for you Wherefore with what affections should he be remembred and how precious should every thouâ—hâ— of him be to your Souls Song 1. 4 Psal 139.17 6. Think how miserable you had been to eternity if he had not remembred us in our low estate And what you have deserved that needed such a surety and Sacrifice Q. How may we know if our remembring of Christ in this Ordinance hath been good and right A. 1. If we have here a remembrance of the right stamp we leave not off remembring of Christ when we are gone but the life of a Christian in hearing reading meditating and praying will be much more a remembring him in his ways than others attain to 2. We will cause others remember Christ with us as we can Psal 45. ult 3. It will leave a lasâ—ing desire of remembring him here again Psal 42.2 4. 〈◊〉 right its Virtue will run thro gâ—â—all our Diâ—â—ies and Actions till we come again 〈◊〉 thâ—ll find is more easy to perform every duty and â—bey every precept As we sind sin that Dagoâ— fall before this Ark of the Lord temptations resisted and services Spiritualized we may jâ—â—g of this case 5. A right remembrance of Christ will make a Sanctified Soul even forget the best and most needful things on Earth to remember him now in Heaven 6. It will humble thee for former forgetting of him and stir up a holy hatred against vain thoughts that kept Christ out a few moments of a Sanctified remembring thy sweet Saviour here will send thee away with a sad Heart for thy forgeting of him days without number 46. Q. What came we hither to learn at the Table of the Lord A. 1. Humility from a meek and lowly humbled suffering Saviour Phil. 2.57.2 Patience from this Lamb of God that opened not his Mouth Learn here to possess your Souls in Patience and suffer not every trifle to provoke you 3. And here may we learn to Love where it shines out so gloriously 4. Self-denial and a publick Spirit who not regarding his own ease and pleasure glorified his Father in Redeeming us 5. See here your strong rock and learn to live by Faith A sight of a Crucified Sanctified Saviour should give us confidence both in Duties and Dangers In Duties this sight should lift you up above all your doings when you see what your surety hath done and suffered for you And in Dangers your great help to believe he will not let your temporal evil sink you is his delivering your Souls from eternal Miseries and Hell and the second Death 6. We can no where at a better advantage learn with them that are Redeemed from the Earth the new Song of Promise than here at such a solemn sight of our Suffering Redeemer But that we may learn our Lessons the better let us be considering where and with whom we are sate Solomon says Prov. 23.1 When thou sittest with a Ruler consider what is before thee It 's a great Ruler we sit with and a great Feast ser before us Now let us consider we sit at the Table of the Lord and we eat the Supper of the Lord. If this be the Table of the Lord what wonderful condescention is this that
belong to God he will find out the way to awaken them and not let them sleep the sleep of death but will shew them wherein they have exceeded and a wake them to their work out of this Lethargy either by renewing some terrrors of Conscience or turning his hand upon them by some torturing tribulation And there is a third sort I fear may come who are almost well resolved never to come up to the terms of having Christ because of some beloved lust they are so loath to part with and go away with the young man in the Gospel sad from every discovering ordinance whereby he finds all must be left to follow Christ if he have treasure in heaven which his hypocritical heart could never yet comply with and so finds no sweetness in sacraments nor Sermons nor never can in this condition for the consolations of God are small because of some secret thing with him Job 15.11 But as ever you think to be happy be advised whatever it be hang up that Idol before the sun this day look but to Christ and see whither thou durst lay it in the ballance with him who is yet wooing thee to win tâ—y soul by parting with thy sin Let it wither under Christs curse for the many good days and far sweeter imbraces of a better beloved it hath kept thee from 8. Such a day will either be one of our best or worst days It will either further salvation and bring you nearer God or harden your hearts and heighten your Judgment A hot summers day ripens the corn so do these seasons of grace ripen faster than any thing can for Judgment when not improved but abused Would it not be sad that any of us should be worse at last than if we had never been here nor seen the Lord in these precious ordinances Neglecters of the great salvation are in a worse condition than if the new Covenant had never been made for they must answer not only for breach of Law but abuse of mercy Now that this Feaâ—t hurt â—ou not you must be careful that you be not unworthy partakers To eat and drink unworthily is to eat and drink unsuitably So that the best way to examine this matter is by a due consideration of the nature and use of this ordinance Here is bread that calls for hunger and wine for thirst and both for strength and refreshing Here is bread broken and wine poured out which calls for a broken heart and pouring out of our souls to him whom we pierced and put to pain Here 's consecrated Bread and Wine come as Consecrated Persons to Consecrated Elements Here is a Feast then come as confederated Friends to take a fill Here is a Seal of a Testament call'd the Cup of the New Testament in his Blood come and take a Legacy And as it 's full of Mysteries it calls us to come with a Piercing Eye to discern the Lord's â—ody and its worth under the meanness of outward Signs Now you see to come unsuitably is to come unworthily And may we not tremble to think on the doom of that Guest that came in without the Wedding Garment and that it is not one or a few that come so but very many appears from Matt. 22.11 and 1. v. compared In the application of that Parable they are said to be many that are called but sew chosen ones The King took no exceptions against his guests when he came to view them because of being poor halt or weak but offended with them that refused to come and with them who came without the wedding garment Many refuse to come that are utterly careless to be in any condition to meet Christ in this ordinance and make nothing of a life time of refusing an offered Christ therein For which so gross a contempt of his grace how shall many answer And others come without the wedding garment and with these he is angry intimating that many weaknesses he could pass by provided we make conscience of preparation and putting on the wedding garment which I take to be a good state in Christ through his righteousness imputed and a spiritual frame lamps trimmed and in good fashion for feasting with Christ minds spiritual and graces active Repentance faith hope and love in exercise 9. I am affraid our familiar and frequent conversing with such sacrâ—d things do's great hurt to carnal hearts and hardens hypocrits in their sins and seares their consciences more to obduration Thus Judas received the sop and Satan entered Abuseing these sacred spiritual things with careless and carnal frames makes way for Satans entering and possessing men more strongly whereby they become twice more the children of wrath than before For who eat and drink unworthily eat and drink damnation i. e. Reprobates thereby bring eternal damnation to themselves and it brings to Gods own temporal punishments as 1 Cor. 11. Now to prevent this danger beware of Hypoctisy in sacred things Double dealing here will undo us I mean a heart and a heart or a sacrifice without a heart The work is the Lord's have you a heart for him I wish our case be not Jehu's who had a great pretended zeal for God but had no care of his heart in Gods ways 2. Kings 10.16 31. What sayeth God of this service did he accept and reward it No he avenged it upon his House Hos 1.4 Tho' he shed blood in Gods cause and quarrel yet he did it not with a right and sound heart O look to it that you reap not his reward for a rotten heart We say by our coming hither come and see my zeal but if the heart be not right with him the blood of Christ will be required at our hand it 's a great guilt to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ O take care that things be all right in our dealings with Christ and particulary in our sealing Covenants with him Isa 61.8 It 's a precious promise that in making an everlasting Covenant with them he will direct their work aright or in truth and that is when their heart is directed into the love of God 2. Thes 3.5 Now may we ask for love in this action If it have a root now is the season of its putting forth We may say as the Rulers of Israel spring up O well Let your love be carried out according to the vastness of his loving kindness that we may love him in our measure who hath loved us with a love that hath neither bounds nor bottom let their be some risings of love some returns of love an entertainment of love in this feast of love But when we have said all it 's the Spirit that quickens and giveth life and where its power is wanting there the word is a dead letter the Sacraments dead Elements and we dead creatures Now since the spirit worketh all in all grieve not the spirit resist it not but walk in the spirit and look to Christ for a heavenly
that tho we faâ—l in many things yet our heart stands to it delighting in the Law according to our inward man to shew that a man does not repent but his engagement is still pleasant to him as if it were to do again a man would do the same thing if it were every hour to let the world see there is not a heart drawing back from God and that the heart that is naturally unstable may become fixed for God And yet tho this making and renewing Covenants by this Ordâ—nance be so useful Christ hath not tied himâ—elf to Sacramental Seals for that Faith that eats and drinks the Blood of Christ without a Sacrament doth save And that Covenant whâ—sâ—â—ver believes in Christ shall be saved passeth the sâ—als effectually to a believer tho there were never an occasion of sealiâ—g iâ— sâ—cramâ—ntally Crede manducasti Bâ—lieve â—nd thoâ— hâ—st eaten saith Aâ—stin God needs no Seal to bâ—nâ— himself but to secure and settle uâ— Yet since we are graciously allowed the opportuniâ—y of contemplaâ—ing a crucified Saviour here these two thâ—â—gs among many others ought to be wonder'd at viz the price and the purchase And this adds to the wonder of bestowing Heaven on us that it comes as the reward of our service tho purchased by Christ All Heaven to them who had little or nothing on Earth all Christs â—lood for them who had nothing of his Spirit or Grace by Nature O wonder that a Heaven full of pleasures should be at last the portion of them who have had hearts full of sin and lives full of blemishes If a poor Beggar came iâ—to the King's Treasury and saw all the bags of Gold and Silver and one should tell him they are all laid up for you what would the man think It would strike him with a strange astonishment But whâ—t are these to Bags that wax not old and Treasure in Heaven laid up for you wher of if we had once a believing sight would make uâ— for ever think less of earthly riches nay you would be ready to go home and throw your bags of Gold and Silver to the Moles and to the Bats and say get ye hence ye stumbling-blocks of mine iniquity But again wonder at such a price paid for us so worthless worth nothing and yet cost him so dear Good Lord what do we for him that laid out so much for us If we have nothing he needs nothing yea he requires nothing but to accept his bounty and be ravisht with his love Tho we be utterly unable to pay being broken debtors yet let us even be ready to praise and be thankful debtors For this very End is this Eucharistical Feast instituted At this Festival Commemoration let the Founder of the Feast be remembred with praise and honour And here take we hold of the most solemn occasion for the most passionate and thankful remembrance of that love that gave us so great a gift as Christ to do and suffer for us And without this affectionate frame of heart we now frustrate the very end of the Institution 16. Here have we the Beloved standing and knocking and putting in for entrance at the door of our hearts saying open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled one Here is my divine lasting love that for all her sinful sloath and sleepy temper she was fallen into yet he never changâ—th her name but courts her love with kindest compellations still But the motive he presteth his acceptance by is melting and convincing above all open to me fâ—r my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night He begs a place in our hearts by all inconveniences he suffered for us O the dark and dismal night of his undergoing the wrath of his holy Father when our iniquities were laid on him Thus stands our Lord now knocking and begging our good will and likeing our Love and fellowship by all the wounds he received on the Cross for us Here are we called to behold they pierced my hands and my feet and shall not this pierce our hardest hearts to see the anguish of his Soul The rejected and slighted obtestations of a crucified Jesus will rise up aginst many in the day of their distress that they were besought to mortify their lusts and live to God by every drop of Christs blood shed for them but they would not hear That the requests of a suffering Saviour may have their due influence is this ordinance appointed bringing all his pain shame and sorrow to our remembrance We see he hath a good mind to be in our eye and thoughts If you see a Criple lay out his sores they beg tho' be hold hiâ— peace And if our suffering saviour this day be unlapping his wâ—â—â—â—d and laying his sâ—res open to view shall not they beg more powerfully and prevaile and remember all the wounds of our Lord he had in the house of his friends Now the very great voice of all his wounds are 1. Repent Look on me whom you have pierced and mourn 2 Believe when you see your ransom and sacrifice slain If Justice say I have enough and am satisfied why do not we think it enough even apply it and rest in it Take peace and content yea rejoyce in God thro' Jesus Christ by whom you have now received the atonement 3. The voice of Christs sufferings is my Son â—dive me thy heart If I have loved thee and washed thee in my blood It 's reason I have love again 4. It says 〈◊〉 bey and hearken to thy High priâ—st Hear him in all he hath to say he hath deâ—â—ly bought your obedience and attention to all his motions and Instructions Prov. 8.31 â—2 The force and strenâ—th of that tâ—erefore is never to be studied and undeâ—â—â—ood enough Get Christs Cross to give your lusts a deadly wound rest not till you see him and feel th m thereby disabled and miled to his Cross As for your Darling the world in its profits pleasures and honour hear Christ saying It frowned on me and will my ransomed smile on it It was despised and a little thing with me who knew so well a better and shall it be great with you Remember that to take Christ in and put Christ on are the two great Calls of Heaven in the Gospel And since your suffering Redeemer iâ— taken into heaven these gates of Glory flew wide open to him at his Ascention shall he be kept out of our hearts Are they better than it No but there was he better known and here his own received him not for they knew him not nay not only â—eaven hath received him and therefore so should our hearts but there hath he entred for us which also hath its own weight for his entring into our hearts here 17. Here come we to get more grace and strength to reâ—â—st the Devil and stand againâ—â— his temptations Now our encouragements to encounter this enemy of ours that roaring Lyon 1.
becomes a means of fortifying and fixing the heart 2. Renewing Covenants are of great use to recover us out of backslidings after which we are to put forth the same acts again in Covenant way by closing with Christ which we acted and put forth at first conversion 3. It 's of great use to revive our declining delight in God And certainly if we make a covenant with all our heart as Asa and Israel did 2 Chr. 15.5 It 's almost impossible not to rejoice in it considering the great ends and purposes it 's made for and the Noble Person Christ that Plant of Renown we make it with a Marriage covenant with the King's Son a new Wedding-day in bringing back the Soul from its sinful wandrings unto its first Husband with whom it's much better than with any elsewhere 21. We come hither professing our selves Christ's Disciples sitting at his Table as they did that night he was betrayed whereby we say we are his sheep who hear his Voice receive his Grace and follow him yea that we are his Spiritual House to offer up spiritual Sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus Christ But yet Grace received had need to be strengthened and quickened and therefore are we come Had not Repentance and Humbling work need to be quickned and renewed by considering our sins and miseries Faith by Meditating on the Promises Love by the sense of his mercies even his tender-mercies in Christ we come to taste of to day and to pay the Tribute of Praise for bestowing such special favour upon us O! let us magnify that Mercy that hath Redeemed us at so dear a rate that all his humblings were to raise thee to Honour his Sufferings to keep thee from Perishing All this tends to bring home our Hearts to him that hath bought them so dear Now Love hath no such incentive in all the World as the Cross of Christ it grows out of it it lives in it and we are Crucified by it to all other Lovers that would seduce us from the Loyalty we owe to our own Lord Alas what can these silly pretenders say Were they Crucified for us Hereby perceive we the Love of God or else we are very Blind for he hath writ his Love in capital letters on his cross laying down his Life for us when we were â—nemies seek the world over for such Love and it cannot be found Now the very Publicans love those that love them and will ye be worse And shall our love be so faint and luke-warm when his is so flaming and passionate Look up to him that can warm thy heart at his own Table with his sacred Fire And now when Love to your Lord begins to revive think what Lust you harboured last and this is the time to get above it yea to Kill and Crucify it tho it hath been rampant and raging hitherto despising all opposition offer it now as a Sacrifice to him who was a burnt Offering for thee Shall ever sin that slew the dear Husband becomes the Wises Darling If ever you think of dwelling with Christ give it a Divorce and that the rather your Lord hath drawn the Bill with his own hand All ye that Love the Lord hate evil Love Christ and hate Sin are the two great lessons this Ordinance teacheth Love Christ that suffered for you and here sin that flew him Now here he is who descended the same also who asended follow him thither but while here look to the Grave where he lay and then to the higher House he was taken into above and leave not off looking for him till he come again 22. Here are we come to our great Physitian of Souls And among our many Diseases we had need to seek cure of these two viz. Christians faint-heartedness in sufferings and dead-heartedness in Duties Now a look of Christ would cure both What is the reason Christians faint under Sufferings but because they mind not their suffering Lord who endured all so patiently overcame all so powerfully and hath Sanctified all so comfortably to us Consider him lest you grow weary and faint in your mind that is the Remedy prescribed and so we are dead hearted and formal in Duties because we consider not Christ that is to come with Salvation at the last It 's his first coming to suffer must sweeten our Sufferings and his last coming with Salvation that must quicken us to Duties look more to the recompence of reward for ginding your Loins to the word of God Isa 35.3 4. And that you may meet with something that may do you good amidst the waverings of an unsetled mind labour to fix something on thy thoughts that may help to stay thy mind on God such a principle as this men cannot make me miserable not the world make me happy my true misery is my sin bound up and a hard unbroken Heart for it My happiness is not my thriving in Health and Wealth but my interest in the Covenant and partaking of the Divine Nature Let thy heart be breathing how happy should I go home if I might be but more Holy and live more to the honour of my Lord and be in some better condition for his blessed Service Hath not God said Behold I will make a new thing on the Earth How many such new things hath he done on the earth as to give us all new hearts and new thoughts of the things of God to Day Our Lord is saving to sinners Mind your Souls and make much of my Salvation Your Souls are precious and my Salvation is great and if ever your Souls enjoy my Salvation hereafter they must be set a longing after it now Psal 119.81 Neglect it not for it cost him dear and if you miss of it it will cost you dear For how shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation 23. There be three things that commend Christ most unto any viz. His personal excellencies his usefulness and his love As for the last love lies at the bottom of the whole work of our Redemption The midst thereof paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem Song 3.10 We have the Father loving his Son for laying down his life for us Job 10.17 and and shall not we love him for it And as the Father loves the Son for this love to us so he loveth us for loving his Son John 16.27 the first pleads for our love to the Father in loving the Son for our sake in the undertaking of our Redemption the other pleads for our love to Christ since our loving of the Son commends us to the Fathers love O unheard of wonders of divine love That as the Father loveth the Elect in Christ and for Christ so he should seem to love him for our sake being so forward in our cause to suffer for us and save us from our sins It 's this love that this ordinance brings to remembrance you see it is a feast of love and love must keep the feast or all
garment The best sight Christ could see of us here were to see us as once he saw Nathaniel sitting under the fig-tree an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile Joh. 1.47.48 Or as once he saw Mary and so taken with that sight that he points her out for others to see Luk. 7.44 weeping for sin and exceeding all the company in shewing love to Christ As the people would not eat till Samuel the Prophet came to bless the sacrifice unto them 1 Samuel â— 13 We can have no better proof of our High Priest's coming and blessing a Sacrament unto us than to be found with Mary at Christ's Feet in Penitential Tears of Love towards our Pardoning Redeemer But alas how dead lye we by the Ark of the Lord as is said of Vzzah 2. Sam. 6.7 whom God struck in his Anger with Death for a wrong touch of the Ark at a Time Here was God's severity shewed on a Man who meant well but gave the Ark a touch that he should not Now what wonder of God s Patience is it that some remarkable Judgments are not more frequently upon us for our untender touching of his most Holy things on Earth How often take we and touch we the Body of Christ with hard Hearts and unclean hands O! let us lament over our insensible Souls and say with David till better prepared How shall the Ark of the Lord come to me 2 Sam. 6.9 26. Luke 23.48 And all the people that came together to that sight smote their breasts and returned That sight that strange sight that sight of Christ on thâ— Cross Bleeding and Dying such another sight was never seen in the World Creatures Murdering their Creator The Church of God purchased with his own Blood no wonder then all the people returned amazed They smore their Breasts O! that it might break our hearts for that is the heart-affecting sight we come to see this day O! the Heart-humbling sight of Christs Sufferings the Son of God suffering for the sin of Man And as the Death of Christ is held out as the most wond rful Object â— that sight so is it recommended to us as the most excellent Subject to be Discoursed of not only as it was the great Subject of the great Apostles Preaching 1 Cor. 2.2 but as it is the only Subject mentioned of Conference between Christ Moses and Elias Luke 9.30 â—1 A Subject most wâ—rthy of the most excellent persons that can appear on Earth And our Saviour recommends the sayings of his Sufferings to a deeper impression on their Hearts than all the Miracles he wrought to their amazement who beheld them Luke 9.43 44. Now if Wisdom hath furnished her Table with the representation of so rare a thing yea with the Bread of Life from Heaven and the Cup of Salvation even the Cup of the New Testament in Christ's Blood let not so rich a repast be received as a common thing Our blessed Lord comes not with an empty offer but a full-hand and a free-heart to confer all his benefits and purchases the dispising of which by continued unbelief will be the worlds greatest condemnation It was charged on the Israelites as the great aggravation of their sin that they provoked God at the red sea even at the red sea the place where their miraculous salvation was wrought But how will it aggravate our sin to provoke God with a hard unprepared heart at the red Sea of his precious blood here represented by which we are Redeemed Let us never be friends with our own hearts till we can love our Saviour bet er and hate our sin more If Namaan when cured of his Leprosy went away resolved to serve no other God but the God of Israel what should we do whom Christ hath cured of many fâ—r more desperate and dangerous diseases Labour to be that ground which drinketh in the rain which cometh upon it and brings forth herbs meet for him that dresseth and receiveth blessing from God Heb. 6.7 Now what rain comparable to a showre of Christs blood in a sacrament Where we either receive great blessing or are brought nigh unto cursing 27. The Persians had a Festival day in the year they called Vitiorum interitum whereon they slew all Serpents and Venemous Creatures And suffered them to swarm till that day of year came about again It 's to be feared some do so at sacrament times who by some Confessions and formal humblings think to clear old Scores and then go away and take on new ones but if so such may look the unclean spirit will return with 7 worse and take a stronger Possession than he had formerly And sinners must know their Confessions and humblings are hypocritical if one Lust or known sin be left As 1 Sam. 16 11. Samuel said to Jesse are here all thy Children So when we leave some sins Christ says are here all Jesse answered There was one more says Samuel â—ill that one come I will not sit down So says Christ as long as there is one be â—ind I will not sit down with thee sit where thou wilt It 's dangerous to boast with the moral young Man in the Gospel I have done this and tother thing and yet one thing be lacking To have our door lock t up still to keep Christ and salvation out as a Covetous heart for the world a sensual heart for the flesh a proud heart for the Devil will marr all cannot be fit for heaven if the door were open would not go in where no fuell for such a lust And therefore let us make a diligent search and take great care ere you come to ransack well all the corners of a deceitful heart and truely repent of all sin viz. when our sorrow springs from the root and are affected with the seed of all sin even our corrupt nature and inclinations and when we repent of all known sin on the common account of sin as contrary to Gods holy Law and Nature And tho the heart be not always affected with a high degree of sorrow intensively yet is Repentance true if it be appretiative accounting sin the only thing to be sorrowed for and it we be displeased with our selves that the heart is not answerable to our light and convictions in the exercise of Repentance And think not that all your sorrow for sin without Faith in God through Christ will suffice The weeping eye must look upon Christ whom thou hast pierced with thy sin We must look for all good from him against whom we have sinned take up our rest in him and it 's faith and hope in God must purify our heart for him make our soul despise the world desire heaven loath self love the Lord and venture all on a word of promise trusting God with all the most dangerous like events of providence and consequences of duty 28 Two things had need be minded about this business viz. to prepare diligently Take pains with a dull heart cleanse a polluted
like Lions against sin and Satan 3. Hath he not past his promise for feeding his own yea to eat and be satisfied Psal 22. 6. Psal 111.5 Prov. 10.3 4. Hath he not made them worse than Infidels that feed not their own Family 5. Did he feed the multitude because he had compassion on their Bodies and wi l he not have compassion on the Souls or his own 6. Doth he feed young Ravens and will he starve Believers 7. Have we not his own invitation to the Feast and will the Master of the House make it a Fast 8. Shall we ear of the Tree of Life and hidden Manna in Heaven Surely he n ver meant to starve such by the way but allow t â—m sâ—me cauâ—â—r of the first ripe Grapes to refresh them in the Wildâ—rness 9 May we not plead with our loving Lord thus Lord I hear thou keepest a good House having bread enough to spare give me such a Portion as may commend it unto me and I will commend it to others 10. We may say How many hast thou refreshed of thy poor and needy Hast not thou said Whosoever will let him come and Drink freely upon thy call I come to drink of Wisdom's spiced Wine of this consecrated Cup that I may here and hereafter remember thy Love more than Wine 11. I plead my own necessitiâ—s and wants where should the poor be filled and the hungry feed but at the gates of the Rich and Full If thou hast not enough send me away empty but I make a Vertue of Necessity I must live by my Food as other Creatures do and is not Christ the food of a hungry Soul 12. I plead thy Glory for my feeding here will this commend thy bounty and compassion to send away from thy Fulness a starving Beggar without supply Let us cast an eye on that Miraculous Feast Christ made the Multitude Luke 9.17 And they did eat and were all filled and the fragments gathered up far exceeded the poor provision it was made of O! but it had Christ's blessing and that made much of a little And when we are Christ's Guests we should not only eat but look to be filled And gather up the Fragments incomes and expences of Divine Love and Favour Now that we may take this Feast up aright it is not a Sacrifice but a Sacrifical Feast or Covenant Feast of Peace and Friendship a Feast after a Sacrifice and by our eating here is declared our interest in that Sacrifice of Christ's Flesh offered to reconcile us to God even as they under the Law did â—â—t of the Sacrifice and so partake of the Altar to shew it was theirs that the Priest offered as if they had been at the Altar with the Priest And further this is a Feast of God's providing as Abraham to Isaac God will provide himself a Lamb for a burnt Offering and therefore was the Sacrifice accepted because it was of his providing for known unto him alone it was what would satisfy his own Justice And strâ—ngâ— it was that this Sacrificeing of his Son should be a sweet smelling Savour a more wonderful word was never written Eph. 5.2 How dear must our Salvation be unto God that made the greatest Sufferings of Christ so pleasing to him which other wise the Lord would have abhorred Wherever the Sacrifice is said to be a sweet Savour its â—aid to be made with Fire Num. 28. and 20 chapters shewing that nothing but Christ s Sufferings can Satisfy for our sin For all the Sacrifices only signified Christ but could not satisfy God 36. Our proper exercise here consists of Meditation Petition and Resolution For Meditation the thoughts of the righteous are right it 's no small part of our work to have right and proper thoughts at present 1. Think how unworthy I am to appear here and have place among them that stand by tho I were not admitted to sit down with my Lord himself I who to Natural Corruption have added such a heap of actual Transgressions inward enmity and outward contrariety to God Ignorance unbelief apostasy despising of grace and abusing of patience have so filled up my measure and made so great a part of my wretched days and unworthy Life 2. Think how worthy and honourable is Christ to whose holy Table I presume to approach He who is the Fathers dorling and delight the light of Heaven and the great Blessing of all Nations who hath obtained a name above every name at whose name every knee must bow and whom the Angels of Heaven all do Worship He whose Table I am now sitting at on Earth sits highest in Heaven at this very moment 3. Think again how good it is to sit here with a sound Heart we cannot be better set on Earth But if a Hypocrite how ill I am set having not on a Wedding Garment I mock God harden my own heart heap up wrath eat and drink damnation by Crucifying the Lord afresh 4. Think what is my business here but to meet the Lord Chriâ—t by his own appointment that I may get more acquaintance and grow more in Love with him and to be more obliged to him by a new sight of my Redemption by him and receiving some Spiritual gift 5. Think what is prosered me here His Love his Grace his Peace his Pardon his Covenant and Kingdom 6 You have never a right thought here if you think not of a bleeding Christ a suffering and satisfying Redeemer hanging on the Cross and all your sins hanging on him For what else could ever bring him there having no sin to suffer for of his own and all power to avoid suffering by any And think again how he was dealt with on terms of Justice that we might be dealt with on terms of Mercy And â—â—â—t which would have been in so many drops of an Eternal Hell to us was made to meet on him in one great Sea drinking up Dregs and all O! think ransomed Saved Sinner if Christ had not drunk thy Cup of Wrath to free thee thou must had such a Cup put to thy head as if brought to a great Sea fill'd with Gall and Wormwood and Justice say to thee Now sinner thou that likedst so well the Cup of sin â—o here is the Cup of wrath drink and never leave Drinking while one drop is left Now see your obligation to Christ and despise him if you can And see how sad it had been to be without him 37. As for Petition and Resolution that belongs to this purpose in hand Q. What Petitions are here to be preferred A â— For much of Christs gracious and powerful presence a clear day without clouds that he would not hide himself at such a time and disappoint the Expectation of the needy but so countenance his owâ— work as we may comâ—â—â—dâ—â— unto others 2. For a heart humbling look of your dear dying Lord O how should it humble us to see how my sins humbled the Lord of glory 3. Put in
thou come unto me that is for my assistance and help to make good my promises to God Psa 101.2 Let my songs of praise be all of him here until I come where I shall be able to tune them higher than my sinful imperfections will now permit 49. Qu. Have I heavens permission Yea have I the Masters Invitation to be here Ans Any that are weary of the worlds Vanity and laden with the sense of sin looking out for Health and cure and come for a Physitian sensible of soul diseases and heart distempers have Christs own Call to come Mat. 11.28 2. If thou durst not come for a World without his Invitation and that the best encouragement of thy approach is his Calls of Grace such a sinner may draw near Mar. 10.49 3. Reconciled Friends are invited to come and eat Song 5.1 And we are Gods Friends no further than we keep his commandments Job 15.14 4. What warm Invitation have you given Christ for coming and blowing on your garden to prepare all for himself to make way for his inviting you Compare Song 4 Ult. with ch 5.1 5. Solemn humiliation and secret personal examination must go before our Lords allowance to eat and drink here 1. Cor. 11. Do we come to imploy Christ in the exercise of his offices upon your souls for grace and mercy to purge and pardon come ye for favour and forgivness Do you come for power and virtue to kill your lusts and coole your affections to a vain world to draw you that you may run after him come you for the things of the Kingdom of God for Righteousness peace and Joy the choice entertainments of wisdom's house Do you comâ— with your Bills in your hand Black Bills of your own indictment for the red lines of his Cross to blot out Bills of Grievances to be Redressed Bills of Wants to be supplied especially Church-grievances and Soul Grievances Satan making havock of the one without and daily inroads upon the other by prevailing Temptations that makes you groan for Heavens Care and better keeping of you than your own Q. Faith being so necessary to right receiving may they adventure to come who doubt whether they have true Faith or no A. 1. Tho we have not such a full perswasion as exempts us from all doubâ—â—â—g yet if on a due examination â—our See 〈◊〉 our Hearts accuse us not of â—â—â—â—criâ—◠〈◊〉 double dealing with God 〈◊〉 may â—â—â—ture to come yea whâ—n 〈◊〉 found much drosâ— and can jâ—dg and â—â—hor our selves for it in dusâ— and asâ—es and betake our selves humbly and sincerely to the blood of Christ for Peace and Pardon wâ— are allowed to comâ— But if any come 〈◊〉 â—hers may not take them for unbeâ—evers and yet are unwiâ—â—iâ— to believe indeed and wholly give up themselves to be ruled by Gods Laws and saved by Christs righteousness had better forbear than mock God and drink Damnation to themselves Happy Soul that can keep a â—ingle eye on Christ in coming hither to partake of his Gracious Spirit and Merit himself and all his blessed benefits to get Grace and Strength to oppose sin and serve God better and to walk more worthy of the Christian Vocation such comers may come and have Christ's Welcome 50. In Prov. 31.27 we read of eating the bread of Idleness And as our painful Redeemer eat no such bread when he was here travelling in the greatness of his strength for us so must we beware of turning this to eating of the Bread of Idleness i. e. to be guilty of the want of a diligent and serious examination of heart and way ere we come hither and not walking worthy of the profession and priviledg of our appearing here Q. What walk will best becâ—me our being here A. 1. A walk of tenderness towards him who was so tender of us as to say down his Life to save ours It ill becomes us to yield to any thing dishonourable to him that hath espoused our best intâ—rests at so dear a rate 2. A wâ—lk of Holy Communion and Heavenly Fellowship with him that sâ—rs you down here with himself That the result of Feasting with Christ here may be a Life of Following hard afâ—â—â—im and going away and remembring hi◠〈…〉 Wiâ—â— 3. A Life and 〈◊〉 of Fâ—â—â—â—lness â—â—ounding in all the fruits of the Spirit whâ—re think we to be filled with the Sâ—iriâ— if not herâ— It 's 〈◊〉 pity when we are gone that it shoul I not be seen â—â—re we have been It 's said of the lean King that when they had â—â—â—en up the sâ—t Kine it could not be known that they had â—atâ—n them they â—â—re still â—â—ill favoured Gen. 41.21 I wish there were no such eaters found among us 〈◊〉 day 〈◊〉 we be Marriâ—d to Christâ— It 's meet we bring fâ—râ—h Fruit unto God 4. A Life of Faithfulnesâ— in reâ—â—ing sin â—o we sit where we have seen our Lord â—â—â—eding a fresh for our Sins and shall we ever plead for sin or listen to Satan any more Have I seen the Lord w shing me in his own blood and will I ever wallow again iâ— the mire O! his never to be forgotten Agony and his dismal groans in the Garden The V neâ—ar and Gall my sin put to is Head on the Croâ— The Bâ—ftâ—tings and Spittings my sin laid on his sâ—â—r Face The cruel Piercings of his blessed Sides hiâ— Hands and his Feet for my sins Shall I â—vâ—r refuse resâ—sting unto Blood striving against Sin Jerome tells of a Woman that reâ—â—llâ—d all temptations with this I am a Christian 〈◊〉 Bâ—ptised and shall 〈◊〉 sit at his Table and lift up the heel against him And now go away resolving to â—onâ— yâ—urselves no more in the dust of this dirty World being â—nce rolled in the precious Garments of yoâ—r â—lder Brother 51. Q. If thou wouldst mâ—â—t with Christ what is thy business with him A. I. I come to pay the â—ebt of Thankfulness and to Celebrate his praise in this way of his appointment for Christ's Unspeakable love to my lâ—st Soul the Ordinance being Eucharistical 2. As Joseph's Brethren came to Egypt so for Food am I come to eat and drink abundantly Song 3.1 3. I am counselled of Christ to come for all his rich Supplies Rev. 2.18 And for these very ends anâ— come for his tried Gold his whire raiment and his eye Sâ—lve that I may be rich with his Grâ—ces cloathed wi h his â—ighâ—enâ—sness and enlightned by his Spirit to know the â—hing◠〈◊〉 given â—e of God 4. For what end comâ—s the Câ—â—ld to the Fathers House the â—â—ngry to the Full the 〈…〉 the Bride to the Bridegroom but to Marrâ— aâ—â— maâ—e Merry Why comes the Prodigal home but to Râ—pent of his Folly and to live with his Father in better Fashion And that thou mayst leave thâ—â—â—â—â—ling and like better of thy Fathers House take a promise for it Jer. 3.19 Thou shalt call me my Father and shall not turn away from mâ— 5.
Wherefore comes the Diseasâ—d to the Physitiâ—n but for health and â—ase 6 And wherefore comes the oppressed Subject to the King but for Relief against his Enemies I come for help against a hard heart I come for Power against a strong Lust a mighty Goliah that threatens the Life of my Soul 7. I am weary and heavy laden with sin and therefore I come for rest and Peace My sins are my greatest Burden my ignorance sloath â—nd slowness earthlyness and lukewarmness the indwelling body of Death pains my Heart and the guilt of Sin stings my Conscience and I come for purging and pacifying by Christ 8. I come for mutual Communication of Love-tokens to give and take I would have my Faith Confirmed my Love more Fervent my Heart more Enlarged more weaned from Earth and more set upon Heavenly Glory I come to condole with Zion and put in for Songs of Deliverance and for restoring of a decayed work of God among us that the right Arm of the Lord may put on strength and encounter his Enemies on their high places that Christ may be great in these Nations and the reproach of his People he may take away and prosper his Gospel in Conquering sinners and converting the Elect. Q. In what Posture or Condition must we come to Christ A. 1. In a praiseful posture must we come to meet our Redeemer We begin the new Song here that will never be ended in Heaven 2. As Subjects to pay our homage to our Prince Psal 45.11 He is the Lord and Worship him 3. As Servants to receive their Masters Orders and Commands Psal 123.2 Lord what wilt thou have me to do 4. As Schollars to their Masters to be taught 5. As Children to their Father for a blessing 6. As Beggars for an Alms poor and needy but think upon me 7. As Paâ—ienâ—s to a Physitian for Health and Cure Like a Malâ—â—◠〈◊〉 â—ath pleaguâ—y sores needs a Physiâ—â—â— a 〈…〉 as â—â—ll as a Pardon 52. If the questâ—â—◠〈◊〉 asked what doest thou here or how camest 〈◊〉 hithâ—r A. The Master calleth come Q. But hâ—â—r knoâ—â—◠〈…〉 â—â—lleth thee A. 1. I. have exaâ—â—ed 〈◊〉 my self and 〈◊〉 â—re allowed to coâ—â— 2â—ly 〈…〉 â—â—eth his Call saying behold I come aâ—to thee 〈…〉 in my Heart thâ—t I am the â—erson called 〈…〉 from the call Whosoever will let him câ—me and drink of the Water of Life freely First A great latitude in 〈…〉 â—â—â—soever and why may not I be one among so maâ—y 〈◊〉 But 2ly whosoever will I find he hath made me one of his Willing ones my Heart is here and I never went to eat and drink for my outward man more willingly 3dly I am called to drink and truly I find my Soul a thirst and wants its refreshing â—ere 4thly It 's â—â—ater of Life that is offered and it 's the same my Soul câ—mes for that I may have life and have it more abundantly And 5thly I am called to take it freely and so do I take it as the sweetest gift of mâ— dear Redeemer withoâ—t any plea of my own righteousness But yet tho call'd let thy soul say He that calls must carry me too for no man can come except the Father draw O! be looking up for Divine drawing for heartâ— will faint and draw back if Christ draw not â—ear Our Sâ—vâ—â—ur said to Peter come but if he that called him had not bore him up he had sunk for all his call Learn to look to Christ for all without him we can do nothing Law not the great stress on thy coming hither but on Christ's coming to thee in the Ordinance for it 's our Lords own presence which is the master-wheel of all spiritual Mâ—tions I will come in that made the Feast Rev. 3.20 â—â—emeâ—ber John 11.28 when Martha told her Sister Mary fâ—â—retly the Master is come she arose quickly and came unto him All our inward motions to him depend upon his coming first unto us and therefore leâ— your heart be saying Come Lord Jesus come quickly until the day break and the shadows flee away We read of a deferred Christian after much sad Soâ—l exercise crying out he is come he is come Q. How may we know he is come A. 1. How did Elizabeth know that Mary brought Christ in her Womb when she came to see her but by some inward unusual emâ—â—ions thy heart will not be without its own transporting extasies of love and wonder saving with Elizâ—â—â—th Whence is it that the Lord of Glory should come and 〈◊〉 k on me and will not fail to â—â—ave iâ—superable ties upon thy â—â—art to entertain his fell â—ship and attend his service 53. Concerning the Jews hearing of John our Saviour asked What went you out for to see and else where to enquiring Disciples come and see You have been hearing but now come and see That will be the sense in Heaven that will be most saâ—â—â—fied when we shall see him as he is There a Glorified Christ and here a Cruâ—â—â—â—â—d one Here you maâ— sâ—e the true Isâ—â— laid on the blâ—â—k and the bloody knife at his throat Hâ—re is the Scaâ—â—â—â—â— over whose Heaâ— Isâ—ael confessed thei◠〈◊〉 â—â—nt into thâ— Wilâ—â—â—ness carring our sin inâ—o a lâ—nâ— of forgerfulnâ—ss â—â—â—e you sâ—e the Church of God purchased which 〈◊〉 own 〈◊〉 Here your sacrifiâ—â—d 〈◊〉 surety payiâ—â— your deâ—t 〈◊〉 â—ou must have been paying to all â—â—â—nity and 〈…〉 dâ—ne paying Here is the most high Go◠〈…〉 to â—â—ke our blows our Heave◠〈…〉 of his Hâ—â—â—our Healing by his Wounding 〈…〉 the â—nowleâ—g of sin shining forth in God's Holiness and hâ—â—râ—d of 〈◊〉 For all the threatnings of the Law and 〈◊〉 of thâ—m on others could never preach it foâ—th â—s exceâ—â—ing of them on Christ hath done And here new you see the treasure hid in the field Let none 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 because brought in earthen Vessels This offers injury to Divine Wisdom and Goodnâ—â—s who condescends to make such familiar râ—presâ—â—raâ—ions of our Redemption adapted to our infiâ—â—â—es here on earth who cannot conceive heavenly things but in an earthlâ— manner and the meaning is that the excellency may be of God and not of man Learn O Believer to glory in nothing but in the Cross of Christ whatever else we glory in will be our shame another day and why should we glory in any thing so much as in that whereby God hâ—th his greatest glory John 13.31 God's Glory and our happiness center in a Crucified Christ Q. What benefit have we by the Cross of Christ A. 1. Without it we must â—ave 〈◊〉 all that he suffered for us 2. â—o mercy for uâ— buâ— thâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Christ's merit our surety was 〈…〉 of strict iustice that we manâ— be 〈◊〉 wâ—th on 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 3. Christ being â—ast iâ—â—o the Fâ—â—â—â—ce of 〈◊〉 Wâ—â—th â—â—â—ched the 〈◊〉 â—â—â—mas thâ— type being can inâ—o tâ—e raging Sea 〈◊〉 the storâ—â— he made his Soul an Offering for sin No maâ—â—◠〈◊〉 me dâ—â—â— be if