to himself to the members of his mystical body than to the members of his naturalâ— body For he offered up his natural body as a Sacrifice for the redemption of his mystical body What greater love than this can be imagined Oh how doth it then concern us to go to that ordinance with hearts inflamed with a love to Jesus This much of the necessity of our love to God and to his Son Jesus Christ. II. For the Trial thereof you may know it by these notes and characters 1 Where there is a true hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ the heart will bee much taken up with the thoughts of them Such an one will be often thinking of God and of Jesus Christ and of their transcendent love manifested in the great work of Redemption David having said Oh how do I love thy Law he presently adds It is my meditation all the day And indeed whatsoever and whomsoever we love we cannot but frequently think and meditate on Indeed such as love God and the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity may have multitude of vain wanton worldly covetous thoughts in their hearts but they take no true delight in them they are rather their grief and their burden but the thoughts of God and of Christ are very sweet and comfortable unto them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. 2 Where there is an hearty love to God and to Iesus Christ such an one will bee often speaking of them For the tongue cannot but be speaking of those things and persons upon whom the heart is set If the heart of a man be set upon the world and the things thereof his tongue will be most frequently talking and discoursing of them In like manner if the heart of a man be set upon God and Jesus Christ his tongue will be frequently talking and discoursing of them By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and Jesus Christ. For hee that saith hee loveth God and the Lord Jesus Christ and yet seldome thinks of them or speaks of them certainly hee deceiveth himself for wee cannot but bee thinking and speaking of those whom we truly love 3 Where there is an hearty love unto God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to do any thing for them Iacob loved Rachel and what did hee not do for her Hee served two Apprentiships and yet all seemed nothing to him for the love he had to her And therefore where there is a sincere love to God and Christ it will constrain such an one to lay out himself to the uttermost for them to put himself upon the practice of such duties which are hard and difficult and require much labour and pains By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto God and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 Where there is an hearty love to God and Iesus Christ it will make a man willing to suffer any thing for them It is said of the Primitive Saints that out of their abundant love unto the Lord Jesus Christ they accounted not their estates too dear for him but took joyfully the spoiling of their goods Neither did they account their lives too dear For it is expresly said They loved not their lives to death for him i. e. they despised their lives in comparison of Christ they willingly exposed not only their goods and estates to the spoil and their persons to all manner of shame and contempt but also their bodies to painful deaths for the cause of Christ. By this then try and examine the truth of thy love unto Jesus Christ namely by thy willingness to suffer for the cause and truths of Jesus Christ. II. Love of thy neighbour is another branch of that love which is required of every Communicant Touching which I shall briefly shew 1 The Necessity thereof in every Communicant 2 The Trial thereof I. The Necessity thereof appeareth in that the Lord will not accept of any service thou performest unto him if thou bee not in love and charity with thy neighbour as our Saviour himself speaketh in that known place If therefore thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift This phrase Thy brother hath ought against thee may be indefinitely taken of one that hath provoked another or hath been provoked himself hath ought against thee whether by thy default or his So that hereby is implied whether wrong be done by thee or to thee if there be any variance between thee and thy neighbour peace and reconciliation must be speedily sought For without it God will not accept of any worship or service thou offerest unto him Though Christ here instanceth but in one kind of worship which was the offering up of Sacrifice yet under this hee comprehendeth all the parts and kinds of Gods worship as praying hearing receiving the Sacrament or the like So that Christs meaning is that whensoever thou settest upon any part of Gods worship and service and then remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee i. e. that thou hast any way wronged and offended thy brother or as Mark hath it If thou hast ought against thy brother i. e. if he hath wronged thee first be reconciled to thy brother and then go to the ordinance of God II. For the Trial of the truth of thy love to thy brother thou mayest know it by these notes 1 If thou hast truly forgiven thy brother thou wilt be so far from doing him any harm though it lay in thy power that thou wilt not wish any harm unto him 2 If thou hast truly forgiven thy offending brother thou wilt willingly imbrace occasions of doing him good that so he may know and be assured that thou art reconciled to him This our Saviour requireth of all his Disciples where he saith Love your enemies i. e. those who have any way wronged you and as an evidence of the truth of your love he addeth Do good to them thâ—t hate you intimating that it is not sufficient that you speak friendly and peaceably to your enemies but you must likewise take all occasions of doing them what good you can which is true Christian love and charity Having thus spoken largely to the first head of Examination namely our graces I come now to the second namely our sins wherein I shall study brevity As it is the duty of every Communicant to examine himself concerning his graces so likewise concerning his sins which are like that accursed thing whereof God speaketh to Ioshua Iosh. 7. 11. they must therefore be searched out Yea they are like the wilde gourd that brought death into the pot If they be not searched out and cast away they will turn the Sacramental
hath a low mean esteem of Christ who thinks him not able to recompence the loss of a base lust 2 An over-much love of the world and worldly things The truth is that soul that is not in some measure divorsed from the world cannot by faith embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as her Husband O therefore let it be your daily Prayer and earnest endeavour to wean your hearts more and more from the love of these earthly things that yee may not love them so much as thereby to be kept from loving and embracing of Jesus Christ. 3 Spiritual Pride grounded upon a mans over-valuing conceit of himself and of his own estate How many are apt to think with the Church of Laodicea that they are rich and full and have need of nothing when in truth they are poor and blind and naked wretched and miserable being empty of all grace and goodness yea they are the more wretched and miserable because they know not their misery and so see no need no necessity they have of Jesus Christ which is the saddest condition in the world for such are furthest off from going unto Christ and beleeving in him Hee therefore that would imbrace Jesus Christ as his Saviour must come with an empty hand and heart receiving him with an empty hand of Faith into an empty heart emptied of all self as self righteousness self-worthiness self-goodness c. II. The Lets and Impediments that keep off many a sincere broken-hearted sinner from clozing with Jesus Christ and beleeving in him are these and such like 1 A deep apprehension of the number and heinousness of their sins For the removal of this let such consider 1 That the more and greater their sins are the greater need they have to go unto Iesus Christ and to cast themselves and the burthen of their sins upon him For as the more sick any are in body the more need they have of a Physician So the more sinful any souls are the more sick of sin the more need they have to go unto Jesus Christ who is the onely Physician of the soul who both can and will heal all their sins which are the spiritual diseases of their souls as readily as he healed bodily diseases when he was upon the earth if they will go unto him 2 Let such know and consider that the apprehension of the number and heinousness of their sins should be so far from keeping them from going to Christ and receiving him that it should be a forcible Argument to drive them unto Christ seeing Christ professeth hee came into the world to save sinners where by sinners are meant such as are truly sensible of their sins And thereupon all such sinners are invited to come unâ—o him Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden viz. with the weight and burden of your sins And therefore the Apostle Paul averreth this truth with a gloriovs preface This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation viz. That Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and that without exception of sins or persons yea that hee came to save the chief of sinners Why then should the apprehension of thy sins keep thee off from going unto Christ and resting upon him for salvation when as hee came to save such sinners as thou art nay worser even the chief of sinners 2 A second Let and Impediment is A doubting of Christs willingness to receive them if they should go unto him For the better convincing such of Christs willingness to receive and imbrace all poor sinners that will but go unto him and imbrace him with the arms of their Faith I shall lay down three grounds thereof 1 The first is the several gracious invitations of Christ to poor sinners to come unto him as Isa. 55. 1. Mat. 11. 28. Ioh. 7. 37. 2 Christs willingness appears in that hee hath instituted and appointed his Ministers hee hath dispatched Embassadors in his name to wooe instruct and beseech men to come in unto him and to accept of that Reconciliation which hee hath purchased by his blood 3 Christs willingness doth appear in that hee â—oth accept of the least and lowest degree of Faith and will not discourage the weakest soul that cometh unto him A bruised reed shall hee not break and smoaking flax shall hee not quench As by a bruised need is there meant a weak Christian so by smoaking flax such an one as hath corruption mixed with grace For the flax there mentioned is the weick of a Candle which if it smoak giveth but little light and yeelds a stinking savour Though true beleevers by reason of the flesh in them may bee such yet will not Christ quench that little light of Faith that is in them 3 A third Let and Impediment is a fear and jealousie that they are not sufficiently humbled under the sense of their sins and the rather because they do not finde their hearts so broken as the hearts of others have been For the removal of this I desire such to take notice of these things 1 That a man may be sufficiently humbled and broken for his sins though not so deeply as others for true humiliation admits of degrees and all Christians have it not in a like measure And therefore far be it from any to conclude that they are not sufficiently humbled because they have not attained to such a measure and degree thereof as some others have 2 Though thou art not so deeply humbled as some others have been yet if thou art so sensible of thy sins and of thy misery thereby that thou art truly sensible of the need and necessity thou hast of Jesus Christ it is sufficient and thou mayest with boldness go unto Jesus Christ roul thy self into his bosome and cast thy self into his arms Though thou never knewest what belongs to the bitter throws and stinging pangs which others feel in their new birth yet that work being done for which deep humiliation is required namely to be sensible of the need of Christ and thereupon to long after him thou mayest bee incouraged to go unto Jesus Christ and to rest upon him as for the pardon of thy sins here so for eternal life and salvation hereafter 3 Know that if thou beest not at present so deeply humbled and broken for thy sins as thou wouldest be yet thou mayest bee more humbled after thy beleeving in Christ. For a Christians sorrow and humiliation for sin and misery is not all at first but oftenâ—imes it is more and greater after a clozing with Jesus Christ and a sensible feeling of Gods love than it was before Yea the leâ—s humiliation before Faith in Jesus Christ the more many times follows after And that is true humiliation and Evangelical Repeâ—tance which followeth after Faith 4 Another Let and Impediment that keeps off many a sincere Christian from going unto Christ and clozing with him is a fear and sealousie that their day of
Christian Directions SHEWING How to walk with GOD All the Day long Drawn up for the use and benefit of the Inhabitants of SEPULCHRES Parish By THO GOUGE Pastor thereof 1 Sam. 12. 23 24. I will teach you the good and the right way only fear the Lord and serve him with all your heart considering how great things hee hath done for you 2 Pet. 1. 12. I will not bee negligent to put you alwayes in remembrance of these things though yee know them and bee established in the present truth Luke 17. 10. When yee shall have done all these things which are commanded you say wee are unprofitable servants wee have done that which was our duty to do LONDON Printed by R. Ibbitson and M. Wright at the Kings-head in the Old Bayley MDCLXI TO My dearly beloved Friends and Neighbours the Inhabitants of Sepulchres Parish Grace Mercy and Peace from God the Father of Mercies and the God of all Consolation My Dear Friends COnsidering with my self how besides my Lords-daies Preaching and Week-daies Catechizing I might be further serviceable to your souls in promoting their spiritual welfare It pleased God to put it into my heart to draw up some practical Directions for your better guidance in the way to Heaven and to give to every Family in my Parish a Copy of them Accordingly I set upon the work with all readiness and alacrity being much perswaded in my self that some spiritual advantage might through Gods blessing accrew unto your souls thereby The Lord who is the searcher of all hearts knoweth that my only end and aim herein is the advancement of your everlasting salvation which if it shall be any way furthered by this small Treatise I shall never repent of my pains and cost But shall very much rejoyce that the Lord hath inabled mee in any measure to be serviceable to him in the furtherance of the Gospel of his dear Son especially among you my dear flock Two considerations among others have had some influence upon mee in this undertaking The one is of that mutual love which hath hitherto been between us As I have you in my heart so am I perswaded that you have mee in yours During the whole time of my abode with you which is now above two and twenty years I do not remember that we have had the least difference no not about the point of Maintenance the usual unhappy make-bate between Minister and People For though the value of the Living be not so much by half as is generally reported abroad being no Parsonage but a Vicaridge endowed with a third part of that Tithe which the Parson doth collect yet I cannot but with much thankfulness acknowledge that what I have had hath been with much love and friendliness For when you have made any composition with mee for my part of the Tithe you have alwaies given mee more than I could demand or expect If then the blessed Apostle Paul were willing and that with gladness to spend and to bee spent for his Corinthians and that although the more abundantly hee loved them the less hee was loved of them Much more ought I to be like-minded towards you who have not at any time so ill requited my love but alwaies been ready to answer it with reciprocal affections That therefore I might leave to posterity some publick acknowledgement and perpetual memorâ—al of your constant love and respect to mee together with my due resentment of it was one consideration which put mee upon this design Another was the gladsome reflexion upon your great and godly care of your poor which I look upon even as it is meet for mee so to do as the fruit of the Gospel preached among you and an argument of your profiting therein And indeed it is such as I willingly take occasion to make publick mention of it for an example to others For though your poor bee many hundreds yet I think I may say truly without offence to other Parishes they are in some respect better provided for than any poor in the City For by the voluntary contribution of divers of you with the assistance of some other charitable persons 1 All the poor children in your Parish are taught to read and write gratis by such School-Masters and School-Mistresses who teach them their Catechize whereof my self sometimes take an account 2 All the Antient poor who can either spin or knit may have Flax and Yarn for fetching to set themselves on work an are well paid for the same immediately upon the return thereof This consideration as it hath very much affected mee so have I alwaies accounted my self your debtor upon this score And surely if our Lord and Master doth take what is done unto the poor for their relief as done unto himself then should wee also especially his Ministers in some sort be like-minded Your debtor therefore I have taken my self to bee nor could I bethink my self how to discharge this debt in a way more suitable to the nature of it and my relation to you than by indeavouring something extraordinary for your good hereafter as you have done extraordinarily for the present good of our poor and as you have put your selves to special pains and charge for the succour of their bodies so to put my self upon some special labour and willingly be at some cost for the advantage of your souls But the main Motive which hath put mee upon this undertaking is the single sense of my Relation to you that it hath pleased God of his infinite goodness and free grace to entrust mee a weak frail earthen vessel with that inestimable Treasure the Mysteries of the Gospel and appointed mee to preach unto you in particular the Unsearchable Riches of Christ. I account it the greatest honour a poor creature can be capable of to be made directly subservient to the glorious counsel and gracious purpose of his Creator for the recovery and restauration of the world by Jesus Christ and therefore that we Ministers of the Gospel whom God hath vouchsafed this honour have the strongest ingagement and obligation laid upon us to preach the Gospel both in season and out of season and to lay out our selves all manner of waies if by any means we may gain souls unto Christ and build them up in him Now this way I have here taken will have this advantage above others above my ordinary preaching and performance of other Ministerial duties among you that whereas by them I can minde you of the things which belong unto your everlasting peace only while I am in this Tabernacle By this as it is said of Abel I may still speak to you even when dead Accept therefore my dear Friends and Neighbours this little Treatise from the hands of your loving Pastor whose heart is exceedingly inlarged towards you greatly longing after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. For what is my hope or joy or crown of rejoycing Are not even yee in the
manner of performing this duty both certain General Rules must be observed and also Particular according to diverse circumstances General Rules are these 1 Hee that reproveth another must lift up his heart in prayer unto God that hee would so guide his tongue and move the others heart that his reproof may bee profitable unto him For without Gods blessing all our admonitions and reproofs will prove but words spoken in the air 2 Our reproof must bee done in love aiming therein at our brothers good and not at all at his disgrace For 〈◊〉 the Apostle speaketh All things must bee done in love And as 〈◊〉 things so especially this of reproof Concerning Particular Rules both the state of the party reproving and of the party reproved and the quality of the sin together with time and place must bee observed 1 The state and condition of the party reproving must bee observed As they who have authority over others have greater liberty to reprove so if they have to deal with notorious scandalous offenders they then may and must do it 1 With authority as the Apostle exhorteth Rebuke with authority 2 Sharply So the Apostle commandeth Rebuke them sharply The word in the Greek translated sharply properly signifieth cuttingly or to the quick Ely failed herein though hee reproved his sons for their wickedness yet it was not sharply and to the quick but with too much gentleness and mildness 2 The mind and â—isposition of the party reproved must be observed For if hee bee flexible and ingenuous hee must with mildness bee reproved even with the spirit of meekness as the Apostle Paul expresseth it But yet severity must bee used when lenity prevails not 3 The state and condition of the party reproved is to bee observed For 1 If it bee our Superiour it must be done with all reverence and humility rather beseeching and exhorting than plainly rebuking as Naamans servants did their Master 2 If the party to be reproved be our equal then it must bee done without all bitterness even with all love Reproof is a bitter pill and therefore it must alwaies be rolled with Sugar expressing much meekness of spirit and compassion of heart shewing in the hatred of our brothers sin our love of his person 4 The quality of the sin reproved must likewise bee observed 1 Private offences must bee privately reproved For saith our Saviour If thy brother trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone But open and scandalous offences must be reproved openly For saith the Apostle Them that sin viz. openly and with scandal rebuke before all i. e. before the whole assembly of the Church that others also may fear 2 Sins directly tending to Gods dishonour must bee reproved with an holy zeal and indignation Christ thus often reproved the Scribes and Pharisees And thus Peter reproved Simon Magus 5 The seâ—â—onableness of the time must with great wisdome bee observed To rebuke a drunkard in his drunkenness is folly Abigal knew as much and therefore said nothing to Nabal in his drunken fit but in the morning when the wine was gone out of him So neither is it seasonable to reprove a man for his passion in his passion wait rather for a fit time till a mans fit and passion bee over 6 The seasonableness of the place must likewise bee observed Unless it bee for due and just censure let it not bee in publick Assemblies open streets with the like But if by the way thou observest a man sin whom thou knowest not whether ever thou shalt see him again or no then as privily as thou canst thou maist meekly rebuke him Thus shalt thou manifest thy Zeal for Gods glory thine hatred of sin and thy care for thy brothers salvation CHAP. XIV Directions to the Rich. AS the Apostle Paul knew how to bee abased and how to abound how to bee full and how to bee hungry i. e. hee had learned in the School of Christ how to carry himself Christian-like in a rich and in a poor estate So it will bee a point of special wisdome in us to know how to carry our selves Christian-like through variety of conditions how to mannage every estate For your better help herein I shall give you some Directions 1 How to carry your selves Christian-like in a rich and full estate 2 How to carry your selves Christian-like in a poor and mean estate I. Look up unto God and often think of him as the author and donor of all the good things thou dost injoy When thou hast gotten wealth say not This I have gotten by my own wisdome and policy by mine own travel pains and indeavour But say with Iob This the Lord hath given acknowledge his hand of providence in what thou hast This direction the Lord giveth his own people by Moses When thou art grown rich say not in thine heart my power and the might of my hand hath gotten mee this wealth but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is hee that giveth thee power to get wealth Noting wealth and riches to bee the special gift of God II. Bless God for what thou hast This duty likewise the Lord required of his own people When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God III. Labour to see Gods special love to thee in common mercies For what good will the injoyment of any thing do thee unless thou canst see Gods love as well as his bounty therein Quest. How may I know that these outward mercies which I do injoy are bestowed upon mee in love and favour Answ. 1 If they inflame thy heart with a love to God causing thee to love him the more because hee hath been so bountiful unto thee 2 If thou findest in thy self a willingness to honour God in the use of those good things thou hast received from him by laying out a portion thereof towards the maintenance of Gods worship or the releef of Gods poor then thou hast a comfortable evidence that they are bestowed upon thee in love 3 If it bee the grief of thine heart that thou dost not answer the loving kindness of the Lord towards thee that thy conversation is so unsuitable to his gracious dispensations towards thee This is an evident sign that what thou hast received from God was bestowed upon thee in love IV. Beware of being puffed up with Pride For wealth and riches are very apt to make men proud as the Apostle intimateth 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they bee not high minded implying that riches are very apt to make men high-minded to think of themselves above what is meet especially such as are raised out of nothing unto a great estate V. Therefore labour to bee humble under thine abundance to be low in thine own thoughts when thou art high in the world which indeed will prove thy
unworthy soever thou art otherwise to be a worthy receiver Having thus shewed the Necessity of the duty of Examination Come wee now to the Extent thereof which may be brought to two heads viz. 1 Thy graces 2 Thy sins First Thou must examine thy self of thy graces more especially of thy Knowledge Faith Repentance and Love Touching Knowledge I shall shew 1 What Knowledge is required of every worthy Communicant 2 The Necessity 3 The Trial thereof I. For the first what Knowledge is required I answer in general Knowledge of all the fundamental Principles of Religion In particular Knowledge of the Doctrine of the Sacrament Fundamental Principles of Religion are such as our salvation is founded upon without the knowledge whereof a man cannot be saved and they are these That there is a God That there is but one God That that onely true God is distinguished into three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost all equally God That that God is the Creator and Governour of all things That all things were made good by him and are still governed by him righteously That man in particular was made perfectly righteous by him That man continued not long in his happy estate but fell by transgressing the Commandement of God in eating the forbidden fruit That wee are all guilty of Adams sin being in his loins when hee committed that sin That every one of us brought into the world corrupted and polluted natures natures as full of sin as a Toad is of poison That unto this original corruption wee have added a numberless number of actual transgressions and that in evil thoughts evil words and evil deeds That by our sins wee have made our selves liable to the wrath of God to the curse of the Law to all judgements and plagues here and to eternal death and condemnation hereafter That no man can free himself out of that miserable condition whereinto by sin hee hath plunged himself neither can any meer creature help him That God out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his own Son out of his bosome into the world to take our nature upon him that therein hee might become our Surety and Redeemer That Christ was both God and Man in one person That hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary That hee died upon the Cross to save his people from their sins That hee rose again the third day from the dead ascended into Heaven sits at the right hand of God and makes continual intercession for us That by Faith wee are made partakers of Christ and of the benefits of his death and passion That Faith is the gift of God wrought in us by the Spirit of God through the Ministery of the Word whereby wee rest upon Christ alone for the pardon of our sins and for eternal life and salvation That it hath pleased God to make with us in and thorow Christ a new Covenant of Grace wherein hee hath promised the pardon of our sins and the salvation of our souls upon the alone condition of a lively Faith Particuâ—ar Principles concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper are these That it was ordained by Christ himself as a memorial of his great love in offering up his life a Sacrifice for our sins That this as well as the other Sacrament of Baptism is a seal of Gods Covenant whereby he bindes himself to perform his promises made to us in Christ for strengthening our Faith therein That the outward signs in the Lords Supper are Bread and Wine by which are set forth the body and blood of Christ which the worthy receivers by Faith do partake of in this Sacrament That whosoever eats and drinks unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of Christ and therefore that every one is to examine himself lest he eat and drink judgement to himself Having thus shewed what is that knowledge which is required of every worthy Communicant II. I shall now shew the Necâ—ssity thereof which appeareth 1 Because without this knowledge a man can never attain to any of the other graces for an ignorant man can neither beleeve nor repent nor love God or his neighbour aright 2 Because without this knowledge a man cannot discern the Lords body which if hee do not hee eats and drinks damnation to himself And therefore it is absolutely necessary that all who receive the Lords Supper should discern the Lords body i. e. should perceive that there is more to be received than that which is seen with the eye of the body To the bodily eye there appeareth nothing but Bread and Wine upon the Table but by virtue of the divine institution there is also Christs body and blood if this be not discerned the benefit of the Sacrament is lost But it is not possible without knowledge which is the eye of the soul to discern that body and blood under the elements of bread and wine therefore is the forementioned knowledge absolutely necessary III. For the third particular viz. The Tryal of thy knowledge whether it be a true saving knowledge thou mayest know it by the properties thereof some whereof are these 1 True saving knowledge is Experimental whereby a Christian hath a spiritual sense and feeling of what he knows He hath not only a general and a notional knowledge of God and of his own miserable condition by nature and of Jesus Christ but hee hath likewise an experimental knowledge of God and of his Attributes as of his power in supporting him under his trials and temptations of his faithfulness in making good his promises unto him He hath likewise a sensible feeling of his own wretched condition by nature And an experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ so that he knoweth Christ to be his Saviour and Redeemer and resteth upon his merits alone for life and for salvation By this then try and examine thy knowledge c. 2 True saving knowledge is Humble and joyned with meekness of spirit For the more true knowledge a man hath the more he discerns his own ignorance yea and vileness by reason of his sins And therefore you shall finde those Christians who were most eminent both in knowledge and grace to complain most as of their ignorance so of their own base and naughty hearts as you may see in Paul and others And no marvel considering that true saving knowledge discovers unto a man his own vileness and wretchedness by reason of his sins his own unworthiness yea his own emptiness and nothingness in regard of any goodness of his own Whereas unsanctified knowledge is apt to puft a man up with pride and self-conceit even to the contemning and despising of others which the Apostle plainly expresseth where he saith Knowledge puffeth up By this then try and examine thy knowledge whether it be a saving knowledge or no. 3 True saving knowledge is active and operative being ever accompanied with practice and obedience so that it worketh reformation in the heart
truly rooted and grounded in the heart but that it will bud forth and shew it self in the fruits of a godly life That man therefore deceiveth himself who thinks his heart is purged and reformed when his life is polluted For as the fruits declare the tree so the actions of men manifest their affections II. The Necessity of this grace of Repentance in every worthy Communicant upon his approaching to the Lords Table appeareth because we come to receive a sacrifice for sin but to offer to receive a sacrifice for sin without turning from sin is to count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing We are not ignorant that one main end of our approaching to the Lords Table is to receive Christ as he hath offered himself a sacrifice and price of Redemption for our sins for so he is set forth in that Sacrament the breaking of the bread and pouring out of the Wine import as much Yea Christ expresly saith of the Sacramental Cup This is my blood which is shed for remission of sins Now he that looketh for pardon of sin must have a full purpose and according to his purpose a faithful and resolute indeavour to forsake sin which is and will be the mind of every true penitent and so also it ought to be The Lord therefore requireth of them who bring their sacrifices to him for pardon That they take away the evil of their works and cease to do evil and learn to do well and thereupon inferreth this gracious invitation Come now and let us reason together With what face then dares an impenitent sinner that is not touched with any remorse for his sins past nor hath any purpose to turn from his sins for the time to come offer to take that body which was broken and that blood which was shed for sin Such an eating and drinking of Christs body and blood is a plain trampling of the Son of God under foot and a counting of the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing a thing that may be mixed with impuâ—e and unholy things If this be not to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ what can be III. For the Trial of thy Repentance whether it be found and sincere thou mayest know it by these signs and notes 1 By a godly sorrow for sins past By a godly sorrow I mean such a sorrow as maketh God its object that is when we grieve and mourn for sin more out of respect to God than for fear of punishment that we have offended so good a God so gracious a Father so bountiful a Lord and Master I deny not but it is good and commendable to grieve and mourn for sin in respect of punishment for fear of Hell For it is a good preparatory to a godly sorrow But we must not rest therein By this therefore try and examine the truth of thy Repentance for wheresoever there is true Repentance there must be this godly sorrow 2. A turning from those evil waies wherein we have formerly walked as you may see in the example of those penitents that are recorded in Scripture as of Paul Peter Zacheus and others who upon their repentance turned from those evil courses wherein they had formerly walked Hereby therefore try the truth of thy repentance Hath it wrought a change and alteration in thy course of life are old things done away is there a forsaking of former sins hast thou leâ—t thy swearing thy drunkenness thy whoredomes thy cousenings by false weights and measures canst thou say of thy self as Paul did of the Corinthians I was once a swearer a drunkard an adulterer a reviler an extortioner a covetous person and the like But now I am washed now I am sanctified yea and justified in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ and by the spirit of my God Canst thou thus say of thy self and that in truth and sincerity of heart then thou hast some comfortable evidence of the truth and soundness of thy repentance But how vainly do they deceive themselves who because they have made confession of their sins unto God and happily with some few â—ears flatter themselves with a conceit of true repentance when yet they still live and continue in their former sinfull courses wall owing like swine in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness 3. A turning unto God for where there is true repentance there is not onely a turning from sin but likewise a turning unto God Whereby I mean a sincere endeavour to serve and please God in newness of life and better obedience Hath then the sense and smart of thy former wandrings made thee earnestly to wish that thou mightest please God better for the time to come make much of such affections in thy soul for it is an evident sign of some change there IV. A fourth grace necessarily required of every Communicant before he presume to come to the Lords Table is LOVE yeâ— a two fold Love is required of every Communicant viz. 1 A love of God and of Christ. 2. A love of his Neighbour Both which are unseparably knit together yet for a more distinct handling of them I will sever them in my discourse and treat of them apart shewing you 1. The necessity of them to a worthy partaking of the Lords Supper 2 Some sings and notes for the trial of them I. First For the Love of God that is necessarily required of every Communicant because the greatest evidence that ever was given of Gods Love is there set before us For Jesus Christ the only Son of God and Saviour of man is the greatest evidence of Gods Love that ever was or can be Should God set himself to make another world and to confer on that world a greater gift than he hath conferred on this world namely his onely begotten and dearly beloved Son we may boldly say hee could not Neither can the creatures receive nor the Creator give a greater gift and that both in regard of the excellency of the gift it self and also in regard of the need wherein we stood thereof and of the good we reap thereby Therefore Gods love in this evidence thereof is so set out as goes beyond all expression God so loved the world that hee gave his only begotten Son c. So unutterably so unconceivably so infinitely as who shall indeavour to express this SO to the full shall do it but So So. Seeing then such an evidence of such love of God to man is set out at the Lordsâ— Table should not every one who approacheth thereunto to partake of that evidence of Gods love come with an heart filled with a love to God and with a resolution to shew forth all fruits of a true love of God on all occasions And as we must come with a love to God so with a love to Iesus Christ who so loved us as to dye a cruel cursed death for us And thereby manifested greater love to us than
thou art present at the Ordinance put forth all the strength thou canst in the partaking thereof I mean the strength of thy affections For though thou art very weak yet if thou put forth thy weakness God will accept thereof Content not thy self therefore with a meer outward participation of the Lords Supper but let thy care be to bring up thine heart and thine affections to the Ordinance and to put forth what strength thou canst II. Remember the death of Christ which is Christs command in the institution of this Ordinance for saith he This do in remembrance of mee viz. in remembrance of my bitter death and passion For the Apostle Paul explaining this remembrance of Christ applieth it to his death and the shewing it forth This do saith hee in remembrance of mee For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come So that this Ordinance of the Lords Supper was instituted for a solemn Memorial of that great Sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ that his death might never be forgotten but be ever fresh in our memories And why must his death be thus remembred Surely because thereby was the Covenant of Grace ratified and sealed our Redemption purchased our sins expiated our reconciliation made with God and the foundation of our peace laid And therefore at the Table let out thine heart in a serious meditation of the manifold sufferings of Christ which is the main business of this Ordinance And meditate not only of his sufferings at his death but likewise in the whole course of his life even from his cratch to his Cross from his birth to his death For his whole life was a continual suffering Meditate therefore of his mean birth and flight in his infancy of the manifold reproaches which were cast upon him from time to time yea of his manifold persecutions of their cruel handling of him at the time of his death when they apprehended him like a theef bound him arraigned and condemned him as a Malefactor buffeted him with their hands beat him with staves scourged him with whips making loâ—g furrows on his back platted on his head a Crown of sharp Thorns laid an heavy cross on his back nailed his hands and feet to that Cross give him Gall and Vineger to drink and sundry waies much afflicted him Thus was his body broken with torments In relation hereunto it is said of him That he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs Especially when thou art present at the Sacrament take a turn with Christ in the Garden by meditating of his bitter Agony wherein he sweat drops of blood which was never read or heard of in any before or since yea the blood which Christ then sweat was not thin watery blood but thick blood as St. Luke expresseth it Being in an agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground which latter clause sheweth that the blood of Christ passed through the pores of his body in such a plentiful manner that it trickled down to the ground in great abundance so that not only the eyes of Christ but all the parts of his body did seem to weep and that tears of blood as Bernard speaketh In this sweat of Christ there are three things remarkable which doe exceedingly set forth the greatness of his Agony 1 It was in a cold night for which cause afterwards they kindled a Fire in the High-Priests Hall and cold driveth the blood inward 2 Hee lay upon the cold ground which was enough to drive the blood inward 3 He was in exceeding great fear which naturally draweth the blood from the outward parts to the Heart and yet in a cold night lying upon the cold ground and being in great fear he sweat drops of blood Who can imagine the bitterness of our Saviours Agony at that time And what was it which put him into that agony questionless the apprehension of what hee was to suffer as appeareth by his Prayer in his Agony Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me Now if the apprehension of what hee was to suffer was so bitter oh how bitter think you were his Sufferings upon the Cross when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me which words doe not imply that the Deity was severed from the Humanity but that the Father had withdrawn from him all sensible feeling of his loving favour had restrained the influence of those beams which might any way refresh his troubled soul so that Christ might well take up the words of the captive Iews and say Behold and see if there bee any sorrow like to my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce anger These things call to mind in the time of the administration of the Sacrament not only when thou art eating the Bread and drinking the Wine but also when thou seest the Bread broken and the Wine poured forth then thou shouldst think how Christs Body was broken with torments and his Blood shed for remission of sins and also when thou seest others taking the Bread and the Wine thou shouldst then be steeping thy thoughts in the meditation of Christs bitter death and manifold sufferings This remembrance of Christs Death at the Sacrament must not be a bare Historical remembrance thereof contenting thy self with a remembrance of the History of Christs death as it is set forth by the Evangelists but it must be an operative and practical remembrance working up thine heart 1 To an unfeigned love of God who out of his free grace and rich mercy did send his dearly beloved Son out of his own bosome into the world to take our Nature upon him and therein to dye a bitter cursed death for mans redemption Who can sufficiently admire the riches of Gods love to man therein How may we with David cry out and say Lord what is maâ— that thou art mindful of him especially that thou shouldest be so mindful of him as to give the Son of thy love to suffer a cursed death upon the Cross to make us who were children of Wrath and bondslaves of Sathan Sons of God and Heirs of eternal life and salvation And how should this incomprehensible love of God fire and inflame our cold and frozen hearts with a fervent love unto him again 2 The remembrance of Christs death should work up our hearts to an ardent love of Christ for that wonderful love of his in giving himself for us his Body to be crucified his Blood to be shed and his Soul to bear the intollerable burden of his Fathers Wrath due to our Sins which made him sweat drops of blood in the Garden and to cry out on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh how should this ravish our souls with admiration of so great love and inflame our hearts with love