Nothing does grace a man as Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom 't is a Christians great Ornament What a pearl of price must holiness be when 't is the scope of Almighty God in all his Acts Ordinances and Providences in all his Mercies and Judgments in our Election Ephes 1.4 in our Redemption Tit. 2.14 in our Afflictions Heb. 12.10 Some Ordinances are for Conversion some are for Confirmation all are for our Sanctification This Golden Oyl comes from the two Olive Trees through the Golden pipes of his holy Institutions They say that Corn never ripens more than when the Sun is in Conjunction with the Dog-star sure am I Holiness never ripens more than when the Spirit of the Lord is in Conjunction with the Word and Sacraments When you go from this sacred Ordinance and find you are not only more for the doing of holy things but for the more holy doing of things more thankful for mercies more watchful over your hearts words and ways more spiritual in your Conversations more savory and fruitful in your Converses more conformable in every thing to the Image of your dear Redeemer When the power of this Ordinance runs through every vein of your Conversations when you trade buy and fell when you pray hear sanctifie his Day and do all in the strength of this Ordinance when you can stand at a greater distance from Sin and from the World when you can look upon all the beauty of the World as blackness and on all the fulness of it as emptiness when you can feast your selves in God whilst you are starving in the Creature when you can say in the sincerity of your Souls were all the Universe on a flame the fire does not touch my portion when you can stand upon its ruins and say triumphingly I have lost nothing or as that good man Lord Te pro omnibus prae omnibus the sauris aestimo Moller in Psal 73.25 thou knowest where all my good things are even in thee and above with thee Lord whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I desire in comparison of thee You have there the desire of Davids Soul and the Soul of his desire when thus you find it working it does you much good indeed 6 When their hearts are more humbled more deeply and thorowly humbled when they meet with such tasts of the Lords graciousness such manifestations of his rich mercy and discoveries of his free love as lays them as low as the very dust when they can say as David did 2 Sam. 7.18 19. Who am I O Lord God that thou hast brought me hitherto What shall such a poor pitiful piece of polluted clay such a map of misery be admitted to thy Table feasted at thy Board fed with the Body and Blood of the Son of God who am I that I should be embraced in his arms that he should ravish my heart with the sweet sound of his precious promises and rejoyce my drooping Soul with a well-grounded hope of his gracious pardons and of the acceptance of my person and performances I am not worthy the least crumb of bread which grows upon the earth or comes thence much less of that bread of life which came down from Heaven The condition of my Soul had been as doleful as any mans on earth had not free grace renewed me as dreadful as any damned souls in hell had not he in mercy to my Soul repriev'd me O what a poor starven Soul had mine been had not the Lord of Life refresh'd me The most genuine and natural effect which divine discoveries have upon a devout Soul is Humiliation nothing does it more kindly and that which humbles us does not hurt us when you can go from this Ordinance lothing and abhorring your selves and see more of your own nothingness as Creatures and vileness as Sinners when you can cry with Job Behold I am vile Chap. 40.4 With the poor Publican God be merciful to me a sinner I dare not lift mine eyes towards Heaven Luk. 18.13 When it makes and keeps us more humble then it doth us good indeed 7 When their peace and joy in the Lord is increased their Spiritual comforts are enlarged and their Souls are more assured of their interest in Christ and in the everlasting Covenant When they can go to Christ and say Thou art mine to the Promises and say all these are mine when they can lay hold on the blessings of the Covenant and say all these are sealed to me in this blessed Sacrament This lo this is the sweet fruit the Saints find at this holy Sacrament when their trembling Faith is turn'd into a triumphing Faith their Faith of adherence into a Faith of evidence and assurance There is a threefold fulness of Assurance a full allurance of Understanding Col. 2.2 of Hope Heb. 6.11 and of Faith Heb. 10.22 O what a sweet and precious what a rich and rare Jewel is this Grace purifies Assurance pacifies Grace brings the Soul to Heaven Assurance brings Heaven into the Soul Grace is better than Peace but Peace is sweeter than Grace Assurance is a flower of Paradise a sparkle of Glory Heaven on this side Heaven an Anchor at Sea a Shield at Land a Staff to support a Sword to defend Bread to strengthen Wine to chear and Balm to cure the Soul of man When at and by this precious Ordinance your Souls are fill'd with joy unspeakable and full of glory when those black clouds of fears and jealousies are dispersed and those bitter storms of Soul-troubles are blown over when brighter beams and clearer calms and sweeter comforts flow in upon your Souls when thus you find it then has the Sacrament been working for your good 'T is one great end of this Ordinance to seal his peoples Graces many a child of God can tell you that by this Ordinance they have arriv'd at a great measure of assurance they have come empty and gone hence full they have come with fears and doubts upon them and have gone away with abundance of joy and peace the Lord has met them at his Table has spoken peace unto their Consciences has clear'd up their Evidences for Heaven and now they can speak of the great things he has done in it and by it too for their precious Souls This Ordinance was instituted for his peoples growth in Grace and for their sense of Grace for the augmentation of it and for the manifestation of it By it Grace grows up to its full stature and just proportion 'T is for sealing too the Sacrament is a good friend to the Spirit be it spoken with reverence and the Spirit is a greater friend to the Sacrament and both are great friends to the Soul sealing it up unto the day of redemption Rom. 4.11 Ephes 4.30 As a Seal doth confirm and settle the mind of the Buyer so doth the Sacrament satisfie and assure the heart of a Believer O how
Christian man To take care that his Soul be not unthankful to his God Have I received any light or life or increase of grace and peace I will remember to my dying day though 't is wrought in me yet 't was not wrought by me Non nobis Domine non nobis Not unto us Lord not unto us Because not by us Lord not by us but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts Though I cannot praise thee so much as I should yet will I praise thee as much as I can Sacramenta Judaeorum umbra Christianorum Aug Enar in Psal 37 nobis 38 At the Jewish Passover was sung the 113. and some following Psalms and this they call'd the Great Hallelujah And the Sacraments of the Jews were but shadows unto ours In every thing we must give thanks but for this especially others stand without you are admitted into the Presence-chamber of the great King They feed on husks and trash you on the hidden Manna My flesh saith Christ is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed All other food compar'd with this is cibi tantummodo umbra vana imago as Cameron speaks all shadow no substance To a worthy Receiver the choicest of mercies and blessings are here exhibited one calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Food made up all of Thanksgiving And having tasted so much nay drunk so deep of the cup of blessing does it not concern you now to sing Glory be to the Holy Ghost That praise is due to God from every Creature in the World and from every corner of the world I need not prove but 't is not comely for any but such as you Psal 33.1 'T is a garment that suites none but Saints Isa 61.3 You read there of the garment of praise The Jewish Doctors have a saying That the World subsists by three Pillars the Law the Worship of God and Thankfulness O let the high Praises of God be now and for ever in your lips and lives Hath the good Spirit of the Lord gone out before you in love and mercy Do you follow him now in praise and duty 'T is the happiness of the Saints in Heaven to enjoy God and 't is their only business in Heaven to bless God and is it not your wisdom as well as duty to be daily doing that on Earth besides which you shall have nothing to do to all Eternity in Heaven Hosanna's here and Hallelujahs hereafter 2 Walk charitably Do all the good you possibly can for the Spirit of the Lord and for the people of the Lord. I know your goodness extendeth not to God but let it the more to the Saints Yet you may plead for and vindicate his honour which is by many now laid in the dust many father their errors and blasphemies on the Spirit laying them at his door as if he were not the Spirit of Truth There are four sorts of men amongst us 1 Some who are all for Ordinances not eying at all the Spirit of the Lord for his teachings 2 Some are all for the Spirit Sans-ordinance men casting of Baptism the Ministry of the Word and this blessed Sacrament Beza in 1 Cor. 1.12 As Beza said so shall I Hoc Pestilentissimo morbo utinam nulli hodie laborarent Oh that none had this Plague-sore now 3 Others and not a few neither regard the Spirit nor men nor means nothing but mundum fundum 4 Only the sincere Christian is for all and he is the man to whom I address this counsel if you espouse not his cause who shall if in your stations as Magistrates as Ministers as Christians you plead not for it who will But walk charitably towards men that 's the duty I would press on you Has the Spirit of the Lord done you good do you now all the good you can to others shew your love to God by your love to your needy Brethren and your love to them by works of mercy Acts of charity do not impoverish but enrich Perhaps the Purse may be lighter but your Crown will be heavier Who ever heard or read of a man that liv'd charitably that died miserably Non memini me legisse malâ morte morâ—â—â— qui libenter opera charitatis exercuit Hieron Morison in his Itinirary Hierom in his Epistle to Nepotian tells us he never did nor did the royal Prophet Psal 37.25 26. One tells us of a fountain of Salt in Germany of which all the poor about it had Salt-water freely for their use but when once it was deny'd them it lost its vertue If once you harden your Hearts against or hide your faces from those pale faces and withered cheeks and maimed arms from those who have no bread to eat nor where to lay their heads well may the Spirit of the Lord suspend his influences at the next Communion and then it cannot heal nor seal nor do you good What greater incentive to shew mercy to others than a due sense of mercies received from God Do good to all as you are of ability and have opportunity but especially to the houshold of Faith 3 Walk contentedly Have you received good and much good at the Lords Table then be not so full of complaints if you have little of the worlds goods Is your grace increased have you got more assurance of your Lords love do not murmur though your Corn and Wine and other matters increase not Whilst those put gladness into your Hearts let not the want of these cause sadness to appear in your faces It is enough says Jacob Joseph is alive So say you It is enough the Spirit of the Lord is alive and hath enlivened and sealed 1 Tim. 6.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and comforted me at and by this precious Ordinance Shew us the Father says Philip and it sufficeth us The sight of God without riches or honours or lands or friends should satisfie your Souls Having food and raiment you should be content well Having food not fine fare Raiments not Ornaments and you have both nay much more viz. the Mediatory Righteousness of Christ to deck and adorn you and his precious Body and Blood to nourish you And whatever afflictions you meet with in or from the World still be contented They say whatever betides a Spaniard he will not change his pace whatever troubles betide you let no change appear in your Face Whether God give or take whether he stroke or strike Nimis delicatus es frater si hic vis gaudere cum mundo posthac regnare cum Christo Hierom. whether men hum or hiss fret not your selves shall you receive good from the hand of God What all good and no evil you are too delicate if you would have two Heavens one here and another yonder above the Clouds 4 Walk Compassionately Have you tasted there of the Lords graciousness can you tell of the great things the Spirit of the Lord hath by that Ordinance done for your Souls
way of resemblance Holy in all manner of Conversation all that Holiness in Saints or Angels is of his implanting 5. He can fill your Hearts with assurance of his Grace in you and of Gods Grace and Favour towards you The influences of the Spirit work Grace and the Evidences of the Spirit discover Grace 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God He bears witness with our spirits that we are the Sons of God Et quando Spiritus testatur quaenam relinquitur ambiguitas The Spirit brings the Heart to the command that 's holiness he brings the promise to the heart that 's assurance In a word Sp. S. irradiat Intellectum inclinat voluntatem sigillat Animum c. he can turn your Water into Wine your night into day he can remove your fears resolve your doubts revive your Souls recruit your Comforts Others only walk in the light of Gods Providence he can make you to walk in the light of his Countenance 6. He also who reconciled Man to God can reconcile Man to Man He can cement your hearts The stones of the Temple were so closely cemented as if they all had been but one He can unite you thus too When the Sons of Brutus and the Vitellii conspired with Tarquinius his Embassadours against the Consul they drank the blood of a man to confirm their Amity and Unity You are now a going to drink the precious Blood of Jesus Christ what hinders but the Spirit of the Lord may shed abroad his love in your hearts and make you live in love what are all the motions of the Spirit but tenders of Love or what is the zeal of the Spirit but the print of love or the Graces of the Spirit but engagements to love He can give you such hearts as will be Afraid of every little Sin Amended with every little Cross Affected with every little mercy The Spirit of the Lord hath power enough to give a being to us and hath he not power enough to do any thing in and about us Can he give a being to his Ordinances and cannot he give a blessing to them He can do every thing and therefore This But that shall serve for the fifth Query The improvement of the point is not the least considerable part of my work and indeed 't is all that now remains Here is a word of Counsel and a word of Comfort something which concerns Sinners and something too which concerns the Saints I would not discourage the weak yet must I awaken the secure I begin with the Counsels such first as concern you that are Saints and I have something to say in General something in particular Two things would I say in general Is not the Spirit of the Lord so straitned but that he can cause this Ordinance to do you good Then see that 1. You believe this Truth and believe it firmly and undoubtedly The Spirit is God as Almighty as the Father or as the Son To an Almighty power nothing is impossible nay nothing difficult When God promised Abraham a Son in his old age what a hard task was here for God Sarah could not believe it she laughed but what saith the Lord Is any thing too hard for me He can do it because he is omnipotent and he will do it because he hath promised to do it 't is a truth as full of comfort to the Saints as is the Sea of water or the Sun of light therefore believe it stedfastly And see that you 2. Look for good for great workings in and by this Ordinance from the Spirit of the Lord. And look well to this Ordinance that it do you good for if it do you no good it will do you hurt if it be not bread it will be poyson it will set you either a step nearer to Heaven or nearer to Hell Who can say when he hath been at a Sermon or at a Sacrament as some Tradesmen may when their accompts are cast up I have neither got nor lost Be you well assured that if it do not strengthen your graces it will strengthen your corruptions This is a sad saying but not more sad than true others have found it so and so may you it will further you either in the way to glory or in the way to misery O that whilst the sound of these words is in your ears the savour of them were upon your hearts But to come yet more close to the business in order hereunto perhaps some of you may enquire And it brings me to the Sixth Query Q. 6. What course must a serious Christian take or hold that the Spirit of the Lord may cause this blessed Ordinance to work for his good In this numerous Auditory I am in hopes there are not many if any but they seriously desire the Ordinances may do their Souls good They would not pray nor hear nor receive in vain Well I will confine my discourse to this Ordinance before you take these ten Directions 1. Carefully prepare your hearts for it if you would profit by it Till the Earth be prepared you cast not in the seed till the Instrument be tuned you do not begin to play Till your Hearts be prepared you cannot receive worthly Gods Dispensations are generally suited to our Dispositions Those Beasts which came in to Noahs Ark unclean went out again unclean You know the Jews had their preparation for the Passover Job 19.14 And is not this an Ordinance every way as holy and venerable When our Blessed Saviour was about to institute this Ordinance it was his pleasure the House should first be fitted and prepared in which he was to do it Mark 14.15 Is there not as much nay much more need our hearts be fitted and prepared Well then say I to you as Samuel did to the Elders of Bethlehem 1 Sam. 16.5 Sanctifie your selves and come with me unto the Sacrifice put your hearts in order These two things have a special eye unto 1 To get an Understanding 2 An humble Heart 1 Get an Understanding Heart when the Lord appear'd to Solomon in Gibeon and said unto him Ask what I shall give thee 1 King 3.5 Give unto thy Servant an understanding Heart says Solomon in vers the 9th Some render the words Cor dicile Sapientiam circa agenda Cor capax divinarum legum Cor audiens an hearing Heart others Cor intelligens aut sapiens an understanding wise heart He asked Wisdom with a great deal of Wisdom had not he been wise before he had not known the worth of wisdom When you are about these Sacramental duties pray for an Understanding heart Amongst the Graces requisite to qualifie a Communicant Knowledg is neither the last nor the least considerable Knowledg of what may some say I answer I the Knowledge of our selves Est Disâ—iplinarum omniuÌ„ pulcherrima
willing is the Almighty the Soul be out of doubt of its Sanctification here and Salvation hereafter To which God of his infinite mercy for the merits of his Son by the conduct of his holy Spirit at last bring us Amen The End of the First Sermon The Second SERMON On Micah 2.7 Is the Spirit of the Lord straitned July the 20th 1673 Do not my words do good to him that walketh upright or uprightly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Word spoken upon his Wheels is like Apples of Gold in pictures of Silver I may say of this 'T is verbum super rotas a word in season then will the Sermon be most profitable when the subject is most seasonable The Text is like a well-drawn picture it hath an eye on every man as you will see anon I shall draw aside the curtain that so you may view it and it may view you I will waste no time in the beginning that I may want no time in the end I am shewing when this Ordinance of the Supper doth work for the Saints benefit and advantage I have hinted seven and shall now proceed methodically unto the eighth in order of which succinctly For enough is better than all 8 Then doth this Ordinance work for your good when your Souls are more corroborated and strengthned and your power is more encreased Observe it pray The Ministry of the Word begets spiritual life The Sacrament preserves and increaseth spiritual life The Word lays the Basis or Foundation of Grace the Sacrament carries on the Building The Word is instituted to implant Grace to work the truth of Grace where it is not The Sacrament is to promote the growth of it where it is The Ministry of the Word is a converting Ordinance the Sacrament is a confirming Ordinance That 's the breeding and this the feeding Ordinance If now you come to the Lords Table very weak your Graces very feeble your Faith and Love and other Graces very little If it may be said of you as it was of the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3.8 Thou hast but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little strength and then you go away stronger your Faith more encreased your hope more quickened your obediential and penitential resolutions more strengthned your corruptions more easily subdued temptations more easily repulsed your assections more raised and enlarged your hearts more established duties more spiritually performed the world more easily conquered and vanquished If now you find your selves more able to do to suffer for God or from God if now you are more fitted for active and passive obedience if you can go thorow all Christian duties with more alacrity and cheerfulness if you can apply the promises and live by Faith upon the Fatherly providence and faithful promises of God When thus you find it then hath this Ordinance been doing you good 9 When at and by the Sacrament your love to Jesus Christ is more enflamed when this little drop swells into an Ocean and this spark becomes a flame when it may be said of your love to God to Christ to his way day people Ordinances as is said of the Waters of the Sanctuary Ezek. 47.3 4 5. that 't is still higher and higher from the ankles to the knees thence to the loins and then unpassable so in the present case Is it possible we should be such constant Guests at the Lords-Table and daily see before our eyes a crucified Christ and yet go thence with so little love to him and longings after him Can we fee so much love in his heart to us and shall we be contented with so little love in our hearts to him Per vulnera videmus viscera 'T is an heart of Adamant that will neither impendere nor rependere which will neither begin in love nor love him then who has thus begun Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us in bestowing his Son upon us We call not upon people to behold things common and ordinary Paul calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 great love Eph. 2.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a love passing knowledg Heart-warming words indeed See Ephes 3.19 He laid down his precious life and dearest blood for us he died Nostro loco in our place and stead Nostro commodo for our benefit and good for our sin as the meritorious cause and for our good as the final cause Dan. 9.26 1 Pet. 3.18 Greater love than this can no man shew Did ever Mother love her own Child so as to wash it in her own blood thus lov'd he us Rev. 1.5 God so loved the world so How 's that so wonderfully so infinitely so but I cannot tell you how and therefore must leave it so admiring and not once attempting to express it but the Son of God can Even as the Father loved me so have I loved you Joh. 15.9 Here was the highest purest freest sweetest and choicest love that ever was in the world We conclude they love us who will speak kindly and courteously to us or a word in season for us much more if they will hazzard their lives and fortunes by espousing our cause and quarrel did not our dear Redeemer all this and more Lord now says the poor Christian thou hast laid down thy life and thereby hast manifested thy love to me Now will I part with my dearest lusts I will be their death and so shew my love to thee shall a damning lust live and a saving Christ die Shall the man die that kills my Son or Father and shall my Sin live which slays my Saviour Well if I can do no more I will do no less than love thee my dearest Lord with all my heart and might and strength The more vile thou wast made for me the dearer to my dying day shalt thou be unto me When thus it works then it does you good indeed 10 When your hearts which were before at a distance from him are by it drawn nearer to him and your desires are more drawn out after him There is a twofold distance between God and Man The one is natural as he is the Creator Man a creature He infinite Man finite this is an infinite distance The other is Moral as he is Holy and Man impure this is a greater distance than the former if we may suppose an infinito infinitius By nature we are all afar off from God n = * Non intervallo locorum sed pravitate morum by Grace through Christ we are made nigh Ephes 2.13 yet nigher we may be by much than yet we are and 't is our great business in every Ordinance to get nearer to him if you scan that famous place Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart If now we find our confidence drawn more out after him and that we can rest more upon him and trust more in him if for what our Souls want we can with an humble boldness go to him and say Lord Here is