trying whether they have Communicated acceptablly or Unworthily they must distinguish between their being helped to perform the Substance of the work then required and having their Graces revived and elevated by the shining of God's Face upon them because a Believer may sincerely receive Christ Offered to him in the Sacrament when â—â—ere is not such lifting up of God's Countenance upon him as at other times a Believer may be under some deserved rebuke even at the Lord's Table and yet he cleaveth to Christ though hiding his face and affectionatly Embraceth Him though his affections be not raised to that hight that they have been and should be 3. There is great need of wisdom from God how to Judge of the passions of mens souls in time of communicating for some men may have great flashes of Grief or joy at such times who know no such thing at other times or if they should be so at other times yet no better than the weeping of an Esau or the joy of an Hypocrite which soon perisheth others again at the same work may have true Godly sorrowing melting down their hearts before the Lord in the Sense of their sin and sometimes the Joy of the Lord 's true Spiritual comfort replenishing their fouls so that they find it unspeakable and these elevated affections having a sincere Root flowing from indignation at sin or Love to Christ are most desireable so that it should or will be painful to a Believer if he find not some gale of affections suitable in some measure to the love he is receiving and publishing at the Lord's Table nor will it abate his regard to these due affections that an Hypocrite may have the Counterfit of them Fourthly Such Believers as doubt of their acceptance at the Lord's Table which doubt doth often arise from people not being comforted at that time or the lowness of their graces not acting vigourously when they were Partaking such Communicants I say for preventing of disponding disquiet of mind must in Reviewing their work Consider if that which was indispensably necessary was performed that is the souls receiving of Christ as He is offered in the Gospel and offereth Himself to His people in that Ordinance if the heart was opened for Him and He embraced then the most Substantial part of the VVork was performed though there be Cause to Mourn that the affections were so low at such enriching and Honourable work yet Bless God if thou wast enabled to Joyn thy self to the Lord for the Ordinance is not profaned and though thou wast a weak yet not an unworthy Communicant It may also contribute to thy Comfort if when thou comest from the Lord's Table thou findest in thy Soul First an Inclination to Praise and Exalt thy Redeemer and for this particularly that He did not utterly forsake thy soul as thou knowest was deserved and though thou had a Rebuke by the hiding of His Face as to thy Comfort yet thou submits to it and does not cease to love Him knowing that He can make a Blessing of that froun to render thee more humble and diligent for the time to come 2. If thou find a desire to hold fast what thou hast received Thou art so far from having done with Christ when thou has done at the Table that thy heart cleaveth close to Him and so much the more if thou had any fear of His anger by withdrawing of His Comfort if thou canst not sray from Him but must have some renewed Testimony of His Love fear of His anger being too heavy for thee to bear Job 10. 2. Psal 80. 7. Thirdly VVhen thou comes from the Lord's Table thou findest upon thy heart a fear of sinning that thy Lord be not provocked more and this fear is of any manner of sinning so that there is no Trial or trouble thou fearest so much as sin and so much the more because thou thinkest thy sin hath provocked thy God already thy indignation is now raised against all sin as thy greatest Enemy making thee long to be Delivered from Root and Branch of it Rom. 7. 24. Fourthly If this thy Indignation at sin be Testifyed by thy watching against it and all Temptations leading to it though it were as Plucking out of the Right Eye if thou find thy heart Purified then thou has the Faith of God's Elect the cleansing Vertue of Christ's Blood hath reached thy Soul for nothing else could do it 1 Peter 1. 19 22. Fifthly If thou comest from the Lord's Table with this fixed on thy heart that from henceforth whatever come in thy way thou wilt Believe let the Difficulty be never so far above thy Strength thou wilt Honour thy Redeemer by Trusting Him with any thing without exception thou has now Professed thy self a Believer before Angels and men and by Grace thou wilt act as becometh a Believer thou fearest sin thou fearest Temptations thou wants not fear that the Burden of some Trials is ready to breake thy Back but now thou dare fear none of them with a faithless fainting fear knowing thy Redeemer is Strong and that thou art Solemnly Engaged to Trust Him at all times If this be the fruit of thy Communicating then the Bond of the Covenant hath bound thy heart to thy Lord then thy heart beareth the Impression of His Seal Psal 52. 8. Sixthly Since thou came from the Lord's Supper observe what Gracious alterations are to be found in thy Soul and Practice that were not found before what thou can find of that exceeding great and Mighty Power whereby the Lord worketh in them that believe if thou has not only brought Godly resolutions from that Ordinance but vertue and power if thou can observe more of the Spirit of Power in thy Duties if there be any observable new spring that decayed Graces are revived if thy sin be languishing and Grace flowrishing if whatever Holy work thou art Engaged in some vigour Life and strength appeareth thou art not now desiring to shift clear Duties thy heart and thy work go now together which often before were far asunder thou now takest delight in doing thy Lord's VVill thou can run now and not weary as formerly if this be found then the Lord hath abundantly Blessed thy Provision thy Meat hath been thy Blessing and thou mayest now find it even as Christ said His flesh Meat indeed and His Blood Drink indeed I shal add but one word more to such as still fear they did not Communicate acceptably even as to the very Substance of the work and cannot say they Believed when they did Partake Answ This Fear is very afflicting but some who find not comfort at a Communion are so cast down and so disturbed in their apprehensions concluding the Lord hath diserted them that they can see nothing for their Comfort and sometimes refuse to be comforted having a strange kind of pleasure to harden themselves in sorrow though they did Believe in the time of Partaking yet now they have not an
and offering himself a Sacrifice to the justice of God for these who were given him of his Father was accepted of God then we cannot lay the burden of our sins upon and trust our Souls to that Sacrifice 5 If we do not believe that God hath provided a way for our partaking of that Sacrifice and the benefits thereby purchased then we cannot believe a Participation and Fellowship of his Sufferings 6. And if we know nothing of that appointed way viz. by Faith then we cannot make application of his Death and so shal not have the Communion of his Body and Blood And that the necessity of firm believing the Doctrine of Christ may appear Consider First that we may see with grief how many turn Apostates Athiests Blasphemers who were professed Christians and appeared to have no doubt of what they professed for many years yet by frequent Apâ—stacy mens Souls are ruined Religion reproached Satans kingdom advanced 2. It 's found also that others of a better stamp who do not precipitate themselves into such Gulfs of Apostacy improving the benefit of a good Education their practice being in some measure according to their knowledge yet in progress of years when they come to be more deeply concerned with their eternal state and to know on what grounds they can warrantably expect to be no worse but better when this life hath its period searching into these grounds do often find such difficulties to believe the truths whereof they doubted nothing in their younger years that their souls are cast into deep disquiet and sometimes are made to bless God who hath kept them alive and under means of knowledge that they may yet be confirmed in some important truths which nearly concern their very Salvation And notwithstanding that conscientious Christians are cautious and sparing in uttering their Doubts specially when they are such as might prove stumbling to others Yet where the benefit of cordial Sympathy is obtained many are found under distressing conflicts of this nature in so much that if their gracious God did not relieve they could not stand long in their profession but would be noticed to their grief as fainting Such temptations have not yet left this World in vain I have washen my hands in innocency Psal 73. 13. 3. It 's also too evidently found that some by reason of not being fixed in the great Gospel truths concerning Christ and Salvation are retarded in their whole Christian progress for the foundation not being firmly laid they cannot go on to perfection this is no charge against the foundation which God hath laid for that is still sure and unmoveable 1 Cor. 3. 11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ For which we are to bless God but it 's mens not being fixed upon and cemented with the true foundation and whether men will or not this hath a Secret strong influence to deaden all their religious practice when they doubt but all their pains may be in vain at last and that they have been but beating the air 1 Cor. 9. 26. 4. Some are assaulted with violent temptations tempting them to doubt of many truths at once and such as are of great consequence and then their weakness appeareth then they smart bitterly for not being established in the truth having no solid answer for repelling of such temptations then they are tossed to and fro with any wind of Doctrine yea many woes are at hand then they are ready to call good evil and evil good and put darkness for light then they are ready to run down the stream and yield all were it not that God knoweth how to deliver his own out of temptation 2 Pet. 2. 9. 5. Known instances may be given of some who in their day shined to the glory of God and Edification of many who yet not long before their great change found it their greatest tryal and difficulty to be fixed in believing even as to the object of their Faith which should be remarked as a warning to weaker persons to spend more of our time and seriousness for rooting in the truth that we may know whom we have believed which was the Apostles great rejoycing 2 Tim. 1. 12. 6. It 's also to be observed that especially at Communions Doubts do arise in many of the People of God when they are examining their Faith and Knowledge and Satan always going about to resist good labouring to obstruct the best works whereof self-examination is one instead of questioning their own weakness in knowledge or slowness to believe he tempteth them to doubt of the object of their Faith and if not fixed they are at least so disturbed in their Souls and cast down that they have no confidence for going to the Lords Table and supposing they were not afflicted with such temptations yet if fundamentals Gospel-truths be not understood nor a judicious assent of the mind yielded to them then there can be no consent An assent of the mind may be to the truth without consent but we cannot chuse and consent to that which the mind doth not believe to be truth So then you cannot consent to receive Christ at his Table except ye believe the report and testimony that God hath given of him 1 John 5. 10. Therefore spare no pains for knowledge dig for it as for hid treasures account the knowledge of Christ excellent knowledge as others did who knew him better than you who did look upon other things as but loss and dung Phil. 3. 8. Thou hast none to know like him nor any knowledge so necessary as to know him 1 Cor. 1. 30. Who is made of God unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification Redemption be not too easily satisfied with thy knowledge of Christ as many in this age are Let it be an exercise of thy Soul by it self how to know Christ lest thy first knowledge of him be as of a Judge to give out Sentence Depart I know you not lay this to heart though thou had not the Lords Table to go to but if thou wilt go to it ignorant of him ignorance it self will render thee an unworthy Communicant as I sear it doth too many in our times who yet cannot be judicially debarred what if thy own conscience should rise upon thee when thou art going to his Table and accuse thee of presumption for attempting a Communion with him to whom thou art a meer stranger not so much as believing the record God hath given of his Son Can such a person be accepted of him Labour then to be acquainted with him in time Job 22. 21. Acquaint thy self with him rendering praise to God that thou has yet a season for it and if thou dost not affect ignorance but art one who longest for the knowledge of the Holy fearing thou art the very person that has not that knowledge Prov. 30. 3. Fearing the danger of thy Soul were it for nothing else but thy ignorance of
being in Christ there 's no acceptation but in the Beloved Eph. 1. 6. These few Reasons without adding mo may convince that it highly concerneth thee to be at the utmost pains in trying of thy Faith Consider also that all thy pains shal be richly payed Home if by searching thou shalt find that God hath bestowed upon thee Precious Faith 2 Pet. 1. 1. The Faith of Gods Elect Tit. 1. 1. That Faith whereby a sinner is justified and hath peace with God Rom. 5. 1. That Faith whereby thou art Sanctified Acts 26. 18. That Faith the end whereof shal be the Salvation of thy Soul 1 Pet. 1. 9. Receiving the end of your faith even the Salvation of your Souls What pains should be valued where this is the Result How great may be thy Joy in his Salvation when thou canst say The beloved is mine and I am his Cant. 2. 16. Christ is mine the Pledges of his Love are mine his Fellowship is mine his Food and Table is mine He hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation Isa 61. 10. I shal not be rejected for want of a Wedding Garment Shall be not with Christ freely give us all things Rom. 8. 32. Q. But what way shal I take to Examine my Faith First try if you can observe the direct Actings of Faith that you may say now Lord I believe though before it be well out of your lips ye must add Lord help my unbelief Mark 9. 24. Acceptable Believing is of so great Importance that serious souls are solicitous so to Believe as that they might immediately Reflect upon it and finding it believing indeed Blessed Jesus Christ would needs have it out of his Disciples own mouths that they did Believe John 16. 30. By this we believe They do not say we have Belleved but in the very present time we Believe And in the next verse Christ saith Do ye now believe for this Cause it were good especially for you who doubt of your Faith to set your selves for actual present Believing before ye go to the Lords Table some people are apt to weary of long Debates in their mind whether they have Believed or not and tempted to give it over who by the Blessing of God upon this mean are Relieved of their Fears and cleared of their Doubts Addressing themselves to the Lord with all the Reverence and Seriousness they can attain and in the Sense of their sin and need of a Saviour set themselves to Receive and Embrace Christ as their Redeemer and Lord. This Mean hath been so Countenanced of God that after it's serious Performance some hath gone to the Lords Table with desire Chearfulness and Peace though Doubting before Oject But I cannot Believe when I please nor is it so light a matter to go off hand and Believe and so have done Answ 1. Ye cannot Believe too soon if you Believe indeed 2. This is an Opportune Season for it when ye are called to Partake of an Ordinance which you cannot neglect without sin nor Partake without Believing 3 Ye are peremptorly Commanded to Believe therefore it 's Duty to endeavour it and it 's such a Duty as should not be Deferred That ye are Commanded Consider John 14. 1. 1 John 3. 23. And this is his Comandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ And that it 's a Duty not to be Delayed see John 3. 36. He that believeth not the wrath of God abideth on him If you still reply I cannot Believe though it be a Duty I will Answer that no more can you perform any Religious Duty aright will ye therefore resolve to perform no Religious Duty will ye not Pray because ye cannot Pray aright will ye never praise because ye cannot do it aright see what thy verie Reason can Answer to this plain Argument what ever God Commandeth we are obliged to endeavour Obedience unto it but God Commandeth us to Believe therefore we are Obliged to endeavour Obedience to this Command of Believing And though it be granted that we cannot Believe when we will yet we are to endeavour and put out the Withered Hand hoping we may take it in Whole if the Lord shal say arise from the dead as Ephes 5. 14. Should we Dispute and Proudly Quarrel in stead of Obeying cannot the Lord of Life give Life with the Word of Command as to Dead Lazarus mind John 11. 25. He that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live But if ye cannot find the Truth of your Faith by this manner of Trial yet ye are not so to leave it for what quiet can a man have in his Soul not knowing but he is still under the Wrath of God as all Unbelievers are and not knowing what hour that VVrath may Surprise him with it's intollerable weight and Eternity Therefore other Means must be essayed to Search it out by it's Fruits for Luke 6. 44. A tree is known by his fruits and the Apostle James saith He will shew his faith by his works it 's a great mercy that there is any way to have it secured Consider these two ways wherein by the Blessing of God the sincerity of your Faith may be Discovered as first by trying your ordinary Dependance on God and 2. By searching into the Gracious Fruits of Faith specially that by Faith the heart is purified Acts 15. 9. For the first enquire at your own Conscience what Course is ordinarly taken for Light and Direction when ye are in Darkness or Doubts do ye still lean to your own Understanding or on Christ as made of God VVisdom unto Believers 1 Cor. 1. 30. 2 VVhen ye do Pray for wisdom and Light is it that you may walk according to that Light or Direction Deal ye Ingenuously with God not seeking Counsel of God with a Reserve if it be to your own Humour but Resolved to walk in his Light whithersoever it lead you has thy Soul fixed on the Lord as thy Guide then Remember what is said Psal 73. 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy Counsel and afterward recelve me to glory for Glory will follow to the Followers of this Guide 2. Try also what way thou taketh for thy Guilt whither dost thou go for ease to thy Conscience when it accuseth thee as it certainly will if not seard is it to the Blood of Christ or dost thou make a cover to thy Sin of thy Duties thy Tears thy Mourning thy Amending of some evil Practices and thy not being as some other men if this be thy way thou art yet a Stranger to Gospel Faith but if thou believest in thine heart that the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin and thou will not dishonour that perfect Sacrifice by thinking it insufficient for thy sin and therefore leans thy Soul with all it's Guilt upon him who made his soul an offering for sin Isai 53. 10. Thy care is to be found in him not having thine own Righteousness but that
Rom. 6. 16. Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness This therefore should be carefully tried if the course of our life he serious to the Lord if we be indeed his Servants he will make us eat but others shal be hungry his Servants shal eat of the hidden Manna ye shal have his Company when others are far from any Fellowship with him John 12. 26. And where I am there shall also my servant be If any man serve me him will my Father honour As ye would enjoy all these the verie choisest of Mercies 1. To eat the best of Soul Foodâ— 2. To be accepted into near Communion with Christâ— 3. The Father to put honour upon you 4. As ye would Sing for Joy when others houl for vexation of Spirit and 5. As ye would at length serve him and see his Face together Rev. 22. 3. 4. Labour to have it Secured that ye are entred into his service and let it not Discourage you from this search into your serving and obeying of him that ye find great failings for he whose servant ye desire to be hath the tongue of the learned and is able to furnish you with such distinctions as that ye may be found faithful though not perfect Servants he saw it necessary to have that recorded for encouraging all the sincere in heart Matth. 26. 41. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak And that some persons of many failings yet their heart was perfect all their days as Asa 2 Chron. 15. 17. The Lord knoweth how to manage his own peoples heart so as these condescensions shal not be perverted into a Latitude for sinning but only to strengthen when they are under fears that their Service is not accepted this the Apostle Paul Comforteth himself that though he found a Law hindring him from the good he would yet he delighted in the Law of God after the inward man Rom. 7. 22. nor was this Comfort only Paul's but remaineth to be a great Encouragment to every Christian who can say without delusion or dissimulation that he findeth his heart inclined and set upon Obedience to God in all things Psal 119. 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy Statutes always even unto the end 3. The Lords Table should be approached in obedience to his Command A Communicant should be engadged to that Ordinance not only because of the rich benefites he may expect there if he be seâ—king Christ but because of his Command Do this in remembrance of me and therfore should Examine if a Principle of Obedience â—eadeth â—â—m to that work and for your help to find out the sincerity of your Obedience Examine First if thou seekest the Lords precepts that not only thou endeavourest to perform what thou already knowest but lest any Duty be omitted thou searchest for thy Duty this was a comfort to the man of God Psal 119. 45. I will walk at Liberty because I seek thy precepts Thus we find the man of God so often praying that he would teach him his Law and not hide Commandments from him Psal 119. 19. 2. When Duty is discovered to you and that it 's the present season for such a Duty Dare ye not deferr it conferring with flesh and blood to darken a clear Duty as many do who have no minde to obedience taking pains that it may appear no Duty which once was made clear Disputing their Light into darkness whch becometh a snare to their Souls putting Light for Darkness and darkness for Light Isai 5. 20. But if the Laws of God be so written in thy heart that thou makes haste and delayes not to keep his Commandments as Psal 119. 60. Then thou art in the way to the same Comfort expressed verse 57. Thou art my portion O Lord. 3. Is it not the desire of thy Soul to be always in some obedience to God Psal 119. 44. I will keep thy Law continually art thou afraid to be out of path of Duty at any time never thinking thy self safe but when thou art obeying God even in thy worldly concerns or whatever thou hast to do And canst thou go from one Duty to another willingly as the Lord directeth though thou be engadged in a Duty very pleasant to thee yet if the Lord call thee to another thou goest not grudgingly to it not wishing in thy heart that God had not Commanded it but judging all his Commandments to be Right Psal 119. 128 Thou dare not carve out thy own work thou dare not be wiser than thy Lord saying such a piece of work would do better than that he requires for to be a follower of God is sufficient to thee this is the Principle of his children as Eph. 5. 1. 4. Hath God made thee serious and frequent in Prayer that he would teach thee to do his will not only to know it but do it Psal 143. 10. Teach me to do thy will Dost thou improve the Promise of the new Covenant for new Obedience I will write my Laws in their heart Heb. 8. 10. and drawest grace out of Christs fulness for doing of his will John 1. 16. Go then and get more where he Offereth himself 5. Is it the Rejoycing of thy heart when God helpeth thee to obey with Spiritual cheerful Gospel obedience when he maketh thy feet as Hinds Psal 18. 33. So that thou runnest and dost not weary and if thou find thou hast not Obeyed God from the heart in any Duty though men should give thee applause and be saying God appeared in such a performance yet thy heart is heavy and ready to sink within thee for want of the Testimony of a good Conscience knowing thou didst not serve God in Spirit Dost thou frame thy duties for Gods Eye and not for mans Is pleasing of him thy Study canst thou safely averr it with any confidence in the sight of God that notwithstanding of many failings yet it is thy constant endeavour to please him then thou mayest have Confidence toward God 1 Joh. 3. 21 22. Beloved if our heart condemne us not then have we confidence toward God And whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight And for thy Comfort whom God hath made sincere compare this with the words of the same Apostle 1 John 1. 8. If we say that we have nâ— sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Here you may see how these 2. Things consist in the same persons 1 The sense of remaining sin and imperfections and yet 2. The certainty of doing these things that please God whereupon the Conscience is comforted and Holy Confidence ariseth but let that still be remembred that what we do can only be acceptable and our selves accepted in the Beloved 6. Dost thou take care not to be ashamed of thy
required for its Celebration for every Partaker was to be sanctified unto the Lord 2 Chron. 30. 17. But some had not cleansed themselves yet did they eat the Passover otherwise than it was written ver 18. But Hezekiah prayed for them that the Lord would pardon such as prepared their hearts to seek God though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary ver 19. And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the people ver 20 Whereby we may see that sins of that Nature are pardoned when sincerely acknowledged and application made unto the tender mercies of God The knowledge of this is necessary for some who fear their condemnation is inevitable because of their not Communicating aright but by these Scriptures ye may see that all shall not be condemned who have been guilty by sins of that nature where Repentance is there is remission of sins by Christ giving both together Acts 5. 31. CHAP. X. Communicants obliged to review their Communicating The 9th Inference THis Ordinance being the Communion of Christ's Body and Blood then after Partaking Communicants are obliged to try if they have obtained that blessed Communion Consider 1 The Reasons why this should be tried and 2. A few helps how to perform it All Communicants should seriously examine the way of their own hearts when they did Partake because First It was our blessed Redeemer's way after the first Celebration of this Sacrament to set the Communicants in this Road of searching themselves whether they did then believe or not Joh. 16. 31. Do ye now believe This was demanded of them when they had but lately risen from the Lord's Table and therefore is a question that Communicants ought to put to themselves and obliged to have a ready Answer as these Communicants had which is the more to be noticed that after they had declared their Faith ver 30. Yet ver 31. Christ urgeth it again that they may be deliberat and know well what they say when they say they believe Secondly Our Communicating should be carefully reviewed lest we did eat and drink unworthily otherwise we shal be found despisers of that important warning 1 Cor. 11. 27. That such as eat and drink unworthily are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Men have neither a due fear of the anger of God nor regard to their own souls who having partaken think there is no more to be done not so much as to enquire whether they came from the Lords Table guilty of his Body and Blood or not for the best of men should take notice of the great regard God hath to Sealing Ordinances The First thing we find Godly Hezekiah considering after the Celebration of the Passeover 2 Chron. 30. 18. Is the transgression of the people who did eat the Passeover otherwise than it was Written for whom he prayed and the Lord mercifully answered his prayer Thirdly If the pains thou did take in preparation before Partaking was sincere that thou might have a blessed meeting with Christ then the same principle will lead thee to enquire if he did meet with thy Soul for no man can be said to be earnest for that which he will not so much as observe if it be found if Communion with Christ was the desire of thy Soul then it will be thy desire now to be secured of it that thou may'st say I sought and found him whom my soul loveth Cant. 3 4. Fourthly If thou shalt find after searching that thou did obtain real spiritual Communion with Christ this will make thy Thanksgivings sincere this will be a mean to endear thy soul to Him and increase thy Love which thou knowest hath need to be encreased when thou has it to say he came and manifested himself to thy Soul did draw the in to his Fellowship fed thee with the hidden Manna whereby thy Soul was revived canst thou then but Love and seek to have thy heart enlarged for more Love This will also endear thy heart to this holy Ordinance wherein thou found Him this will make thee forward in seeking occasions for it hereafter because there the Lord appeared unto thee This will help thee to be a good example to others who are negligent in seeking after it this will be a mean to endear to thee the Promises to thee the Lord promised to come and bless his people where he recorded his Name thou has found it even as he hath said his Words be true now thou knowest it to be a meer Temptation to doubt of his Promise or think that it faileth now thou canst say I will no more distrust any offer that Christ maketh of himself to a poor Sinner for as he offered so I did embrace and am not disappointed now thou canst Sing by experience as Psal 33. 21. For our heart shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy Name Be perswaded then of the clearness and necessity of this Duty to review thy work at the Lord's Table that thou may'st know what to conclude of thy self whether thou may'st safely take comfort to thy Soul as a sincere and accepted Communicant or not for a mistake here is dangerous if on the one hand thou judge thy self a worthy Communicant and thy self but a stranger to Christ this will harden thy heart in Sin and render thee obstinate against all necessary admonition and reproof and thus you may go on adding to your guilt at every Communion and remain impenitent ye thinking it improper for you to repent for any sinful Communicating on the other hand it 's also dangerous for you to conclude your selves unworthy Communicants without sure grounds or ever searching into the matter for thus you may deny the grace freely given you and belie the operations of the holy Ghost and thus ye may deny God the glory due to him for his mercies and cast your own souls into perplexing diquiet and bondage therefore there is much need to be guided of God in this Search And for the clearing of this a little we are to Consider both how it was with our Souls in the time of Communicating and with what impressions and help we come from that work as for our work in the time of that Solemnity albeit by the Word of God it may be declared how Communicants should act and if they have so acted then they are not unworthy Communicants yet no man can discover the internal acts of other mens souls whether they have acted as they should or not none can know that but God and mens own consciences Therefore when ye are to try your sincerity at the Lords Table the Word of God must be your Rule the spirit of God your Guide and your own Conscience a Witness for the utmost that can be said by men is Conditional that is if you have acted suitable to the nature of the Work if you have embraced Christ c. Then you are accepted and not unworthy Communicants 2. VVhen Communicants are
showers of Blessings to the dry and parched Ground we cannot so much as touch him by Faith but vertue proceedeth for healing the poor sinner 4. Here also is the Seal of Christ's Testament securing the Believer he shal be preserved unto the Heavenly Kingdom and be forever witb the Lord he hath given himself to them and they bave received him Therefore now no Sin no Death no Devil no ensnaring World nothing present or to come shall separate from his Love The believing Receiver may and should conclude this because the honour and regard that is due to Christ's Seal and therefore together with dependance on the Spirits sealing the Believer is not to be idle waiting only if assurance will drop down upon him but is to endeavour the assuring of his own heart by the Seal of God On the other hand the danger is great if this Ordinance be profaned for the more of Christ's Love shine in any Ordinance the nearer he cometh with the offers of his Love the more heinous is the profanation Now of all Gospel Ordinances Christ offereth to come nearest to us in the Lords Supper preaching is to bring us near to Christ but in the Lords Supper the Believer directly acteth Communion with Christ and therefore this Ordinance doth in a peculiar manner bear this name of Communion There is no cause then of judging it great severity when it 's said he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation or Judgement to himself some are ready to say these were monsters of men who imbrued their vile hands in that precious Blood they would not have been guilty of it for all the Kingdoms of the Earth who yet forget that the Lord chargeth the same guilt on themselves for profaneing that holy Ordinance being thereby guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. The danger of this hath made me insist the more largely on that head of Self-examination before partaking at the Lords Table which perhaps some may think tedious but if it may conduce as a mean to prevent the guilt of one poor soul I shall not think any pains too much as for others who find no need of so many and particular Examinations they may pass them by and leave them to others Some may be apt to Object the same against so long discoursing on Communion with God but whosoever Objecteth this let him Consider First That Communion with Christ is the very Text and Subject in haâ—d 2. If Men know nothing of the Nature and Way of Communion with God how shall they seek after it in the Sacrament 3. If true Communion with Christ be obtained at the Lord ' s Table then it ought to be Cherished and Entertained in a Believers Walk for Christ being Received we are to Walk in Him It were great Ignorance if not Ir-religious profaneness to say that Communion with Christ being Obtained at His Table we are to be no more concerned with it until the next Communion for such as are of this Opinion have just cause of Fear they never yet had Communion with Christ any where 4 The very Happiness of men consisting in Communion with God this being the Believers only help and Comfort it's interruptions his great loss grief disquiet finding that without it he is as nothing for nothing but evil I therefore wish this little hint of it may be serviceable were it for no more but to excite others better Qualified Blessed with more experience to write on this Subject of Communion with God by it self in a more full and particular manner than I have yet seen or such a weak Person as I am able to perform Some also will probally Object against the many Objections here Published especially these Temptations mentioned that it might be Prudence rather to conceal some of them To which I answered First That many Horrid Temptations are Recorded in the Holy Scriptures as also the Mercy of God's delivering from them Published to His Glory Therefore His Gracious support under such Temptations and granting frequently a Comfortable Victorie is not to be concealed 2. It 's necessary that People be Warned and Armed for the worst of Temptations that so they may be fixed by the Armour of God before they be assaulted 3. Many conceal their Temptations too long until they are ready to sink and are sâ—ill silent for this very Reason that they hear so little of the Temptations of others and therefore think there is no sorrow like theirs which addeth to their Affliction whereas some particulâ—ar Instructions Pertinent to their distressed Case ready at hand might by the Blessing of God be Vseful especially in the beginning of their Temptations 4. This requireth the more Publick consideration because such distressed Souls under grievous Temptations and Suggestions are more Numerous than is commonly Apprehended and these not only of our Perswassion for I can give Instances of several sober Persons now living and of another Perswassion Afflicted in like manner 5. Let it be Considered that their is nothing in the following Discourse for Indulging any manner of Temptations but what is said is to resist them in a Christian manner The last thing I am to acquaint thee with is that this little Treatise being wholy practical and designed only to for help to the weaker sort of Christians it 's stile is fitted for the meanest for though Controversies cannot be Mannaged without words dificult to the Ignorant yet it hath sometimes grieved Me to see some Excellent practical Books Thrown away by some Readers for no other Reason but that the Words were above their reach which I Humbly Conceive should be conscientiously prevented for knowing Readers can understand the plainest but the Ignorant cannot understand words for which they had no Education That this Essay notwithstanding it 's Manifold Imperfections may Obtain thy candide reception and that it may prove by the Blessing of God in some Measure Servicable to to thy Souls great Interest is the desire of Thy Souls well wisher and Servant for Christ's sake R. C. CHAP. I. 1 Corinthians 10. 16. The Cup of blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ the Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ COmmunion with God is justly the wonder of all that obtain it who can do little more while here but wonder not understanding it's value untill the shaddows flee away and they see His Face in a greater brightness This dignity and mercy must be exceeding great seing the blood of him who is God was shed for it's Purchase The just suffering for the unjust to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3. 18. But when his servants shal serve him and see his Face and thereby themselves be made to shine in their Fathers Kingdom then shal the glory of that love which contrived and the glory of that love which purchased this Communion be celebrated in another manner Yet this Communion
we know clearly provoketh God to give us no more light since we improve not what we have CHAP. 3. Self-examination required of all before Partaking THe second inference is that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper being the Communion of Christâ— Body and Blood to the believer then all whoâ— partake are oblidged to prepare for so great a Blessing particularly to examine themselves before they eat I shall therefore by the Lords help First Givâ— some reasons why this Examining a mans self must noâ— be omitted 2. Answer some objections made against it 3 Shew the manner how it ought to be performed And in the last place Point at these heads wherein we are chiefly to examine our selves before we partake For the First The reasons why every man should examine before he eat are these First It 's expresly Commanded 1 Cor. 11. 28. Let a man examine himself and so let him eat Here is no exception of one by another and therefore we should make none It 's not said let a poor ignorant man examine himself but men of knowledge need not it 's not said let a man examine himself the first time he receives only but whensoever he is to eat let him examine himself Therefore the neglect of this one Duty will render a man guilty before God take care how ye enter the work if ye go out of the road in the beginning of the way you shal not easily know where to fall into it again 2. The transaction betwixt Christ and partakers of the Lords Supper is of the greatest importance for a mans soul for either he shal be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord by unworthy receiving or be blessed with the Seal of God for his eternal happiness if he truly receive Christ Therefore previous examination is most necessary 3 It 's Gods great mercy to our souls that he requireth this Duty of examining our selves and therefore should not be lookt upon as a burden but a mean for preventing our ruine for if after examination you find your selves in the bond of iniquity and in the broad way to the Pit It 's your mercy to know it before you feel it Can you in cold blood think it adviseable that the Pit be your first wakening When the unquenchable flames of Gods wrath are about you are ye resolved to understand the state of your soul no other way Can this be the way of Wisdom Can you approve it And if you cannot in your own conscience approve it but knows it to be a sinful and dangerous neglect Why then will you take a young Hell in your breast to the old Why do you prepare such a gnawing Worm as this will be That here is a man who never had so much regard to Heaven or fear of Hell as to enquire which of them he was going to On the other hand if after examination ye shal find any thing of true Grace the least grain of that fine Gold tried in the Fire though covered with much rubbish if any love of Christ and holiness though but as a smoaking Flax would not the comfort aboundantly compense thy pains canst thou deny it If Christ hath given thee grace is it not worth the looking on that thou mayest at least give him thanks for it Search therefore diligently for thou knowest not the many blessings that may attend a conscientious Examination Psal 119. 59. I thought upon my ways and turned my feet to thy testimonies 4. We are naturally inclined to flatter our selves in our iniquity Psal 36. 2. He flattereth himself in his own eyes And if we could to deceive and flatter God with our lips And therefore are obliged to make a diligent search lest we vainly think we stand in need of nothing when we are wretched and naked Rev. 3. 17. We may think that we live and have a name that we live and yet God find us Dead Rev. 3. 1. What woe of woes what a costly delusion to the poor Soul if still among the Dead and at last under the second Death and the poor man has no more to say but I thought I was alive in my Soul and many others thought so of me I thought that I might be as welcome to the Lords Table as any Christian was there I thought my self more upright than many of them my heart said so to me I many times thought their many Prayers Whinings Groanings Doubts and examining themselves was either but Hypocrisie or vain Labour But now iniquity hath found me out cannot now have one hour for the Work I despised night is come I cannot now see how to work Night is come without hope of a Morning Be wise then as to your latter End for the time is at hand when men will need no Examinations you will be all at a point in a few Years and eternally fixed in your Lot 5. If people will not be at pains to examine themselves before a Communion they will easily neglect it at other times and so are apt to live out of this Duty while they live when men become so impudent as to face the Lords Table not observing his Direction and the manner how to approach it the Direction being perremptory But let a man examine himself So that albeit there be a reluctancy to this profitable Duty yet this should constrain to it as we would not profane the holy things of God and when people make Conscience of it though the Sacrament be in its own nature a confirming Ordinance yet this previous examination hath been signally blessed of God being the very time and mean of awakening many out of their secure sleep in their Sins I know many at this day now exemplary in Holiness who can declare that preparation for Communions in their younger years was the very time their hearts were first engaged to Christ and his ways 6. Some without due examination take up an opinion that they have no grace no Title to Christ or his Table and so deprive themselves of that benefit This opinion was not the result of serious Examination but rather a temptation to obstruct both their Duty and Mercy and this becometh both a Sin and snare to them a Sin because they have not followed Gods Directions in knowing the very state of their Souls and a snaâ—e being thereby barred up from their spiritual good therefore this Self examination is most necessary every way Notwithstanding of the many clear and ponderous Reasons for this examining before Partaking of the Lords Supper yet some object against it as First I know my souls condition so well already that I am resolved not to Communicat anâ— therefore it would be to me but an unprofitable toil and therefore I will leave that Work to such as intend to receive Answ By what Rule can or dare ye resolve not to partake before ye take the way of Gods appointment to examine first and then determine Is it not just with God to leave you to your own
rendered Believers being in a justified state they obtain in this life some real purity of heart notwithstanding of their Imperfections and it becometh a snare or woe to souls that study no purity because of no intire perfection in this life and these have the true beginnings of holy purity who follow that example and direction 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God for 1. Christ died to purifie a people unto himself zealous of good works Tit. 2. 14. And he will see the travel of his soul 2. Christ dwelleth in the heart by Faith and where he dwelleth there the throne of iniquity cannot stand Psal 94. 20. 3. All who receive forgiveness of sins are sanctified by faith in Christ Acts 26 18. 4. Sin shall not have dominion over any who are brought truly under grace Rom. 6. 14. Search diligently for this purifying of the heart as thou wouldest not be deceived of thy faith hope for according to 1 Joh 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure think not of accepting thy self where the words of God are every man examine your selves Particularly in these 4 things First If thou findest an active Principle in thy Soul standing in opposition to sin if sin be hated so as thou can say of it it 's the evil I hate Rom. 7. 15. See that this hatred be not pretended and Sin in the mean time cherished for it 's not only a sure step toward but also a great length in the purity of holiness to be a hater of Sin 2. And to secure the truth of this hatred try if there be an ordinary warfare against Sin For if it be hated there will be opposition made to it as Rom. 7. 23. Thy sins will feel thy grace to have some power and therefore Christ compareth the mortifying of sin to the cutting off the right hand c. And where there is nothing of this it 's vain to pretend hatred 3. Try if thou lovest the Law which requireth this purity for to love that very Law which reâ—â—râ—ineth from Sin yea the sins that easily beset us is a blessed but I fear a rare attainment to be content to be hedged up from the way of our own hearts and to love the hedge of Gods making not to wish in heart that the Laws of God were otherwise that we might have a greater liberly for sin Psal 119. 97. O how love I thy law There is the greater necessity of searching into this because it 's given us as the character of a godly man to delight in the law of the Lord Psal 1. 2. 4. Try what success attendeth your endeavours against sin if by dependance on the spirit of Christ which mortifieth the deeds of the body it may be said of you as 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth Mark these words ye have purified whereby we may see that Believers have some success against their sin their work is to cleanse themselves and their labour is not in vain in the Lord and it 's necessary that every Christian have some instances and proofs of this in readiness that he hath purified his Soul and kept himself from his iniquity and shut not your eyes upon that awful evidence of an interest in Christ Gal 5. 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Know then that it not only should be but is a sound Believers work to be purifying his Soul though he get not sin abolished in this life 3 Communicants should also examine their love to Christ before they go to the Lords Table and if any shal say that this is a superfluous burdening of people with unnecessary questions their saith being clear what needeth examining of love also But I find Christ is of anâ—ther mind who examineth his followers both as to their Faith love John 16. 31. Do ye now believe And John 21. 16. lovest thou me Therefore we are concerned to be in a readiness to answer both and if our love cannot abide the trial no more can our faith for faith worketh by love Gal. 5. 6. Consider first that Christ manifesteth himself to such as love him John 14. 23. And if Christ do not manifest himself to us at his Table we shal never be able to discern him aright A manifested Christ is the blessing and beauty of that work even when he manifesteth himself as crucified bleeding to death he is then most lovely and beautiful to the Believer he then sheweth himself dying in pure love and what manifestation of him should be more engaging and overcoming but no eyes can thus profitably behold him except he manifest and shew himself which the lovers of Christ may expect and therefore our love to him should be examined 2. This holy Communion is a banquet of love and therein it might well be said he giveth his loves giving himself and the pledges of his love Cant. 7. 12. And is appointed only for the lovers of Christ they are his friends and beloved who are allowed to eat and drink aboundantly Cant. 5. 1. The lovers of Christ are the only prepared persons for Communion with him for he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God 1 Joh. 4. 16. And no man is capable of Communion with him who wants it love being necessary to true fellowship Ther 's need then to search for it lest Christ have it to say as Joh. 5. 42. I know you that ye have not the love of God in you 3. This grace should be carefully searched for Because we are ready to flatter and deceive our selves with an hypocritical love Ezek. 33. 31. with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness They make a show of what they have not men are not willing to charge themselves with the want of love to God it appears so hainous and therefore must have it's shadow but their heart is reserved for others and far from God Isa 29. 13. They have removed their heart far from me Yet the poor men were honouring God with their lips 4. Blessed Jesus Christ not only declareth that love is the great Command Matth. 22. 37. But also searcheth most narrowly and pressingly for this grace in his people as appears by questioning Peter 3 times if he loved him until the godly man was grieved fearing his love was suspected This wounded him that he was asked the third time Joh. 21. 17. Christs questions should teach us to question our selves and to be in readiness for such an answer as was then given Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee He could give an account of his love and appeal to the searcher of hearts for it's sincerity and so should we 5. It distresseth serious souls to be in doubt of their love being of the same mind with the
Lords words but Confessest him before men then take comfort from what Christ saith Mat. 10. 32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven and mind what followeth in the next verse But whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny and though we have not often the occasion of such publick confessions as many Blessed witnesses had before us yet while we converse with men on Earth we shal still be found either confessing Christ his words and true godliness or ashamed and fainting great may be their Comfort who a vow Holiness in all companies This is the more to be adverted because if some Christians be permitted to keep their chambers or much retired from Converse with men then they obtain some measure of comfortable exactness in their Practice but no sooner engadged in Company but some fainting appears shrinking from their former exactness and failing of the Duties required in all company sinfully forgeting God whereby they often return with loss to their Souls and a condemning Conscience Therefore let the fear of being Denied by Christ still influence thy deportment more than fear of mens displeasure 7. When thou art helped in some sincerity to Obey thy Lord having a respect to all his Commands endeavouring to act all thy obedience by Grace out of Christs Fulness and taking delight to do his will yet art thou not of the same mind that Christ requireth Luke 17. 10. When ye shal have done all these things which are Commanded you say we are unprofitable servants though ye take comfort in obeying from the heart as an evidence of Gods grace and Favour yet dare not trust to it as a procuring Cause of the least of your Mercies thou thinkest in heart there is no more cause to boast of the best of thy performances than if a man should declare himself a fool by boasting of filthy rags then the Grace that helpeth thee to obey maketh thee also humble and of the poor in spirit who are rich and Blessed in Christs account CHAP. IV. Sense of sin necessary before Partaking The third Inference THis Blessed Ordinance of Christ being the Communion of his Body and Blood Then Communicants are to approach it with a humble sense of their sin as needing the Vertue of that Precious Blood And that this is necessary Consider First That if ye have not the Sense of your sin you cannot duely regard a Crucified Christ and so may mistake the whole work despising his Death as of no great use for you and so cannot and will not apply his Blood for purging away of Sin and Guilt for thou art not sensible of Guilt This of it self were there nothing else will make thee eat and drink Unworthily undervaluing that Life-giving Death for the Communicants work is humbly and thankfully to receive a Crucified Christ Represented in that Ordinance as knowing they perish without him 2. If there be no humbling Sense of sin thou shalt Partake as an hypocrite pretending before God and men that thou comest to Embrace Christ as the onely propitiation for thy sins and yet there 's no such thing on thy heart Thou doest not Judge thy self so Guilty or that ever thou provocked God to such wrath but that less might have served Thou felt no such a Burden of thy sin but such as thy self could bear with great ease thou wonderest there should be such a stirr in the World about sin thou never committed any sin but thou hadst a Covering of thy own to cast over it Thou couldest at any time after thy greatest abominations with the whorish Woman Prov. 30. 20. Wipe thy mouth and say I have done no wickedness If thus thou comest to the Lords Table thou wilt but receive Bread and Wine finding need of no more 3. If thy sin do nothing smart and wound thee thou wants the very best Qualification of a Communicant which is hungring after the Bread of Life For he satisfieth the longing soul Psal 107. 9. The Lord hath his Eye upon such more than all others â—sai 66. 2. But to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit he findeth out such when others are passed by such as are so sensible of their Guilt that they wonder that he should look upon them any other way but to Consume them such as are ashamed to look up to him because of their Iniquities Psal 40. 12. And yet are Longing for a Favourable Look They cannot look up and yet cannot but look up necessity constraineth them to hang upon him for Mercy knowing they perish without him such as these will be Graciously Visited and Received Isai 57. 15. He will revive the spirit of the Humble and revive the heart of the Contrite ones But thou a Stranger to these Contritions of heart will be a Stranger also to these Revivings and no wonder for thou feelest no need of them and therefore Consider 4. That it 's the way of God first to wound and then to Heal Deut. 32. 39. I wound and I heal If thou didst never know any Wounding of heart for sin what Healing canst thou either expect or value for no wounding and no healing no casting down and no raising up no sickness and no Physician For the whole need not the Physician but the Sick Thou hast no use for his coming with Healing under his Wings Thou has nothing to Heal he may spare his Visit until thou has more need of him and keep his Medicines for others Thus thou mayest sit down at the Lords Table with the Best but Christ and thy Soul have no Merciful meeting When the poor and needy are drawing out of Christs fulness getting their Diseases Healed and their Souls Restored Thou art sent away Empty neither art thou Disappointed for thou sought after no more Thou canst not complain of Christ for he Refused thee nothing thou sought Thou art like these Rev 3 17. I have need of nothing 5. Consider also that of all the meetings between Christ and poor sinners on this Earth this is the most Endearing and Comfortable when Sense of deep Guilt and deep Mercy meet together some times the poor sinner is ready to sink under the weight of Guilt it 's a Burden they cannot bear the Fear of Gods Wrath and Separation from him being intollerable The Soul chusing rather if possible to be Reduced to nothing and some times ready to Cry out O happy no Beings being compared with me they shal have no Anguish but my Anguish I can neither bear nor escape no Mountains can cover me from my Judge no Death will extinguish my Pain but if I die in my sins my pain shal never Die Death will flee from me when thus the the poor sinner is Bruised and can stand no longer how Gracious is that Message as Job 33. 24 Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransom And Ezek.
Eph. 4. 16. He the Vine and we the Branches Joh. 15. 5. The very design and scope of these similitudes is to hold forth Christs continued Communications and the Believers Participation Thirdly The experience of the godly who have published it doth also prove its certainty 1 John 1. 3. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ Cant. 2. 3. I sat under his shadow with great delight Fourthly Believers remarking his drawing near and withdrawings from their souls Cant. 5. 1. He hath come into his Garden and Cant. 5. 6. he had withdrawn himself Lam. 3. 57. In the day when I cryed thou drewest near and Psal 13. 1. Why hidest thou thy face c. Fifthly This Communion with Christ is of such necessity that a Believer can do nothing without it and on this account Christ requireth his followers to abide in him Joh. 15. 5. So that they do but discover their ignorance and estrangement from God who think there is no nearer Communion with him necessary than the external administration of Ordinances by the Word and Sacraments for many do enjoy these externally and do only draw near to God with their lips and their hearts far from him Isa 29. 13. The godly man findeth it good to draw near to him and so near as to find him the strenght of his heart Psal 73. 26. That is intimate Communion indeed to have the Lord the strength of a mans heart Oh that our merciful God would give the understanding of this to many who have never thought on so near a help as this for such may well go in the strength of the Lord God to any work he requireth himself being the strength of their heart What if our heart be found as a dried withered branch of a Vine that is fit for no work yet that witheredness shal not be known when he cometh to be the strength of our heart For the second thing proposed how the People of God are brought into this Communion with Christ First The Fountain of it is the eternal and free love of God whereby so many as pleased the Father are given to the Son by that eternal mysterious and merciful transaction between the Father and him and by him to be redeemed and prepared for the everlasting enjoyment of God compare Joh. 17. 6. Thine they were and thou gavâ—st them me with Joh. 6 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me He will effectually draw them into his Communion they shall come unto me and so must meet together 2. According to this glorious transaction in the Covenant of Redemption the eternal Son of God is declared to have his delight with the Sons of men before the foundation of the World Prov. 8. 31. Fore-known unto God are all his Works from the Beginning things future being as present to his intuition So that the Son of God hath always taken pleasure in these of the sons of men who were given him of his Father 3. Pursuant to the same transaction and in order to its accomplishment It pleased the Son of God often to appear before his Incarnation in the similitude of man on earth and converse with Men as a fruit of his eternal delight in them and a prelude of his Incarnation as one hasting this gracious nearness and more conspicuous Communion with him Gen. 32. 24. Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him Dan. 3. 24. He appeareth as a man keeping company with the three godly men in the Furnace and his form appeared also as the Son of God this fourth glorious man made the place designed for torment to the three a place of joy and a very Paradise 4. In order to the same partaking of Communion with God a Covenant of Grace is published which is a marriage Covenant Isa 54. 5. Thy maker is thine husband 2 Cor. 11. 2. I have espoused you to one husband by vertue of this honourable relation Believers may plead for his dwelling with them in this holy Communion 5. In due time the Son of God was Incarnate taking unto him our nature that his Fellowship might be the more agreeable to our nature and we come the more familiarly unto him and thereby to have the more feeling Sympathy with us Heb. 2. 14. For asmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death and ver 18. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Having taken our nature he continued for some time in the World and conversed with men especially his own Joh. 1. 15. He dwelt among us and we beheld his glory And though this people were not always to have his bodily presence Yet at that time he did manifest so much of his power meekness patience and mercy that thereby he did facilitate the knowledge of spiritual Communion with him some also beheld his glory and had Spiritual Communion with him while he was in the World 6. After he had given a gracious taste of his Fellowship and given instructions for its continuance in a spiritual manner in his own appointed time he purchased reconciliation for all that were given him laying down his life for them that being reconciled by his Blood they might be capable of Fellowship being agreed they might walk together and 1. Pet. 3. 18. The just suffered for the unjust that he might bring us to God and Eph 2. 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ So that his suffering were to bring his People into this gracious Fellowship with God 7 In order to their actual Fellowship with him he qualifieth them by pouring out of his Spirit Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart will I give and a new spirit will I put within you Whereby they are made meet for the Masters use as a sanctified People 2 Tim. 2 21. Without this there could be no Communion with a holy God our perverse natures being rather inclined to hide our selves from him and say Let the Almighty depart from us but by the renewing of the Holy Ghost they have the spirit of Love whereby the desire of their soul is toward him his Fellowship comes to be their deliberate and delectable choice So great a change doth the spirit of Grace make Eph. 2. 22. In whom also you are builded together for an habitation of God through the spirit And by the same spirit they obtain the grace of Faith which is a fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. And by this Faith they receive Jesus Christ himself John 1. 12. Then we are united to Christ by receiving him and being united to him he dwelleth in our hearts by Faith Eph. 3. 17. So that Communion with Christ doth infallibly follow upon our union with him for where he is
Communion with Christ and that the Lord himself hath brought you into the Banqueting-house Cant. 2. 4. He brought me to the Banqueting-house This is Comfortable when a Communicant is so far cleared that the Lord hath brought him there begin it with hope of a Comfortable meeting with Christ it 's a feast of Love wherein thou a Believer and lover of him mayest find his Banner of Love spread over thee and himself a covert from the Tempest of all Temptations that may assault thee 4. When thou art to Partake that thy Meditations may be Pertinent and suitable to this Holy Action labour to have thy thoughts agreeable to the Institution it self considering the Elements and what they Represent and pondering the very Words of the Institution because these Words of Christ's Institution point out thy present work and what should be the nature of thy Meditations nor canst thou partake aright if thy mind be not Exercised with what Christ speaketh in that Action besides that this will be the Blessing of God an hedge in the way to keep thee from Impertinent excursions and unseasonable thoughts but no hedge to the Breathings of God's Spirit or Limiting of him for thou art to expect most of the Spirit 's help when thou art closs at thy Duty and this is the present Duty to Meditate on the Words of Christ spoken by him at the Celebration of this Ordinance and to be suitably affected with them 5. And more particularly when thou seest the Bread broken and readest or hearest that word this is my Body which is broken then thou art to Meditate on Christ Crucisied his Blessed broken Body and Bleeding Wounds and so to Behold him as in exquisite pain Crying out of being Forsaken Mocked and Tempted by the Wicked to come out of that pain and relinquish the work Mat. 27. 48. If thou be the Son of God come down from the Cross Thus we are to Behold him and Mourn for the deep hand we had In all his Sufferings we having Pierced him are oblidged to Look and Mourn and this mourning with Admiration of that Love that provided so Costly a Remedy for us and leaning to him who made his Soul an Offering for sin is a part of our acting this Blessed Communion with Christ 6. When thou hearest that Blessed Word take and that by taking the Bread thou art to take Christ himself here thou art to Meditate on the Great Offer made to thee and to Believe in thine heart that now the Redeemer and Saviour of the World Offereth Himself to thee and requireth thee to take Him as He gave Himself for thee so now He giveth himself unto thee this giving and thy Receiving is the very Acting of this Blessed Communion He giveth Himself to be thine for ever and so thou Receives He gives Himself intirely with all His Purchase and so thou by Faith Receives thou comest with the Sense of thy Sin and Guilt and He giveth the Benefit of His Blood to Cleanse thee from all Sin Thou comest with the Sense of thy Diseases and thy Sins often prevailing against thee and out of His fulness thou receivest Grace by Receiving Him thou hast a Right to all the Blessings purchased as thy need Requires here and a Right to Glory which in due time thou shalt Possess setting thee down together with Him in Heavenly places Eph. 2. 6. O Blessed Communion begun here on Earth and shortly to be perfected in that Eternal Communion where there shal be no more paining distance 7. When thou hearest that Word eat and thereby Christ saying take me into thy heart eat and be Satisfied now fill thy hungry Soul eat abundantly make Room open for me I will come in and sup with thee and the Meat shal be my Flesh Meat indeed What a pain is it sometimes to a Believer that he cannot duely value this Love even when he valueth it most and therefore will Eat and Wonder and VVonder and Eat but dare not for all his wondering say Lord it 's too Good for me I dare not touch or eat it no no saith the Believer my Life is in it I cannot want it let His gifts be like Himself though I be still like my self meer nought I find Him saying if I eat not His Flesh I have no Life in me John 6. 53. Therefore I will choose Life and Eat and whatever may be said of eating of Christ's Flesh when a man believeth yet I will eat in this manner because he Requireth it He hath opened my heart and prepared His place in my Soul O let him come and Possess His own Conquest and since he alloweth to take and eat I will do it I will take Him into my very heart that I may Live and Live to Him for ever and I do Request Him to take deep Possession of all the Powers of my Soul by the Graces of his Spirit and animate them all for His Service as meat is diffused through the Body for it's service Here is intimate Communion with Christ in His Ordinance 8. VVhen that overcoming word is heard for you broken for you Christ Himself making Application of the great Sacrifice to thee as this goeth deepest into the heart so it raiseth the greatest Admiration that it was for me even for me who was not only worthless but a Rebel and dishonourer of Him this cutteth through the heart giving it a deep Loves wound was I then in His thoughts and upon his heart and did He thus Suffer for me who acted against Him for so many years and resisted as I could His Love when pursued by it what shal I now render to the Lord what can I render what have I to render but what is His own and that same I often keep back how good is it that by what I now receive I shal be qualified to Extoll His Love in another manner and in a better place though my Praises cannot through Eternity recompense His Love for He is above our Blessing and praise only I shal take pleasure to Sound out His Praises before Angels and men when I am taught the Song of the Lamb I am this day deep Debitour to His Love and shal be so for ever I shal Glory in it and spend but cannot out-spend Eternity in acknowledging this Debt that His Precious Body was Broken for me and Himself allowing me now to Believe it This is also a part of the Believers Communion with Christ at His Table 9. VVhen thou hearest these words This do in Remembrance of Me. I Consider who Requireth this is it not He who Remembred me in my low estate wallowing in my Blood and no eye to pity me but His Remembring me when I was not remembring my self nor come to my self to consider my forlorn estate when my wretched self and all the World about me would let me Sink into the Pit whence there is no Redemption no man caring for my Soul is not this He who Remembreth me still hath He
not mercifully Remembred me this day in bringing me here where I find the Bread of Life hath he not now made me taste of that Tree of Life which shal be food for ever and all by His Gracious Remembring of me and shal I not Remember His Love more than Wine no thanks to me O Lord to Remember Thee and thy Love hadst thou required me to pass through some flames of a Hell it were my part to essay it at thy Command how much more when I have nothing but Love to remember shal not I remember thy unquenchable Love who hast rescued me from unquenchable Flames I have many times VVretchedly done what I could to quench thy Love but many waters hath not done it I do remember it Lord and through thy Grace will remember it and I will do this which thou now Requirest in remembrance of Thee and Thy love giving Thee thanks for Commanding it and had I nothing else to do in this Ordinance yet by Thy grace Thy gracious Command shal be Answered though in great weakness Here also is another part of this Blessed Communion Christ requiring remembrance and the Believer cordially yielding it 10. And when thou hearest of the shewing forth of His Death which Christ is not ashamed of but will have it in this manner Published then saith the Believer that Death brought Life to my Soul that Death hath overcome Death for me that now I may say O Death where is thy Sting by this Death is the Death of Deaths Hos 13. 14. O Death I will be thy plague and 1 Cor. 15. 54. Death is swallowed up in victory Death was long my terrour and kept me in Bondage not knowing what hour the first and the second Death might surprise me together now when I must go through that Passage I hope to fear no evil Christ hath Sweetned the Passage made it no Enemy but a necessary step for puting off Corruption that I may be Cloathed with incorruption there shal be no Prints of Sin or Death seen upon me no spot or wrinkle by the shrugs of Death I shal take no stench of Death with me where I go and all this by His Death who was Slain and is Alive I will this day apply it thankfully and Solemnly shew it Forth Christ Crucified being my Glory and He who bringeth me to Glory desiring in my Soul that His Death were shewed Forth from the Rising to the Setting of the Sun Here also is a part of this Blessed Communion Christ Requiring His Death to be shew'd Forth and the Believer cordially performing it 11. VVhen the Believer heareth that the Cup is the New Testament in His Blood Considering that by the Death of the Testator the Testament is of Force Heb. 9. 16 17. The Believer Interested in the Legacy may now with Confidence expect what is bequathed for the Testament thus Confirmed cannot be Disanulled Gal. 3. 15. Then saith the Believer I will give Credit to the Tokens and Pledges devised by Himself for my Confirmation He requireth me to take them as such and so I receive them from Him who is Faithful I will from henceforth expect all the Promised Blessings that I stand in need of for in this Covenant or Testament is all my Salvation Christ hath made all sure by His Death and now He hath made all sure to me by His Seal I dare not distrust His Seal or Pledges He hath made me a Believer He hath this day given me to believe in Christ Crucified I have Received Him according to His Offer He hath given me power to become one of the Children of God His Testament therefore is for me and it's Seal sealeth me up unto the day of Redemption and here is a comfortable part of this Communion with Christ He giveth the Pledges and Seal of His Testament and the Believer joyfully receiving them as such and Rendering Him Praise the Believer resolving now to go to Death in humble confidence That the Lord hath made an everlasting Covenant with him ordered in all things and sure These are but a taste of the seasonable Meditations in the time of Partaking and a Help for preventing Impertinent wanderings of the Mind and though a Communicant reach not all such particular Meditations at one time yet one or moe suitable serious Meditations on Christ's words of Institution will be found by the Blessing of God a mean to keep the Soul at that work which God then Requireth and so prevent the wounding Reflections of many after they have Communicated for it must be supposed that every Godly Communicant will reviewe the way how his Soul was Imployed at the Lord's Table and if he find that his Meditations were not opposit to the work it cannot but make a very bitter Reflection Know also that these Meditations already hinted are but for puting some weak People in mind to keep close by the Institution lest their thoughts go off their VVork but no ways intended as any Restriction or Limiting of Communicants except from wandring for if Christ manifest Himself and entertain thee with His Loves thou will not need such Helps for He can soon Elevate thy Soul into such Meditations affections and joy by the Breathings of His Spirit as thy self cannot Express and all of them suitable to the Blessed work thou art about CHAP. VII Believers should desire to Partake of this Communion The sixth Inference THis Blessed Ordinance of the Lord's Supper being the Communion of Christ's Body and Blood then Believers are oblidged to have a sincere and an earnest desire to partake of so great a Mercy And that we should desire this great Benfit Consider First The Lord Commandeth it and therefore we should have a desire and a delight to do His will we may not chuse or refuse as our inclination leadeth which appeareth to be the Errour of many not Considering that the Lord will call to an account what Regard is testified to so Gracious a Command which is to be Lamented that so many make their Humours their Rule they have not a mind to it it 's not their present desire and so lay it aside forgetting that it should be their desire because of Christ's Merciful Command 2. Because it 's a Feast of pure Love on Christ's part therefore it should be desired it was His Love that laid it's Foundation in laying down His Life 2. It 's His Love to appoint such a Memorial of it 3. His Love the Tokens of it then to be Communicated to Believers in a special manner Can there be Love where there is no desire to meet with Love and entertain it Consider what is to be your Feast the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the World if this be believed in heart how can ye but hunger and desire to eat for such Food will not be always in your Offer give praise that ever ye had the Offer of that which will make you praise for ever and be satisfying to
took bread and blessed it Thirdly after it 's blessed it remaineth still bread the Apostle doth not say the Body which we break but the Bread which we break now the Bread is not broken before but after it 's blessed for he took bread and blessed it and brake and the Apostle saith expresly it's Bread which is broken but if after the blessing or consecration the bread were transubstantiated into the natural Body of Christ then the Apostle had said the Body which we break sure the Apostle knew what name to give it having received of the Lord what he delivereth and what can be more plain than that it 's still Bread when it 's broken which is after it's consecration this breaking of the bread is so material a part of the institution that the whole of the Sacrament bears its name called the breaking of bread Acts 2. 42. The breaking of Christs precious Body being thereby signified Christ requireth this discerning of his Body broken saying this is my body which is broken for you 1 Cor. 11 24 and the breaking of the bread must be Sacramentally and publlckly performed in sight of the Communicants for their instruction as in the first Celebration And in the last place the sincere Believer in eating of this bread according to Christ's institution doth by Faith receive himself hath special Communion with him and partakes the benefits and purchase made through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all Heb 10 10 This is the Sacrifice he came to give when no other could do and therefore it's memorial should be always fragrant Many pertinent Doctrines may be here observed both from the scope and words of this Text but I shal name only this one Doct. The worthy receiver at the Lords Table hath Communion with Christ in partaking the benefit of his precious blood and broken Body From this great and comfortable truth these ten inferences following appear native which shal be the subject matter of the ensuing Discourse First inference the celebration of the Lords Supper being an holy transaction between Christ and Believers wherein they have the Communion of his Body and blood then the Doctrine of Christ concerning himself what he is what he hath done and suffered should be firmly believed as a foundation for our partaking of this blessed Communion 2. Inference the Lords Supper being the Communion of Christs body and blood to the believer then all who partake are obliged to prepare for so great a blessing particularly to examine themselves before they eat 3. This blessed Ordinance of Christ being the Communion of his body and blood Then Communicants are to approach it with a humble sense of their sin as needing the vertue of that precious blood 4. The worthy Receiver obtaining the Communion of Christs body and blood Then Communicants are obliged to understand what that is which is called Communion with Christ before they partake 5. Seing such blessed near Communion with Christ may be obtained at the Lords Table then Communicants should prepare for entertaining communion with him in the very time of that Solemnity 6. This blessed Ordinance of the Lords Supper being the communion of Christs body and blood then believers are obliged to have a sincere desire to partake of so great a mercy 7. This holy Ordinance being the Communion of Christ body and blood Then believers should approach it with Faith and expectation of this blessed Communion with Christ 8. Seing so great a benefit as the Communion of Christs body and blood may be had in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Then Christians are obliged to endeavour the removal of all objections and stumbling blocks that stand in the way to obstruct their partaking of this benefit 9. This holy Sacrament being the Communion of Christ's body and blood Then after partaking Communicants are obliged to try if they have obtained that blessed Communion 10. This holy Ordinance being the Communion of Christ's body and blood Then Communicants are obliged to live suitable to so great a benefit and testifie their gratitude by an holy walk and conversation CHAP. II. The Doctrine of Christ Crucified must be believed by Communicants The first Inference THe celebration of the Lords Supper being an holy transaction between Christ and Believers wherein they have the Communion of his body and blood then the Doctrine of Christ concerning himself what he is what he hath done and suffered should be firmly believed as a foundation for our partaking of this blessed Communion For if the Doctrine unto which this Sacrament belongeth and whereupon it dependeth be doubted such also will our partaking be not in faith but doubting therefore all concerned who have a due value for their Souls are to labour for fixedness in the great Gospel truths concerning Christ and the way of obtaining Communion with him I shal God willing make this appear in this Chapter and conclude it with a few words of advice to such Communicants as have most need of greater establishment in the truth Consider first that mens professing of Gospel truths is not sufficient proof that they believe these truths for many profess that which they do not believe having no firm perswasion of these truths in their own minds but stand yet in need of being taught which be the first principles of the oracles of God even after such profession and opportunities of knowledge that they might have been teachers of others Heb. 5 12. 2. Nor is want of doubts concerning these truths sufficient evidence that they are firmly believed for the want of doubts doth not always proceed from fixedness in Faith but sometimes from being unconcerned whether the Doctrine be true or false not being so serious as either to believe or doubt 3. Nor is it sufficient that people have an implicite Faith in what concerneth their Salvation because their teachers instruct them so and they so receive having nothing against it because men may be easily shaken out of that sort of Faith and therefore we are to receive the Doctrine of Christ 1 Thes 2 13 not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God Particularly first if we do not believe there was and is a Christ we cannot converse with him for who can seek Communion with one of whose very being they doubt Would to God all professed Christians believed in heart firmly that there is a Christ as our merciful God hath given us full evidence for our belief 2. If we do not believe that he is God and man God manifest in the flesh we cannot have Communion with him as such and if we have not Communion with him as such then we have not Communion with the true Christ the Mediator and sent Saviour of the World 3. If we do not believe that he really died then we can have no Communion of his Body and Blood Not believing that his Blood was shed 4. If we do not believe that this his Death