practice of these things 1. Betake thy self to some retired privacy and sequestring thy self from worldly cares and business labour to bring thy mind into a good calm sedate frame and fitness for this great work 2. Earnestly beg of God to give thee the assistance of his holy spirit to inable thee to fit thy self for this solemn Ordinance 3. Seriously consider the danger of receiving this Sacrament unworthily that is without such a disposition of mind and such a preparation of heart and such reverence and devotion as is agreeable unto so holy an Ordinance Such persons as are not so fitted and yet approach to this holy Table are guilty of profaning this Sacrament which is the commemoration of Christs death and of vilifying the signs and pledges of his body and blood and so incur the danger of temporal Judgment and chastisement here and without repentance of eternal hereafter 4. Seriously consider what is required to a worthy receiving And here a twofold caution is to be observed 1. That the pitch of worthiness is not to be set too high so as none shall be thought sit to partake of this Table but such as have a high and eminent degree of grace For this â—â—dinance was appointed for the benâ—fit of the lowest Believers and sâ— such as are weak in the Faith 2. That it be not set too low so â—hat aâ—â— person though very ignorant of the true nature and end of this ordinance if he be free from gross open and scandalous sins may be thought fit to come and be admitted to it That we may therefore avoid both these I shall set down 1. What qualifications are requisite to a worthy Receiver 2. What are insufficient The qualifications requisite are these 1. Knowledge The fundamental principles and grounds of Christianity and the nature signification end and use of this Sacrament must be known by every one that would be a worthy receiver Ignorant persons therefore are totally unfit for the present and must first be instructed before they be admitted to this holy Ordinance But by the knowledge required we do not mean the profound knowledge of a Scholar who knows how to dispute upon any of these points and knows all the distinctions about them but the savoury knowledge of a Christian which hath these properties 1. 'T is not a meer speculative floating or swimming in the brain but a knowledge that affects the heart and works upon the affections 'T is such a knowledge of God as causes the heart to fear him such a knowledge of sin as works in the heart a hatred and loathing of it 2. 'T is an humbling knowledge Knowledge not sanctified puffeth up 1 Cor. 8.1 But the more any Soul is savingly inlightned the more it sees and is sensible of its own folly and corruption and great depravedness 3. 'T is a knowledge that is operative for the drawing the Soul to Christ and for the mending of the heart and reforming of the life Never let any man tell me that he has knowledge enough he knows as much as the Minister can teach him he knows the way to Heaven and Salvation as well as any body can shew him when I see him going on in paths leading down to Hell Shall any man perswade me that he has a sufficient skill in Physick and yet when he is dangerously sick he is neither sensible of it nor applies any fit remedy for himself Certainly that knowledge of the things of God is not right which does not affect the heart nor reform the life 2. Repentance They that are truly penitent have wrought in them by the Spirit of God 1. A Conviction of the evil and danger of their sins 2. True contrition and godly sorrow for them 3. A hatred and loathing of them 4. They are brought humbly to confess them with sorrow and shame unto God And 5. To turn from them unto God by sincere amendment of their lives 3. Faith in Christ This is a main qualification requisite to a worthy Communicant The main acts of Faith are these two 1. A serious owning and acknowledging Christ for the only Saviour of the World 2. A sincere giving up of the soul to him to be pardoned in his blood and sanctified by his Spirit and a solemn trusting and depending on him for all the benefits purchased by his death and passion And such a faith as this is operative for the purifying of the heart and reforming the life 4. Love Of this grace there are several acts required 1. We ought to excite a great love in our Souls to God our Creator and constant benefactor who sent his Son to redeem us 2. We ought to excite and stir up in our souls a great love to Christ Jesus who humbled himself to the death for us In contemplation of which transcendent love of Christ the Apostle cries out If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16.22 Q. But you will say how may we know whether there be in us a sincere love to Christ or no 1. Have we been deeply wounded with a sence of our sins and have we betaken our selves to him as our only Physician to be cured and have we found him curing our accusing condemning consciences Hath our love to Christ any such foundation as this 2. Do we own Christ and love him as considered in all his Offices Do we love Christ not only as a Priest that has made atonement for us but as a Prophet and a King Do we love the guidance of his holy Spirit and the guidance of his word Do we love his Soveraignty as well as his Saviour-ship 3. Do we love him for his deep humiliation and bitter sufferings which he so readily underwent for us and for the great redemption and salvation he hath wrought for us 4. Are we willing to obey Christ If you love me sayes our Saviour keep my commandments 5. Is the interest of Christ dear to us Are we concerned in his honour and dishonour Are we suitably affected when his interest prospers or is trampled upon when it goes well or ill with his Church 6. Do we love him for those eminent graces which were so conspicuous in his life 7. Are we willing to be serviceable to him and to suffer for him when he calls us to it 8. Do we love him for his constant intercession for us at Gods right hand Let us try our love to Christ by these marks 3. We ought to have in our hearts a true love and charity to all Christians We should excite in our Souls a true love to all those that are real members of Christ We should love their persons graces and fellowship These we should love with a complacential love But besides these we should love our very enemies with a love of benevolence wishing well unfeignedly to them and praying for them The proper offices and effects of this Charity are 1. Forgiving injuries 2. Doing good against evil 3. Speaking
his spirit 4. They are such who by the assistance of grace do labour to mortifie their inward lusts and to purifie their hearts from secret sins 5. They are such in whose hearts the interest of God prevailes above the interest of the World or of the Flesh 6. They are such who labour to be holy in all manner of conversation 1. To be religious towards God 2. Righteous towards men 3. Sober and temperate in the government of themselves 4. Diligent and faithful in the discharge of their relative duties 7. They are such as truly love all the people of God and such as are true members of Christs holy Catholick Church 8. They are such as labour to be sincere in all that they do 9. They are such as labour to be watchful over themselves viz. over their thoughts over their affections over their words over their actions and over their aims and ends 10. They are such as in their Judgments do approve the wayes of God as most eligible and most safe 11. They do consent to and own the Covenant they were entred into in their Baptism And these are the characters or marks of such as are Converted Now if any one on serious examination of himself do find that there is any seed or principle of true grace in him and that it is the sincere purpose of his heart to walk with God then he ought to encourage himself to come to this Ordinance which was instituted to strengthen the weak Christian And so much of the duties which are to be performed before you come to this holy Ordinance I come now to shew what are the duties required of you in the time of receiving Which are these 1. Carefully avoid distractions as much as possibly you can through the whole administration and gird up the loyns of yâ—ur mind and be intent upon the work you are about 2. Labour to quicken and excite and awaken in your souls these following graces 1. Awaken repentance and a bleeding sorrow in thy heart for all thy sins past and especially for those that sit heaviest upon thy conscience Say to thy soul in some such soliloquies as these O my soul that ever I should have been such a vile wretch that I should have so grievously offended my merciful and bountifull Creator O what a mercy is it that I am out of Hell God might have cut me down in my sins and cast me down into the Lake of fire and brimstone And has he hitherto spared me and does he now offer me a pardon sealed with the blood of his dear Son O the unsearchable riches of his free grace and mercy O my soul how should this melt thee into penitent tears How should this consideration make thee loath and hate every sin that thou hast ever been guilty of and make thee willing to renounce and forsake them all and to turn to God in sincere obedience 2. Awaken and excite a spiritual appetite in thy self Say to thy soul Happy yea thrice happy O my soul are they whose sins are forgiven and whose iniquities are covered blessed are they to whâ—m God will not impute their transgressions but will pardon them in and through his Son Yea happy are they whose justification is testified to their consciences by their Sanctification and by their sincere desire and endeavor to walk before God in all holy obedience O my soul that this may be my portion whatever God denies me else in this world Oh that this may be a day wherein I may have a clear manifestation of Gods pardoning mercy made to my Soul Oh that I may receive a plentiful effusion of the graces of the Spirit into my heart O that my lusts and corruptions may be mortified and subdued O that I may be enabled to do all my duties better than ever I have done O that I may be more watchful over mine heart and tongue and all my wayes than ever I have been O that my soul may depart much bettered much revived comforted and strengthned from this holy Ordinance 3. Awaken Faith Say to thy self O my Soul it is not a confident and groundless perswasion that Christ will save thee that is the faith now required of thee But thou must humbly cast thy self at Christs feet and seriously and deliberately own and acknowledge him for the only Saviour of mankind and humbly cast thy self on the free mercy of God and his merits and intercession for the obtaining the pardon of all thy sins and must consent to take him for thy Lord as well as thy Saviour and be willing he should rule in thee by his holy Spirit and govern thee by his Laws O my Soul willingly freely deliberately surrender thy self to him to be pardo ed in his blood to be sanctified by his spirit go to him trust in him for grace as well as pardon And though thou hast before given up thy self to him and by acts of Faith united thy self to him yet labour now to excite and put forth stronger acts of faith and affiance in him that thou maist be more firmly united unto him Say Lord I come to thee sweet Saviour I give my Soul here anew to thee Take it wash it in thy precious blood from the gâ—ilt of all my sins and sanctifie it by thy holy spirit Thou hast said whoever comes unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast out O receive me though an unworthy wretch O absolve me from the guilt of all my sins of every sort and kind O keep my poor Soul that I now commit unto thee unto eternal life There in no other name given under Heaven whereby I can be saved Therefore I do profess and declare that thy merits obedience and sufferings I do alone depend on and abide by for my reconciliation and peace with God and do now renew my Covenant that I was entred into in my Baptism resolving by thy grace to be for ever thine 4. Awaken excite and stir up thy heart in love to God and to Jesus Christ Say to thy self O my Soul how great is the love of God in sending his only Son to dye to save poor lost Sinners He did not thus for the Angels that fell O how great is the love of Christ who would stoop so low That the eternal Son of God should take our nature and be born of a poor Virgin that he should dye and suffer and endure so much for poor worms for enemies that he should sweat drops of blood in the Garden in his agony that he should have his precious body thus broken and his blood shed to redeem us Was there ever love like this O my Soul what hath been done by thee in return for all this love O my sweet Jesus thou art worthy of all love and service from me though mine heart is base and disingenuous and is not sufficiently affected with thy love Thou art infinitely lovely though my heart loves thee not as it ought to do Thou wast exceeding
lovely and amiable even in thine humiliation in this World but O how glorious art thou now triumphing in heaven O how beneficial are thy merits how desirable are thy graces O let that fulness of grace that is poured forth without measure on thee flow down to us thy poor members O my Soul imagine now thou sawest thy sweetest Saviour nailed on the Cross his body torn with the nails and his side pierced with a Spear Canst thou chuse but love him who endured so much to redeem thee from eternal misery The Apostle Paul ravished with the love of Christ cryes out If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be anathema maranatha The penitent woman in the Gospel to whom much was forgiven loved much Luke 7.47 And shall it not be so with thee Now consider O my Soul Christ sayes if ye love me keep my commandments If thou love him love him in sincerity and delight to please him Love his person highly value his merits love his ordinances love his graces love his commands O my Soul canst thou upon all these considerations say with Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee 5. Excite in thy self love to all Christians to all the members of Christ Pray earnestly that the Lord would protect them and defend them that he would be pleased to perfect holiness more and more in their hearts and unite them more and more one to another in his truth and in the bond of love and make them more exemplary in a holy conversation and supply them with all needful outward mercies and conduct them safe to his heavenly Kingdom 6. Excite love in thy Soul to thy very enemies say to thy self O my Soul thou must forgive if thou expectest to be forgiven Thy dear Saviour requires this of thee Matth. 6.14 If ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you Verse 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses If thou expectest to be forgiven so many thousand Talents thou must not take thy brother by the throat for an hundred pence Matth. 18.28 Thou must labour to be merciful as thine heavenly Father is merciful Readiness to forgive injuries and wrongs is a great sign of a gracious state but malice and revenge is a black mark and character Therefore O my Soul pray for thy very enemies this day Lord convince them of their sins give them hearts to repent of them turn their hearts from them draw them to thy Son that by him they may have pardon and life give them such a frame of spirit that thou maist bless them O that I may meet their souls in Heaven where we shall always love and agree together and never fall out more 7. Awake and excite in thy self spiritual joy and thankfulness Say with holy David bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Hath Christ redeemed thee from the curse of the Law being made a curse for thee Hath he redeemed thee and that not with silver and gold but with his own precious blood Hath he made thy peace with God through the blood of his Cross Hath he vanquished death and Satan for thee Through his blood shalt thou have an entrance into heaven and eternal glory Oh transcendent mercy Oh how great is this Salvation which Christ hath purchased for us On the heighth and depth and length and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus Be astonished Oh my Soul at this love and never be forgetful of it call upon the holy Angels to joyn with thee this day in blessing God for these great and glorious benefits and never be unmindful of so transcendent mercies And thus much of the graces we must especially labour to excite and exercise in the time of Receiving There are some other directions also that it will be needful thou shouldst observe at this time 1. Employ thine outward senses so as to stir up in thine heart Spiritual graces For the work of the Communicant lyes not so much between the body and the elements as the Soul and Christ 2. When thou seest the bread broken think of these four things 1. The great pain and anguish our Lord endured when his Body was broken on the Cross Canst thou see Christs body broken for thee and thy heart not break with deep contrition for thy sins 2. Consider the great love of our Lord in submitting to such grievous pains and such disgrace for our sake Think thou hearest him say behold my friends how my flesh is torn and wounded for your sakes Was there ever grief was there ever love like mine 3. Consider the vile and odious nature of sin which brought our Lord to such miseries and required such blood to expiate it 4. Consider what the redemption of every Soul that shall be saved did cost It cost more than all the men and Angels in the World could ever have paid for it 3. When thou takest the bread into thine hands and eatest of it then say Lord thou art the bread of life thou art the only redeemer of lost Souls I freely take thee for my Lord and Saviour I freely consent to the Covenant I was entred into in my Baptism Lord save me and sanctify me O interpose thy merits this day for my pardon and strengthen me by thy grace that I may be faithful to thee to the end and so may at last receive a crown of life Lord behold the Sacrifice of thy Son For the sake of his obedience and sufferings be pleased to be reconciled to me to pardon all my transgressions and by thy grace so to sanctify mine heart that no sin may have dominion over me Fill me with joy and peace in believing If I have found favour in thine eyes give me more and more of the graces of thy holy Spirit and cause me to grow in grace daily and make me fruitful in good works 4. When thou takest the cup into thy hand think again of the wonderful love of Christ that he should purchase us to himself with his own blood Oh the infinite value O the infinite worth of this blood This was the blood that only could make expiation and give God ful satisfaction for our offences One drop of this blood is worth a World This is the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 that is whereby our Saviour ratified and confirmed the covenant which God made with fallen man which covenant shall never be altered O blessed Saviour wash my Soul in this thy precious blood from the guilt of all my sins and cleanse me from all mine iniquities and be to me all that which thou didst intend to be to those who shall be saved by thee By such prayers soliloquies and holy meditations thou should'st labour to Sanctifie thy heart when thou art about receiving this holy Sacrament 5. Joyn with all the rest of the Communicants in a hearty praysing God for
all these glorious favours and benefits Let thy Soul rejoyce in God and call upon all within thee to praise his holy name 6. Pray earnestly that Christs Kingdom may be propagated and that many others may come to understand and partake of this great salvation purchased by our Lord and Saviour Pray that he may be more known believed on and faithfully obeyed all the world over And so much of the duties to be performed in time of receiving I come now to those required of thee after thou hast received For it is not enough that thou duly prepare thy self for this ordinance and carry thy self reverently at it but thou must labour to walk suitably unto it afterwards To that end observe these directions 1. When the Ordinance is done withdraw thy self to some secret place and there on thy knees bless the Lord for Jesus Christ and for the Covenant of Grace made in him and for adding the Sacraments as Seals of the Covenant to confirm thy faith And further for giving thee to be born in a land where the glorious light of the Gospel has shone so clearly for so many years and where thou hast such great helps and advantages for the eternal good of thy Soul 2. Labour to keep thy heart in the fervent love of God and Jesus Christ and with an holy delight and joy meditate often how much thou owest to God for sending his Son to be thy redeemer and how much thou owest to Christ for so willingly condescending to undertake this great work The Apostle tells us 1 Pet. 2.7 that to them that believe in him he is precious yea very precious in many respects 1. His name is precious 'T is as an ointment poured forth Matth. 1.21 His name shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins And 1 Thes 1. last 'T is Jesus who delivereth us from the wrath to come 2. His person is precious being God and Man in the same person What an high honour is it to be related to him 3. His Offices are precious He is Prophet Priest and King and he took on him all these offices for our benefit 4. His performances are precious both his active and passive obedience 5. His Life is precious which was so holy so humble so exemplary 6. His Death is precious being a propitiatory Sacrifice for our sins 7. His Resurrection is precious For God releasing him from the prison of the grave thereby declared he had received full satisfaction for the debt of our sins which he as our Surety undertook to discharge 8. His Ascension is precious For he ascended into Heaven as our fore-runner to prepare a place for us 9. His Intercession is precious For he ever liveth to make intercession for us 10. His authority and power is precious whereby he governs his Church and which he will farther exercise in raising our bodies from the Grave and in Judging the World at the last day and making our bodies if we be his members like his own glorious body 11. His Doctrince is precious 12. His Ordinances are precious 13. His â—nterest is precious to all that truly believe in him 3. Meditate on the priviledges promises and comforts of the Covenant of Grace sealed by the blood of thy dear Savior The priviledges are Justification Sanctification Adoption Glorification O how great are these priviledges The promises are such as these Psal 84.11 The Lord is a Sun and shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he withold from them that walk uprightly And Rom. 8.28 All things shall work together for good to them that love God The comforts are the consolations of the Spirit here and eternal comfort hereafter 4. Earnestly beg and humbly expect grace from Christ to enable thee to crucifie thy inward lusts and corruptions especially those thou findest thy heart most pestered with Having entertained Christ into thy Soul do not unhallow it again by suffering any evil lust to reign and rule therein 5. Labour to walk more watchfully Remember the Devil will now be very busie to tempt thee to sin after this ordinance as he did our Saviour presently after his Baptism He will if he can by some worldly diversion damp and cool those heavenly affections that were excited in thee in time of receiving 'T is a dangerous thing after an heat and warmth of heavenly affections to catch cold 6. Labour to strengthen thy purposes and resolutions of living more unto God Remember thou hast stronger obligations now upon thee to all Christian duties than before 7. Often meditate on the joys of Heaven and the eternal Supper of the Lamb and the blessed life which the Saints do live above Luke 14.15 Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God 8. Labour to live in charity with thy brethren to which thou art in an especial manner engaged by this Sacrament Do not cover the coals of contention under the ashes for a night or two and then blow them up again But consider if Christ hath so loved thee and forgiven thee so much thou oughtest to love thine enemies and heartily forgive them Remember what the Apostle saith Beloved if Christ so loved us we ought to love one another 1 John 4.11 Lastly When thou art tempted to sin remember thou hast been at a Sacrament and there hast renewed thy Covenant with Christ and thou must not be so base nor so false as willingly and deliberately to sin against him again And thus much of the duties to be performed before we come to receive and in the time of receiving and after we have received A Brief Exposition OF THE Lords Prayer OUR Saviour Matth. 6.9 c. taught his Disciples after what manner to Pray and gave them a breviary or pattern of Prayer which they might use in form as seems to be intimated Luke 11.2 or according to which they might order and regulate their other Prayers In this Plat-form there are three parts 1. The Preface Describing God to whom we are to pray 1. By his dear Relation to us Our Father therefore most ready to succour us and others with whom or for whom we pray 2. By his greatness and Majesty which art in Heaven that is who doth manifest himsâ—lf though he be every where present in Glory and Majesty in and from the highest Heavens and therefore most able to hear and help all his children and most justly to be reverenced loved and trusted in by them 2. The substance of the Prayer containing six Petitions The three first whereof have respect to Gods Glory the three latter to our selves and our particular good 1. Hallowed be thy Name wherein we Pray and Petition that Gods glorious Nature and Attributes viz. his infinite Power Wisdom Goodness Justice Truth Mercy c. which are discovered in his word and works and whereby he is made known as men are by their names may be displayed and more manifested to the world that all
what sweet Meditations should we have of Gods Mercy Love thankfulness and praise should be our daily exercise Had we Davids heart what Songs of praise would the consideration of Gods Mercy teach us to indite How affectionately should we recount the Mercies of our youth and riper years Yea of every state and condition we have been in to the honour of our great Benefactor But especially if God hath touched our hearts with his saving grace if he hath effectually called us and inabled us to repent of our sins and believe in his Son O then how should we bow down our heads and adore his free grace as the cause thereof If we have received any grace tending to our own sanctification or the edification of others Let us say as Paul did 1 Cor. 15.20 By the grace of God I am that I am Thirdly The meditation of Gods goodness and mercy to us should possess us with a superlative love to God Most certainly the prevailing love of God is the surest evidence of true sanctification He that hath most love has most grace And if you truly love God you will be loath to offend him The love of God doth not reign in that soul where the love of the World or of the Flesh or Pleasure reigneth Fourthly The Mercy of God should teach us to imitate him in this Attribute We should labour to be mercifull as our Heavenly Father is mercifull that is as to the manner though we cannot reach to the measure The goodness of God should possess us with a desire to be conformed to his goodness in our measure Summae Religionis est imitari quem colis Now God is mercifull two ways especially in Giving Forgiving First In Giving O how does the Lord supply our wants daily Let us therefore shew mercy to those that want our help Secondly In Forgiving O what a vast number of debts does the Lord forgive us Gods mercy to us layes the greatest Obligation imaginable upon us to forgive others (c) A Christian may remember offences in cautelam though not in vindictam Matth. 18.23 Shall not we forgive an Hundred Pence who have had Ten Thousand Talents forgiven unto us Fifthly We should especially observe and take notice of the mercy of God so highly manifested in the design of our Redemption 1 Joh. 4.10 Here is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins Was there ever Mercy like this We have reason to cry out O the depth of the riches of the mercy of God! O Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him or the Son of man that thou thus visitest him with thy favour and mercy Sixthly Gods goodness and mercy should encourage our Souls to trust in him How many friends have some men with whom they dare trust their Estates or Lives because they are confident they truly love them And shall we not trust God who is love it self 1 John 4.16 I come now to the last of Gods communicable Attributes which I shall speak unto which is His faithfulness in keeping of his Covenant and Promises V. God is Faithful Faithful One letter of Gods glorious Name is abundant in truth or faithfulness The Scriptures abundantly bear Testimony unto this Deut. 7.9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God the faithfull God which keepeth Covenant and Mercy with them that love him and keep his Commandements to a Thousand Generations Isai 49.7 The Lord who is faithfull Rom. 3.4 Let God be true that is owned and acknowledged for such though all mankind should be false and deceitful Now Gods Faithfulness is manifâ—sted Two ways In fulfilling his promises In accomplishing his Threatnings God cannot in any case fail of his word It is impossible for him to lie Heb. 6.18 Tit. 1.2 As God is light and in him there is no darkness 1 Joh. 1.5 So he is truth and in him there is no falshood The strength of Israel will not lye 1 Sam. 15.29 And Numb 23.19 God is not a man that he should lye God hath promised to them that repent and believe in his Son that they shall be saved He hath promised to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11 9. And we have reason firmly to believe these promises As for Temporal things he hath not promised them to any of his Children absolutely but with a tacit condition if he in his infinite Wisdom see it good and expedient for them So that as to these we must humbly refer our selves to his infinite Wisdom 'T is true we are required to pray for these Temporal things in faith but not with an assured particular perswasion that God will give us the very particular things we ask but with a faith of dependance on God and submission to his Holy will When we act faith on the All-sufficiency and Power of God and humbly resign our selves to his Holy will we may be said to pray in faith I come now to the Lessons which we are to learn from the consideration of this Attribute First We should learn from hence that the commands of God are serious and his promises and threatnings will certainly be accomplished There is nothing of reason or sence can be spoken against an Holy life by any one who believes the veracity and faithfulness of God and the truth of his Word Hath God said and do you believe it that he will come in flaming Fire to take vengeance on all them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thess 1.8 And can you continue in ignorance and disobedience Hath he said that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 And can you continue in unrighteousnâ—ss Hath he said Heb. 12.14 Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord and can you slight Holiness And mock at serious Piety If you believ'd God to be faithfull and his Word true how could these things be so Secondly Gods faithfulness is a great aggravation of the heinousness of the sin of unbelief He that believeth not God hath made him a lyer faith the Apostle 1 Joh. 5.10 And this is the rather to be heeded that we may stir up in our selves a diligent watchfulness against this sin which with many is accounted but a meer infirmity O what matter of humiliation doth our proneness to this sin namely to distrust God justly minister unto us Many men hardly trust the promises of God so much as they would the word of a mortal man whom they account honest and just Certainly Gods faithfulness and truth should teach us to hate every motion to unbelief Vnbelief is the very bane of all Religion so far as it prevails Let it be our great care therefore to extirpate all remainders of this sin of Infidelity out of our hearts Thirdly If God be faithful this should be a great encouragement to us to trust in him and
or principle of Operation These Divine Persons are so distinct in their peculiar subsistence * In the Divine Essence thâ—re is alius not aliud aliud The Persons several the Essence of all Three the same The Persons are distinguiâ—hed by their incommunicable Properties that distinct Actions and Operations are ascribed to them And these actions are of two sorts First ad intra Such are those internal acts in one Person whereof another Divine Person is the Object And these acts ad invicem or ad intra are natural necessary and inseparable from the Being Existence and Blessedness of God Thus the Father knoweth the Son and loveth him and the Son knoweth and loveth the Father In these mutual actings one Person is the Object of the knowledge and love of the other Joh. 3.35 The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand Matth. 11.27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father And no man knoweth the Son but the Father Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him This mutual knowledge and love of the Father and Son we find expressed Prov. 8.30 I was daily his delight rejoicing always before him And in these mutual internal actings consists much of the ineffable blessedness of the Holy Gâ—d Secondly There are distinct actions of these Divine Persons ad extra which are voluntary effects of will and choice and not natural or necessary And these are likewise of two sorts 1. Such as respect one another for there are external acts of one Person towards another but then the Person that is the Object of these actings is not considered absolutely as a Divine Person but with respect to some peculiar dispensation or condescention which he voluntarily submitted unto Thus the Father gives sends commands the Son he having condescended to take our Nature on him and to be Mediator between God and man Thus the Father and the Son do send the Spirit he having condescended in an especial manner to the Office of being the Sanctifier and Comforter of the Church Now these are free and voluntary acts depending upon the Soveraign Will Counsel and Pleasure of God and might not have been without any the least diminution of his Eternal blessedness Secondly Such as have respect and reference to the Creatures of which some are ascribed peculiarly to the Father some to the Son and some to the Holy Ghost * Though these works ad extra be common to all Three yet the manner of working is proper to each Person Thus Creation is attributed to the Father Eph. 9.14 15. Redemption to the Son Eph. 1.7 Sanctification to the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 Every Person doth work Sâ—cundum distinctam rationem suae subsistentiae according to the distinct manner of his Personal sâ—bsistence Yet all their actings ad extra towards the Creatures being the actings of God are undivided and are all the works of one and the same God Having thus far explained the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity and I hope sutably to the Revelation made of it in the Scriptures I shall now lay down some Rules or Propositions for the further understanding of it First Each Person hath its own substance for the one substance of the Deity is the substance of each Person and so is still but one But each Person hath not its own distinct substance separate from the substance of the other Persons because the substance of them all is the same Where therefore Christ as the Son is said to be another from the Father or from God spoken of Personally as the Father it argues not in the least that he is not partaker of the Divine Nature with him 'T is true in one Essence there can be but one Person where the substance is finite and limited but it hath no place in that which is infinite Secondly Each Person is infinite as he is God For all Divine Properties belong not to the Persons on the account of their Personality but on the account of their Divine Nature which is one for they are all Natural Properties And therefore as the Nature of each Person is infinite so is each Person because of that Nature Thirdly The only true God is Father Son and Holy Ghost But when we say the Father is the only true God we respect not his Paternity or Paternal relation to his Son but his Divine Nature Essence or Being And the like may be said of the Son that He is the onely true God and so of the Holy Ghost For the Divine Nature though absolutely singular and one yet is communicated to more and hath a larger signification then either the Term Father Son or Holy Ghost So that though each Person be the only true God it does not follow that one Person must be another namely that the Father must be the Son or the Son the Father For though the Father be the only true God yet it does not follow that every one who is the true God is the Father For the Son is the only true God and so is the Holy Ghost because they are equally participant of the Divine Nature But to say whoever is the only true God is the Father is false Fourthly Distinction and inequality in respect of Office in Christ and the Holy Ghost does not in the least take away equality and sameness with the Father in respect of Nature and Essence Phi. 2.6 7 8. Christ Jesus being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of men And being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Fifthly The advancement and exaltation of Christ as Mediator to any Dignity whatsoever upon or in reference to the works of our Redemption and Salvation is not at all inconsistent with the Essential honour and Dignity which he hath in himself as God blessed for ever Though he humbled himself and was exalted as to his Office yet in Nature he was one and the same he changed not Sixthly Gods working in and by Christ as he was Mediator denotes the Fathers Soveraign appointment of the things mentioned to be done Not his immediate efficiency in the doing of them Seventhly That must be remembred which Zophar says Job 11. 7. We cannot by searching find out God we cannot find out the Almighty to perfection Some things may be above the comprehension of reason * Observe the words of a learned man Dr. H. in his Comment on the Creed p. 20. I thank God I can say with a very good Conscience that I b lieve the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity according to the Catholick Tradition of the Church of Christ yet I confess withall such is the weakness of my understanding that I am utterly unable and indeed who is not
made namely that the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents Head Gen. 3.15 And therefore Christ is said Rev. 13.8 to be a Lamb slain from the beginning that is in Gods Decree So that the Fathers that lived before he was offered injoyed the benefit of his Death and Sufferings They were saved merito pretii praestandi as we are saved merito pretii praestiti And of this Priesthood of our Saviour there is no end in regard of the virtue and efficacy of it And thus we see how Christ was our Priest and how he made atonement for our sins by his perfect obedience and sufferings His Person God-man was the Priest The Sacrifice was his humanity the Lamb of God without blemish The Altar which consecrated this Sacrifice and added merit to the sufferings of his humanity was his God-head And thus he made himself a Sacrifice for our sins Three things Christ hath done for us as our Priest 1. He hath obeyed the Law perfectly 2. He hath offered up himself a Sacrifice for our sins 3. He now lives to make intercession for us From all that hath been said we should learn these lessons 1. That Christs active and passive obedience is of sufficient value worth and merit to satisfie Gods Justice for all our sins For in that he voluntarily took on him our humane nature and so voluntarily put himself under the obligation of the Law his very active obedience becomes meritorious 2. That Christ did intend his obedience and sufferings for this end and purpose 3. That God has accepted of what Christ has done and suffered as a sufficient price for our Redemption 4. We should learn from hence highly to prize Christs Sacrifice 'T is the great relief we have against sin He has made satisfaction to Divine Justice so that God is now reconcilable to fallen Man in and through him 5. This should teach us to have a great care of our precious souls The great price paid to ransom them should teach us their worth We are wont to be exceeding careful to keep things that cost dear Never any thing cost more than the soul 6. Seeing Christ was Crucified for our sins we should learn from him to crucifie sin in our selves Gal. 5.24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts 7. Seeing Christ suffered so much for us we should be content yea ready to suffer for him when ever he calls us to it 8. From the consideration of Christs intercession and the constancy and prevalency of it we should encourage our selves to go to God in and through him for help in all our needs He is a powerful advocate 9. The Consideration of Christs oblation of himself once for us and his continual intercession still performed in heaven for us should inflame our hearts with intire love to him He deserves our best our most inlarged affections We can never love him enough I come now to Christs third Office 3. Christ was a King Christ was a King God speaking of his Son Psal 2.6 says I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion Zech. 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion shout O daughter of Jerusalem Behold thy King cometh unto thee He is just and having Salvation lowly and riding upon an Asse and upon a colt the fole of an Asse This is applied to our Saviour Mat. 21.5 The Prophet Isaiah fully attests this Isa 9.6 7. For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseller the mighty God the everlasting Father The Prince of Peace Of the increase of his Government and Peace there shall be no end upon the Throne of David and of his Kingdome shall he sit to order it and to establish it with Judgment and with Justice from henceforth even for ever the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this And Luke 1.33 'T is said of Him He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end To which we may add Rev. 17.14 These shall make War with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings Now there is a twofold Kingdom belonging to Christ 1. Regnum Essentiale an essential Kingdom which belongs to him as God 2. Regnum Vicarium or a deputatory Kingdom and dominion which God gave him as Mediator This Kingdom Christ administers and his Kingly Office he executes several ways and by several royal Acts. 1. By gathering to himself a People out of the several Kingdoms and Nations of the Earth and making them willing by infusing his grace into their hearts to submit unto him 2. By giving them Laws by which they are to walk 3. By appointing to them Officers and Censures Eph. 4.11 And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers V. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ And so for censures and discipline he has appointed how an offending Brother should be dealt with 1. He should be privately admonished then in the presence of two or three And if he shall neglect to hear them then they must tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church then he must be unto them as an Heathen man and a Publican Mat. 18.15 16 17. 4. By restraining and curbing and subduing His and His Churches enemies Particularly 1. Sin that it shall not have dominion over those that are His. 2. The World with its baits and allurements 3. Satan delivering them from his temptations and wiles 4. Wicked and ungodly men Thus he executed his Kingly power in bringing destruction upon the Jews by the Roman Armies and that destruction is called his coming in his Kingdom Mat. 16.28 Verily I say unto you There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom 5. Death it self 1 Cor. 15. He will despoil the Grave and make it give up all its Captives By judging the quick and dead at the last day And then this his Mediatory Kingdom He will render up to his Father 1 Cor. 15.24 Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power 6. By supporting those that truly believe in him in all their afflictions here 7. By rewarding them in a most royal manner hereafter And thus much of the several ways whereby our Saviour executes his Kingly Office Now as to the quality of his Kingdom we are to know it is not of this World it is a Spiritual Kingdom John 18.36 Jesus answered My Kingdom is not of this World if my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight that I should not be delivered
by the consideration of the high dignity of the Person whom we have offended so the value of Reparation ariseth from the dignity of the Person satisfying And this satisfaction consisteth in the reparation of the honour which by our sin was cclipsed And all honour doth increase proportionably as the person yielding it is more honourable or worthy 2. This may shew us that the more worthy the Person of Christ was before he suffered the greater was his condescention in stooping to such great and unworthy sufferings for our sakes 3. This greatly magnifies the love of God in sending his only begotten Son into the world to die for Sinners This love of God is frequently extolled and admired by the Apostles Rom. 8.32 He that spared nâ—t his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things 1 John 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the World that we might live through him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our Sins What an amazing thing is this love of the Father in sending his only begotten Son to be our Redeemer and what an amazing thing is this condescention of the only Son of God to dy for such worms as we are I come now tâ— Christs fourth Title Our Lord. Our Lord. After our Sav◠〈◊〉 Relation viz. of the only Son of God founded upon his eternal generation followeth his Dominion as the necessary consequence of his Son-ship because the only Son must of necessity be Heir and Lord of all in his Fathers house and all others which bear the name of Sons whether they be Angels or Men must be looked upon as his servants who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Acts 10.36 He is Lord of all Mat. 28.18 All power is given unto him both in Heaven and Earth Ephes 1.20 21 22. God hath set him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and hath put all things under his feet The word Lord signifies properly Dominion and implies a right of possession and power of disposing This premised let us consider how and in what respects Christ is Lord As there are two natures united in the person of Christ so there are two kinds of dominion belonging respectively to those natures One inherent in his Divinity the other bestowed on his humanity One by which he is Lord maker of all things The other by which he is made Lord of all things Christ as God hath a supreme universal dominion over the Worlp So Thomas acknowledges in those words John 20.28 My Lord and my God But Christ as Mediator has some kind of dominion or Lordship bestowed on him and given unto him And in this sense the Apostle says Acts 2.36 He was made both Lord and Christ And one branch of this his dominion was his power on earth to forgive sins Mat. 9.2 6. He said therefore to the sick of the Palsie thy sins are forgiven thee that they might know that the â—on of Man had power on earth to forgive sins And another is the right of Judicature or Judging the World committed to him Joh. 5.22 The Father hath committed all Judgment to the Son and hath given him authority to execute Judgment because he is the Son of Man He will Judge the World by that man whom he hath ordained Acts 17.31 But let us further consider by what right Christ is Lord. 1. By right of Creation Joh. 1.3 All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made 2. By right of sustentation and preservation of the Creatures he hath made Col. 1.17 And he is before all things and by him all things consist Heb. 1.3 He upholdeth all things by the word of his power 3. By right of donation ordination and the appointment of God Acts 2.36 To him all power is given both in Heaven and Earth 4. By right of Redemption The ransomer of a bondslave was wont to be his Lord. When we were bond-slaves to Sin and Satan Christ paid our ransome No bondage so great as ours was no price so great as that which he paid therefore no service too great for us to pay unto him 5. By right of Covenant In our Baptism we bind our selves and Covenant to be his Thus we see by how many Titles Christ is Lord. If any shall further inquire how he exercises this his dominion I Answer In these particulars 1. In giving Laws to his Subjects and servants 2. In appointing Officers in his Church 3. In providing for and protecting his Family 4. In correcting his servants for their miscarriages 5. In rewarding them according to their Works and Services both here and hereafter The improvement we should make of this Doctrine is in short this We should seriously consider whether we do indeed take Christ for our Lord as well as for our Saviour Many do like Christs Saviourship well enough but do not like his Soveraignty They will not have him rule over them But let us often think by how many Titles Christ is our Lord by right of Creation Sustentation Redemption and Covenant that so we may stir up our hearts to own him as our Lord and humbly to submit to him and to pay him the Homage we owe unto him and heartily chearfully diligently and constantly to obey him even to our lives end SECT II. Of the Person of Christ WE come now to consider what manner of person our Saviour was He was God and Man in the same Person The Eternal Son of God the second person in the Trinity took to himself our humane nature a humane Soul and Body and united it after a wonderful manner to his God-head and so God and Man became one person This I shall labour to make out by these seven following particulars 1. Jesus Christ who was God before by the Divine nature which he had from Eternity was in the fulness of time made Man Gal. 4.4 2. He was made Man by assuming our humane nature unto himself and joyning it to his Divine nature 3. Although our humane nature was joyned with his Divine nature that is with the nature common to the Father Son and Holy Ghost yet was that Union made only in the Person of the Son Not the Father nor the Holy Ghost but it was the Son that was incarnate 4. The Divine nature did not assume an humane person but the Divine Person of the Son did assume our humane nature If Christ had only taken the Person of a man then there must have been two Persons in Christ a Person assuming and a Person assumed Yea then that only Person which Christ had assumed should have been advanced and saved by him He therefore assumed not an humane Person but he assumed the humane
Caesar or no. Then he answers the question of the Sadduces concerning a Woman that had seven Husbands and proves to them the Resurrection of the Dead He answers a Doctor of the Law demanding of him which is the great Commandment and tells him he is not far from the Kingdom of God He then propounds a question to the Pharisees how the Messiah could be Davids Son whom David himself calls Lord but they could not answer him Mat. 22. from 15. to the end Mark 12. from 13. to 28. Luke 20. from 20. to 45. 71. He now begins a severe commination against the Scribes and Pharisees exhorting his hearers to follow what they should rightly teach them out of Moses and the Prophets but not their example and works He describes their Hypocrisie and Ambition in making broad their Phylacteries and fringes of their Garments in loving salutations in publick places and to be called Rabbi He admonishes his hearers to take heed thereof and to study Humility He denounceth eight woes against the Scribes and Pharisees 1. Because they shut Heaven against men 2. Devoured Widows houses 3. Made bad Proselytes 4. Taught perversely to swear by the Temple Altar and Heaven 5. Tythed small matters and neglected the weightier matters of the Law 6. Made clean the out-side but not the heart 7. Were like whited Sepulchres 8. Repaired the Sepulchres of the old Prophets and sought to kill the new Then complaining of the stiff-neckedness of the City of Jerusalem He foretells her destruction Mat. 23. whole Chapter Mark 12. from 38. to 41. Luke 20. from 45. to 48. 72. He commendeth the poor Widows gift of two mites which she cast into the Treasury of the Temple Mark 12. from 41. to the end Luke 21. from 1. to 5. 73. Going now out of the Temple into which he never entred again he foretells the destruction thereof Being come to Mount Olivet he foretells the grievous calamities that should befall the Jews before the Temple and Cities destruction and gives them Signs that should sometime before precede it as the arising of false Christs Wars and rumors of Wars Famines and Pestilence and Earthquakes and fearful sights and signs from Heaven Great persecutions against those that professed him The arising of many false Prophets and Heretical teachers The spreading of the Gospel among all the chief and principal Nations in those parts of the World Then he gives them signs that should immediately precede it Namely the begirting the City by the Roman Army at which time the Prophecy of Daniel should be fulfilled The arising of false Christs and false Prophets that should be so cunning that they should deceive if it were possible the very Elect. He now comes to describe the destruction it self which he sets forth as the destruction of the whole World of which it was to be a Type For the precise time when this destruction should be he tells them they must not expect to have it revealed to them it being hid from men and Angels yea and from himself also as man Yet two things he acquaints them with 1. That this Judgment would come suddenly and unexpectedly on the Jews as destruction did on the old World 2. See §. 47. of this part That the Providence of God would much appear in the rescuing of some out of that calamity in which others will fall He exhorts them to watch and pray that they may be accounted worthy to escape those calamities by the Parable of good servants expecting the coming of their Master and because the time of his coming is uncertain he presseth them again to a diligent watchfulness by the Parable of an Housholder watching against the coming of a Thief Mat. 24. whole Chapter Mark 13. whole Chapter Luke 21. from 5. to 37. 74. By the Parable of five wise and five foolish Virgins he again exhorts them to watchfulness against his coming and by the Parable of Servants which had each of them received Talents from their Lord to trade withal he exhorteth to a faithful improvement of the gifts which God had given to every one Then he comes to describe his last coming to Judgment and how he will distinguish his â—heep from the Goats and give and execute Sentence upon them both Mat. 25. whole Chapter 75. Having thus Preached his Prophetick Sermon on Mount Olivet he comes to Bethany and suppeth there Rising from Supper he girded himself and washed his Disciples feet Peter at first refused to admit of it but afterward suffered it He teacheth them hereby his spiritual washing of them and exhorts them to imitate this example of his Humility and to be serviceable one to another He complains of and detects the Traytor Judas whom he discovereth to John by giving him a sop After which the Devil entred into him and he went forth Our Saviour comforts himself against his near approaching death with this consideration that God should be glorified thereby He exhorts his Disciples to mutual Love Peter promises he will lay down his life for him but Christ telleth him he will deny him thrice John 13. whole Chapter 76. Wednesday Wednesday On this day the Chief Priest and Elders met in Caiaphas's House and hold the second Council how they might take Jesus and put him to death Whilst they were thus consulting Judas comes to them and offers to betray him to them They bargain with him for thirty pieces of silver to do it which he having accepted returns to his Master at Bethany Mat. 26. from 1. to 6. and from 14. to 17. Mark 14.1 2. and 10 11. Luke 22. from 1. to 7. 77. Thursday Thursday Our Saviour now sendeth Peter and John to Jerusalem to prepare the Passeover for him and his Disciples and directs them by a special token to follow a man that would lead them to a great Chamber ready furnished which they accordingly do and having provided all things for the present Supper return to him again Matth. 26. from 17. to 20. Mark 14. from 12. to 17. Luke 22. from 7 to 14. 78. Being now ready to go with his Apostles to eat the Passeover which he was to eat that night he comforts them concerning his going away from them to the Father seeing he went to prepare Mansions for them at his Fathers house He declares to Thomas that he is the way the truth and the life and to Philip that he that seeth him seeth the Father He promiseth his Apostles that they should do great Miracles and obtain what they shall pray for in his name That they shall receive the Comforter the Hâ—ly Ghost and not be left Orphans He exhorts them to love him and keep his Commandments promising his and his Fathers abode with them and that the Holy Ghost should bring all things necessary to their remembrance He leaveth his peace with them and declareth that they ought to rejoyce because he goeth to the Father He sheweth his willingness to obey his Father even in suffering
of Gods people is represented to us after a figurative manner of Speech by the names of Sion and Jerusalem Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the Gates of Zion more then all the dwellings of Jacob and Psal 112.6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee The name Church occurreth not till the time of the Gospel and then it was imposed by our Saviour For no sooner had Peter made this confession for himself and the rest of the Apostles Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Mat. 16.16 but presently our Saviour adds upon this Rock that is the rock of this confession or upon this Truth whereof thou hast made profession will I build my Church As if he should have said This profession or this Faith which thou hast professed shall be the foundation of Believers especially the object of this faith and confession viz. I my self who am the true Messias The Greek word for Church is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies coetum evocatum a chosen or selected company a company called forth of the world or chosen out of others to profess Faith in Christ and to worship the true God according to his will And hereby is to be understood the body collective of all Gods people professing Faith in Christ though made up of several particular Congregations which have been called by the grace and goodness of God to a participation of his Word and Sacraments and other outward means of eternal life The Church therefore in the language of the New Testament doth alwayes signifie a company of persons professing faith in Christ Single persons so professing are members of the particular Churches to which they appertain And all those particular Churches are members of the universal or Catholick Church which is one by unity of aggregation not only of many persons but also of many Congregations of believing and baptised persons The Church is therefore one though the members be many And there are several things wherein the members of the Catholick Church do agree and several things also wherein they differ The things wherein they differ are these 1. The members of the Church are not all of the same age or standing in Christ Some are Babes some Young men and some are Fathers 1 John 2.12 13 14. 2. They are not all of the same degree of strength Some are of small strength and have need to be fed with milk and not with strong meat Some are weak in Faith and apt to be offended whom the stronger must take heed of offending Some are of sounder understandings and others are tainted with errors and corrupt opinions 3. They have not all the same degree of gifts nor the same sort of gifts 4. They are not all of the same usefulness and serviceableness to the Church Some are as Pillars Gal. 2.9 Some are fit to be teachers of others some so live that the Church hath much benefit by their lives and great loss by their deaths And some are such troublers of it by their weaknesses and corrupt distempers that their death is some ease to the places where they did live 5. They are not all the same in regard of office Some are appointed to be Pastors Teachers Elders Overseers and Stewards of the mysteries of God and to feed the flock and to be their Rulers in spiritual things And some are the Flock commanded to learn of them and to have them in honour and high esteem for their works sake and to obey them As there are diversity of gifts so also of offices 6. They have not all the same imployment The Magistrates work is of one kind and the Ministers of another There is one sort of duties belongs to Parents and another to Children one to Mâ—sters and another to Servants 7. All the members of the Church are not to be equally honoured and loved Even among the Elders there are some that are worthy of double honour Some are of high and excellent gifts and graces and as more of God doth shine forth in them so a greater love and honour is due to them 8. The members of the Church will not have all an equal degree of glory there being a great inequality in their graces and the services they have done for God in this World And so much of the things wherein the members of the Church do differ 2. Let us consider what are the things wherein they agree 1. The members of the Catholick Church strictly taken as comprehending only the true living members thereof have all one God the fountain of their being and happiness and are all related to him as Children to one Father Eph. 4.6 2. They have all one Head Redeemer Saviour and Mediator Jesus Christ to whom they are all united 3. They have all one Holy Ghost dwelling in them illuminating sanctifying and guiding of them and are all animated by this one Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 4. They have all one principal ultimate end which is the glory of God and their own eternal Salvation which they all aim at hope for and expect Eph. 4.4 5. They have all one Gospel which teaches them the knowledge of Christ and the things appertaining to their Salvation 6. 'T is one kind of Faith that by the holy Doctrine is wrought in their Souls though the degrees be various and in the main essentials of Christianity they usually agree though in lesser things there is sometimes much difference among them Eph. 4.5 7. There is one new disposition or holy nature wrought by the spirit of God in them all And the affections predominant in them have one and the same object Sin is the chiefest thing that all of them hate the displeasing of God is the chief thing they all fear and God in Christ is the prime object of all their loves 8. They have all one rule or law to live by The moral Law is to them all a rule of life 9. They are all entred into one and the same Covenant to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil and to give themselves up sincerely to the service of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost 10. They agree in a special love to the whole Church and desire of its welfare And though there may be some differences through mistake between some particular members yet they desire and pray for the safety of the whole 11. They agree in their love to all the Ordinances and institututed means of Grace and make use of them in order to their improvement in holiness And thus much of the things wherein the members of the Catholick Church do agree 2. We come to consider the nature of this Church There are two things by which the nature of this Church may be discerned from such other publick Assemblies which may seem to lay claim to this title 1. Holiness 2. Catholicism or Vniversality Now this Church may be called Holy 1. In respect of its vocation All the members hereof are called unto and engaged
then beware lest thou forget thy God How apt are people at a full table to offend with their teeth yea and with their tongues also The table of a Glutton is usually a snare not only to his body but to his soul 9. 'T is a time-wasting sin Long sitting at meals and feasts how much precious time doth it devour which should be better imployed 10. 'T is a costly expensive sin It overthrows and wasts many a mans estate How great a part of the riches of many Kingdoms are spent in riot excess and luxury God threatens Prov. 23.20 That the glutton shall come to poverty And so it very frequently happens 11. It hinders mercy and liberality and relief of the poor For frugality is the purse-bearer to Charity The Prodigal House-keeper is not usually the most charitable to the poor True and prudeâ—t hospitality is one thing and prodigal house-keeping is another They that spend so much upon their own bellies seldom are so charitable to the poor as they might and ought to be 12. Gluttony is alwayes a great crime but much more heinous in times of publick calamity and when the people of God are under great afflictions See what God sayes by the Prophet Amos 6.1 4 5 6. Wo to them that are at ease in Zion who lye upon beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches and eat the Lambs out of the Flock and Calves out of the stall That chaunt to the sound of the viol and invent to themselves instruments of musick that drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the chief oyntments but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph Observe also what God saith by the Prophet Isaias Chap. 22. Verse 12.13 14 And in that day did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning and to baldness and to girding with sack-cloath and behold joy and gladness slaying Oxen and killing Sheep eating flesh and drinking wine let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of Hosts surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye dyâ— saith the Lord. Lastly The greatness of this sin may appear in this that it is so often and so frequently committed Gods own people I suppose are not often tempted and overcome by drunkenness or uncleanness but let them take heed of Gluttony For this sin is apt to steal upon people before they are aware 'T is a sin that is apt to incorporate it felf with our appetite and desire of eating for the preservation of our health Our corrupt nature is as prone to excess in this kind as any other and therefore we had need be the more watchful against it And so much of the great evil and danger of this Sin 4. I come now in the last place to prescribe some helps and remedies against it 1. Look upon all your food as given you by God Receive it as from his hand and beg his blessing upon it And remember the Apostles rule whether ye eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God And if you have Gods glory in your eye it will be a great means to keep you from intemperance in this kind 2. Labour to mortifie and subdue the irregular inclinations and desires of the flesh What a horrible thing is it that a mans heart should be set upon the pleasing of his belly They that are true Christians ought to crucifie the flesh with its affections and lusts 3. Remember how the first sin came into the World by eating O sin not as our first Parents did by an inordinate pleasing of your appetite 4. Check your appetite and resolve that shall not be satisfied to the full Be affraid of sinful excess The Apostle speaks of some Jude verse 12. that did eat without fear A man that would be temperate in this kind must be watchful over himself and must exercise some authority over his appetite For the belly is a Brute that commonly hath its ears stopt to Scripture or reason 5. Use all sensual delights in subserviency unto as means to their right end namely to make you more thankful more fit and more chearful in the service of God 6. Labour to understand well what is most conducing to your health and let that be the ordinary rule and measure of your diet both for quantity and quality Man in endued with reason as well as appetite and reason if we will listen to it will tell us that our health is more to be regarded than our appetite God alloweth us that which is most for our health and forbiddeth us nothing but that which will hurt us God would have us temperate that a healthful body may be serviceable to our Souls in our Masters work The common rule that most people do go by in cating is their appetite They think they must eat as they have appetite and if they could eat more with an appetite and not be sick after it they think they have not been guilty of Gluttony and excess Mr. Baxter who is not only a learned Divine but a skilful Physitian also writing about this sin of Gluttony and the frequency of it in his cases of conscience pag. 378. Conjectures that most sorts of people do usually offend herein and that particularly labouring people do ordinarily eat near a fourth part more than they need that Shop-keepers and persons of easier Trades near a third part that voluptuous Gentlemen and their attendants do often exceed near half and that the children of such Parents as govern not their appetites but let them eat and drink as often and as much as they will do usually exceed above half and thereby lay the foundation of the miseries and diseases of their whole life after And therefore he judges that children should be taught betimes some common and necessary precepts about their diet and what tends to health and prolonging their life and what to sickness and death and that these principles should be instilled into them with other moral precepts in the books that they first learn For 't is certain that none love sickness and death but all love health and life And therefore those whom the fear of God doth not restrain from this kind of excess may possibly be restrained from it through the fear of sickness and death But alass few grown people much less children have any considerable knowledge what measure is best for them to use but the common though deceitful rule they go by is their appetite 7. Sit not too long at meals For by that means people are tempted to eat a little and a little more and so at last they fall into excess 8. Do not over perswade and importune others to eat more than they have a mind to notwithstanding it is counted so great a piece of civility so to do We think them highly culpable who urge people to drink more than is fit for them why then