action testifying and confirming a Covenant betwixt God and man as in the Eastern and other Countries they were wont to ratifie their Leagues by feasting together and as they who eat of the sacrifices offered to Devils therereby had fellowship with Devils as the Jews by eating of their sacrifices held communion with and profest subjection to God as you may see them paralleld 1 Cor. 10.16 17 18 19 20. since I say this is on mans part a sign of his being in covenant with God I shall somewhat fuller explain what this Covenant is that you may understand whether you are cordially entred thereinto and are willing to continue in it that so you may know whether you are like to be entertained as worthy guests at the Lords Table which is proper to his Covenant-people In a word then the Covenant which wee renew at the Lords Supper is the very same with that you were entred into in Baptism when you were baptiz'd in the Name of and thereby engaged to the Father Son and Holy Ghost and therefore to those duties which wee owe to God in the several relations wherein he stands to us which are denoted by the Persons of the sacred Trinity That is we are hereby oblig'd to acknowledge God the Father to be our Creator and Preserver and therefore to behave our selves as his creatures ought submitting our selves to his Commands and Providences and placing our happiness in pleasing him and enjoying his love God the Son made man that is Jesus Christ we are hereby bound to take for our onely Saviour through whom alone we hope for the pardon of our offences and for ability to serve and please God and for acceptance and happinesse with him And God the Holy Ghost wee promise to take for our Sanctifier to have our souls by him renewed after the Image of God and those graces given into us which were purchast for us by Christ and the evidences of Gods love and of our title to the future blessedness to bee clear'd up and assur'd to our consciences the Holy Word also which he inspir'd the Prophets and Apostles to write wee are hereby engag'd to take for the Rule of our faith and life And this is your entring inâ—o Covenant with and being consecrated to the Father Son and Holy Ghost which doth necessarily suppose and include our renouncing the flesh the world and the Devil which is in effect the same with Repentance for sin which I spoke to largely under the last Head For he who is truly humbled for and resolved to forsake sin doth hereby renounce his flesh which is pleas'd with sin and will not make carnal self his chief end and he also renounceth the world which is the fuell and food of his lusts all that wherewith the carnal part is gratified as matters of pleasure profit honour and the like not regarding them as means to his happiness and he renounceth the Devil who by temptations drawn from these wordly things would entice him to sin and that wicked nature also which does the office of a Tempter within him All you then who have been baptiz'd into the Christian Faith are thereby bound to take God for your Supream Governor and chief Happiness and Jesus Christ for your Mediatour and way to the Father and the Holy Spirit for your Sanctifier and Guide And since you were Infants when you thus were first dedicated to God it behooves you that are now come to the use of reason and are resolv'd by the grace of God to be stedfast in this holy Covenant to come to the Lords Table and there professe these resolutions and by the receiving of this Sacrament in the presence of the heart-searching God and all your fellow-Christians to renew your engagement that you will take God for your God and that you will be his people Since then it is so plain that they and they only are worthy Communicants who have in heart made this covenant with God in Christ which they are to profess solemnize and confirm by eating and drinking the Sacramental bread and wine it remains that all who would not venture upon damnation by doing this unworthily ought to enter into a faithful examination of themselves whether indeed this be their condition and frame of heart or not And let me beseech thee Reader faithfully to set upon this Work as a businesse of the greatest concernment that ever thou hadst to do in thy life namely to see that thou art sincerely in covenant with God through his Son for this is the very heart and substance of Religion the sum of all Christianity and that upon which thy everlasting happiness wholly depends Know but this once and thou maiest know that Heaven will be thy portion shouldst thou dye at this hour And here that I may do what in me lies to help thee to the true knowledge of thy self let me first advise thee to look carefully into thy own heart for that 's thy surest way if thou art but well acquainted with the workings thereof and wilt deal impartially And in this searching into the state and temper of thy Soul I would wish thee to put these questions to thy self which I shall ask thee and to give in a true answer I demand of thee then what is that great good on which thou hast plac't thy highest love the obtaining of which thou hast made the great business of thy life and which if thou couldst but attain to thou believest thou shouldst be satisfied and made perfectly happy Canst thou say and that truly that God hath the upmost place in thy heart that his Authority swaies thee most and that for the main all things that concern thee are regarded but in order to him Dost thou make it thy principal study and trade to please him And dost thou count of nothing as fit to make thee a portion but his everlasting love If it be thus with thee then thou maist safely conclude that indeed thou hast made God thy chief end But enquire diligently whether it be not quite otherwise and whether thou hast not set up thy self in a distinction from God becoming thy own Idol Art thou not possest with high thoughts of thy self loving and admiring thy self separate from him who gave thee thy being It s true the man who is most heartily devoted to God hath the greatest love and veneration of himself but it is as he is Gods creature and it is his soul which hath his highest esteem and he seeks his happinesse by subjecting himself to God and therefore preferres adores and admires God infinitely above himself regarding himself in and for God accounting it the end of his being to serve his Makers will desiring no other felicity than the feeling of that love of God which he manifests to all such humble obedient ones But the carnall man though he may have some reverence for God and may yield him some tribute of service some prayers some praises and some
that dangerous mistake that thy belief in Christ may serve turn well enough for thy salvation without an holy life for if thou leadst not an holy life it 's most certain thou dost not truly believe in Christ. For it is not enough to prove thee such a Believer as shall be saved to trust in Christs merits and hope God will be mercifull to thee for his sake but it is also of absolute necessity that thou believe in him as Prophet and King and accept of him to teach and govern thee if ever thou hope for any saving benefit by him and therefore thou must believe his Promises and threatnings and faithfully endeavour to yield an universal obedience to his Commands and to follow his footsteps So that to say thou hast a good faith in Christ whilst thou livest an ungodly life is as flat a contradiction as to say thou art faithfull to thy Prince whilst thou risest up in arms against him and so much as an oath of Allegiance and fidelity to their Soveraign doth tye men from Rebellion so much doth saving faith bind them against wicednesse And to talk of keeping thy faith firm whilst thou livest in disobedience to thy Lord is as if a Wife should say she was carefull in keeping her Marriage-covenant whilst she liv'd in open adultery Thus much here I was willing to speak of this that thou maist be the more plainly convinc't that if thou livest in or lovest any sin and wilt not leave it though Gods Word and thy own conscience condemn thee for it that then thou art not sincerely in covenant with God Wherefore look well into thy life consider thy ways how thou behavest thy self towards God man and in all thy carriage in the World Art thou not a wilfull neglecter of thy duty to thy Maker living without a sense or acknowledgment of him in all thy wayes not so much as once in a day or perhaps in a whole week setling thy self seriously to pray to him in thy Family or Closer nor taking any pleasure in reading his word or in thinking and speaking of him to thy own and others advantage Dost thou profane the Lords day and turn thy back with contempt upon the Ordinances of God Art thou not us'd to swearing cursing and taking the holy Name of God in vain in thy common discourse Or art thou not guilty of lying cozenage injustice in thy trading and dealing with men of oppression and unmercifulnesse to the poor Dost thou not live in envy and mallice allowing thy self in railing back-biting and slandering Or dost thou not riotously abuse the good creatures of God eating and drinking to excess unfitting thy self for Gods service and studying only to please thy pallat Dost thou not pollute thy soul with wanton thoughts discourses and unclean practices Dost thou not mis-spend thy time in idlenesse and vanity carelesly wasting precious hours that should be improv'd for Gods honour by getting or doing good Dost thou not give way to thy pride in thy discourse carriage or attire lavishing money and time for the gratifying of this base lust Put such questions as these to thy soul and answer them impartially and truly And if thou livest in any of these or the like wilfull sins be assur'd thou hast been false to the Covenant which thou wast entred to in Baptism But if thy conscience can truly witnesse for thee that thou hatest every false way hast a respect to all Gods Commandments earnestly desiring and diligently endeavouring in all thy waies to approve thy self to the most righteous God longing after nothing more than that thou maist walk unblameably before him then thou maist safely conclude that thou art one of Gods Covenant-people and as such he will own thee and to thee belong the priuiledges and benefits of the Covenant and therefore the Seals of it too so that thou hast very good warrant to addresse thy self to this Sacrament whereby all the Promises of God are confirm'd to his people and whereby they professe the hearty rendring up of themselves to him By this time I hope thou seest what it is to be cordially in covenant with God the Father Son and Holy Ghost which all are engaged to by Baptism and which Covenant they renew at the Lords Supper namely to love God above all and to account his love thy chiefest happiness to accept of Jesus Christ as thy only Saviour to bring thee to this happinesse and to be willing to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost and led by him in the waies of holinesse Now if thou findst thy self strange to all this and didst never yet feel thy soul brought under the bond of this Covenant my next work is to perswade thee to it even to beseech thee deliberately seriously but yet speedily to make a firm and everlasting Covenant with God to be his upon his own terms to be absolutely devoted to him in heart and life as thou wast in Baptism Something I shall say to prevail with thee if possible for the performance of this weighty indispensable Duty But by the way take notice that all I am exhorting thee to may well be included in this one word even Believing in Jesus Christ which is that qualification I am now upon discovering the necessity of it in all Communicants And this I would have thee to observe that thou maist the better understand what I mean when I presse thee to faith in Christ as making it all one with the Covenant now mentioned For as I have before intimated He that truly believes in Christ receives him in the quality and office of a Mediatiour by him to attain to that happiness which he offers to men consents to be brought to in that way which he thinks fit to direct Now the happinesse he offers is the enjoyment of God in glory and this he hath procured for Believers by his satisfaction and intercession and fits them for it by his Spirit which cures all their distempers and raiseth them to a perfect love of God and likenesse to him and so makes them capable of full communion with him which is their blessednesse So that to receive Christ as he offers himself to us which is our faith in him not onely signifies our dependance on his merits for the pardon of sin but also includes in it our love to God above all to whom we hope to be reconciled and brought nigh by Christ and contains in it our resolution to submit to the working and guidance of the Holy Ghost who purifies the heart enables us to follow after holinesse till we are brought to the sight and fruition of God I shall attempt to make it as plain as may be by an easie comparison Suppose a King had banisht a great company of Subjects for rebelling against him into a forreign Countrey where they stay so long that they have even forgot the manners and language of their own Nation are become wild and barbarous like the people
word and all providences shall help forward thy happinesse All thy outward affairs thy heavenly Father who knows what thou hast need of will see to and regard at all times he will so dispose of and provide for thee as shall be most for thy advantage no affliction shall befall thee but will prove as Physick to thy soul in all estates and conditions he will be near to thee to direct and preserve thee if thou retain thy integrity so that neither men nor Devils shall prevail against thee to thy ruine And the Holy Ghost will be thine to enlighten sanctifie guide and comfort thee to assist thee in duties and to seal thee up to everlasting happinesse When thou diest the Lord Jesus will receive thy Spirit and preserve thee from the roaring Lion and the pit of destruction and vouchsafe thee the beginnings of happinesse with himself which shall be compleated and perfected at the great Resurrection day when thou shalt be raised up by his power and brought into appearance not in wrath but in mercy and shalt be publickly owned by that Christ whose person and cause thou didst here embrace and own and by him thou shalt be openly justified from all accusations of Satan or the Law and shalt be presented pure and holy into the presence of the Father and shalt be eternally blessed in the enjoyment of all those treasures of infinite love and goodnesse which God hath laid up in store for believers This is the inheritance which we come to by Christ we are made heirs of God yea coheirs with his own Son we enter upon the joy of our Lord with him we shall abide in the mansions that are in our Fathers house Then at length we shall know all the designs of Divine wisdome and love when they shall be accomplish'd in us and for us and by the fruition we shall understand what is that exceeding and eternall weight of glory for which there were made such wonderfull contrivances such solemn preparations by that God who doth all things like himself being infinitely wise and good Then shall we reach to and find those glorious things that are spoken of the City of God yea those things which it was neither lawfull nor possible for Angels or Men to utter To be short thou shalt then be advanced to the utmost possible perfection of thy nature thy soul shall be fitted for those actions and employments which are most suitable to it even the loving and praising thy Maker Saviour and Sanctifier and shalt be made capable of tasting the most ravishing satisfying sweetnesse and joy in these employments in pleasing the blessing God and in feeling thy self encompassed with the warm embraces of his dearest love And as this thy blessedness shall be infinite and unspeakable so shall the continuance of it be eternall Nor shall thy delight be once abated or interrupted through all this eternity but be ever exalted to the highest pitch it shall always flow yea overflow but never ebbe This is the joy which hath no end no measures or decay This is the glory which Christ will give his servants not as the world gives gives he unto them This he tells us is the will of him that sent him that every one that sees the Son and believes on him may have everlasting life Joh. 6.40 The water which he gives us to drink shall be in those who partake of it a well of water springing up into everlasting life And some beginnings of this divine life now there are brought into the soul whilst it is made in its measure conformable to God and is carried out after him with the strong workings of love and desire and feels the shedding abroad of his love in it self and lives in the joyfull expectations of an advancement to the abundance of life the perfection of blisse which I before mentioned And now Reader if thou believest all this which I think thou must needs except thou take the Gospel for a cheat if then thou believest it to be true I would know of thee whether the invitations Christ makes thee to come to him be not backt with sufficient motives to prevail with all that are not quite beside their wits in matters of the greatest moment By this time I hope thou seest that thy Redeemer seeks thy interest whilst he is so importunate with thee What is all for in the result but this That thou would'st make thy self blessed for ever This he commands thee this he beseeches thee to And shall such commands be disobey'd shall such requests be denied Good Lord How strange a thing is this That man a reasonable Being whose wisdome sets him above all other creatures on earth should be thus woo'd thus call'd upon and entreated to be happy and yet that he should stand dallying and deliberating whether he had best be so or not yea that he should peremptorily refuse to be so Which should I most admire in this case the distraction and base ingratitude of man or the inconceivable mercy and patience of God so long to bear with such unworthy creatures and so frequently to renew the offers of blessednesse and even presse it upon them Well then dost thou think there is any gain in godlinesse Is there enough to be had with Christ to make him and his gifts worth the accepting For that I tell thee still is all that is expected from thee be but cordially willing to take him and all his benefits together and for certain all shall be thine Thou shalt find every promise of the book of God made good to thy comfort yea thou shalt find ten thousand times more than ever thou could'st understand or conceive from the fullest promises the highest expressions that ever thou mett'st with concerning the priviledges of Believers Shall all that is said then bring thee to be one of that number or not Dost thou know where to make a better bargain for thy self If so take thy own course and make thy best on 't for be assured Jesus Christ needs not thee His glory doth not so depend on thy subjection to him that it should be lessened in case of thy disobedience Doe thou as thou wilt he knows how to secure his own interest but fain he would perswade thee to take pity on thy self and save thy own soul. If there be any in all the world that hath done more for thee than Christ or that will doe more hearken to him and spare not But before thou conclude there is any such person or thing examine matters well on both sides and then doe as thou seest meet Indeed the case is so plain that the veriest child or fool almost may know how to decide it Bethink thee well what thou art like to have from the world from thy lusts from the service of the Devil or from any thing that would keep thee from Christ. Canst thou think that the satisfying of thy senses with what they call for or pleasing thy fancy with
apposite Text Ezek. 16.62 63. And I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord That thou maist remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God It is to be considered moreover that the promises of joy are principally made to this frame The spirit of the humble and contrite God hath promised to revive They that mourn shall be comforted And they who come to the Table of the Lord weeping are most likely to return from thence rejoycing 4. And when you are wrought to this humiliation for and hatred of sin you will easily be brought to the next part of your work which is stedfastly to resolve by the grace of God never more to give willing entertainment to the same but to be entirely devoted to God by Jesus Christ to love please and serve him all your days I have told you how at the Lords Supper you renew your Covenant to perform those duties which you were engaged to by being Baptized into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Renouncing carnall self you professe to place your happinesse in the love of God and no farther to regard or please your selves than is consistent with his pleasure Renouncing the world your own abilities righteousnesse and worthinesse and all ways to to happinesse which are set up against Christ you professe to take him alone for your Redeemer and to resign up your selves to him that he may bring you to the fruition of God and therefore Renouncing the Devill who would draw you from God and Christ to gratifie your lusts with earthly things you professe your resolutions to be led by the Holy Spirit of God in those ways that lead to his everlasting kingdome You who are truly willing to all this for to such I speak I would have you in the most serious manner to professe the same before God and especially in the prayers that you make in preparation for the Sacrament Bind your selves over to him by the strictest vow that he shall be your God and you will be his people Professe to him that he shall be the portion of your souls that you will have none in heaven but him and will desire nothing on earth in comparison of him that if he will but vouchsafe you his saving love in Jesus Christ you shall be indifferent to all things here below as knowing that in his favour alone you are abundantly provided for Acknowledge his right to govern you and dispose of you being your Maker and Preserver infinitely wise and good and engage to take him for your Soveraign and Lord to render a sincere unlimited obedience to his commands and quietly to submit to his dispensations Professe to him that you relinquish all right to your selves and give up all into his hands to do with you what he pleaseth consecrating all to his glory whatever he doth or shall afford you being resolved through his assistance so to improve and employ it Promise to him that neither your own will nor the will of any mortall man shall be obey'd in contradiction to his And bethink your selves of those sins whereof you have been more especially guilty in thought word or deed and of the duties you have omitted and engage your selves particularly against those sins and to the performance of those duties And then Remember under what notion you enter into Covenant with God and what kind of creatures you are even poor lost sinners loaded with much guilt which you could never by any satisfaction of your own making take off from your selves and also exceeding weak so that you cannot by your own strength give that obedience to God which he requires nor vanquish the difficulties which you will meet with wherefore it is of absolute necessity that you accept of Jesus Christ as your Deliverer and your Strength for he onely who hath the Son hath the Father also Professe then before God your unfeigned willingnesse to close with the Lord Jesus to all those ends for which he offers himself to the world Acknowledge to him that you neither expect mercy for any merit of your own nor set upon duty in your own might nor look for acceptance of any service for its own worth but that you humbly depend upon Christ the Mediatour for all that you stand in need of Acknowledge his right to rule over and in you as having bought you out of slavery with his own most precious blood to whose mild and gracious government you will therefore submit your selves Professe your willingnesse and earnest desire to have your hearts purged and sanctified by his Holy Spirit and your lives thereby directed according to the precepts of the Gospel Thus professe your acceptance of Christ and submission to the Spirit that you may be brought into the favour of God and be enabled to please and glorifie him by your holy conversation for all tends to this even to make you holy in heart and life Therefore are we married to Christ that we may bring forth fruit unto God Râ—m 7.4 And the fruits of righteousnesse are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God Phil. 1.11 In him we are created unto good works This is the effect of his death and resurrection that we might be dead to sin but alive unto God Rom. 6. throughout They are Christs Disciples that bring forth much fruit to the glory of God the Father Joh. 15.8 And therefore is the Spirit of life given us through Jesus Christ that we may be made free from the power of sin and death that the carnall mind might be taken away and we made subject to God and able to please him yea that we might rise up to an higher kind of life more spirituall and heavenly than was ordinarily attainable under the Law Rom. 8. the former part of that Chapter This being then the summe of all to devote your selves to God by Jesus Christ to live in his love and fear and in strict obedience to his laws till you shall be taken glory you that are firmly purposed to do this and have made promises thereof betwixt God and your own souls Do you eat thâ— Bread and drink the Wine in the Sacrament as a confirmation of these promises Let this be remembred I beseech you whatever you forget That hereby you do most straitly engage your selves to live a Righteous Sober and Godly life from this very day and to the end of your days This some give as the reason why the Name Sacrament is put upon Baptisme and the Lords Supper because they are of a like nature with that Oath which Souldiers were wont to take to be obedient to their Generall and rather to die than to forsake their Colours which military Oath was called a Sacrament and thus both by Baptisme and the Lords Supper are we consecrated to the service of God
Pag. 76 Chap. 5. Perswasions to accept of the Redeemer and give up the Soul in Covenant to him Pag. 96 Chap. 6. IV. A right Remembring the benefits procured by his death 1. Of Justification Pag. 130 Chap. 7. The second benefit is sanctification Pag. 139 Chap. 8. The third benefit is eternal Happinesse with God Pag. 151 Chap. 9. V. It must be a thankful Remembrance Pag. 155 Chap. 10. VI. It must produce an holy Love to Saints Pag. 158 Chap. 11. Use An invitation to come to Christ and his Sacrament with Motives thereto Pag. 168 Chap. 12. Sacraments are not to be accounted vain because externals Pag. 196 Chap. 13. Against too seldome communicating in the Sacrament Pag. 205 Chap. 14. The Objection of unfitness answered As proposed by the doubting and careless Pag. 209 Chap. 15. Obj. We are not in perfect charity but at variance with our neighbours Answered Pag. 234 Chap. 16. Directions for a due preparation and right receiving Pag. 242 Chap. 17. Directions for duty after the Sacrament Pag. 286 CHAP. I. The Introduction lamenting the Ignorant Vulgars contempt of their Salvation and shewing the design of this Treatise THe blessed God who in these last daies hath spoken to us by his Son and more fully and clearly reveal'd the way to life and immortality which Christ hath brought to light hath abundantly manifested his infinite wisdome and goodness in suiting and accomodating his commands and institutions to the meaness of our capacities and as a God who knows our frame hath so fitted himself and the revelations of his will with a respect to our weakness that nothing but affected ignorance and meer wilfulness can keep out the understanding of what he hath taught us or hinder the performing of what he commands us The Doctrines of the Gospel which are of necessity to be believ'd in order to Salvation and upon which an holy life is built are few and plain which we may finde sum'd up in our common Creeds As for the precepts which are given to bee the rule of our life how easie are they to be known and remembred how exceeding reasonable in themselves and most agreeable to our rectified natures and apparently tending to the unspeakable advantage of particular Persons Families Towns and Common-wealths the Gospel being design'd not only to bring men to glory and pleasure hereafter but to better the world at present and to make this earth a kinde of type and shadow of heaven and so it would bee if men were but more generally broughâ— under the power and influence of the Christian Religion which doth not only forbid those sins which are destructive to the happiness of societies and single persons as the Laws and Religion of the Heathens might also do but strikes at the very heart of wickedness and gives the surest directions and best helps for the utter removal of the cause and root of all disorders in the world which it would be beside my purpose at present to speak of None have cause now to complain that they know not what to do to obtain eternal life since he that runs may read his duty To love God above all and our neighbour as selves to do as we would bee done unto to repent of all our sins and betake our selves to the mercies of God through his Son Christ Jesus for a pardon to be humble holy chaste and temperate is any of this difficult to be understood Have we not a plain word directing us how to lead the whole course of our life And have we not a monitour within us the Spirit of God by our Consciences in most cases telling us how wee should behave our selves The sum of all is comprehended in our Baptismal Covenant to Renounce the Devil and all his works the world with its pomp and vanities the flesh and the lusts thereof and to be devoted to the Father Son and Holy Ghost And as our duty is easie to be known so is it not difficult to be done where there is first a willing minde for indeed in this is comprehended all to bee unfeignedly willing to be such as God would have us and to do all that he bids us So that none can excuse himself for his disobedience which is nothing else but obstinacy or gross negligence And though of our selves wee are poor weak creatures yet through the almighty grace that is offered to our assistance we may be inabled to do all things needful for our happiness and those weaknesses that cleave to us which we allow not our selves in but strive against and bewail wee are assured through the merits of our precious Saviour shall never be laid to our charge And as the great truths and duties of our Religion are thus plain and easie so the positive institutions whereby I mean the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper are few and clear being neither burdensome to be practised nor the meaning of them hard to be understood Doth not that form of words which Christ hath enjoyned to be used in Baptism whereby we are solemlny received into the number of professed Christians sufficiently shew the meaning of it namely that we are hereby consecrated and given up to the Father Son and Holy Ghost And doth not our being Baptized with Water very plainly hold forth our washing and cleansing from the stains and pollutions of defiled nature and from the guilt of sin by the blood and Spirit of Christ. And who knows not that the Lords Supper is for remembrance of Jesus Christ that Died for us The breaking of the Bread and pouring forth of the Wine how fitly and evidently do they represent to us that his body was broken and his blood shed for us And the Elements of Bread and Wine which we commonly use to nourish and refresh us do naturally signifie that strength and comfort which we receive from Christ as I shall hereafter shew at large Since then the truths of our Religion are so evident the Duties so reasonable and excellent the Ritual part the Sacraments so easie so few and so exceeding profitable may it not well be expected that all who profess themselves owners of that Religion which Jesus Christ hath taught and established should be well acquainted with these weighty truths diligent in the practise of Duty to their Maker and Saviour and to one another and most devout and serious in the observation and use of these holy Sacraments constant in their attendance upon all Ordinances as publick Prayer and Preaching whereby they may be instructed enabled to know and do the will of him that sent them into the world But alas alas to the dishonour of God and our profession and to the grief of all that long after the advancement of true goodness in the world by sad experience wee finde the quite contrarary even in this our Nation that we look no further God forbid that I should go about to disparage the glorious fruits of our Reformation from Popish
for prayer or receiving Sacraments who are listlesse to all duties and feel no sweetnesse in them all such may hence learn what is the root and ground of this distemper what it is that makes them out of tast with these rich and savoury provisions which all healthfull souls doe so dearly love even because their secret but most powerfull thoughts are that they have nothing better than their Bodies to provide for and that to doe this is the chiefest businesse they have and that nothing is of any great use which makes not for this end But it would be quite otherwise with them if they were indeed clearly convinced and soundly perswaded that they have souls which will never die and that these are their best part and deserve most care and are as much to be preferred before the body as a man before the horse which he rides on and that these their immortall souls can onely be made happy by the favour of God out of which they are faln by sinning against him and that the great work of this life is to get all breaches made up betwixt God and them that so when they leave this world they may be restored to perfect happinesse in the enjoyment of God and that they can no way be thus reconciled to God but by Jesus Christ by whose merits and mediation their sins may be pardoned and by whose holy Spirit which is given by the Father through him they can onely be so changed and sanctified that they may be made meet for the inheritance of the Saints in the heavenly light of Gods presence and love Was the sound belief of these plain great and commonly acknowledged truths but well rooted in the hearts of men so as to overpower and change their affections we should soon perceive them to be other kind of persons in all their behaviour If they took it for the business of their lives to work out their salvation being convinced that they had nothing in the world to doe but this and what is in order to it then would they diligently labour after a saving knowledge of a crucified Christ which comprehends in it the whole of religion And then they would highly prize and diligently attend upon those means which Christ hath appointed for the manifesting himself and conveying his saving benefits to the soul. They would take care to be found in those ways wherein Christ is like to be found Whatever had relation to him would be very much esteemed by them and they would never be at quiet till they had done their best to make it sure that they had got an interest in him and through him a title to the Fathers everlasting love They would then rightly inform themselves what 's required of all that must be saved by Christ and these conditions they would endeavour to come up to and perform They would be willing to enter into the most solemn Covenant with him to take him for their Saviour in all his Offices by him to be brought to that glory which God hath prepared for true Believers and the keeping of this Covenant would be their study and care through the whole course of their life Now though considering these things it might appear a very fit method for the curing of mens mistakes and direct them in the way to blessedness first to represent and demonstrate to them that they have immortal souls and that the love of God is their onely portion and that this can no way be obtained but by the Lord Jesus and then to shew what is required to make us partakers of happinesse by him yet since these things are in some sort known and readily confest by the most I shall at present wave this method and chuse rather to drive at the last of these which will be found to contain all namely to direct and exhort poor souls to enter into Covenant and make a thorow closure with Jesus Christ that through him their sins may be subdued and pardoned their persons and natures reconcil'd to God that they may be blessed for ever in communion with him And even this is my chief design in laying down the following Directions to a due preparation for and a right receiving of the Lords Supper and in giving Motives to the serious and frequent performance of that duty which I look upon principally as a solemnizing and ratifying our Covenant with God by Jesus Christ and the sincerity of the heart in making this Covenant and our faithfulnesse in keeping it is the very heart and scope of Christianity For my intention in treating of this subject is not meerly to perswade people to come to the Lords Table alas what a poor thing is that to be rested in but to instruct them for a right coming to and hearty receiving of Christ himself then to come to the Sacrament there to make and renew their Covenant with him in a more formall and expresse manner the more to affect and deeplier to engage themselves For this being a sensible and solemn thing will be apt to make the stronger impression upon mens spirits and perhaps they will be sooner perswaded to this work because it is so much fitted to sense it self But the great danger is least they should rush upon that which they understand not the reason of and think they have done enough by bare receiving the Sacrament without considering to what purpose they doe it which would be greater madnesse and of worse consequence than for a man to run and lay his hands upon the book and kisse it and use the like ceremonies of an oath and never mind what he swears to nor afterwards think what he hath done though it was about a matter of life and death And therefore I shall endeavour by Gods assistance to prevent this miscarriage by shewing what is the nature and design of this Ordinance in a right participation whereof consists so much of religion since hereby a man professeth and engageth himself to be a sincere obedient Christian which may be understood by this comparison before I come to speak to it more fully that more ignorant Reader may the sooner have the notion fixt on his mind It is much what as if the Governour of a City after there had been a seditious insurrection of the Citizens should offer pardon to all that would acknowledge their fault beg his pardon and return to their former subjection and peaceable behaviour and moreover should enjoyn all that were thus affected to come take a piece of money which he would give abroad or to partake of a feast which he would make on purpose for the entertainment of such now would it not be madnesse and grosse impudence and dissembling for any to receive this money or go sit at this Table who were resolved yet to continue their rebellion and would imploy that very money and the strength they received from his meat against him that gave them whenas hereby they were to testifie their resolutions
it as a farther assurance from God that his promises of mercy shall be made good to thee CHAP. VII The second benefit is Sanctification 2. THe second great benefit purchast by the Death of Christ and held forth in the Sacrament is Sanctifying Saving Grace for the enlivening and strengthning the souls of Believers There is no truth more plain in the whole Gospel than that one great end of Christ's Death was to obtain from the Father that the holy Spirit should accompany the proclaiming of the Gospel to enlighten the minds and soften the hearts of those who should not wilfully resist his workings that they might entertain the truth in the love thereof and that on these greater measures of grace should be poured forth to make them in all things conformable to their Maker according to the capacity of their natures which was the great design of the Redeemer even to restore apostate creatures to the image of God wherein they were created that so they might be made meet for his service here and the fruition of him hereafter A most lamentable mistake it is to confine Christs death onely to the procuring of a pardon and keeping sinners out of Hell since this was but in order to a work of grace on their hearts and onely such who submit to this work shall at last have a share in the absolute pardon For suppose a company of prisoners were taken in Warre who being weak and wounded cannot return into their own Countrey but must presently be put to death by the King that took them and in the mean time comes their own Prince and pays a great sum to obtain that the execution of them may be put off for some time and that his Physician may use medicines and apply plaisters to as many as are willing and that all such when they are made whole shall be sent to their own homes and the rest who will not be ruled by the Physician but spit out his potions because they are bitter and throw away his plaisters because they make them smart they are to remain in their prison and be put to death as they were sentenced Here we see the ransome that was paid was first to stop the slaughter of the prisoners and to get liberty to use means for their recovery to health and soundnesse and secondly to obtain that the recovered should be set free to return to their own Countrey and not onely the contempt of the ransome but of the Physician would bring death Thus had we by the Fall both brought our selves into danger of present destruction and disabled our souls that we could not return to that state whence we fell but the Son of God undertaking our Redemption obtained for us that the sentence of condemnation should not speedily be executed and that there should be assured hopes of escaping destruction and returning to happinesse for all those who make not their condition desperate by continuance in sin and rejecting of the cure which his Spirit would work upon them now the work of his Spirit is to plant and encrease grace in their hearts to heal the diseases and remove the weaknesse which sin hath caused that they may be enabled to walk in the ways of holinesse to their everlasting rest and the sending forth of his healing Spirit was the fruit of his blood Now as it will assuredly damn men to despise the blood of Christ as if it was of no force to be a ransome nor to attain those ends for which the Gospel saith it was shed so is it as dangerous and damnable to resist and sleight the Spirit of Christ let them pretend what esteem they will for his blood A like mistake also it is flowing from the former to limit the notion of free grace to meer pardoning mercy whenas it includes sanctifying 〈◊〉 so for in the instance now given the Physick I hope was as free a gift to the prisoners as the ransome that was paid for them notwithstanding this was without them and the other to be taken into them And in like manner is the giving of the Spirit into us as purely from the grace and mercy of God though merited by Christ as the giving of his Son for us accepting of us for his sake This I was willing to hint least any when they hear or read of being saved by Free grace should dream of a salvation to be had by a meer pardon without being sanctified by the Spirit That the making men holy in their hearts and lives was a principall end of Christs Death without which no happinesse is to be attained is I say a truth so evident in the very tenour of the Gospel that it may seem needlesse to produce particular proofs yet amongst the rest read these few Eph. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works c. Eph. 5.25 26 27. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it c. and that it might be holy and without blemish 1 Joh. 3.8 The Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Pet. 3.24 Who bare our sins that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse Tit. 3.4 5 6. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Read also Mat. 1.22 Luk. 1.75 Rom. 6.11 Galat. 1.4 Tit. 2.12 13 14. Heb. 9.14 Now though I acknowledge it is by the help of the Spirit that we are brought to believe for faith it self is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 yet I think we shall ordinarily find the promises of the Spirit to be made to those who are already Believers to advance and carry on the work of God upon their souls And to this end and of this nature is that Grace which is 〈◊〉 and given forth by the Sacrament even to refresh and nourish the souls of Believers to confirm and encrease those graces that are wrought in them and to bring them forward to farther degrees of perfection And this much the very elements themselves do teach us for as Bread is the support and stay of life and Wine that which makes glad the heart of man and both are needfull for the maintaining of life and encreasing our strength so are the Body and Blood of Christ alike necessary and usefull to our souls for he himself hath told us that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and that he who eats his flesh and drinks his blood dwelleth in him and hath eternall life with much more to the same purpose Joh. 6. The proper meaning whereof as will appear by the Context and the occasion of that Discourse I suppose is That they who believe in him having the same expectations of spirituall life from him that they have of temporall life from their food and accordingly receive digest and improve
he brings whilst they will have none of him or them on the terms that God propoundeth No no it is onely the broken-healed heart the humble raised soul that can be feelingly and affectionately thankfull to God for a Saviour who hath wrought so great works for them and in them and laid up such great provisions for the time to come They that were lost but are found they that were dead but are alive in these will their heavenly Father take pleasure and these will rejoyce in his love and return praise to him who sent his Son to seek and save that which was lost To bring men into such a state and frame that they may be disposed and enabled from an inward sense of his goodnesse to render such thanks to the Father of mercies as may be well-pleasing to him I should onely onely need to repeat what was before laid down to bring them to accept of Christ which when once they are brought to and arrived to any hopes of their acceptance with God through him then both in heart and voice with their lips and lives will they adore and praise him who called them out of darknesse into his marvellous light Wherefore study well your many and great necessities which Christ alone can supply Consider to what miseries by sin you stand exposed from which he alone can keep you Remember what he did and suffered how low he condescended for the sake of man and remember your own utter unworthinesse that ever the least love or regard should have been manifested to you and yet consider what great things are done for you into how good a state matters are brought what abundant blessings are freely bestowed on the humble and believing what rich and precious promises are made them what mercies are given for this life and that to come grace and glory and whatever is good for men nothing is withheld from them Let but the consideration of all the rich and precious priviledges which Christ gives to his servants sink into thy soul and then thou wilt find it even impossible not to magnifie the author and purchaser of such gifts nor wilt thou be able to refrain from expressions of thy gratitude and love and therefore maist worthily come to the Sacrament there to exercise and expresse those holy affections CHAP. X. VI. It must produce an holy love to Saints HE that rightly remembers the Death of Christ and and well considers the infinite love herein shewn to mankind cannot but be thereby wrought to an hearty love to all his fellow Christians And that 's the last qualification I shall mention necessary for all Communicants and which flows from their remembrance of Christ to wit that they be in charity with all men and have an especiall endeared love to all true Christians both those that communicate with them and others To this great duty of brotherly love we have the most forcible engagement that ever could be imagined by the example of our blessed Lord laying down his life for us and his behaviour at death even praying for his persecutors doth sufficiently tell us how we ought to behave our selves towards our bitterest adversaries We see then what a spirit we shall have wrought in us by a right remembrance of our dying Saviour not onely toward our friends but our enemies themselves As for that love that ought to be amongst all true Christians we find this is the new Command that he hath inculcated upon us and obliged us to by the great example of his unparalell'd love that we also should love one another Joh. 15.12 13. 1 Joh. 3.16 And this he hath made the very badge of his true disciples whereby they should be known from the rest of the world Joh. 13.34 35. And one particular end of our meeting together at the Lords Table is to testifie and strengthen our mutuall love This we shew by our eating and drinking together which is the custome of friends and this is one reason why this Sacrament is called the Communion in that Christians have here the most endearing fellowship with each other For hereby is not onely represented their union with Christ their Head and their spirituall communion with him but that nearnesse of relation they have amongst themselves being mystically united into one Body whereof Christ is the Head 1 Cor. 10.17 For we being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread Each Christian is so related to and joyned with the other that they go to the making up of one body as the severall grains compacted together make one bread and by their joynt participation of this one bread they declare themselves to be but one body the Children of one Father living in one Family and feeding at the same Table upon the very same food even upon Christ himself who is the true bread that came down from heaven and upon their being united to Christ as Head is founded this their so near and intimate relation to each other to be Fellow-members of the same body as they that have the same Soveraign are fellow Subjects they that have the same Parents are brethren And by their feeding on this Sacramentall food and Christ himself therein from whom the whole body being fitly joyned together makes increase unto the edifying of it self in love Eph. 4.15 16. having here a communion with him which fills and acts them with the same Spirit hereby I say they receive a farther bond and disposition to the greatest unity of hearts and affections So that we are especially engaged before our attendance upon this Ordinance to go our way and be reconciled to our brother The leaven of malice amongst all other wickednesse is to be purged out when we keep this Feast 1 Cor. 5.7 8. And indeed we shall find this the generall sense of people that they ought to be in charity with their neighbours before they come to the Sacrament whilst they discover too little sense of the necessity of other graces that are equally needful yea whilst they remain destitute of this very charity it self which they acknowledge to be so necessary for alas they are not so easily brought to the practice of their duty as to acknowledge and commend it For the plain truth is none can rise up to this excellent temper of spirit wherein one half of our Religion consists but he who is engrafted into Christ and transformed into his likenesse by the spirit of love which may dâ—rect those who are yet void hereof what course to take for the attainment of the same namely to get united to Christ by a living faith and fervent love whereby they shall find kindled in their breasts a new affection to all that doe with them love the Lord Jesus For certainly it is not enough for us that we have no malice in our hearts against any nor wish them any hurt this is a poor description of Christian charity and may be found in a Turk
as these affected your hearts with a sense of your iniquities humbly betake your selves to God and lay open all before him by a free and full confession acknowledge what wretched hainouâ— sinners you are and how unworthy of the least favour and beg of him to work and increase in you that true and kindly sorrow for sin which may fit you for mercy And cease not by your good will from this confession till you finde your souls even melted within you in the apprehension of your own vilenesse but however cease not till you finde in your hearts a loathing of every sin and of your selves by reason of it And if you have but an inward sense of your sores and pollutions you will not want such words to expresse it as will be acceptable to God only see that you be sincere and let your heart make your confessions rather than your tongue Labour to be as sensible of your case as you would be if now you stood before a King whom you had offended from whom except you could beg a pardon you must presently be put to death of which pardon there was good hope if he did but perceive you to be really sorry for your fault Oh how affectionate and earnest would you be in this case and would have words at will to expresse your self How passionately would you acknowledge and bewail the offence you had committed and with what vehemence professe against ever being guilty of the like And how importunately would you beg for mercie when you saw no other way but present death if your importunitie did not prevaile Thus behave your selves towards God and believe that he stands over you now in your Closet and hearkens to your Prayers and observes whether you be heartie in them or not But remember all this while it is an inward-dislike and abhorrence of sin wherein the truth of your Repentance consists more than in bare confessing it and speaking against it with the greatest fervour these are required too but beware of taking up with these Beware I say as ever you hope for mercie of retaining any secret liking to sin or the least thoughts of continuing in it still whilst with a great deal of stir you revile it as such an abominable thing But rather if you finde in your souls a kinde of hankering after some old lust not yet thorowlie mortified betake your selves to those considerations which may bring you out of love with it as how little its like to do for you what an happinesse it doth now and will hereafter deprive you of what a miserie it leads to with other the like formerlie laid down and quit not these thoughts till you finde your selves turned against it For once again let me assure you then and never till then is your Repentance right when you are not only brought to grieve for sin but to hate it when your hearts are not only broken in the remembrance of it but are broken off from and thorowlie bent against it Though this exercise of Repentance seems most properly preparative to the work you are going about yet in such a penitent humble frame would I have you be even when you are at the Lords Table If you eat this bread and mingle the Wine with tears it will be never the worse for your souls And must it not needs affect thee to behold Christs body broken and his blood poured out here in a figure and then to think with thy self This was sin my sin even my pride and earthlinesse and all the wickednesse of my heart and life was part of that load which he bare on his own bodie on the Cross when he cried out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Might not the Lord call to me and even shew me the Print of my many grievous sins in his hands and feet and the deep stabs they gave him and yet ungratefull wretch that I am how little have I valued this his love how little hath my heart been affected herewith where had I been and what had become of me if he had not thus undertaken for me Oh what had my sins brought upon me if he had not interpos'd and kept it off how mad and senslesse have I been in venturing upon sin harbouring and delighting in sin Sin which is so hainous a thing that without shedding of blood it will never be remitted and for which no blood but that of Christs could obtain a remission How more especially hainous then is my guilt in undervaluing this blood so much and so long as I have done How base was my heart to give entertainment to sin after I had heard what it had done against Christ and to deny entertainment to him after I had heard how much he had done for me Was his kindnesse such as to bleed for my sins and shall not I weep for them especially for the unkindnesse I have shewn to him As God never shew'd greater love to Man than in delivering up his Son for our offences so he never shew'd greater hatred of sin than by this action and therefore conformably as we ought hereby to be brought to the greatest love of God so to the deepest hatred of sin and humiliation for it But I have formerly more fully shewn how the consideration of Christs death may bring us to true Repentance and what I there spoke chiefly of a change of state may be applied to the particular exercise of Repentance wherefore I shall insist no more on this Onely let me meet with an Objection that may perhaps be in the minds of some namely That sorrow for sin at this time scarce seems consistent with that hope of mercy that joy and thankfulnesse which are chiefly required in the Communicant Know therefore that I presse no sorrow but what is a preparation to joy and doth even animate and exalt it whilst the humble Christian reflects upon his own nothingnesse and unworthinesse and thence is carried forth to the greater admiration of that mercy that hath so favourably regarded him And take notice farther that I would have the sense of Divine bounty chiefly to raise and keep up this humiliation whilst we think with our selves Oh what wretched creatures are we thus to offend so loving a Father who notwithstanding all our provocations is yet compassionate towards us and upon our return to him is so readily reconciled To retain this apprehension of love in the midst of our mournings will make them most ingenuous and even pleasant to our souls and though it will make us sincere and deep in our repentance yet it will so moderate our spirits that we shall not sorrow as those without hope and I could wish that Christians in all their sorrowings would observe this rule But then that such an ingenuous shame and sorrow as this is consistent with the greatest confidence of mercy there is not the least doubt for which to omit all further proof of a matter so plain see that very
yours all that is in Heaven or Earth to do you good is yours also by vertue of that Covenant which shall never fail faithfull is he that hath promised and will do it Wherefore this Sacrament which you are about to receive being a seal of that Covenant you are to take it as an assurance and pledge that all the blessings of it such things as I directed you to pray for shall be bestowed upon you in that time and order which God sees best Here then you see is work for faith if you would receive the comfort which this Ordinance holds forth And more particularly I shall tell you in two words what it is for principally and in what manner you are here to exercise faith 1. Look upon the Sacrament as sealing to you a full and free pardon of all the sins you stand guilty of whether by nature or practice so that none of them shall be laid to your charge so as to condemn you at judgment And for your clearer proceeding herein you are to apprehend the Sacrament as joyn'd to the promise of pardon in the Gospel and so to look upon it as a Seal annext to a Writing that promiseth mercie to Rebels that submit themselves And if a King should send his Officers with many such Writings to a Companie of Men that were risen up in Arms against him and the Officer should tell them Sirs here 's a gracious message sent you from the King here are Papers under his own hand wherein he assures a Pardon to such of you that will now come in and here 's also his own Seal put to them for your greater assurance all which for your security I 'le put into your hand presently if you submit your selves They who upon this come in and take these Papers have a pardon thereby given them which they may boldly produce if afterward they should be accused Even thus are you to conceive God's Embassadour saying to you Aâ—l you that are willing to receive Jesus Christ to rule over you and save you he hath promised in his Gospel to forgive all your sins and beside that of Baptisme hath ordained the Sacrament of his Supper as a Seal of this gracious promise his Instrument of pardon and here I stand by his appointment to give out the same You now who find your selves willing thus to receive Christ are to take this Sacrament as an assurance that this promise shall be made good to you and so look upon it and with this quiet your conscience when it is unjustly clamorous and silence Satan when he haunts you with temptations to despair Then say within thy self Here 's the word of God assuring forgivenesse to all that take Christ for their Lord and Saviour which by his grace I finde my self inclined and enabled to do and he hath bound this word with his oath and to both he hath added his Sacraments as Seals and shall this three-fold cord be broken what should give me satisfaction if this do not wherefore be gone Satan shall I not rather believe thou art a liar who tellest me repent and believe and do all that I can my sins are so great they can never be forgiven than once suspect that the most true God will ever revoke that which he hath said and sworn and sealed to And at the great Judgment Day of Christ will own his Hand and Seal and then solemnly acquit thee whom he now pardons by his Gospel Safely then maist thou triumph with the Apostle Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It 's God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth It 's Christ that died c. And this Christ with his whole purchase is made over to thee oh believing soul. Even by this Sacrament is his blood as effectually made thine to wash off all the guilt that cleaves to thee as if thou hadst been bath'd in his warm blood to that purpose yea much more effectuâ—lly 2. The other Direction I would give you is That you take the Sacrament as an earnest of the everlasting glory which shall shortly without question be vouchsaft to you who remain stedfast in your Covenant with God Here in like manner you are to look upon the Gospel as a Deed of Gift whereby through Christ an Inheritance in the Heavens is setled upon you to which Deed also the Sacrament doth Seal Even as an House is made over by the delivery of a Key and Land by a Turf so there is a kinde of conveyance of Heaven it self made to you by the delivery of the Sacramental Bread and Wine into your hands And when you receive them imagine you heard God saying to you Here poor soul take this in earnest of that eternal life which I have prepared for and will bestow upon thee And if the heavenly Kingdome be thus assured to you on condition of your continuance in the love of God you need not question but all things needfull for your passage thither are herein comprehended If you shall have glory given you then be sure you shall have that grace which may fit you for and bring you to it whereof I shall speak particularly under the next head And if you are thus richly provided for as to your souls do you think your bodies shall be neglected No never fear it whatever shall be found really good for you shall be vouchsaft What shall you have Christ and his spirit grace and glory And do you question whether you shall have food and raiment Will the Father make his Son Heir of all when he comes to age and will he not afford him a maintenance till then only refer all your concernments to God to deal with you as he shall think fit and question not but hee 'l dispose of all to your contentment if you be reasonable The whole World is in the hands of your Father and it is not for want of power or love if you have not the greaâ—est share in it but it is from his wisdome and mercy which will rather give you the best He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for you and hath given him to you how shall be not with him freely give you all things Rom. 8.32 Would you have a larger word Is there any thing you want not contained in this The like you may see 1 Cor. 3.21 22. Things present and things to come all are yours yee being Christs And as godlinesse thus hath the promises of this life and that which is to come so both sorts of promises are here confirmed to you by the Sacrament which is a seal of that full Covenant wherein blessings both of the right hand and of the left are given to Believers You may see then I hope by this time that this is no common Bread and Wine which is appointed for so great purposes If a tuig was given into your hands whereby some great estate was conveyed to you you would value it sure above a
thou dar'st not affirm either of these beware how thou mincest and lessenest thy sins when thou should'st repent of and bewail them for by so doing thou dost in effect thus blaspheme God Oh then let sin be call'd to the barre indict it for a murtherer as well thou mayst accuse it as guilty of the bloody death of the Lord of Life shew all the wounds and stabs that it gave him and see that thou pronounce sentence against it even utter death without any pity or remorse and heartily lament thy own basenesse in having so long given loving entertainment to such a monstrous murtherer and traitour And when ever thou find'st any favourable thoughts of sin arising in thy breast call to mind what it did against Christ and let that make thy heart rise against it and even boil with an holy hatred and desire of revenge And let the frequent remembrance of those streams of blood which thy sins fetcht from him open thy eyes to shed streams of tears or however work thy heart to an unfeigned sorrow for all thy iniquities for which thy Saviour was thus wounded 2. The next thing I would have have thee to enlarge thy meditations upon in the sufferings of Christ in order to the bringing of thee to a kindly repentance is that unspeakable love which is hereby manifested to the lost sons of men when I speak of Repentance I mean not meerly thy shedding of a few tears but an inward change of thy mind as I before shewed that thou should'st turn from Sin to the love of God and I know not what can be more likely to produce this than to shew thee the intolerable evil and mischief of sin that thou maist turn from it and the infinite goodnesse of God that thou maist be drawn to him Both these the Crosse of Christ most admirably holds forth so that well might the Apostle call Christ crucified the wisdome of God and the poweâ— of God 1 Cor. 1.23 24. How it shews the evil of sin to bring us to loath and leave it I have already shown and shall doe more in two following particulars That which I would now set thy thoughts upon is the inconceivable love of God in giving Christ for us and of Christ in being willing to lay down his life that as many as believe in him might not perish but have everlasting life Consider seriously how the great God hath sent after thee a poor worm the God whom thou hadst sinn'd against makes thee offers of peace the God who needs thee not yet appears desirous of thy happinesse when he might have poured out everlasting wrath upon thee he was willing to shew his compassion And see what he hath done in order to thy recovery He hath sent his own Son made of a woman made under the Law and delivered him to death for our offences and accepted of the satisfaction he hath made on the behalf of all that shall by him come to that God from whom they are faln and by his death not onely pardon of sin and deliverance from hell but a glorious Kingdome that shall never fade is purchast for all true Believers So that here 1. Thou seest plainly there is hope of pardon and acceptance upon thy hearty sorrow for and resolutions against sin And whom would not this encourage to come in freely acknowledging and protesting against their former backslidings and rebellions If indeed thou wast past hope it were as good keep thy sins while thou maist and make thy best of them But this is not yet thy case and if it hereafter should be thou maist thank thy own wilfulnesse For Jesus Christ hath brought in a better hope there is by him liberty proclaim'd to the captive freedome to all that are bound ease and rest to all that are burdened a pardon to all that are penitent And what will not this make thee stirre Is a golden Scepter held forth and wilt thou not lay hold of the opportunitie Is God willing to put up all the affronts he hath received from thee if thou wilt now come and submit thy self and will not this bring thee in Is he ready to be reconcil'd and art thou backward what dost thou rather hold off because he doth so invite and importune thee to him Because he is pleased with so much earnestnesse and compassion to call thee off from sin to himself dost thou the more securely run on in wickednesse Oh base ingratitude and meer madnesse Because there is hope of pardon discovered by the Gospel as procured by Christ therefore even therefore doe wretched sinners harden their hearts and embolden themselves to continue at a distance from God as if it was a matter of nothing to get their peace made with him or as if he must of necessity pardon and save them let them live as they list Thus vilely doe they pervert the very design of the Gospel Whereas were they ingenuous and reasonable they would acknowledge it to be a most forcible motive and engagement to cast away sin to hear that there was hopes of having forgivenesse and favour from God If a company of Subjects should rebell against their Prince what course would be more effectuall in all probability to reclaim them than to assure pardon to all that would throw down their arms But if they should be so base as to abuse the mercy of their Prince and think because he was so compassionate they might the safelier persist in their rebellion it is but just they should be destroy'd If thou love thy soul then beware how thou abusest the grace of God Wilt thou put away from thee the evil of thy doings wash thee and make the clean and so with humility and submission flie to God for mercy if so this mercy through Christ shall be assuredly thine But otherwise know there is not a word of comfort for thee in the whole Gospel nothing but what may strike thee with terrour For remember well that the death of Christ gives all the encouragement in the world to Repentance but not the least to Sin Yea it hath done more to destroy sin than all the terrours and threatnings of the Law Well then though thou art a lost sinner departed from God once without hope yet behold the God of heaven and earth takes pity on thee he would not have thee utterly perish though thou hast done so much to destroy thy self He calls thee back to him if thou wilt hearken and obey and humble thy self before him for thy departure from him and for all the dishonours done to his holy Name and wilt now at length devote thy self to his fear thou need'st not doubt of his favour So then here 's hope of mercy that may encourage all that hear it to Repentance 2. And in the next place there is so much love and goodnesse manifested in that way whereby this mercy is procured and tendered that may serve to work upon the hearts of all but flat
Infidels or bruitish sinners that will not be brought so much as once to consider of it or seriously regard it Here is love that passeth the full comprehension of Men or Angels Here are mysteries and unsearchable treasures of goodnesse Wherein could God commend his love more to the faln World than in giving his Son to die for us when we were without help And what greater love can be shewn than that which Christ hath manifested in laying down his life for his friends nay for enemies that they might be made friends for the ungodly that he might reconcile them to God Vile wretches that we are no more to be affected with this amazing discovery of divine bounty It s true indeed there are many things we are yet ignorant of which makes this love the lesse apprehended in its due dimensions Did we know more the infinite Majesty of God and our meannesse compared to him and how provoking a thing Sin is and how contrary to his nature did we know more what strange condescension there was in God's manifesting himself in flesh what bitter things our blessed Saviour endured for our sakes did we know the greatnesse of that misery he hath sav'd Believers from and of the glory he hath prepar'd for them did we clearly know these and all other heightning circumstances our admiration and astonishment would be unexpressible as it will be when they are more fully reveal'd to us But though at present we â—re much in the dark yet so much of them we know that would we duly ponder them we should even amazed cry out oh the depth of the riches of the wisdome and goodnesse of God! And what will not this prevail with thee oh back-sliding sinner to deal ingenuously and dutifully with that God who hath revealed such abundant mercies to win thee to himself when thou hadst undone thy self and the Law which thou hadst broke had past its sentence upon thee when thou mightest justly have expected the execution behold without thy seeking a gracious reprieve And more than so when thou might'st have had a Pursuivant speedily dispatcht to hurry thee to deserved torment behold a Saviour interposing to prevent thy ruine Instead of an unchangeable doom behold an Act of oblivion assuring pardon upon easie conditions Doe but deliberately weigh these things with that seriousnesse which becomes a man and see if there be nothing in them that may perswade thee to a sound repentance for sin and a speedy return to the God of love What dost thou think if thou wast a mean Tenant and hadst wilfully in some discontended fit pluckt down the House thou liv'st in so wast in danger to lie in the open fields and to be severely punisht as thou hadst deserved what now if after all this thy Landlord pitying the misery thou hadst brought thy self to should courteously come to thee and offer to build up thy House again in a more sumptuous manner than ever and set it at a lower Rent onely requiring thee to confesse thy former folly and promise to be so guilty no more but to live thy new-built House and doe thy best to keep it in repair and to accept of his help for what thou could'st not doe thy self and suppose he should even impoverish his own children through this courtesie to thee what dost thou think thou should'st now doe in this case is it any hard matter to determine would'st thou not think he dâ—served to be taken for a mad-man that should stand justifying his former offence and would not thankfully accept these courteous offers I dare say Reader if this was thy case thou art not so foolish or stubborn but thou would'st quickly resolve what to doe and this mercy and bounty of thy Landlord would even win thy heart for ever and thou would'st think thou could'st never be sufficiently thankfull for his kindnesse nor doe enough to make him amends And would indeed the gentlenesse and liberality of a man thy fellow-creature thus affect thee and shall not the loving kindnesse of God which hath appeared in Jesus Christ have much more power upon thee Dost thou not believe that our God hath done as much to engage his creatures to himself as this comes to Hath not he shewn as much pity and tendernesse to the souls of men as that would be to the body If thou doubt it look back upon the state of man and consider Gods gracious dealings with him Did not he by his own folly and disobedience cast himself out of Paradise and by wilful sin deface and even destroy the workmanship of God And yet did not God take pity on us in our blood when we were cast forth to the loathing of our persons Did not he contrive the way for our reconciliation to himself and beseech us to accept of it And doe we not read that in order to our enriching tâ—e Son of God did as it were impoverish himself and that we might be fill'd with the fulnesse of God emptied himself and became of no reputation And what an heart must that prodigall Son have who will not be affected with the kindnesse of his Father who takes care for and seeks after him when he had foolishly forsaken his Family and done what he could to put himself out of his Fathers care And is courteously entreated to return back to that comfortable â—tate and relation whence he had banisht himself and upon condition of his return sees another better estate provided for him instead of that he hath wasted and finds his arms opened to embrace him against whom he had lift up his hand Methinks if thou believ'st that God hath shewn such love to man it cannot but have some force upon thee to bring thee back again to him from whom thou hast run away and so long kept at a distance and must needs prevail with thee to cast away with grief and shame whatever is displeasing to him and doth estrange thee from him And except thou be an unreasonable Infidel thou canst not but believe it for it is plainly revealed in Gods holy Word where also we find the greatnesse of this love inculcated in Gods having regard to us and first looking after us when we took no thought for our selves how to get his favour 1 Joh. 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins Rom. 5.6 8. For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly God commendeth his love toward us in that whilst we were yet sinners Christ died for us And as Christ died to bring us to God so the consideration of this love should drâ—w us to him By this mercy chiefly we are engaged to offer up our selves a living sacrifice to God which is our reasonable service Judge thy self is it not most reasonable that we should give up our selves to that â—od who spared not his own Son but delivered him up for
get no good by him but die in their sins which may bring all that are not in love with damnation out of love with that sin which will at length plunge them into it And thus you see how many motives to true Repentance are afforded us from the serious meditation on the Cross and Passion of Christ as this discovers to us the hainous nature of sin and as there is such mercy and love hereby reveal'd as may work upon and reclaim all that are ingenuous gratefull or wise for themselves and as this makes sin more monstrously vile which shall be committed against such mercy and as it shews that all men living in sin dying out of Christ are like to undergo unsufferable torments for their obstinacy And thus I have finisht the second qualification which is necessary to all worthy Commucants to wit True Repentance an unfeigned sorrow for a detestation of and a turning from all wilfull sin in heart and life CHAP. IV. III. A right remembring the great end of the Death of Christ to Redeem us from all iniquity and sanctifie us Of Faith and Covenanting with Christ. IT must needs be that if we rightly Remember the Death of Christ in the Sacrament we must then Remember to what end and purpose this was and this we shall plainly find in Scripture to be that he might Redeem man from that sinfull miserable state he was faln into and restore him to a state of holinesse and happinesse in the enjoyment of God from whom he was faln So 1 Pet. 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Ephes. 2.16 17 18. Heb. 7.25 And this is the meaning of all those places which speak of the Redemption we have obtain'd by Christ if we take it in its largest signification And to this purpose he offers himself to men to be their Redeemer to conferre upon them the pardon of their sin and give them victory over all their corruptions and the temptations of Satan and to lead them by his Spirit through this dangerous world till he shall bring them with triumph into the kingdome of the Father Now hence it follows that no man can Remember Christ as he ought who will not receive him to these ends and purposes for which he offers himself which is our believing in him For is he a fit man to celebrate Christs Remembrance who hath no love for him nor any liking to his undertaking nor will be perswaded to comply therewith And such are all they who reject him and the tenders of his mercy except they might have them in their own way and that doe flatly contradict his design in becoming our Mediatour by continuing still in their naturall corrupt estate alienated from God and liable to his wrath that is who are unbelievers So that here I mean no more than That without Faith in Christ we cannot rightly Remember him without we so believe that he is the onely Saviour of mankind that we resolve he and none but he shall be our Saviour in the way that he himself thinks fit But to make it yet plainer how unfit all such rejecters of Christ are to come to this holy Supper consider that our receiving of the Sacrament is appointed to be on our part as a token and sign of our making and renewing our Covenant with God in Christ in which if we be sincere then it is a seal on Gods part of his being in Covenant with us a confiâ—mation of our belief that he will be our God and fulfill all his promises to us and herein he gives us an earnest and pledge of the future blessings which we shall receive from him through his Son as I shall shew under the next Head Does it not then hence appear that all those who will not be held in any such Covenant are most unfit persons to come to this Sacrament the very design of our coming to which is to shew that we are a people in Covenant with God and by this solemn action taking and eating the Bread and drinking the Wine we are to testifie that we are so and doe hereby bind our selves so to remain What would this be but with much formality to mock that God who will not be mocked and even to run upon our own damnation provoking the Lord to destroy those who so impudently take his name in vain By this practice men are guilty of a down-right lye yea of grossest perjury for Christ in effect saiâ—h All you and you onely that take me for your Lord and Saviour come and partake of this Feast which I have appointed in remembrance of the Redemption I have wrought for you and yet multitudes who will not take him for their Lord to rule over them nor will be saved from their sins by him thrust in and partake of this Supper This is just as if a General of an Army having a mind to single out some of his Souldiers for some design should say All you that are willing to go along with me hold up your hands and yet many should hold up their hands who refuse to go what would this be but to befool themselves and abuse their Leader Or as if at the first appointment of the Passeover it had been commanded that they and they only should eat of the Paschal Lamb who would go out of Aegypt into Canaan under the conduct of Moses and yet many of the Israelites should prepare and eat it either because they were hungry or because they would do as the rest did without ever thinking what was the meaning of this action or what they hereby engag'd themselves to being resolv'd still to continue in Egypt neither caring for Moses nor the Canaan which he should lead them to Thus when Christ commands that all those who will depart out of the Egyptian bondage they are in to sin and Satan and be guided by him through the wilderness of this World till they come to the heavenly Canaan that they should appear at a Feast which he hath made on purpose to entertain them there throng in others to this Table who have no right to eat thereat as having no resolutions to leave their sin and thus to follow Christ who would lead them to glory These are the men that are found without their wedding garment whom the Master of the Feast will draw out from amongst the rest and dispose of them to a place and company more suitable for them as you may read Mat. 22.10 11 12 13. So that I hope you see that its a most unsuitable and unlawfull thing for any man to addresse himself to this Ordinance who is not heartily in Covenant with God since herein he professeth himself to be so and therefore if he be not he will be found a lyar both to God and Man But since this is made by some the very nature and design of the Lord's Supper to be a Foederal rite or an
subjection yet all this is but in order to his carnal self for the procuring for it such things as cannot be had without God so that God is regarded but as a means to Self and with a respect hereto is all his service of God for the manner and measures of it fram'd and limited Thus may the covetous man whose chief end is to enrich himself pray to God for riches praise him for riches be so far just and charitable as he thinks may forward his thriving yea he may be in all things so far religious as hinders not his chief end but let this once come in competition with any duty to God so that by serving him he should impoverish himself you shall soon perceive what is his God and what rules him most as you have an example in the young man that came to Christ Mat. 19.21 22. wherefore examine I say whether thou art not a lover of thy self more than God Does not thy own will and fancy ordinarily guide thee in thy actions and affairs and is not that course taken which most conduceth to the interest of thy flesh should'st thou not then account thy self well enough provided for if thou wast but compleatly furnisht with all that in the world which tends to the accomplishing and gratifying of man as he is an inhabitant of the earth And is not thy labour most for thy desire after thy delight in such things as tend to the pleasing and advancing thy self in the world Hast thou not been most taken up in making provisions for thy flesh thinking with thy self that to be happy was to live a merry life and take thy ease and pleasure or else to get more money than thy neighbours and to have more respect and esteem that wherever thou goest thou maist be praised and admired Hast thou not taken those for the happiest men that have the greatest share of these things and hast thou not therefore envied them and hated them if they have stood in thy way and kept thee from the like Reader what saith thy conscience to this Doe but hearken and it will speak plain and tell the truth Sure thou canst not but know what thou makest the great end of thy life what it is for that thou desirest to stay in the world what thou risest for every morning and for what thou goest into this company and that and takest all thy journeys and wholly employest thy hands and head All this is either for God or for carnall Self principally for there cannot be two chief ends And if thou art one that livest to and idolizest thy self for shame take not on thee to love God above all as thou usest to doe for indeed thou dost not truly and properly take him to be God nor thy God Again let me ask thee hast thou ever found in thy soul powerfull and prevalent convictions that thou hast no way to attain true happinesse nor to escape misery but by the Lord Jesus Christ And hast thou thereupon heartily consented to his offers and to the conditions he hath appointed for the saving of thy soul being willing to be taught and govern'd by him onely hoping for pardon of sin grace and glory to be given to thee by God through him and for his sake Put the question to thy own heart didst thou ever yet see an absolute necessity of Christ so that thou took'st thy self for an undone creature without him And hath thy soul been kindly and thankfully affected with this amazing mystery of love that God hath shown to poor helplesse sinners through his Son Hath it warmed and rejoyced thy heart to consider it Thus in some good measure will it be with thee if thou art a true believer in Christ. And this depends upon the former for if thou hast taken the everlasting enjoyment of God for thy chief happinesse thou wilt then be ready to comply with that way which leads to this end and that 's onely shew'd to us in and by Christ who is himself the way to the Father and none can come to God but by him And when thou art once thoroughly perswaded of this thou canst not but willingly resign thy self to him consenting to be sav'd by him on what terms and in what way he shall appoint and prescribe to thee and this firm and prevalent consent of thy soul is true and saving faith to which the pardon of sins and everlasting life is promised This is coming to Christ receiving him and severall other way it 's exprest in Scripture but most commonly call'd our believing in him which includes in it our trusting to him for all mercy our hearkning to his teachings and our resolution sincerely to obey his commands and imitate his example Examine thy self well then whether thou hast such a sound faith wrought in thee or not Hast thou not rather contented thy self with a sluggish unfruitfull belief that Christ is the Saviour of the world without ever minding thy own particular need which thou stand'st in of him nor ever making enquiry what he would have thee doe to be saved Have not thy eyes been so far blinded that thou never yet saw'st so much evil in sin as should make thee look out for a deliverer and prize him who hath done so much to redeem thee but canst make shift well enough to live without Christ so thou canst but get those things which thou now takest to be more usefull for thee in order to thy happinesse Thus will it be with thee if thou hast set thy heart upon the pleasing and advancing of thy carnall self thou art not then like to see any great need of Christ or any excellency in him that should make him desirable for he came not into the world to help carnall wretches to the enjoyment of their idols but to turn their hearts off them to the living and true God And therefore as they who have chose this God for their portion doe make it their great work to get an interest in Christ the Mediatour and doe live upon and make use of him to bring them to their portion so they that have made the pleasing of their flesh with any worldly thing their ultimate end they are diligent in the using of all means that may help on this their base end The voluptuous bruitish sinners hunt after sensuall pleasures in their meat and drink wantonnesse sloth excessive sports and merry joviall company The covetous man who hath a greedy insatiable fancy to gratifie wholly spends himself in treasuring up wealth and he tasts sweetnesse in nothing but his gains His Bonds and Bills and Leases are better things to him than the Covenant of Grace and his Houses and Lands and Money more precious than the Blood of Christ. And so the proud and ambitious that would fain have much esteem and honour in the world which is the most naturall vice to almost every man they pursue their design by labouring to get into high places to make
zeal for him should be found pure selfishnesse And therefore they dare not make their own private apprehensions which they find not in the Creed nor in the Gospel the standard and measure of such as must passe for godly and be thought worthy their regard and esteem which is the constant note of one addicted to a party but I say they would have their friendship as large as their Lord and Masters since 't is for his sake that they have any friends at all Such is the affection which Gods Spirit works in his people and with which they are possest so farre as they are fram'd and moulded by his Spirit But moreover the charity requisite in Communicants consists not onely in a cordiall love to the godly whom they are to reckon upon as dearest friends but also in forgivenesse of injuries to all that are their enemies and have done or endeavoured to doe them wrong which temper is of flat necessity to all that would come worthily to this Ordinance Hither men come expecting a pardon and can he look for a pardon of his many and hainous sins from the great God of heaven and earth who will not forgive some small offence that he may have received from his fellow-creature Small I say for the greatest injury that can be done us by another is exceeding small and not worthy our notice so farre as we our selves onely are concerned therein Selfish men will never believe this but it 's a certain truth and so plain that many sober heathens doe with great earnestnesse inculcate it Alas what can they doe but a little hinder out thriving in the world or deny us that respect we would have by their carelesse carriage or speak meanly or falsly of us to lessen our credit Such like trifles as these are the worst that we shall ordinarily meet with from our bitterest enemies And are these such unsufferable injuries that by all means we must seek to be revenged Surely such a wicked spirit cannot enter into the breast of a Christian that remembers what he hath done against God and yet what he expects from him and what he hath already received And indeed there is nothing more likely to bring us to the performance of this duty to our brother than the serious consideration of the infinite mercy God hath shown to us in sending his Son and freely tendering forgivenesse through him This we find prest upon us Eph. 4.32 And be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 3.13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye And to engage us the more our forgiving of others is made a condition of being forgiven our selves Mat. 6.14 15. For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses How hard-hearted must that Servant be who when his Lord hath forgiven him ten thousand talents takes his brother by the throat and casts him into prison for an hundred pence How just is it that all the former debt should be charged by his Lord upon such a servant as you may find in the parable at large Matth. 18. from 23. to the end where after Christ had told how terribly that unthankfull cruell servant was dealt with he addes ver lâ—st So likewise shall my heavenly Father doe also unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespâ—sses To love God above all and our neighbour as our selves are the two great Commandments whereon depend the Law and the Prophets and which comprehend all our duty and to both of these we have the greatest help and strongest obâ—igation by the Death of Christ that ever could be thoâ—ght on Shall we not love him that hath thus loved us And shall we not shew pity and compassion to others who have received so much our selves Yea who shall be shut out from mercy if we be unmercifull No spirit in the world is so contrary to the Gospel as that of malice and revenge and retaining a secret enmity and spight against any person whatever As thou would'st escape the society and portion of Devils hâ—reafter beware how thou now entertainest this devilish nature than which nothing is more frequently forbidden in the Gospel and nothing more flatly enjoyned than the contrary temper Gal. 5.20 Now the fruits of the flesh â—re manifest which are these adultery fâ—rnicâ—tion c. hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders ver 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse fâ—ith meeknesse c. Col. 3.8 But now you also put off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy c. v. 12 13. Put on therefâ—re as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-sâ—ffering When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to rectifie the disorders they were guilty of in reference to the Lords Supper the first thing he falls upon is the Divisions that were amongst them 1 Cor. 11.18 That composednesse of soul that humility self-abasement and humble dependance upon free mercy which are so absolutely necessary for him that would profit by this Ordinance do all call for a quiet charitable frame of spirit toward our brethren when we betake our selves thereto And thus by Gods assistance have I in some measure shewn from the nature and design of this Ordinance which is to keep up the Remembrance of Christ how those persons must be qualified who can duly attend thereupon To repeat their description once again They who are furnisht with the knowledge of the necessary fundamentall truths of Christian Religion and doe believe them to be indeed truths being so verily perswaded that Christ is the Saviour of the world that they heartily consent to take him for their Saviour and therefore being humbled for and resolved presently to turn from all their evil ways doe humbly expect or at least earnestly desire the pardon of their sins from the mercy of God for his sake and are truly willing to have their hearts sanctified by the Spirit of God given out through him that they may lead an holy life and doe depend upon him to bring them to everlasting glory in the enjoyment of God upon whom they have set their dearest love and chose him as their onely portion being sincerely thankfull for the manifestations of his wonderfull love in Christ and by the power of this love are in charity with all men forgiving their enemies and having a peculiar affection to the members of Christ These and onely these are fit to partake of the Lords Supper Wherefore I entreat thee whoever thou art that would'st not wilfully delude thy own soul and rush upon this duty to thy hurt take thy self to task and