and receive more of the Grace that is in Christ Jesus for them to convince them of and shew them more clearly the evil of sin the deceits of their hearts the power of in-dwelling lusts the Wiles and Methods of Satan the necessity of Christ and his blood and of his Ordinances and Institutions To shew and convince them of the Excellency Beauty and Loveliness of Christ and the love and grace of God to them in him To Preach and hear their hearts and souls into clearer knowledge of the three persons and one eternal living God and into more acquaintance with them so likewise into more cordial and unfeigned more strong and fervent pure and constant love to him To acquaint themselves with the nature usefulness and proper life of faith perswade and work their hearts to it practically and dutifully to love it in all things works duties and conditions To arm and sence them against Satans fiery Darts and Temptations and the worlds snares and allurements To discover and detect self lusts and whatever warrs against our souls and to mortifie and destroy them and in order thereunto to know and be able expert and accurate in the use of our spiritual Weapons and Armour of proof which Christ hath sanctified and given unto us in Eph. 6. and elsewhere in the Gospel To sanctifie them throughout in soul body and spirit keep them from deadness coldness lukewarmness and indifferency of spirit and to prevent sleepiness and back-sliding from God neglect of duties and careless performance of them This Ordinance is intended for the further informing them of the holy will and mind of Christ and their duties to God and men to sweeten and dispose the heart to love and practice them and to enable them to persist in so doing without weariness and fainting grudging or disputing and with joy and delight To call back persons from their wanderings and to give them Repentance unto life These are some of Gods holy and blessed ends in setting up this Ordinance in the Church which all are indispensibly bound to aim at intend and endeavour in all their use of it See Eph. 4.10 11 12 17. Esa 30.20 21. Eph. 5.25 26 27. Eph. 3.18 19. Micah 2.7 1 Thes 4.10 Heb. 10.38 Rom. 1.16 17. 2 Pet. 3.18 1 Thes 5.23 Phil. 3.13 18. Joh. 17.17 19. Thirdly Prayer Prayer to God is a Church-Ordinance It is true that all men are bound to pray to God both publickly and privately the neglect whereof is severely threatned Jer. 10. ult It is a part of natural or moral Worship which all men ought to practise continually For as God is their Creator and they his reasonable Creatures he their Sovereign and they his Subjects and as such Creatures are to live and alwayes to have their dependency on him for their subsistence in this world so they are to express and manifest their so doing by their asking such things as they want of him For it is a Duty and Homage they owe him as him in whom they live move and have their being Acts 17.28 and profess him to be their God Protector and maintainer and expect all things from him They ought in all their wayes to acknowledge him Prov. 3.6 although they know him not in the face of Christ by any Gospel-Revelation But notwithstanding this is a Church-Ordinance also that is they are appointed to pray publickly in their meetings as a Church and that not as it is a moral Duty and agreeable to reason and mens natural principle but as it is a Gospel-Ordinance of Christ appointed for them and they commanded by him to observe it among themselves This the Church of Jerusalem was commended for Act. 2.42 And they continued in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and in prayers and in Acts 12.5 't is said that prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God Now this Ordinance in the Churches of Christ must be observed and practised as an Ordinance of his appointing who is Lord and Head of them and because it is his Sovereign will they should so do without which they cannot in the doing of it approve themselves unto him as his obedient Children and Subjects in his house For whatever work they do and whatever Ordinance they observe in the Church they are indispensibly bound to respect his will and have their eye on his Authority therein as the ground and reason of what they do and because he hath so commanded and appointed therefore they do it Moreover to the well performance of this Duty and right observance of this Ordinance in the Church there is required a peculiar Ministerial gift in the Teachers or Overseers of the Church For they cannot rightly perform this part of their work in and for the Church by their natural and common acquired gifts and parts but in and by the spirit and his Ministerial gifts and grace conferred on them for their profitable and right performance of their Works and Duties in the Church Rom. 8.26 27. 1 Cor. 12.6 7 12. Fourthly Baptism water-Baptism is another Church-Ordinance to be holily reverendly dutifully and spiritually observed The power of administring this holy Ordinance of Christ is given to Pastors and Teachers and only to such as are authorized and called to administer other Ordinances and perform other parts of the work of the Ministry Authoritatively by virtue of their Commission from Christ received Any Disciple of Christ may not administer it but such as are set 〈◊〉 part for and appointed to the work For they must do it and it must alwayes be done by men in office-power Matth. 28.18 19 20. And Paul tells us Eph. 4.11 12. That Christ gave some Pastors and Teachers for the work of the Ministry and edifying of the body of Christ And we never read in Scripture of any other than such as were called to the work of the Ministry that did Baptize any This Ordinance is instituted and appointed in Matth. 28.18 19. and it was confirmed by the constant practice of the Apostles and Teachers afterward Act. 9.18 Act. 10.47 48. 1 Cor. 15. Baptism is a Sign Token and Seal of the Gospel-Covenant as Circumcision was Rom. 4.11 for the assuring and confirming Believers of the reality of the Covenant and the gracious purposes of God to perform it and convey unto them all the Grace and blessings of it in his time To raise and strengthen their hope in Christ and God the Father by him that God is and will be their God and also the God of their Seed according to that glorious grant and engagement of God in Gen. 17.7 I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy Seed after thee in their Generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God to thee and to thy Seed after thee To which Covenant God set his Seal vers 10. This general sum or head of the Covenant given to Abraham and his Seed in their Generations we have produced and brought in
cure the Offenders 5. Labour to shine as Lights in all manner of holy Conversation and Godliness 2 Pet. 3.11 Declare whose you are and what you are to all men by your fruits of Holiness and Righteousness Matth. 5.16 Phil. 2.15 16. O remember that you are the Living Witnesses of Jesus Christ in the World Isa 43.10 12. Isa 44.8 9. Rev. 11.3 and therefore you should endeavour all you can negatively and positively by words deeds and carriages to make full proof of and give in your good Testimony to the holy Name and to the Excellency of the Grace and good ways of Jesus Christ The Churches of Christ in the World are as Beacons set on Hills which attract and draw the eyes of all men to them They watch for your halting and are very curious in marking your steps and that will be made a fault in you which is not in others Psal 27.11 12. Therefore you must be a singular People before all men and so walk as to shame your Enemies and that they may have no evil thing justly to say of you 1 Pet. 3.16 And you must not only be good negative Professors and Walkers but you must also shine and be fruitful in every good work and in gracious words and carriages You should be excellent living Witnesses to Christ and his ways by shining in Humility Meekness Temperance Love Charity Kindness Self-denyal Justice and Righteousness in Seriousness and Gravity in Sweetness and Affability and in all Holiness Heavenly-mindedness Zeal and Spirituality in Goodness Peaceableness or in what-ever Grace or Virtue may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things These are some of the things I do request of you for God and your King As likewise that you lay to heart his Love and Grace to you and endeavour to affect your hearts with them stir them up to all cordial thankfulness and oblige them to live and love forth praises to his holy Name Remember that you are under Electing Redeeming Regenerating Quickening Teaching and Comforting Love and Grace and that you are entrusted with and have the enjoyments of many glorious priviledges in your hands for the filling you with all the fulness of Christ and nourishing you up unto eternal Life in your Church-state Joh. 1.16 Eph. 4.11 16. Psal 92 Psal 132. I have some Requests to you for and in the behalf of your own Souls Indeed all the other things desired of you already have respect and relation unto the good and profit of your own Souls as well as to my good and God's Glory But that which I shall now desire of you respects your Soul directly and immediately and therefore I hope you will easily and readily grant them for your own sakes although Jesus Christ and my self are concerned in them also 1. Endeavour to profit by your means and priviledges and to grow in all Grace in your Church-state and enjoyments therein Do not rest satisfied with your Church-state and Priviledges but make serious enquiry after your gettings and what good what spiritual profit you find in them make use of them all to the gracious and holy ends for which they are given to you Namely to Teach and Instruct you to Feed and Nourish you to Arm and Strengthen you to Comfort and Refresh you to Confine and Establish you in the Faith of Christ to Purge and Sanctifie you to Confirm and Seal you up unto the day of Redemption and to convey the Spirit and Grace of Christ into your hearts To acquaint you with your selves and enable you to know and discern the worst and best of your selves what God hath done for you what sin the world and Devil have done against you To acquaint you with Jesus Christ his Love Grace Truth Providences and Benefits and to bring him into your Hearts and into Fellowship and Communion with you Therefore look after these Ends and other of like Import and see that you do indeed and in Truth prosecute and obtain them and take not up short of them Oh! be you sure to mind your Earnings in all your Enjoyments and God's Ordinances 2. Take hold of such Counsels Reproofs and Instructions as your Brethren shall give you in time of need to prevent your Sinning or to reduce and turn you back from Sin to Duty O remember that it is a choice means and one of God's Holy Ordinances to do you good yea to do you a great deal of good and an unexpressible Pleasure And therefore if you love your Souls turn not a deaf Ear to them slight them not nor harden your Hearts against them But hearken to and close up with them Embrace them as choice Mercies to you bless God exceedingly for them and love and thank your Counsellors and Reprovers heartily For it is an invaluable mercy to have such true Friends at hand who will express so much love to and care of us as that when they see us in danger of falling shall give us their preventing succouringhand to support and hold us up or when they see us fall and need their help they shall not Ham-like Gen. 9.22 go and tell others of it but seasonably give us their hands to help us up again Oh! be not angry with them but love and thank them and take receive and reverence their Voice as the Voice of God And know that if you reject and slight it or are displeased with them for their Work and Labour of Love to you you do thereby reject and slight the Voice of God and are displeased at his Merciful dispensation to you for your good For your Instructors and Counsellors were sent to you by God himself and it was he that inclined their Hearts to go and opened their Mouths to speak to you and do for you so great an office of Love Therefore be you of that wise sort of Men who will hear Reproof from their Friends Prov. 1.5 Prov. 9.8 9. Prov. 10.8 Prov. 12.15 Prov. 25.12 and own it as the Voice of God 3. Be careful that you stay not or take up in Ordinances but go to and have your eye on Christ in them We are exceeding apt to stick fast in the way of coming to God and to sit down short of the end of the God and grace of the means and without great heedfulness and circumspection in this matter we may easily run our selves deep in sin and thereby wrong our Souls as also by the want of the God and grace of the means Mind that Text in Esa 64.5 Thou meetest him that remembers thee in thy wayes namely such as seek God in his wayes and pass thorow them unto himself But observe that by sticking in and taking up with Ordinances you greatly sin against God by making a God of Ordinances setting up his Creatures in his place and Throne giving unto them his Honour and Glory and robbing him of his due You neglect the fountain of living waters and hew out to your selves broken Cisterns that can hold no
and endeavour the having of Christ upon the hardest Terms and do you desire c. that all may go for Christ his Person his Blood and Righteousness his Grace Love Life and Spirit for the pardon of your sins and Justification of your Persons that you may be found in him not having your own Righteousnesse but the Righteousnesse of Christ by Faith Phil. 3.9 and do you go and present your selves naked and as condemned Sinners to him and to God the Father in and by him that you may be cloathed with the Righteousness of Christ and that God may pardon justify and accept you for his sake only 3. Do you seriously and heartily desire chuse and endeavour to have Christ Jesus for your Lord and Ruler too Col. 2.6 that he may Rule in you and over you and that your Lusts and your selves your Interests and your all may be subject unto him and be all at his command and disposal continually Is Christ the Lord as acceptable unto you as Christ Jesus the Saviour and are you willing to obey him and subject to his Authority and Lordship as well as to be saved by him Would you have him destroy your Lusts make an end of Sin and bring all under his Obedience 4. Do you seriously and heartily desire chuse and endeavour never to sin more but to walk with God unto all well pleasing continually Col. 1.10 and do you pray earnestly that God would work in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight Heb. 13.21 that you may in all your waies honour and glorify him as the end of your living in this World 2 Cor. 5.15 Would you indeed live to the praise of his glorious Grace and be an Ornament unto his Name and Gospel and would you be fruitful in every good Word and Work Are these things the Scope aim and intendment of your hearts and Souls in some good measure and degree daily in duties and Ordinances and at other times 5. Do you seriously and heartily chuse and desire communion with Christ and do you indeed and in truth endeavour so as to obtain it and keep it do you so seek for it in the way of Gospel obedience and in observing your duty and keeping Christs commands and do you prefer it before and above earthly carnal things do your hearts breathe and pant after it and are you willing to deny self and carnal Interests to get it Are you glad when you find it and sad when by your own carelesness you lose it doth it when obtained quicken your love to and zeal for Christ doth it warm your hearts and cause them for a time to run your race in Gospel obedience cheerfully doth it lead you unto and lodge your hearts in Christ and doth it oblige and bind them faster unto him and doth it stir you up to thankfulnesse 6. Do you seriously and heartily desire chuse and endeavour to be filled with Gospel sincerity towards God and men and had you rather be sincere and real hearted towards God than seem to be so towards Men had you much rather have the Praise of God than of men and to be approved of by him than extolled by men Is it your care aim and endeavour to carry your selves sincerely before him and to approve your selves unto him under the fear conviction of his all seeing Eye Is it the great thing you mind and aim at in your profession and practice namely sincerity and uprightnesse of Heart do you make conscience of drawing near to God with it and to season every duty with this divine Salt do you indeed desire chuse and endeavour to be after Gods own Heart as David was and Nathaniels indeed in whom is no Guile although you cannot get clear nor rid your selves of all Hypocrisy as you should Is Integrity and uprightnesse of Heart in your Eye resolutions and Intentions and is all Hypocrisy hateful and abominable unto you do you love sincerity and labour after it indeed Are you afraid of Hypocrisy and do you watch and strive against it as against an Enemy to God and your own Souls and are you grieved indeed when you find it in you 7. Do you desire and chuse Jesus Christ for the great object of your Love Delight and Joy and do you find him to be so in some Measure do you desire and endeavour to make him the object of your strongest and warmest affections and to love him Sincerely Heartily Spiritually fervently and constantly and do you express your Love to him by keeping his commandements and doing the things that are wel-pleasing in his sight Joh. 14.15 1 Joh. 3.22 Are you grieved and afflicted in Spirit because you can love him no more and do you earnestly pray unto him to Circumcise your hearts to love him Deut. 30.6 and to Shed abroad his love into your hearts by the Holy Ghost that you may love him as you should Rom. 5.5 Are you glad and do you rejoyce when you find your hearts Knit to him in love and is it your trouble when it is otherwise with you doth his Love and Lovelyness attract and draw your hearts to him and doth the Love of Christ in your hearts move and draw you to obey his commands Is it so indeed do you find it so sometimes with you 8. Is it the desire choice and endeavour of your Hearts and Souls to have all sin purged out of your Hearts and to have them filled with Christ Grace Truth and Holyness and do you hate your sin watch and arm against it and endeavour to keep it under do you indeed aim at desire labour and strive to be holy in Heart and Life and conformable unto Jesus Christ in all things Are your Lusts your heaviest Burdens and your greatest afflictions and do you intend and endeavour their utter ruine and destructions will no degree or measure of Grace satisfy you but you must and will be perfect to the utmost as Christ is Are you so much concerned with Christs honour your Souls holyness and happiness as that you dare not knowingly sin against them for a World or do in word or deed directly or indirectly by omision or commission that which may dishonour grieve or wound them Are these things so indeed 9. Have you a measure of Spiritual knowledge and discerning of Spiritual things do you a little understand the nature and concernments of a house of God and the work and duties the priviledges and enjoyments thereof and what you have to do there have you studied and learnt these matters and do you in measure understand them and can you make a right and competent Judgment of the ends of God in Instituting and erecting of Holy Temples and Spiritual Churches 10. Do you intend purpose and resolve in the light Life and power of Christ to seek for and endeavour unfainedly to obtain and prosecute the ends of Church fellowship when you shall be accepted among them and do you desire and aim at the
water it for his use that it may bring forth fruit to his Glory And intending to imploy and make such use of them there he enriches all that he sends with his own Ministerial Gifts Eph. 4.8 10 11 12. When he ascended up on high he led Captivity Captive and gave Gifts unto men He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things And he gave some Apostles and some Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Here is an account of his Gifts and the person receiving them and also the end for which To the same purpose the Apostle speaks in Rom. 12.6 and 1 Cor. 12. as you may read there at large from the beginning to the end Where you have an account of the several Gifts themselves which are called Spiritual vers 1 2. The Authour or immediate Doner of them 7. as also the end of the Spirits giving them unto men and the place where they should be exercised and laid out 7 28. and in other verses there These Ministerial Gifts are not given to all Believers because they are not intended nor called to the work and Office of the Ministery in the Church but they are intended and given to them whom Jesus Christ sends into his Church and enclines the Churches hearts to call and accept them for their Officers and Ministers Secondly As they must be gifted with ministerial Spiritual Gifts so they must be graced also with special saving Grace for the spiritual and evangelical discharge of their Ministerial work in the Church or else they will never be able Ministers of the New Testament although they may be of the Letter 2 Cor. 3.6 They must be called out of darknesse into the marvellous saving light of Christ 1 Pet. 2.9 and be the Children of Light Eph. 5.8 before they can hold forth indeed the light of the Gospel and grace of Christ unto others They must be first taught of God themselves before they can spiritually teach others and be tutored in Christs School before they will be wise Builders up of the Body of Christ in the Mysteries of his Kingdome Mark 4.11 They must first have the Spirit of God in their own hearts to make them wise unto Salvation before they can make others wise unto Salvation They must not learn their Lessons without in mens or Gods Books but they must also experience and be able to read the Gospel within that they preach to others They must first learn and be acquainted themselves with and in the right way to Heaven before they can be good Pilots and Guides of others thither They must first be quickened and enlivened themselves by with the Life of Jesus before they can claim a right to the Ministry of Christ in his Church or hold forth and rightly communicate the word of Life to others Many think that Grace is not necessary in a Minister or for the Ministry where are ministerial Gifts and as they say a blamelesse conversation but surely the special Grace and Spirit of Christ are the only necessary and useful things if I may so speak for the fitting and qualifying a Gospel-Minister a Church-Officer and Guide But undoubtedly it is a mistake for how can they bring out of their Treasury things new and old for the profit of men if there be none laid in A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things Matth. 12.35 And men cannot gather Grapes of Thornes and figs of Thistles Matth. 7.16 And what are Hypocrites but such Are they not in darknesse and doth not the Lord Jesus call the Scribes and Pharisees and Doctors of the Law Fools and Blind notwithstanding their great Gifts Are not all unregenerate and gracelesse persons ravening Wolves although covered with Sheeps-skins and doth not Christ caution his Sheep against them and charge them to take heed and beware of them Mat. 7.15 And when Christ sends forth labourers into his Vineyard says he to them I send you forth as Sheep in the midst of Wolves Matth. 10.16 Christ doth not say I send forth Wolves in Sheeps cloathing to convert nourish and build up my Sheep unto eternal life Moreover Ministers must not only preach to men from the head the subject of meer Gifts but from their hearts also from strong affections tender bowels of compassion and sincere Love to Souls which they cannot do until they are made new Creatures holy and gracious men For how can they love and pity others Souls who have no love and pity for their own and how can they affectionately perswade men who know not experimentally the terror of the Lord 2 Cor. 5.11 How can such open the Mystery and spirituality of the Gospel unto men who were never taught it themselves and how can they so preach the Gospel of Life who are yet dead in Sins themselves as to enliven others Therefore all the Ministers that Jesus Christ impowers and sends into his Churches in special love and mercy he first graceth with his special light life joyns and unites them to himself and puts some of his own Image Nature and qualities upon them before he sends them or will be with them and blesse them Can or will such take care of the Church of Christ as such to water and break the Bread of Life unto them who take no care about their own Souls nor care what becomes of them And if Jesus Christ will have none but real hearted Believers and living Members of his Body in his Churches as hath been shewed then certainly he will not allow or approve of Gracelesse and unregenerate Guides and Overseers in them and if his Churches are holy Temples appointed for his presence and residence his Glory and delight as they are as hath been shewed then assuredly he will not have carnal and unbelieving Stewards in them to manage all the affairs and concernments of them And if all his Laws and Ordinances which he hath given to his Churches be holy and spiritual as they are and Church-Officers I mean the Pastors and Elders are to be his mouths to them and the Churches mouths to him and to administer his holy and Spiritual matters and things in his Name to his Glory and the Churches Spiritual profit then surely they ought to be holy and spiritual Men. For will he own such for his Ministers as have no acquaintance with him or Relation to him who have no peculiar love for him nor dependance on him who have not hearts to obey him and make him the great end of their work and who never received the Truth in the love of it into their own hearts Will the holy and loving Head and Husband of his Church set over them Christlesse lifelesse and gracelesse men as all unregenerate persons are who neither
to know and obey them in Truth First The first and greatest is love love and spiritual Affections are the holy Cords that tye the hearts souls and judgments of Believers one to another This is that which together with the fear of God makes them avoid all things whatever may give just offence or Administer griefe to one another and that which provokes them to follow after the things that make for Peace and the things that tend to Edification Love is the Bond of Peace Eph. 4.2 3. 'T is that which together with Divine light and truth causes Church-members to draw together as in one yoke and unanimously as with one heart and soul to design aim at and carry on mutual and common good in the Church Phil. 2.1 2. 1 Cor. 13.5 Without this love one to another they cannot will not Cement nor long abide and live together as a Church in Peace and Unity nor promote any good work among themselves without heart knitting-knitting-love one to another in the fear of God they will receive and entertain Jealousies and Suspicions one of another and put the worst construction on whatever is said or done and they cannot walk together comfortably and profitably to and with one another where and when they are entertained Therefore it is absolutely needful and necessary for all Church-members to be firmly United and constantly joyned together in cordial love and charity which is the Bond of Perfectness to and in all other Duties Col. 3.14 God highly commends and strictly commands this love one to another and puts it into the hearts of his peculiar People that they may do what he commands 1. God highly commends it wherever he finds it in Act and Exercise 1 Thes 4.10 And indeed sayes he ye do it towards all the Brethren Col. 1.4 8. 2 Cor. 8.7 1 Thes 1.3 to which Duty and to manifest his high approbation of it God hath promised a great Reward Heb. 6.10 2. God commands it and vehemently exhorts to and urges it on them almost every where in the Gospel Oh! how importunately did the Lord Jesus enjoyn it and frequently press it on his Disciples when he was on Earth Joh. 13.34 A new Commandment give I unto you what is that new Commandment why that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another And in Joh. 15.12 17. This is my Commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you That is take the Pattern of my Love to you for your love to or in loving one another I have and do love you 1 with great love Joh. 15.13 so do you likewise 2 My love to you is free without any desert in you let yours be free love without carnal Respects one to another also 3 My love to you is real hearty and unfeigned So let yours be to one another also Rom. 12.9 1 Pet. 1.22 4 My love towards you is an exceeding fruitful love I loved you so as to labour toyl sweat and dye for you I loved you so as to humble and debase my self for you and all to do you good so must you love one another with a fruitful profiting love For as I have loved you so you must love each other 5 My love to you is a pitying sparing and forgiving love a forbearing and tender hearted love so must yours be to one another likewise Col. 3.12 13. 6 I love you with a warm and fervent love so do you love one another with pure hearts fervently 1 Pet. 1.22 7 I love you with a holy spiritual love not as you are Men and have reasonable Souls but as new Men who have my Image stampt on and my holy Nature in you and as you are made perfect by the comeliness and beauty that I have put upon you Ezek. 16.14 2 Pet. 1.4 So do you love one another with a holy spiritual love namely because you are a lovely and a holy People unto me 8 I love you with a constant and unchangable love and that with a notwithstanding all your weaknesses yea unkindnesses to and unworthy walkings before me Whom I once love with a special and peculiar love I continue to love for ever Joh. 13.1 And I have engaged that not any thing shall separate you from me and my love Rom. 8. ult Thus you are bound to love one another even as I have loved and shall alwayes love you And as the Lord Jesus commanded and enjoyned this by the word of his own mouth So likewise by his Apostles They do frequently and vehemently urge and press this Duty on Church-members every where and back all their Commands from Christ with most strong and cogent Arguments Rom. 12.9 Rom. 13.8.9 10. Eph. 4.2 15 16. Eph. 5.2 1 Thes 5.8 1 Pet. 1.22 1 Pet. 3.8 1 Joh. 3.23 Chap. 4.7 These are a few of the many places where you may find this great Duty enjoyned on Believers and Church-Members which they are indispensibly bound to observe and obey And therefore God sheds this love into their hearts and Teaches them to improve and use it in loving one another 1 Thes 4.9 Rom. 5.5 For he gives his People and enables them to do that which he commands and requires of them and therefore the business of such Stewards is to use their Trust well and all lies on their diligence and faithfulness in Stewarding of it as good Stewards of Gods Grace Oh! That Church-members and all other Christians would seriously sincerely diligently and constantly mind and practise this great and indispensible Duty to one another in all their wayes and doings and not lay it aside as a little useless or indifferent matter which they may neglect and dispense with the omission of at their own will and pleasure Secondly As we are indispensibly bound to love one another as you have heard so we are as peremptorily absolutely and indispensibly bound to walk lovely and encouragingly towards one another that by our unlovely and unworthy walkings we lay not stumbling-blocks in the way of love or discourage such from loving us by our unlovely carriages as do conscientiously aim at and endeavour so to love us as Christ commands them to do But that our Behaviours be such in all things as to invite all to love us as holy humble and blameless Saints and Brethren in Christ Very many Professors expect much love from their carnal and spiritual Relations and are greatly displeased at them if they fancy they are denyed it and cast the blame on them whilest they mind not care not how unlovely and discouragingly they walk and carry themselves towards them But believe it the Lord Jesus expects and he hath made it their Duty to walk lovely towards one another as well as to love one another Church-members are bound to love one another as holy spiritual and lovely Objects which they cannot do unless they see or have good grounds to believe them to be such indeed When they walk carnally how can they love
them as spiritual Heavenly persons and when they walk and carry themselves proudly in their Words and Deportments how can they love them as the meek and humble Members of Jesus Christ If their love must be holy and spiritual then undoubtedly the Persons or Objects of it must be such also For is it possible or doth God require me to love a Proud Churlish Touchy Peevish and Cross-grained Professor as much and with that complacency I can or may love an humble sweet meek and patient one Can I or is it my Duty so to love a sowre crabbed contentious and quarrelling Relation as a peaceable quiet affable and courteous one Is it possible for me to love a vain frothy worldly Professor and one who cares not how unlovely undesirable yea and in many things how contrary he walks to me and my love as I do or may do another Professor who is Spiritual Grave Serious and Heavenly surely we cannot love persons as holy spiritual humble useful and Heavenly persons are to be loved unless they appear to be so in their words deeds and carriages towards us neither doth God require us so to do Therefore we ought to be as careful of and see that we walk lovely towards one another as to love one another that so we may as much as possible provoke and encourage each other to love one another Heb. 10.24 and remove out of the way of love all such stumbling-blocks as may any way Impede or Obstruct it that so we may encourage all to love us really strongly sincerely fervently holily spiritually and constantly freely easily and that with delight and complacency For otherwise as it will be most absurd and irrational for us to expect it from them so it will be impossible for them so to love us And by our own contrary walkings and carriages we wrong our selves of their love to us and tempt them to sin against God and injure their own Souls We shall grieve their hearts and tempt them to withdraw their love and kindness from us and thereby offend God grieve and vex his holy Spirit and by little and little to withdraw his loving Countenance from us Thirdly Christ hath charged and strictly commanded all Church-members to live in Peace to be at Peace among themselves and to follow Peace with all men and as much as in them is to live peaceably with all men Oh! how often and with what vehemency doth the Lord Jesus and the Holy Ghost by the Apostles press enjoyn this Duty especially among Church-members every where in the Gospel see some Texts Psal 34.14 1 Pet 3.11 Rom. 14.19 2 Cor. 13.11 1 Thes 5.13 Heb. 12.14 Eph. 5.3 And the Apostle tells us that God hath called us to Peace not only to the Peace of God in our own Souls and amity with him but with one another 1 Cor. 7.15 such walkings and carriages one to another when in love and Obedience to God are pleasing to him but strife discord and contention and such like practices are most hateful and abominable to him Pro. 6.16 17 18 19. These Six things doth the Lord hate yea Seven are an abomination to him And what is the Seventh why sowing discord among Brethren This wickedness is so hateful to God as the words cannot sufficiently declare his abhorrency of it Hence we often find the Holy Ghost by Paul earnestly dehorting Church-members from all debates strifes and contentions one with or against another especially in their Church-meetings Phil. 2.3 Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory and vers 14. Do all things without murmurings and disputings Rom. 13.13 And the word of God doth every where condemn it as a most accursed Weed and venomous Plant a Cockatrice egg and devilish Serpent Pride is that Womb that bears it Pro. 13.10 and the lusts of the heart Gal. 5.20 and the Devil is the Father and Authour of this accursed strife and contention Jam. 3.14 15. Blessed Paul was much afflicted to see any of it in the Churches of Christ as knowing from whence it sprang and what the fruit and end of it would be what wrong it would do their Souls and what Reproach it would lay them under How it would reflect on Christ and his wayes and render them all contemptible How it would hinder their profit and produce many vile Monsters among them As Envy Wrath Railing evil surmisings Hatred Back-bitings Swellings and Divisions And therefore labours to prevent the growth of them and to pull up by the Roots these pernitious Weeds and that by Counsels Reproofs Cautions Instructions and Dehortations from them and presses them and us by all cogent Arguments to avoid contention and strife and follow after Peace to the utmost of their power David tells us that it is a most pleasant and lovely thing for Brethren to dwell together in vnity Psal 133.1 2. Then how much more pleasant and lovely is it for spiritual Brethren to live and worship God so together Christ came into the World and lived here a Peace-maker and charged all his followers to follow his steps pronounces them blessed that do so Math. 5.9 and accursed who do the contrary He is a lover of Peace and Concord especially in his holy Temples where he will not have a Hammer heard but he is an implacable hater of Strife and Discord and will not endure it in them much less will he winck at such as are the first sowers of these Seeds The truth is strivers and contenders in the Churches are the Devils Agents and notorious Mischief-makers They do a world of mischief to a Church where they are and are real Plagues to or in it They greatly hinder Edification and spoil the Order Beauty and Harmony there Contenders and Disputers in a Church are the proud self-conceited men who are vainly puft up with high thoughts of themselves and their own abilities and that because they have gotten some light and notions into their heads with a volubility of speech but without spiritual wisdom and humility in their hearts and therefore they conceit that they are wiser than the Church and more able to Manage and Order Church Affairs than their Elders Their Pride and self-conceit makes them slight and contemn their Teachers and to raise up in a Rebellious contention with and opposition against them As the Prophet complains Hosea 4.4 For this people are as they that strive with the Priest They think nothing can be well done unless they have the doing of it and therefore when any good work is upon the Wheel they will do all they can to hinder it as some Churches can sadly experience Well then take heed of strife and contention and follow Peace and Concord one with another especially in your assembling together about Church-work Get humble hearts and then you will not be contentious but peaceable Fourthly Sympathize with and help to bear each others burdens as need requires You are not to live to and for your selves in a
to nourish strengthen and refresh the City of God by which they are or may be made fat and fruitful The Springs Treasures and Fountain of love and grace is opened in and to the Churches and there Christ Jesus causes the Horn of his Davids to flourish Psal 132.17 In a Church-state Believers live in the streams of all Gospel-Ordinances and therefore they may grow there as Willows by the Water-courses Esa 44.4 for there they may with joy draw water out of these Wells of Salvation Esa 12.3 The more obedient Believers are to the will of their King the more he will bless them and communicate of himself and his Grace to them Joh 14.13 14 15 16 21 23. Joh. 15.7 10. Now in a Church-state they do give up themselves in Universal professed and avowed obedience to the whole will of Christ and put themselves under all the Ordinances of Christ and so under all the blessings of the Covenant of Grace which are to be communicated to their Souls by them 3. God hath promised to impart his loves and favours to his people in their walking with him in a Church-state and Relation in a especial manner Cant. 7.12 Let us get up early to the Vineyards the Churches and Ordinances of God in them there will I give thee my loves Psal 92.12 13 14. The righteous shall flourish like the Palm-Tree he shall grow like a Cedar 〈◊〉 Lebanon But where shall they thus grow and flourish see the 13.14 verses Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God They shall still bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing Well might David say Blessed are they that dwell in thy house Psal 84.4 For great and glorious are their provisions priviledges and advantages to help and encourage them in their journey towards Heaven God hath also promised to bless yea abundantly to bless his Churches provisions and to satisfie their poor with Bread that is to fill and impower his Ordinances and their Ministry with his Presence Grace and Spirit that they may greatly profit their Souls and nourish them up to eternal life Psal 132.15 16. 4. God loves delights most in his Churches or in Believers walking together in the faith and order of the Gospel in an inchurched state Psal 87.2 3. The Lord loveth the Gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God Selah Eph. 3.17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee viz Zion vers 16. â—is mighty he will save he will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love he will rejoyce over thee with singing Where men love and delight most there they are most free and liberal to such they are most bountiful and open handed so is God to his Churches because they are in their holy walking the greatest objects of his love and delight of his joy and rejoycing therefore I say they are the subjects of his abundant grace and favours 5. Churches or Believers in a Church-state do Christ more service than when they walk singly and out of that Gospel-way and order They are now his living publick witnesses his Candlesticks that hold up his burning Candles and they are his shining lights in the World They are the seats and subjects of all his Gospel-Ordinances and the ground and pillars of truth They do publickly and openly own and profess him to be their Lord and King and to be subject to his Laws and Authority and declare themselves his true and loyal friends and subjects and that before all men They manifest in the face of the Sun that they are not ashamed of his yoke nor his so much despised word and ways but own them cleave to them and walk in them as the only good holy and safe ways Many spiritual Diamonds orderly set in one gold Ring Church form do cast their lustre and reflect their glittering light and beauty on each other and so make a more lovely and glorious sight to Beholders There they do or may wait on God their Father and Christ their Head and King with their praises and melodious Harps and that with one heart and soul Psal 65.1 Their harmonious consent in breathing forth their oneness love faith hope and delight into one anothers hearts doth greatly raise heat and animate one another in powring out their joynt love affections and praises into the ears and heart of Christ which is most lovely and pleasant unto him Cant. 2.14 6. They expose themselves to greater trouble from the World in a Church-state than in walking singly A Church is as a Beacon set on a Hill which is visible to all beholders and by their publick practical and avowed separation from the World and walking by themselves they lay themselves open thereby to their adversaries wrath and vengeance They are the Buts of their invenomed Arrows of Reproach Scorn and Contempt of their Malice Hatred and Persecution The World takes more notice of a hundred Saints walking in close and intimate communion in a Church-state than of five thousands of others who walk singly This is so obvious to all as that it needs no further proof to confirm it Now then the more Believers expose themselves to sufferings in the Lords ways and for his sake the more of his presence and blessings they shall have Esa 43.1 2. Esa 41.10 Joh. 14.15 16. chapters 1 Pet. 3.14 1 Pet. 4.12 13 14. Thirdly As Believers inchurched are priviledged with more of the presence of God and the Communications of his love and favours so likewise with mutual help and assistance from one another Their nearness in Union Fellowship and Communion their knowledge of and acquaintance with each other together with the Laws of Christ among them enjoyning them thereunto and brotherly love resulting from all capacitates enables quickens and encourages them to more and constant usefulness to one another than otherwise they could or would be Their holy and spiritual Intimacy and Communion begets and preserves warm hearty and strong love and affection one to another which inclines their hearts to mind and do their external duties to each other It prompts and puts them upon sympathising one with another on watching over one another on exhorting comforting and provoking one another to love and to good works Heb. 10.24 25. to reprove admonish and endeavour to heal each other when need requires Gal. 6.1 2. to edifie one another warn the unruly and support the weak 1 Thes 5.11 14. And is not this a great priviledge and advantage to our Souls to have such seasonable assistance one from another Is it not a great priviledge when I am tempted and burdened to have my Brethrens hands under me to support and strengthen me when by my heedlesness I have fallen and broken my bones wounded and weakned my Soul to have such a spiritual Physician to give me Physick such a good Samaritan at
them in some good measure And for your satisfaction therein I refer you unto the third Chapter of this Book beginning at page the 47th and ending at page the 55. where you will find ten qualifications requisite for Church-membership and helps to make a judgment of your selves if they be in you Therefore read them and try your selves by them and know that if you are so qualified or if you can find these signs of grace in you that then you are in a meet condition for Church membership and to partake of all the Ordinances of God's House what ever else you may want 2. But there is another sort of Neglecters of Church-fellowship and they are such whose neglects arise from their carelesness indifferency cold-heartedness stupidity and woful insensibility and not from scruples of Conscience or fears of their unworthiness They see not feel not their need of God's means and spiritual provisions they know not the worth neither do they see any transcendent excellency in them wherefore they should desire them And hence it is that they regard and desire them not they have back-slidden from God and He is departed from them shines not on their souls to keep them soft and tender nor waters them with Divine dews to make them compliant with his Will So that when they are called upon to consider their ways put themselves under all the Ordinances of Gods House and joyn in the nearest band of Communion with his People they turn a deaf ear to all that is said unto them and yet these will pretend strange things for their neglects also They will have their scruples and objections too and they cannot do so because of such and such things in the Churches They have their weaknesses miscarriages and defects and therefore they cannot joyn with them They have the sight of Beams or they see great Faults among such Congregations as otherwise they would congregate withal but they see none at home or at best but some little Motes in themselves They are too good for such Churches and the Churches are too bad for their Communion They see all the faults abroad none or very few at home in themselves and they think that this will excuse their Neglects but they are mistaken for if themselves are so good and faultless and the Churches faulty in this or that they should the rather joyn with them and by their goodness and abilities endeavour to better and mend them by their wise Counsels and holy Conversations as knowing that all Churches as Churches have their Buts as well as particular Believers their own personal Buts This is the careless Generation of Men who have lost their God and hearts in Earthly things and buried themselves and graces under the clods of worldly cares profits and pleasures and so are regardless of their own souls and indifferent what becomes of them This together with carnal self-self-love and sond affections to the good things of this world eager desires after the getting and keeping them and indulged fears of losing them lays at the bottom of all their neglects although other pretences there are or other obstructions are pretended for them to set a fair face on a foul matter This Conscience will tell them if they will hearken to it and give it leave to speak out all it hath to say in the cases against them Let me then exhort you in the Prophet's words Hag. 1.5.7 Lam. 3.40 Consider your ways and search and try your ways Ask the question in good earnest and put it home to your own Consciences and desire them to speak out plainly and tell you clearly what obstructions or matters they are that keep you from helping to build the Lord's House or Houses that hinder you from going up to the Mountain of the Lord's House from appearing before God in Zion and paying your Vows in the Mountain of his Holiness And see if that doth not hinder you which did hinder the Jews in Haggai's days what their hinderances were you may read in that Book at large And are they not the evils that hinder you from joyning your selves to the Churches of Christ and celebrating his worship and partaking of his holy Ordinances there Are not the greatest lets and impediments within you and some from a worldly concern without you Do you not consult flesh and blood and the will of the flesh in the case and not the will of God and do you not find a contest somtimes in you between Conscience and Self Conscience and the World Doth not Conscience somtimes bid you go and joyn your selves to the People and Ordinances of God and then you think of doing so and then appears Self and the World and forbids you calls you back again and puts you into another mood because you hearken to their voyce and not to Conscience which spake to you from God for God and your own Souls Well then do not stand any longer in your Neglects on vain and groundless objections and pretended scruples but stick to your duty Give your selves to the Lord and to his People by the will of God 2 Cor. 8.5 Acts 2.41 42 43. ult Fifthly You ought to joyn your selves to God's People and walk in the fellowship of the Gospel with them in the celebration of divine Ordinances of worship for the Lord Jesus Christ his sake for his Name Authority Interest and Glory's sake for that his Honour and Glory is concerned in your so doing as well as your own good You heard before that Gospel-Churches are his Temples Walks Palaces Delights and Habitations that they are his Golden Candlesticks the Seats and Subjects of his Gospel-Institutions the Beauties of his Holiness and that they are his great and living Witnesses in the World Now as a stately and well-built House affords much more honour and renown to a great man than ten thousand times as many materials whereof the said House is built whilst they lay scattered up and down in the world so a company of holy persons formed up into a holy Temple by the Word and Spirit do more honour and glorifie the Lord Christ than ten thousands of Saints can do whilst they walk up and down as scattered stones among others Christ accounts himself much exalted by his People when they do it together with one heare and mouth Rom. 15.6 We ought to cause our light to shine as clearly as possible before the World that they may see our good works adâ— glorifie God Matth. 5.16 The world knows not what to make of Professors whilst they wall promiscuously and confusedly in and with the world They cannot so well discern them from other men neither know they what to think of them and conclude them to be what they are who they are for and what they intend when they are as so many individuals as when they are knit together in fixed Congregations and walk live and converse worship God and serve one another together as a Family and Houshold of God As
to him for his love and grace to us to hold and enjoy Communion with him to grow in grace and to be filled with all the fulness of God to be warm lively and strong in our duties and performances and for such holy ends as God requires Thus you see that all Gods people are bound in duty to joyn themselves to and walk in spiritual fellowship with the Churches of Christ as also for what ends and to what purpose they should do so CHAP. XI Shewing how Church-members ought to walk and what Sins and Temptations they are obnoxious to in their Church-state with Rules and cautions against them Arguments and motives to perswade to practice the one and avoid the other Quest HOw ought Believers to walk in Church-fellowship Answ I have shewed already what their duties are and how they should carry themselves towards their Officers and towards one another in a Church-state and therefore shall not mention them here but shall answer the question in these following particulars First Church-members must walk exemplarily they should be like so many Stars in the Firmament of the Church They of all persons in the world ought to be burning and shining lights Their graces gifts words deeds and carriages should shine so clear and bright so gloriously and conspicuously as that they should have the force and prevalency of Laws on the minds of beholders so as that they may safely securely imitate follow them The Churches of Christ in the world are as so many Sea-marks Pilots Guides to Men they live more in the glory of Heaven as the Church is called in Rev. 13.6 in the beams of the glorious Son of Righteousness than others do and therefore they should give better and clearer light than others can They are much more eyed minded and observed than others are and men expect and look for more good in and choice fruits from them than they do from other men They do or may converse more with Christ and Christ with them than other men do and they are partakers of greater things from him than other men are and therefore they must be a singular People in all manner of holy Conversation and Godliness Church-members are highly dignified and greatly priviledged their holy Profession gives out bespeaks them to be a peculiar Treasure unto God and therefore they must declare before all men that they are such indeed and not in pretence only Their frames of heart words deeds and deportments must speak for them manifest them to be the same in Truth which they pretend to be Church-members words works and carriages must praise them in the Gate 1. They should be shining lights in Humility and Meekness Col. 3.12 Put on therefore as the Elect of God humbleness of mind meekness 1 Pet. 5.5 and be Cloathed with Humility Phil. 2.3 But in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart Church-members must not be high proud and lofty they may not think highly of themselves Rom. 12.3 nor cloath and deck themselves as others do They may not carry themselves strangely or disdainfully towards men but be meek and humble towards their Brethren and all men in their Apparel Words Deeds and Carriages for if this part of Christ's Image do not appear in some good measure on them they cannot have any at all A meek spirit carriage and deportment is one of their Ornaments It is in the sight of God of great price 1 Pet. 3. 2. They must shine in Zeal Fervency of spirit this holy fire should burn among them They must not be of dull stupid heavy and lumpish spirits worship God appear before him and hold Communion one with another indifferently coldly dully regardlesly and heavily as if they were rather driven to their work and duty against their wills than with their choyce love and desire but they must be fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12.11 for which some of the Corinthians were commended 2 Cor. 7.11 and Phinchas Numb 25.11.13 and David Psal 69.9 To this they are redeemed and for it they are purchased Tit. 2.14 not only to do good works but to be Zealous in and for them The Lord Jesus charges his Churches to be Zealous Churches Rev. 3.19 in imitation of himself whose Zeal to God did eat him up Joh. 2.17 Much holy Zeal governed and guided by much spiritual Wisdom makes a man an excellent shining useful acceptable and desirable man indeed This should be another of the Churches beauties and comely Ornaments wherewith they should still be cloathed decked and adorned in this world If this Diamond do not shine if they are not adorned with this rare Jewel what are they worth and what are they good for They will be like fire without heat and light as to their duty work and usefulness They will be like Drones or like Bees without stings namely of no considerable use in the world All that they do for God Men and their own Souls will be of little or no esteem and account 3. They must shine in Love and Charity too Love is the bond of perfectness Col. 3.14 the ligament and sinew the cord and instrument that tyes us fast to God and to one another See that ye love one another with pure hearts fervently 1 Pet. 122. and let Love be without dissimulation Rom. 12.9 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soul and strength Matth. 22.37 The internal motive or moving cause of all obedience and service to God must be love to him and our duty Joh. 14.15 1 Joh. 5.3 It is true that men cannot certainly discern this Love to God in one another but God and our own Consciences may and must Churches of Christ must be Churches of Love they should be acted and animated drawn and constrained to every good work by Love 2 Cor. 5.14 All the ways and workings of Jesus Christ to us all that he doth to or for us is Love Doth he instruct us or doth he correct us it is all in and from love Love to us is the bottom spring and cause of all his dispensations towards us His anger is provoked Love Love should knit our hearts fast to our God and Head to our duties and services and to one another in Church-fellowship But of this already else-where 4. Churches must shine in that great work and duty of Self-denyal when need requires He that will be my Disciple saith Christ must deny himself Mark 8.34 Matth. 16.24 Luk. 9.26 They should be eminent and singular in Self-denyal or in denying themselves of many things for Christ for their Brethren and for their own souls sakes Their Lord Jesus is the great copy pattern and examplar of Self-denyal and that for them to serve them and promote their happiness Phil. 2.5 6 7 8. Acts 20.28 and without this we cannot be his Disciples If we will not deny our selves
Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. ult Now that God and the Mediatour have so Covenanted promised and engaged for and in the behalf of Believers that Christ came and finished all the work that the Father gave him to do that Christ hath obeyed and suffered the Father satisfied and well pleased and that Peace Friendship and Reconciliation for men is obtained and that God is faithful who hath promised Heb. 10.23 and that he will not fail to perform the Truth to Jacob and Mercy to Abraham Micah 7. ult is continued and ratified unto Believers in and by the Lord's Supper For there is held forth a clear proof and confirmation of it This is my body that is broken and my blood that is shed or given 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25. These are the first objects and matters our faith eyes and fixes on in the Lord's Supper and these are the first things that it seals unto 〈◊〉 us namely that God hath covenanted and promised these mercies upon Christ's dying that Christ hath dyed done the Fathers whole will and finished his work and that God the Father hath accepted his Mediation in our behalf justified his Son Jesus and is well-pleased with him and with us in him that God is faithful who hath promised and that he is able and will perform his promises made to Christ for and given down to us On these things our faith must fix and then this Ordinance of the Supper will confirm them us 2. As the Lord's Supper seals or ratifies and confirms to our faith the truth and reality of the Covenant and promises the death of Christ the faithfulness of God and his being satisfied and well pleased with Christ's mediation for us and that he will perform his Covenant and Promises unto the Heirs of promise so it seals ratifies and confirms Believers interest and propriety in them It ratifies and confirms to their own Consciences that they are interested in Christ that they are Christs and Christ is theirs that they are regenerated and redeemed that their sins are pardoned and their persons accepted in the Beloved Eph. 1.6 7. This Ordinance seals to them the fruits of Christ's death and to the truth sincerity and peculiarity of his grace in them that they are united to him and that he is their head and they are his Members That he loves them and they love him with special and peculiar love This Ordinance seals to them their Adoption and their right unto the eternal Inheritance and it assures them as a means of Christ's appointing for that end that God is their Father and they are his Children that Christ is their Husband and they are his Spouses and that they shall live and reign with him in glory But yet know that though there be a kind of a natural aptness in this holy Ordinance thus to seal the love of God to you as it is Christs Ordinance and instituted by him for this end yet it cannot doth not do it of or by its self or its own power but it seals as an Ordinance in the hand of the spirit or as a fit medium and means whereby and wherewith the holy spirit seals the Souls of Believers It is the proper work of the holy Ghost to seal ratifie and confirm his own work in Believers hearts Eph. 1.13 Eph. 4.30 And this great work he doth especially in and by the Lord's Supper on the hearts of good men For as the matters he seals to are his own works in their hearts so he onely can confirm them to their Faith and Consciences The love of God is said to be shed abroad into our hearts by him Rom. 5.5 and to this he sets his seal and gives in his Testimony Rom. 8.16 namely that he hath shed abroad the love of God in our hearts that God loves us we love him with special love and that he hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 1 Pet. 1.2 He first writes his Lawes and creates his grace in our hearts puts the Lord Jesus into the possession of them forms saith Repentance and all other graces of Christ in them and then he seals ratifies and confirms all to us Cant. 8.6 2. Cor. 1.22 Job 33.16 So that now we know that we are passed from death to life Joh. 3.14 and are sure that we are of God that the Lord Jesus is ours and we are his Cant. 2.16 And can say with Thomas my Lord and my God and with David I am thine and with Paul and others if our earthly house be dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 Thus you see how this Ordinance seals up the love of God and the work of his grace in our Souls And therefore when ever you receive it be sure to look for and expect it and make use of it for though not only for this end and purpose And in order thereunto be careful and diligent in preparing and fitting your selves for the reception of this seal on your hearts and then you need not doubt of your obtainment of it 3. This Ordinance is instituted and given to inchurched Saints to bring the Lord Jesus and them together into the nearest clearest and closest fellowship and communion that can be in this lower state The Lord Jesus and they do greatly love one another and delight in communion with each other Cant. 4. ult Cant. 5.1 Believers in their holy obediential and orderly walking are Christs dearly beloved Spouses and he is their dearly beloved Husband Cant. 2.16 Jer. 12.7 They do greatly love and rejoyce in one anothers company and Society their speeches are pleasant and their countenances sweet and lovely to each other Zeph. 3.17 Cant. 1.4 Cant. 2.7 10 13. Cant. 2.14 There is a holy fondness and a heart-ravishing friendliness between Christ and his Beloved they lye deep in each others hearts and are so knit to one another in warm affections as that they cannot patiently bear each others absence Hence we find the Lord Jesus and his people inviting one another and importunately solliciting each other to come to them yea and proffering themselves and as it were inviting or pressing themselves upon or into one anothers company Cant. 2. â—0 13 14 7. Cant. 4.8 ult Cant. 5.1 Cant. 6. ult Cant. 7.11 12. Rev. 3.20 Joh. 14.21 23. Therefore hath glorious Jesus instituted Churches and gathered up his people into spiritual housholds formed them into holy Societies and made them his walled Gardens Therefore hath he brought them into a holy Band knit them together into bodies and given to them this Feast of fat things this Pledge and Token of his distinguishing love and this holy sign and seal that he may invite and bring them together to take and eat and that himself may come and be with them there He is the matter and the great master of the Feast and he is the King
that comes in to see his Guests and that bids them be merry yea and to eat and drink abundantly with an O Beloved Cant. 5.1 In the last verse of the 4th chapter the Church importunatly invites and sollicites the Lord Jesus to come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruits namely when they were congregated together and waiting on and for him The Lord Jesus comes and tells them so Chap. 5.1 I am come into my Garden my Sister my Spouse I have gathered my myrrh with my Spice then he chears them up and bids them welcome be merry and eat and drink not sparingly but freely and abundantly O Beloved His holy Temples and this heavenly Feast are appointed and ordained for his Reception and Entertainments with his Beloved Rev. 2.1 2 Cor. 6.16 There are theâ— most joyful meetings and there do they hold and enjoy the most comfortable and heart-satisfying communion together as holy hearts can and do often experience For this end hath he instituted and for this end should all Church-members receive this Ordinance 4. As it is appointed for Communion between Christ and his inchurched-members so likewise for their Communion among themselves 1 Cor. 10.16 17. Good men have heart-dividing and love-separating lusts self-Interests world and Devil and therefore they need all proper means to unite and knit their hearts together in Brotherly Love Communion Col. 2.2 The Lord Jesus hath commanded and strictly charged his people to love one another as he hath loved them Joh. 13.34 Joh. 15.12 15. and that they love one another with pure hearts fervently 1 Pet. 1.22 That they walk in love and endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of peace Eph. 4.1 2 3. Eph. 5.1 2. Now in order to the obtainment of it and that Believers may be encouraged to mind and do his will herein the Lord Jesus hath by his own Laws and Authority formed them up into holy Temples and united them into spiritual Societies and given them occasion and opportunity to meet together and feast themselves at his Table at his cost and charges and that as Guests of his own bidding There they may often meet sit down and feed together of his dainties There they see and taste feel and smell and there they may speak of hear him and of his grace and love There they may see that they are all bought with the same price and redeemed with the same blood There they may see that they are members together of the same head and body that they are all Plants of his planting Trees of his watering Subjects of the same Grace and Spirit and the same objects of his care and protection There they may see that they are all bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh and that he hath fellowship and communion with them all That they are heirs together of the grace of life 1 Pet. 3.7 and that they are all entitled to an eternal inheritance There they may see that they are all partakers of the same life and that the Lord Jesus hath made the same provisions for the everlasting happiness of all their Souls There they may see that they have the same faith and hope and that the covenant and promises belong to them all That there is a mutual Interest amongst them and that they are concerned in and with each other That they are engaged in one common cause with Christ and that they are not their own but one anothers All which things and considerations are of great use towards the knitting and endearing of their hearts one to another in spiritual love holy peace and Brotherly affection For by their sitting down altogether as one body at one Table of the Lord eating and drinking the same Bread and Wine and by faith the same body and blood of the Lord by beholding and believing their mutual interest in Christ and in all the benefits of his death and that they are all alike invited to the feast and all alike welcomb'd and entertained by their Lord and King they are much induced thereby to love one another to seek desire and rejoyce in the good of each other and to walk together as Heirs of the Kingdom of Glory keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace And likewise in joyning hearts and hands together as one body in celebrating the worship and in magnifying the name and glory of Christ 5. An other great use and end of this Ordinance is to knit and endear the heart to Christ himself And it is a powerful means to effect it He is a most full and glorious Object of Love a most lovely Object indeed He is the fairest of Ten thousands and altogether lovely or altogether loves Cant. 5.10 ult He hath all glorious excellencies in him and is the perfection of beauty Psal 50.2 All ye glories of the Heavens and the Earth of Angels and men are but dark shadows unto this Son of Righteousness The Lord Jesus is most lovely glorious and beautiful in his love and grace to us in his obedience and death for us and in all his Laws and Promises to us But especially his Person is most beautiful glorious and lovely Psal 45. 1 Cor. 2.8 his most transcendant and glorious excellencies will be the eternal wonderment of Saints and Angels and they shall be for ever employed in adoring and praising him He is an Object too high for us now to reach and a Sun too bright and glorious for our dim eyes to behold only some Raies and Beams of his Glory he causes to shine on us and enables us to take them in in some degree Psal 63.1 2. But of all means the Lord's Supper is the most full and proper for the opening and representing unto us unto our faith the beauty glory and loveliness of Christ in his love and grace in his death and sufferings There we may read wonderful Stories and see glorious Mysteries indeed There we may read and see his love and grace to us streaming forth by his heart blood and there we may see the greatness freeness profitableness purity sweetness and the transcendant excellency of his love and loveliness There we may see the eternal Fountain of love and the inexhaustible-Treasures of his heart of his grace and kindness opened and running down to us and there we may see a bottomless Sea of mercies and affections discovered There we may read Christ loving us and giving himself for us unto an accursed death Gal. 2.20 Gal. 3.13 And Oh! my Brethren what an attracting Soul drawing heart-knitting object of love is the Lord Jesus represented to be to us in that Ordinance It is a Glass that represents and shews us nothing else but love and Christs loveliness It is an Ordinance that Preaches and Seals love to Believers and thereby provokes enflames and drawes out their love to him Love will be drawn and not driven and what drawes it into warm and strong Acts but lovely persons
water which the Holy Ghost calls two evils Jer. 2.13 You will thereby grieve the Holy Spirit cause him to with-draw from you and withold the blessings and good of his Ordinances from your Souls Oh! my Brethren little do many of you think how deep you are under the guilt of this sin and what a Controversie God hath with your Souls for it and little do you think what losers and sufferers you are thereby Little do many think how often they are caught in this snare and how exceedingly offensive it is to God and detrimental to their own Souls Wonder not that Ordinances profit you not and that God is not with you in them if you stick in and take up with them In love I give you warning of it that you may consider it watch and pray against it that you may carefully mind and do what God requires in his Worship and Ordinances namely that you go to and seek him in them indeed And remember that it is your Duty that you must and your Priviledge that you may go to and find him and his Grace in them 4. Live by faith in all your wayes and make use of all God's Ordinances in Faith and Hope For it is faith in Christ and on the Covenant and promises that will keep you steady and unmovable that will hold your Souls in Life and with joy draw water out of the Wells of Salvation Esa 12.3 Rom. 15.13 It is faith and hope that will unite your hearts to Christ and his Promises and encourage you in your doing and suffering-work Rom. 5.5 1 Joh. 3.3 unbelief holds off and keeps back mercies from you but faith and hope draws them to you You cannot see God in his Worship and Ordinances but by Faith neither can you see the beauty and glorious Excellency of the Promises Gospel-Ordinances and Gospel-precepts and obedience to them but by Faith You can get no good no encouragement in the Gospel and wayes of God but by faith and hope Therefore live by Faith and in a well-grounded hope 5 Be sure to prepare to meet God in his Worship and do all you can to get your Hearts ready Do not rush unadvisedly into his Presence but be sure to do it with much consideration and deliberation Prepare to meet thy God Amos. 4.12 and prepare thy work without Prov. 24.27 Get ye Idols out and get your hearts into a holy frame and disposition for your God and his service get a holy awe of him on your minds a deep sense of your wants weakness and vileness and of his greatness purity and holiness on your hearts that you may draw nigh unto him with fear and trembling Heb. 12.28 Psal 2.11 For if you draw nigh to God without such preparations be sure you do not cannot honour and worship him as God neither will he meet you and bless you 6. To conclude let me request you to cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart Act. 11.23 Walk with God and serve him in sincerity and Truth Joshua 24.14 Be you alwayes able to say with Paul and other Saints that your rejoycing is this the Testimony of your Consciences that in simplicity and Godly sincerity you have your Conversations 2 Cor. 1.12 Be you much in your closet-work I mean in secret Prayer Meditation and Examination and make what earnings you can of these Duties and Priviledges Let your Hearts be set on things above and not on worldly things Col. 3.2 cling to Christ in Love and keep your Affections warm and lively for him Converse much with Christ his Love Grace Death and with his Resurrection and Intercession with his Laws Promises and Dispensations and with the fulness of grace he hath received for you Acquaint your selves with your future glory and consider much what you shall be hereafter I jumble many things together for brevity sake By these and other Means and Duties you will glorifie God and profit your own Souls you will rejoyce my heart and engage me to bless God for you and the fruits of all will appear in your walkings in the Church as becomes the Gospel of Christ Finally my Brethren will you grant me these few reasonable Requests Truly I desire them of you for your own good and Christ's honour because you are exceeding dear to me and I do entirely love you and sincerely seek your present and eternal happiness I shall present you with a few Considerations and so conclude 1 Consider that you are a holy People in Name and Profession and a happy People in Priviledges and Dignities And therefore you must walk and carry your selves answerable to them 2 Consider the time when you were built up a spiritual house Was it not in the Sickness-Year in the beginning of the Year even then when God was about to cut down Scores of Thousands round about you and when he was ready to make great devastations in this City by the Plague Are you not as Brands pluckt out of the Fire and continued in your Church-state in the midst of devouring Judgments that you might be a peculiar People unto God 3 Consider how wonderfully the Lord hath preserved and continued your Priviledges and Mercies to you and that in very Evil times and places when many of your Brethren have lost theirs and wherefore he hath dealt so graciously with you and whether you have answered his Ends in reality and truth 4 Consider your solemn Engagement when you en red into and became Members of the Church Did you not engage to walk with God therein wait on and constantly celebrate the Service Ordinances and Worship of his House and perform your respective Duties to one another And have you done so The vows of God are on you and therefore you had need look to your selves and consider your wayes 5 Consider what Enjoyments and Communion with God you have had since your embodying together and growing up into a Temple in the Lord and what earnings and improvements you have made of them what growth in grace and encreasing with the encrease of God what have been the fruits of all to the glory of God the profit of your own and others Souls 6 Consider what esteem your Lord and King hath of you and what honours he hath conferred upon you he hath made you a House or Temple of Kings and Priests and he hath set you near himself Rev. 5.10 Eph. 2. You are the holy Temple and Houshold of God the Palace and Gallery of the great King and you are his Habitation and Garden wherein he walks and dwells with great delight He honours you with his special Presence if you walk with and please him and he calls you by his own Name You are his glory joy and Crown and he glories in you You are exceeding dear to him and pretious in his account and you are entrusted with his Richest Treasures And therefore consider 7 What he may and doth require of and expect from you you know that where
much is given much is required and expected and you know how to apply it to your selves 8 Consider what you shall be hereafter and what is now preparing for you in Heaven You have your Race to run and you have a great prize to win 1 Cor. 9. You have a Wilderenss to go thorow and a Heavenly Canaan to possess You are now to fight the good Fight of Faith 1 Tim. 6.12 and you shall be Crowned in the end 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Now you are to Sow in Tears that you may Reap in Joy and now you are to sow and gather Fruit unto Eternal Life Joh. 4.36 and hereafter you shall Reap Life everlasting Gal. 6.8 Your Head and King is gone to Heaven to take possession for you and make ready Mansions of Glory for your Reception and Entertainment Joh. 14.2 3. He will not fail to come again in glorious State and Triumph to fetch you home unto himself and to present you spotless and glorious before his Father with exceeding joy Because he lives namely at his Fathers right hand in eternal glory you shall live there also and you shall be ever with the Lord Joh. 14.3 19. Math. 25.32 33 34. 1 Thes 4.16 17. Eph. 5. Jude 24. You are now of the Church Militant shortly you shall be of and with the Church Triumphant You are intitled to an Eternal Inheritance and shortly you shall be put into the peaceable and joyful possession of it as soon as you are of full Age. Your Names are now enroled among the general Assembly of Believers and Church of the First-born written in Heaven Heb. 12.23 But it will not be long e're you shall be taken in among that Heavenly and Glorious Society where you shall see and know as you are known 1 Cor. 13. 1 Joh. 3. Oh that you would now apply these things unto your selves and rejoyce in the faith and hope of them 1 Pet. 1.8 Oh that you would be looking for and hastening to that blessed Hope and glorious Appearance of your great God and Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2.13 2 Pet. 3.12 Oh that you would be stedfast and unmovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. ult Now is your working-time hereafter you shall have a rewarding and resting time The one is very short the other Eternal Oh consider how fast your glass is running out and how near you may be at your Journeys end how gray hairs are coming on you and what a great change Death will shortly make among you The Lord Jesus is at work for you in Heaven and you lye deep in his heart and dearest Affections He will send you many Love-Letters by the holy Spirit that shall ravish and greatly rejoyce your hearts if you carry your selves dutifully to and walk pleasantly before him He will open the richest Treasures of his Love and Grace unto you and cause his fountain of pleasures to flow in upon your Souls and after a little while he will instate you into and give you an Eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Oh that I might so run as to obtain so Preach Walk and Minister unto you as to make you fat and flourishing in the House of God and approve my self a faithful Steward of the mysteries of God to you Oh that you who are Ruling Elders and Deacons and are honoured with noble Works and Offices in his House would carefully diligently faithfully and profitably mind your work and do your duty there and that all the Members would mind and practise their works and duties also O what a happy and renowned Church would you then be and what peace you might obtain to your selves thereby Oh! what advantages and opportunities have you all to honour Christ convince the World profit your own Souls and be useful to one another which I do once more entreat you to consider and lay to heart and so walk as to obtain the ends of your Church-state and priviledges And in order thereunto pray read this Book over and over again and that with a single eye and unprejudicate minds Read and ponder welâ— what you read Read and pray for a Blessing from Heaven on your hearts and Read that you may know and practise your Duties therein held forth not that you may find matters to cavil at and except against Receive and use this Book as a Pledge and Testimony of my true and unfeigned Love Respects to you an evidence of my Cordial desires and intentions to promote the everlasting welfare of your Souls Brethren I call Heaven and Earth to witness That in all my ministrations to you in all my writings and doings for and with you I do heartily earnestly and unfainedly seek and design your present and eternal Good your Peace and Vnity your Comfort and Holiness your Growth and Stability in the Grace and Truths of Christ and that you may be a Glorious Temple of God and a Church of Renown for Fruitfulness and Spirituality for Peace Concord and true Holiness Oh! how do I desire it and long to see it And know that what is wanting in my Ability to do you Service shall be made up in Diligence Love and Faithfulness while I live And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among all them that are Sanctified And shall remain for ever Yours in the Lord Jesus to Love and Serve to his power S. F. ERRATA Candid Reader Thou wilt find many faults committed by the Press which I do entreat thy Wisdom to Correct and thy Charity to pardon seeing they are not the Authors The chief are these PAge 17. line 2. read suffragia p. 20. l. 19. f. either r. other p. 29. l. 34. f. now r. own p. 41. l. 17. r. rooted p. 44. l. 9. f. that r. yet p. 45. l. 5. f. if r. that p. 63. l. 12. put out with p. 64. r. Chapt. 4. p. 88. l. 35. r. gravity p. 121. l. 18. r. and p. 124. l. 34. f. them r. you p. 145. l. 31. r. back-bite p. 150. l. 32. after in r. and p. 177. l 8. r. have p. 201. l. 1. r. handed p. 226. put cause out of l. 7. and r. it in l. 9. p. 236. l. 14. f. in r. about before to r. is p. 238. l. 6. f. and r. as p. 243. l. 2. r. and p. 249. l. 7. r. careless p. 258. l. 1. r. and p. 270. l. 1. f. to r. for p. 271. l. 35. f. but r. for p. 308. l. 10. f. of r. and p. 310. l. 11. after and put in that p. 314. l. 23. r. the l. 35. f. continued r. confirmed p. 315. l. 19. r. to p. 320. l. 9. r. smell A GOSPEL-CHVRCH OR GOD'S Holy Temple A brief Discourse of A New-Testament CHURCH from Ephes 2.19 20 21 22. Now therefore ye are
no more Strangers and Forreigners but fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-Stone In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord In whom you also are builded together for an Habitation of God through the Spirit OUr Apostle having shewed the believing Ephesians what they were before their Regeneration and Conversion to Christ in the 1 2 3 5 11 12. verses he proceeds to shew them their present state and condition with the efficient meritorious and instrumental causes thereof And first he shews them what they are not vers 19. Now therefore ye are no more as once you were Strangers and Forreigners 2ly What they now were in what state and condition 1. You are saith he fellow-Citizens and that with the Saints 2. And of the houshold or family of God 3. You are in a happy and secure state for you are not built says he upon your own sandy foundation but upon the Rock of Ages namely 1. The Covenant of Grace the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets 2. On Jesus Christ the chief Corner-Stone vers 20. The only foundation laid by God the Father and God the Son which by Them was laid before the world was 1. Cor. 3.11 Math. 16.18 2 Tim. 1.9 Tit. 1.2 and which is sufficiently able to uphold support and secure all that build and bear themselves upon it In the Text you have an account of the matter and form of a temple habitation or a particular Church of God together with the maker and builder thereof First The matter or materials wherewith God builds him a house to dwell in 1. They are quickened and enlivened persons vers 5. 2. They are Gods workmanship recreated or regenerated in Christ Jesus unto good works vers 10. 3. They are brought nigh to God by Christ his blood vers 13. 4. They are built upon Christ Jesus and the Covenant of Grace vers 20. 5. They are fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God that is of the Invisible Catholick Church of Christ vers 19. Secondly The form 1. They are said to be fitly â—ramed or formed together vers 21. That is these materials are joyned or glewed together into a house or body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In quo totum aedisicium congruenter coagmentatum Beza you are congruously and rightly laid into the building and so become an excellent and comely fabrick or house of God 2. They are said to be builded for a Habitation viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. You have an account of the Former and builder or the Agent imployed in the work of building a holy Temple or Church of God and that is the Holy Ghost vers 21. Now this he doth 1. By fitting and preparing materials It is not the work of men or Angels to make men fit matter for a Church or Temple of God but it is the work of the omnipotent Spirit It is his work and in the power of his hand only to quicken the dead to enlighten the blind to translate men out of the kingdom of Satan and bring them into Christ's 2. He doth it by shewing them their duty and the way to it by making their hearts willing and leading them in the way wherein they should go 3. By giving them Laws and Rules to walk by 4. By stirring up his Ministers hearts and tongues to move and perswade them to it 4thly We have here one of the great ends of the Spirit his building of Churches and that is for a habitation for God to dwell in As God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them 2 Cor. 6.16 Psal 132.14 Rev. 2.1 And as these things are here expressed so there are many things implyed and included which are not exprest as the Laws orders and ordinances of a house of God the duty of all Believers to joyn themselves to some Church of Christ as they have opportunity and their duties there as likewise the profit and advantage that will accrue to them in that state and the priviledge and honour of it and the glory and honour of Christ and several things that I shall discourse on in my proceedures God doth not set up Churches to stand empty and Idle only to have a name and to be gazed on but he hath instituted appointed and erected them for his Name Honour and Glory in the world and for the Soul-profit and benefit of his people that they should walk with him and He with them that they should obey and honour him and he supply and enrich them with his grace and for other glorious ends and purposes which shall be discoursed of the Lord assisting CHAP. I. Of an Instituted Gospel-Church and the Extent thereof MY purpose and design is to discourse only of a particular instituted Gospel-Church and in my proceedures I shall not concern my self with any Mens conceptions of a Church in any other sense but keep clôss to the subject or Church under consideration without medling with the controversies that are amongst learned men in their different apprehensions of Churches and their concernments For as I desire and hope I may without offending any to have liberty to declare and practise my own light faith and perswasion in these things so I think it most reasonable to leave others to their own perswasions expressions and practice in these matters without any Reflexions It is the profit of such as I am concern'd withall that I aim at and I judge my self obliged in duty to make known the whole will of God to those I have the oversight of according to my Light Abilities and Opportunities and that by all the regular ways and means I can find out and obtain the knowledge of And it is for them that I chiefly intend these Lines although they may probably fall into other mens hands Therefore waving the thoughts of men I shall proceed to acquaint you who shall read this discourse with the will of God in this matter so far as I know believe and as may be profitable for you which I shall do by way of Question and Answer 1. Quest What is a true Instituted Gospel-Church Answ A true Instituted Gospel-Church is a Society or Congregation of persons called out of the world or their state of death blindness and unbelief by the Word and Spirit of Christ to the knowledge of Christ and his will and unto the Obedience of faith or A company of Believers united together in a holy Band by special and voluntary agreement who by the grace and power of Christ in their hearts under the conviction of their duty do give up themselves to the Lord and to one another by the will of God to live and walk together as Saints in love peace and in the constant celebration and practice of all the Laws and worship of Christ and in the observation of all
his Glory Isa 46.13 and that because they were a Church of his own planting and a Covenant people and for Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the little Remnant sake of Believers that were amongst them and who glorify him indeeed in Truth God bestows his Grace stamps his Image and infuses his Holynesse into men to meeten them for his Temple and Temple-work and then formes and sets them up in his own beauty and Glory in a Church-state that there as a Body compact they may shine forth to his Glory and praise in the World As many glittering daimonds in a gold Ring do shine more gloriously upon a mans hand than a hundred times so many more scattered up and down here and there would do so a company of men which are made pretious stones fitted for a House of God being well and orderly set in a Church-state or in a House of God do shine more gloriously there than many more can do in a single and individual capacity and standing alone to the honour and glory of God 3. God Institutes and builds Believers into Spiritual Houses for his peoples Spiritual profit and advantage that God may there Impart his Loves Cant. 7.12 and communicate his grace Truths and Counsels unto them as to his avowed and publique houshold and family Eph. 2.19 Christ Walkes and God the Father Dwells there the Holy Spirit Speaks to them in an especial and frequent manner Rev. 2.1 2 Cor. 6.16 Rev. 2.7.11 c. And assuredly Jesus Christ does not walk nor God the Father dwell there empty handed but distributes plentifully of their Love and fullness As great princes where they go and lodge they will give like themselves unto the houshold Servants and much more will God as some can and more may experience The Church-enjoyments of serious holy men are the fairest fullest clearest and strongest of all they have at any times and that because God dwells there as in his holy and delightful Temple and walks there as in his pleasant Gardens and Walks and where God mostly Dwells and Walks and takes most pleasure there he imparts most of his Love and Grace It is said in 1 Kings 8.10 11. That the Glory of the Lord filled the House of the Lord so that the Priest could not stand to Minister because the glorious presence of God was so exceeding great there and his distributions of Love and Grace to Solomon and other Saints so many and great as that the people went home joyfull and glad of Heart vers 66. and in the 2 Chron. 7.16 says God speaking of the Temple mine Eyes and mine Heart shall be there perpetually Now if God did so now that material Temple made of Wood and Stone as to manifest his Glory so much there impart so richly of his Love and Grace to his people and promised to dwell there continually how much more will he do so unto his New-Testament Churches of Believers They shall find that prophetical promise made good to them in Psal 102.16 When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his Glory Besides a Church-state is a safe as well as a thriving comfortable state for a Church of Christ rightly and duely formed and made up is a Garden enclosed Cant. 4.12 a Spring shut up a Fountain sealed or barr'd Whilst Wood and Stones lie scattered abroad they may be stollen and carried away from the owner so while Believers walk apart and lie up and down scatteringly they are in great danger of being seduced and lead away from Christ with some of the errors of the wicked and so in measure full from the Truth of Christ 2 Pet. 3.17 but now in a Church-state or formal House of God they are safer and more secure because there they are hedged in with the discipline of Christ there they are watched over by their fellow-members and by the Officers of Christ who are their overseers and watchmen there they are as in the orderly Instituted Family or houshold of Christ in the way and walks of Christ and under the Eye and with the special presence of Christ Whilst an Army of Souldiers walk as single and individual Persons scattered abroad they lie open to destruction by their Enemies but when they are formed up and walk together under officers and military discipline every one knowing his place and keeping it knowing the commands of their General and observing them they are safe and ready to defend themselves and offend their Enemies Particular and rightly constituted Churches of Believers are like an Army with Banners Cant. 6.4 10. marching under the constant conduct of Jesus Christ their Captain General Eph. 1.22 23. Heb. 2.10 4. They are formed and set up by Jesus Christ to be the only Seats and Subjects as of his glorious presence so of his Laws Ordinances Power and Authority that they might receive observe and obey his Laws declare before all men their owning of him for their Lord by their open and publique profession of and subjection unto him as such and that by their distinct and singular following of him in incorporated Bodies they might manifest to all men that they are his Subjects and disciples that they have chosen him for their Lord and King and his Law for their Rule and Obedience that they are not their own but his and that they have taken up in him as in their happiness and eternal Blessedness Col. 2.6 1 Cor. 6.19 20. 2 Cor. 5.15 That they are called out of the World Joh. 15.19 and set apart by his Grace for himself to live unto him and that they have taken upon themselves his holy Yoke and the observation of all his Laws So likewise that his subjects might with one mind and mouth together present their service and homage unto him as their only Lord Head and King For Churches as Churches or Believers walking according to his appointment and direction in Churches are capable of his holy Supper that glorious Pledge and Seal of his Love and Grace to them it is called the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 and says the Apostle to the particular congregated Church at Corinth we being many are one Bread and one Body vers 17. That great ordinance of the Lords Supper is not given to Believers as such only but unto Believers as in a Church-state or incorporated into a Body or Communion together having the name form and order of a Church of Christ and House of God The Israelites were not to permit any to Eat the passover until they became members of their Church Exod. 12.47 48. Neither will Christ Jesus have any to Eat his Supper out of a Church-State where and when they may have it in a Church-State And as was noted before it is observable that almost all the principal Doctrines and Laws of the New-Testament are given and directed unto the Churches or to Believers as inchurched as also Teachers and Ruling Elders are provided for and given
save them and that of his meer Grace and Love Joh. 6.37 40. Joh. 10. Joh. 17. Eph. 2.4 That God the Father gave and set his Son the second person in the Trinity to mediate peace between God and Men and to reconcile men to God by his active and passive Obedience That Jesus Christ gave himself and became a propitiation for their Sins That he assumed our nature and took it up into a personal Union with himself whereby there are two natures in one Person by which he was made capable of his Mediatorship That he being God-man in one Person took upon himself our guilt and punishment obeyed the whole Law of God that men had broken and did always do the things that pleased God That when he had finished his active obedience he became obedient unto the death of the Crosse to the wrath of God and curse of the Law Gal. 3.12 Phil. 2. That he really dyed and was buried lay in the Grave and rose again the third day and after forty days he went up into Heaven and sate down on the right Hand of God and that he will come again to Judge the Quick and Dead That he is King Priest and Prophet A King to give Laws unto men and command their obedience to them to rule and Govern his Subjects and to reward the obedient and punish the disobedient That all power in Heaven and Earth is committed unto him and that he is coequally and coeternally God with the Father and holy Spirit As a high priest he dyed and made Atonement for the Sins of his People and sits in Heaven to make Intercession and appear in the presence of God for them Heb. 7.25.9.24 That there are three persons in the God-Head but one God That the Holy Ghost is eternall God was sent into the World came from the Father Son for the elect sake that it is he that regenerates Persons works effectually in their Hearts applies Jesus Christ and all his benefits to men and savingly Convinces his Elect of Sin Righte ousness and Judgment Joh 3.5 Joh. 16.1 8.13 14 15. That all that rightly Believe in Christ shall be saved but those that believe not shall be damned and that all that believe in Christ must be careful to do good Works That Believers are made righteous with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and that they have none of their own to commend them unto God That God hath made Jesus Christ unto his chosen Righteousnesse wisdome sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 and that they are made the Righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. ult That God imputed their sins to Christ and imputes the blood and Righteousnesse of Christ to them and that they are justified thereby and not by inherent holynesse and Righteousnesse That God Loves Pardons Justifyes and Saves men Freely without any respect to their good Works as any cause thereof but all the moving cause without himself is Jesus Christ and his mediation That the Ground and reason of their obedience and doing Good works is the revealed will and pleasure of Christ commanding them and the ends of them are to expresse their thankfulness to God for his Grace and Love to please and honour Him to meet with God and enjoy communion with him to receive of his Grace and the good of many promises To shine as lights in the World and be useful unto men to declare whose and what they are and to lie up for a reward in another World to keep their Lusts under and their graces in use and exercise and to manifest their Respect and Subjection to Jesus Christ his Authority and Law That the Law for the matter of it as qualified by Christ is the Rule and Law of all obedience that all are bound to yield obedience subjection to it That there shall be a Resurrection of the just and unjust That Regeneration is absolutely necessary to Salvation and that without it none can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Joh. 2.3 5 7. That the Scriptures of the Old and New-Testament contain and hold forth unto men the whole revealed will of God and are sufficient to make the man of God perfect thorowly furnished to every good Work 2 Tim. 3.16 17. and that whatsoever you are to believe and do is contained therein and that it is the ground of their Faith Hope and Practice That Jesus Christ hath instituted and appointed many Ordinances of Worship for his own Glory and his Peoples profit and that all are bound to observe and waite on God in them That all persons are indispensibly bound to mind and carefully to observe the principal manner and end of all their duties and to see that they be right holy and Spiritual indeed and not please themselves with the matter of duty without them That no men can serve God or do any acceptable work unto him until they are regenerate and put into a state of Grace These are some of the matters of Faith that they should rightly in measure understand and believe that are admitted into full membership in the Churches of Christ And these and other Truths must not be notionally lightly and in the general known and believed but heartily powerfully and particularly not for others but themselves or else their faith and knowledge will no way profit their Souls to Salvation 3. They must be qualified also with blameless conversations Their Conversations must become the Gospel Phil. 1.27 or else they are not meet for membership with Gospel-Churches Carnal walkings will not suit spiritual Temples For they will greatly pollute and defile them stain and darken their beauty and Glory Therefore they must not be brawlers or contentious Persons they must not be coveteous and worldly minded vain and frothy Persons They must not be froward and peevish Persons neither must or may they be Defrauders or such as detain others dues carelessy from them nor such as slight the worship of God in their Families or are carelesse of Governing and educating them in good manners and the things of God They may not be such as are known to neglect duties and ordinances in their times and seasons or to have vitious families through their neglects nor any other such kind of persons whose stinking Spirits and conversations are odious to God and his People And therefore whatever their profession be they may not be accepted or received into the holy Temples of God until they have repented of these or any other hateful and scandalous evil in their carriages and walkings 4. If they are such as have chosen the Lord Jesus Christ for their King and head given up and made over themselves to Jesus Christ to live in him and to him have singled him out and set him apart as it were to be the object of their trust Love and delight of their service and obedience If they have chosen and closed up with him upon his own Terms as they hope renounceing and rejecting all their own
at all for if they are as a Common without any bounds or property as they must be if not fixed and tyed some where how many absurdities will unavoidably follow As first while they are in this moving and wandering condition they are not a House or Temple of God but scattered Stones and Timber and so cannot bear the name and honour of a Holy Temple and Church of God 2. They cannot whilest in such a condition be called owned or accounted a Holy Church and Temple of God either by God or Men. 3. Neither shall they have neither indeed can they expect or look for Church-blessings and priviledges or claim the Good of the promises made to Saints as a formed fixed Temple or House of God as that God should dwell walk with amongst them as he hath promised to do in his Churches and Temples 2 Cor. 6.16 Rev. 2.1 Eph. 2.22 Neither can they orderly participate of the Lords Supper for that Ordinance belongs to the fixed housholds of God not to scattered Saints occasionally meeting together as Saints only without any tye or obligation one to another and to their Ministers that should Minister it unto them these and other priviledges they cannot claim while they walk irregularly and disorderly 4. They make the ordinance Institution of particular Churches null and void and of no force and vertue at all and so Christ hath Instituted and appointed them in vain that they are of no use profit or concernment unto Saints For it will inevitably follow I think that in case their loose walkings without any fixed order or obligation on each other to live together as a distinct houshold or Family of God be the condition wherein they should live and walk that then they have found out a better way to live and walk in for the glory of God and their own profit than Jesus Christ hath done and so they do practically controul him and in effect say that they are wiser than Christ the Wisdom of God for they have found out a more pleasing and profitable way for themselves than Christ appointed and instituted for them so that Jesus Christ and the holy Ghost might have spared their pains in that matter so the Institution and the Love Wisdome care and Authority of Christ in that case are all thrown down to the ground 5. There can be no Discipline orderly or profitably exercised amongst Believers while in an unchurched state and condition For how can offended persons after the first Second Admonition tell the Church of an offending person his Sin and obstinacy and of their dealings with him to bring him to Repentance as commanded Matth. 18.15 16 17. if there be no fixed Church to which they do belong and how can the cause be heard and the offender dealt withall according to that charge by the Church when there is none What power have any Believers one over another but by their mutual consent and engagement one to another to give and take Reproofs and Admonitions to and of one another or how can they call Offenders to an account and require their attendance and subjection to their executing the Laws of Christ upon them unlesse they are a formed Body and by virtue of their joynt Relation not as Believers only but as united and engaged Believers to one another in that Society The Rulers of a Corporation may not exercise Authority or execute their Corporation Laws on such persons as have no Relation to them although they are the Kings subjects as well as those that are incorporated Neither may a thousand persons in a place exercise Jurisdiction over each other because they live and often converse together Neither have many Believers such power over each other while they walk as so many single individual persons without a Church-relation to one another as they might have in a Church-relation as the forementioned Text evinces Besides 6. The officers or Ministers of Christ will not be able to discharge their work and duty unto them while they walk loosely and disorderly For how can they watch and feed them as their own particular Flocks and charge unless there be a fixed Relation between them and they know where to find them which they cannot do unlesse their flocks be tyed to them and have mutually chosen each other as was said before the officers are to administer in the name of Christ unto them in an especial manner and they are to wait on and submit to their regular ministration Church-Officers must officiate in the Church and all must know and work within their own bounds and to their own charge So the Elders of the particular congregated Church at Ephesus were charged to feed and watch over that particular Church as their own peculiar flock and charge Acts 20.17 28. and so were the several Angels or Officers of these other Churches mentioned in the Revelations all which are called Churches which had matter and form And besides these evil consequences there are many other that I could name if it were needful and time would permit which would sufficiently evince the Truth pleaded for Now I shall proceed to shew how Believers should by the Holy Ghost form up themselves into a Church-state or Temple of God for his Glory and their own profit and Spiritual welfare or what the form of a Church is and wherein it lies Shew them the form of the House and the fashion of it and the goings out thereof and the comings in thereof and all the forms thereof and all the Laws thereof and all the Ordinances thereof Ezek. 43.11 First the persons intending to joyn themselves together to become a Church or Temple of God for his Name and Glory and the Spiritual good of their own Souls and for the orderly celebration of all the Lords appointments and worship in a Church they should be satisfied in each others fitnesse that they are such as Jesus Christ hath received Rom. 15.16 and Regenerated Joh. 3.3 wrought and made ready for it 2 Cor. 5.5 that they are united to Christ by Faith and sanctified to his use Members of Christ and heirs of the Kingdom I say they should be satisfied in a charitable Judgment that they are such that so they may take each other and have their hearts kint to one another in Spiritual real Love as such and so have confidence in and of each other that they will live together as such in their Church-state God would not have an Oxe and an Asse draw together in ore Yoke neither will he have visible Saints and Sinners joyn together and build him a Gospel-Church or holy Temple to dwell in What have the uncircumcized to do in the Lords Holy Temple with the circumcized If Gods house must be a holy Temple yea holynesse to God Isa 63.15 then it must consist of and be formed of holy persons for unclean and unholy persons cannot make a holy spiritual house for his glorious presence Therefore such as
joyn together into a Church-state ought to know as well as they can and be satisfied of the fitnesse and meetnesse of each other as well as each person of himself for these and other Reasons that might be named Secondly When a competent number of Believers are well satisfied in and of each others sitnesse to build a holy Temple for God they should meet together and solemnly present themselves before God humble themselves and acknowledge their own weaknesse ignorance and unworthynesse for although they may be in a sense meet and worthy yet because of their indwelling Lusts and actual Trangressions they may see matter enough in and by themselves to cry out as Isaiah did we are unclean and unworthy and to ask pardon and forgiveness of God so also to tell God what they are about to do and entreat him to send forth his Light and Truth into their hearts and by his holy Spirit to lead assist and guide them in the right way according to this promise Psal 25.12 Psa 61.8 Joh. 16.13 For although they may have as they have a plain and perfect Rule before them to guide them in this weighty matter yet they may want light in their hearts to walk by it clearly and exactly as they ought to do which the holy Spirit that hath made them willing by his power Psal 110.3 will supply with his light upon importunate asking it Thus Ezra did when concerned in Temple-work chapt 8.21 and it is prophefied by David that when God should build up his Church he would do it upon his peoples prayers Psal 102. And as they should pray for light and counsel in their hearts from the holy Ghost who is and will be owned and accounted the chief Agent in the work of building Gospel-Churches as in preparing Materials making them willing guiding and directing them in the work so that God would vouchsafe them his presence own and blesse them in their Church-state ratifie and confirm the labour of their hands and prosper them to his Glory their own edification comfort 3. When this is done and their hearts are warmed with the presence of God and their minds enlightned with the Spirits Beams of Light shining in upon them in answer to their Prayers and their hearts thereby faster knit to each other in Love as to the living Members of Christ then they should declare to each other their free full and cordial acceptance of and satisfaction in one another expresse to one another their real hearty and joynt Resolutions purposes and Intentions by the help of God to live and walk together as a Church of Christ in the celebration of all the ordinances of Christ in the Church and engage covenant and promise to take upon themselves the practice and observation of all the Laws of Christ and duties one to another in that state and Relation taking hold of the Covenant of Grace accepting the Lord Jesus for their Lord Head and Saviour resigning up themselves unto him and professing their unfained subjection to him and all his Rules Laws and Orders and that they will submit themselves one to another in the fear of God Eph. 5.21 as he hath commanded them And which may be confirmed to one another by giving each other the right hands of fellowship Gal. 2 9. This I take to be the formal constituting cause of a Church or Temple of God and I know no other but some there must be and I think to this agree several Scripture-instances that if rightly understood amounts to as much as aforesaid Thus the Israelites became a Church God propounded to them what he would have them observe and do and accordingly the whole congregation received what was said and engaged to do and observe what God required of them Exod. 24.3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the people answered with one voice and said All the words which the Lord hath said will we do so Deut. 5.27 Exod. 20.19 Deut. 29.9 14. This was freely and voluntarily done by them and thereby they became a Church and were solemnly admitted unto all the worship and priviledges thereof and God accepted and approved of what they had done Deut. 5.27 28. Go thou near and hear all that the Lord our God shall say c. and we will hear it and do it And the Lord heard the voice of your words when ye spake unto me and the Lord said unto me I have heard the voice of the words of this People which they have spoken unto thee They have well said all that they have spoken And the like proceedure we find amongst them after they had corrupted themselves and their Church-state broken their solemn engagement and departed from God and upon conviction of their so doing and of their duty to God and one another they return to God and renew their Church-engagement Ioshua 24.16 to 27. vers So in Asa his daies 2 Chron. 15.10 to 16. v. and Ezra 10. and Neh. 9. and 10. chapt And somewhat like to this we find in the New Testament 2 Cor. 8.5 And this they did not as we hoped but first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God And the Apostle minds the Church at Corinth of their professed Subjection unto the Gospel of Christ 2 Cor. 9.13 which it seems was solemnly done at their congregating and enchurching for then is the time of doing it solemnly and publiquely for the satisfaction of one another when they openly and avowedly take upon themselves by mutual consent and agreement as an incorporated body the observation of all the Laws and Ordinances of Christ together To the same purpose also is that passage in Col. 2.6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him The Apostle writes to them as a particular congregated Church and tells them that they had received Jesus Christ the Lord which was solemnly done in all probability at their embodying And this seems to be spoken of in Psal 50.5 Gather my Saints together unto me those that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice And to the same purpose in Jer. 50.4 5. And indeed it is clear to me that the nature of the thing requires it were there no Scriptures to countenance it For they are as hath been said called and compared to Houses Temples Corporations Cities Families and to voluntary not meer natural Relations they must of necessity be knit and formed into such a State and Relation by their own free choice and engagement to live and walk together as such And this action of Believers is of and by the Lord in Act. 2.41 it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were added and in vers 47. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord added namely to the particular congregational Church at Jerusalem So that upon the whole I infer that Believers ought so to joyn themselves together into Churches as hath been shewed which I
20. And there are many Reasons for it I will but name a few 1 Because the work they have to do is the Lords not their own and what have they to do to medle with it until their Lord calls sends them otherwise he may say unto them friends what do you here in my Vineyard about my work and concernments did I call or send you hither or rather did you not come upon your own will and pleasure 2 Because the Churches in which they work are the Lords and he will have his own appointed and designed servants in his own families and housholds and none else he alots and appoints the several works of his servants and the places where they shall work and leaves it not to their own wills choice but as directed and guided moved and carried forth by him As God sent Paul to the Gentiles and Peter to the Jews so doth God now send such a man to such a Church and another to another Church to administer there and if the great Lord and Master should find such a Servant here as he did intend for an other place how will he answer his being out of his own place 3 Because their going forth and labouring in the Vineyard must be obediential Acts. They must do it not because it is their own will and choice but the Lords and that in obedience unto him And how can they do that except they have some good assurance that the Lord hath sent and called them How can they obey the voice of the Lord when they are not well satisfied that they have heard and felt the Lord speaking to their hearts in answer unto prayers 4 Because they must go forth and labour in dependence on and expectation of him to be with them to help and assist them to blesse and prosper them to crown and succeed their endeavours and to provide for them Now how can they do so unlesse they know that God hath sent and imployed them in his work 5 They must go forth and labour in hope and expectation of divine acceptance also For God hath promised to accept the commanded work and service of his people in obedience to his holy will Therefore they must know that they are doing of or about to do their Lords work when and where he would have them 6 Because they are promised a reward and they ought to believe and look for it onely in the way of their duty and no where else And how can any expect a reward for doing that which for ought they know is not their duty at such a time in such a place in such a way 7 Because they ought to blesse thank and praise God for imploying them in his so great work and service 1 Tim. 1.12 which they cannot do unlesse they are sufficiently satisfied of the Lords calling them to it Tenthly As they should be satisfied in their own Souls of the Lords calling and sending them into his Vineyard so the Church to which they are sent should be satisfied of the same likewise and they should find great and real acceptance in each others hearts The Church should own and receive them as sent by and from Jesus Christ unto them to do his work and administer his holy Laws and Ordinances to them and that as great and promised mercies and blessings for their good Their union communion and Spiritual Relation must be founded in Love and strong affections one to another and grounded upon real satisfaction in and cordial acceptance one of an another as married together by Jesus Christ and so make one intire body and Temple These are no light and insignificant matters but very great and weighty matters indeed They put themselves into each others hands and become one anothers in the Lord in which state and condition they must abide and live together until the Lord shall separate them by some extraordinary providence For till then they cannot part one from another nor leave each other no not with mutual consents at their own will and pleasure because they were joyned together by the will of God as the chief and principal doer of it and therefore no lower will and power can dissolve the knot then that which at first did knit it These Ministers must go and take up with the Church as sent to them by Jesus Christ and the Church must own and receive them as Christs choice and gracious gift unto them And therefore they should be fully satisfied in each other and find deep real Love cordial acceptance and room in one anothers hearts resolving to live walk and continue together in Love and Faithfulness and in the constant practice of all duties to God and one another before they do unite and engage together in a Church-Relation For if they do not become one Holy Church and Communion upon the account of Jesus Christ his joyning them or calling them to own accept and chuse one another in that Relation If they be not congregated and united together by and upon the principle of Gospel-Love and Affection and if they enter not into and continue in that state and Relation Union and Communion together in pursuance of the will and call of Christ and in obedience to his command they are never likely to continue long together in peace and comfort to have God dwell in and walk with them or to thrive and prosper They may be able to make a comfortable Judgment of the Lords calling and joyning them together in love and mercy thus or by these things First if the Glory of the Lord Jesus their own Spiritual profit and edification lay deep in their hearts and are their great and only ends in their uniting and joyning together 2. If they have unfainedly and importunately asked counsel and conduct of God committed the whole to his choice and disposal to make up or hinder the match between them as he pleased and did indeed resign up their wills and concernments wholly unto his Wisdome and Sovereign pleasure to order and determine them and for them as he should think fit in order to the said ends and in their Prayers together and apart have stood in an even ballance waiting and expecting what the Lord would say and do in the case to and for them 3. And if after they have so done they find their hearts more and more enclined and knit one to another though still with a free and holy submission to the Will of God and they find providence working for them without by removeing obstructions and making the way plain for them I think they may comfortably conclude that God hath sent and called them to joyn themselves together and become a holy Temple in the Lord. For when all these things do concurr and fall in as it were together undoubtedly it is of God and by his special ordering and direction It was God that set up those holy ends and designs in their hearts It was God that stirred up and moved
their hearts so to pray and wait Psal 10.17 Rom. 8.26.27 or they could never have so done it It was God that enabled them to lie down and submit their wills and judgments to his It was God that enclined their hearts to one another and that knit them together in Love so as to chuse and accept of each other in that holy Relation and it was God that made their way plain before them And now what hinders why they should not freely unite and joyn together in the Lord and walk together as heirs of the Kingdome Eleventhly All things and matters in order to their Union and Communion together and becoming a house or Church of God and walking together as Officers and Members in that State and Relation being thus prepared and made ready for it They should now appoint and mutually agree to set apart a day to perfect and compleat what is so well begun And first they should call in the help and assistance of some other Church or Churches especially the Elders of them if they can that they may see and be satisfied of their proceedings and give them the right hand of fellowship Gal. 2.9 and assist them in the solemn setting apart of their Elders and help them with their Prayers 2. They should seek the Lord by fasting and prayer and entreat him in an extraordinary manner to be with them guide and direct them bless and prosper them in their proceedures and in an especial manner for the Elder or Elders they are about to chuse and in the Lord to set over themselves to feed them and take the oversight of them That God would give them a double portion of his Spirit and furnish them more abundantly with his gifts and special grace and make them able Ministers of the New-Testament That God would knit their hearts so fast together in the bond of love as that they may for ever live together in hearty love and peace and that they may freely constantly and chearfully perform their respective duties to one another according to the will of Christ And this being done they should now proceed to chuse and set apart their Elders I mean the Church should appoint one of their Brethren to express and declare that they have and now in a more solemn manner do elect and chuse out such a person or persons from among themselves Acts 6. to be their Elders and Teachers to rule seed watch over and Minister to them in the name of the Lord as persons fitted and sent to them by Jesus Christ for that end and purpose as they humbly judge and further they may declare that they do thankfully and cordially receive and accept them for their Elders as the gift of Christ unto them for those ends and services And when the said Elders are thus chosen and set apart as also ordained then they may declare their hearty acceptance of the choice and of the Church as their charge And for their mutual satisfaction and strengthning their hope and expectation of and confidence in each other as also for the faster knitting the Church and Elders together I think it convenient if not necessary that they do mutually promise and covenant to one another before God and men that they will really and unfeignedly perform their respective works and duties one to another Namely such as Jesus Christ requires of them according as he requires And when these things are done it may be convenient that the Officers or Messengers of other Churches that are present do declare that they approve of what is done by them and own them as a Church of Christ and their Elders now set over them as the Elders and Officers of Christ Now that the Church Congregated by the will of God have power to chuse and approve of all the Officers that Jesus Christ hath given them hath been shewed before and therefore I shall say nothing of it here but proceed Quest What is the work of Pastors Teachers or Elders in a Church of Christ or for what ends and purposes hath Christ set them there Answ First Their work is and they are set in the Church by Jesus Christ to Preach his word and to open and make known his mind and will unto them and as they have opportunity and ability to reveal the whole Counsel of God Acts. 20.27 28. They are to Preach the word of God not their own or others fancies and conceits and that diligently sincerely frequently and faithfully 1 Pet. 2.2 2 Cor. 2.17 Prov. 27.23 Acts. 18.25 Math. 24.45 This they must do in season and out of season 2 Tim. 4.2 They are to feed Babes with Milk and men or grown Christians with strong Meat Heb. 5.12 13 14. 1 Cor. 3.1 2. That is to Administer and apply suitable and proper Truths to them according to their capacities and conditions They must earnestly beseech and entreat as they see occasion 2 Cor. 5.20 2 Cor. 6.1 Reprove and rebuke Transgressors with all Authority 2 Tim. 4.2 Tit. 2. ult They are to comfort the feeble-minded and support the weak 1 Thes 5. They must study the Word and their Churches Souls cases and conditions that they may rightly divide and present unto them seasonable food and physick cordials and corrisives for they will need all 2 Tim. 2.15 and thereby make full proof of their Ministry 2 Tim. 4.5 This they must do publickly and privately as they have opportunity and ability and that with all possible patience wisdom and meekness 2 Tim. 2. ult Secondly As they must so attend to their Preaching work in the Church so likewise to their ruling work They have the Office power of Preaching and ruling from Christ not from the Church or any other persons whatsoever for they only elect call and set them apart to the exercise of that Power and Authority that Jesus Christ hath given them all which they are to exercise and make use of in the Church for their spiritual benefit and the glory of Christ That they have the power of rule as well as of labouring in the word and Doctrine is clear 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they namely such as have the ruling power also who labour in the word and Doctrine Which said ruling power consists in requiring attention in charging commanding appointing rebukeing and reproving in calling together the Church and dismissing them in requiring speech and silence in ordering and disposing of matters in the Church in an authoritative way examining matters and calling persons to an account and in admitting Members and executing the Laws of Christ on offenders in the Church c. 1 Tim. 4.11 2 Tim. 4.2 Titus 1.13 Tit. 2.15 Math. 24.45 To this part of their work office and power they must attend in the wise seasonable exercise of it as occasion is or may be offered without this authority of ruling from Christ they will be but lame Ministers and never able to carry on
places and worship God together conscienciously and dutifully this lightens gladens and comforts their hearts strengthens their hands and puts as it were a new life into them It oyles the Wheels and helps to make them run on easily sweetly and comfortably If it be the duty of Ministers to wait on their Office to Preach the word in season and out of season to attend to the Ministry of the word and to feed their flocks and watch over them as indeed it is Then undoubtedly it is the indispensible duty of such to attend and wait on their Ministry For the work is relative And the same Authority that binds the one binds also the other The one must Preach and Administer and the other must freely dutifully and constantly wait on their Administrations And let me tell you and assure you that by your deserting your Ministers in whole or in part you despise them and their Ministry you expose your selves to inevitable Reproach for it is a scandalous sin and your Ministers and their Ministry to great derision and contempt and this will cost you dear one day Obj. But we cannot profit by them their Ministrations are dead to us Answ It may be so but whose fault is that theirs or yours will you lay the blame on them when indeed it is your own is that justice or horrible injustice Prov. 17.15 He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord. You did once value and esteem them and found life and refreshing in their Ministry else why did you joyn with them call and chuse them for your Ministers They did not force themselves on you you were at your free choice to refuse them and sit down under others Ministry Besides while you pretend that the cause of your deserting such as you have chosen and once found good by others of the same Congregation find their Ministry very profitable to them still and continue to wait on it and bless God for it and abhor all thoughts of deserting it If so then it is evident that God is with your Ministers and blesses their Ministry and then what follows but that the fault is in you not in your Ministry For why should not you profit by it as well as others but that the obstruction is at home And it would better become you and argue a better spirit in you to search out the plagues of your own hearts and lay the blame where it is than where it is not If you find no good by their Ministry is it not because you 1 have left God in secret God and you are become strangers at home If it be so as most likely it is then wonder not if the Ordinances of God profit you not For what can you expect to find in Divine Ordinances when God is departed from you because you are departed from God There is a woe pronounced to such Hosea 9.12 2. Do you not live in some known sin without Repentance It is more than probable you do and if so then be sure you will find no good in any of Gods Ordinances untill that Idol be removed by Repentance out of your hearts and hands Ezek. 14.2 3 7. Joshua 7. says God to such I will answer you according to your Idols who presume to come before me with Idols in your hearts as every known sin is 3. Have you not conceived a displeasure and taken up prejudice against your Ministers persons or their Ministry If so no marvel if you profit not by them But then I say that 's your fault not theirs you have laid a stumbling block in your own way and obstruct your profitting by the works of your own hands So some of the Corinthians were prejudiced against Paul and they could by no means profit by his Ministry and therefore away they go to Apollo Why what 's the matter why he had not such excellent speech and language as Apolle had 1 Cor. 2.1 and his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible 2 Cor. 10.10 Alas Paul is an inconsiderable fellow We did love affect and wait on his Ministry and time was we received profit by it But now the case is altered Paul is no man for us no but Apollo a man of more Eloquence shall be our man now a Rush for Paul Well to Apollo they go and leave poor Paul to Preach to their seats or shift for himself But it is not long that Apollo shall please them and be their man no but to Cephas they go and where then God knows But was this their vertue and a proof of their spiritual growth and attainments no but on the contrary the Holy Ghost tells them once and again that they did wickedly by their shiftings from one Teacher to another and proved themselves but poor low carnal professors 1 Cor. 3.1 2 3. This is ordinarily if not alwayes one cause of mens leaving their own Ministers And you that are guilty of it now will find this evil humour at the bottom of your shifting and withdrawing from your Teachers would you suffer your Consciences to speak out and search them to the bottom but that you are not willing to see your own spots in a clear Glass 4. Do you not profit by the Ministry of your own Ministers why is it not your Pride do you not conceit that you are wiser than they and so they are unmeet and unworthy to teach you and you are too high and good to learn or be taught of them half an eye may see that this is also in the bottom of your desertions you are not poor and hungry hearers nor little in your own eyes but are too full of conceits of your own abilities and base conceits of your Teachers and therefore you are not profitted by their Ministry This also was the Corinthians Disease which made them slight Paul's Ministry as unprofitable and unworthy of them 1 Cor. 4.2 11. 5. And as in these causes at home you will or may find why you do not profit by the Ministry of your own Teachers so likewise because the world and the deceitful pleasures and profits thereof do lye deep in your hearts and swallow up yea drown your minds and affections In a word you want love to Christ his word Ordinances and Ministers and therefore you do not profit you do not pray heartily and fervently for them that God would make them able Ministers of the New Testament and bless their Ministry to your Souls profit and therefore they profit you not Again you trouble distract and grieve their hearts contrary to the will of God and therefore they cannot profit you And by these and many other sinful wayes you grieve the holy Spirit so as that he will not concur with nor bless and prosper their sincere endeavours to do you good But then I say still the fault is in you not in them they would but cannot mend these things in you but so may you if
by the Apostle Peter in his first Sermon after the coming of the Holy Ghost on him and other of the Apostles in Act. 2.39 when he was about the setting up of Churches and Church-Order Laws and Ordinances among them sayes he Repent yee and be Baptized why for the promise is unto you and to your Children and to all that are a far off even as many as the Lord our God shall call which is the same for substance given before to Abraham And Paul told the Galatians Chapt. 3.14 That the blessing of Abraham is come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ This Ordinance of Baptism is of meer Institution and made known to us in and by the Gospel The Light and Law of nature knows nothing of it neither are we bound to observe it but upon the command and appointment of Christ which is sufficient for us and we need no further warrant for our observation of it Fifthly The Lords Supper is clearly another Church-Ordinance And indeed it cannot be rightly and orderly administred and received but in a regular Church-state we never read of any Believers that received it or any Officers that administred it after Christ's ascension but as they were congregated en-Churched em-bodied and formed into a holy Temple but we read of Churches celebrating it as at Jerusalem Acts 2. Corinth 1 Epistle 11. and elsewhere We find the Institution of this Ordinance in Matth. 26.26 27 28. Mark 14.22 23 24. Luk. 22.17 18 19 20. 1 Cor. 11.23 to the end In this last Scripture we have many weighty things of and concerning this great Ordinance 1 The Institution its self 2 The time when the same night in the which he was betrayed 3 The Institutor namely the Lord Jesus 4 The manner of it 1. The Lord Jesus's own practise He took blessed brake and gave the Bread and said take eat this is my Body 2. By commandment this do ye in remembrance of me 5 Who should received it and how persons should be qualified and prepared for the reception of it 1. With light and faith They must be able to discern the Lords body the ends and use of the Ordinance and to make suitable and pertinent application of all to themselves 2. They must be able to examine themselves and actually to do it and be in a state and practical fitness and readiness to meet Christ in it to thank and praise him and to shew forth his death until he come 6 The danger and peril they are in who eat and drink and use this holy Ordinance unworthily 1. They are guilty of his Body and Blood 2. Of their own damnation 7 We are informed of some of the sad effects their unworthy receiving of this holy Ordinance had on some of them for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep Sixthly Singing of Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs is another Church-Ordinance or Institution of Christ Eph. 5.18 19 20. Col. 3.16 Mat. 26.30 Mark 14.26 This is a spiritual Ordinance and Duty yea it is a heart-warming Soul-refreshing Spirit-raising and grace-quickning Ordinance To the well performance of it much special grace and diligent exercise of it as also the spirit of grace is necessary Much wisdom and spiritual understanding life and vigor care and watchfulness is requisite sincerity and faithfulness spirituality and heavenly-mindedness is needful for our acceptable observance of it to God through Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 14.15 Col. 3.16 Eph. 5.18 19 20. It is true that all men ought to sing praises and thanksgivings unto God for it is a natural and moral duty and it is as true that none can rightly holily and acceptably do it but such as are partakers of the grace and spirit of Christ and that the Lord Jesus hath instituted it and made it a Church-Ordinance And as or because he hath instituted and made it one of his Gospel-Ordinances for his Churches that therefore they ought so to observe it Sevently Holy discourses and heavenly conferences among the members of the Church is another Church Ordinance which all are bound to mind and practise as they have ability and opportunity for the observation and celebrating of which they should seek for occasions and seasons to meet together and endeavour to promote it and when they have them in their hands to use and improve them to the glory of God and their own mutual profit and that because it is their Lords Ordinance for their good The neglect of which is doubtless one of the procuring causes of those witherings languishings and most dreadful decays in grace and woful back-slidings which are so notoriously evident among Church-members This useful profitable Ordinance was once in esteem much accounted of by Believers but it is now almost laid aside forgotten by them it was their delight but now their burden They made happy earnings of it to their Souls but now they fancy that they have no need of it that there is neither duty nor priviledge in it But however it is and shall ever be an Ordinance of God and their observation of it their priviledge and duty Jude 20. Building up your selves in your most holy faith 1 Thes 5.11 Wherefore comfort your selves together and edifie one another even as also ye do See also vers 14. and Heb. 3.13 Heb. 10.24 25. Mal. 3.16 17. Church-members must take heed that they meet together for the better and not for the worser as the Apostle told the Corinthians 1 Cor. 11.17 that they so improve their occasional and determined meetings as to profit and better one another This holy Ordinance of Jesus Christ should be seriously frequently diligently spiritually and sincerely observed of all Church-members And if they shall so observe and practise it in obedience to his will and with holy designs and aims namely to please and honour God and to profit and better their own and each others Souls they will find it an exceeding profitable Ordinance to them for the promoting and carrying on the grace and interest of Christ in their hearts and it will be an effectual means to encrease love one to another unite their hearts and endear affections God will bless and empower it in your dependence on Christ and his free grace to keep your Consciences awake your Affections warm and your hearts ready to every good work Eightly Church-Discipline This Ordinance is instituted and appointed for the Churches regular and orderly walking for the preventing and curing disorders in them and there is as much need of this Ordinance and Institution as of any other as experience shews And it should be seriously minded and considered wisely and diligently observed and practised in the Church as much as any other Ordinance of God therein There is no Church in the world but is subject to disorders and too many irregularities because the Lusts Temptations and carnal Interests of some of the Member are strong and impetuous which causes many distempers and disturbances in the
body as may be seen in the primitive Churches Now Discipline is appointed by Christ to heal and cure them and without it the body cannot be healthful and continue in a good condition but botches and plague-sores will break forth 2 Cor. 10.8 Mat. 18.15 16 17 18 19. Rom. 12.6 7 8. 1 Cor. 5.4 5 7 13. Gal. 6.1 2. These are some of the principal Institutions or Ordinances of Christ in his Gospel-Churches which they should seriously mind diligently and faithfully observe continually to the glory of Christ and their Souls profit CHAP. IX Of the priviledges of a Gospel-Church or the singular priviledges and spiritual advantages Believers have or may enjoy in a Church-state and Relation Quest WHat are Believers priviledges and spiritual advantages in a Church-state or as enchurched and embodied together Answ There are many and great priviledges and Soul-advantages for Believers in a Church-state which they may enjoy and improve to the promoting of their present and eternal happiness Solomon tells us That two are better than one Eccles 4.9 10 11 12. So many knit together in a holy Band for mutual profit are in a far better condition than when they walk singly and alone In Gen. 2.18 it is said that it is not good for man to be alone I will says God make him a help meet for him So God knowing our frame Psal 103.14 and what need we have of spiritual Union and Communion one with another he hath in love and mercy in his great pity tenderness and compassion to us appointed and ordained a Church-state and Relation for us that we might walk together in holy Brotherly love and oneness of heart serve him with one consent Eph. 3.9 and carry on a common mutual interest together in his fear First Believers in a Church-state shall have much more of the presence of Christ with them than while they walk in a single capacity as so many individual persons without a near Church Union and Communion without their holy Band and perfect joyning together in the same mind heart and affection 1 Cor. 1.10 How often doth the word of God inform us of this pray read and mind consider and lay to heart these Texts Rev. 2.1 unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus write these things saith he that holdeth the Seven Stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the Seven Golden Candlesticks Mark it he doth not say that he calleth and looketh into them noâ— but he walketh in his Churches in their walking with him And Paul tells us in 2. Cor. 6.16 That God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them namely in the particular Gospel-Church at Corinth formed of Saints and Sanctified in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 1.2 2 Cor. 1.1 which is undoubtedly the priviledge of all other Gospel-Churches of the Saints Psal 9.11 Sing praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Sion And in Psal 132.13 14. says David for the Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his Habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it To which last recited Texts with many other of like import the Apostle alludes Eph. 2. ult In whom you also are builded for a Habitation of God For what end are they built up together why it is for God to dwell in These are a few of the many Texts that speak of and plainly declare this to be one of the great priviledges of Gospel-Churches And it is no small one but very great and full of inviting and encouraging force and efficacy to draw and perswade all true hearted Nathaniels to joyn themselves to them and walk in and with them and to provoke and stir up all Church-members to walk and carry themselves so towards God Christ their head and towards one another as to enjoy and experience the good and sweetness of it and cause not to obstruct and hinder God and by unworthy carriages to God to withdraw himself from them and deprive themselves of so great and glorious a priviledge 2 Chron. 15.2 It is not enough that you are in a true Gospel-Church to possess you of this priviledge but you must walk and demean your selves in that state according to his will you must walk therein as becomes the Gospel of Christ and in heart and practise Conform unto his Laws and appointments that your Father head and King may delight to dwell with and walk among you as in his holy Temple For he is in his holy Temple Psal 11.4 Eph. 2.21 Oh! remember that God is great and greatly to be feared in the Assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of all that are about him Psal 89.7 and consider how great a priviledge this is Secondly A true Gospel-Church or Believers inchurched are and shall be priviledged with more of Christ his Graces Spirit and benefits than others Christ will impart and distribute more fully and richly to them of his riches of love and grace when they carry themselves obediently to him in a Church-state than when they walk as individual and single persons His hand and heart shall be opened wider to them and he will abundantly bless them when orderly walking in his holy Temples They may hope expect and wait for great things from him in his holy walkes Gardens and Galleries And that First because he dwells there There he dwells and walks as you heard before and be sure where the King of glory keeps his Court and place of residence where he makes his abode and that with greatest delight and complacency as he doth in his Gospel-Churches there he will communicate and impart most of his riches and choicest loves and favours The consideration of which made David so earnest and importunate in his desires and prayers to be in the house of God which he preferred much above and beyond all other good in the world Psal 63.1 2 3 5. Psal 84.1 11. Psal 27.4 There he knew that God would meet him and he should meet God There he expected to find the fullest clearest comfortablest and the most constant presence of God and there he expected to obtain and enjoy his love and favours also for God is great in Zion Psal 99.2 namely great in glory praise renown and in the distributions of his favours 2. Because they ly in the way of them and wait at wisdoms gate and at Bethefda's-Pool Believers in a Church-state are waiting on and for their Lord and King and for his favours and blessings in the way and ways he hath commanded them and appointed to bless them in And therefore their receivings must needs be more abundant from him Psal 133. ult As the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended upon the Mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore Every Ordinance of Christ is as a full Brest golden Pipe and Honey-Comb which conveys and yields abundance of Milk and Honey of Cordials and water of life
careful and mindful of them for his own honour and glory and their good Believers in living on and walking with God in a Church-state are of all persons in the best and safest condition They are under the greatest security from Seductions and Satanical Delusions from back-sliding and Apostacies from the Spirit of Error and Heresies from spiritual decays and witherings from hardness of heart or from being hardened and stupified through the deceitfulness and ensnaring allurements of this world Heb. 3.13 For they have greater and more constant means and provisions for their preservation and security than others have They have more promises of being secured by their Lord and King Esa 27.2 3. Sing ye unto her a Vineyard of red Wine I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day They have the Lords presence and glory his love grace and benefits frequently before their eyes to warn quicken and keep them awake and watchful diligent and faithful and they have fresh springs often flowing in upon their hearts They are much in the eye of Christ and he is much in their eye which keeps an awe on them and the frequent views of his glorious person love grace Laws and Ordinances are of great use towards their safety So also is the watchfulness help and assistance they have from one another in a Church-state Believers walking irregularly and disorderly as they do when not joyned to some true Church of Christ they are as common fields that lye open to all sorts of Beasts and as Souldiers walking and stragling without the Camp ready to become a prey unto their Enemies But in a Church-state and walking with God therein they are as a Garden walled in as a Castle and City with â—ates and Barrs and as a Houshold of persons shut in with doors and locks They are hedged in with Christ his Discipline and secured with his watchful eye and protection so as that the Gates of Hell cannot so easily prevail against them as they may against others Seventhly Gospel-Churches are very honourable Societies and Corporations They are exalted and dignified so by Christ and that they are the most high excellent as honourable Houses and Cities in the World They are the Houses and Housholds of the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6.15 Psal 48.1 2 3. Eph. 2.19 20 21 22. A House built up fitly framed and artificially formed of hewen stones and Timber is much more honourable and glorious than the materials whereof it was builded were before they were so formed up One holy Temple fitly framed consisting of a hundred meet and well qualified persons hath more beauty glory excellency honour and renown on it than ten thousand such materials have whilst they lye scattred up and down among the Rubbish of the World And as they do more as it were adorn and beautifie Christ in the World so he doth more adorn beautifie them They are said to be beautiful for Situation Psal 48.2 and Gods holy Temples Eph. 2.21 They are honoured with more of his honourable and glorious presence with more of his holy and sweet Laws and Ordinances and with more of his promises power gifts and graces Their honour fame and renown is farr above my reach and farr beyond what I can declare They are made the keepers and upholders of his Truths Name and Interests Churches in their orderly and holy walkings are terrible as an Army with Banners Cant. 6.4 10. and glorious things are spoken of this City of God Psal 87.3 As God said of Job namely that there were none like him in the earth Job 8 1. So he saith of his New-Testament Churches that there are not any Societies like them in the earth For what other Corporations and Societies of men are so qualified that have God with them as they have that have such a head and King such Ordinances Laws and Law-giver as such Churches have where are those Societies to be found that God speaks so honourably of and gives such honourable Titles to as he doth to them They are or ought to be all stones of Gold and precious Jewels they are Kings and Priests and made up of Royal Diadems Esa 62.3 Rev. 2.1 Mal. 3.17 They have the Lords name written on them and they are called by his name They are called the Churches of God and of Christ What other Societies of men are there governed by such Laws ruled by such Rulers animated by such a Spirit and fed with such Heavenly bread and spiritual provisions as they are They are the lights and glories of or in the World and by their joynt prayers and interest in Heaven they are the supporters of the world These are a few of the special priviledges of inchurched Saints which have been dearly purchased for them with the blood of Christ and conferred upon them by the holy Ghost which they are bound to take special notice of affect their hearts with them rejoyce greatly with them and in the Authour of them be very thankful for and faithfully improve them to the glory of Christ and to their own peace comfort incouragement in holiness and to their growth in grace You that are Churches and Church-Members are bound to consider and lay to heart your great singular and invaluable priviledges your unworthiness of them the price they have cost your head and King the ends for which they are given you to walk worthy of them in your Church-state and Relation and see that you walk and carry your selves honourably in all your ways towards God and men And remember that God gives you all these and other priviledges and injoyments that you should be rich in good works yea that you might abound in the work of the Lord 1 Tim. 6.17 18. 1 Cor. 15. ult Your priviledges are singular and glorious Oh! so let your words carriages deeds and performances be also God hath dignified you do you see that you exalt him God hath done great things for you do you do great things for him you shall reap the benefit and he the glory CHAP. X. That it is the indispensible duty of all Believers to joyn themselves unto some rightly constituted Church of Christ if they can together with the Reasons and ends of their so doing Quest OVght not all true Believers to joyn themselves unto and walk in fellowâ— ship with some holy and well-constituted Church of Jesus Christ where they may enjoy and partake of his Gospel-Ordinance Ans It is their undoubted and indispensible duty so to do if they have the conveniency and opportunity of doing it They may not wilfully or carelesly neglect to do it one day after they have opportunities offered them they are not cannot be dispensed withal in their Omissions for their wilful or careless neglects are their sins They are by such neglects guilty of disobedience and contempt They disobey the Royal will and pleasure of their Soveraign
respected by us This General includes many particular and subordinate ends which in pursuance and obtaining of the General we must have in our eyes and hearts in our walking in this state and relation I shall not mention them here but refer you to the next foregoing Chapter where you may find several of them Onely I shall add that you must sincerely and unfainedly keep these and all other Gods holy Ends in your eyes and hearts and pursue them with all your might until you have obtained them to the highest degree you may You must hold Communion together for these ends and you must discourse one with another hear the Word Preached Pray Sing and receive the Lords Supper together for these ends You must wrestle with God in secret quicken and provoke one another and prepare your hearts that you may so enjoy Ordinances and worship God together as to obtain them in the House of God Thirdly Church-members must walk humbly with God Micah 6.8 They must have a watchful eye against Heart-pride and being great in their own eyes because of their greatr Piviledges high Dignities their nearness to God and the distinguishing Character that is upon them All your glorying must be in God not in your selves or Priviledges 1 Cor. 1. ult for all you have is but lent you A humble heart and lowly spirit is a Jewel of great account in Heaven To such a person God looks with delight and complacency Isa 66.2 To him he gives more grace and fills his soul with good things 1 Pet. 5.5 Luk. 1.53 The meek and humble-hearted he will teach Psal 25.9 The lower any are in their own eyes the higher is God there The more humble-hearted any man is the more excellent and glorious he is the more like the most renowned Worthies in Scripture yea the more like Christ himself Matth. 11.29 The more humble and lowly any man is the more capable he is of Communion with God and of being enriched with his Grace and Truth If you indulge the Pride of your hearts or countenance Self-conceitedness in your selves you will grieve the holy Spirit and cause him to forsake you For as a humble heart gives God his due so a proud heart robs him of it and takes it to himself A humble heart is a growing thriving and profiting heart it will make happy earnings of all Gods Dispensations He that is of a meek and humble spirit is a gainer by all Providences is bettered by all Occurrences He gains by the Rod and also by the Word he gains by Losses Crosses Tryals Temptations Poverty Reproaches so likewise by Prosperity Honour Riches and all other smiling Providences If he loose without he gains within therefore you ought to put on as the Elect of God holy and beloved humbleness of mind towards God 1 Col. 3.12 as well as humble carriages towards men as you heard before For God loves to keep company with humble persons Fourthly Live by Faith on your God and Father on your Head and King and expect in the way of your duty and obedience to his Commands all the fulness of Christ and blessings of the Covenant Do not give place to distrusts doubts and fears or imagine that God will forget you or deny you that which he hath promised because of your personal unworthiness Consider that he hath called you into fellowship and formed you into holy Corporations put you under his Ordinances and made you his Housholds brought you into Order and set you near unto himself that he might visit you and walk with you that he might impart his Counsels to you distribute his Covenant-favours to your souls perform his Promises and fill you with all the fulness of himself Therefore do you hang about him and cleave to him for he is faithful that hath promised Heb. 10.23 and is able to perform all his Promises Rom. 4.21 yea and he is most freely willing to do it also Micah 7. ult Remember that God hath not brought you into his House to famish you or deal severely with you No but to nourish and feed you to strengthen and sanctifie you to comfort and refresh you to teach you build you up care for you and prepare you for eternal life God is ever mindful of his Covenant therefore do you remember to make him your stay and trust live upon him and expect all promised good from him He would have you do so he hath commanded it and therefore do it in obedience to his will Psal 37.3.5.7 Rom. 1.17 Heb. 11.38 1 Pet. 5.7 His hand and heart will be open to you and from his Fountain of Love Graces shall flow Rivers of living waters into your souls Zach. 13.1 He will always care for and watch over you for good he will water you every moment he will keep you night and day Isa 27. 3. Oh! then trust in him at all times and in all your ways acknowledge him and he will not fail to direct your steps Prov. 3.6 cast all your care on him for he careth for you and the peace of God shall keep you Phil. 4. Expect and look for your purchased and promised portions in your Fathers House in walking in his Family-order and under the Government thereof under the Laws and inspection of the great and gracious Lord thereof In all your waitings on him in every Ordinance of his be sure to believe hope and wait for his Presence and Blessings When-ever you ascend the Mountain of the Lords House to meet the God of Jacob and to present your King with a Thank-offering be sure to carry Faith with you go with much Faith and Hope unto him and do as Children do whilst in their Fathers House they live on their Father for Food Raiment and all other bodily supplys So do you in your Fathers spiritual House live on him for all provisions mind your duty and trust him with your promised all Fifthly Let your Praise wait for your God and King in Zion Psal 65.1 and do not neglect to go up to his Temples with your Sacrifices when the Tribes go or are called up thither then I say do you be sure to go up with them stay not behind nor tarry at home when others go up go with your Brethren when they go that it may be said as in Psal 84.7 Every one namely of the Church appeareth before God in Zion and be sure that when you go you go not empty-handed Exod. 23.15 Exod. 34.20 If you cannot present your King with a Lamb for a Thank-offering carry him two Turtle Doves with you if not able to carry two Doves then carry with thee two Mites as the Widdow the poor Widdow did Mark 12.42 43 44. But if thou hast not two Mites to carry with thee to present to thy God for a Free-will or Thank-offering then go abegging to him for one but in any wise go to your Church-meetings with your Brethren tarry not behind them For if you do neglect to
do so you rob God break your Covenant offend your Brethren and wrong your own souls You must go up because you are called to go and that you may meet God in Zion and receive his blessings for there he commands them Psal 133. ult Oh! it is sad indeed when persons shall pretend to enter into Churches take upon them the observation of all the Laws and Ordinances of Christ there solemnly and publickly promise and engage to walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of God with his people and yet shall dare wilfully to neglect their place and duty therein and to pay their Vows to their God and King Psal 65.1 Psal 61.5.8 Such as are good Governours of Families and Corporations will carefully mind if all within them do answer to their calls and perform their duties when called so to do So doth the Lord Jesus Christ in his Churches He summons them by his Ministers to appear before him wait on and worship him together and bring him a Church-offering and service and narrowly observes who comes and who neglects it how thy come and with what frames of hearts to what ends as the 2. 3. Chap of Rev. shew And if he find any wanting that might come or see them come carelesly and superficially he accounts himself slighted disobeyed and his Love and Grace contemned and undervalued God expects that you should be constant in Church-meetings and not decline them at any time but when his hand obstructs and impedes you but that there you should come with your Free-will offerings and do your Duty Homage to him as he commanded you Believe it this is a matter of great moment and not to be slighted or disregarded by you Sixthly You must walk with God in Church-fellowship in Sincerity and with Vprightness of heart to Without this all your performances are in vain The Lord Jesus is very curious and critical in searching your hearts in your Church-state Rev. 2.23 And all the Churches shall know that I search the reins and the heart And in Jer. 17.10 saith God to the inchurched Jews I the Lord search the heart I try the reins Then surely it must very much concern you to see that you draw night to God continually with true hearts Heb. 10.22 and that without all allowed Guile and Hypocrisie A little of this Leaven will quickly leaven the whole lump of duties Gal. 5.9 It will so corrupt and sowre them as that they will be all stark naught and good for nothing but to kindle and encrease the flames of God's Wrath and Vengeance against you Therefore take heed and beware of Hypocrisie and do not connive or wink at the least grain of it in your hearts or duties but be sure to walk with God in the performance of all duties in Integrity and Uprightness Be sure that your God expects it from you and requires it of you Joshua 24.14 Gen. 17.1 The Eyes of the Lord run to and fro through-out the Churches to see whose heart is perfect with him and whose is hypocritical 2 Chron. 16.9 He requires Truth in the inward parts Psal 51.6 and that all Church-members should walk before him in Truth and with perfect hearts 2 King 20.3 You must worship God and serve him with your all for your little all is but too little for him Prov. 23.26 Math. 22.37 Psal 119.10 You must not leave one hoof behind when you do any thing for God nor put God off with a part of your abilities for the whole for if you do you will lose the acceptance and reward of all Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name saith David Psal 103.1 Seventhly See that you worship God and observe all his Ordinances in the Church in spirit or spiritually Remember that you are his holy spiritual Temples the Temples of the Holy Ghost Eph. 2.21 1 Cor. 3.16 that all the Ordinances of worship in them are holy and spiritual Ordinances stampt with the Image of God's Holiness and Authority and that he will be worshipped in spirit or spiritually Joh. 4.23 24. You must be very careful that you take not up with the external part and outside of your duties and priviledges that you settle not your selves and stay as it were in and upon Ordinances and your enjoying and observing them but get within the Vail seek and look for God and Christ for Heaven and glorious things in them Let your Faith conduct you by the hand of the Spirit into the bosom and heart of Christ that there you may read his Love Grace and glorious Excellencies have intimate and close Communion with him and be ravished and refreshed with his Person and Love Get into his Galleries and see the King of Glory in his beautys and transcendant sweetnesses and get into the Sanctum Sanctorum into the most holy place for the way is opened and the vail drawn off and removed by your Head for you to come and meet him there Heb. 10.19 20 Therefore do not stand and worship in the outer Court of the Temple but go and pass through Ordinances to Christ into the holiest of all and when-ever you go and enter in be you sure that you carry all Graces the Spirit with you to meet your Lord and honour him with them Endeavour all you can to see and feel him to get your hearts ravished with his Person and Love that thereby they may be raised up to great delight joy chearfulness adoration admiration and praise that they may be filled with his Savours warmed with his Love drawn by his Beauty be by all knit and united tyed and bound fast to him Then we worship him in spirit or spiritually when we worship him go to meet him with all our Graces in the Holy of Holies when our Hearts Graces do close up with and hold Communion with him in these Beauties of Holiness Psal 110.3 I am affraid that very few Church-members are experimentally acquainted with this matter for if they were so acquainted with it indeed they could not do as they do They could not neglect the worship and Ordinances of Christ nor cry up a Cephas and cry down a Paul as they do 1 Cor. 3. They could not be so careless and formal in them as they are nor carry about such dead lumpish and heavy hearts and minds as they do Well but however it hath been with you let it be so no more Do you for time to come learn so to worship God as you have heard that so you may please and honour him and he may delight to meet with and bless you Eightly You must walk in Church-fellowship chearfully comfortably and joyfully You must not be Whiners and Complainers you must not be sad lumpish and melancholly in your Father's House No for that will greatly reflect on your Father and on your Head and Husband You will raise suspicions in the minds of men on the good ways of God
and in a sense you will contradict his Gospel his Truth and Faithfulness his Love and Care to and over his Churches For God hath promised to make his People joyful in his House of Prayer Isa 56.7 and to satisfie them with Bread Psal 132.15 But by the sad and heavy walkings of his People in his House they declare that they are not satisfied nor find such Provisions in his House as he promised and they expected Such sad lumpish and melancholly Church-members do greatly dishonour Christ and his good ways offend their Brethren and scandalize the World For when they see them walk so what will they think and say of the waies and Ordinances of God will they not falsely accuse and condemn them despise and loath them yea and harden their hearts against Religion it self or else they will judge and censure such for Hypocrites and Dissemblers We ought to commend Religion and the good wayes of God wherein we walk to the Conviction and Acceptance of all that behold us and that in one thing or way as well as another We should walk with a holy serious chearfulness and pleasantness and be joyful chearful and pleasant before and towards all men and that for Christ's Religion's our own and others sakes that by this carriage we may honour God commend his Gospel-Religion and holy wayes his easy sweet and pleasant yoke and wayes Matth. 11. ult Prov. 3.17 encourage and strengthen the hearts and hands of our Brethren and convince the world of the Goodness Pleasantness and Profit of them and perswade them to fall in love with and imbrace them You must so walk also because God hath inchurched you and put you under his Ordinances and promised to make you joyful pleasant and chearful yea he charges and commands you to be and do so Phil 3.1 Phil. 4.4 Psal 32. ult Remember and lay to heart how many Causes Objects you have to make you chearful pleasant and joyful Therefore make use of them for the enabling you to walk joyfully Quest What are the Evils Sins and Temptations that Church-members are Subject to pray shew us them that we may know and avoid them Answ Church-members are subject or lyable to many Evils Sins and Temptations in their Church-state For Believers being formed up together in one body profess to be one and to be entirely concerned and included with and in one another so are said to be one Lump Gal. 5.9 and one House or Temple The Devil doth set on them the more furiously and with greater strength and diligence that so he may wound and mischief many with his fiery Darts together and kill a whole Church by stabbing one or two Members thereof For he knows that if he can tempt one to sin openly and scandalously he may thereby reproach the whole body and put them to grief and shame For a little Leaven leavens the whole Lump 1 Cor. 5.6 Gal. 5.9 Therefore I say he will be more busy with Church-members than with others in this matter which should greatly provoke them to arm the more carefully watch the more diligently and fight the more manfully that they be not deluded and conquered by him to the grief and shame of their Fellow-members It is true that Church-members have more helps and advantages against Sin and Temptation than others have as I have elsewhere shewed and it is as true that they shall be mostly assaulted and tryed and yet if they will they are and will be on the advantage ground against all these Evils as they will find by experience if they will mind their duty I will name a few of the Evils they will be tempted to 1. To take up and entertain evil Surmisals of one another 2 Cor. 12. 1 Tim. 6.4 They will be greatly tempted to keep groundless Jealousies and Suspicions one of another which tends and leads to 2. Harsh and severe Censurings and uncharitable Judgings one of another which is a most hateful sin in the sight of God and which is expresly forbidden and condemned Matth. 7.1 2. Rom. 14.10 13. 3. They will be tempted to Envy one another which is one of the devilish sins so often mentioned and condemned in the Scripture and frequently forbidden Gal. 5. ult 2 Cor. 12.20 1 Pet. 1.1 They will be tempted to be envious at that in their Brethren for which they ought to thank God and rejoyce Rom. 12.15 They must not envy the prosperity of the wicked much less that of their Brethren Psal 37.1 Enviers eyes are evil because God is good Matth. 20.15 Luk. 15.25 26 27 28 29 30. here you have the Pourtraiture and express Image of Envy and of an envious Person what draws it forth or what is the Object of their Envy 4. They will be tempted to be proud and lifted up with their Church-state with the Priviledges and Dignity thereof to think highly of themselves vilely of others Rom. 12.3 Phil. 2.3 They are very subject to be lifted up with their Gifts and Attainments and to affect vain-glory as Paul speaks Gal. 5. ult and to be too great in their own eyes which is a most hateful and pernitious Evil. 5. They will be tempted to Wrath Strife and Schisms to cause and raise Divisions Debates Contentions and Disputings which is a real fruit of Pride Prov. 13.10 1 Tim. 6.4 5. and very pernicious to the glory welfare and comfort of the Church And although this Evil be expresly forbidden and greatly condemned yet many Church-members can too boldly and confidently practise it and pretend that they have reason or cause so to do yea and that they do well in it But take heed and beware of it and let such know that it is a most hateful and devilish Sin and a most infectious Plague-fore that will destroy the Authours and Practisers of it if not timely repented of 6. They will be tempted to Formality and taking up with the form of Godliness without the power thereof 2 Tim. 3.5 To take up with and settle themselves on the Lees of Ordinances and external Duties and Enjoyments with the neglect of the Heart Soul Life and Power of them and heart-warming heart-sanctifying and heart-teaching Communion with God Oh! how many Church-members are there who do indulge themselves comply with the natural Genius of their own hearts and joyn issues with Satan in this matter who eye not nor look mostly unto the Spirit Christ Grace and good of the means they use nor bring their hearts and graces to God in them but rest and satisfy themselves with a cold sapless and lifeless form or out-side of Religion and therefore they do not cannot thrive and prosper but they wither and decay within while they are in the Courts of God 7. They will be tempted to the great sin and evil of Reproaching and Back-biting one another to vilifie defame and speak evil one of another and blast each others good Names and Reputations This is another mischievous and abominable Sin which
may know in measure how dearly He loved us and how dear we have cost There we may see our sins Pardoned persons Accepted God Reconciled and Well-pleased there we may hear him saying Deliver them out of Prison for I have found and accepted a Ransom Surely there is not a more powerful means in the World to produce and provoke to Repentance yea pure Gospel-Repentance in Believers than the Lord's Supper is For here are presented to us all the greatest and strongest Gospel-motives to unfained Spiritual and Gospel-Repentance to melt soften the heart It is Love Grace the hopes of Pardon and Acceptance and of being sanctified and saved that provokes and produces Repentance unto Life not Fear and Dread of Divine Wrath and Vengeance Not the bare sight and Conviction of Sin and the Apprehension of future punishment no but 't is the sense or hope at least of our persons being loved and accepted into favour with God and of our being acquitted and justified through the blood of the Covenant that doth it 9. To stir us up to Admire Adore and Praise the great and free Love and Grace of God and Jesus Christ our Lord. They do in and by this Ordinance set off and commend their free eternal and distinguishing Love and Grace unto Believers and thereby give them occasion of Praising Admiring and Adoring it These are some of God's Holy and Gracious Ends in appointing this Ordinance for and giving it unto them and these and what-ever other uses and ends there are of it should be diligently sought out and understood by all Believers And being sound out they should be carefully diligently and faithfully aimed at and pursued by them Well then do you joyn Issues with God aim at and carry on the holy Ends of Jesus Christ in this Gospel Ordinance and by your so doing you will please and honour him and greatly profit your own Souls Quest What are the necessary qualifications and preparations of all worthy Receivers of the Lords Supper or what is required of and ought to be found in them Ans There qualifications and preparations are two-fold 1. A State qualification or worthiness 2. A habitual and practical or actual fitness 1. A State-worthiness or qualification which in brief is this or consists of these two things 1. Regeneration 2. Vnion with Christ by Faith 1. Regeneration or a New Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 This is absolutely necessary as to Salvation Joh. 3.3 5. so to fit and qualifie men to and for every good work Without Regeneration or being Born again we cannot Believe Repent or Obey the Gospel in a right and acceptable manner Without this change of Nature we cannot love God nor fear God we cannot know him rightly nor worship him Spiritually Joh. 4.23 24. Phil. 3.3 for we cannot Worship him with Reverence and Godly fear until we are partakers of the Divine Nature and of his special Grace to do it withal 2 Pet. 1.4 Heb. 12 28. In our Unregenerate States we are blind and dark Eph. 5.8 Dead in sins Eph. 2.1.5 Enemies to God and Strangers to the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5.10 Eph. 2.12 We are Carnal and Vain Hard-hearted and Impenitent Sinners and are shut up in Unbelief Yea we are Haters of God and the power of Godliness and excessive Lovers of Sin and the World and altogether voyd of the Love of God and of real love and pitty to our own Souls Now then it is absolutely necessary that we be Regenerated and Created in Christ Jesus unto good Works Eph. 2.10 for till then we are utterly uncapable of doing them according to the Will of God How then can we receive and partake of the Lords Supper worthily until we are Regenerated and made New Creatures How can we discern the Lords Body 1 Cor. 11.29 and how can we understand the mystery and take in the profit of Christ his Death to our Souls until we are taught of God How can we receive it in Faith and in Obedience to his Will until the Grace of Faith be formed in our hearts and until our hearts are bowed and melted by Grace into the Holy Will of God How can we Worship God and Celebrate this Ordinance with lively hearts whilst we are dead in sins And how can we apply the Seal to that Grace which we have not Therefore I say it is absolutely necessary that all that receive this holy Seal be Regenerated and made New Creatures For how can that Ordinance feed and nourish that which is not in Being namely the New Creature 2. They must be Vnited to Jesus Christ by Faith also They must be in him and have relation to him as living Members to their Head 2 Cor. 5.17 Col. 2.6 Christ must be theirs and they must be his by Faith or they cannot claim him as theirs nor receive any benefit by his Death for else how can they joyn with Christ in his saying Take eat this is my Body which is broken for you 1 Cor. 11.23 24. But I must hasten 2. They must have an habitual worthiness or meetness for the right Receiving and due Celebration of this Ordinance likewise I mean a holy and spiritual ready and accurate frame and disposition of heart to for it they must have their Sight Faith and Love ready in act and exercise or they are not cannot be meet partakers of the Lord's Table It is not only necessary that they be in a State of Justification and Regeneration but they must be also in or qualified with a habitual frame posture and disposition of heart to receive and celebrate it to the Glory of Christ and profit of their own Souls Tit. 3.1 Their Hearts and Graces must be ready fixed and tuned for the work that they be not to seek of them or at a loss concerning them when they should honour Christ with and get the Seal of the Spirit to them Psal 57.7 Psal 108.1 Psal 112.7 This habitual meetness or worthiness qualification or preparation call it which you will is a matter of great weight and moment especially in this matter and therefore you must labour all you can to obtain it 2. There is a practical and actual meetness and preparedness for the worthy and acceptable receiving of the Lords Supper also That is there is something more than ordinary to be done by them in order to their worthy participating of it This practical preparation I shall briefly present to you in some particulars 1. You must examine your selves 1 Cor. 11.28 But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the Bread and drink of the Cup. And here 1. You must examine your States and try if you be in the Faith or no If you are indeed at least in a well grounded hope and perswasion in a justified and regenerate state and condition 2 Cor. 13.5 2 Pet. 1.10 and to know whether the Lord Jesus and his special Grace be formed in your hearts Gal. 4.19 This must be effectually done
by you or you may be undone For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh his own Damnation 1 Cor. 11.29 And if you should eat and drink this holy Supper in an unregenerate and unjustified state be you sure that you will eat and drink damnation to your selves for the Lord hath spoken it This is not a matter to be dallied with 2. Examine your selves if you allow not of some sin and if there be not one lust carnal-self or some one or more Idols indulged and connived in at and by you For should you carelesly overlook this matter and sit down at the Kings Table with any of them in you and wink at it be you assured that the Lord Jesus will not accept and bless you visit you and smile on your Souls but he will loath your offering and hide his face from your Souls Therefore search and see what you can find of any of them in your hearts or hands within or without you For your great Lord searches and tryes you Rev. 2.23 Make an impartial and diligent enquiry into this matter and that with all possible integrity of heart that God may see that you are willing to know the worst of your selves And do as David and others have done in this weighty matter Psal 77.6 make diligent search and entreat the Lord to help you Psal 139. ult Ask your selves and try to purpose do I not wink at and practically allow of Anger Passion Wrath yea of Hastiness Rashness Peevishness and Frowardness Do not I wink at my Pride worldly-mindedness vanity of mind and frothy discourses Do not I hearken to Tatlers and take up Reproaches against the Righteous and do not I Reproach them also by telling to others what I hear Do not I worship God carnally and in a formal and Hypocritical manner and do not I live in the careless neglect of many Religious and Relative duties day after day Am not I a Peace-breaker among my Relations and others by a peevish and quarrelsome Spirit instead of a Peace-maker Am I not guilty of very much luke-warmness and indifferency of spirit in all Duties as also of much idleness and mispending of pretious time Do I not live as a stranger to God and his holy will and in an unacquaintedness with my self and do not I slight my Gospel-mercies and undervalue the good things that God gives me Do I not leave my eternal concerns in doubt and at a great uncertainty and live year after year in the dark about my spiritual state although I have sufficient means to enable me to make a right judgment of them and am enjoyned so to do 2 Pet. 1.10 2 Cor. 13.5 3. Examine your selves and try if you do act and move in duties by the Spirit of God with and from Divine and Gospel principles Doth the life of Christ animate and quicken you the love of Christ constrain and draw you the light of Christ lead and conduct you and the faith of Christ strengthen and encourage your hearts in them Do you act and worship God with your own Spirit or the holy Spirit of God And do you worship him with special light love faith and sincerity or with common For it is possible you may be mistaken and take the one for the other So likewise you should examine your Aims and Ends what you Intend and Design in receiving of the Lords Supper And you must also enquire what Earnings and Improvements you make of it and what your Spiritual profit is what you meet withall in it and what good you receive from it 2. Whatever Evil you find in your Hearts or Hands you must throw out and Repent of it You must not think it enough and that your Work is done when you have found out the Plagues of your own Hearts 1 Kings 8.38 But you must endeavour the speedy removal of them and thorowly amend your Wayes Jer. 7.3 5. You must confess them to God unfeignedly humble your selves and Repent in Dust and Ashes Job 42.6 2 Chro. 7.14 yea you must also Hate and Abhor them forsake and Mortifie them and resolve to have no more to do with them 3 You must also prepare your selves by emptying the Heart of Carnal-self and the World for else these things will greatly Obstruct your Holy and Profitable receiving of this Ordinance The more the Heart is emptied the more it will Hunger and Thirst after it and the good and profit of it the stronger your Desires will be after Christ and the benefits of his Death the clearer you will see them and the Sweeter they will be unto your Taste The emptier you are of these Heart suffocating Evils the more Desirable Beautiful Acceptable and Pleasant they will be unto your Souls and the greater and more apparant will your Earnings and Advantages be to your Souls As you will abundantly Experience if you make proof of it 4. Prepare for the Worthy and Profitable receiving of this Holy and Soul enriching Ordinance by possessing your Hearts with the Excellency and Goodness the Priviledge and Profit of it Get as clear Apprehensions and Conceptions as you can of the Person the Love Grace and Benefits it holds forth unto you and who it is you go to meet withall there For the clearer your sight is of these things and the more the Heart is possessed and affected with them the more they will stir up and provoke your Faith enflame your Love and draw your Hearts to them The clearer they lye in your Heads your Minds and the warmer they lye on your Hearts the more Influential and forceable they will be on all your Affections and Graces to quicken raise and draw them forth into act and Exercise 5. Prepare by getting a due sight and sense of your own Wants and Weakness your own personal Vileness and Vnworthiness and of your own Sins and Iniquities That the due sight and sense of these Evils may make you Vile in your own Eyes debase and humble your Hearts That you may be truly Base and Vile in your own Eyes and draw nigh to him with a Holy fear and Trembling Esa 66.2 Psal 2.11 That you may go to him and make use of this Ordinance for the supply of your Wants and strengthening your Weaknesses and that you may be sensible of the worth and necessity of Christ's Death for you 6. Get high and great Expectations raised in your Hearts of seeing enjoying and receiving a measure of all the fulness of Christ and his benefits or the fruits of his Death The Lord Jesus will be most free and open handed there to all worthy Receivers and therefore you must not go to it and him with dejected fearful and low Spirits and Hopes But you must go to them with high and great Hopes and Expectations of finding him and receiving high and great things from him Be sure that he would have you do so that it is your Duty and that you shall find him a liberal and noble Benefactor
to you Yea that he will far exceed your highest regular Expectations from him in his Princely favours and glorious distributions to your Souls CHAP. XIII Where are several Questions Answered and Resolved Quest WHether a Church-member may withdraw or absent himself from the Lord's Supper upon any Sin or Offence given him by one or more of his Fellow-members in the Church Answ The offended Member may not withdraw nor by any means absent himself on that Account Too many indeed are apt to think and they Act accordingly that they have a Dispensation to neglect their Duty and practically to slight their Priviledge because others are not so good as they should be and have given them Offence But that which gives them such a Dispensation is their own Pride Ignorance Prejudice and wilfulness not Jesus Christ their Head But I say you may not absent your selves or neglect that great Ordinance upon such Accounts 1 Because it is your Duty to receive it and wait on Christ in it as hath been shewed and it is not anothers Sin that can discharge you of your Duty 2 If thy Brother hath sinned and thereby incapacitated himself for a worthy receiving and celebrating of this holy Ordinance thou hast the greater Reason offered thee to come and receive it worthily to the honour of Christ For it is most unreasonable that he should be deprived of the Glory of his Grace and thy Duty because thy Brother hath sinned against him and dishonoured him already 3 Hast thou rebuked thy sinning Brother and laboured to bring him to Repentance and art thou mourning and praying for him and waiting on God for his Recovery as thou art bound to do 1 Cor. 5.2 Why then his Sin shall not be laid to thy Charge neither may it impede or hinder thy Reception of this Ordinance 4 It is thy Prejudice and Wrath against if not thy Loathing and Hating of the offending Person that causes thy Neglect or the Guilt thou hast contracted to thy own Soul and Conscience that makes thee forbear coming to the Lord's Table and not a dutiful and conscientious Forbearance because God would have it so For it is contrary to his holy Will 5 Allow of this and you will never want occasions but the Devil and your own Lusts will still supply you with enough to provoke and perswade you to a total neglect of this Duty Quest Suppose I find my self unfit and indisposed to receive the Lord's Supper may not I neglect it Answ No for thy waiting on Christ at his Table is thy Duty as hath been proved And therefore thou maist not think of neglecting it but the more unfit and indisposed thou findest thy self to be the more seriously diligently and vigorously thou shouldst labour to prepare thy self and get the removal of thy Indispositions To obtain and put on the Wedding-Garment that thou maist worthily partake of this Ordinance If the Iron be blunt the harder you must strike Eccl. 10 10. The more unprepared you are the more and greater diligence you must use to prepare I know that Church-members are subject to this Temptation which if yielded to will bring on many Mischiefs upon their Souls as some have sadly experienced But what hinders that you endeavour not the removal of these Evils presently you may not alwayes live so but one time or other you must get rid of them unless you will perish And when will you find a fitter time for the doing of it than now Therefore know that you have two great and indispensible Duties lying before you 1. To use all means for the removing all Obstructions and to get your Hearts in a ready meet posture for God and your Duties Amos 4.12 2 To wait on Christ at his Table on the next opportunity 1 Cor. 1â— 28 and not to add Sin to Sin by neglecting either of them Quest What do you think of those Members who do wilfully neglect to come to the Lord's Table very often and for a long time together or of such as will ride out of Town such dayes as they are called to partake of it Answ First either they are dead rotten Members such as are mentioned in Matth. 13.20 21. Joh. 15.2 6. Heb. 6. and Heb. 10. or else they have fouly back sliden from God and contracted much guilt and hardness of Heart You may be sure that matters go very ill with them at home and that they are in a withering and dying condition that they have wickedly forsaken God and God hath forsaken them 2 Chron. 15.2 They have most horribly sinned against Knowledge and Conscience grieved the holy Spirit and alienated their Hearts from God They have lost the savour of Christ that was on their Hearts the Conscience of and love to their Duties all care of and respect to their own and their Brethren's Souls and have with Ephraim cast off the thing that is good and therefore Evil pursues them Hosea 8.3 and they are under the Temptations of the Devil For were it not thus with them they could not durst not do as they do in this great and weighty matter The sight of their Duty the sense of their own wants and their love to Christ their Brethren and their own Souls would in no wise permit or dispense with such wilful neglects of so great a Duty and Priviledge and to keep at a distance from their God And if you mind them and have close discourse with them about spiritual things you may find them neglecters and slighters of other Duties of Carnal Vain Sottish and Stupid Spirits and that their Hearts and Souls are in a sad and miserable condition They desire not care not for your Company nor to hear you talk with them about their Soul's concernments And if they pretend any excuse or offer to defend their â—â—glects be sure they will cast all or most of the blame or cause off from themselves on others which argues a vile wicked Spirit They neglect the Lord's Table not because their own Hearts Wayes are very evil and abominable if any will believe them no but because their Ministry the Church or some particular Members of it are not good enough for their Communion And herein they blaspheme or scandalize them and offer violence to their own Consciences for the clearing of themselves and in belying their Teacher or Brethren Quest Is not Excommunication an Ordinance of Christ in his Church Answ Yea it is a great and useful Ordinance which may not be neglected when need requires on any pretence whatsoever because the Lord Jesus the King and Head of his Churches hath instituted and commanded it to be done and hath thereby made it their indispensible Duty Matth. 18.15 16 17. 1 Cor. 5.4 5 11 12 13. 2 Thes 3.6 14. Quest For what ends must the Church use this Ordinance and why hath Christ appointed it and commanded the Administration of it Answ For these Six ends 1. To remove Offence from the Church For a scandalous
to the Churches and there the Lord Jesus comes and observes how they are received and obeyed Rev. 2.23 5. God hath Instituted and formed up Believers into Churches that he may feed and nourish them there as his flocks that he may water them as his Gardens support them as his Houses order and govern them as his Familys Housholds and that by his Spirit Ministers They are appointed to water them 1 Cor. 3.6 7. to feed and nourish them Act. 20.17 23. 1 Pet. 5.1 2 3. and to rule govern and take the over-sight of them Heb 13.7 17. 1 Thes 5.12 They are to teach and instruct them to warnand caution them to reprove and exhort them to comfort them and build them up with the milk and strong meat of Spiritual sound Doctrine 1 Cor. 3.1 2. Heb. 5.12 13 14. and that by their speaking unto them as to their own flocks and peculiar Churches and charges from and under Christ the Truths of Christ in Love they may grow up into him in all things Eph. 4.15 So also for Believers regular and orderly walking Col. 2.5 God is a God of Order and he loves to see his People walking orderly and regularly conforming themselves to his Laws and Government And if earthly Governours by the Light of Nature are careful to set up and give unto their Subjects Laws and Orders for their regular and orderly walking and love greatly to see them so to walk under their Laws and Government in their Cities and politick Bodies how much more careful is Jesus Christ to set his People in order and method and how pleasing and delightful must it needs be to Jesus Christ to see his Subjects walk orderly and regularly in his Cities and Spiritual Bodies that are of his own appointment These are some of the ends of God in instituting and erecting of Churches Many other might be named and insisted on but that I may not exceed my Intentions Fourthly The Churches of Jesus Christ must consist of new-Creatures and sincere-hearted Believers Because they can and will answer and prosecute these aforesaid and such like holy ends of God in and by his Churches I say these can and will because they are fitted and qualified in measure by the grace and Spirit of Christ to aim at and effectually to prosecute these holy ends of God but so cannot others neither would they if they could because they have not the saving Knowledge nor practical Wisdome of Christ in them they are strangers in Heart to Jesus Christ and the Power of Godlyness All others at the best have but a name to live but are dead at the Root Rev. 3.1 Matth. 8.22 neither are they made a willing People to joyn Issues and comply with the holy ends of God Psal 110.3 because God hath not by reason of their wickednesse and obstinacy wrought in them to will and to do as he hath in his peculiar people they are not yet wrought by God for this self same thing as real Saints are Phil. 2.13 2 Cor. 5.5 they are not renewed in the Spirit of their minds after the Image of Him that Created them as Saints are Col. 3.10 But now real and peculiar Believers are fitted and framed moulded and pollished by the Holy Ghost for their growing up into a holy Temple in the Lord Eph. 2.21 and so by the constant and promised guidance and conduct of their living head Jesus Christ with their Spiritual qualifications they are enabled to answer and perform the great ends of God in erecting and building them up in Churches When a wise man builds a House he will propound some ends to himself in his so doing and accordingly he will make use of and lay in such materials and so form and build it as that it may effectually answer his ends if he be able Now if he build it with hay and stubble or with rotten wood althought it may stand a while yet be sure it will not stand long nor answer his ends So the great master builder who is the Alsufficient and only wise God propounded great and holy ends to himself in Instituting and building of Churches and Temples and these such as should irrefrustrably be obtained notwithstanding all possible contingencies Interveniencies whatsoever for says God my purpose shall stand and I will do all my pleasure Isa 46.10 I will build Churches and Temples for my Glory to dwell in them and walk in them to have peculiar Love homage and service from them to have their free hearty and chearful obedience and Respects that I might enrich them with my Grace build them up in Faith and Godlyness delight in an refresh my self with them make them a praise in the Earth and Glorify the Houses of my Glory Isa 60.7 That there I may set my ministery and Officers and that among them I may set my Laws Rules and Ordinances But hypocrites and formalists will never answer nor prosecute these ends as I found by experience among the Old-Church-Members of the Jews I cannot look for it nor expect it from them for they are a people of an other Spirit they slight my Grace and reject my easy yoke and therefore they shall not be honoured with membership in my Churches in my particular Gosspel Churches but if they creep in as many will do I will loath and abhor their presence I will root them up cast them out and that into everlasting fire for whatever they profess to be yet I know that they are not for my Turn and will stand me in no stead there but to provoke me to wrath with their Hypocrisy and make fuell for the fire of my Jealousy Therefore my New-Testament-Churches shall be built only of Holy and Spiritual materials not of dead but living Stones 1 Pet. 2.5 Eph. 2.1.5 such as my Word and Spirit shall pollish and prepare for that work and Service that so by them I may obtain my Holy ends and carry on my great designes I know that my peculiar People will receive submit unto and obey my Laws that they will Love and honour me that they will shine as lights in the World and that they will give me kind and cordial entertainment and that will cleave to and not forsake me Therefore they shall be my Churches Fifthly Because all the Laws Ordinances and Works of Church-Members are holy Spiritual and Heavenly They are such as the natural Man understands not cannot discern what they are and that because they are such and they that are not taught of God savingly and powerfully to understand and make a Judgment of them do think and Judge of them carnally and vainly 1 Cor. 2.9 end But Believers have them written in their Minds and Hearts beforehand they have them not without Book I mean they have the same Laws of Christ written in the books of their hearts which they find in the Bible Jer. 31.33 Heb. 8.10 11. Heb. 10.16 by which they are capacitated and in some measure enabled to
understand receive love and rightly obey the Laws and Ordinances of Christ without The Laws says Paul is Spiritual Rom. 7. and a real sound Believer is called a Spiritual Man 1 Cor. 2. Their Laws are Holy and Spiritual their works and businesses in a Church are so likewise John 4.23 24 Eph. 5 19. Col. 3.16 and a particular congregated Church is called a Holy-Temple and Spiritual House Eph. 2.21 1 Pet. 2.5 They have a Holy God who is a Spirit to Serve and Worship a Spiritual head to believe in and obey and Holy and Spiritual Work to do in their Church-state and therefore they had need be Holy and Spiritual Persons not without in profession only but within in Truth Almost all the Laws and Ordinances of Christ are committed to them and God expects his principal and choicest Worship from his Churches and they are all above and beyond the reach of carnal Men. God first makes Spiritual Men and then with them he formes Spiritual Houses and then as such he gives them Holy Laws and Ordinances and spiritual work to do and requires them to do it as spiritual Persons and Churches Christ doth not form them into Churches as reasonable men but as good Holy and Spiritual men and suits his Laws to their Capacities and States as at first he framed and suited them to his Laws Christ calls his People into Churches and incorporated congregated Bodies that they may as such receive and practice his spiritual and Holy Church Laws and Ordinances for his Glory and their good and they are spiritual Laws and Ordinances for spiritual men and therefore only such should be Members of Christ's Churches For what shall Hypocrites do in the Holy spiritual Temples and Churches of God and what use will they make of Christ's Laws and Holy Ordinances but to defile and polute them and eat and drink their own Damnation 1 Cor. 11. Sixthly Because the separation between Saints and Sinners begun here in this Life by the Lords calling men out of the World and forming them up into Holy Temples for himself is the beginning of that everlasting separation that shall be in the great day of Christ his appearing between the Sheep and the Goats Matth. 25.31 32 41. or at least a shadow and resemblance of it for the comfort of the Saints and terror of the wicked Says Christ hereafter I will come in Glory set upon my Throne before me shall be gathered all nations and then will I seperate them on from another as a Shepherd divideth this Sheep from the Goats 31 32. and then I will say to the Sheep come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you and to the other go ye Cursed into everlasting sire 34.41 Now because you wil not believe me nor what I say in this matter see what I have begun already in it you see a few seperated from you in this world before your eyes and formed up into Holy-Temples for me and this is not their own Work or done of themselves or of their own minds and carnal apprehensions or singular proud notions and Opinions as you falsly charge them no but this thing is done of me I will own it as my own Work for I have commanded them to separate and have called them out from amongst you who continue still in your Infidelity and unregenerate States John 15.19 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16 17. 2 Tim. 3.5 and bid them congregate together as my peculiar People and become my Spiritual Houses and Churches and I have by my Spirit made them willing and moved their hearts to do so as you see them do I own them and will stand by them in it for it is not so much they that have separated themselves as it is I my self that have done it and what they have done therein is in obedience unto me and that to convince you of the Truth of my Word for as certainly as you see these my People now separated from you so I will at the last day make an eternal seperation between them and you unless you repent and become my People in Season And as it is intended for the conviction and terror of the wicked so also for the comfort and confirmation of Believers for by the Lords separating them from the World and building them up into Holy-Temples he gives them a notable pledge and earnest of the assured and promised difference of that great and everlasting discrimination seperation that shall be between them and the wicked Now good men are apt to think that because all things seems to happen alike to all as Solomon speaks that there is no difference or very little between the wicked and them although there is indeed a vast difference upon many accounts between them now and so are apt to be discouraged in their duties and walkings but to chear them up and support their Spirits here says God is a very great distinguishing difference and a pledge of a greater between you and the World I have called you out of the World and brought you near unto my Self I have seperated you already from the Lions and Goats and made you my formal and publique habitations and Holy-Temples which is your honour priviledg and dignity I do not say that all that are not of such or such particular Churches are Goats or unbelievers no I cannot entertain such a thought in my Heart for as I think and fear that there are many hypocrites crept into Churches so I believe that there are many gracious Persons which to their own losse and Gods dishonour do live out of Church-fellowship so their are others that would joyn with them but cannot and others can but will not But I say that Jesus Christ will have his Churches made up of Saints only and not of such as shall be everlastingly seperated but of such as shall live and reign with Jesus Christ for evermore in the Church triumphant and that for this reason among others because it may comfort and confirm the Saints in their hope and walking with God and convince and terrify the wicked Seventhly The Churches ought to be built of Believers and regenerate persons because they may continue and stand fast in all Storms and Tempests and hold out unto the end as being built upon the Rock Jesus Christ For whatever Church is builded upon the Sand and not upon the Lord Jesus and by the Authority and help of his Word and Spirit will not stand long because it wants a bottome to bear up its weight They must all be built upon the Rock and chief corner-Stone the foundation that God hath laid Matth. 7.24 25. 1 Cor. 3.11 Matth. 16.18 the Lord Jesus tells us that upon this Rock that was himself and the Truths that Peter had confessed will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Now Hypocrites are not built upon Christ for if they were that great promise of perseverance would belong to them and