week the more you shall find of the week in the Sabbath The lesse spirituall you are in affairs of earth the more carnall you will bee in the employments of Heaven This is certain if the world once take your heart it will take your head also I say if ever the world leaven your hearts it will also poyson your heads it is a leaven diffuseth it self through the whole man And therefore as Christ said of the leaven of the Pharisees Take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees h. e. hypocrisie for if once the heart be leaven'd with that it will soure the head if the Principles are unsound then are the purposes also and performances too c. So I say here beware of the leaven of worldly-mindednesse if ever you would sanctifie God in this ordinance Beware of that this will soure the soule and make all you doe to be carnall and fleshly I tell you if you be servants to the world at other times the world will coÌ„mand and master you now Thus much shall serve for the second generall Head What is required in the time for the sanctification of this ordinance We come to the third To the sanctifying God in an Ordinance is required somthing after And That now which is required afterward is That you labour to see the fruit of this ordinance to run downe through your lives Thou exercisedst faith labour to see thy heart more established in assurance of pardon See thy graces more strengthened thy corruptions more weakned I will name onely two things which are to follow the performance of this ordinance if ever you would sanctifie God in it 1. Thankfulnesse 2. Obedience 1. Gratiae nulluÌ„ certius signum quam gratiae Aug. Thankfulnesse Returne home now as thy heart full of the benefits of the Lord so thy heart full of praises to the Lord. Angels employments are most suteable to Angels food thou hast had Angels food and let thy heart returne Angels retribution praise and thanksgiving If God doe but feed your bodies there is none I hope such beasts as will not return the retribution of praises And will you be slow and backward to it when he hath fed your souls Shall we blesse God for a Crumb and not for a Christ Other mercies are but crumbs in comparison of this rich mercy and shall our hearts savour them so much not relish these * Divitiae dantur 1. Bonis ne putentur mala 2. Malis ne putentur bona 3. Multis ne putentur magnae Other mercies he gives to his enemies wicked men may run away w th the greatest portion of belly-blessings but these hee only bestowes on his friends and shall we be unthankful for them How ever carnall men are most taken with carnal things yet sure I am those who are spirituall as they are most apprehensive of spirituall wants so the greatest layings out of their spirits in thankfulnesse is for spirituall enjoyments What 's corne and wine c. to this This is a mercie in which all other mercies are folded up the summum genus of mercy the top-mercy Quid tibi sufficit si Christus non sufficit Christum habes â—mnia habes Omne bonuÌ„ aut ipse est aut ab ipso Aug. de doct Chri. God doth eminently contain al other comforts and therefore in the want of all he can cheere the heart Hah 3.7 So Christ doth eminently contain all other mercies and in the want of all Christ enjoyed is exceeding great reward Nay all mercies are not onely folded up in him and intail'd to him but he sweetens and sanctifies every mercie Let us then return home as full of the blessing from on high so full of praises to the most high Thankfulnesse is the great grace to bee exercised in and thankfulnesse is the great grace to be exercised after and therefore while the present sense of this mercie warmes your hearts let the heat of it burst forth into thankfulnesse towards God it is the most sutable service and the most sutable time to returne it The best time to have thanfulness in our hearts is when we can look there and finde the mercy for which we praise him also The best time for praises and thankfulness in our mouths is when wee have the blessing in our hands Well then all you who are right partakers of this Ordinance summon up your hearts to return thankfulness to God And let your thankfulness carry some proportion with the mercy The mercy is great do but measure it in all the dimensions of it how high how deep how broad a mercy pardoning purging mercy and how long even to all eternity And as the mercy is great so should be the praises The more a man's apprehensions are enwidened to conceive of the vastness and greatness of the mercy the more will the affections be inlarged to praise him for it There was never man that did know the preciousness of Christ and his own need of him in respect of pardon purging and his own unworthiness to partake of so glorious a mercy but had his heart mightily inlarged to praise God for it This is that then which God expects at your hands after he hath filled you with the blessing of Heaven that you should return praises to Heaven Though hee doth not reap where he doth not sow as that idle servant charged him yet where God sowes blessings hee expects to reap praises Where there is a flood of mercy hee looks for a stream of thankfulness Oh! then let us proportion our returns to our receits let us set up monuments of praise in our hearts and lives for this great mercy Say with David Psal 103. Bless the Lord ô my soul c. 2. The second thing required after this Ordinance is obedience and fruitfulnes That now for the time to come you should apply your hearts to walk more worthy of God unto all manner of pleasing 1. That we should have our hearts further set against sin 2. That we should have our hearts further strengthned to service 1. Get your hearts now further set against sin Oh! let your souls say Hath God been so gracious as to renew and confirm my pardon and shall I again dishonour him Hath hee wiped off my former scores and shall I run on afresh to offend him Hath hee taken off my former burthen and cast it on the back of his dear Son and shall I again lay more load upon him Hath he spoken peace to me in his Ordinance and shall I again return to folly No far be it from me I have washed my feet how shall I again defile them I have put off my coat how shal I again put it on saith the Christian soul Prophane men they do by their sins as the Serpent with his poyson lay it aside when they go to drink but afterward take it up Or as men do with a garment put it off at night but put it on in the
A man may be a sanctified person and yet not sanctifie God in this Ordinance if he doe not exercise those Graces gracious dispositions which God requireth here are sutable to the quality and nature of the Ordinance 1. Now the first and great grace that here is to be exercised is Faith Faith is the great Grace which gives admission unto this ordinance and faith is the great grace that is to be exercised and to run through the use of it Concerning which we shall desire to unfold three things 1. What act of Faith is here to be exercised 2. Upon what object we must exercise our Faith here 3. For what benefits faith must here be exercised For the first viz. what act of Faith is here to bee exercised There are these two main acts of Faith 1. An act of Recumbence 2. An act of apprehension application of Christ Fides potest habere aliquem modum dubitationis salvâ fide Daven Fideicertitudo importat firmitatem adhaesionis non quietationem intellectus Aquin. Both these may be exercised here and to our spirituall benefit By the one we go over to Christ by the other we bring Christ over to us The first act of Faith gives us an interest in all the benefits of Christ though as yet the soule is not able to bring home to it selfe the great revenue of mercie and grace which Christ hath purchased and the soule hath an interest in The second act of faith brings it all home In the former God makes Christ ours and we his in the latter wee make him ours Christ in his blood and merits Christ in his grace and Spirit Christ in all his doings and sufferings so far as he is coÌ„municable to poore sinners Now there is not much difference betweene these two acts The difference is not in the nature and essence of the grace both are faith and saving faith nor in the fruits and benefits both give a man union and communion with Christ c. But the difference is in the measures and degrees in the comforts of it To the first there goes a conviction of sin a manifestation and clearing of the promise a perswasion of the truth fulnesse freenesse sutablenesse and goodnesse of the promise And upon all this here is a rowling a resting upon Christ And the latter is but a further degree a bringing over or home all this to its own selfe In the former act the soule hath communion with all the benefits of Christ It 's such an act of Faith as gives a soule union with the person and that cannot be without communion with the priviledges and benefits In this latter there is but a clearer apprehension of it In the first we go over to Christ in the latter we bring over Christ to us In the former we are apprehended of Christ Phil. 3.12 in the latter wee apprehend Christ Now to the Answer what act of faith is here to be exercised unto which I say that that act of faith which doth apprehend and apply Christ is most sutable to this ordinance of the Sacrament hence is this called a taking of Christ a receiving of Christ a feeding upon Christ eating his flesh and drinking his blood all which shew this act is most sutable to the ordinance Here we have an offer of Christ and this act is most sutable to take him as offered And the more strength wee have to apply and bring Christ home the more we feed on him the more wee are nourished and built up But though this act of faith is most sutable to the ordinance yet wee shut not out the other from the comfort benefit of it That which gives the soul union with Christ doth give it communion with all the benefits of Christ Christ and his benefits go together Yet I could wish that every one who hath done this first act of faith would work it up one degree higher to apprehend and apply Christ in the promises of grace Seeing according to the measure of your faith and feeding upon Christ such is the measure of the benefit by Christ here But however be not discouraged such as are weak in faith will Christ receive Rom. 14.1 If hee have a care that others shall not reject them for their weakness but bid them to receive them much more will hee himself receive them and whom he will receive shall receive him If therefore thou art weak in applying faith and thou cannot bring Christ over to thee go thou over to Christ if thou cannot fully apprehend him let him apprehend thee Phil. 3.12 cast thy self into his arms In languidâ fide magis nos apprehendimur a â—hristo quà m quod nos ipsum apprâ—hendamus Chem. by this act set thy seal to Gods truth and expect here in this ordinance that God should put his Seal to thy heart by assuring So much for the first what act of faith is here to be exercised We come to the second 2. Upon what Object must the act of faith be terminated here You must know there are many objects of faith in generall as God himself in the unity of Essence and trinity of Persons the Word of God the Promises of God But there is but one object of Justifying faith and that is Christ God-man Act. 10.43 Gen. 3.15 the Mediatour To him give all the Prophets witness that who ever believes in him shall receive remission of sins This is the object upon which the faith of Adam was terminated Gen. 3.15 the seed of the woman and thereby was justified and had his recovery after the fall This is that object upon which the faith of Abraham who was the Father of the faithfull was terminated who saw his day and rejoyced it was not the believing of the Promise of seed but in the promised seed To him also did the eyes of the faithfull look under the law through the shadows and sacrifices and were justified by Christ to be as we are now by Christ exhibited And upon him must our faith be terminated not only in the first act of faith for justification but also in the exercise of it in this ordinance for the further assurance of justification and increase of sanctification And let it not seem strange to you wee are not so much to deale with a promise here as with the thing promised nor to feed on a promise as upon Christ himself by faith to eat his flesh and drinke his blood Matth. 26.26 Corpus Christiest pabulum fidei Joh. 6.15 This is my body c. Christ is the meat here for the hand of faith to receive the mouth of faith to eate as hee faith My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed You may make use of the promises here the Sacrament is the seale to every promise in the covenant But the matter of the Sacrament indeed and that whereon wee are chiefly to feed is Christ himselfe Christ as he is laid
which examination is more generall or more speciall 1. More generall of all our sins those before and those after our effectuall calling 2. Of our Graces 1. What knowledge of God 2. What faith 3. what repentance 4. what love 5. what hunger thirst c. 2. It is more speciall 1. how the soul hath carried it self under former Sacraments in particular since the last Sacrament what good it hath gotten what more strēgth of faith what more weakning of corruption what more increase of grace what more ability to serve God and what evil it hath done all which should be set on upon the soul with the many aggravations being sins against vowes promises against covenant which doth adde much guilt to sin and double the offence 2. The soul is to examine it self how it stands for present what aptness what fitness for the duty what Sacramentall sorrow what faith to close w th God in the present offer what fitness to joyn w th its fellow-members in holy cōmunion and love what hungring and thirsting after Christ in this Ordinance what spirituall appetite what present disposition of soul to renew bonds and covenants with God in this Ordinance Of these and the like are we to examine our selves that 's the first 2. There is required Excitation of our graces that wee stir up our faith our repentance our hunger and thirst c. 1. Our faith to close with a new offer of Christ 2. Our repentance to mourn afresh our hunger and thirst after Christ tendered here These are God's rules and if observed God is sanctified and that is the second 3. You may know whether you have sanctified God in this Ordinance if you examine whether you have observed God's ends Now God's ends are many viz. 1. to glorifie God 2. to get strength against our corruptions 3. to get increases for our graces But I shall only name one set down by the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.23 Do this in remembrance of mee Christ did a great work for us and hee is desirous it may may not be forgotten He hath taken care it should be remembred both in heaven and in earth As he remembers it in heaven it being a part of his intercession for us there to represent his blood and sufferings before God As under the Law the Priest when he had offered the sacrifice was to go with the blood before the Altar and Mercy-seat and shew it to the Lord So Christ having offered himself a sacrifice presents his blood within the vail appearing in the presence of God to intercede for us And as hee hath taken care to remember it in heaven Heb. 9.24 so he hath taken care to keep it in remembrance on earth And therfore he hath set up this ordinance to shew forth his death to put us in mind of his sufferings chargeth us to do this in remembrance of him And when we observe this end truly rightly as wee ought then do we sanctifie God in this Ordinance I say truly and rightly for every remembrance will not serve the turn 1. It must be a cordiall and hearty remembrance wee must remember him with an affected heart in Religion * Quod cor non facit noa sit what the heart doth not is not done Many remember him in a bare historicall way to recount his sorrows and yet their heart not affected It is not enough to remember Christ in the head but you must remember him in the heart words of knowledge imply affection It must be cordiall 2. It must be a gratefull and thankefull remembrance and there is great cause it is the top-mercy that which purchased all for us Look on all coming swimming in a stream of blood See upon all your mercies ingraven The price of blood and you will see great cause to be thankfull 3. It must be a mourning bleeding remembrance So to look on him pierced as to be pierced on him wounded as to be wounded c. And indeed who can look upon Christ in blood who can behold what he hath suffered and conceive himself to be the actor of all this and yet the sharer in all the fruit and benefit for though we were actors of it yet hee put us not out of his Will and Testament he did not except against us in the partaking the fruit of it who can thus behold him but must weep over Christ as the old Prophet over the other alas my brother alas my brother so alas my CHRIST alas my CHRIST 4. It must be a crucifying remembrance such a remembrance of Christ crucified as crucifies our sinfull affections our lusts and corruptions as deals by sin Pro me Dei filius jugulatus iterum me peccare dilectat as sin hath dealt by Christ kills sin as sin hath killed Christ Oh! say shall I give life to that which hath been the death of Christ shall I cherish that hath killed Christ shall I take pleasure in that hath been so bitter to Christ shall I count that light which hath been so heavie to him shall I love and bosome the knife hath killed my husband Under the Law if an Ox goared a man the Ox was to die and shall sin kill Christ and shall it not die for it such a crucifying remembrance it must be as makes us take up weapons against sin And he that thus remembers Christ observes God's end and hee who observes God's ends doth sanctifie God in his Ordinance Well then would you know whether you have sanctified God in this Ordinance see if you have observed God's order God's rules God's ends before you come and so much for the first 2. Would you know whether you have sanctified God in this ordinance see if you have exercised God's graces in the time what those are and how to be exercised I have shewed at large 3. See whether you do return home w th God's quicknings with God's inlargements w th God's inablements are you more humble more serviceable Are you more thankfull Do you find corruptions weakned your graces strengthened Doth your indeavours afterward answer your care and conscience before Is your heart set further against sin Are the wayes of God more lovely to you Are your souls knit neerer to God your spirits more inflamed with love of him These are plain demonstrations that you have sanctified God in this ordinance and that God hath sanctified it to you But now on the contrary let me tell you 1. If thou hast broken God's order and method that thou hast come hither in a graceless Christless cōdition the soul never yet awakned to see sin and be humbled for it Thou knowst what sin is in the Catechisme but dost not know what sin is upon the conscience Thou canst tell mee what faith is in the book but art not acquainted with the working of it in thy soul and what repentance is but yet a stranger to it The day is yet to come wherein thou set thy self to mourn and
Lord thou prophanest this Ordinance A man may eat Bread and drink Wine in an ordinary way and not sin but hee who eats Bread and drinks Wine in the way of an Ordinance and doth not feed upon Christ himself hee is a prophaner of this Ordinance Now thou canst not feed upon Christ in a Sacrament till thou have fed on Christ in a promise Thou canst not feed upon Christ sacramentally till thou first feed upon Christ spiritually And hast thou ever fed upon Christ in the promise Did ever God discover sin to thee and humble thy soul for it Did ever God reveal Christ to thee and bring thy heart to close with him then thou hast fed on Christ and mayst come But hee who never fed on Christ spiritually can never tast him sacramentally Thou hast no organ no eye of faith to see Christ here nor no mouth of faith to tast him here no lise to desire him and therefore cannot feed on him And hee who doth not feed upon Christ here is a prophaner of this Ordinance A man may feed upon Christ and never tast of the Bread and Wine and yet have the same benefits Joh. 6.53 a place which is spoken of the spirituall feeding on Christ out of the use of the Sacrament But a man cannot feed upon the the Bread and Wine and not feed upon Christ but hee prophanes this Ordinance Christ without these may be fed upon but not these without Christ If thy body feed on these and thy soul doth not feed on Christ thou art a prophaner of this Ordinance Well then to sum up all in this Would you know whether you have prophaned this Ordinance Recapitution 1. See if you have observed Gods order c. If thou hast not observed Gods order that thou comes hither in a Christless graceless condition unjustified unsanctified wants thou faith wants thou repentance wants thou hunger and thirst wants thou knowledge thou art a prophaner of it And alas of that little triall I have had in this last matter viz. knowledge I have found great want You would admire if I should tell you the sensless answers I have had I speak not of all there are some who are but green in yeers yet are ripe in knowledge but yet many who are grave in yeers extreme ignorant Ask them what a Sacrament is they cannot tell ask them for what end they come to the Sacrament they tel me to nourish their bodies what God requires they know not and such answers that a man might have as much comfort to give the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to a child as to such ignorant creatures I am sure there is less sin in one then the other and there is not much more knowledge It is true indeed if a man had never so much knowledge if he could tell mee as much as any in the world of the nature of God of Christ of the Sacraments c. yet without Grace this would not make him a worthy Receiver The Devill knowes more then most men for the speculative part yet what is he the better for that But yet if a man be ignorant hee must needs be a prophaner of the Ordinance A man may have knowledge and yet not have Grace but if he have no knowledge he is certainly graceless So the Wiseman saith Without knowledge the minde is not good We have a prophane Proverb Hee that made us save us But God answers that in Isa 27.11 Isa 27.11 Yee are a people of no understanding therefore hee that made you will not save you and hee that formed you will shew no mercy on you And he threatens 2 Thes 1.8 2 Thes 1.8 To come in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of Christ And therefore beware you who are ignorant persons of coming you will prophane this ordinance and you who are graceless persons though you should know as much as all the men in the world come not here if thou do thou breaks Gods order and so prophanest this Ordinance 2. If you have not observed Gods rules examined your self and excited and stirred up your Graces 3. If you have not observed Gods ends c. you will be prophaners of this ordinance of God And me thinks this should terrifie you who are prophane persons sure thou hast reason in thee though thou want grace Dost thou hear what God saith Hee will be sanctified of them that come nigh him Hast thou not heard hee that eats and drinks unworthily is made guilty of the body and blood of Christ Doth not God say Who ever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself And have not I cleared to thee all Christless graceless persons are unworthy Receivers And yet wilt thou come Beware lest God shew some visible judgement on thee Beware lest God teach thee by workes who wilt not learn by word See what befell Nadab and Abihu here because they did not sanctifie God Reade what befell the Corinthians read what befell the man in the Gospel who came without his wedding garment Take him hence and cast him into utter darkness c. Let former examples move thee Lege exâ—mplum ne exemplum fias lest God make thee an example Think God is the same God still his Glory as dear to him his Ordinances as precious As he is the same towards the Saints in the wayes of mercy so thou may expect him the same to thee in the the wayes of judgement And if this move thee not if this will not perswade with thee to forbear I wash my hands of the guilt of the blood of thy soul I have given thee warning and thy blood is upon thine own head And I wish the guilt of the blood of Christ be not upon thee too Let mee then beseech you in the bowels of love and compassion as you love your souls as you love your bodies as you would not be guilty of your own blood Nay as you would not be guilty of the blood of Christ as you would not eat and drink damnation to your selves as you would not provoke God to break in upon you and inflict his severe judgements on you come not here Come not here thou ignorant person thou graceless thou Christless person thou swearer thou drunkard thou covetous person Nay come not here who ever you are who are servants to any lust who live in any known sin lest God make this good upon thee which I have preached to thee That because thou dost not sanctifie God in this Ordinance he will sanctifie himself on thee because thou dost not glorifie him hee will raise his glory out of thy ruines But whilest I speak thus sadly to the bad let mee not be a terrour to the good I would not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax As I would not give incouragement to graceless persons so I would not discourage the least worke of grace in any As I would not cherish any false fire unsound work so I would not quench any spark of God's kindling hast thou some work of God upon thy spirit hath God discovered to thee sin and misery hath he humbled thee for it hath God revealed Christ to thee stirred thy heart with desires after him that riches without Christ relations comforts the world without Christ will not satisfie thee all these are like a Feast without an appetite a Paradise without a tree of Life too low either for thee to feed upon or to finde comfort satisfaction in them dost thou seek after Christ pursue Christ dost thou cast thy self in his arms to save at his feet to serve why such I would invite Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come to the waters here close with Christ feed on Christ and to such I would say Christ is properly and truly food for your souls and feeding on him your souls shall live in grace here in glory hereafter FINIS