one body at once as selfe and Christ in equall termes to a soule The red earth had never had the breath of life put into it if it had not beene a meere dead patient and at Gods dispose to be as he would have it The flesh of Christ had no subsisting in it selfe save in the Godhead Rom. 11.32 and what is else that of Paul God shutting up all in disobedience that he might have mercy upon all Not of the willer or the runner but God c. Rom. 9.16 The Doctrine of imputation what doth it import saue that righteousnesse stands in counting that as ours which is none of ours What else is that of the Apostle Romanes Chapter 11. verse 6. If of Workes not of Grace Rom. 11.6 else Workes were no Workes If of Grace not of Workes else Grace were no Grace Trie thy selfe then by this Rule Triall by this Dost thou observe this backebyas of corruption in thy soule alway playing her parts and resisting grace Is this spirit of originall sinne as irkesome to thy spirit as the most odious sinnes of swearing or theeft Is it so much the more suspected by how much the more fine spunne and subtill running in the streame of thy best Religion Dost thou feele it in the Worke of the Law of the Gospell of Sanctification still resisting Grace and starting as much from the Word as the Sacrifice from the Knife of the Priest Dost thou wholly set thy selfe against it both selfe on the right hand deceiving thee with thine owne hopes and deserts and on the left scaring thee with feares of unworthinesse Art thou as well afraid of a white Divell as a blacke yea more Dost thou tremble to thinke that selfe should share with God in thy conversion Dost thou chuse rather to bee as base as dung and dogges meate yea when thou hast done all dost thou thinke thy selfe no neerer heaven thereby than if thou wert a Publican Dost thou confesse that there is no bloud no merit no congruity in selfe to purchase any dramme of grace And that it is just with God rather to seeke himselfe glory by abasing all flesh and carnall proppes than to suffer selfe to perke above him or mixe with him Yea canst thou say oh Lord I chuse to lie as the dust under thy footstoole and to be at thy pleasure as a fatherlesse Orphan to doe with mee what thou wilt yea when thou art under the deepest abasement and selfe-desertings and without a subsisting in thy selfe canst thou say Verily gladdly will I bee under this buffeting 2 Cor. 12.9 though it bee as a pricke in the flesh that Gods grace may bee another selfe and a new principle of comfort to stay my selfe upon Yea in this want of carnall stay I wait upon the promise to be my stay If it be thus in any true measure in thee it is a sweet signe The fourth ground I come to the fourth ground of trying faith to wit by the act of it The act of faith And that in two things First in the naked and free consent of the whole soule to the truth of God which is that he will ease the loaden soule comfort the mourning and satisfie them that hunger after righteousnesse Math. 5 4 5 6. The Lord requires that the soule simply relie it selfe upon this bare Word of his because he will performe it without descanting this way or that against it Esay 1.16 Psal 32 1. Secondly in the relying upon the meere and free act of Gods not imputing sinne or imputing righteousnesse to the soule yea a righteousnesse inhering in another and not in thy selfe The Lords act of esteeming and reckoning to the soule the righteousnesse of Christ is as reall an act as if hee had infused a reall habite of it into the soule to dwell personally in it as it dwelt in Christ Triall by this Trie thy selfe then by this rule thus First canst thou say truely that in the beleeving of Gods promise thou didst directly goe from a word to a word without adding or mixing the slime of thy owne conceits to defile the purenesse of it Didst thoâ— with Peter emptied of himselfe obey and say At thy Commandement Lord I will let downe though else I should not Luke Chapter 5 verse 5. Luke 5 5. Canst thou say oh Lord thou bidst a loaden wretch come unto thee to take ease as if there were no more circumstance in it than onely so Lord I have found my soule loden and pinch'd by thy Word therfore I come to thee for ease beleeving that seeing thy selfe art the Author of both words therefore thou who wouldst so really lode me canst as truely ease mee Canst thou say Lord in thy words is neither hooke nor crooke and therefore as I seeke to adde nothing to it so neither doe I detract nor dare I Revelation Chapter 22. verse 18. Rev. 22 18. Ephes 4 21. but take thy truth as it is in Iesus even truth it selfe subject to no exceptions or cavills of flesh I enquire not why thou dost it or why for mee and not for many hundred thousands that lie in their blindnesse still Secrets are for thee but revealed promises are for mee and therefore to thee I leave the one and claspe so much the more closely to the latter by how much the former is more above mee If thou canst find in thy heart thus freely to concurre with free grace saying Luke 1 38. Luke 7 30. Bee it to thy servant as thou hast spoken I dare not despise thy Counsell for my salvation or gainesay and give thee the lye but put my seale to thy word that it is true I say againe Iohn 3 3â— if in any true measure thou canst doe thus it is a sure signe And secondly if the Act of God in heaven justifying a poore wretch by his bare accompting him his righteousnesse when yet corruption abides in him exceedingly yea his perfect righteousnesse can so farre prevaile with thee as to say O Lord thy one witnesse and approbation of mee is to my conscience as a thousand though I neither see thy face nor can heare thy voyce yet O Lord I accompt my selfe as thou esteemest me even thy perfect righteousnesse in the midst of my greatest sinfulnesse and all because thy accompt is a done deede and my faith compts it done in earth because it is done in heaven I say this act of thy faith is a good signe The fifth ground is from the end of thy beleeving The 5 ground The end and that is that God may have the glory of his rich grace in saving a lost soule The last and full end of God in thy pardon and savation is not that thou mightst be happy but that himselfe might be glorified This the Lord so lookes at that all other ends are but second hand ends unto him although reall ends Try thy selfe also in this The tryall of this
than no where what better proofe of the Lord Iesus at his best than this that he is offered to thee in no lesse mysticall union for the end of a more mysticall one I meane as united to poore bread and wine that he might also unite himselfe in the whole grace of his Sacrifice to thy soule and body What better und easier conveiance couldst thou wish than this for so feeble and weake a spirit as thine is When once that people which followed Christ sitting upon an Asse Colt and riding as a King to Ierusalem cryed Hosanna and sayd Blessed be he that commeth in the name of the Lord Thinke we not that they saw Christ at the best Why did they else except they had beheld his spiritual Kingdome cut downe Palmes and strew them in the way stripping themselves of their garments to set him thereon Surely they were not so offended at the meanenesse of his palfrey and basenesse of the outside but they saw in this his riding a cleere representation of his glorious grace and the Maiesty of his person So shouldst thou in this union of Christ with base crummes of bread or drops of wine behold a more spirituall presence of Christ who careth not for such creatures but for thy soule and being farre from stumbling at the basenesse of the Asse or Elements raise up thy soule to a more heavenly sense of the Lord Iesus comming into thy heart and spirit bringing thee to God and uniting thee to the fountaine of thy blessednesse in a farre closer manner than ever Adam was And is not this union the Lord Iesus at his best yes verily From this Sacramentall union proceeds that exhibitive nature of Sacraments carrying the Lord Iesus into the soule of all the elect that communicate For to what end is union Sacramentall save that the Sacraments being thus possessed of the Lord Iesus mystically in them might exhibite to all and effectually carry into the bosomes of the elect the power of this Lord Iesus and convey as Vessells channelles and Pipes that grace which they containe I doe not meane that by vertue of the worke wrought or by the force of Divine institution there is any naturall holinesse put into them or magicall power of inchantment to take hold of the soule No in no wise for how many thousands are there both young and old who after the enjoying of the Sacraments doe put most woefull barres in their owne way that the power of Sacramentall union might never come at them So that when the Covenant comes to bee dispenced unto them they fare as persons utterly disabled to receive it Nay neither dare I thinke that by vertue hereof it s of absolute necessity that all Elect Infants must receive conversion of grace just in the act of their Baptizing for what were this but to ascribe more to the Seale than to the Covenant yea to invert their order and to ascribe greater power to an ordinance under which they walke 20 30 40. yeeres carelesly without discovery of any grace at all rather than to the lively power of the Covenant preached and working from that time forth an apparant change So that although in charity I am bound to thinke no other save that all such as receive Sacraments duely concurre with the grace of the Spirit for future improvement Yet to tye the Lords hands behind him and to make the Lord of Sacraments to become their underling as if hee had put himselfe out of Authority and office wholly to be subject to his Sacrament what indignity were it for the ordainer No not so But so farre so often and where it shall seeme good to himselfe to make use of his Sacrament for the good of his Elect for whose good they serve there doubtlesse these Ordinances doe both present and conferre the grace which is put into them Else to what end should they have it except they might convey it Now summe up all and answere Is not the exhibitive power of the Sacrament the Lord Iesus at his best Is not a reall tender better than a bare signe or a promise onely without performance He that promiseth an hundred pounds to lend or give to his poore friend and presently tenders the money that he might be before hand doth he not lend or give at the best Nay more than this not the Sacraments onely are thus exhibitive of Christ to the soule But by vertue of the union I have spoken of the Lord Iesus himselfe is there present where his institution is duely observed to be the Baptizer of his members and to be the steward and nourisher of his family that is to bestow himselfe upon the soule Touching Baptisme first true it is That our Lord Iesus himselfe never baptised any outwardly howbeit as then so much more now being ascended he it is who in the outward Baptisme of the Minister doth give gifts unto men and doth still baptise all his with the holy Ghost and fire A poore sinfull man doth what he can doe but further he cannot goe He dives the infant into holdes it in and receives it out againe from the water baptising it in the name of the sacred Trinity But this our great Baptist he is all in all for the doing of the worke It is he who casts in the salt of his divine healing power into corrupt and of themselves accursed creatures and Element and element he removes the curse death and barrennes of the waters utterly unable to engender he takes off their base uncomelinesse he darts and plants in them the efficacy of his owne death and resurrection both for merit of pardon and of holines he sanctifies clenses them that they may become hallowed and purging instruments And as a planter takes the sien of the Apple-tree and pitches it into a Crabtree stock so the Lord Iesus takes the pretious sien of his owne Righteousnesse the Power of his owne death and grave the strength of his resurrection and exalting and pitches both into water so that water becomes Christ-water Christs death and life so that the soule is washt with the one as the body with the other The soule by faith in the covenant feele her descent into the water to become a spirit of diving her into the laver and blood and grave of the Lord Iesus her being under the water to become the spirit brooding and fructifying the water to become a seede of life abiding in the wombe of the soule to regenerate it to the life of Christ Her arising up from the water to become a spirit of Resurrection as Peter excellently speakes 1 Epist cap. 3. verse 21. and a baptising of the soule with the activity and raising of her up with Christ from her death grave basenesse and misery unto immortality and glory Yea in all three the soule feeles the power of a new and omnipotent creation of her to God ingrafting her in God never to be pulled from him any more as at first And as the
receives no encrease Yet faith Sacramentall in apprehending it receives encrease And thus both agree in conveying whole Christ to the soule Secondly 2 Sealing Christ in respect of their sealing up of all Christ to the soule of which in the next Chapter for except both concurre in sealing neither of both do seale him True it is that some further thing is offered to the soule in the Supper than was in Baptisme but yet because still one Christ is offered in both therefore encrease of grace cannot be sealed up where ingrafting and begetting hath not beene already conferred by spirituall Baptisme Neither without other give whole Christ if both may be enjoyed although each give him wholy because Christ is inseparable from himselfe the whole soule is in each member which is in the whole body yet if we divide the toe from the foot there will be no soule in the toe Take Baptisme from the Supper and the Supper can bee no sealing Supper for how shall life be encreased in a thing which never had true life begotten in it I conclude then The Sacraments of the Gospell although they are two yet do not cut Christ into two parts as the Child which Salomon bid to be divided in two parts but still offer one Christ to be communicated Both those harlots could not have one and the same child but all Christs members have that one Child Iesus Sacramentall although for severall ends as by and by shall appeare one serving to create him the other to enlarge him yet both agree in exhibiting one Iesus Of the use anon Now lastly touching their disagreement Their disagreement in five things as it standes in many lesser thing so in the particular ends especially for the former they are these five 1. Order Order 1. 2. Frequency 3. Opportunity 4 Elements 5. Subject For the first The order of them is that baptisme goes before and the Supper followes even as being goes before prospering Yet I deny not but thousands have beleeved ere baptised but now I speake of the order of the seales not otherwise Which discovers the folly of such as would deferre baptisme to the last period of their life out of an errour both that it conferd grace by a vertue inherent and that it pardoned sins onely past By which folly some bereft themselves of Baptisme finally by sudden death Secondly in frequency Secondly frequency Baptisme it but once to be administred the Supper often We are but once borne And therefore the rebaptizing of Anabaptists is a cursed profanation not onely in respect of their condemning Infants baptisme in generall but of repeating baptisme administred although by or in a false hereticall Church for even such baptisme must not be doubled if the mystery of the Trinity the Doctrine of Christ be maintained in any generality although with much corruption The like I may say of those that denyed to restore them that were once lapsed upon pretence that then they must bee rebaptized and also them that presumed to rebaptise such as they received againe into the Church after their repentance of some notorious heresie or odious practise which they had fallen into or committed Noe we abhorre such scurfe affirming one Baptisme and that one once to bee given to the Church for true sealing up the ingrafting of the soule into Christ when it shall beleeve the Covenant Thirdly in opportunitie or season Thirdly season Which I speake not positively but upon supposition of the Churches wisedome and liberty in determining the season of the Supper to be in the morning leaving the season of Baptisme indefinite as occasion serveth And that because the one being administred to growne ones requires fit and due season to quicken them up which in the other is not requisite But for all this I doe affirme no necessitie to be in this season of the Supper seeing its in the Churches power to alter the morning to the afternoone and if we should so receive I dare not impeach it so it be done without confusion The fourth is the Elements Fourthly the Elements the one having Water the other Bread and Wine both serving pertinently to the uses they were made for and neither having in them any fitnesse to resemble each others use water being no more fit to nourish than bread to wash but each suiting properly to his end The last is the Subject Fiftly the subject the one the Infant the other the growne and such as are of discretion Which I speake not as if the Church may Baptise none but Infants for as it doth baptize them as lawfully in the faith of the Parents and in hope of their owne when they come to understand the Covenant as it offers the Supper to actuall beleevers so yet if any such be brought into the Church as never was baptized being as falles out of twelve twentie thirtie yeeres the Church is bound upon the due examination of such and confession of his faith to baptize him as well as an Infant But for the other Sacrament to admit children though under colour of ripe knowledge and grace above others its not a fit thing in respect of scandall and opening a way to the profanation of Sacraments by others of like age not to speake of the rashnesse of it in ascribing that to raw youth which requireth setling of judgement and soundnes of affection But of all other differences Addition the particular ends are greatest in which the two Sacraments are irreconciliable The one so serving for the Breed of a new Creature the other for the Supper thereof See Chap. infra that neither can or ought to be applied to others end or use as in their due place shall be spoken The use is Vse 1 First to blesse God and adore his Wisedome who hath in these two Sacraments so harmoniously and agreeably united represented and sealed up all the Lord Iesus so farre as a poore soule can comprehend him not wearying us with confusion of Sacraments Vse 2 Secondly acknowledging God to be the God of order and distinction in appointing us these divers seales and that for three causes First In three branches to avoide the blinde devotion of Idiots who not looking at which is which but confusedly at both as objects of holinesse and devotion goe no further to consider Sacraments in their distinct ends Much like Papists who use Holy-water and the bread of their Pix because hallowed after their manner to any ends they first light on as to sprinckle a sicke man to scare away Devils yea putting the Hoast into a dead mans mouth Any thing serves to any end among such Merchants and Hucksters of holy things And how few thinke wee are there to be found in many Congregations who can discerne betweene these two Sacraments in their particular ends Save that they see they be two solemne performances having diverse Elements and Acts belonging to them else they know no ods but put
to their forme and inward excellency which is nothing else save the Impression of God stamped upon them by his owne hand for speciall signification and use Now the whole workemanship of Christ about the forme of Sacraments may be reduced to this double head First Appropriation Secondly Vnion Two Generals here First Appropriation The former of these is precedent and preparing to the latter and it s such a worke as concernes the remote signification of Sacraments The latter more belongs to their exhibiting and sealing power but both essentiall to the being of a Sacrament To begin with the first Appropriation hath in it these two maine acts In it two things First Propriety First Propriety to signifie 2. actuall ordaining to Sacramentall use Touching the first The Lord in making a Sacrament beholds the materiall Elements in their naturall aptitude and peculiar Symbolicalnesse to expresse such a thing To open this Consider that things are said to be apt and peculier to resemble either by a made aptnesse which is not in the thing it selfe but put upon it accidentally or else is apt by an agreeablenesse in it selfe so to doe In Latine we would thus distinguish them Proprietie double First Accidentall Apta facta or Apta nata of the first sort are all such things whether Reall or Nominall or Notionall as have their signification from an outward consent of them that impose this aptnesse As I know when I heare the name of London Yorke or Dover what places are and what are not signified and meant Why How comes my conceit to fasten upon such a citie by the mention of such a name Surely from no naturall aptnesse in the names to signifie one city rather than another but by imposition and consent or custome which is as good as a naturall aptnesse to decipher such a place men will so call it therefore it prevailes to be apt to it Of this kinde are all watch-words Dan. 3.5 Dan. 3 5 When the noise of all kind of Musique sounded then was it thought a fit season to fall downe and worship the Image Why It was so consented and agreed upon Such is not the aptnesse here meant A second therefore is naturall Secondly naturall when a thing hath peculiar aptnesse in it selfe to resemble although the things are of never so different kinde yet in their kinde they concurring in one third notion looke what is in the one doth or may incline to describe the other even of it selfe And thus a shaddow is apt to expresse shortnesse or changeablenesse of mans life Sacramentall matter is apt naturally a deepe well apt to resemble the depth of a mans heart so water is apt to expresse a cleansing bread a strengthning food and wine a â—efreshing of the heart And this latter is the aptnesse which our Saviour beholds Elements in such a peculiar aptnesse as might alone carrie the minde of the beholder to that which is signified And hence is that of Austin Except Sacramentall signes had a Symbolicalnesse with the things they represent they could be no Sacraments meaning they could not be so apt to resemble For howsoever the Lord might by his power have made any signe to become a Resemblance and that because hee so pleased yet seeing in this hee sought not the declaring of what hee could doe but of that which is best for the convincement of distrust and dulnesse of our nature he rather chose such Elements as might out of their owne congruity resemble things spirituall Appropriation then requires a naturall aptnesse to resemble The latter and maine peece of Appropriation is divine Secondly Application of Elements by divine institution Proofe of it and peculiar application not onely in generall to serve for holy use but in speciall to note out typifie and describe to the soule the Lord Iesus Sacramentall for breeding and confirming the soule in grace Now this is a further thing than the former determining the propertie of the creature and the fitnesse thereof to resemble unto this speciall resembling of Christ Crucified in his washing qualitie and his nourishing propertie Although there were never such aptnesse in a creature to doe thus in it selfe yet it hath nothing to doe to meddle with a Sacrament except the Lord doe specially appropriate it to serve for such a purpose and then it begins to have in it a Sacramentall proportion and power to raise the soule from earth to heaven whereas else it selfe being earthly it were more likely to naile downe the heart to it selfe and to earthly thoughts and affections But so potent is the worke of the Ordainer who hath put this peculiar property into it that although it be but a creature yet it carries the soule from earth to heaven in a most familiar manner And marke how this stands in the power of the Word Wee know that the common blessing of the creature to feede and cherish the body comes from the Word Man not living by bread but by the Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God How much more then must the vertue of the Ordinance come from God to make this carnall nourishing creature to be a spirituall nourisher Hence it is that Austin saith Accedat verbum c. Let the Word come to the Element and there is a Sacrament This Sacramentalnesse of the Elements stands in a word Illustration of it 2 Cor. 4 6. Gen. 1 4. God that said Let light shine out of darkenesse Let there be day night Let the earth bring forth fruits grasse c. effected it with a breath so the word of Ordinance Let Bread and Wine be representers of the body and bloud the merit and efficacie of Christ Crucified to replenish the soules of the faithfull hath caused these Elements for ever to have such power to represent these things so that no age or time shall ever prevaile to weare out this Impression yea and not onely to represent them in their kinde but also in their fulnesse So that as it was one charge concerning the Pascall Lambe that hee must be wholly eaten or burnt so by this Appropriation the Sacramentall signes doe resemble fully as well as properly And as in the compound of Bread and Wine there is not only a supply of drie but also of moist nourishment that so both hunger and thirst may be satisfied and the body both made strong and cheerefull to service so by the Ordinance these signes convey Christ in his Sacramentall fulnesse of nourishment so that nothing is lacking to the soule which Christ can supply it with if it beleeve Reason for it Now to returne take away this third act of Christs Word and institution giving this peculiar power to the signes to resemble the ends of the Sacrament Tell me what is there in the world which hath in it an aptnesse to resemble but might be a Sacrament Whereas now wee see not aptnesse but Approbation of Gods Word determining such an apt
of thy selfe so be stript and empty of all good and grace in thy selfe feele in thy soule an utter absence of life of sence motion and power towards the inner man of grace Lie before the Lords Sacrament as a forlorne wretch Say thus If thy baptisme Lord be for my regeneration what am I without it A dead dogge a very lumpe and masse of sinne and curse utterly void of the least dramme of life savoring nothing but earth vanity lusts world pleasures a very slave to these and a very carcasse of all goodnesse and being of God Oh Lord strip me starke naked plucke off my mufflers shame me drive me out of my selfe as one poore miserable blind and naked This is the first worke of faith to put off the soules ragges and to void all conceit of life hope or grace in it selfe and to set it before the Lord as Adams red earth lay before him when he was to breathe the life of Creation into it Now the Lord is creating thee anew by his Sacrament Remember Creation is of nothing Baptisme never made new creature where it finds any thing of ones own Baptisme should then not create but rather draw somewhat out of our owne principles to make us somewhat to which we bring matter of our owne Oh! people come to the Sacrament full of their owne devotions and looke that God should make them new creatures of their owne stuffe this were to patch and soden our old not to create a new man in us Apply our selves to the Word Secondly being thus nothing in our selves apply wee our selves by the word to the worke of the Spirit of union Sacramentall bare poore empty water which hath in it selfe no Sacramentall substance yet by the vnion of the Spirit of Baptisme incloseth the Lord Iesus to regeneration in it If thou canst say water is not a more beggerly Element in the Sacrament without Christ than thy soule is emptie unsubsisting without regeneration Looke to the Lord by thy faith and pull hard at him for the Spirit of Baptisme to renew a life a spirit and being of pardon and holinesse in thee If while the word lasts and the Spirit of Baptisme endures even to the worlds end Christ and water shall never be sundred from the Sacrament Beleeve thou as firmely that Christ as water shall never be severed from thy poore soule that lies humbly before him destitute of all life in thy selfe and lost for ever except Christ be thy life and succour I say the Lord Iesus shall never be wanting to such a soule in the point of regeneration Plead then thy cause strongly with the Lord behold here is Christ in water What letteth why thou maist not be baptised Actâ— 8 16. as Philip said of the Eunuch Shall water ever lose her cleansing Were it not madnesse to thinke so And shall Iesus Christ then lose his power to cleanse the soule Hath hee not annexed his cleansing to waters cleansing Is it possible that all the divels in hell can dissolve the Sacramentall Vnion of Christ and water Oh Lord why is this Vnion and for what serves it Is it good for any thing save as it is Sacramentall Was it Christ before Is it Christ after No sure but during the Sacrament onely And why so Surely to teach me all this Vnion is for me Christ water serves for my soules washing He delights not to be one with a base Element for it selfe but that in and with a creature of a cleansing quality he might flow into my soule with his renewing Spirit Oh Lord I beleeve thy word Lord let thy Spirit convey thee with water into my soule Be it Oh Lord as thou hast said Separate not thy Spirit from thy Sacrament but give it the power of begetting mee to the life of faith and a new creature 3 Abhorre carnal reason Ioh. 3.9 Thirdly look off from all thy carnall reason and the sillinesse of the creature Say not with Nicodemus How shall this be Consult not with flesh and bloud cavill not 1 Ioh. 5 8. Mat. 3 ult aske no further signe thou hast three in heaven and three in earth bearing witnesse to Gods truth Water is one of these it is the instrument of the Spirit though it be on earth yet that is from heaven call not for a voyce from heaven the second time it s enough that in the Baptisme of Christ it as manifest Hold close to the Word and Promise Go teach and Baptize and lo Mat. 28 ult I am with you till the end Let all conceits of Reason vanish in the truth of God and when corruption hath done all it can yet roll thy selfe upon the promise and by the Perspective glasse thereof thou shalt see that grace in the Sacrament which else is invisible to flesh and covered under the ashes of unbeleefe Let all be quâ—sht with this My soule God hath said it I see nothing but water but there is Christ with water to regeneration Lastly cloze with the Spirit and meete it at the Sacrament 4 Close with the Spirit of the Sacrament If thou meete it not there it s because thou bringest not faith with thee for that is there for ever inseparably Grone in thy spirit unto the Spirit of Christ that thee may susteine thy bottomelesse heart in her desire after the grace of the Sacrament Say thus Oh blessed Spirit of Baptisme remember thou wert given by the Lord Iesus at his ascension for thy Church Ioh. 7.56.57 Now Christ is glorified Ioh 7 56 57 now let thy Spirit be given to bring the life of the Sacrament into mee Once when the world was a Chaos the Spirit of creation fostred and brooded the waters and brought forth order and matter for each part of the world Oh now come downe with thy fire and warme this water make it effectuall for the scattering of my darkenesse errour rebellion corruption Gen. 1 2. and the purging of old Adam the mortifying and consuming of my concupiscence and lusts And then travell againe with mee in this thy ordinance till Christ and the new creature be formed in mee Make mee thy off-spring Gal 4 19 and generation breede the thoughts affections and disposition of the new birth in me Oh make this fountaine â—nd laver blessed and fruitfull to be the seede of Christ in me Once thou didst so worke with Iordan that the washing of a Leper 1 King 5 12 caused his flesh to returne as the flesh of a child Take away my leprosie also Ioh. 5 3.4 and make me as a little child Once thy Angell so stirred the Poole that who so stept in next was healed of what disease soever he was sicke Oh stirre this poole also make it an healing water put into it the vertue of him that with a word spoken could cure all maladies Heale mine Lord by this poole if an Angell could heale a lame legge a blinde eye a deafe eare thy Spirit
s the Word of God 1 Pet. 1. ult which must doe it 1 Pet 1 22 as Iam. 1.16 Of his free will hee begat us by the Word of truth Iam 1 16 Trie thy selfe then by the usuall acts of the word of Regeneration and so thou maist gather that this Spirit belongs to thee This is no place for mee to digresse I will cull out onely two or three things which may serve for this use Deceive not thy selfe and God will not deceive the Didst thou ever then feele in thy selfe that this immortall seed cast into thy eare did so descend into thy heart as to worke any immortall hope in thee 2 Tim. 1 11. The Gospell reveales immortality and glory to the soule Did it ever bring to light any such thing to thee Did it ever conceive in thee a sensible distaste of all hopes below and raise thy affections above Did it ever cause the things of the earth long life health successe welth money pleasure to be despised in comparison of the hope which is set before thee Camest thou ever from the word another man in thy aime appetite savor and love than thou wentst Did thy heart ever burne within thee there And when thou camest with earthly base thoughts did the Lord so dash them by heavenly doctrine and the hope of Christ that thou returnedst to thy house with a distaste of thy selfe for them Wert thou ever so touched and taken with the promise of the word that thou wert loath to forgo it for any delight In particular try thy self thus Instances of the words working 1. Hath the word of the Law cast a destroying seede of death into thee taken a way that life of old Adam jollity in sin Hath it defaced thy old Image discovered thee to thy selfe to be an Alien from the Life of God and common-wealth of Israel the son of an Hittite and Amorite as odious as one of thirtie old would be to thee who never was baptized Secondly hath the Gospell cast a better seed of hope in Christ by the Covenant of reconciliation into thee In thy hearing of this glad tidings hath the Lord bored an eare in thee by which this seede might conceive and kindle in thy heart Hath it wrought the preparation of heart in thee by brokennesse tendernesse humilitie unweariednesse of paines selfe de-deniall c. Hath it setled and digested in thee as a thing of such beauty as in comparison of which all the glory of the earth is drosse Hath it abode in thee and brought an undecaying sweetnesse into thee Hast thou felt in thy wombe the paines of true life and the new birth viz. How corruption of nature selfe and infidelity have rebelled against the work both of the Law and Gospell Gen. 25 22. Hast thou with Rebecca in this combat gone to God with thy complaint of the infinite lets that have held thee from beleâ—ving And hath the Lord by his Promise and perswasions fastened thy anchor of soule upon his bottome of free grace and truth renouncing thy owne hopes feares performances So that now thou hast him close bound to thee in his word from ever forsaking thee Then I say to thee thou art he whom the word hath breed Christ in and formed life in thee by faith What wanteth then Oh! thy heart is fickle and too weake to buy and sell upon the bare word without wavering yea thou hast much adoe to get victory over thy uncertain heart Well no wonder Thou seest nothing and to resist sence is a great worke yet be faithfull with God and give not over his promise and by due cleaving to the bare truth of the Lord begge further light and rest not in thy measure much lesse yeeld to any love of sinne to darken and defile thee And so doing I assure thee that to thee and to none but such the seale of baptisme belongs thou shalt find the Lord will by his Spirit convince thee deeplier the Spirit of Baptisme shall bring forth Gods pledges shew thee them Ioh. 16 9.10 convey into thy faint heart strength confidence and courage of faith and set thee above thy distempers as if they had never annoied thee If I say hee have purposed such a decree of grace unto thee he will effect it in time else know that howsoever yet thy service is blessed and thy faith hath brâ—â—d the life of regeneration in thee Branch 1 Forthly let this be exhortation to urge us to apply our selves to Baptisme for the sealing work of the Spirit therin To young Novices And first I direct my speech to yong novices under the means Slight not off the first incklings of this sealing Spirit The 1. layes heates of the holy Ghost and fire doe usually breake forth in youth Consider it s not a dayes worke nor a thing easie to settle the Spirit of sealing upon thy soule there be many steps to it Oh! looke to it yee young beginners One cause why old Christians walke so heavily is because they never heeded or hatched the first motions of the Spirit in their beginnings If then the Spirit of God doe call and stirre in thee by early affections love zeale enquiry answer Speake Lord for thy servant heares put him not off by ease or bondage 1 Sam. 3 9. If such a thought come as this What a dramme of Grace and Life of Christ is worth or what vow thou madest in Baptisme and how retchlesse thou hast beene to keepe it dally not with such items shake not off either pangs of terrour by lusts of youth or pangs of hope and love with ease and sloth for so the Spirit of sealing is fore-stalled and the faire forwardnesse thereto will hardly be recovered Put in thy foote presently upon the Angells stirring the poole Ioh. 5 4. if thou have an heart none shall prevent thee heere as there If these seeds were not choked and these buds cropt they would proove the assuring sealing Spirit of grace in due time Through contempt of it the Lord leaves youth to that hideousnesse and ripenesse in sinne yea a spirit of desperate debauchednesse in drinking oathes Rev. 22.11 and villany as would not bee beleeved of such youth Branch 2 Secondly I speake to all other apply your selves to the Sacrament of Baptisme for this last evidence and seale of the Spirit To elder oneâ— to let yee know that yee are the Lords Lin not till the Lord hath seal'd yee for his owne set his marke upon you not to be blotted out Looke up at each Sacrament each Baptizing ye see to the Lord that which in the former point I speake as hee hath applied the grace of Baptisme by the promise unto you so now hee would apply is Seale of assurance unto you by his Baptisme Let not such a mercie be there to be had and you not aware of it Thinke it not too good to receive if God will grant it What is
called had beene Sacrilegious Even so here in the Elements resembling his separation and death But for the act it selfe consider two things first Two things in it 1. What it was What was it Why was it For answer to the first The breaking of Christ was a taking of the loafe and a breaking thereof with his holy hands into gobbets and morsels meet for his disciples not minsing the bread and cutting it with a knife into small bits nor yet into overgreat pieces but I say into morsels competent I doe not quarrell with the custome of cutting with the knife for as I said before of sprinkling the water so I say of this I disanull not the Ordinance thereby yet still I say I would rather chuse to cleave to the institution in so plaine an act of our Saviour if it may conveniently be done than to balcke it And the rather because it may savor of some Popish nicenesse For as they weare white gloves when they meddle with the Elements and touch them not with their bare hands pretending more reverence to be in a beasts skin than a mans naked hand so some thinke it too homely perhaps to breake the bread with their hands in comparison of cutting it with a knife To such I say that they are too nice herein and the institution of Christ much more to be followed the Minister himselfe breaking it and no leaving it as sometimes is used to the Clarke or Sexton to be done 2. Why was it Secondly why was it I answer for sundry causes first to parallell the Sacrifice of the Passeover a type of Christs Supper which was to be slaine and the bloud of it sprinckled about secondly for a more meete apportioning of the bread of the Sacrament and the Wine to the easier use of the Receivers than in the whole loafe or flagon thirdly and more principally to represent the voluntary offering up himselfe the next day upon the Crosse for an oblation to God Else he would have chosen some other to breake and powre out but in doing it himselfe he typified his laying downe his life freely Ioh. 10 18. when as else none could have taken it from him for when his apprehendors were cast upon the earth then did he yeeld himselfe to their hands fourthly to signifie to the Church that although the Lord Iesus were in himselfe the fountaine of all life and nourishment to his Church yet his Church could no otherwise be capable of him to such ends than by vertue of his being broken upon the Crosse He was as a sealed fountaine before Zach. 13.1 but now set open for the Church This Reason I would have well noted No other way but to be broken could make him meate and drinke indeede The Butt of wine in the Celler hath wine of excellent quality in it selfe but except it be broached none can be the better for it Hence the Church in the Canticles cries out Cant. 1 3. Thou art as an oyntment powred out in the savor of thy oyntments we will follow thee Ioh. 12 2. As that box of oyntment Iohn 12.2 which was broken upon him and powred out upon him so that all the house smelt of it Hence the holy Ghost especially dwells upon his powring out of his soule unto death his being broken for our transgressions Esay 53 12. Rom. 3.25 and other the like phrases there Esa· 53. And Saint Paul dwels upon his bloud-shed Rom. 3.25 ane in twentie other places to shew that nothing but death could make us the better for him either in pardon or Sanctification No incarnation of his no Innocency Miracles no Compassion Teares Love Reproaches Preaching Prayers without his being broken could make him usefull to us Fifthly as he could doe us no good save this way so there is a further thing in it for Christ could not be broken for nourishment till hee was for expiation and attonement By being once broken by death he both paid the price of wrath and also became meete nourishment Christ being made ours to pardon is also made ours to feede and furnish our soules with all graces of his Spirit the Supper is so the Sacrament of our growth in the Lord Iesus as first hee is our growth in faith and Iustification and then of holinesse Objection But here is an objection How can Christ be broken for our nourishment whereas the Scripture tells us Iohn 19 36. Not a bone of him should be broken Answer Answer No necessitie lay upon Christ to be broken according to the uttermost measure of breaking Onely essentiall breaking and powring out of his soule by death lay upon him and this was necessary to make attonement for sinne else no union could have beene purchaced with God nor any fruit thereof in either restoring of life or continuing welfare unto it restored The Providence of God was such in the alleniating of the Crosse and breaking of Christ that hee was dispensed with as touching those excesses extremities indignities which else might have lighted upon him had not the excellency of his person and his sufficiencie to satisfie taken them off Therefore whereas the Law was that the bones of the crucified should be broken to hasten their lingring death the Lord Iesus his bones were not broken he being dead before and so it was with him in the continuance in the hellish measure of torment that hee was freed from them It was enough that hee was so broken that the bande of soule and body was dissolved and his soule was powred forth unto death Vse 1 The uses are weightie first of Confutation of Popery And that first in this that they make a meere apish Pageant and Poppet-play of this Sacrament yea rather an enterlude to please and delight the sences of the blindly devout than a resemblance of the crucified body of the Lord Iesus for the comfort of the Church But especially that they destroy the essence of this act of Breaking In steed whereof they come and bring an whole unbroken Element made of a fine delicate wafer round and whole And as for powring out the wine to the people they never powre out nor allow any at all unto them but keept it quite from them Thirdly they professe not to act the part of the Father reaching out the broken body of Christ to his people but their Priest sustaines rather the person of a false Church and an Idolater to offer up to God a Sacrifice of Christ for expiation destroying the power of Christ our onely Oblation offered by himselfe never more needing to be offered And whereas we presse this argument against them they flie to a shift which overthrowes their cause saying They offer an unbloudy sacrifice in their Masse not bloudy as that of the Crosse In all three respects being the most wofull enemies of the Sacrament Hovv Papists enemies to a broken Christ For first they act it as a thing of mirth not as a broken Christ
worke or else all shee hath in her is in vaine the principle of life shee hath will not worke will not helpe except it be jogged by the Spirit that gave it as the hand that stirres the saw to quicken the operations of life no meanes no diet can nourish without this 5. Takes measure of all her wants in speciall And so I might bee endlesse For this spirit doth by a promise offer the Lord Iesus to the soule as one that knowes all her wants takes measure of her defects as one should doe of a body for apparell to make it fit and sutable So doth Christ provide all nourishment apt nourishment for every part against each corruption temptation affliction for every duty for marriage for liberty for company for Sabbaths hearing and ordinances yea to draw to an end the Spirit by the promise doth stirre up first sight of Christ her nourishment 6. Workes application of the promise secondly affections after him thirdly an hand to reach him take him put him on apply him faith to digest and draw from him whatsoever he offers her freely cheerefully confidently sensibly Faith carries her into the streame of his welfare the floods as Iob speakes of his butter and honey and venturing upon his word takes him as he offers himselfe and not by a base and trecherous heart putting him off with his store and plenty as if it were too good for her to receive Conclusion Now then to end this point if the Spirit can thus worke the heart to imbrace Christ by a promise how much more by the Sacrament of the Supper in which I may truely say the Lord Iesus is brought forth in his likenesse eminently even in the instruments and immediate manner of nourishing all Christ whole in respect of his obedience and death pardon and holinesse as a diamond not to be broken and yet broken also upon the Crosse divided into portions as the meete morsells of each poore receiver that needs his flesh and blood True bread to be her staffe of life and wine to be the cherisher of her spirits Oh! the bringing forth of these flagons in so sensible a manner to affect all her soule and to overthrow infidelity must needs be a more effectuall instrument of the Spirit to perswade her that Christ is all in all unto her for her support in grace and holinesse than eyther the word alone or any other ordinance The Lord having in speciall set the Supper apart neyther to bee a breeder at all of grace as the word preached is nor to be a nourisher in an ordinary manner as other publique or private meanes in each of which Christ conveyes himselfe his communion to the soule but an ordinance onely tending to nourish serving for the nonce and to no other purpose and therefore having no other scope must needes be most effectuall for the end it serves for Each thing is most prevalent in her owne predominancy and Element If then the spirit so can worke by the promise alone how much more by the Sacrament which represents that which it offers under the shaddow of the signes and tells the soule Ioh. 20 27. Behold the print of the nayles behold my side behold my selfe heere is my body heere is my blood given for thee shed for thee Verse 28. Be not unfaithfull bue faithfull Sooner shall bread and wine cease to nourish thy body than my flesh and blood to nourish thy soule to eternall life The conclusion is the Spirit doth more eminently convince the soule by the Supper of her nourishment by Christ than it can by the Word alone for as much as the Sacrament with the Word is above the Word The third and last question remaines 3. Quest Wherein Sacramentall Christ for our nourishment stands Answer twofold The first The object expressed many wayes wherein Sacramentall nourishment consists The meaning of which question is double The first concernes the parts of it The second the degrees of it The first lookes at the object how many wayes Christ is the nourishment of his The second rather lookes at the influence it selfe of what kinde or measure it is Touching the first As I sayd before of Baptisme that it affords to the soule Christ to be her seede in all respects of true being and regeneration so now I say the Supper offers him to the soule in each of those particulars for welbeing I have oft thought of two Texts which will expresse the difference That of Paul Ephe. 1.3 Ephe. 1.3 Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things by Christ doth note unto us the grace of Baptisme as all the Chapter following prooves in which the distinct essence of those blessings consists There is another in 2 Pet. Chap. 1 Vers 3. 2 Pet 1.3 His divine power ministring to us all things for life and godlinesse hee meanes not the being of those things but daily supply and increase influence from the Spirit of Christ to uphold the soule in them which hath them and this denotes the grace of the Supper Now if wee marke wee shall see the Scriptures speake of this nourishing grace of Christ sundry wayes Psal 84. Psal 84.11 Psal 37.4 He shall deny them no good thing Delight in the Lord he shall give thee thy hearts desire Doe but think what it is which of all other thou wouldst have finde out thy want and the Lord shall be thy supply noting that how infinite so ever the needs and decayes of the soule are God hath supply enough in Christ for them This is most generall Sometime the holy Ghost shortly knits up particulars as in the same Psalme The Lord shall afford light and defence to his By light including all such good things as wee call positive graces as pardon peace ability to duties c. By defence all privative grace as prevention of evill strength against enemies assaults of Sathan world flesh streights and crosses Sometimes hee is more large â— Cor. 1.30 saying that Christ is made to us wisedome to make us more and more understanding in the truths of God and direction to live accordingly righteousnesse to know our selves justified by better and surer evidence Sanctification to grow holier more mortified daily abler to walke with God in the course of our conversation Redemption to uphold us in all our troubles with more humblenesse patience faith and experience and to helpe us against all enemies till we be fully delivered from all Especially by applying it to the graces of Baptisme But as I take it the most convenient way to expresse the extent of this Grace will be to apply the Supper to all and each branch of the grace of Baptisme Breefely then marke Doth Baptisme give us an estate in Iustification Adoption Reconciliation Redemption Then the Supper confirms nourishes them Objection Heere by the way a doubt may be soone made and is as soone answered
that is That the graces of a Christians condition encrease not a man cannot be sayd to increase in Iustification Adoption c. Answer Answer Graces indeede of imputation doe not admit increase but yet are not excluded from being the object of the Sacrament and that in two respects First themselves for though their essence encrease not yet the soule may and must increase in the knowledge and assurance of them Secondly the fruits of them as the peace the cheerefulnesse joy the contentation the confidence the liberty the welfare of the heart may either be greater or smaller and therefore they concerne the grace of the Supper Againe doth Baptisme seale up inherent sanctification to be the soules owne Then doth the Supper nourish the soule in that First in the mortifying and quickning power of it for the Lord Iesus broken and powred out affordeth the soule daily strength to breake the chaines the power of ruling and defiling lusts ignorance errour security infidelity profanesse selfe-love unrighteousnesse intemperancie Also it brings in the power of the resurrection to rectifie and informe the whole man to better him in the grace of regeneration sinceritie integritie constancy courage c. Yea more it betters the Spirit and frame of the inner man with fuller bent of resolution and streame of heart and affections to be for God and to goe in the streame of obedience to him Secondly it quickens and nourisheth the soule in the speciall graces of sanctification wisdome watchfulnesse humilitie love feare faith patience mercy and all holy affections and gifts serving to holinesse Againe doth Baptisme conferre the grace of a well ordered conversation Then doth the Supper nourish that grace take some instances One especiall grace of inward conversation is the life of faith in all estates in all duties meanes and graces The Supper then strengthens this life of faith in all these enabling the soule to be more sober in prosperitie more humble under the Crosse more fruitfull in well doing more diligent and conscionable in all ordinances more effectuall and plentifull in graces Another instance may be of outward conversation standing in marriage liberties calling company solitarinesse the tongue the governement of the family The Supper then serves to better all these to correct the errors wants infirmitie of these and to ease the complaint of the soule for her unaptnesse to these her sloth awcknesse wearinesse earthlinesse hollownesse barrennesse unprofitablenesse unskilfulnesse to serve God aright in all these Againe doth Baptisme settle the conformity of the Lord Iesus his sufferings upon us Then doth the Supper confirme the soule therein to thinke afflictions daily more welcome to count them no strange thing to wait for them to be humbled and broken and powred out by them made by them more sober selfe-denying more patient to beare and more wise to profit by purging out the causes more growing in graces living by faith in streights for an holy use and good issue out of them And in a word the Sacrament is Christ our Influence and Nourishment in all respects wherein the soule is capable of any want or complaint serving to this purpose that wee may be quickned up in our affections and in steed of a decaying uncheerefull course which Satan and corruption beset us with wee may walke in and out with God with peace and comfort and it may goe well with us in all that wee put our hanâ—â— unto Deut. 5.29 both without and within in life and death It is a strengthner of us to duty a supply of needs protection against evils provision of good things It s enough that the Supper is as large as any wants can be No man knoweth where another mans shoe pincheth but his owne but wheresoever the pinch is Christ in the Supper is ease All the difficulty is in the wise application there is none in the point This for the extent or object of Christ our nourishment Quest 2 The degrees Which are foure The second Question will yet come closer to the point viz. What this influence of Christ is in what kinde or degrees it consists The answer is That it stands in foure severall parts and tends to as many ends Prosperity of soule being the adaequate end of the Supper looke wherein true prospering consists therein stands this influence So that by this latter the former will discover it selfe Christ our nourishment by Christ our influence which is the efficacy of it in the soule The severals are health growth stablenesse and fruitfulnesse in grace The Lord Iesus Sacramentall being all these in all such as are truly begotten of him in one measure or other 1 Health of soule 3 Iohn 2. Touching the first Health of the soule is one step of spirituall prosperity Saint Iohn Epist. 3.2 prayes for Gajus an holy yet sickly man That hee might be well or in health as his soule prospered Pro. 3.8 What it is viz. Sustaining the soule in her welfare intimating that one and the first step of prospering is healthinesse Salomon speaking of the feare of God saith It shall he health to the navill and marrow to the bones noting that the soule which truly prospers by Christ is is healthy even as a body is Note then even as when wee see corne hops or the like hold their vigour and colour wee say they will thrive and as the body when it holds it owne and keepes good colour and countenance the bones running full of marrow and the bloud and spirits running well and aright in the veines and vessels then it s called hayle and sound so it is with the soule of a Christian His nourishment is then well aseene on him when he holds that which hee hath received once from Christ when he beares his yeares well when the constitution and frame of his spirit abides sound humble beleeving upright thankfull wise wary holy righteous Wee call health the due consistence of the constitution and humours without either excesse or defect when the body keepes temper and vigor without any clogge or oppression of ill humors or surfeit befalling her So is it here when the soule is preserved from the annoyance and distemper of the wonted bad qualities pride ease infidelity unthankfulnesse envie world selfe-love unsavorines when kept from loosenesse and security and hanging her grace upon the hedge and running out of course to all occasions companies baites profits pleasures vanities whereby the life of grace should be choked and oppressed then she beares marke of some health and prospering then shee seemes to hold her owne in the life of faith and the order of good conversation Now to this first end the Lord Iesus our nourishment serves Christ our nourishment can doe it Sacramentally Psal 119 57. especially in the Sacrament and to this end all true Receivers frequent it viz. That they may fare well and prosper in soule The Lord Iesus is able to doe this and more for them David hath a sweet
secretly distributing the masse into severall parts according to their variety of substance and need so is it with faith she comes to the masse and full heape of blood and nourishment she finds an hoorde of fulnesse in Christ and there fastens her pipes and veine of conveyance and thence she carryes to the uses of the soule whether for blessings a sober thankfull heart or for crosses an humble meeke beleeving and confident upon the promise of Christs protection heer shee layes in grace to rule her selfe well in marriage then in family in hearing in prayer heer shee catches at grace to resolve her doubts to bane her corruptions to better her conscience to comfort her in forgivenesse none comes amisse as the need and measure of each part requires so she drawes and derives from Christ her wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption And looke how the distribution of nature doth by secret instinct derive meete juice for each part not that to one which is the others due but the tenderest to the most fleshly and the viscous or course to the stiffer as muscles and joints so is it heere the derivation of faith is wiser than of nature And the veines of last concoction Secondly having so done the lesser veines neerest to each member to bee nourished by the heate and concoction of it doth turne this proper nourishment into the substance of the nourished that both may be one and this is the eminent worke of faith also that turnes the Lord IESVS into the beeing of the soule spiritually it doth not only carry meet juice to the part leaving it there unapplyed but makes the meat and the member one The Lord Iesus by faith dwells in the soule inhabites it is one with it bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh and by his owne strength prayes heares meditates in her by his owne strenght patience love humilitie puttes an influence into her for the like so that of his fulnesse the soule hath grace for grace yea Esay 26 He doth all her works for her and in her hee is afflicted and suffers with her rejoyces in her and shee sayeth Now live I yet not I but Christ in mee Lastly faith is like the naturall soule her selfe in her Operation 4. By the Natural soule for as wee see men well fed are fit for worke so is it here Faith exercises the grace of the soule received from CHRIST Sacramentall in the severall passages of life concerning each mans calling Looke how it is with ten men that have bin wel fed at one feast although they have 10. several workes to doe yet they go cheerfully about them the plowman to toile the Merchant to project the Scholler to his study the traveller to his journey the workes are severall but the same feast affords strength and cheere of body and spirit to each of them for the menaging of his taske even so 1 Kings 19.8 in the strength of this cake and water this Lord Iesus his body and blood the refreshed soule goes about every lawfull service which the Lord calls her too One hinders not another But there is enough in Christ to fulfill all and to fit each for his taske So that if he be put on well as the Apparrell lo in the warmth and comfort of it the soule is ready to goe from duty to duty from her rising to her lying downe who of her selfe was good for nothing And thus she boasteth 1 Cor. 1.30 boasts of the Lord and sees that as her selfe cut off from him is as the branch that withers so all her sufficiency is from God and as the sea sends forth al l waters and receives them so doth the Lord receive from faith the honour of his al-sufficiency These few things may serve for a draught of this Truth how faith Sacramentall applyes Christ to be her Nourishment having taken him in the Promise Vses Now I conclude with breefe use partly of admonition and partly of exhortation to all Gods People First be warned against the lets of this Application Admonition in many Caveats Beware least thy vaine heart bee seduced by Satan to forsake the Lord in the plaine way of his ordinance as if because it is seely to fleshly shew therefore thou stumbling at it shouldest be carried from that which should doe thee most good to do thee most hurt Helpe thy hand of faith by the hand of sence assure the one by the other but hurt it not Resolue to get the Lord by his owne way Misse not the gripe and hold of a Promise for a shaddow of thy owne conceit Let not wandrings of thy mind suspicions and jelousies against God and thy selfe the guilt of old receivings the examples of the common sort of Communicants who make a custome of going as they come the temptations by thy owne unworthinesse emptinesse and basenesse carry thee from the steddy beleeving of the promise Tye not God to thy girdle rather fasten thy Boat to his Barge to be carried by the motion of it Nourish not an evill eye against others that they grow by their receivings and prosper but not hou Turne envy into faith and the fulnesse of him who hath blessed him can also satisfie thee Let not an evill heart of unbeleefe possesse thee to thinke the Sacrament will proove no better to thee than it hath bin rather thinke it s the way whereby GOD hath appointed to break through the pikes therefore the Lord will not suffer thee to live so barren as formerly Thinke not basely of CHRIST as if hee oversaw all thy sorrowes wants lets doubts annoyances corruptions temptations as if hee cared not that thou still welter in them and get not out Although they have continued long 2 Pet. 3 8. yet know a thousand yeeres with him are as one day hee hath a day of salvation an accepted time and will one day pick out speciall Sacraments and by them speciall graces for speciall needs cure thee of all the deadnesse world hollownesse pride and selfe which is in thee if thou mourne under thy burden say Corruption shall downe and grace shall outlive it and I shall yet see better dayes and best at last though I feele little seeing GOD hath saied it I beleeve it Doe not appoint GOD his measure nor his time but wait and try thy patience perhaps GOD lookes for it Light is sowne for the righteous let them waite till it come up Such health growth stayednesse and measures as God hath alotted thee shall bee thine that Demensum which thy wise steward sees best is better for thee than a greater Thou hast no promise of such a measure but of grace sufficient If thou hast any dram of it know its pretious thou art not worth the ground thou goest upon the breath thou drawest and wilt thou carve for thy selfe in the degrees of grace Vse 2 Exhortatiō Secondly and lastly come and bring thy faith to Christ thy nourishment and
close with him for it And remember for as much as the Lord hath onely appointed thiâ— grace of faith to be that spiritually to thy soule which the mouth stomacke and veines are bodily to corporall nourishment Therefore rest not in any other instrument of application whatsoever either in thy bodily and carnally touch or in the carnall conceit of thy minde thinking thou commest with a devout minde or with that faith in the Sacrament which the Church doe come with infolded in a mysticall darkenesse of devotion for what soever is brought hither in stead of faith shall be thy bane one day and is abhominable to God Let it be thy appetite thy stomacke thy veines thy soule to draw to unite to distribute to assimilate and to convey Christ into all parts of thy life Lin not till his substance be thine If thou hadst a sundry friend to furnish thee with sundry boones thy want would send thee to them all To the Lawyer for direction in thy suites and troubles to the Physitian for thy diseases to the rich to borrow monies and perhaps for necessitie to a Divine in trouble of minde Count the Lord Iesus all If a poore man be asked why he makes such a trade of it to frequent such an house He will say It s a full house it s not deere to trouble it often To be sure here to this store and wel-spring the ofter thou come to the Supper I meane the welcomer If his fulnesse can make thee emptie know all thy emptinesse cannot robbe him of fulnesse Beleeve that thy neede can not amount higher than his fulnesse and so long thy pipes are sure to be filled But come in faith and bring a free heart and an emptie bucket and be to him as he is to thee Come to hm to cloathe nakednesse to pay debts to rid thee of chaines and let there be no fulnesse in him whereof thou feelest not neede and then as the Sacrament is appointed to thee for speciall growth in godlinesse so shall the Lord Iesus become unto thee and thou shalt not be the first servant that shall bring in a false report of Christ for an hard master to thee as hypocrites doe And this be said of this maine point chiefely aimed at in the first part of this Treatise to shew the use of Christ our nourishment One point still remaines Namely The second act Sacramentall of the people Eate Drinke The meaning of it Enjoying the chiefe things of Christ in his feast Psal 128.2 the second act of the people to eate and drinke Christ Which I distinguish from the other for just cause When these two acts are divided in the Text I expound them for one thing Take that is beleeve and eate that is beleeve but when I finde them joyned especially in so solemne a text as the Institution of the Supper is I avoid repetition and doe conceive two things to be meant by Taking as I have said Beleeving By Eating enjoying the benefite or delighting the soule in the fruit thereof according to those Texts Of the fruit of thy labour thou shalt eate Psal 128,2 1.19 Esay 1 19. Thou shalt eate the good things of the Land In which places Eating is not taken as in Ioh. Excepte ye eat the flesh of the Sonne of man Ioh. 6 51.53 ye have no life in you where eating is taking for beleeving but as here for enjoying So then the eating of Christ Sacramentall is That spirituall enjoying of the Lord Iesus and all his good things which we have received to beare our selves as well apaid ones at his feast and such as are filled and satisfied with himselfe desire no better condition count our portion to be fallen into a good ground and so reflecting upon our soules what we have found at his Table rejoyce therein as in spoiles and he have our selves as those who have beene keeping holiday in his house and feasting in the Mount not of Sinai or Horeb as Moses did but the Gospell Esay 25 8. Esay 25.8 and therefore we having that we came for be as we would be and possesse our soules with exceeding complacencie and contentment and enlarge them to the Lord with joy and thanks rejoycing in him as Mary saith our Saviour and God all-sufficient The grounds foure For why Is there not good cause or neede we be ashamed or plucke in our heads as if confounded No the feast wee have beene at and the dishes thereof are things of perfect sweetnesse and contentment and that in respect of these foure perfections first Safenesse secondly Purenesse thirdly Fulnesse and fourthly Durablenesse In all these the dainties of Christ exceede all other and he in them all other objects The world hath her delights and feastings 1 The safetie thereof both wicked and indifferent liberties but neither safe both dangerous Theeves delight to steale money and stolen waters are pleasant True in the taste but as the Prophets Booke Bitter in the belly Knowest thou not that there will be bitternesse in the latter end 2 Sam. 2 26. 2 Sam 2 26. When prison feares gibbetcome then all the hony is turned into the gall of Aspes as Iob 20 14. Iob 20 14. Wickednesse is dangerous in the issue witnesse Gehazi's booty Achans Garment and Gold the Fooles ease in his plentie the Harlots taking her fill in pleasure in her husbands absence but her steps are not as her lippes these drop honey but they goe downe with her guests to hell Nay even of the indifferentest liberties I may say there is no safetie in them for there is a surfeit in them either to body or soule Wine is an mocker and strong drinke is a deceiver there is a hooke and a snare underneath in the issue they bite as a Serpent Too much honey is not safe it surfeits and kills even as feasts of great plenty breed diseases and make worke for the Physitian The unsafenesse of the best thing makes it imperfectly contenting But the feast of Gods corne and oyle and milke as it costs nothing Esay 55 1. Esay 55 1. So a man may feede on them without feare as in Verse 2. Eate good things and spare not curbe not nor put a knife to thy appetite the more the better no surfeit is in them Let thy soule delight and satiate it selfe in this fatnesse there is no hurt in it Not safe onely in respect of Gods leave and warrant as Salomon saith Drinke of thine owne wells thou art truly intitled to them in him whom all things are thine by But thou shalt never heare of them after for any danger they can doe thee Reade Ephes 5.18 Ephes 5 18. In all other things is excesse Secondly these Dainties Sacramentall are pure and meere 2 Their Purenesse uncompounded and without the mixture of carnall delights Sweet is that of Salomon The Lord gives the righteous a portion and no sorrow with it Hee meanes there is no checke
unknowne language Iustly therefore both fall into the ditch of perdition What one of a whole assembly knowes for what cause he is met Or what doth hee expresly beleeve about the Sacrament either touching the ordainer the matter the forme the end And put case they all knew that which Popish doctrine tels them concerning a Sacrament yet how much better were it for them to be ignorant of it than to know it So that both their knowledge and their ignorance are accursed I cannot thinke of a Popish Assembly but that description of the Poet of the house of the Cyclops comes to my minde wherein all darknesse and confusion dwelleth so that no man can tell what another saith And how can they chuse when no man in speciall knowes what he beleeves but wraps up his blind faith in the faith of the Church and yet hath no guesse what his Church beleeveth Aad yet more wofull it is to thinke that many of us who have lived in the light of the Church of God doe hasten to nothing more than to such Popish scurfe and filth being weary of the dazeling of Sun-shine Vses 2 Secondly let this bee terror to all blind and ignorant receivers of the Sacrament Terror which God knowes swarme through the congregations of this our kingdome Not to speake of the thousands that live under no meanes of light who are rather to bee pittied that they discerne not the right hand from the left whom God in due time prevent with light ere the besome of his wrath sweepe away them and the causers of their misery Iona. 4 ult what shall I say euen of the tayle and scurffe of those places which have long lived under cleere knowledge of the word and Sacraments and yet through an incorrigible disease of ignorance are yet as farre to seeke of knowledge as if they had lived among the wilde Irish Such a wretched fagge end of people there is in the best places whom no sunne will tanne no heate will warme Neither good meanes amend nor bad payre but as the windmill sayles ever moving but never stirring out of their place so are they ever learning but never comming to knowledge As for the doctrine of the Sacrament of the Supper it is as easie to catch an Hare with a Tabor as to make them conceive what manner a thing it is as if the Lord had branded them with his black-marke If the Gospell be yet hid it is hid to none but such as are lost Whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded that they should never see the light and be saved And yet which is worse who so bold so merry so quiet and so conceited that all is well with them Give them their red broth with Esau their belly full their lusts and pleasures and take the Sacrament who will If they once a yeare at Easter do receive with others they thinke the holinesse of the time and the crowd of Receivers shall shroud them but as for any sence of what they doe what they want what judgement they rush upon for their cursed prophaning and trampling the blood of Christ under feete and not discerning the Lords body it s the furthest end of their thought To whom if they could heare I would say In Gods feare looke to your selves With Admonition Hos 4. This smooth streame of yours will carry ye to hell laughing ye are never like to know your sin of ignorance till it have brought ye into utter darkenesse and gnashing of teeth If any sence or sparke of God remaine and if ye bee not wholly forlorne and hopelesse consider this that if thousands of such as know the doctrine of the Sacrament yet for lacke of faith and love shall perish What shal become of you that obstinately and wilfully refuse so much as to know your sweete idiots life heere shall turne to the most bitter sence of wrath in hel there ye shall fill your selves with that ye have loved even lye in darknesse for ever and yet your darkenesse shall be rather want of comfort than of conscience for the light of that shall so gnaw ye for your contempt of knowledge that yee shall need no other hell than that within your owne bosomes Prevent it betimes therefore Vses 3 Thirdly this is Admonition to all ignorant ones to lay to heart and prevent the causes and steps to it and the lets of true and saving knowledge First let it warne all Ministers Admonition 1 To the ministers Parents Governors and guardians of others to consider the terror of the Lord and the sinne of not discerning of the Lords body That they tremble to be Accessaries to the damnation of their soules Say not They are old enough let them answere for themselves for if you informe them not if ye who are set over them know their ignorance see them running into the gulfe and stop them not Ezek. 3 18. 1 Kings 20 42. your lives shall goe for theirs their blood shall be required at your hands Let not sloth ease love of your owne pleasures and spending the time in riot and profanenes or else in a vanishing course of worldly busines and carnall liberties forestall your hearts and cut off occasions of teaching them the truth of God Catechise preach convince and informe them of all truths and by name of the Sacrament doe not turne the wisedome of Church to a snare If they reject your counsell lo ye have saved your soules they shall perish in their sinne because their soules were pretious to you and neglected by themselves And secondly 2 Branch To the people Admonition 1 let all sorts beware of this whirlepoole of destruction Take heede of those lusts which drowne yee in wilfull blindnes love of your money your drinke your filthy uncleannesse your pride and selfelove These will bewitch ye and in your bosome will cavill against the light and meanes of grace Herodias did not so hate Iohn Baptist as these lusts hate the light least they should be gastred Marke 6.25 Iohn 3.20 They know the absence of meanes is the oyle to their flame when there is none to controll or reproove they are alive and jolly But the word comming in their feast is marred they cannot be quiet and merry Beware of sloth and ease lothnesse to stirre alledging the way is long the weather bad businesse lying upon hand when in truth heart is gone and will is not at home Admonition 2 Beware of stumbling at the wants or sinnes of such as have knowledge Nourish no prejudice against the Ordinances and ministry That it was a merry world ere they came They cannot endure men should use any liberties They are worse themselves in secret than those they preach against They shall not tye us to their girdles c. I say abhorre all such errours of the wicked as foment this ignorance Admonition 3 Cast off all prejudice of knowledge as the tediousnesse and difficulty the
habite of that we know but set it on worke to the end it serveth These and such like Trialls may serve for this use which if we shall sanctifie to our selves by prayer they may stand us in some steed for the triall of our knowledge Vses 5 To conclude because I doubt not but the weake and tender christian wil be ready to snare himselfe with these rules Comfort and rather hold off himselfe by them than encourage himselfe to the Sacrament 2 Caveats Therefore these two things let me adde 1. Be not dismayed in thy selfe by thy small measure of knowledge so long as there is soundnesse of minde in thee which may bee aswell in a little as much The Lord will require of thee according to that thou hast and no more Bee faithfull in a little and thou shalt bee ruler over much Excellent is that of our Saviour Iohn 7.17 If any man doe the will of the Father he shall know of the doctrine more and more and if a man keepe my word I will come unto him and acquaint with him Looke to thy obeying heart and that hath a promise of knowing yea and that experimentally which is better than all rules or conjectures Againe if thy knowledge be sound though weake yet let this bee no let of receiving the Supper for that serves for the weake both in knowledge and in all other gifts Christ Iesus is given of the Father to be unto thee wisedome aswell as righteousnesse come to his feast and it is a good time to aske it for him hath the Father sealed in the Sacrament to be thy Prophet Iohn 6.27 and he will give thee of his fulnesse even knowledge for knowledge yea Iames 1.4 richly and without upbraiding And for this grace of Sacramentall knowledge thus much CHAP. V. Of Sacramentall faith and the triall of it I Take it for granted that the wise Reader will remember that which was before said Entrance that faith is not required as all other graces are that is onely for the better receiving of the Sacrament But that it is above all other the most essentiall grace and the immediate instrument of receiving that which the Sacrament exhibits By how much the more diligence ought to be used by a Christian Communicant that this grace be tried to be soundly wrought in him and revived at the Sacrament This caution being premised I come to the matter it selfe For the better conceiving whereof what this triall of faith in the Sacrament imports I thinke it meete by some steps to ground this point in the Readers minde Grounds of this point named and to lay downe these three things 1. That the Lord offers the good things which he bestowes upon his faithfull ones onely by and in the way of a promise which faith laying hold upon in speciall takes the name from that promise as Sacramentall faith is so called from a promise of a Sacrament Secondly that each particular promise depends upon a former maine promise that is the promises of Sanctification upon the promise of Iustification and the promises of more grace and growth upon the first promise of reconciliation and spirituall or lively being in grace so that he who would trie the latter viz. a promise to grow by a Sacrament must first trie his interest and part in the maine promise Thirdly that who so hath by sound evidence prooved his right to the first may and ought with hte more ease proove his right to the latter faith in the latter depending upon experience of the former The 1. ground Heb. 4.13 Step. 1 Touching the first of these three viz. That God offers and conveighes all his goodnesse by a promise alone externally conceive it by these few steps First it being God our Father alsufficient with whom the soule is to trade for his graces as Saint Iame saith Iam. 1.17 Every good gift and giving commeth from the Father who of his owne good will begat us we must know God is infinite immortall and incomprehensible Needes then must it be that this infinite good convey himselfe to a finite subject by such a meane and way as the poore weake carnall creature can reach it For else what proportion is there betweene one and the other How shall flesh comprehend a Spirit No more than a little childs short arme can reach a thing farre beyond it Therefore the Lord conveyes himselfe to the poore soule by an ordinance which is such a thing as consists of a spirituall and yet unexternall or sensible nature An Ordinance is the subject to which God communicateth himselfe and his goodnesse with a power of his Spirit to carry them to the soule as by preaching of the Word to the eare through the sound of a mortall voyce By prayer consisting outwardly of sentences order By the Sacrament also standing of outward weake Elements The Lord carries to the soule by these most inward and spirituall things Step. 2 Secondly though an Ordinance have Gods good things contained in it yet still there is a great gulfe set between us our spirit and minde and betweene the good of these Ordinances for we are blinde and they are mysticall and heavenly Wee may sit and heare and receive the Word or the Sacrament and yet we may be held off as it were at staves end from the good and life of an Ordinance There must be a second meane to bring us and them together This meane must be the flesh of the Lord Iesus in an Ordinance All Gods good things being first given to Christ our Head and Mediatour that so by his flesh they might be conveied to us familiarly needes it must be that except Christ be in an Ordinance as our Prophet Priest and King that so by him they might be united to us first sensibly after savingly it can not be that any Ordinance can doe us good wee shall still bee strangers to it though our bodies and sences be never so neere it For example Prayer is an Ordinance by which God imparts himselfe deepely to the soule yet except the soule cast anchor upward by faith upon the flesh of our Advocate giving strength and life to it Prayer is but a morall devotion and a meere shaddow in respect of uniting those good things to the soule Likewise the Word of God preached if it want the flesh of Christ our Prophet and Head it will carrie nothing save by a bare sound into our eares The words he speakes are life and spirit and must be carried by the spirit of our flesh into us Ioh. 6 63. or else not at all And note this The more of Christs flesh an Ordinance containes the more it imparts Gods good things to the soule And so the Sacrament of the Supper consisting of the very materials of Christ flesh and bloud must needs be very powerfull meanes of grace to the soule and must needes carrie the good things of Christ born in point of satisfaction
servant Math. 28.32 Did not I forgive thee all the debt even of many Talents How then oughtest thou to forgive him the debt of pence Till then the soule be seasoned with the love of God in pardon and holinesse both to save and sanctifie it cannot possibly love his brother spiritually Can a rush grow without mire Iob 8 11 Or can love be in us till a principle of the Spirit infuse it It is commended by the Lord Iesus himselfe A new Commandement give I unto you that ye love each other Ioh. 13.34 Rom. 13 9. 10. All the Law is fulfilled in it It s infinitely magnified in all the Scriptures in 1 Cor. 13. It s described by abundance of both negative and positive properties all which shew the Originall to bee divine But especially in the first Epistle of Saint Iohn 1 Ioh. 3.11 3.10 4 7 8. 5 2 c. where it is made first the charge of God Secondly the offspring and birth of God Thirdly A marke of the Elect and saved Fourthly That which especially is occupied about brethren such as are borne of God members of the militant Church All these argue of what kinde and seeede it is not of flesh nor of the will of man but of God Vse To discerne this coine of heaven from all counterfeit stampes in this kinde There is a deepe vicious love contracted by the fellowship in sinne Simeon and Levi Gen. 49 5. brethren in evill yea this is almost as strong and deepe as hell Theeves have their league and drunkards their love union and fellowship yea sworne brotherhood The spirit of error and heresie is strong to linke the heart in love yea Iesuites are so knit to their Catholique league that death can not dissolve it And yet Paul imployes that this may want true love 1 Cor. 13 1. Men have a garish humour of love and pangs of affection so that in a moode they pretend the greatest love but on the sudden they either stabbe each others or else hate each other more than ever they loved As the bands are which tie men so is their love Carnall lusts gaine sweetnesse of manners politique respects to make use of each other naturall regards likenesse of manners or professions or disposition of soothablenesse and curtesie derived from Parent to child or a civill love standing in an entercourse of mutuall offices love mee and I will love thee or such like all of them are a sort of love which Religion doth not disanull but season and subordinate in the elect to this fruit of the Spirit even as the powers of the naturall and sensible soule are subject to reason A Christian hath other love yet from a better principle of spirituall love 2 The Parent The second thing is the begetting cause of it and that is faith effectuall and unfained Hence Paul 1 Tim. 1.5 saith Love proceedeth from a pure heart and faith unfained and as a workeman both makes a toole of his trade and workes by it also 1 Faith breeds it so faith begets this love and worketh by it Now faith in thus worke doth two things 1. It breedes it 2. Purgeth it first it breeds it and that two wayes 1 By an infusing qualitie 2. By a perswading The infusion of it is this Faith having possessed the soule with the love of God in reconciliation Rom. 5 5. diffuseth this love into the facultie of the will planting it there and causing the sweet thereof to dwell in it Christ comes not into the heart without the Spirit of Christ Now the Lord Iesus his manhood was filled with this grace of love the Spirit of the Godhead shedding it without measure into him Ioh. 1.17 That from his fulnesse wee might receive grace for grace Looke then what a loving heart tender mercifull See Act. 2.22 Mat. 11.19 Luk. 7.13 23.34 c. Act. 2.36 forbearing forgiving doing good to body to soule looke what amiablenesse gentlenesse sociablenesse usefullnesse was in his heart that is shâ—d into the beleever Now what that was his whole life shewed he loved and prayed for his rankest enemies died for those that crucified the Lord of life converting three thousand of them at once hee loved Mary and her sister Martha and Lazarus and Iohn his disciple most deerely Ioh. 11.5 36. See Acts 2.22 How he went about doing good even to all healing diseases preaching converting This Spirit then of the head is derived to us to be a privy marke unto us whether wee are his or no for hee that loveth not is not of God for God is love 1 Ioh. 4 8. 16. and hee who loveth dwelleth in God Secondly by perswasion For this see 2 Cor. 5.14 2 Cor. 5 14. The love of Christ constraines us for wee thus judge c. Marke There is a secret perswasive in this love to cause us to love one another and that by judgement and good reason This is that which Paul presses to the Ephesians Ephes 5 2. Walke in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himselfe for us as an offring of a sweet savour So againe Col. 3 13. Put on as the Elect of God the bowels of mercies kindnesse forbearing c. Why Even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye This is a strong dispute from relation of head to members reaching to all holinesse but especially to this branch For what a disproportion were it for us to joyne the body of a Lyon fierce and cruell to the head of a lambe loving and meeke What villany were it for a man dealt mercifully withall by his Master to take his fellow by the throte Ephe. 2 13. If Christ hath destroied enmitie broake downe the wall of separation and made peace for me when I was past hope how should I love and live with my brother Christ ought me nothing but I owe him him my selfe Should I after such love ever know any enemie Or if I should Philem. 19. should not such love as this quash it for ever If I should live in heartburning jealosie bitternesse and hatred should I not looke that the sweet morsell of mercy should come out at my nostrils 1 Ioh. 4 10 11 Hence it is that Saint Iohn so presseth this point Herein is love not that we loved him but be us Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another Secondly faith doth purge love from manifold corruption By name from these eyesores First from all partialitie Secondly faith purges it 1 From partialitie Wee restraine and limit our love to such persons as wee our selves affect for some parts and indowments others are not so precious in our eyes wee cannot affect them because we see closenesse harshnesse techines pride and selfe to abound in them But love is unpartiall as well reaching to the undeserving provoking as to the amiable in point of soundnesse
Whereas love is supporting and tender Gal. 6 1. 1 Cor. 8 10. chusing rather never to eate flesh than to offend the weake But some if their conceit bee crossed though never so mildly and with reason given yet with a prejudicate heart forestall their intentions suspect and shunne their persons and judge them instantly for refractary and opinionate Not remembring that so it hath ever beene and will bee in the Church that in some particulars which some allow others will streine and scruple and therefore such should be forborne and tendred so farre as may stand with the common peace Lastly and especially dissimulation 9. Dissimulation Rom. 12 9. 1 Iohn 3.18 Other vices seeme to teare the coate but this to stabbe the heart of communion Therefore Paul chargeth that love be without dissimulation let there bee no false brother who under colour of love should undermine his brother Paul also saith All have not faith hee meanes there fidelity to bee trusted sound to God and his brother 2 Thes 3 2. Such as can say to their brethren I am as thou art and my horses as thy horses I am weake in my love but sure and true 2 King 3 4. Whereas it is with many as it was with Ioabs sword It s sometime in and sometime out They are not true and constant in their love yea many their tongues are ready to jangle and their feete to carry tales against those whom they will seeme to love and honour belike hypocrites they speake faire words and their words are as smooth as oyle but their tongues are as swords and coales of Iuniper yea themselves as Ioab taking Abner and Amasa by the beard in great love and with the other hand shed their bowells to the earth 2 Sam. 20 10 These are some few of those many distempers which faith purgeth love from or rather them who professe to love By the which judge of the rest The third point is 3. Point reviving of love at Sacrament that this love is to bee revived at the Sacrament Hence it s called Sacramentall No winde of an Ordinance but bloweth good to love for all are more or lesse sanctified to this purpose Sweetely sayd the Psalmist Oh Psal 133 1. how good and comely a thing it is for brethren to dwell together Meaning that as cohabitation is a great improover of civill love so the house of God in which Gods weatherbeaten servants in this world doe meete together is a singular band and provoker of love When they consider one God Christ Spirit truth Eph. 4 5 6. one baptisme one Supper one hope one faith all which the Ordinances of word prayer and Sacraments doe exhibite oh how doe they conceive heate of love before these rods But above all the Sacrament of the Supper is ordeined for love So faith Paul The bread which wee breake 1 Cor. 10.16.17 and the wine which we drinke are not they our Communion with the body and blood of Christ And what of this Marke how hee inferres For wee being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of one bread Many wheate Cornes and grapes doe not more partake of one loafe and cup of wine than the Receivers doe of one Christ So that next our partaking of him wee partake of each other and that under the most reall Symboles of Communion The Papists may in this teach us who when they have any villany which they would most combine and secret themselves in come to the Sacrament In this I grant basely that they stretch it to strengthen hellish communion But well if by it they did provoke themselves more to serve in love to bee faithfull and painefull for each other Psal 122.5 Therefore the Psalmist speaking of the union of the Church addes There are the thrones of discipline and assemblies of Religion as if they were the sinewes of it And who is hee that is not utterly debaucht whose heart hath not this instinct that the Supper is for love Vse having prevailed to call it The Communion Witnesse the Conscience of the worst though rotten who then count it a mayne thing to be at amity though it bee but while the day lasteth The 4. The forme Psal 122 4. The fourth point is the forme and essence of love That is Vnion Ierusalem is as a Citty compacted that is dwelling close noting that love takes all joynts and compacts them together Not onely them whom other bands of nature civilnesse or family hath linked but such as are otherwise strangers and farre off Hence the Prophet saith that under the Ghospell Esay 11 6. the lambe and the Lyon should seede together that is put off their contrariety and the little childe shall then put his finger into the hole of the Cockatrice So Paul Hee hath reduced or contracted all into one by his death Eph. 2.15 making peace and destroying enmity All both in heaven earth and under it being brought to a league either to love or not to feare each other Either so findes or makes one As the soule makes the body one by the band of the spirits so doth love make the members of this spirituall body one One soule one mind Act. 2.46 one heart one fellowshippe was in the Primitive Church yea even one wealth as then occasion required Note this then The being of love is union be there never such disproportion of particulars for yeeres gifts birth wealth place or mâ—nners yet this grace makes all unequalls equall and one There could not else bee such a sensiblenesse betweene the members such sympathy likenesse of minde of heart of course if this were not One spirit causes them though so farre off as England and America to be one Wee know a member cut off feeles no more the welfare or paine of the body But union causes each toe to be afflicted with the affliction of the legge thigh backe or head All are knit by the mediation of fit joints sinewes and bandes into one Ephe. 4.16 and therefore greeve or joy in each others greefe or welfare yea doe but cut off these Pipes of union and sensiblenesse and what becomes of that instinct which sends every member about the others businesse The foote to goe and the hand to worke for the good of the whole The fift point is the Act or exercise of love The fifth The Act. Col. 3.8 This stands partly in the negation of all opposite vicious dispositions as wrath crying bitternesse sullennesse envie rejoycing in the evill of others heartburning contention quarrels jealosies uncharitablenesse unmercifulnesse and the like of which I spake in the act of faith purging and partly in negative acts as occasion is offered For instance 1. Negative Iam. 5. ult hiding of a multitude of sinnes when they may bee hidden passing by offences both in word and deed concerning our name or goods so farre as may bee if necessity require that wee
by law seeke defence of both then that still the heart looke at her owne honest cleering rather than at any personall revenge not interpreting things lefthandedly an heathenish quality but as fairely as possibly they may bee construed So also forbearing the seelinesse weakenesse and lesser measures of other mens graces their techines errours and follies Waiting to see the end of a thing not so rejudging persons Eccles 7.10 Ephe. 4.32 intents events rashly Forgiving such as have offended us whether in their heate or coole bloud especially if we finde them ready to seeke it by making amends abhorring implacablenesse yea and this often not to seaven times but seaventy times seaven Matth. 18.22 Matth. 6. Matth. 18.35 even as wee our selves would bee heard in the like from God So also moderating of justice in case of strife vantage of Law Extreame right may proove extreame wrong When a poore man then is fallen into our hand we may not deale in the hardest manner cause all creditors to come about his eares and to undoe him or take for pledges his Bible his garment bed milstones bread c. Add to these others of like nature â— Position Secondly love extends her selfe to all such Acts of communion as she is occasioned unto and that first both in maintaining of those inward graces of the spirit which should put forth the soule unto them Col. 3.12 as tendernes painefulnes Col. 3.12 long-suffering amiablenes mildnes curtesie thankfulnesse kindnesse in mutuall offices plainnesse largenesse humblenes whatsoever of such quality 2. As also practise and exercise of loving actions 1. Either to all as to hold peace with them so as is possible with good conscience and to helpe pitty and releeve their bodies or soules though they deserve the contrary for there is an holy overflow of love in the godly even extended to such as are without that their hearts may be broken Ephe. 6.10 of this sort are these Vsefulnesse in common life for a righteous man and a good man should goe together readinesse to assist Iob 5.7 advise and protect the shiftlesse and wronged against their encroachers Iob 31.16 as Iob was the poore mans sanctuary especially of Orfans and widdowes whose low hedge is soone trod downe And that by free counsell riding writing in their defence if need bee So neighborly offices 2. Or else and that especially to that houshould of faith our fellow brethren and those either neere hand or remote For the love of the faithfull bends it selfe to God himselfe But as David speakes Psal 16 2. because it extends not to him therefore it returnes upon those whom hee hath made his Attornies to receive it First for Particulars we must know nothing can act beyond it owne spheare and so the love of the Saints shines most beautifully within her owne praecinct I meane to them whom she is neerest unto in place and also in compasse 1. To the person of Gods Minister his name estate To the Minister and welfare to maintaine countenance and assist to their uttermost especially in streights sicknesse and other necessities and to expresse our selves towards him See Heb. 13 1 as under the greatest prosperitie 2. To the persons of such faithfull ones as offer themselves unto us by occasion of travell or businesse 2. 2 People Heb. 13 2. Rom. 12 13. Iudges 19.15 that we be harberours unto them and make much of such esteeming their fellowship farre above our welcome But it is now growne to this that as that Levite at Gibea so a goodman if he lye not at an Alehouse may lye in the streetes An ill signe 3. 3 To Christian neere dwellers To those Christians among our selves who are decayed not by their sinne but the hand of God as fire sicknesse or the like losses best knowne to such as are neerest and therefore more concerning such than strangers who may easily bee deluded And this to be done in season before the breach be too farre gone at which time a shilling may doe as much good as ten after 4. 4 To the bodies of Saints Iohn 12 8. To the bodies in generall of all poore Saints whom wee must alwayes have among us in steede of Christ himselfe to discover what spirit of love is in us Towards whom we must shew love frankely and freely beteamingly and cheerefully Rom. 12 8. in all simplicity with bowels that is abundance of compassion to sixe and seaven dispersing not grudgingly upbraidingly Rom. 12 13. or niggardly To these true poore not onely rates for collection are due as to all by the Law but severall and privie mercie Now heere as the bodily distresse lyes in speciall so doth mercy draw lines from the Center of Gods Commandement Heb. 13 16. Eccles 11 1. To doe good and to distribute and forget not Cast thy bread upon their waters c. to each necessity one love extending it selfe to many operations according to judgement If she beholds the tattered or naked shee earnes to cloathe them if the hungry to feede them if penylesse Mat. 25 33 34. to money them if sicke to visit them if imprisoned to comfort and releeve them or howsoever their sorrowes are in their credite state posterity or the like 5 To the soules to succour and stand by them So againe and most of all to the soules of the faithfull to extend our charity according to their needes Not each one tending himselfe and looking to his owne private welfare of soule but to see that the commonwealth of Soules prosper And heere love is full of eyes towards the weake in knowledge Act. 18 26. Gal. 2 â—â— to enlighten them as Aquila did Apollos Toward the offensive to resist and reproove them sharpely as Paul did Peter Tit. 11 13. towards the fallen either by weakenesse to restore them and joynt them Gal. 6 1. or by revolt to gaster and recover them Iude 23. 1 Thes 5.14 to comfort the sad to warne the unruly and to exhort and quicken the weake and staggering Generally by good example to walke so unblameably toward all 1 Pet. 2.12 that the bad may be daunted and the good hartened built up and furthered in their most holy course â— Generall Secondly as a fountaine narrow at the spring diffuseth it selfe in her passages Diffusion of love So love she alway begins at home yet enlargeth her selfe to them that are a farre off even the whole Church in the corner in the country in the kingdome in which she liveth yea further even to other lands and the Churches thereof 2 Thes 3. 3 Iohn 2. One spirit possesseth the whole body for each members good and each member for the good of the whole and that both for outward and spirituall good For outward that all promises of prosperity belong to the Church So if it seeme good to providence shee may enjoy them Thus David Psal 144.12
out in his colors that the dead spirit of man might behold and esteeme him as an object well deserving her best affections Hence it is that in the Song of Salomon so many allusions taken from carnall objects of desire Much described in Scripture Cant. 6.5 are used to provoke the soule to the like spiritualnesse of desire As when he is brought in like an amorous bridegroome of choise personage beautie and proportion and that from head to foot as if some curious Absolon were to be seene in whom from top to toe there was no blemish His head lockes eyes lips body and all his liniments are painted out to us that it may appeare he is the chiefe of ten thousand The like course takes our Saviour himselfe Math. 13. ver 44 45. in the Sermons and Parables which passed from him wherein his chiefe drift is to magnifie grace under the name of the kingdome of heaven meaning nothing else save the power and efficacie of the Gospell offring to the soule his satisfaction and sanctification for pardon and life eternall And sometimes he compares himself to a pearle of great price which he who found sold all to buy it Also to a Treasure hidden in a field which so affected him that saw it that he bought the field it selfe to purchase it Hence also it is that both in old and new Testament the Lord expresses the grace of Christ by the similitudes of all kinds of creatures which either by their preciousnesse or by their usefulnesse doe draw mens affections Rev. 3.18 Psal 45. Luke 15. Esay 55.12 Of the first ranke are gold silver precious stones wrought gold robes apparrell and white linnen treasure ointments of the latter sort are bread corne wine oyle milke hony waters c. Not as if these were as good as grace but that hereby the carnall soule of man of it selfe easily snared with the love of such things yea meaner might understand that look what excellency is in al these together for the content of our outward appetite that infinitly much more is in this for satisfying of the soule sith all these are used but as shadowes to discover this And to say the truth let us marke well Illustration of it and we shall perceive one principall scope of Paul that chiefe of Apostles in all his Epistles is this to set forth the priviledge of Beleevers to be such as doth not consist in some shreeds but in admirable glory He would have us to know Christianity is not making a shift to rub through or some covering of our infirmities supply of some wants or clensing out the staine of some odious sins But an estate of excellencie choise welfare and curious contentation to the soule such as Adam at his best never enjoyed Reade these Texts Col. 1.9 10 11.12 Col. 1.9 where he speakes of a beleever thus as That he may be filled with all spirituall understanding That he may walke worthy of the Lord unto all welpleasing That he may be fruitfull and encreasing in the knowledge of God That hee may be strengthened with all might unto all long-suffering and joyfulnes So Eph. 1.17.18 Ephe 1.17 he desires that They might know the hope of their calling the rich inheritance of the Saints and the glorious power of Christ mortifying them and quickning them by the power whereby he raised himself So Eph. 3.17 Ephe. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that being rooted in love ye may comprehend the bredth and depth c. and know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulnesse of God See also Philip. 3.3.10 Phil. 3.10 I count all things but dung in respect of the excellencie of Christ The power of his resurrection the fellowship of his suffrings and conformity to his death Nay in one place he saith Col. 2.9 10. Col. 2.9 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. That in him we are compleate Saint â—eter also witnesseth that Christ is no bare gift but that The Divine power hath given us all things pertaining to life and godlinesse through him To what end do I heape up these Surely that the Lord Iesus his excellencie rests not in himselfe but is derived to all his members and that to the end that he may be all in all with them and winne the honour and love of their affections Sacramentall desire must have her object To come a little neerer then to our matter in hand it must be some eminent object in the Sacrament which must draw the soule to it in this Sacramentall desire It must be more than the eye can see for that 's no object of any affection at all scarce so much as a naturall appetite But what is that Surely that spiritually which the Elements resemble naturally I meane full and compleate nourishment If the soule can see this it will draw desire without question Now we know that Bread and Wine united containe in them perfect food and cheerishing to the whole man that is to the body and spirits of nature Even so Christ our nourishment in the Sacrament is comepleately so to the soule both for renewed peace and holinesse And to open this wee may see when the holy Ghost lights upon Christ Sacramentall he forgets his ordinary stile and rises into an unusuall one Pro. 7.1.2 for then it makes the Father an extraordinarie great housekeeper brings him in as a man that builds himselfe a sumptuous house upon seven hewne Pillers prepares his fatlings and dainties Esay 25. his wines and spices Nay then it tels us that in those dayes the Lord wil make a feast in the mountaines Luke 14. a feast of all choise delicate things fat meats and wines throughly stale and refined Nay then it brings him in as a King who is disposed to magnifie himselfe in the making a feast to his Subjects at the marriage of his Son So that looke what is in a feast either for quantitie fulnesse of dishes variety of choise dainties or for qualitie as rarenesse pretiousnesse exquisite dressing musique company safetie of things eaten without feare either that they make surfeit the guest or breed ill bloud All that is to be applied to the feast of the Lord Iesus our nourishment which God the Father makes to his Church at the Sacrament of the Supper And yet that is not all for whereas that may be easily thought to come frow the magnificence of the master of it but as for poore wretches and hunger sterven soules how should they come neere it The answer is That onely for such it is prepared even for beggers and such as are found among the hedges and by the high-way sides for lost and forlorne ones It is the office of Gods hand-maides and Ministers to invite to bring in yea by all arguments of perswasion to force even such not the fat lusty and fed ones to this feast of the King Now if
it hath beene I have hung zeale and esteeme of Christ upon the hedge other matters have defeated them of their birthright Secondly 2. Vnbeleefe bee warned against unbeleefe This takes off the soule from all her right to Christ to Christ and therefore marres her plea If I be the Lords I have right to his nourishment and cannot chuse but pleade it as the infant pleads with the mother for the brest But if Satan doe get in so farre as to dazle the soule with unbeleefe lo all the ground of gracious appetite is gone and then what succeeds but fulsomnesse and staggering Vnbeleefe is the death of the soule Doth the dead child misse the breast No no above all things abhorre this wofull enemy of infidelitie and nourish faith to the conservation of the soule Heb. 10. ult Heb. 10.38 If the soule be upheld in her life and being life must have nourishment and want of it will proove hunger But if the soule have once withdrawne it selfe from the body what is it but a carrion Thirdly Thirdly surfeit of lusts cast all superfluitie out of the soule which hath secretly soked at unawares into it The wombe that will conceive must be cleane from all former conception it will not conceive upon conception If then a proud heart loving it selfe if a techy revenging spirit if the love of gold and silver if gallantnesse jollitie and pride of life scorning to take it as we have done if uncharitablenesse slighting and neglect of meanes defile us as alas what is easier if a man be let loose to walke after the guise of the world how can appetite last 1 Pet. 3.1.2 If ye will covet the word purge out all your superfluities for they oppresse the seate of appetite and while they lie there small appetite will appeare Fourthly Fourthly excesse of liberties Pro. 23.2 cast out the tickling excesse of all lawfull liberties eating drinking feasting recreations pleasures and vanities of all sorts To goe beyond our bounds in these under pretence of warrantablenesse doth as much jarre with the spirit of a Christian as open offences for by these colours Satan withdrawes the Spirit from a close cleaving to God selfe-deniall and faith poisons it with libertie bewitches it with ease and corrups it with a declining of heart from that diligence sinceerenesse power and delight wherewith it formerly walked Adde to these such as thou hast felt to dampe affection in thee perhaps ill marriage a bitter root of infinite branches jealosies suspicions and ill affectednesse to each other Never looke that the appetite after grace can hold while such scurffe is nourished I tremble to see by wofull experience how farre some dare venture in this kinde So also crossings in our estates and health and businesse which drawes the heart off for the most part from God as also too much businesse and padling in the world many irons being in the fire at once to distaste affection and to craze the sweet temper of it for Christ and his Sacrament Vse 4 Fourthly let it be a short exhortation Exhortation to all Gods people in these dangerous dayes wherin scarce one of an hundred quits himself without some crack and flaw to look to spirit fervencie of desire and affection to all the wil and waies of God constantly as farre as our weakenesse will permit to file off our rust and scrape off the barren mosse that will overgrow a tree of righteousnesse Vse all helpes and motives to cast our Snakes skin and Eagles bill and to scoure our selves upon the salt marshes as sheepe doe that health and appetite may be preserved I meane afflictions wisely used Be wary of thy company keepe the watch of God preserve tendernesse and jealousie double the use of best means set God above them and renue thy Covenant daily This will easily worke Sacramentall appetite in thee Come with it to the Supper emptie thy stomacke bring not thy browne bread and cheese in thy pocket to feed on at Gods feast the fowlest contempt which thou canst offer him Remember desire after Christs fulnesse is the most proper and peculiar worke of a guest if he would have his inviter thinke well of his presence Marriage feasts poure out men into affection without it such occasions are odious but to God much more If a Iudge oppresse being in the place of Iustice it is horrible So for a communicant to come with a dead heart and no stomacke to Gods feast is most wofull Say to Christ as once he said to his Apostles Lord with desire I have desired note the phrase Luk. 22.15 Luke 22.15 to eat this Passeover with thee Lord nourish it in my soule I desire Lord pardon my indifferencie Thou seest that commonly looke what thou seekest earnestly thou gettest eagar pursuit of mony of wil or lust cōpasseth them so desire of the Sacrament shall attaine her end Esau with teares sought a blessing not a spirituall Heb. 12.17 but a temporall if he had an heart to have craved a better he had it Take heede least the Lord thus lode thee one day for thy fulsome receivings and let all this be some quickning of thy soule to receive aright Vse 5 Fifthly come to the triall of this grace with thy selfe seriously whether it be renewed at the Supper or no some few markes I will mention leaving the Reader to judge of other trials by these Triall 1 First Triall of it this is one maine one Luke 5.8 If the sight of that fulnesse of grace that is in this feast of Christ doe emptie our soules to the bottome of all selfe-sufficiencie of our owne Contraries applied to each other doe greatly enlarge one another ignorance with knowledge purenesse with corruption the modesty of a Matron with the impudence of a Harlot Try then hath the Lord Iesus his fulnesse emptied thee of all thy base counterfeit shewes and left thee confounded in thy selfe for thy seeming vertues thy barrennesse of grace thy fulnesse of corruption Thou seest what Christ is doth thy owne spirit beginne to smite in thee to consider what thou art compared with him Alas if there were no more to lay thee open to thy selfe than now and then to meete with here a shred and there another of sinne thou wouldest be oppressed with selfe-love and waxe a dunghill of drosse Onely Christ can truely perfect the discovery of natural poyson If then all that is said of Christ leave thee as it found thee it s a signe of a wretch But if confounded and emptie a good signe Triall 2 Secondly it will not there stay neither but thy emptinesse will so pinch and disquiet thee that thou shalt finde no rest in thy selfe The Spirit of Christs Sacramentall fulnesse will affect thy spirituall stomacke as long fasting will thy bodily Thou knowest what a grievous paine thy stomacke will feele and how thy veines will shrinke and take on with intollerable grinding till
death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. We see the Saints of old could make Songs of the Lambe and his deliverance Moses and Miriam gave not greater prayses for deliverance from Pharao Exod. 15.3 than they could make Songs for Christ But how should we doe so Surely if we would take the like course with our base hearts at the Sacrament which they could do without it we should do as they did They filled their soules to the brimme with the meditation of his benefits So should we doe at the Sacrament The Lord gives us a feast of him in all his dishes wee may chuse which our appetite most longeth after all summed up in the seales of his body and blood Meditate of that love which made him forget glory and become shame a worme of the earth continue with long-suffering and basenesse 30 yeeres upon earth that hee might be called and annointed to suffer and dye Consider his misery reproaches and indignities from the vassalls of Satan his being tempted by the Devill spending dayes and nights in fasting and Prayer willingnesse to be taken by his enemies and to endure his Fathers wrath to the uttermost and crying out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Cull out what parcell thou canst from the cratch to the crosse such as affords the deepest the divinest grounds of meditation able to conquer and ravish the soule and to blow up that sparkle of love and thankes which is kindled in thee Thou canst turne thee no way but matter will offer it selfe to thee to raise affections to the Sacrament 2. Heart raysed thereby Matter being thus raysed set thine heart on worke therewith Let admiration at this love of Christ so set upon thee a traytor a rebell when thou wert not the most unprofitable or unworthy but most trecherous of a thousand others let it cause thee to cry out Iohn 14 22. To Admiration of God and Christ Phil. 2 4.5 Why shouldst thou thus reveale thy selfe to me and passe by so many What should move thee to empty thy selfe to the bottome of all thy excellent contents that thou shouldest obey even to the death of the crosse and that for such a wretch as I. Oh! how my soule is linked to thee How doe I love thee What parts wealth esteeme hopes welfare yea life it selfe should not bee dung to me in respect of thee Whom have I in heaven but thee Psal 73.24.25 or whom in earth to be compared to thee Yea this abundance of thankes to Christ should carry thy heart through him to God the Father Col. 3 17. as Paul Col. 3 27. speakes O Father how couldst thou spye out such a sinner as I out of a thousand to chuse and call me home how couldst thou forgoe thine onely Sonne and suffer him to bee made the of-scouring of the earth Michael 7 â—nd rather than I should perish Oh! who is a God like unto our God forgetting and pardoning the transgressions of the remnâ—nt of thine heritage Oh! my soule magnifieth the Lord and my flesh rejoyceth in God my Saviour Of the Holy Ghost From both the Father and the Sonne let thy thankes proceede to the holy Ghost Oh blessed Spirit who blowest where thou listest what mooved thee to make this Sacrament such a sweete seale of pardon and heaven to such a staggering distrustfull creature as I am Why hast thou assured my soule by these sweete pledges of security that I shall not perish nor for ever be separated from thee My soule shall never forget such a blessed Spirit as hath conveyed his best assurance into my soule so barren and empty thereof before I say thine heart should fasten upon God the Father Sonne and Spirit with all admiration and thankes and from this thankes should issue into thy soule all peace joy complacence and delight in the Lord. All thy thoughts desires affections 2. To complacence delight and joy purposes endevours and abilities should pitch themselves in his founteyne wholly resigne up themselves to be at his command mourning that the fruit should be come to the birth Luke 1 47. Esay 37.5 and no strength to bring forth Yea besides this joy thy soule being thus warmed and inflamed with the bounty of the Lord should shake off deadnesse wearinesse inconstancy and renue her covenant with God for time to come saying thus oh Lord thus hast thou magnified mercy above justice towards me a sinner But what can thy servant do to thee 3. To thankefull expressions Psal 116 9 10. What shall I recompence thee with for all thy love Oh! I will take up the cup of Salvation and prayse thee I will not approach to thee with flockes of Lambes or with rivers of oyle but with an humble meeke and righteous walking with my God! Oh! that there were such an heart in mee of faith love and uprightnesse as to walke in and out with thee in all thy Commandements that it might goe well with me for ever Oh that there were not rather Deut. 5.29 Psal 19. ult such a base heart of sloth ease selfe world and sensuality to withdraw me Oh! Let the thoughts of mine heart 4. Indignation at out basenesse and the covenants of my soule and tongue be ever accepted and ratifyed with thee O Lord my God! Then should I goe 40 dayes to Horeb even from Sacrament to Sacrament in the strength of this thy feast 1 King 19 8. Yea this congregation wherein I stand which is partaker with me of the like mercy should be a witnesse of my faithfulnesse and in the midst of thy courts and Temple should I performe the vowes which I have made yea and that grace which I have found at thy Sacrament should goe with me Psal 116. ult and follow me through my life to season and sanctifie all my course my prayers my worship my marriage my company my blessings my crosses my whole conversation This may serve for a breefe view of Sacramentall Thankesgiving or remembring the death of the Lord Iesus The second duty is perpetuation 2. Duty Perpetuation Luke 22 20.21 Intimated in that clause of our Saviour For so doing ye shew forth the Lords death till he come I will touch it but breefely First know it is not with the Sacrament of the Supper as it was with that dayly Sacrifice which the Iewes offered to God morning and evening That was destroyed when the Temple of Ierusalem was ruined by Titus Vespasian But the Supper of the Lord Iesus typified in part thereby Esay 66.23 The Sacrament eternall in the Church is to last till the worlds end in one part of the Church or other Popery by their cursed Masse and other heretickes by their devices for many hundred yeeres together through Satans enmity interrupted shrewdly the Purity of Christ Sacramentall They brought in a Sacrifice for a Sacrament and defiled this ordinance so farre that they quite defaced it
was as weake in the grace thereof Act. 2. end and the sealing power of it The Gospel hath more fulnesse of seede and begets more unto God than the Law could doe and therefore Baptisme is a farre fuller Sacrament to confirme the soule in her new birth than the other was So for nourishment The Gospel exceeds by many degrees the ministery of the Law in Point of her building up and nourishing the soule in the grace of the new birth the Gospel hath filled the brests of the Church with farre more milke and stored her with farre more provision than the old Testament could doe For thereby the Spirit is powred our upon all flesh Ioel 2.28 Esa 44 3. Looke what difference there was betweene them and us for the fulnesse of bodily food that in a sort may bee said for spirituall fulnesse How many Creatures for kind or for Circumstance as in case of blood or strangled might not they touth the Hog the Conie the Hare and many other both beast and foule tame and wilde which to us are cleane and sanctified How much more doth the Lord afford us fuller feede of the Sacrament of the Supper than their passeover Even as a feast exceeds an ordinary Therefore Paul calls theirs a ministry of the letter ours of the Spirit not because they had not the Spirit but in comparison of the fulnesse and power of ours The new more effectuall Now for us our Sacraments are farre more effectual The very change of the old into new argued the excellenter efficacy of them As the traine of a Prince personally riding in progresse is richer than an Herald or Harbinger The Sabbath wee know was changed at the resurrection to honour it So the Sacraments at his annointing to his office and at his passion to magnifie them How should they so doe if their Trayne were not greater I meane if the spirit of Christ and his sealing perswading setling comforting pacifying power were not greater Also except that blessed traine of his Graces more glorious and plentifull as humility heavenly-mindednesse patience hope love zeale ability to walke with God more closely to discharge our callings more fruitfully to suffer more willingly to live by faith more setledly and the like gifts of Christ Sacramentall attended them Hence is that of Austin so common Our Sacraments saith he are in efficacie greater than theirs in profite more gainefull in performance more easie and in number fewer Beside ours in their understanding are most sublime in observation most pure and in signification most excellent They lived in the Porch of Sacraments we in the Parlour Let us take heede least as they in their age when no Nation under heaven enjoyed any Sacraments save themselves were so puffed up by their priviledge that they disdained all as Dogges in respect of themselves cleaving onely to the barke of these Ordinances without any seeking after the Spirit and power of them and so opened a way to Gods wrath to bring into their steed the Gentiles who alwayes thirsted after them so let us feare least wee stand so much upon our dignitie above theirs that in the meane time there shall be found even among us baptized ones and communicants far more blinde prophane carelesse than the Iewe was yea and some of us who goe for better be found as formall barren as far from the Covenant as estranged from forgivenesse and as destitute of the life and sealing power of Baptisme and the Supper as they of their Circumcision and Passeover If it be so our dignitie shall so lift us up to heaven that it shall throw us downe to hell and I will not only say the Lord will not be pleased with us as with them 1 Cor. 10.5 1 Cor. 10 5. but as it is Heb. 2.2.3 Heb. 2.2.3 by how much more powerfull grace is put into his Sacraments and by how much more eminent waies and ordinances hee hath honoured us by so much the more shall our condemnation for our unbeleeefe be more fearefull than theirs who had so dimme a Covenant and so weake Seales in comparison of us Rather let us labour to enjoy the priviledge of our priviledge above them in carrying about us that evidence of faith and that peace of conscience and that joy of soule which our Sacraments seale up to us that wee may be as much better than they as our Sacraments excell theirs in efficacy and then that kingdome of Christ within us as well as that without us shall be a kingdome not of words onely and signes but of power also And so much of the former generall of this Chapter Agreement and difference of the 2. new Sacraments Touching the latter how farre Baptisme and the Supper doe differ or agree briefely understand that as they agree in Circumstances concerning Sacraments in generall so also in the definition of a Sacrament wherein as specialls contained under one Kind they communicate They are both ancient and within three yeares one as ancient as the other they are both alike publique as being equall legacies of the Church militant they have both one founder although the one by mediate Commission as Baptisme by Iohn the Baptist by extraordinary calling the other immediatly by Christ himselfe they both agree in the Name Necessity of a Sacrament Againe whatsoever is true of the definition of a Sacrament is equally true of both these as in the next Chapter shall more fully appeare For why In both the Lord conveyes spirituall grace by visible resemblances set apart by himselfe and furnisht with power to that end But in a word that I would say of their mutuall agreement Their Agreement is this First they both agree in the offer and representation of whole Christ joyntly and undividedly to the soule Touching the first 1 In the joynt offer of Christ Know that when we call the Sacrament of Baptisme the Sacrament of entry and ingrafting of us into the body of Christ and of begetting us to Christ yet wee divide not Christ imputed from Christ inherent wee must not thinke Baptisme gives us an estate in Christ for justification onely for it estates us in Christ wholly both for wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption though justification makes us truly the Lords yet because the Sacrament conferres whole Christ therefore it conferres him as God offers and the soule needs him that is both for justification and sanctification Christ our pardon and Christ our life for without both equally ours all Christ is not ours A speciall point to be noted for the better understanding of the act of faith in applying Imputation and Sanctification both at once to the soule of which point I treat elsewhere So againe the Sacrament of the Supper conveyes Christ to the soule wholy and undividedly Practicall Catechisme not onely for the encrease of our Sanctification but our Iustification also Part 3. Article 2. For although Iustification as it is a benefit of Christ
them up shufflingly in the bagge of their devotion being unable to give a reason why themselves were baptized when they were infants or why being elder they receive the Supper Vse 2 Secondly to confute the practise of all those who Popishly ascribe to the Supper the conferring of Grace of all sorts and when they receive they thinke that although they never reaped the fruit of their baptisme before neither had faith yet one Sacrament may supply all wants which is to destroy the distinct end of each Sacrament and to plucke up good Land-markes confounding the agreement and disagreement of both for as all Christ is in both so yet for two severall purposes A Divines life we know is to study and Preach he doth both these wholly himselfe wholly is required to doe either howbeit the things he doth are divided acts he preacheth not while he is in his Study nor studieth while hee is Preaching Let us abhorre such profanesse and know all Christ is in both the Sacraments yet orderly and so that who so hath not enjoyed him in the first to beleeve cannot enjoy him in the second to grow Vse 3 Thirdly to teach us how to apply the benefit of these two Sacraments according to our speciall temptations The former thus If Satan tempt us concerning the truth of our Conversion to God telling us wee are in the state of enemies cut off from God aliants and excommunicates from him and Christ whither shall wee recourse To the Supper and our oft receiving No in no wise for Satan can speake Divinitie when hee list and tell us that the Supper is no Sacrament of Regeneration But in this case flie to thy calling and to the seale of it Baptisme if indeede thou canst proove thy calling by the worke of the Law and Gospell else thy seale is to a blanke and presse thy Adversary with the weapon of thy Baptisme sealing it up to thy conscience 1 Pet. 3.21 1 Pet. 3 21. which shall quench the fierie dart of his temptation and scare him from thee better than all Popish Holy water Againe doth the Divell tempt thee to beleeve thou art an hypocrite because thou hast a dead heart thou growest not in Grace thou art sunke from thy first love fallen to the world pleasures vanities lusts of thy uncleanenesse waxen unprofitable and revolted from God What shall now helpe thee That thou art baptized No hold that close also that thou maist pleade the other rightly But in this case flie especially to the Supper and alledge thus I am sunke too farre into a formall course and the custome of the world but yet Lord to thee I appeale that in truth I have coveted thy Sacrament of Restorative and Nourishment I haue come with hunger to it for the repairing of my losses and decaies and departed in good hope and comfort of recovering life and vigor againe and therefore in despite of Satan I will hold to the end of this Sacrament which is to seale up comfort to the afflicted and strength to the weake and recovery to the decaied and raising to the fallen therefore from hence I will fetch it by vertue of the promise Vse 4 Lastly it teacheth us the excellency of the Sacraments because they have such a gift in them as to represent all Christ at once to the soule Christ wholy and in each part of his merit and efficacie It were an odde and strange Picture which could describe the same man living dying dead raised up and ascending to heaven and all in one person That which no Art of man can doe the Lord can doe by the Sacrament that is above all Images or Crucifixes and can tender to the soule in on view all these the Lord Iesus dead risen ascended the Grace imputed of reconciliation the Grace inherent of holinesse all the particular graces of the Spirit the promises of God made all Yea and Amen in Christ for this life and for a better for all conditions and times and occasions are offred at once in each Sacrament the one to give us right and title to Christ when we wanted him the other to rivet us more into him to enlarge us in faith and the fruits till wee shall neede no more Sacraments or Ordinances And therefore let us much esteeme and honour Sacraments as most divine comprehensions of all Christ and channels of his Fulnesse from whom as our Head We receive grace for grace Iohn 1.17 Iohn 1 17. And this for the second Chapter CHAP. III. Of the substance of a Sacrament in generall The Description of it propounded and examined Substance of it HAving spoken of the Circumstances the agreement and disagreement of Sacraments Next wee come to the substance and nature of a Sacrament Which will be understood the better by the description and particular handling the parts thereof Description of a Sacrament in generall A Sacrament then is an Ordinance of God wherein by some materialls duly appropriated and united and by some acts duly administred the Lord signes and seales up to the soules of the Elect the truth of his Covenant and receives a reciprocall seale from them of their covenant with himselfe For the clearing hereof I would have the Reader conceave that in this place I take the word Sacrament in the greatest latitude not onely for the substance of it in it selfe but also as it is administred and performed in a solemne manner betweene God and his Church So that hereby two things arise to be considered Two Generals First Substance Secondly Administration In the Substance foure things 1. The Substance of a Sacrament in all her constituting câ—uses 2. The due administration and performing thereof in the Ordinance Touching the first we are to consider these foure causes 1. The efficient and supreme cause of a Sacrament 2. The mâ—â—erials of it 3. The true formall cause 4. The finall Where first the generall end Sealing Secondly The branches two First Gods sealing of the truth of his Covenant to us Secondly returning backe againe our owne covenant sealed to him In the latter member also viz. The Administration wee consider the acts of Ministers and people and the spirituall dispensation of God in these externals attending thereon for the ends mentioned Of the first of these in the first place 1. The Author of the Sacraments all and each Old and New is one unchangeable Eternall and onely Wise and Gracious God And no wonder for first First the Author God Proofes of it In his bosome of eternity lay hidden that purpose of entring Covenant with man fallen from the grace of Creation Reason 1 It was free to him to relinquish him finally in that revolt of his in that he did not it was free mercy doubly greater than the love of Creation If the devise then of a gracious Covenant with man was onely in the power of the Creator who shall be supposed to be the Author of seales to this Covenant save the same
in the soule not because thy are substantially one but notionally Yet this notion is realnesse in her kinde Man and Wife are one flesh no more two but one how by vertue of divine institution this union is reall and true yet not meerely Physicall and naturall onenesse but in the kind of it a matrimoniall union The like may be sayd of all civill unions of the family which by vertue of the ordinance of God assisted by law and order become bodies united I doe not allude to these as if they did hold in all points but for two causes First to shew the power of divine ordinance to unite and make things one Secondly to shew that the disproportioÌ„ of the natures of things united eyther for kind or distance is no let to reallnesse of union in a word it s the ordinance of Christ which hath an indeleble and irreversible power of the conjoyning of the Lord Iesus to the Elements in a reall and sacramentall kinde so farre as serves the turne not to subject Christ to a base creature but to subject the creature in her property to be a close and neare uniter of the soule with Christ to whom else through the incapablenesse of flesh it could not so easily have beene knit and made one withall All vnions serve to make God and the soule one This point will the better appeare if we goe a little further and shew that even the greatest and deepest unions that are serve to make way for the union and communion of the soule with her first originall hereafter in glory and here in grace The very personal union of the Trinity how should it be better conceived than by the mystery of redemption wherein God could not possibly have satisfied God nor man bee brought and united to God except there had beene a personall union that is a samenes of deity in the differing of persons The like is true in the union of Christs Godhead with the nature and flesh of man why was it but to serve Gods holy purpose to reconcile and unite flesh to God by the person of Emanuel So also that spirituall union of the whole body and soule of a beleever with Christ why is it but to prepare it for eternall union with him The union or communion rather of the members of Christ into one body and being to what serves it but that the whole Church may be one with Christ and her head that by him shee might be one with God himselfe who shall be all in all in glory wholly possessing and possessed So also wonder not if this inferior union of Sacraments be so reall and close seeing its cleare the Lord in this condescending so low to the Capacity of man unites himselfe no otherwise to the Elements than that in and by them as channels of conveyance he might when and where he sees it good to use them derive himselfe into the poore beleeving soule in a fuller assurance of Communion with her So that our Saviour saith Mervaile not that I said unto you he that eates and drinkes my flesh and blood Ioh. 6 43. shall abide in me and live for ever To man such a union is impossible betweene a creature and the Creator betweene basenesse and glory But it is the Word and ordinance that causeth it and which hath setled this Sacramentall union indissolubly that our soules might fare much the better and the union of the soule with Christ himselfe might bee more familiarly conceived Rule 1 To adde somewhat for the better opening of this union let us first understand what it must be and then what it cannot be First of necessity it must be such an union as the nature of the things united will admit Then secondly such as the ends of a Sacrament will suffer For the former A further opening of this by two things The nature of the things united will not admit either a locall or a Physicall union They will and may admit a spirituall one First not a locall viz. That as the Bread and Wine are locally present so that the Body and Blood of the Lord Iesus be also locally present this I say the nature of the Lord Iesus his Body will not admit 1. What they admit not viz. a locall or naturall For although it be a glorified body yet it is a true naturall body and therefore limited and so cannot Consubstantiate with the Elements in all places where they at one and the same instant are present to the sence of the receiver Which confutes the Lutheran error of locall Presence as if of necessity there must be a corporall Presence or else those words This is my body cannot bee verified No wee deny it because it râ—sists the Nature of the things united and present Secondly neither will their nature admit a physicall Presence or union that is such an union as by which the proper formes and beings of the things united are lost and become under a new forme of mixture or composition For the Natures of Christ and the Bread are incompatible in point of mixture or compounding because the one is a spirituall the other a corporall thing which admit no such mixture as corporall things of like nature doe as wine and water So then if this union bee not mixt it is much lesse Transubstantiate for in that the one doth not mixe with but evacuate and disanull the other leaving nothing of substance behinde But the nature of these Elements admit a spirituall union 2. What they wil admit viz. spirituall union nothing hinders why the things which are furthest distant or remote in place may not yet bee present in truth and realnesse for the sound of a Canon-shot 40. miles off from my eare yet is present by the meane of the ayre bringing it home to mee and the body of the Sunne of light and warmth distant farre from mee yet by the ayre which carryeth the beames of it is present and made one with my bodily touch and feeling And againe nothing hinders why two things physically disjoyned may not yet spiritually be one and joyned together by vertue of the power of the ordainer In a word the Nature of the things united will admit a reall union although no corporall unnion eyther locall or mixt and much lesse transubstantiall therefore the things united in the Sacraments are onely spiritually and really united Rule 2 Secondly the union of a Sacrament must be such as the scope and end of a Sacrament will suffer and no other It s such an union as the end of a Sacrament will suffer But the end and purpose of a Sacrament cannot admit any other union betwixt the signes and things signified save spiritually reall For then must we destroy the scope of a Sacrament in a double respect 1. Of relation 1 Relation for except there bee maintained in the Sacrament distinctnesse of Termes and Relation of one to another so that a bodily thing may
Scriptures and Fathers expressing Sacramentall union As when our Saviour saith This is my body and Paul The bread we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ from which and like places they presently cry out Loe yee the bread is his body So when the Fathers especially those who were the greatest orators doe hyperbolize in the prayse of the Sacrament calling it the bread of life and an ineffable union and that after consecration the bread by the omnipotency of the Word is made flesh c. they abuse the scope of the Fathers which to themselves was good because although they meant no other but to magnifie Sacramentall union yet the excesse of their speech occasions the errour of corporall union to prevaile Let us loath their Idolatry and superstition Vse 4 Fourthly it should teach Gods people never to cease magnifying the love of God who hath refused no course neglected no meane which possibly might make for the communicating of himselfe to lost man both in union fellowship and seeing his word through our infidelity could not sufficiently satisfie your scrupulous and doubtfull mindes touching the realnesse of his faithfull meaning towards us hath not onely stooped to be in our flesh as a man but to tye himselfe to base creatures that so he might familiarize with our soules more nearely and make us one with himselfe so that the meate drink we receive is not made our substance of flesh more really than the Lord Iesus is made the substance of our spirituall nourishment Oh! I say how should his love shewed upon so hard conditions not onely ravish us but also prevaile with us for those ends which it serves for how should our soules study for union with him influence from him to become like him How should wee strive to attaine the perfection of that happinesse which Adam lost recover it in a farre fuller and nearer union with Christ and by him with the Lord Oh! this is the scope which all unions and especially this Sacramentall have to unrivet us from base unions and fellowships with things below that so we might settle our hearts upon him whom to know and beleeve to be our God reconciled is happinesse and to be united to his natures in one mysticall being of holinesse is above all earthly fading comforts Oh! hath the Lord joyned himselfe to the creatures that we not resting in them might by them be carryed to him in whom true rest and peace is to be had How should we despise to be one with money with pleasure with mans acceptance with other carnall objects and say since I came to see the excellent union of the soule with God in Christ I see nothing below but seemes base to me and such as I am loth to unite and give over my selfe to it to be servant to it to be possessed by it or to possesse it I will use all other things and enjoy the Lord. None of his good things can be made mine without union therefore as I seeke them and the increase of them in the Sacrament so I will especially seeke union and make much of the Sacrament for the purchasing of it Vse 5 Fiftly and especially how doth this point presse the necessity of faith upon us in the use of that Sacrament Onely faith is able to discerne the Lords body in this Sacramentall union and as by the former point to make us partakers of the divine nature so by this to strengthen the soule in the increase of communion by the Sacrament Let it be double exhortation then to all beleevers both to discerne to apply the Lord Iesus sacramentall 1. To discerne it For the first Turne wee all our cavilling and carnall reasoning which is endlesse for carnality comprehends not mysteries into a quietnesse and stillnesse of beleeving forsake the swift rolling torrent of never satisfied sence and embrace the softly and still streame of Siloam cut all knots in two by the ordinance thereby determine all endlesse reasonings of Popish curiosity spend that time in admiring this mystery and in longing to be partaker of that which is by it resembled I meane union of thy soule with Christ If this be so mystical how excellent is that to enjoy by faith Oh! Till union be made nothing is thine Behold not with a carnall eye say not with those Iewes Ioh. 8.22 how will he give us his flesh will he kill himselfe If reason may prevaile the Sacrament setting aside a little blinde devotion will discover no more Christ to the soule than bread and wine in a Cellar It s the power of God uniting Christ regeneration and nourishment to the soule not a few qualities of Christ but whole Christ to the whole man And the Sacraments obey him herein representing whatsoever he hath united to them No divell no instrument of his no Pope can sever these two each from other The Sacrament they may quite destroy but this union they cannot take from the Sacrament The spirit of the ordinance it is which makes it abide so irrepealable Do not then sever those things by unbeleefe which the Ordinance hath put so close together wander not descant not goe not into heaven nor downe to hell with a papist to consult and aske Rom. 10.15.16 How should this be But know the word is neare thee in thy eare yea hand eye taste the vertue of the ordinance makes whole Christ as neare the Elements as the quality of clensing feeding are neare them Destroy the one destroy the other If the one be naturall the other is spirituall and from an higher union if it be against sense to divide the one its sacriledge to sever the other True it is the things thus united are farre distant in place but yet the power of the eternall ordinance can easily unite them And shall not the gift of faith unite the soule to the Lord Iesus by these Elements as well as the ordinance for ever unites the Lord Iesus and the Elements Beware then least we sever what God hath united It is not the farrenesse off of a thing in place which can hinder union The Lord Iesus his body in the grave lost not union with the divinity by the distance of the soule in paradise because the relation was indissoluble the vertue of Christ crucified is united to the soule if it beleeve although his body keepe his place in heaven Faith in this kind is not unlike to the hand of the Marriner in sounding the depth of the sea His hand cannot touch or fadome it but by vertue of the line and plummet which he lets downe and holds in his hand he feeles the bottome and gages the depth be it never so remote So the hand of faith holding the cord and plummet of the word and promise feeles a bottome of Truth and unites it selfe to Christ For the second 2. To apply it from this discerning power goe to the applying get this
grace of faith to unite Christ Sacramentall unto thy soule Say thus Are water bread wine inseparable from Christ why so Doth God care for oxen as Paul saith or careth he to be one with bread and wine 1 Cor. 9.9 Are these the subjects of his delight poore base corruptible Elements 1 Cor. 6.19 Heb. 12.23 No no those lively Temples of our soules and spirits of just beleeving ones are the places of his delight Oh! then say so Lord this union serves for a better that thou and my soule be one by the convey of the Sacrament that I might eate drinke Psal 24.7 enjoy thee Oh lift up thy head my dore be thou lifted up in me oh eternall gate of my soule that the King of glory may come in Let faith unbolt set you wide open that Christ may enter and take you up for his habitation be your head as the husband is the wives to procure her all good as a Prince in his governement as a Master in his family nay as the soule is in the body Ioh. 17. Ioh. 17.26 ult to act rule frame purge them to encrease the power of faith in adoption reconciliatiō to enlarge the graces of his spirit love meekenesse patience thankfulnesse to fill the conscience with joy hope peace to cause these to flow out of the belly of the soule as waters of life unto eternall life yea not onely better hearers worshippers of God but more wise to rule more faithfull to obey righteous in buying selling exemplary in our Christian practise harmles upright sober to purge us of our wrath uncharitablenes unmercifulnes unprofitablenes that the Lord Iesus Sacramētall in the spirit of him may become more lively powerfull and fruitfull in us Oh! pray and give the Lord no rest till he have bred faith in thee to these ends Vse 6 And to conclude if the poore creatures thus hold their union with Christ and thou by unbeleefe remainest destitute of him know these dumbe Elements shall one day rise up in judgment against thee condemne thee for they have kept their union which is but subordinate and serving to a better end But thou hast rejected thy union spirituall with Christ in the increase of his graces Oh wretch In naturall things and in vicious things thou art ripe and quicke enough to apprehend yea more than thou oughtest No sooner doth the name of that which thou takest pleasure in as the Taverne or Alehouse in which thou hast often disguised thy selfe come to mind no sooner the name of thy Farme which affords thee such a Rent Revenue offer it selfe to thee no sooner doth the name of the harlot whom thou hast consorted with the glasse in which thou canst reflect thy owne face upon thine eyes stand before thee but instantly thou feelest an union with those lusts which those names and notions present to thee thy spirit savors drunkennesse covetousnesse uncleanenesse and pride Onely the Sacraments are offred to thine eye by the Lord in which Christ is nominated nay actually exhibited and united and here the union is so strange a thing from thee that any other base object will sooner offer it selfe alone without any other occasion than the least apprehension of Sacramentall Christ come into thy thoughts or affections eyther to beleeve in love joy in or much lesse to be knit unto and made one with that all his excellency and grace might be thine that fatnesse and sweetnesse of his might be conveyed by faith into thy soule How shalt thou be able to answer this sensuality estrangement of spirit from the Lord Iesus Iustly may that curse light upon thee 1 Cor. 16.22 The 4. is the end twofold primary or secondary which Paul pronounceth upon al such as love not the Lord Iesus Thus much for the forme of a Sacrament be also spoken I proceede to the last generall in the definition which is the end of a Sacrament And that is double eyther concerning us from God or God from us Both as I noted are the scope of a Sacrament The reason whereof is because the Sacrament intends full as much and neither more not lesse than the covenant doth I meane the covenant of grace But the covenant of grace is reciprocall That God be our God Both essentiall Gen. 17.1 and wee be his people that God be our God al-sufficient and we walke uprightly before him I doe not meane by reciprocalnesse any equality in working as if our obeying or uprightnesse could worke God to be ours as his being ours workes us to be upright But that indifferently the one as well as the other part and condition is interchangably requisite on our parts as well as the Lords As then the seale of the covenant assures the one so must it the other it must secure the Lord of our upright walking as well as us of his beeing our God both must needs goe together Yet I meane not that the Sacraments doe equally seale up both for Gods sealing grace to us is strong our sealing backe to him of duty is weake the Sacrament is the Lords and therefore principally aymes at our good yet I say God lookes for it that the same messenger of his unchangable love to us revived at the Sacrament should carry backe to him our revived covenant of upright walking The Lord so comes to his oath and seale for our security that hee lookes we also come to the oath of Covenant with him hee will not be tyed and wee be loose First then of the former of these two ends Gods end concerning us What God covenanteth Touching which let us conceive what God covenanteth and so we shall see what the Sacraments doe assure Touching this point of the offer and Covenant of God I having elsewhere largely spoken Practic Catech. Part 2. Artic. 3. therefore I doe here referre my reader to that discourse to spare a labour Onely thus much in a word when Adam had lost his integrity by disanulling the covenant of creation the Lord had it in his bosome what he would doe with all his posterity if hee had quite destroyed them all it had beene but just In this demurre grace cast the skole and brought him out of his meere good pleasure to purpose to recover a Remnant out of their ruine And as hee meant this within himselfe so he thought it meete to expresse so much to us not by including some and excluding others but by a free unconditionall offer of grace in respect of any thing in man to covenant with him to be his God and to become propitious and favorable againe unto him as if hee never had beene offended This covenant he establishes with us in the Blood of his Sonnes satisfaction requiring of us to beleeve that thereby his Majesty is reconciled with us and that therefore we be reconciled to him This he urges us to beleeve nakedly upon his bare word and covenant and that we seeke no
starting holes but set too our seale that he meanes no lesse than his words import for his Sonnes sake that he will be our God and forgive us Now there is weight in the promise alone sufficient to overpeize our infidelity But such is the basenesse of spirit in us being disabled by our fall that neither can our feeblenesse reach it or remember and represent it to us in due sort and much lesse our guilty slavish and treacherous hearts which muse as they use and thinke God like themselves to hate them whom they have hurt can beleeve it Heere the Lord not content with the bare offer and Covenant of grace in Christ rather than he would leave any who is not wilfully an enemy and hating reconciliation unconvinced of his unfeignednesse of meaning to doe as he speakes What the Sacraments doe assure condescends so low as to stoope to our weake forgetfull and base hearts and therefore comes as the author to the Hebrewes speakes cap. 6 17.18 Heb. 6 17 18f to joyne an oath to his Covenant That by two things in which it was impossible for God to lye we might have strong consolation in our taking refuge upon pursuit of our conscience Satan or any enemies Now what is the oath of God in the Ghospell Surely no other save his seales that is his Sacraments which I take to bee no small cause why the Fathers devised the Name of a Sacrament that is an oath This oath or seale call it as you will must be that uttermost security which the Lord can or will reach us forth in his Gospell to take away our distrust and slavery That as among men in the greatest Controversies an oath is beyond all expectation able to decide the doubt so in this matter of Gods open and hearty meaning in his covenant if the soule question it he desires that his oath might put an end to our unbeleefe The Lord to speake with reverence taking a kinde of corporall oath in the Sacrament I take these Sacramentall Elements united to the Crucified flesh of my Sonne to witnesse that as surely as nothing can sever from the one a cleansing feeding cherishing quality to the bodyes of the creatures to whom my word hath so appointed them so nothing shall separate the quickning comforting and refreshing quality of my Sonnes satisfaction that is my love and grace from the soules of them whom I have ordained it unto I swere and vow my Sonne is theirs as truely as the bread they eate and the wine they drinke Let us then collect out of this that hath beene sayd a threefold end of Sacraments 1. To be Glasses 2. Memorialls 3. Pledges and that of best assurance if oath seale be sufficient of the true meaning of God to the Soule in bidding it be reconciled The last of these three is the cheefe Three ends of them yet there is use of the former two Of which seeing partly I have spoken and partly shall speake therefore heere the lesse Touching the first then that Sacraments are as Glasses to the Soule I spake before in that point of the matter of Sacraments 1. To bee sses noting that the Lord chuseth things of most ordinary familiarnesse to helpe the feeblenesse and carnality of our minds And in the like respect the Lord hath given them to this end that they might be looking glasses that as in them each part of the face may bee cleerely discerned so in this mirror of the Sacrament for that of Paul is as proper to the Sacrament as to the promise 2 Cor. 3. ult 2 Cor. 3. vlt. that with open face we behold the Lord we may fullyer discerne the very letters of the covenant which before seemed dim Spectacles we see are of use to cause a weake eye to see clearely by multiplying and inlarging the character or object And the perspective glasse will so extend the object a farre off that a man may perceive a two or three miles distant a little cottage under a darke wood side with all the proportion of it not a doore wall or window of it excepted Even so is it heere The Sacraments are glasses yea perspectives which discover to the dim eye of the soule all that fulnesse of Christ which the only promise could not yeâ— its as a picture at large shewing the soule all the dimensions of mercy of Christ his length depth height and breadth which is as Paul calls it the fulnesse of God That as the Prophet speakes of the writing which should be written in great letters that he that runnes might read it so heere 2. Memorialls Habak 2.2 For the 2. Memorialls of Christ I shall more fully handle afterward when I shew the duty of the Communicants behaviour in the act of receiving Heere this may be sufficient to signifie that as Monuments Marble Pillars with engraven characters serve to bring to the memory the lively impression of things fallen out or done time out of minde so the Sacraments serve to be memorials to our forgetfull mindes to make lively and fresh the memory and impression of the Lord Iesus crucified together with the power of his death and satisfaction So that no injury of time weakenesse of memory or craft of Sathan might ever be able to weare out the print of such a divine gift and favour as much worth as the salvation of mankind See at large in the place quoted 3. Pledges or seales But thirdly and chiefely I adde for pledges and seales of security to the soule doubtfull about the meaning of the COvenant The other two make way in the minde for this but this is the last and finall end of Sacraments in Gods ordination To adde a word or two to that I have said of it the Lord by his Seales seekes the uttermost securitie of the staggering soule in his true and faithfull meaning to save and sustaine it here during the kingdome of grace These Seales he appoints frequently to be offered and received that as the weake soule finds her selfe to stand in need so shee drinking at these brookes might lift up her head Illustration To make my meaning more plaine we see among men for sundry causes it is meet one secure the other of his faithfulnesse If men be suspected for restoring what they borrow wee see they are faine to lay in a pledge with the lender to secure him of his owne When Abraham sent his servant upon a weightie errand far off Gen. 24.24 2 3 he caused his servant to put his hand under his thigh and bound him with oath to deale behind his backe as if he were in his presence So God doe and more if thou faile of ought which lies upon thy trust and fidelity Even so doth the Lord abase himself to us in Sacraments seemes to yeeld to our infidelity as if it were excusable and to make himselfe obnoxious to us who is free and bound to none hee is content to cleere
his fidelity by laying a pledge in our lap and by securing us of his faithfulnes by oath the end of all strife Nay to speak more fully the Lord in the assuring of the bargain of his grace doth much like to an honest man willing to sell his inheritance Finding out such an honest chapman as gives him content hee offers him the Land upon a price declares the goodnesse of it tells him it s richly worth his money Having thus presented the object to the free choise of the Chapman Lo the Buyer mooved by the sinceritie of the Seller and the goodnesse of the penny-worth consents to his price and contracts with him for the Land They both are firmely agreed neither suspecting other their words seeme as deeds each to other But in the upshot the Buyer considers while the Seller and I live and there shall be no question betweene us all is well but if the Seller die and leave me no security for my owne what availes it me to pay my money Who knowes what may befall besides either of our intentions in so bad a world as this Hereupon these ingenuous dealers treate further and the Seller taking great content in the buyer tells him I see you are willing to deale with me to beleeve my honest contract and I find few so true in paying for their purchase as I see you are your money I have received and therefore you shall well see I will not be more backward in security than you are in paiment Goe to the learnedst counsell you can meet with get him to draw the Covenants as sure and strong as can be and looke whatsoever shall be demanded I will make good and I will settle the land upon you as strongly as Law can â—evise to settle it In like sort deales the Lord with a beleeving soule I see thou hast a good desire deale with me for my grace and pardon in Christ thou hast received my report beleeved my promise for the faithfulnesse sake which thou perceivest to be in me howbeit I see many doubts rise up in thy minde to unsettle thee I see thy sensualitie is great thy heart wavering for time to come I am absent from thine eye and Satan buzzeth feares into thee of my unfaithfulnes I have therfore resolved to assure thee to the uttermost of my simplicitie and have added to my Covenant a further ratification of my Sacraments I here give thee a pledge an oath a seale I chuse the Symbols of the flesh water and bloud of my crucified Sonne the very instruments by which he wrought satisfaction for thee as verily as this Sacrament offers thee these united Elements which be as a marke and print of the very nailes and wounds that pierced and slew him and wrought my angry soule to be appeased so verily doe I in particular tender them to thee and make them thine so that if thou be frustrate I am content to cease to be faithfull and shall become a lier Behold therefore in my Sacrament all my Sonne and the utmost security which I am able externally to give thee and to make him thine as surely as my Gospell can make him Thus I say doth the Lord and joyneâ— the Spirit of his Sonne called his sealing Spirit to the Spirit of promise before given That the one with the other the seale with the Covenant might be above the Covenant alone so leave the poore soule in peace and securitie as concerning his faithfull Covenant to save and sustaine the soule in all her feare and doubtfulnesse and to take refuge with strong consolation Vse 1 And let the use hereof in Gods feare be as weightie with us as the point it selfe is First to teach us to mourne to consider how lamentably this end of Sacraments on Gods part is unknowne untaught despised in the Church of Christ after threescore yeares restoring of the Gospell and upward and all by the sinne of wofull and wicked men who have by their sloth deprived Gods people of so great a Iewell as the Ministry and use of Sacraments Where is there one congregation of many to whom this mystery of Christ Sacramentall is revealed in the kinde How hidden and darke is this Doctrine to the most And where it hath sounded how strange is the sound thereof even as of many waters I may say the one halfe of Christ in his efficacie and power either by Covenant or Seale is kept from the body of people by the carelesnesse of Teachers Vse 2 Secondly to exhort all that care to receive the Sacrament to any purpose not to rest themselves satisfied in knowing what I have spoken Eph. 4 21. till they know the truth as it is in Iesus Sacramentall till they finde and feele Gods end of Sacraments to be fulfilled in and to their owne soules in the sealing and securing power thereof Oh! Iohn 4 10. Didst thou know the gift of God in a Sacrament how the Lord hath hung it to his Covenant as a seale of uttermost assurance of Christ thy peace and wellfare how wouldest thou both addresse thy selfe to it and set thy seale of faith to it As concurring with Gods end and receiving full securitie to thy doubtfull soule of Gods being thy God reconciled and alsâ—fficient Oh! looke to it as thy life Heb. 6 14 15.16 Shall an oath among men decide all and shall God stake pledges sweare seale up his Covenant with his owne hand and shalt thou dare to remaine notwithstanding at as dead a point as if he had never wet his finger to give thee contentment Oh! how shalt thou endure that wrath of his which shall burne forth against all that give him the lie 1 Ioh. 5.10 holding their owne against him and his Oath and receiving his Word as a vaine thing Doubtlesse if his wrath shall smoake against that soule which having heard his Law and Terrors shall crie peace to it selfe and say none of these plagues shall befall me Deut. 29 19. What wrath shall breake forth against him that hearing the Lords Oath and beholding his hand and seale to his Covenant shall treade it under feete and adde drunkennesse to thirst by unbeleefe in stead of adding assurance to faith a seale to a Covenant Let us teach our selves by the practise of men If a man having received the uttermost witnesse and security which the Law of the Land can give him applies it in speciall to the securing of his heart and rests in full perswasion that his money is not lost his purchase is good what shalt thou doe towards the Lords security For tell me I pray thee wherein rests the securitie of a Purchaser Is it not in the spirit of the Law of the Land Doth he not tell himselfe This is thine the strength of the law of the Land is thine thou art on sure ground the Law must be no Law ere the right be no right Sleepe therefore securely enjoy thine owne feare nothing Such a Law
his breadth height depth and length Christ for being and regeneration Perhaps for the simpler sort it might be enough to use the Apostles words of him are we who is made our wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 or to adde thus much All Christ is given us 1 Cor. 1 30. either for our calling or for our imputation or for our sanctification Howbeit for my owne exercise in part and for the clearer view of Christ sacramentall in the water I would adde a little more desiring the weake reader to pardon my distinctions as more meete for such as better conceive or would at least the gift of Christ in his extent and fulnesse Distinction of it to be marked The grace then of Christ bestowed in baptisme is either first grace or consequent upon it The first grace I call either that which maketh us accepted or that which is freely given to in here and abide in us Concerning the former kind Grace accepting is eyther grace of meanes serving to atteine acceptance or the grace it selfe atteined The former of meanes in one word is the grace of vocation in al the passages thereof preventing assisting and perfitting this acceptation of the soule The grace it selfe of acceptance atteyned may be distinguisht into grace eyther of maine essence or of priviledge Grace of maine essence is double eyther justification of our persons from sinne of guilt and blemish or of curse wherein Gods acquitting us in judgement by remission and pardon properly consists or reconciliation by which being pardoned we returne to grace and favour againe as before our blood being restored and we beloved Then secondly grace of priviledge is double positive or privative Positive priviledg in a word is our adoption which besides favor restores us to the former conditioÌ„ yet much bettered of childreÌ„ sons daughters heires and so to the priviledges of a beleever according to the severall occasions of his life course Privative in a word stands in redeÌ„ption that is freedome froÌ„ all the evills dangers enemies crosses within without bodily ghostly which threaten annoyance to our happy estate in Christ Thus for the 1. sort The second are graces inherent in us in a word Sanctification of the whole man body soule and spirit standing both in Conscience and conversation And this is double eyther mortification and consumption of the old man Gal 5 24. renouncing him with his affection and lusts crucifying theÌ„ all with Christs or else quickning up of the soule in the bent frame intent and streame of it to the life of God and grace Thus of the first grace The consequent upon this is the proper issue fruit of each of these first graces which they leave behind them in the soule The proper issue of vocation is union and bringing to God by the instrument of faith The proper issue of justification is peace and quiet of conscience The fruit of reconciliation is holy Complacence and contentment or joy of the Spirit in God her Saviour as Mary speakes The fruit of adoption is Luk. 1 47. the honour liberty and excellency of beleevers with the Spirit of children confidence and calling God Abba resting upon him for all good things a true right to earth heaven and all therein All things being ours we being Christs as Christ is Gods 1 Cor. â— 22.23 The fruit of redemption is assured â—ecurity of heart from evill conquest and triumph in Christ true deliverance of soule from Sathan to God and for God in all obedience The fruite of sanctification is the blessed guard and furniture of Graces resident both in the minde as light purenesse wisedome discerning in the will all habits and uprightnesse integrity cheerefulnesse faithfulnesse in the affections of love hope feare and zeale in the conscience sensiblenesse tendernesse quietnesse In the whole man serviceablenesse to God in the conversation and whole course of it This short draught I have the rather inserted in this due place to give light and order to such things as I have handled in the three Articles of my second part and the fourth fith sixth Articles of the third part of my practicall Catechisme that the Reader may see how all those good things issue from Christ distinctly I meane the use of meanes the strength against lets and the right to all priviledges both conditionall and actuall But especially to lay downe a view of Christ our union and communion Sacramentall But The expressions of the holy Ghost it shall not bee amisse to touch this point as the Holy Ghost in the word expresses it Sometimes therefore hee expresses it in generall termes and sometimes in particular Generally he calls it the holy Ghost and fire See Matth. 3.11 Matth. 3 11. Matth. 3 16. meaning the Spirit of Christ in the efficacy of his grace which should purge as fire Even as our Saviour Christ is said to have the Spirit descending at his baptisme and lighting upon him meaning that he thereby received the unction of the Spirit and the gift thereof even the oyle of gladnes above his fellowes So also it s called by the name of new birth Ioh. 3.5 Heb. 1 9. Ioh. 3. â— Except a man be borne againe of water and the Spirit he cannot enter c. So the washing of regeneration Tit. 3 5. renewing of the holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 And so also it is sayd to save or deliver from wrath as the Arke from the flood 1 Pet. 3.21 In particular this regeneration is distinguished into the washing or purging of justification by the merit or the washing of sanctification by the efficacy of Christs death 1 Ioh. 1 7. See Acts 22.16 Ephe. 5.26 The former we have in 1 Ioh. 1.7 The blood of Iesus purgeth us from all sinne The latter see Ephe. 5.26 That he might sanctifie and clense it with the washing of water by the word To present it without spot or wrinckle in his glorious presence Gal. 3 26. c. Both these are expressed Galathi 3.26 They who are baptized into Christ have put on Christ as their garment both of covering in the one and of warmth in the other all Christ in both But there are two phrases in the Scripture by which the holy Ghost delights to describe the grace of baptisme The one by remission of sins the other by dying unto sinne and rising up unto righteousnesse Of the first there is frequent mention Luk. 3.3 Iohn baptised to the remission of sinnes Luk. 3 3 Acts 22 16. Rom. 6 3 8. Act. 22.16 Wash away thy sinnes and be baptised Of the latter Paul speaketh much in Rom. 6. from the 3. verse to the 8. So many as are Baptized into Iesus Christ are baptised into his death Therefore we are buried by baptisme with him into his death that like as Christ was raysed up from death by the glory of the Father so might we walke in newnesse of life For if we
have beene planted together with him into the likenesse of his death we shall also be to the likenesse of his resurrection And note this further that as the holy Ghost expresses the meriting causes diversly now by one then by another part of his mediation so sometime he applyes that his merit to one frâ—it sometime to another yet so that by one merit we understand all and by one effect of it all the rest Take a Text 1 Pet. 3.21 1 Pet. 3 21. The like figure whereunto baptisme now saveth us not the washing of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience in the resurrection of Iesus Christ Marke the resurrection of Christ being the compleatnesse of his satisfaction and the declaring of it is made here the meriting cause of the grace of Baptisme But by it all the satisfaction is meant And the effect of this Baptisme is called The answer of a good conscience which is the peace and security of it properly issuing from pardon of sinne and guilt yet in and by this all are meant both justification and sanctification The selfe same phrase is used Heb. 10.22 Heb. 10 22. Having your hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience and your bodyes washed with pure water that is with peace For this blood Hebrewes 12. cryeth better things than that of Abel The phrase of sprinkling compares Baptisme to the Israelites sprinkling their doore posts with the blood of the Lambe If they had not done it Exod. 12 22. they had beene in danger of slaying by the Angel But having done it Heb. 10.24 their heart was at quiet and peace through the promise So baptisme is a better sprinkling of a better blood upon a better object to a farre better peace even peace of conscience as being passed from death to life By all these places not unmeet to be conferred together we see that whole Christ crucified Christ in water Christ in our Regeneration Christ in our union and by it all his benefits are the extent of the grace of baptisme And that the Minister standing in Gods stead applying water to the Baptised doth by it apply the power of the Lord Iesus by the Spirit accompanying the same to create a new birth of Grace and life in the soule The which worke of the Spirit I shall more revive in the first use of this point Vse 1 This use is exhortation to all that bring or behold children brought and offred to the Lord in his Sacrament of Baptisme to lay in by faith for the Spirit of Christ in the water whereby the Lord would vouchsafe to thy child and renew to thy selfe if ever truly converted the Lord Iesus for regeneration and the new creature To this end doe two things First 2. Things 1. Behold the truth of the word Behold the truth of this offer of the Lord Iesus in the water by the helpe of the word and not so onely but what the word of Regeneration can worke of it selfe in the soule and therefore much more can further it by the Sacrament Secondly by and through this Word apply the merit and power of the Sacrament to thy soule in particular For the former know although a Sacrament be above a word yet it is so by a word and with it and not else Behold not a Sacrament without a word for then thou seest a meare empty vanishing Element Behold it in word and thou sest no lesse than Christ in the water true regeneration offred thee Take all those Texts I cited before looke up to God by prayer to see the truth of them Ephe. 4 22. as they are in Iesus to rivet every of them in speciall into thy spirit that so thou maist feele a bottome to thy faith out of a word Labour to see what makes this word so powerfull even the truth of a promiser the merit of a satisfyer who died shed his blood was buried and rose againe by the power of God that he might fill a promise with efficacy and perswade thy heart that seeing all that he suffered was for thee to make himselfe thine in remission of sinnes and renewing of the holy Ghost therefore the promise that offers this to thee in the Sacrament is sound and effectuall Reade and ponder that place I named Ephe. 5.26 Ephe. 5.26 Washing of water by the word And so be resolved if the word of a true God tell thee That he will wash thy soule by Christ in the Sacrament it shall be so it cannot be otherwise and if he have said Christ in the water water is spirituall birth regeneration renewing purging burying in the grave with Christ rising up with Christ then so it is This word will give a bottome to thy feete to stand upon while thou reachest out with thine hand to take Christ so that thou shalt not stagger Consider that the same word which hath held Christ and water in so strong an union can also hold thee upon sure ground Alas mens going to worke without a word marres the power of Baptisme and causeth the soule to be present with any object more than with Christ in the water It goes with the Spirit Further bee assured this word of Christ in his promise of the Sacrament never goes alone The truth of it alway is annexed to the Spirit of Christ in the water All the word is full of this tells us the Spirit is that which assists the Sacrament The Spirit quickneth 1 Ioh. 5.6 water profits nothing alone It is the Spirit which must joyne with the word with water and unto Christ to both in the soule or else the things of the Sacrament are as farre off as heaven and earth But the Spirit of Christ crucified water and blood meeting with the Sacrament fetches out all the power of Christ into the soule and makes the promise of blessing effectuall Hence it is that nothing is so common in Scripture as the Spirits concurring with Baptisme Matthew 3. Matth. 3.11 Hee shall baptise with the holy Ghost and fire Tit. 3.5 Water of Regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost Tit 3 5. As it attended Christs baptisme so it must ours if it bee efficacious else not These two things being forelaid bring forth thy faith in the word Spirit of the Sacrament both for thy child and thy self These two things brin faith for begetting or reviving of Christ to regeneration And as the hand puts on the apparell upon the body yea as thou beholdest the Minister to dip thy child in water so concurre with him by faith and behold God the Father putting the Lord Iesus upon thy soule and the soule of thy childe for pardon peace joy confidence security grace and holinesse and fasten upon the Word and draw thereby the Spirit of Baptisme to helpe and satisfie thy soule with Christ in all these As thou wouldest put on a garment upon thy naked body How this 1 By the stripping
can heale worse diseases the disease of my nature the distempers of pride envie worldlinesse selfelove impatience 2 King 2 14. infidelitie and what not As Elisha having the cloake of his Master with the promise of his Spirit smote the waters and caused them to goe this way and that till he went o-over dry so doe thou cry Where is the Lord God of Baptisme The Lord Iesus in the water the Spirit of regeneration Oh! let the Arke carrie mee safe and free from the gulfe of wrath and destruction 2 Kin. 2 21. First O holy Lord let thy Spirit cast his salt into these waters which my sinne hath made barren and accursed even as all other creatures and sanctifie them by union and put a blessing upon them implanting the root of the Lord Iesus into my soule by dipping me into them that so as verily as I behold my childs face and my owne flesh cleansed from spots by outward water so surely we may find our soules and spots thereof to be washed by the bloud of Christ this true laver of the new Birth unto remission of sinnes and eternall life Thus much of this point I now come to the third and last The 3. general The end of it The third generall in the Description is the end whereto Baptisme serveth And that is the sealing up of all the grace mentioned before to be the soules owne in assured perswasion and possession I say not that this is the end which all baptized ones attaine unto nay not all who yet by the word and faith doe attaine some comfortable fruit of Baptisme But this I say is the end which God intends in the Sacrament To seale up the soule to an assured feeling and reall partaking of those holy things of Christ which are here offered I meane not that this sealing of Baptisme is inherent in it To seale our regeneration so as if the Spirit of regeneration were but an attendant to Baptisme no in no wise but this where the Lord meanes to bestow upon a beleeving soule which though it relies upon his Word and Promise yet finds many doubts and feares this grace of knowing it selfe to beleeve to be regenerated to be elect to be heire to heaven which reflexion is the worke of the holy Ghost there the Lord useth the Sacrament of Baptisme to be the instrument of this assurance and to make up the evidence of the word full and effectuall For even as the seale annexed to an evidence makes it past question as I said before so doth this Seale added to the word perfect the evidence of it and therefore we may truly say carries in it the last best and uttermost evidence which the Lord hath to bestow upon the soule to put her out of question To repeat things spoken already is not my purpose By looking at the Covenant onely apply the generall to particular The seale of Baptisme lookes at the extent of the Covenant Thou knowest what it is to have the Lord to be thy God in Christ I spake even now at large of the grace of Baptisme The selfe same is the extent of the Covenant it reacheth not one inch shorter than that I spake there Now marke as large as that is so large is this Seale of Baptisme and the Lord keeper of the great Seale is the Spirit of Christ he it is who brings it forth to the soule that needs it and hungers after it by the taste of the graciousnesse and sweetnesse of God in the Covenant And he aâ—kes the soule and saith Poore soule have not I oft convinced thee by my promise of my faithfull meaning Have I not said I will never faile or deceive thee Yes Lord but I am sold under carnall sence and infidelity Well but what saist thou if I bring forth the markes the wounds the water and bloud of the Lord Iesus side sprinkle them upon thee when Tamar knew not how to convince Iuda lo she sends him the cloke staffe Gen. 38 25. and signet asking him Whose they were and when he saw them he was convinced This course was better than words it had a reall relation in it So here the Spirit brings out the very instuments of assurance and laies water upon thy flesh to secure thee Christ in his life and death is thine and shall not this be a reall relation above the naked word unto thee Yes surely if together with the outward presenting of the things he also clap the Seale upon thy soule and leave a print upon thy soft heart which may assure thee he hath been there to fetch out thy slavish feare and infidelitie Ephe. 1 13. Reade Ephe. 1 13. where this Spirit is called the sealer of the Promise it s called the earnest of our Inheritance and purchased possession Reade also Ephes 4.30 where it is called the Sealer of our redemption Ephe. 4.30 By which phrases all the whole grace of Christ is meant viz. That the Spirit in Baptisme seales our Vocation our Iustification Adoption Sanctification and the rest one as well as the other Vse 1 Now for use Branch 1 If this be true what cause of mourning is there for us in these times that the grace and sealing power of the Spirit in Baptisme is so unknowne to the body of Congregations in this Church How few behold Baptisme with such an eye Oh! how do the most turne it into a ceremony Some of the richer sort making it a ceremony of Pompe and sensualitie the poorer of common passage and forme which when it s over the Pageant is done The better sort acknowledge but an initiating ordinance serving to make men visible Christians But as for grace especially this exceeding grace of the sealing Spirit of Adoption and assurance what one of an hundred sees it Oh lamentable We reade that when certaine disciples of Iohns baptisme at Ephesus Act. 19 2. were asked by Paul If they had received the holy Ghost since they beleeved They answered They knew not so much as whether there was an holy Ghost or no. So may I say of our people Alas they are so farre from the Seale of Baptisme that they know not whether there be any such thing or not They know not that God hath any Ordinance of so high nature or no as this to convey assurance into a man of his regeneration And how can such chuse but live a sad drooping course Branch 2 Nay to this I may adde that it is the case of thousands of Christians whom we should highly offend if we questioned them who scarse see neede of such a sealing Ordinance They praise God they have beleeved their salvation and since that they have been rid of all feares and doubts and walke on and on without ayle or annoiance Indeede they found some adoe with themselves ere they could attaine faith But when they once got it they got all at once and since feele small doubts or oppositions to
for the present enlarges it selfe further and gives the soule a taste of that eternall joy which it shall possesse hereafter when it shall put off this corruption and earthly tabernacle for one not made with hands Secondly the Spirit of sealing hath fulnesse of faith in it It s therefore compared to full sayles of wind Heb. 10 22 which carrie the ship an end Is it so with thee Art thou free in good measure from a life of sence from judging things of God by the outsides Canst thou rest in this that although thou neither hearest voyce from heaven nor seeest shape yet there is a Sun within the clouds There is a God and all the fidelity truth and love is still in the promises which ever was without shaddow of turning Art thou by this faith carried above those feares doubts distempers Rom. 5 2 3 4. which when the coast was mistie thou wert annoyed with Walkest thou now with cleerer comfort joy and perswasion of Gods love providence promises Is thy heart as the Arke above the rockes Gen. 7.10 Is it farre otherwise with thee in the frequencie the dismalnesse of thy unbeleefe than formerly Are thy buffetings temptations lusts well blowne over Then hold and nourish this fruit in thee knowing it is no common thing But Oh Lord where is the man to whom I speake this Thirdly nourish thy liberty Was it wont to be an usuall thing to thee to be clogged with the weight of sinne Heb. 12.1 Heb. 12.1 vexed with the fiery darts of Satan and his noysome buffetings tossed with strong lusts Was the worke of God irkesome painefull to thee hardly drawn to it soone unsetled How is it now 2 Cor. 3.17 The Spirit of sealing is a free Spirit 2 Cor. 3.17 The Lord is a Spirit where he is there is libertie Dost thou now walke in and out with the Lord as a sonne in the house Luke 1 6. well provided for Rid off thy old chaines enlarged to runne the Commandements of God with chearefulnesse Hast thou freedome from thy old feare Psal 119.32 Hath the Lord both overthrowne the court of sinne and bad conscience and all the officers of it Canst thou meete the Bayliffe securely Canst thou as a free man Gal. 5.1 looke upon Satan hell death without horror Nourish it and be thankefull for it Fourthly Hast thou the boldnesse of the Spirit of adoption Canst thou come to the Lord in prayer with holy confidence Is thy slavish heart gone Rom. 8 15. Verse 26. Zach. 12.10 Darest thou call God Father by good proofe and triall Doth the Spirit of God teach thee to pray Doth it purge out thine owne spirit of selfe of gifts of forme and teach thee to pray wisely with feeling and groaning under thy corruptions seeking more mortification of heart and spirit Art thou so fervent and frequent as one that knowes his welcome Canst thou lay in daily for thy selfe and others Blesse God for thy portion and prise it So fifthly Hast thou the spirit of holines purenes If thou be sealed by the assuring Spirit thou are sealed by the holy Spirit of God How doth it appeare Is there love of purenes and holines a loathing of all falsehood and profanes in thee Hast thou gotten a pure title unto Deut. 33.16 Tit. 1.15 and use of all ordinances blessings and administrations of God towards thee Art thou able to say To the pure all things are pure Dost thou grow more fruitful and plentifull in holines all holy means meditation fasting conference holy duties compassiâ—n mercy love pietie sobernes holy graces 2 Pet. 1.5 8. 2 Pet. 3 ult 1 Cor. 15 ult as faith hope patience Dost thou adde grace to grace so as thou maist not be unprofitable but grow be rooted and setled still then I say nourish these I assure thee this world is not for such matters blesse him that hath called thee out of it in the strength of this seale of Baptisme walke on as Elia did to the mount of God 1 King 19 8. Ephes 4 30. Grieve not this sweet Spirit by any lusts or roote of bitternesse keepe the world under the girdle of this Spirit provoke him not to forsake thee but having felt his sweetnesse let him not depart from thee till hee have conducted thee into the land of righteousnes And know if this Spirit be given thee thou keepest a costly thing which not all they have who yet beleeve in this measure deceave not thy selfe about it and if thou have it nourish it carefully For as the traveller who hath nothing to lose is carelesse of theeves so know thou that hast such a charge hadst need be jealous least Satan the world and thy evill selfe rob thee of thy treasure Ephe. 6.18 And this be said of this 3. generall also of the end of Baptisme and so of the whole doctrine and use of Baptisme the more largely because I shall touch it no more as I purpose to doe the other Oh! how is it to be lamented that the knowledge and use of it is no more understood by our Ministers and people CHAP. VI Of the Supper of the Lord. The description and parts of it And first of the Sacramentall Acts of it I Come now to the Doctrine and discourse of the Supper of the Lord wherein as I foresee that those things which do peculiarly concerne the handling of it will take up much more roome than the former of Baptisme as being the Sacrament of growen ones and therefore having in it more life for present administration and use than the other of Infants So also I see much labour is spared me in this latter because of those generals which unavoydably have been handled in the former I say so far as those things do agree to the Supper subjects only being changed So far then as ought hath beene toucht before of the Order the Constitution the Acts Grace or Sealing of Baptisme which may sute and agree with this of the Supper let none looke for the Repetition of it onely in such grounds I will content my selfe to point to the speciall application in few words and dwell the longer upon things peculiarly proper to the Supper And those are these three The Acts to be performed The distinct grace offred in it The speciall end of it which stands in the sealing power and the object wherabout it s occupied Description of it The Supper of the Lord then to describe it first is the second Sacrament of the Gospell consisting of Iesus Christ exhibited in the Bread and Wine wherein by certeine Acts duly perfourmed about the Elements whole christ-Christ-body and Blood is conveyed to the Soule for the sealing up of her Growth and encrease in the Grace of the Covenant 1 Branch of the order Vse First I point in a word at the order In the first Sacrament I noted the impudency of such as will invert Gods order Now in
to God for the sinnes of the Elect. The foresight hereof that his Death should be a lasting Monument of himselfe and a meane of perpetuall honour to the Father through him was another Branch of his blessing of the Sacrament Oh! when he saw God and himselfe had blessed it with their presence for ever and that no enemy shoud prevaile against it Esay 55 13. Esay 66.23 but that as Esay 55. ult it should be an everlasting Name not to be forgotten and as Esay ult it should be a daily Sacrifice from Sabboth to Sabboth to the worlds end that it should prevaile against the gates of hell ignorance and superstition attend the Gospel for ever as a Seale of the Promise and finally survive all base Pillars and Monuments of prophanesse and Idolatry Oh! these things caused him to raise up his heart to his Father in thanks and therewith to be rapt up to blesse his Name and to set his Seale to the Sacrament Be it so Oh Father and be pleased to confirme this grant and I in thy Name do blesse and hallow these Elements to be such memorials for ever Vse The use of this may be to us this Never come to enjoy the Sacrament but to looke up to God in his blessing of the Lord Iesus and to beseech him that it may be so continued and to purge out from his Church in all kingdomes that detestable Idoll of the Masse that it may not stand up as a signe of contradiction against this faithfull witnesse of God that the Lord would not so lay to his heart this our profanation of his Sacrament as to remoove it from us and bestow it upon a people which should honour him with better fruit of it Oh! how have wee in England of a long time plaid the Harlots and after this 60. or 70. yeares of the Sacrament waxen weary of it and when any occasion of a Masse hath beene offered ran by troopes unto it as glutted with this Manna from heaven how have wee lyen heavie upon the stomacke of God by this our transcendent abhomination and excommunicate thing deserving that the floudgates of all Popish trash should be let in upon us and the Gospell Ordinances and communion of Saints quite defaced and sent into another world from us That I say either the possession or the power of them should for ever be pull'd from us Let so many as are free from this contagion still keepe their garments unspotted Revel 14.4 and still begge of God that the blessing once obtained by Christ upon the Sacrament may be still granted that in spite of all Popish pollutions Christs Supper may be kept pure in the Church for a Seale to his Covenant and for the glory of the Father through the Lord Iesus A third and last cause was The view of that unspeakable Grace which the whole Militant Church should reape by it The third cause That good which he foresaw the Sacrament should doe caused him to breake out into this blessing And to set his Seale unto it to the same purpose That as his Father had granted it to such an end so himselfe also blessed it as if he said Goe my blessed Ordinance be the Legacy of my Church and seeing the Father hath made thee an instrument of so endlesse comfort and strength to the weake soules of my people take my blessing also with thee Loe I am now offering up my body and life upon the Crosse and I convey by them all the merit and power thereof to the hearts of my people when and where and how oft soever they shall partake it It is no question but that our Lord Iesus mourned in Spirit also to behold the errors and infinite abuses both of doctrine and practise which should ensue in the Church through Popish corruption and base customes and profane unreverence of men yet all this hinders not his Thankes for the blessed fruit of the Sacrament Vse The use of which is That we also both Minister and people doe thus raise up our hearts to God in the meditation of these things First if wee could but consider how exceeding great a blessing it were to see one heavie soule comforted one doubtfull heart resolved one staggerer setled by the Sacrament How might we be provoked to blesse God Nay when we consider how many the true Ministery of Christ Sacramentall hath humbled broken and converted to God by a due esteeme of a mountaine by many little mollehills How great may we imagine is that crop of grace and blessing which the Sacrament purchaseth to the soules of Gods people throughout the Church But alas our Saviour beheld this by the eye of faith and by the simpathy of love to God and to the elect the glory of the one and the good of the other We rather looke at things with a dead eye of common forme and base custome and blinde hope that so it may be and enquire no further whereas if wee observed narrowly both our owne gaine and the fruit that others reape by receiving aright the Sacrament day should indeede be a blessed day of dayes a day of Praises and wee should not in vaine call it an Eucharist which signifies thanksgiving but really and from experience We should in the consideration of this exceeding goodnesse of God to our selves and to the whole communion of his Saints breake out as Debora Iudg. 5 9. Iudg. 5. and say I rejoâ—ce for the people of Gods welfare and for those that came in faith and departed from the Congregation with comfort Their good should be our joy This is the fellowship in graces which the Church of God hath one with another to rejocye with them that rejoyce and to mourne with them that mourne Both are parts of Christian sympathy What Christian soule what true Minister of God is there who should not seeke to thrust from this holy banquet Iude 1â— all profane and brutish ones spots of Assemblies eyesores to the godly and the reproach of Gods Sacraments And who is there who seeing such intrude themselves should not mourne for their owne and the lot of the Church who must be pestred with such Oh! what a quayling it is to our joy to behold what coruptions and corrupt ones hang upon these Ordinances And so much for the second act of blessing The third Sacramentall act of Christ and the Minister The third act Breaking is the breaking and powring out the Bread and Wine In the opening hereof marke two things First the order of it Secondly the Act it selfe For the first Why did Christ first blesse then breake and powre out Answer That he might resemble the order of his owne satisfaction For first he was annointed or qualified in his person to satisfie set apart and sanctified to it and then he was Sacrificed to have separated or blessed them after the worke of the Crosse performed had beene needlesse and so to have beene first crucified ere blessed and
secondly they neither breake nor powre out to the use of the Congregation thirdly they professe to have so little neede that God should give them his broken Sonne that they bid him take him backe to himselfe for they care not for him nay they give him backe with a mocking of God and say they offer him an unbloudy Christ and unbroken whereas its sure if the Lord Iesus had done so hee had blasphemed and not satisfied Heb. 9 22. Cursed be all new offering of a Christ as a propitiatory Sacrifice to God or offering of a Christ without bloud Thou shalt as soone satisfie wrath by thy owne or by an Angels or Saints Prayers as by a Christ unbroken and unbloudy A Christ neither broken nor bloudy is an Idoll nothing in the world neither meete to satisfie nor to nourish So that forasmuch as the Church of Romes Sacrament is a Christ no Christ no price no pardon no peace reconciliation or eternall life is to be found there We beseech God for ever to deliver us from her and our selves depart from her as a fatall enemy and destroyer of the Sacrament of the Supper Vse 2 Secondly This teacheth both Minister and people to bring with them pure hands and holy bodies and spirits when they touch breake powre out take and eate these pretious mysteries For what communion can be betweene light and darkenesse Christ and Belial 2 Cor. 6.16 The very Sacramentall acts alone require holinesse of all that thus draw neere unto God least he be revenged of their profaning his Ordinance And how carefull should the Minister be himselfe to act this breaking and powring out not leaving it to another since thereby the voluntarie Act of the Lord Iesus is obscured hee himselfe still freely giving himselfe by the onely hand of his deputed Minister Vse 3 Thirdly and especially let it be exhortation to all Christs people to acknowledge the admirable wisdome of this his ordaining the Sacrament for us in so lively a manner Exhort to diverse things and under such powerfull signification That whereas we come to the Supper for our nourishment and growing in faith and gracc in Christ Lo the Lord offers these under the lively sâ—â—nes of the Lord Iesus himselfe and not onely so but cruciâ—â—d and broken and powred out for us even meete nourishment meet to be apprehended by us in the act of his suffering to secure us of our justification by removing of wrath in the act of his preparednesse to nourish us by cutting himselfe out into morsels for us Oh! what life and sappe is there in a Sacrament so offered to a poore soule as crucifying Christ before our eyes and giving him so into our hands What thankes should this draw from us If Esay Chap. 63.1 could in the meditation of this point so many hundred yeares before Esay 63 1. ravish his heart how much more we How should the instruments of our soules peace with God and welfare in him cause us to cry out as he did Who is he that commeth up from Bozrah in his red garments be sprinkled with the wrath of God upon soule and body by agonies desertions outcries and dolors incomprehensible under that justice and wrath the winepresse fiercenesse whereof he trod And although he thereby was powred out to death yet he so trod out that wrath that it shall never seaze after upon a beleeving soule Oh! not only to thinke of this as Esay did a farre off but to behold the very thing in the Sacrament in a broken powred out bloudy Sacrifice made ready to our hand both to forgive refresh and revive the assurance of both to our soules what thanks and joy should it breed in us How should it magnifie the power of the death of our Lord Iesus in us He himselfe was wholy taken up in the joy of it as bitter as it was and shall not we Ioh. 12 24 25. Reade Ioh. 12.24.32 when some Greeke Proselites preassed to have a sight of him two or three dayes ere his suffering he pulls them to behold him dead not alive Except the wheate corne fall and die it abides alone If I be lifted up I will draw all unto me meaning by the word and Sacraments of this Passion And shall not these ravish us much more Vse 4 Fourthly what compassion and mourning should this sight worke in us Reade Zech. 12.10 Zach. 12 10. They shall see him whom they have pierced and mourne and be in bitternesse as one for his onely Sonne I exhort none to whip themselves for Christ for wo be to such as mourne for him whom they should rejoyce in No no weepe for your selves Come eate this Passe-over withâ—â—wre herbes Exod. 12 8. and behold your selves in this Sacrament who brake rent and powred out the heart-bloud of the Lord Iesus to the earth Truly if thou be not sensible of this thy sinne and broken for breaking the Lord Iesus thou art a Cain to this Abel Gen. 4.10 and his bloud shall cry for vengeance against thee Hearken to the voyce of Iustice crying out Either rend this sinfull cursed soule in pieces for her hypocrisie infidelitie profanenesse or teare the flesh of thy Son for him Aske oh Lord why should not I have beene torne and broken rather for my owne sin But thou hast laid the iniquitie of me upon him Oh! how I am stung for the cause Therefore I mourne not because thou did spare me and lay my guilt upon him but because I was that speare those nailes that brake his holy hands and sides Oh! How few come into the Congregation thus abased Behold thy owne just destinie in the broken body of Christ and mourne Oh thus my pride hollownesse worldlinesse had handled me if the Lord Iesus had not stept in Moderate that frothy lightnesse of spirit which beholds Christ in the Sacrament as an object of all joy and mirth Oh! Let it be thy sadnesse first and thy gladnesse after If the sight of a Page being beaten for a Prince will cause the Prince to mourne and see his errour in the Pages strokes what shall the Page do then when he sees the Prince smitten for his prankes Oh! such a broken heart would make Christ sweet in the Sacrament such a mourning would bring joy For why As thou shouldest have suffered unsatisfyingly except Christ had satisfied So he having freely broken himself for thee hath prevented thy breaking and caused thee to blesse him and say Oh! because thou hast delivered me from this anguish I wil take up the cup of salvation and praise thee Thou stepst in Oh Lord when Angels durst not betweene wrath and my soule Psal 116.13 that the snare being broken I might escape Vse 5 Fifthly concurre therefore by faith with this broken Lord Iesus in the Sacrament first behold the order of it then the act it selfe For the first Remember Two things 1 Order that all true right to the Lord
the Lord Iesus that so it might never faile nor wanze away any more Then surely it behooves that the Lord Iesus be as well the keeper of this life and the nourishment thereof as hee was the first the breeder thereof Answere 4 Fourthly the Father to this end must really convey into the person of Christ all such power and vertue as may enable him to be the life and nourishment of his members and therefore he must fill him with himselfe bodily and make him the treasury of all graces wisedome righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1.30 sanctification and redemption all good things necessary for the making of such as are not his to become his and such as are his to be more his or his in a more full and assured manner to prosper grow and thrive in him unto perfection Answere 5 Fiftly he must also qualifie the Lord Iesus with the gift of conveying this holy nature of his and this blessed nourishment of his unto his people and this he doth not onely by the union of flesh with God but especially by the death and satisfaction of Christ by which as by a wide dore he opened the treasure of life and nourishment which was in him and merited that the life of grace in forgivenesse and holinesse might be theirs and that himselfe in his flesh and blood broken and powred out might bee a most effectuall seede of life and foode of life to support them Answere 6 Sixtly to this end hee hath the authority to send forth the word of reconciliation and of nourishment unto his people and as by the power of vocation to call them from death to life that all who heare the voyce of God might live so also to create in their soules by that word of his Esay 57.17 the gift of faith to pull them to himselfe to unite them to himselfe and to convey his owne spirituall life by this union of faith unto them causing his blessed Spirit to concurre so with the word as to settle it upon them and having so done to give them this priviledge that they shall as truely bee maintained at his cost Iohn 17.11 be kept in his name be upheld in grace prosper in it be defended against all enemies within or without which might impeach this their welfare growth fruitfulnesse and perseverance as ever he bred life in them at the first Answere 7 Seventhly and lastly they receive by this priviledge as true right to claime plead for and expect the Lord Iesus to be their nourishment as the poore dumbe creature by the instinct of nature being brought forth runnes to the Damme for milke Or as the Infant comming forth of that wombe which gave it life cryes for the brest of the same mother and pleades to be nourished by her By these steps it may be conceived in generall how the Lord Iesus is made of the Father the true foode of his members The second question viz. How Christ is so in the Supper But as yet here is nothing of Christ our Sacramentall nourishmen Vnderstand therefore the Sacrament to stand in relation to the word of promise wherein Christ is made the poore soules owne to feede her As I noted in Baptisme so heere againe observe Christ in promise and Christ in the Supper differ not save in the manner and degree of exhibiting him out nourishment Looke then what the Spirit of the promise workes for the soule that it much more worketh by the Sacrament First persents the promises Take some instances First it presents the soule of every one truely bred with those choise promises of Christ her nourishment searching them out of each corner Tells her Esay 25. Esay 25.7 That the Lord makes her a feast upon the mountaines of fat things of wines refined and pure and the dishes of the feast are Christ in his graces plucking away the veile of darkenesse remooving death and feare bringing joy and peace Esay 55.1 Esay 55.2 he offers him in all kinds of things usefull and nourishing wine honey oyle bids her eate good things and delight her selfe in fatnesse In Pro. 7. Prov. 7.1 he invites her to his feast and provision of all choice dainties not for necessity onely but for fulnesse for delicacy for variety and delight for safety for durablenesse In Psal 23. Psal 23.3 hee leades her as a shepheard into his pastures streames folds guards her against dangers and death annoints her head with balme Cant. 4.13 and fills full her cup. In the Canticles he makes himselfe her husband to marry himselfe to her and bestow all at once upon her his garments smell of mirrhe Cinnamon and Cassia In Psal 84. Psal 84.11 he denies her nothing that is good for her either for light or defence in those Parables he makes her a feast Luk. 15.23 brings out the Calfe In Iohn 6. Iohn 6.55 tells her his flesh is not onely life but meate indeede and his blood drinke indeede And plainely saith They that live in him shall abide in him and out of their belly shall spring up waters of life they that eate him shall not dye but live for ever In Revel 3. Revel 3.18 he offers himselfe to her in all respects Attire for nakednesse Gold for poverty eye-salve for blindnesse himselfe a supply of all necessities How much more then doth hee leade her to this great Sacramentall promise mentioned in the Text This is my body given for you this is the Cup of the New Testament in my blood 2. Brings the fulnesse of Christ into the promise Againe the Spirit of the promise brings the Lord Iesus and all his fulnesse of nourishment into that promise the spirit of nature doth not so prepare the nourishment of the infant and seale it in the brest for more easie fastning than the Spirit doth settle all the fulnesse of Christ in a promise so that it offers it selfe to the hungry soule Besides 3. Puts the truth of the promiser into it it put the faithfulnesse of the promiser into the promise all the tendernesse and compassion of Christ to the wants of the Church and the truth of his meaning not to faile her in any good thing he can helpe her with Furthermore it strips her of all her owne strength 3. Strips the soule of her selfe tells her that although shee be borne of God yet except hee cleave to her as a feeder as a father a nurse a supply she cannot subsist shee will goe to worke else with her owne tooles and compasse her selfe with her owne sparkles Esa 50. ult and deceive her selfe with her owne trash shee cannot doe any duty get out of any temptation beare any trouble of her selfe without Christ shee can doe nothing Moreover hee sheweth her 4. Leads her to the sufficiency of Christ all her sufficiency is from Christ The worke and life of grace requires his daily hourely acting power in her to set it on
speech The Lord is my portion thou shalt maintaine my lot and my chance Christ is able to uphold his owne worke and the portion which hee hath in his As Iohn 17. Iohn 17 11. he prayed for it Father keepe them in thy Name so hee can doe it and of his fulnesse they receive grace for grace Iohn 1 17. Iohn 6 55. His flesh is meate indeede and his bloud drinke indeede it s a seene upon their faces and runnes in their veines it puts sappe and vigor of joy peace and hope into them and will not suffer them to looke worse and worse as it s said Dan. 1. Dan. 1.15 That the pulse they eate by the blessing of God made them looke as well and fresh at seven dayes end as if they had eaten the Kings fare How much more then shall the Kings diet doe it Gods servants neede not forsake his house and fare for the diet of the world joviall bold wanton libertines and timeservers the Lord hath better fare than so for them He counts it a dishonor to his housekeeping to see any of his to looke meager or evill-favoured And therefore looke what grace he hath put into them he upholds it in them by his diet by his flesh by his bloud So that they have the true Spirit of nourishment in them they doe not coole in their love through the abundance of iniquity they are not pulled from their stedfastnesse by the errour of the wicked they doe not decline in their zeale love affections judgement savor by the malice of Satan the corruption of their owne spirits the examples of formall and temporizing ones they leave them to themselves and looke to what they once received and to him they have once betrusted themselves with and from his nourishment they finde themselves to be enabled to keepe the good things they have swet for as a Iohn 8. 2 Iohn 8. which in so bad and degenerate world as this is no small portion The second degree Growth in grace The 2. degree of Christs Sacramentall influence is growth And this still argues more prosperitie of soule and that their nourishment doth them good Wee see it in the creatures and bodies of men health wil cause growth by the constant use of nourishment And this is when not onely the soule holds even termes with the Lord What it is Esay 63.3 4. but outstrips her self as a tree of righteousnesse shouts forth her branches and as the willowes by the waters doe every yeare grow in length thicknesse and tallnesse that they doe not onely not wanze and wither but get still and grow bigger and bigger So it is with a true prospering soule Phil. 3 13. He lookes not behind him what he hath beene is not weary of health and welfare waxeth not resty lazie carelesse and standing at a stay as who say I have held long enough and abode the heat of the day Let hypocrites who stand upon their own bottome keep a measure of their own within them doe so These are in another stocke planted by the hand of the Lord Iesus into himselfe and therefore looke what the seede is of which they were borne Luke 2. ult the like is the pitch they aspire to they looke still forward to that which is before aiming at the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus In whom Ephe. 4.16 Ephes 4. the whole body fitly joyned and compact according to the effectuall working of Christ in each part maketh encrease of it selfe till Verse 13. it grow to a perfect man and the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ So that looke what dimensions are in Christ what his length depth and bredth is Ephes 3 16. that in proportion the soule united to him by his Spirit doth covet and seeke after by a kinde of holy instinct and never thinkes her selfe to prosper and to be in good case till she thrive and grow in grace and although she mourne for insensiblenesse in this kinde and that any outward growth is more discerned than this yet she rejoyces that she hath some secret motions in her that way Psal 101 3. that as shee loathes to cleave to such as decline and wax dead so she abhorres also to stand still luskishly lazily wearisomely in the way and worke of Christ Therefore sweetly Peter 2 Epist last Chap. and the end joynes these two to hold our owne not to be pulled from our steadfastnesse with growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus And to the end she may doe thus The Lord Iesus can doe these how 1 By himselfe she beholds him into whom she is ingrafâ—ed from his stocke she drawes juyce and moysture continually She doth not onely behold his flesh and humanity how that grew in stature or at his example how he by the assistance of his godhead grew in grace with God and favour with men although these be sweet helpes but she beholds the Mediatorship and unction of the Lord Iesus Heb. 1 9. how by the unction of his flesh with God he was sanctified for his Church and her use how all his obedience and growth in it was not for himselfe but for his beleeving ones that they might grow up in more meekenesse humblenesse brokennesse of heart mercy love patience holy example more in quality of graces that they might be more purged from the uncleanenesse of their owne spirit and be more pure and savory more in the quantity and measure of them that as a little did some good and went a little way so more may doe more and goe a farre greater give more light seeme more beautifull afford more savor beare downe an ungracious world more powerfully and witnesse more sweetly to their owne heart the truth of Regeneration than ever By his Sacrament And to helpe themselves herein they apply themselves to the Ordinances of Christ not onely to the word that they might grow thereby But to the Sacrament of the Supper especially being the especiall helpe appointed to this onely end to bring the Lord Iesus into the soule for her nourishment and growing in grace So that needs it must be that this growing in grace which a poore soule seekes is one of the most especiall fruits of Christ in the Supper and Baptisme doth not more truly assure her of Regeneration than the body of the Lord Iesus and his bloud in the Sacrament doth assure her of her groth in grace Matth. 13.8 Such as the seed is such is the crop wheate brings forth twentie thirtie or sixtie fold it still of wheate even so the food of Christ which is heavenly and holy for the flesh profits nothing nor the bloud although one had dranke it under the crosse Iohn 6.63 it s the Spirit onely which quickneth and was given for the breeding and nourishing the soule in grace it breeds an heavenly groth and a spirituall
encrease in every true Receiver especially being assisted with other helpes inward and outward the mercies and blessings of God which as Talents are put to advantage for Gods glory The third degree Stablenesse in grace The third is stablenesse in grace Wee see that mens bodies in time by continuance of health and groth come to a pitch to a measure of groth This is a third prospering It is not with the soule as with the body which ceaseth to grow when it is at her pitch or declines rather when it is growne to her full point What it is But herein a pitch of bodily groth resembles spirituall that as the man growne to his full period enjoyes as it were himselfe and all his former yeares which he hath lived becomes now of a growing a growne man is come now to his best to his full strength ability and sufficiencie for service so is it with a Christian He growes in Christ to the measure and fulnesse of him Ephe. 4.13 Eph. 4.13 So that whereas before in his beginnings and proceedings hee found much ignorance in minde much error in judgement much infirmity in spirit much to seeke of direction and wisdome in his course Also much unsetled wearisome off and on up and downe in holy practise many combats and conflicts with his bubbling rebellious inconstant treacherous withdrawing spirit lo now it s otherwise now he is growne to some stay setling ripenesse and experience in Gods matters Heb. 5. Heb. 5. ult more exercised in his spirituall senses to put a difference betweene good and evill persons and things not so blinde as formerly but light in the Lord judicious observative sober in affections staide in minde and resolution Ephe. 5 16. 1 Iohn 2.13 Act. 11.27 1 Cor. 7.35 Ephes 4.12 having his heart at better bay and more awe for teachable subjection to God more firme in purpose of heart to cleave to God without disstraction 1 Cor. 7.35 not easily carried away by each Doctrine and dice-play of men not mistaking truths not slighting them not partially affecting them but moulded in them fashioned by them and keeping his fashion as a man would doe of his apparell against each noveltie So also constant setled rooted and stable 1 Cor. 15. last reade it not ungrounded in the foundation not to seeke when Satan buffets but knowing his devices 2 Cor. 2.11 2 Cor. 2.11 and also strong to resist couragious in the use of the Armour and so persevering in his course This is that which Paul Ephe. 3. cals Christ dwelling in the soule by faith as the Inhabitant who keepes in his owne Christ Sacramentall doth this Epes 3.17 is not as a Stranger or a Sojorner who comes and goes but a Ledger one that holds his abode and delights in his dwelling Oh! this is a great degree of Christs infusion and influence into the soule when he pitches there settles and dwels there for what else is the stablenesse of the soule in grace save Christs dwelling in it by his grace and is no flittet thence And this third degrâ—e of nourishment the Lord workes in all his who have attained the former two They come to be as the Scholler riveted into his Rules or the tradesman in the myrie of his occupation not to seeke of it It is the promise of Christ to all his that they shall grow up thus in the body not by any vertue of their owne but by the Spirit of the Lord Iesus their nourishment And to this end especially they cleave to this Sacrament and improve the promise of it This is my body This is my bloud even to settle the soule by the frequent receiving of it upon the Lord Iesus for stablenesse strength courage that they may enjoy the Lord Iesus in all the Sacraments they have received and retaine the power of all the Ordinances they have used all the graces they have growne in all the duties they have done afflictions they have endured examples they have seene workes and governement of God which they have marked I say that from all these the Lord would bring such an holy experience of heart resolution of purpose setling of spirit upon the Lord his threats commands and promises as not doubting but they are firme and sure Matth. 7 ult and therefore a rocke and foundation sufficient to rely upon in all windes stormes and weathers whatsoever This I say is that third degree of Christ our nourishment which each communicant lookes for at the Supper The fourth degree Fruitfulnesse in grace 1 Cor. 15. ult What it is The fourth and last is fruitfulnesse in grace See 1 Cor. 15 ult where the Apostle joynes these two last branches Be yee unmooveable and setled alway abounding in the worke of the Lord. Wee see it in plants and men The plants must be well spread and rooted in the earth before they can grow fruitfull at least in plenty A little roote will not nourish large branches and boughes Sometime the root is so bare and fleet that it will scarce furnish the tree with leaves but a large deepe root hath many strings and little suckers which worke for the tree and feede her with nourishment so that the roote abiding deepe aod fast in the earth the fruit is plentifull Wee know nature is never more fruitfull in the active principle of generation than when the strength of the body is well confirmed So then this is the last step of spirituall prosperitie when this fourth is added to the three former to wit fruitfulnesse in a good course And it is the perfection of that influence and communion which we here enjoy in the Lord Iesus our nourishment That meate indeede and drinke indeede is this abundance and fruitfulnesse When out of the abundance of the heart the tongue is fruitfull in uttering the hands in working the feete in walking the members in service the whole tree in bringing forth fruits of righteousnesse Esay 61 3. calles such accepted and beloved of the Lord as we esteeme exceedingly of bearing trees especially if yearely and plentifully It is from the roote of the Lord Iesus that the soule doth grow thus fruitfull The indwelling of Christ is the abundance of influence the lesse of Christ the soule hath the lesse sap and fruit the nearer the communion the greater the influence The greater the treasure is from which a man draweth the richer the supply We say It s sweet to take from a great heape An heape wil serve for all uses a poore unstockt man is easily perceived in his wares the small store and choise therof hee that hath little mony to lay out is bare in his household attire family diet scarse hath for necessitie but nothing for delight and plenty So is it with a man that is no prosperer in grace hath only froÌ„ hand to mouth he cannot verifie our Saviour his specch That out of the abundance of the heart he bringeth good things abundantly but
rather he is scant in good speech scant in preaching no more than needs must in hearing prayer meditation barren and poore so in the graces of the Spirit little love small humility compassion so in duties so in meanes Alas the roote is bare and therefore the tree is unfruitfull So also the deeper the soule is rooted in Christ Christ it this roote of fruitfulnesse Iohn 11 3. and 12 1.2 the larger roome he hath in the heart the more scope and entertainment he finds the greater graces he affords If we compare Mary and Martha's house with the houses which now and then Christ was bidden too no doubt but wee shall finde that his fruits of preaching love converse miracles and good doing were more fall in the former than the latter Why There was no stop he might be sure to be welcome at all times therefore hee shewed himselfe more there than elsewhere Christ then the more he is rooted in the soule the fuller hee is of influence and so growes more fruitfull For what is fruitfullnesse Surely when a Christian being ashamed to consider what a barren heart hee hath had under full meanes and how little and narrow the good is which he hath done for God to himselfe and others and beholding the cause thereof his want of true stocke of knowledge and faith mourneth for this his misery and seeking for an heart fuller of Christ and his nourishment doth from his treasure extend himselfe plentifully to the exercise of such graces meanes and duties as may be usefull to himselfe and in the communion of Saints If a poore shopkeeper almost banquerupt be set up and holpen up againe with new stocke what will hee doe Ply the matter runne to London furnish himselfe with the best of wares and choise of them bring them home fill his shop in every corner and satisfie the turne of every buyer Oh! what a change is there So it is with a Christian recovering out of a fruitlesse course by the Lord Iesus his raizing and setting him up againe stores himselfe with plentie of graces sets them on worke and fills each part of his life with duty yea sets himselfe against his former unprofitablenesse Adding to his knowledge faith to his faith love meekenesse patience experience hope that so he may not be unfruitfull in the Lord Iesus 2 Pet. 1 1 5 6. If he have risen up well apaid in his morning awaking he rests not there as before but fetches from his treasure a cheerefull heart to his calling from thence proceeds to family duties and government from thence to doe good and take good in company thence to be well occupied alone thence ready to visite the sicke to admonish to comfort to advise others and when all is done 1 Cor. 15 ult to nourish in himselfe the life of faith one while humblenesse another while forbearance long suffering in prouocations thanks for blessings patience if crossed sometime in one sometimes in another duty yet neither hurt by one from another nor glutted by succession of service but fruitful unwearied in all with one eye to his ground another to his end Even as a man of an active spirit if well apaid in diet and refreshed in body sticks not from morning to night to be doing loathes to be idle and thinkes himselfe to have lost that day wherein hee hath not beene full of emploiment Now so is it here the Lord Iesus his nourishment so enables the soules of his that they seeke occasions to expresse goodnesse as eagerly as a barren heart shunnes them that which strikes the one dumbe and as dead as a stone yea is as bane to him that quickens and joyes the other because the fulnesse of grace makes the worke most sweet and welcome Now wherin is the Lord Iesus so full a nourishment as in his Supper in which he brings forth all his store and Magazine to fill the soule that is empty with good things and so to send it away from his Table furnish'd as the Apostle saith as a vessell of honour and prepared for every good worke so that none comes amisse 2 Tim. 2.21 Thus I have given to the Reader an Answer to this question what the Lord Iesus our nourishment is both in his parts and degrees one of the maine things which I would wish him to marke in the whole Treatise for the true conceiving of the vertue of the Supper Now I come to the use which is as weightie Vse 1 And first thisDoctrine is one of the fearefullest terrours that can fall upon the profane sort of men that live within the bosome of the Church visible All Atheists Neuters meere Civillians Ignorant Profane Libertines and Hypocrites Is the Lord Iesus the Sacramentall nourishment and influence of his Church Oh wofull then your condition who cut off your selves frem all communion and fellowship with him I say not in some but in all grace of his or part in his Ordinances Alas the day is to come that ever yee saw neede of him to subsist in him at all Your bondage enmitie and hell seeme liberty amity heaven to you The divell hath bored your eares for vassals to himselfe as notorious wretches who are willing slaves when ye may be free Who then wonders if the Supper of Christ and that offer of welfare which he makes therein to his be as a fulsome thing unto you Alas as long as your drinke lusts play company sleepe and belly-cheere be granted you who wonders if ye despise with Esau this birthright If with Swine ye tread these Pearles and this Manna in the dirt Alas Matth. 7 6. it availes not you to have such a previledge as Christ to feede your soules if the whilest ye want your carnall appetite satisfied If this foode were but as a messe of Pottage Heb. 12.16 as the wearing of your lockes ye would have had him ere now But oh saplesse barren and unsavory wretches to whom these dainties as are a dry chip Who come and goe to the Sacraments as to dumbe Pageants more fit for a masse of trickes and apish ceremonies than the Solemne feast of Christ Sacramentall Woe be unto you oh ye Dogges and Swine your morrall sinnes are fearefull your swearing your lying cosenage drunkennesse But your chiefe misery is that you are carnall wretches sould under your lusts destitute of all union or communion with God your hearts are not where your bodies are when you come to Christ and the Supper But as the fooles heart is on his left hand Eccles 10.2 so are yours with your lusts which are your appointed meate drinke and pastime unto you Acts 8.21 Therefore you have no fellowship in this businesse your Sacraments are the wofullest markes of wrath which ye can carrie about you Law fashion custome feare formalitie are your grounds of receiving Christ ye come not for and your hearts tell ye he belongs to no such Therefore ye are as yet in the gall of
shalt eate this meat and drinke this drinke indeede never to decay True apprehension of the Promise first will cause it Say then thus Lord thou saydst seeke my face in the supper thou saydst come take eate What meanest thou but this that I should concurre with thee and bee of like mind consenting to thee that thou dealest plainely and speakest as thou meanest without hooke or crooke Oh Lord what should let me I am convinced that if thou hadst not meant well thy selfe and Christ might have spared infinite labour Therefore I consent Thou sayst take as freely as I offer be to mee as I am to thee play not the traytor 2 Cor. 6 11 12. Be enlarged to mee for I am enlarged Oh Lord so I am I beleeve I dare not distrust and descant and play the slave with thee but see cause why thy word should bee esteemed as pure true faithfull as thy selfe is I am the cause of my owne sorrow could I be to thee as thou to my soule my people as thy people my thoughts affections as thine Oh how happy I will strive for it So for obedience say as Peter Luke 5 5. At thy command I will let downe I will take thy Sacrament Alas what villany were it to thinke thou shouldst seeke thy good in it and not mine should not I creepe and crouch for it rather than urge thee to command mee Nay should not I feare that if I disobey thee in thy charge thou wilt threaten mee with condemnation for not discerning thy meaning Oh! I obey with all gladnesse Give power to doe as thou bidst and I will doe what thou wilt And to end this point deny thy selfe and come in the sence of thy utter perishing to the Lord for this grace of the Supper Come to the Lord with that speech which the Israelites were bid to come to the feast of the Lord Deut. 26. verse 5. A perishing Syrian was my Father So come with a soule in love with his dainties and like to sterve for want of them The drowning man hath the most Taking hand of all the most catching fastening hand of all 2 or 3 of his fingers will take more hold than an whole hand of one that is well enough bee it never such a paulsey-hand trembling and shaking yet if a taking hand it is the hand which Christ calls to his body and blood The latter work of faith 2 Branch Application of faith is the application of the grace offered unto thy soule for the gaine thereof When thou hast beleeved the promise once doe as hee who hath bought and payde for his bargaine incorporate thy selfe into the benefit of it and apply it to thy selfe Take the Lord Iesus thy nourishment so as he may in truth really nourish and doe thee good in all thy whole soule in all the powers of it in thy whole body and all the members and in all thy whole course of each part and service thereof See it bee well with thee in all that thou prosper in all and blesse God for faith when thou feelest her carrying from this body and blood of Christ Layd out by a similitude in 4. Branches into every faculty and member of thee Faith in relation to Christ in the supper may bee compared to the Nourishing soule and her naturall faculties in man and that in foure particulars 1 Faith Sacramentall resembles the stomacke in the body The stomack we know so takes the nourishment 1. By the stomacke as that it unites it to it selfe and alters it in the property that it may become her owne and beginne to loose it owne forme that it may put on a new Till the stomacke have thus held closed and digested the meate lo it may bee voyded up againe This is the first worke Faith takes the Lord Iesus and closes with him puts him into the stomacke of the soule digests him there unites him to it selfe suffers him not to depart away from her as he came but holds him makes him hers and alters him in some degree for her owne Nourishment When the hand takes Bread flesh drinke to put it in the mouth lo its true meate in it selfe but not the bodies as yet but if the stomacke have once layd it in close lo it ceases to be bread and flesh and beginnes to bee the stomackes and to undergoe a due change that it may afterwards bee the bodies food The Ivy doth not so close with the tree or the Misle to the Appletree for her owne end altering the juyce for her owne use as faith Sacramentall alters Christs body blood makes it another turnes it into matter prepared for her selfe Faith truely saith by vertue of the ordinance and Spirit of the same loe This body is mine my meate I lay claime to it this blood is mine All the grace of the Sacrament is mine I clare not leave it behind mee for it s given for mee as meate for the body And as the stomacke closes with meat as her owne so doth faith with the Lord Iesus for why By as due right this nourishment is hers Secondly faith is like the naturall Appetite in the body 2 By Naturall Appetire wee know such is the Nature of that facultie in the healthy and stirring that there is alway a passage from the stomack to the veynes and so the appetite is cleare the stomacke kept cleane and fit for continuall Attraction of new nourishment So is faith in the soule it holds the soule in such perpetuall holy motion and passage of old nourishment that it is alway healthy and empty and open to receive in new Perpetuall expence of nourishment prepares her appetite to new refreshing The soule that is desirous of meat by starts and fitts is clogged and makes not away with the former but when the use of nature hath conveyed one meale away and spent the strength of one lo the veines grow very attractive and pinch the stomacke to covet more and to bee in perpetuall appetite Faith is the stirring work-man or hous-wife in the soule never surfited with humors or clogged so with distempers but that shee retaines some sweete appetite after new refreshing Otherwise Christ yesterday to day and for ever would grow fulsome and wearisome with her but by this meanes the appetite is in continuall health and temper ever sending forth supply for new dueties occasions of the heat and life and therfore ever capable of new nourishment with delight Hence it is that though the meat bee not much which shee takes yet she thrives merveilously and a little in an haile stomack goes a great way how much more then when hunger makes her feed fully Thirdly faith is like the great carrying veine in the body 3 By the carrying veyne from the liver the fountaine of blood and nourishment and to the smal veins in the extremities of the members For as the one derives the blood into each part by a proprietie of nature
under the government of others nor governours because they have authority over them No there is no Time Age Person who can prescribe against the Lord of heaven Prince and people learned and idiots Iew Barbarian bond free great or small are all alike and under no difference with him But all of all sexes conditions estates and relations if men if Christians if of capable yeares and discretion stand bound to this Sacramentall triall He who will exempt himselfe let him bring forth his dispensation Therefore let all covers of figleaves drawne from the variety and difference of outward respect fall to the ground as unable to hold water when God shall enquire who they are that dare take out their names from this generall rule Gods lawes are not as cobwebs onely to catch small flyes The second branch is Who must try To which I answer Branch 2. Who must try Each one himselfe for these are the expresse words of the Apostle in which were reason sufficient But besides there is cause for it Reason 1 For first the object of this inquisition and tryall Each one himselfe are not errours and ignorances properly whereof the soule for lacke of knowledge can take no notice but either good or evill whereof we are privy or guilty to our selves and as for the rest the Lord in mercy pardons them to his owne servants who mourne for them as those who would gladly know them and so shun all evill and repent of their omissions and failings therefore it is conscience which must give the answer and make the inquiry Reason 2 Secondly the tryall which flowes from the sence the eye or hearesay or conjectures of men and their actions is most uncertaine For sometime a good â—â—â—n out of ignorance of some cases being plaine and open may seeme to go to worke upon a worse ptinciple than indeed he doth and to be worse than he is And againe a sly hypocrite who can accommodate himselfe to the opinions of men and occasions of things very cunningly may procure the conceit of a very honest man But conscience well informed will beare witnesse without cosenage or error what a man is Reason 3 Thirdly it is conscience which is the do-all in the soule Shee is set by the Lord to be the espiall of the narrowest passages of the heart and life except hood-winked and defiled she keeps the cinque ports the out-lets and in-lets of the heart and life nothing passes without her notice and verdict that water which runnes by the mill of our course utterly unknowne to others is to her well understood And therefore from her must proceede this tryall shee is this him selfe who must examine and who must bee examined Reason 4 Lastly all judgment and triall from others without can not attaine to this true triall of a man and that for these Respects Respect 1 1. Because there is none that knowes or can know the spirit of man save the Lord and it selfe by the Lords meanes For then should man become in Gods place 1 Cor. 2 11. now that cannot bee for although some man may bee in GODS stead to another yet that is onely in light and derection not in search or triall The things that are in the soule lie hid under so many lockes and with so many windings and conveiances that the soule it selfe cannot search them of it selfe except the Lord helpe her Iere. 17. much lesse can any other doe it Secondly put case that some wise and discerning Minister should by his wisedome discover somewhat more than others yet the intentions extents measures and consequences of those evilles are past his inquiry how deeply the soule is engaged in her guilt with how high or low an hand shee offended against what light shee sinned what penalties shee hath incurred what offence to GOD or men and what wound to her selfe whether felt and repented or not hath followed no man besides her selfe can search out Respect 3 Thirdly say hee could yet is it not in him to work upon Conscience so discovered The feeling of sinne guilt and curse the true view of sinne to humble melt and aâ—â—â—ct the soule that it might apprehend pardon repent and returne to GOD is the act of conscience by the efficacy of the word reflecting upon it selfe Lastly though all these were yet is it not in the power and Authoritie of another to inquire Perhaps a fit man is not present if hee bee hee may want a calling however the issue upon triall may bee out of his power and hand for either he is not to debarre from the Sacrament for such sinnes as are unconvinced and open but onely within the bosome of the committer or if they bee scandalous yet it s beyond his strength to execute the censure of suspension upon the party but notwithstanding hee will rush upon the Sacrament Whereas a man examining himselfe aright may and must bee such a law to himselfe upon due survey taken Vse of it The use of the point is manifold Admonition But it will more fitly fall upon the last branch Heere only I admonish such as would try themselves well to beware least they rest themselves upon either the labors or opinions of others How ordinary an abuse is it of the publique and private directions that are given to people for triall that men thinke themselves discharged from selfe triall How great pitty is it that faire weather should doe such hurt And that men should hang other mens triall of them as a Cover of darkenes before their eye that they might not come within themselves Some through unwillingnesse ease or a false heart stop their mouths with this that having had such excellent helpes they cannot chuse but be well tryed Reasons why men try not Howbeit themselves can give no reason why And others when they have offered themselves to be tryed with some sence of their need yet either by having more knowledge of the Sacrament than was expected or expressing some good affections of desire and sorrow for the present or because they have a gift to make the best shew and to conceale the worst I say some way or other bleare the eye of their Minister or Parents 1 Sam. 16 7. so that they thinking the Annoynted of the Lord to stand before them occasion them to boldly adventure upon the Sacrament as if beyond exception Alas poore soule Dost thou not know that the triall rests in thy selfe If thou be neither truely broken beleeving or Penitent can other mens erroneous Charity releeve thee It may possibly be a great sinne in another to thinke thee unfit for the Sacrament knowing no other or to exclude thee when as yet it is a fearefull bold and uncharitable rashnesse against thy selfe who knowest thy selfe to dare and presume thereto Mat. 16 29. What shall it profit to winne a world of good opinion from others and loose thy owne soule or to rejoyce in other mens errors Mat.
thing viz. 1. How the soule hath carried it selfe in respect of former Sacraments received how it hath lived and thriven in grace by them 2 How it hath fayled therein and broken the covenant there renued in speciall 3. What repentance it feeles for that speciall sin what faith it hath in the promise of the Sacrament what fitnesse to joyne with the Church in communion of the body by love What desire after former fruit and growth by experience thereof 4. This triall at the Sacrament is a speciall Reviving stirring up and quickning of all these graces for the use of the Sacrament that thereby through mercy the soule may goe and receive with the lesse feare and more faith to speed of her desire The summe and scope of all is thus much Vse 1 1. To teach Gods people how to make use of all the former Trialls for the helping them forward to this Vse 2 Then secondly to shew how a Christian should accommodate himself to every duty wifely orderly without error and confusion which is no small grace Vse 3 3. To confute the blindnesse of such as see no distinct grace contein'd in this triall for the Sacrament and therefore thinke that if they can be devout catch up a booke and reade put on a demure habit and violently keepe off themselves from usuall riots and profanenesse of life or simper with a few good words that they carry good hearts to God meaning no man any hurt they thinke this to be that which will passe for their tryall at the Sacrament To whom I say Prov. 19 2. Without knowledge the heart is naught If they who have practized the 4. Tryalls abovesayd yet must not confound them with this but revive this triall at and for the Sacrament what shall be sayd to such blind and ignorant tryers as these without rule or reason Lastly it should informe every good communicant in the nature of this true tryall not to desist and give it over by wearinesse sloth or difficulty till in some measure he finde how he is qualified for the Sacrament seeing till then hee doth but mistake the whole scope of the Ordinance and mocke his owne soule The fourth branch of the description is Generall The issue of it The issue of this triall viz. That accordingly a man may either proceed to the Sacrament or desist for the present And this the nature it selfe of triall requires and otherwise it were needelesse to try except it were for the issue Which is plaine by the end which the Lord hath in trialls of another kind Why is the Lord sayd to try his people with false teachers and lying Prophets Deut. 13 3. Is it not no know whether wee will cleave to the truth or beleeve lyes Is it not that the faith of the elect might bee discerned from the rottennesse of hypocrites Why doth the Lord try us with streights and crosses Doth hee not intend to try whether wee will bee content with our portion or murmure and use indirect shifts So the Lord tryed Gedeons souldies who were meet for warre Iudges 7.5 who not Men also in their trialls as at Assyses what intend they save either to acquite or condemne My scope is to shew that Sacramentall triall hath also her issue either to encourage a man to receive with comfort or to desist for the time till beter provided with caution and warinesse The Vse 1 Which point is of great use 1. To instruct all Christian examinants in their triall to bee carefull of themselves and not to suffer themselves to bee deceived by error or selfe-love For why Instruction The issue is great either the comfort of well receiving and danger of loosing a great blessing if we come not Or else the perill of incurring of a great mischiefe and judgement if they presume to come We say the end of a thing is last in execution but first in intention If this were so in the purpose of such as try themselves how wisely jealously and religiously would they goe to worke If they knew and considered that the scope of triall is either to come or to forbeare and that our desisting it selfe if it bee ordinary is a mocking of God what colour soever we pretend how close and wise would it make them in going betweene both extremities either of rushing to the Sacrament without triall or desisting upon unsufficient triall How would it cause them both to tremble at contempt and refuzall and yet also at neglect of due triall ere they come Which is indeed to make a vertue of a necessity The Vse 2 Secondly this condemnes the formall and fulsome practise of common Protestants Reproofe who if they pull'd out of the vile profanenesse of such as abhorre all triall doe presently thinke that God is so beholding to them for their trying themselves that let their tryall bee what it will hee owes them welcome to the Sacrament for it Alas poore wretch Triall is appointed for an issue not for a fashion and formality to stoppe the mouth of God and conscience That triall which hath no issue can have no due substance of matter or manner in it but rather is a confuzed doing of somewhat without rule with opinion of something in the deed it selfe to commend a man to God No. As well the tryer of himselfe may see cause of not comming as the not trier ought not to come Triall hath still a respect to the issue and must be used to avoyd sin and punishment not to encrease both The Vse 3 Lastly let it be Admonit admonition to others who upon triall doe finde themselves unfit for the Sacrament Of which sort there may be two Braunch 1 Some such as although Gods people yet having fallen into some such sinne as hath deepely defiled and hardened them cannot find either their faith so lively or their repentance so sensible as that they dare to come In such a case I say if upon advise with wiser than themselves they find it so to require their duty is to consider that the Sacrament may prove so far from helping thē that it might rather encrease their guilt by boldnesse Therfore it shal be their wisedome to consider That the Lord hath other Ordinances to use than the Sacrament As that serves to nourish the faithfull so there bee others that serve to humble and cast downe the loose and presumptuous Let them therefore inquire after them as Counsell of the Minister of God able to helpe them Penitentiall Search and Triall of themselves about the occasion of their fall Fasting and Prayer with conference if they feele Sathan hath deeply bewitcht them and hardned them These Ordinances are appointed to cast out sinne if it be yet unseene and unrepented of Mark 9.29 and to expell such Devills as neither the Sacrament nor any other Ordinance can especially the publique Ministery being the setter of them on worke and the first convincer of the conscience It s a
from the Crowne would bee so idle as repaire to the King for they are excluded If the Parliament grant the King a subsidie from his subjects no man that knowes himselfe to bee no subsidie man would prepare any such money for the King for the businesse concernes him not So is it here The Lord calls his free-denizons by spirituall baptisme to renue the Assurance of their pardon peace and adoption at his supper and promiseth there to all such a further increase in the graces of his covenant should then any be so madde as claime a part in this Sacrament who never have beene or baptized called and partakers of the Spirit of grace at all Now then how shall that be discerned True it is those that are free borne and true members know it or may doe as Paul quickely could tell Lysias he was a Romane But who shall stoppe the mouthes of Aliants and strangers such as are of Ashdod and Cham when they come to plead themselves Israelites I meane when hypocrites come to the Sacrament pleading themselves to be Gods people doubtles there must bee some Rules of Triall which will not deceive they must be urged to proove their Genealogie or else bee convinced to bee counterfeits Answer 2 But be it granted that this triall of estate concernes also such as are Gods people yet it followeth not that they cannot use it but they must by and by bee anxious and perplexed about their condition No farre be it from any to thinke so The Lord affords all his To stand fast in their liberties and to be above the bondage not onely of Popish or Iewish ceremonies Gal. 5 1. but of unbeleefe especially and to walke according to that they have received For peace shall bee to all that walke according to rule even the Israel of God Yea as its ridiculous for any such to seeke new grounds to build upon so is it sinnefull to stagger about the old because the covenant of God is with us as the Covenant of Noe as the Covenant of the Sunne and Moone Esay 54 8. yea everlasting after these shall have an end Farre other use are Gods people to make of this tryall at the Sacrament First many know not all such grounds as their faith rests upon although they beleeve unfeignedly ignorance may hinder them Againe although they have had them in a readinesse yet by Satans deluding them with other diversions to worldly objects or by forgetfulnesse or being dazeled by some secret love of evill or by the errour of others these things may be growne strange to them darke and to seeke Besides although it be not so yet may it bee a sweete exercise for a beleever to bee well skill'd in his best Evidences and it may joy him to have the things revived in his spirit which hee hath knowne before and especially at the Sacrament when they may most encourage him Men doe looke upon their evidences of lands for more ends than feare of their Titles And yet I will not deny but that as the case may stand the triall of a mans estate at than Sacrament may and ought to bee anxious and sollicitous yea and that so that for the time he were better desist than proceed viz. when having snared himselfe with some lust which hee cannot easily bee rid of hee questions his estate thereupon and till God have eased the hardnesse and despaire of his spirit through unbeleefe perhaps hee can neither perceive nor yet rellish his evidences as hee hath done This may be one case in which this tryall may bee used with some doubting and distemper Howbeit neither is this so ordinary but to be sure not the onely case Therefore this objection is of no force To proceede then 2 Sorts of tryall of estate 1 Our first calling This tryall of our estate I would call to these two heads as breefly as I can First to a mans first calling home to God Secondly to some essentiall markes either accompanying or following the same Concerning the former of these it shall not be amisse to give the reader a short generall view of calling before I mention any triall in speciall belonging thereto In a mans calling therefore In calling 3. things 1 from what consider first from what secondly unto what thirdly to what end God calls First the Lord calles a soule from an estate of woe and misery through sinne and curse common to it with all the posterity of Adam wherein shee lay plundged deadly from a covenant I say with sinne death and hell wherein shee was wrapped This hee doth by the Ministery of the Law which Eph. 5 â— crying a dismall and lowd alarme in the eares of a drowsie and sleepie sinner awakens him from the dead Being rouzed out of this sleepe it beholdes a deepe gulfe set betweene the Lord and it selfe so that it cannot come at him By this meanes the soule is broken off from all her rotten proppes either naturall through secure ignorance or Religious through conceit of knowledge or the old covenant of workes and performances And whether Publicane or Pharisee before this Law putting no difference condemnes and kills a sinner in point of all his former life and jollitie in sinne holding him under the Arrest of Iustice in an estate of bondage till it be brought to utter despaire in him selfe more or lesse of any redresse Secondly the Lord calles the soule to an estate in grace through the Lord Iesus 2. To what And this hee doth by a most sweete voyce of the Gospell spoken in the eares of it while it lyeth in this Pit of selfe despaire The which doth let in by degrees a Spirit and Covenant of grace into it first in susteyning it from extremities by an hope of possible Deliverance Secondly by presenting the soule with an encreasing light and sight of the All-sufficient price of grace and reconciliation in Christ the satisfyer of wrath and procurer of peace Thirdly by declaring himselfe fully appeased by this satisfaction so that former anger is turned into welpleasednesse Fourthly by expressing his placable and pittifull heart to a sinner in an offer of a covenant with him adding moreover that hee would have him to be reconciled and receive his promise as freely as hee makes it Lastly by enlarging his promise in the apprehension of the sinner both in respect of the infinite many good things contained in the same as also the most free full gracious faithfull heart of the promiser loving strong and sure which cannot lye I say by all these presentments of grace in a most apt sweete and powerfull manner hee workes in the soule such preparations of meditation desire esteeme inquisition restlesnesse of heart and unweariednesse of meanes using That at last this seede breakes out into fruit so that the soule weighing all duly in the ballance to wit the worth of grace offered the mercy of the offerer beyond exception and her unavoidable condemnation in refuzing it
absence Did the absence of that thou wouldst have make thee so restlesse after further measure that yet thou didst quietly submit to be the whilest as God would have thee To be very glad and boast of thy nothing that the glory of grace and the name God might bee magnified That God might have his ends in meere grace to such a base emptie one than thou thy owne ends in being filled to the brimme This is a speciall good signe Fiftly didst thou continue striving thus till the Lord drowned thy selfe and thy Distempers both on right hand and left in the truth of the promise And dost thou labour thus to hold it according to it as the truth is in Iesus Without hookes or crookes resisting the dayly recourse of slavishnesse ease selfelove puâ—ling up worldlinesse Eph. 4.22 or any lust which might defile the sweetnesse of Christ and waken thy faith in him Are these markes in thee true and soundly wrought Then are they good though weake Thirdly art thou called Try it by the perfecting and fulfilling grace of God Canst thou then say That the worke of saith is finisht in thee with Power and perswasion Canst thou say if thou have beene deceived in beleeving God hath deceived thee If thou perish by beleeving thou art content Canst thou buy and sell upon Gods Word And doth the Spirit of the Promise deliver thee into it Dost thou finde that sealing of heart thereby which fills thee with peace and joy through beleeving Then is thy sparke growne to a flame and the Lord hath brought forth thy judgement to victory Lesse measure than this may yet be a true signe but this is a fuller signe Secondly is the love of God in thy soule as coales in thy bosome 2 Cor. 5 14. Doth it constraine and hemme in thy heart to love him againe To thinke no duties too hard no measure too much Doth it worke life in graces in Meanes using and workes of piety and charity to God and man Or is it a love comming from a dead faith Iâ—â—â— 2 20. which will suffer thee to bee proud and selfe-loving unmercifull carelesse barren in fruits worldly coveteous Thy faith is vaine and thy love rotten But canst thou say The love of God is a fire in thy bones to purge thy drosse to kindle thy heart to all love thankes uprightnesse humblenesse innocencie and fruitfulnesse It s a good signe Thirdly hath God declared his righteousnesse unto thee from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 both of kind and measure Trie it then For the former thus God hath given all his a double Portion standing in a coppy hold and a free hold the one by grace imputed which the soule takes up by the Court Roll of the Promise holding upon another The other by a grace inherent which it takes by the livery and seasin of the sanctifying Spirit Try then Canst thou say thy faith hath both a hand to take the one and the other To take both righteousnesse from faith of justification to faith of sanctification Darest thou not sever those things which God hath joyned It s a good signe of a faith pretious for kinde if by the same faith thou canst receive both kinds of righteousnesse though by a severall conveiance Fourthly try the measures of it If God Righteousnesse be from faith lo faith it proceedes from one step and degree to another gettes to it selfe more Promises more evidences yea stronger and greater Canst thou say it is so with thee dost thou grow from faith of salvation to faith of government Is thy cheefe religion thy living by faith Is thy faith thy bottome for law obedience and not thy Morality the bottome of thy faith Is Christ reveald to thee from faith in his Priesthood to faith in his Prophecy and Kingdome to guide thee and rule thee Doth the peace of thy King so awe thee that rather than thou woldst forgoe it thou wouldst for go all And doth the Law of the same Spirit of Christ which hath freed thee from hell act all thy whole man the powers and members of it so that in some measure not thou livest but the LORD Iesus in thee to doe all thy workes for thee It s a sweet signe Fiftly Try thy selfe in the Bent and streame of thy Spirit Though thy errors and defects are many yet if still thy spirit bee upright thy Course taking it generally is sound thy frailties are covered the Lord lookes not upon thee and thy sinnes but upon his grace in thee Feare not it s a good signe And thus might I be large But I content my selfe with a draught in steed of many Now because this first tryall of calling Triall 3. Fruites of calling and of a good estate toward God is more large and full than some weake ones can reach At least they may be dismaid by the weightinesse thereof Besides these I will yet adde a second sort of markes that is some severall fruits of grace as the soule may discover them more easily in it selfe to flow evidently from faith of Gods elect of this sort are these following in which I observe no method but name them as they offer themselves let every man take notice of himselfe by his owne earmarke Mark 1 First if wee abuze no truth of God to wantonnesse and security it s a signe wee bee those children for whom Gods Bread is prepared For example these are holy Truths of God and blessed encouragments The Righteous fall 7 times a day The Lord sees no iniquity in Iacob Pro. 24.16 Numb Whom God pardons one sinne to hee will pardon all No beleever can fall totally from God GOD loves his when hee afflicts them for their sinne In many things wee sin all No man heere can bee perfect but our perfection is the sight of Imperfection GOD compts our endeauours and wills for performances Faith is not the excellencie of apprehending and feeling the good of the object but our cleaving to a word All things even sinne turnes to the good of Gods elect None come to Christ save such as are drawne by God Our comfort stands not in our repenting but beleeving especially and the like Now the triall is If these bee snares to us causing vs to fall to sloth and soosnesse it s a signe we are dogs but if they worke kindly to provoke us to jealozy and more awe it s a signe of children For example the sins of Gods people God turnes to their good Rom. 8.28 and hee loves them when yet hee afflicts them for sin Oh then how much more gracious will hee bee to such as walk with him Those that truely beleeve are elected Oh! how then wil my soule strive for Faith that I may proove my election Not be desperate because if I be elect I shal beleeve In a word when such Truthes are used for encouragment to the tender not occasions to presume it s a good signe Mark 2 Secondly if wee find the
balke the Sacrament and lye downe in the could Couch of the Law and water it with teares conntinually till this fulnesse bee attayned For to say truth These are the effects rather of faith when judgment breaks forth for her unto victory Mat. 12.20 than the Act of beleeving 1 By concession One thing I must freely confesse That there was never more cause than now in this forlorne Age full of formalitye and dissembling in which the Divell and the error of the wicked wold deceave the very elect if possible to presse upon the soule the necessity of faith with power For weake faith hardly will beare out the strong fiery darts of Sathan which now in this subtill world are on foot to try our effectualnesse of beleeving Men heare preachers say Faith is as true in the least sparkle of it as in the whole fire and faith may as much excell in infirmity to hold the promise upon former experience as in the greatest strength c. Now as I said before what use doth Satan make hereof in hyopcrites save this They need not bee so earnest for faith for the kind of it must save them not the measure and the weakest may bee saved as well as the strongest I could in this respect wish that so oft as Gods Ministers fall upon these Arguments they tooke as good paynes to stave off the dogges as to encourage the faithfull-weak ones For when error hath once defiled a man in the root and truth of faith then he growes presumptuous to thinke that each wanzing motion and Pang after faith is as good as that which is attended with selfedenial and cleaving to the Promise Whereas faith of the true stamp although it come short of some feelings stirrings and much more that overpowring of spirit that quashes unbeleefe yet the Spirit of grace putts forth it selfe in combat against their infidelity setts it in the forefront of Gods battery as Vriah was sett by Ioab maynteins no ease or sloth in them but rather mourning for their standing so at a stay with continuall care to proove themselves to be in the faith and their calling to it to bee effectuall And in this warfare they looke for no discharge till God have answered them in some measure But to answere the objection and so to conclude 2 By Solution I affirme that not only the weak in faith simply but even the decayed in faith yea the fallen into sinne if recover'd by faith are not to be debarred from the Sacrament till they become partakers of overpowring grace of the Spirit It were exceeding absurd for a Physition to say to one tormented with a burning ague want of sleepe or like payne That hee must forbeare Physick and lie under his disease untill he get more strength and recovery What shall Physick availe him after if hee die before Or what needs it if he be recovered the Sacrament I say still is rather the portion of the weake childe than of the strong man so that a loose dallying heart bee abhorred and to such this ordinance serveth And to say truth such poore soules need not bee urged to more sorrow than they feele for what sorrow is like theirs who mourne under unbeleefe and yet even such as experience prooves have found the Sacrament effectuall to send them away much settled and confirmed And so for answer of these doubts and also the triall of our estate in grace ere we come to the Supper thus much bee sayd CHAP. III. Of the Tryall of our wants NExt to the triall of our estate fittly offers it selfe to our view the Triall of our wants Tryall 2. Of our wants The method whereof God willing shal be this First to lay downe the grounds of this Triall Secondly to shew the Nature of a Christians wants and what sorts they are of Lastly in the use to teach us in what duties the Triall of our wants standeth 2 thing 1 The ground of this triall 2. Al have their wants The ground of this triall is manifold First the necessity of Sacramentall trying of our wants appeares in this that as the Lord enjoynes al that receave to proove themselues to have grace so he suppozes al such to have many wants therin So lōg as this body of death and back-byas of Corruption cleaues to the regenerate soule to retarde and weaken it to defile to disable to dismay to quench it a poore soule shall never want matter to cry out even when grosse evills are farr off Miserable man who shall deliver mee Rom 7.24 How shall I doe to get out of this my dead luskish lazy and unsavory course Who shall supply my wants Now then if these wants be unknowne how shall the soule bee thankefull for the releefe of them How then should a Christian search them out and marke them In the duties of both Tables in the use of the ordinances in graces of the Spirit in the order of whole conversation For the Search 1 1. The circumstances of all duty what wants have they In the ground of our Actions how ignorant are wee of GODS particular will how erroneous in discerning the colors of good and evill and easily mistaken how unwise in weighing the fitnesse or inconvenience season or vnseasonablenesse safety or scandale of our Actions Why is it so save for want of wisedome and Iudgement Search 2 2. In the manner of doing how impure unsavory inconstant irresolute why save for want of holines heavenlynesse of minde courage Search 3 3. For the measure how remisse lazy cold backward and content with any thing Why save for want of soundnesse integrity and fulnesse Search 4 4. In the end how corrupt selfeseeking forgetting both Gods honour our owne peace and the good of others Why but through want of love uprightnesse and selfedeniall And so I may say of duties in speciall How hard doe men find it to keep a mediocrity and avoyd extremities In worldly busines to goe betweene loose carelessenes or else extreame carking either wholly improvident or buried in the earth In the duty of Charity and mercy who understands himselfe bound to giue according to his estate but rather under it In our words who keeps a meane betweene silence or jangling In judging of others who shuns partiality credulity prejudice censoriousnes Search 5 The like may bee sayd of vsing the Ordinances In hearing what want of waking attendance reverence mixing the word with faith In the Sacraments what sildomenesse unpreparednesse rashnesse and profanation In prayer what formality commonnesse and distrust It were endlesse to insist in all Search 6 In the exercise of graces what carnality and sensuality is there to weaken the life of faith What one grace of the spirit Patience Love Communion of Saints mercy to the afflicted Thankfulnesse Humblenesse or the like which hath not her langour and infimity Search 7 As for the order of our Conversation what weaknesse appeares not Who observes GODS Administration towards
him or his in Patience Crosses mercyes Where is the man who lives by experience of former tymes What want doe wee find of Quietnesse of spirit in taking up or bearing our Crosses if any thing tedious Whom doth not prosperity puff up And in family government company liberties buying selling and Common life how is it that Christians seeme as other ordinary men bycause they know not what it meanes to rule inferiors wisely live with wife meekly and purely ayme at doing or taking good using liberty sparily and doing to others as wee would bee done to Surely if wants bee so rife in our whole course how should a man who would find releefe at the Sacrament marke and suruey them before hand The 2. ground of this duty of Triall of wants 2 Ground of this triall is the wisedome of God in providing for the soules of his people a supply of all their wants in the Sacrament of the Supper A pointe which is yet as a Riddle to many receavers who although they looke at the Supper of the LORD as a service of high devotion fitt to hold men well occupied and keep them from base earthly thoughts yet alas farre are they from once dreaming that it is ordeyned for a supply of all their wants It needs a good Perspective to shew a man the LORD IESVS Sacramentall ready to fill the soule with all good things much more to supply all our wants Christ in the Supper is sealed by the Father to give vs all that his Promise conteines Now if that offer provision against all defects ignorance unbeleefe earthlinesse if that bee able to releeve the wants of the soule complayning that shee is unable to beare a crosse to enjoy a blessing to live well in marriage c. What lesse can the Supper conteyne save the sealing up of that provision and the unlocking of all GODS storehouse The LORD in the Supper hath taken measure as I have noted of all the infirmities and wants of his Children and although it bee not sensible to the eye of flesh save in a shadow of the Elements Bread to repaire strength and wine to restore the Spirits yet so it is There is all the LORD IESVS as one priuy to and sensible of all the wants of his members to fill up every breach to soder up every chinke and flaw of the soule that can wayte for him How should the soule then put on the LORD IESVS his apparrell to cover her except her nakednesse in each part bee understood Or how should those Varieties of dishes of GODS feast be fed upon except each receaver feele his owne wants Feastes wee know consist of many deinties because there are sundry appetites and each guest hath his speciall longings So heere the Lords love in prouiding such supplies in CHRIST should teach each guest to enter into his owne wantes except wee should thinke the Lord either so unwise as to abound in superfluous provision or to faile in necessary The third ground The third ground is taken from that spirituall instinct and nature which is ingrafted into all Gods people and that is to seeke the welfare of it selfe Now that cannot be except it were sensible of her wants We see it is naturall to each creature to procure the support of it selfe by all meanes The least maime in a tree or plant of herbe causeth a kind of sence in the creature for it will fill up the wound and knit the breach againe The body of man being wounded or the flesh decayed or the spirit smite a feeling and compassion into the naturall soule which lins not till by nourishment cordials or physicke the want be repaired So much more is it in the New creature it cannot feele a want of grace in it selfe except it be not it selfe but fallen into some spirituall lethargy but it is sensible of it selfe and cannot lin till it out-grow it and supply it by meanes that so the welfare thereof may be recovered Now what meanes are so like to eike up and repaire spirituall losses as the Supper of the Lord and how can that helpe save by the due Triall of our wants But to come to the second generall some may aske What and of what sort are these wants 2. Generall What and what sort of wants I answer That wants are such things as presuppose true Grace in the being of it Wants then may be called either defects of grace or decayes in grace By defects I meane commings short of that which ought to be By decayes I meane failings and losses in that which hath beene Defects are necessary aswell as willing but decayes wilfull and voluntary Defects arise from sundry causes Sometime from unavoydable or else unusuall inabilities and impotency of understanding memory spirit and parts Sometime want of due meanes and helpes as of publique Ministery private ordinances counsell fellowship or the like But especially I speake of such as are caused by either the soules neglect of meanes by which she might supply her wants or using them lesse frequently or fervently than she ought or else not wise and thrifty exercise or improvement of graces occasions and experience already attained In like manner I speake of decayes in what wee have got either for the kind or number or the measure of grace and forwardnesse Vse 1 Now I come to the uses and to direction for tryall of our wants And to speake of two or three uses ere I come to the maine First here is Terror to all ungodly ones Terror they are wholy made of privations spots are not seene in stained clothes They cannot come to the Sacrament because they cannot try their wants They have no wants to trye both because they have no stocke of grace at all and because they are not sensible of the true Treasure Their misery is they have but one want that is want of grace in generall no God no hope no reconciliation no faith Oh! these are not as one who hath drunke some gall and wormewood but are drowned in the gall of bitternesse as Peter told Simon Magus Act. 8.23 They have no gaps or flawes but lye to havocke and all is downe both the hedge and ditch they have no wants or breaches for all their life is a wide gulfe of distance betweene God and them When they see the godly mourne for some particular wants as of memory gifts to pray to fast or of humility and the like they doe not smite upon the thigh and say O LORD doe these who yet have some good stocke in grace thus complaine for a few wants and am I no whit troubled that I want grace altogether If the righteous so mourne because heere and there some want appeares shall I bee thus merry being a meere begger and banquerupt The one streines at a gnat and is troubled to see any gift of meekenesse or of uprightnesse in others which they want and the other swallow a Cammell and sticke not to
generall try his estate by law or Gospel or search out his wants save by knowledge of them Not to insist in the graces that follow whereof faith consisteth partly of a speciall convincement of the understanding and desire of the Sacrament presupposeth a knowledge of some thing amiable to the soule of unknowne objects there is no desire So I might say of the rest knowledge therefore is essentiall to the Sacrament When Paul prayes that the Ephesians might encrease in faith hee begins with the enlightning part of the soule Chap. 1. Verse 17. Ephe. 1.17.18 That yee being enlightned saith he in your mindes may acknowledge him and the hope of his calling c. So that true knowledge is the roote of all true savour of the grace or graces of God If thou knewest the gift of God Iohn 4. Iohn 4.10 thou wouldst have done so or so So if a man knew the Sacrament how would he love it But not to know it includes a necessity of not beleeving or well receiving it The third Thirdly the fearefull penalty threatned in the word against bad receivers is by name annexed to the not discerning of the Lords body 1 Cor. 11.29 Now though I grant there is more in that than meere ignorance yet that is one mother root of not discerning For what is that which causeth popish prophane ones yea hypocrites to come to the Sacrament as to common bread and wine in the shop or cellar save that all colours are alike in the darke and ignorance puts no difference betweene naturall things and spirituall If knowledge then teach to discerne the body of the Lord and to quit the soule of all this threat and vengeance how needefull is it The fourth Fourthly the Lord hath no doubt ordeined and the Church most wisely made use of this second Sacrament of groth that by occasion of it shee might take notice of the thrist of her Children in the doctrine of the foundation and by name of Baptisme and so consequently of such things as they have bin taught in the ministry Alas The Preacher followes not nor can all such to their house as have heard him catechize or preach to demand an account of his labours as were to be desired If then there were not some awe and bridle put upon men by the Church which yet alas few make use of among our Ministers how should the Minister know the plight of his poore people from their baptisme to their grave Though I grant private visitation is needefull but what one of an 100. looke after it of themselves till their deathbed Now the Sacrament is so holy an act of worship that few are so basely vile as not to confesse that there ought to be some more than common scrutiny and search what knowledge they and theirs have gotten Which confession prooves knowledge to be most necessary But as the slothful are curious so the ignorant are cavillers Objection 1 first they object that devotion would do better with the Sacrament than knowledge especially for meane folkes who have their trades to looke after and being unbook-learned cannot comprehend such depths as these And therefore it were better that they did adore them with devotion than search into them Answer I answer still Cursed is all devotion with God which is without knowledge the heart of such is as saplesse barren of good and as full of rottennesse as the most profane mans is in Gods esteeme Good meanings and devotion if it lye in Gods way and be full of eyes not blind and ignorant are most pretious things But without knowledge selfe-deniall and faith to enlighten the soule Iudg. 16.21 devotion is as Sampsons bestirring himselfe when his eyes were put out hee was fit for nothing save to runne the round and grind in the Mill. So doe devout ones they are ever in motion and never the nearer Devotion of this kinde is fittest for Papists who are under a strange language and a worship of mans braine having no footing in the word Ier. 4.12 Eccles 5.1 its best for them that know not what sacrifices they offer but like fooles they know not that they doe evill It s fit for the Masse and for such like trash But for the Sacrament its most unsavory Objection 2 And as for their cavill they are unlearned and have trades to looke to I grant it and therefore wee require not of all the like measure of knowledge so there be a teachable heart willing to learne Answ If these men could from their trades argue as strongly against Ale-houses and drinking it were well Sure it is if the time which they spend there were spent in getting knowledge as meane as they are their trades would not keepe them from it But what basenesse will not men stoope to yea abase themselves to hell in their cavills Esay 2. so they may live still in their profanenesse I doe not allow any who are weary of their trades under pretence of hearing or getting knowledge but I say trades neede not hinder from a diligent attendance upon the meanes if the heart bee good And as for the mysticalnesse of the Sacrament it is so to such as plow not with Gods heifer Iudg. 16. nor submit their carnall reason to the revealing of the Spirit Otherwise God bee thanked there is greater obscurity at this day in matters lesse essentiall than the most weighty So that were it not for the meere sloath and profanenesse of men there neede bee no such conplaint of religious difficulty But the contempt of men to whom Christ is hidden 2 Cor. 4.3 might justly both deprive them of meanes and streighten the spirit in the meanes that so they might complaine for somewhat But to end one would thinke that these men should reason contrarily and say If I bee so seely and the Sacrament so darke what an honour and prayse were it for mee a simple man to have more skill and knowledge in it than others above my ranke Surely in other matters of hardnesse men dispute so onely in these they are content to let all goe beyond them yet God be thanked There want not even among the seeliest Christians many whom God hath made wiser in his matters than their ancients and betters in worldly wisedome 1 Cor. 1.12 Psal 119 99 100. that by these the cavills of the other might be confuted Objection 3 To conclude others alledge For ought they see they who have most knowledge of religion and can talke of it best are as bad in their lives as they who have none Therefore they thinke the matter rests in conscience not in knowledge Answere I answer It is true that they who know and obey not doe lay a great blocke in the way of the ignorant But let them speake Is it their ignorance that makes them better No surely Well then neyther is knowledge in the fault that the other are so bad No man shuns money because the
and of sanctification pardon and holinesse into the soule in a more peculiar manner as being the instruments of both Step. 3 Thirdly as Christ in an ordinance is the way of Gods conveying himself So Christ is conveied in an ordinance by a promise or els not at all Take away Christ and an ordinance is nothing and even so take away a promise and Christ in an ordinance is of no effect to thee The ordinance is excellent because Christ is there Howbeit thou art never the better for it because thou wantst a promise by which Christ conveies it to thee So many ordinances as God grants thee so many promises he makes to thee of blessing one ordinance is not the better for the promise of another Prayer cannot looke at the promise of hearing nor hearing of a Sacrament because each of these are severall meanes of conveying Gods good things unto thee But each ordinance must have a speciall promise Christ in it comes in and by the way and channel of a promise The cause is plain because no ordinances can be savory except mixed with faith and faith there cannot be where there is no promise for it to worke upon The conclusion then of this first ground Conclus of 1. ground is this If God will give his graces to the soule it must be by the meane of an Ordinance of Christ in an Ordinance and of a promise A promise is the immediate way by which Christ in an Ordidinance is made ours As the promise is so faith beares her name faith in a promise of the Sacrament is Sacrmentall faith and he that would try whether hee gets by the Sacrament must trie his Sacramentall faith This for the first ground Vse of this ground Ere I proceede let this point teach us to mourne for the common sort of Christians and Reveivers of the Sacrament of whom I may say as those in the Acts Act. 2. said to Paul of the Spirit They never heard whether there were a Spirit or no. So these worshippers of God and hangers upon Christ and his Ordinances yet cannot tell us whether there be any promise or no any faith in a promise or no. They will keep their Church and come to the Ordinances pray and receive but the way of faith in the promise they have not knowne To whom I say save for fashion sake What differs a Popish corrupted ordinance from a pure Ordinance of God I say in respect of good to thee yea what dâ—ffers thy absence from thy presence in this regard Oh tremble at this all ye that professe God and yet know not a promise nay I say professe to beleeve and yet know not a promise Was it ever heard that faith could subsist without a promise Oh therefore I say to all such judge what case yee are in ye are without God in the world and are still barren of all his good things either of Reconciliation or of Regeneration your Baptisme hearing and receiving are emptie and never doe him good For you never got any thing by a Promise A promise never wrought upon you any life of God or growth in that life ye never saw neede of Gods good things never emptied your selves of your selves by selfe-deniall If yee had these would have presently brought yee to a promise to bee sustained by as the Woman of Samaria drew her neighbours to Christ I conclude therefore the faith which such pretend is an Idoll a faith hanging upon the bare story of a God a Creator a Christ a Redeemer not in God and such a faith is a meere hangby and formall notion of a thing a farre off it s a faith of the Church a faith of contemplation a faith not of adherence to a promise but of meere hearesay of things which thou never either feltest any neede of or soughtst any part in And therefore whosoever thou art whose faith is no other know that thou livest a most wofull life without any of Gods gracious influence and when thou diest except thou be changed thou shalt die without comfort or hope Therefore to this thy hearesay of God and his good things adde faith in a promise and thou shalt enjoy God in an Ordinance and by name in the Sacrament savingly really and comfortably Oh! let all thy wearisome and mispent former time sting thee for thy unprofitablenesse and now in time looke about thee I come to the second ground The second ground of this point Every particular promise of good things from God is planted in a generall and maine promise So that he who would try him selfe whether this or that good thing be his or no as the gift of patience right use of the crosse growing by the Sacrament c. must first trie whether he be in the Covenant or no which is the wel head of the rest For this one Covenant to be our God reconciled includes yea gives a being to all other promises that God in this or in that will be our All-sufficiency True it is each poore soule sees not this The reason is because they judge of the chiefe promise according to the limit of their present feeling that is because in the agony of their loden spirits they feele most need of Christ to ease their conscience of guilt and to settle peace therefore they see it not to reach further than their present neede Whereas Christ being such a gift as either is wholy denied or wholly given cannot bee divided 1 Cor. 1 13 but is by the soule if she knew it and were not too narrow to contemne it received as he is given all at once Onely the soule retailes him in particular as shee meetes with her needes of him and then by recoursing to the maine promise finds her right to all the rest As the smaller boates tied to the great ship follow their motion so is it heere At leasure the soule comes to see her penny worths which at the first appeared not even as a purchase of worth doth not all at once appeare to the buyers sence but at leasure as the coÌ„modities of it come to hand Now when the soule comes to behold them then she sees all couched in a generall gift of Christ made to be her peace and pardon Secondly the reason of this is because God is the God of order He first sets the soule out of the danger of Adams forfeiture of grace because the soule is not else capable of any good thing Now in taking away this guilt he assumes the soule againe into union and fellowship with him in all the good things which she enjoyed before When the gulfe is taken away which separated the soule then the way lieth open to the soule to recover all her priviledges in time past Thirdly this is true in respect of congruitie of providence For having once granted a being to the creature of spirituall life he doth therein binde himselfe to a supporting of that life else hee should plucke downe
of this tryall both in Scripture and reasons For the former whereof First the Analogy of the old Passeover will proove it wherein sundry charges were given which typifie repentance and that in each part of it As wee know the sorrow and yrking of heart and mourning bitterly for sinne committed was urged under the ceremony of sowre hearbes Exod. 12.8 not onely to shew what it cost the Lord Iesus ere he could satisfy But to shew what they are who come to this Sacrament even such as peirced him by their sinnes Zach. 12.10 and therefore ought to come in bitternesse to the signes of his body and blood and eate this sweete meate with sowre sawce So also the Lord required a separation from the filthinesse of the heathen when they came to eate the Pascall Lambe Ezra 6.21 Ezra 6.21 yea from all legall pollution Numb 9.6 Num. 9.6 which as it concerned the Iewes alway in any offering or worship so especially at the Passeover And the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.7 1 Cor. 5.7 urgeth one other solemne ceremony of casting out leaven He that kept in his house any leaven at that time more or lesse was to be cut off Now least wee should thinke this to have lost his force under the Gospel he saith Purge out therefore all sowre leaven meaning their Communion with that incestuous man which sowred their holy assemblyes that yee may be a cleane lumpe even as yee are unleavened And why For Christ is our Passeover sacrificed for us therefore let us eate him with sincerity and repentance And the weaning and abstinence of the poore Lambe from the damme foure dayes before Exod. 12. â— typified no lesse than separation of such as worship God thus from the love of their sweet lusts and liberties that they might bee free for the Lord And when the Apostle urges the Corinthians to examine themselves 1 Cor. 11.28 what entends hee save that having defiled themselves by their love feasts they would search and cast out that sinne ere they came to the Sacrament Secondly from Reasons Now for Reasons First every ordinance requires repentance least the ordinance be defiled 1 Tit. 1.15 To the pure all things not onely meates are pure But to the impure all things both blessings crosses and ordinances are defiled The sinne of man can put no defilement into the things themselves but it makes them so to the sinners that use them It is a rule concerning both Minister people Esay 52.11 Psal 26 6. Prov. 28 9. 1 Tim. 2 8. Be ye holy that beare the vessells of the Lord. And I will compasse the Altar with washen hands And the prayers of them that turne their eares from the Word are abominable S. Paul requires us to lift up pure hands 1 Pet. 2 1. without wrath and doubting And S. Peter bids them that would heare to grow thereby to clense all superfluities away Epist 1. Cap. 2.1.2 Reason 2 Secondly no man can comfort his owne heart that hee hath saving faith except he have repentance Act. 3.26 Act. 15.15 But true repentance argues faith because it onely purifies the heart True faith workes by love 1 Tim. 1 5. and the end of the commandement is love from whence from a pure heart and whence is that from faith unfaigned Levit. 10 3. See Gal. 5.6 Act 24.16 2 Cor. 5.17 Reason 3 Thirdly the Lord will be honoured in all that draw neare to him None can honour the Lord in their worship save the holy and repentant Those that presume otherwise the Lord will be honoured in their destruction Reason 4 Lastly holinesse affords sweete confidence to the soule that it shall be welcome to God None shall ever see his glory without it Heb. 12 14. 1 Pet. 1 16. therefore none should behold him in his beauty of holinesse or in his ordinances without it Bee yee holy because I am holy These few may serve Tryalls of repentance But I hasten to the triall of it And first very breefely of the substance of it wrought in the soule 1 By the substance Tit. 3.5 This may bee tryed by the roote of it No repentance can subsist without an inward principle That is the spirit of renovation wrought by the word and Baptisme putting into the soule a seede of God and the image of God as farre as in these suburbes of heaven I meane in the militant Church may be obteyned Now for the opening of this to the Reader let him in a few points conceave and try himselfe about it First in the mother and nurse of it In sundry particulers 1. The mother of it That is faith shedding the love of God Rom. 5.5 into the soule being of it selfe destitute of all such list ability life or savour The Lord in reconciliation by faith becomes our sanctification God having freed us from our old yoake will put upon us a new most willingly which eases our heavy hearts and pacifies the conscience sets the minde in frame and shewes us Christ in his true and lively colours not a Christ of loosenesse but as the truth is in Iesus Ephe. 3 18. 2 Cor. 5.9 That having the roote of his love set in our hearts we may conteine his sweetnesse and it may let us on worke yea constreine us to doe the like to him Oh! How should this try us What is our repentance Is it a cutting off some shreds of evill or a pang of goâ—d devotion now and then in tempest thunder and lightning in our passion of feare or when God pleases us Or is it an inward workeman at the roote of our hearts and doth it engraft and inoculate us into his stocke Pro. 6 27. Doth it as a corner stone hold in and encompasse us that wee can more forbid fire in our bosome to burne us than the love of God to compell us to love him and turne our heart to him It is a good signe Secondly try it in tne materiall of repentance 2. By the matter Act. 26.18 It s a conversion or turning home to God from our Idols a setting of our face backward from evill and our backes forward to goodnesse and that in a contrariety As if a foole going on pilgrimage to Rome and her Idols should there be smitten and turned home with Naaman to the true worship of the living God This tryall will search also for the repentance of most is no such turne Men have rectified thoughts sometime of a good course and their sinnes yrke them and tyre them and cause them to ease themseâ—ves by complaints and turne aside from them in their accusing moode But it is with them as it is with Sea-men who can hold their course as well when they coast about as when the winde is on their backes So doe these their lusts keepe still in their spirit though they keepe them out of sight as David did Absolon 2 Sam. 14.24 forbidding him his presence
when yet his heart was with him But these lusts will come againe as Absolon and that with more violence and sway afterward because the heart is not turned from them and set in a contrariety Hatred is not become love nor love hatred outside is not inside and inside outside Still old love abides and the falling out of old friendly lusts prooves a renewing of love A bad signe 3. By the forme Thirdly try it by the inward forme and nature of renovation which is the worke of the Spirit infusing the habit of Gods holinesse into the soule and letting in the efficacy of his power into the same to forme it to a new creature in righteousnesse and according to the Image of the Creator Ephe. 4.22 It s the second breathing of the Lord the breath of life not to be a living soule 1 Cor. 15.45 but a quickned spirit Try thy selfe hereby if repentance bee in thee then the Lord Christ is in thee and stampes thee for his owne sets his superscription upon thee as upon his coine Ier. 31.33 causes thee to be like himselfe and endues thee with his owne savour and qualities purgeth thy old caske and sweetens thee with new liquor Now purenesse innocency faithfulnesse thankefulnesse sobernesse and contempt of the world with deniall of thy selfe are powred into thee If then thou finde no presence or operation of new savour instinct appetite and affections to be wrought but old Adam still as he was wont as sensuall carnall proud selfeloving thou hast no repentance 4. By the parts Fourthly try it by the parts of renewing quickning and killing By quickning 1. Quickning I meane that power of Christ his righteousnesse and resurrection not onely in a dead habit but in a revived power Rom. 6 8 9 10. Rom 8.11 whereby thy dead spirit to the matters of God is stirred and changed to a lively life of grace We doe not say that a man is alive to his trade and businesse when he lies on his deathbed though he live yet hee is not lively unwearyed active and cheerefull to it Againe by killing 2. Killing Rom. 6.6 7. Rom. 8.10 I meane that other part of the Spirit of Christs crosse and grave which destroyes that old life and vigor of sinne that rankenesse jollity and crowne of pride which was in corruption For though sinne be call'd but a privation yet by the law it conceaves a kind of being and becomes living turbulent rebellious and venemous in the soule till the power of the Law of Christ doe suppresse this strong man and spoile him and tumbles him into the grave of Christ that he may lye and putrify there This is an excellent tryall when a man can say I was once dead to goodnes without the Gospel but now I am lively to it Rom. 7 9. I was alive to sin and where I would be but now dead to it as a woman to a dead husband as Abigail to dead Nabal A living death and a dying life is in my soule and a stirring spirit in both 1 Sam. 2â— enâ— My owne dead and living spirit is gone and Christs both dead living spirit is come in place and in both my heart is stirring and on wing neither flat in mortifying evill nor unoccupied in good but to both set at liberty I say this is good Fiftly try it by the extent both in parts and degrees 5. By the Extent If it be sound renewing it will be both universall and encreasing In the first respect it is like Leaven which being hid in three peckes of meale leavens all and sowers all Mat. 13 33. So doth this Leaven of renewing it seasons and sweetens all the parts the understanding judgement and memory The will and choice thereof the passions the spirit and conscience the appetite of nature the sences and the members Though it be weake in all yet it is entire and through all body soule and spirit And it is encreasing in all for life is growing as life is decaying Try thy selfe by this also For it is with most of us as with one that is in debt who perhaps would sell off some peeces of his land lying out of the way and lesse looked at But as for his faire lands of inheritance which lye close and about his Mannor he will not deface them nor sell them for any price So it is with most men Their renewing stands in some outsides they can tip their tongues or colour their braines and commande their sences but when Gods Image must bee in the inner man also they will none of that Rom. 12 2. Their spirit must still run it owne streame to dye for it And so for their growth many have some violent offers of goodnesse as mercy zeale and religion but alas All they doe addes no one cubite to their former stature they keepe not the good they had much lesse put it to advantage 2 Iohn 8. growing to to more sweetnesse and ease by experience or cleaving to God with fuller purpose of heart Act. 11.23 when they see the most to warpe This is a bad but the contrary a good marke 6. By the combate 1 Cor. 13. end Sixtly by the combate of the Spirit within it selfe For because we live heere to be conformed to our head Christ therefore we cannot be wholly spirituall and mortified but we abide in part renewed in part old not because Christ cannot make us better but because wee are not capable of perfection till we live by sence Therefore Grace will worke a perpetuall sence of strife in our soules against the law of sinne in our members Not onely a desire to be with our head in fulnesse of glory Psal 137.2 Rom. 8.23 2 Cor. 5.2 But the whiles to grone and sigh under our burden till every drop of blood thereof be spent especially to warre against our strong personall beloved lusts which fight in us till we recover strength and get victory till the house of Saul be downe and the house of David be up We shall feele this combat in us Gen. 25.22 as Rebecca felt in her wombe by her twins Till the Lord answer us The elder shall serve the yonger Try then thy selfe heerein if this strife be held up in thee by the spirit not in thy judgement onely against thy ill will and lusts But in the very same part of thee in which corruption fights judgement against judgement will against will affections against affections conscience against conscience grace against sinne it is a good signe But if sinne rule and there be not scepter against scepter if there be much foyling many falls few or no resistances but rather willing slavery and bondage both by sinne and to it it is a poore signe And this is all I will say of a mans trying the roote of renovation in himselfe Perhaps the view of these may doe some good to comfort an heart
that can finde them or admonish such as are decayed or scare such from the Sscrament as never had them But I hasten to that which more nearely concernes Sacramentall repentance which is the practise of repentance 2. By the practise of it In two thing 1. Ordinary course Concerning which I will devide my selfe into these two maine heads First The practise of it in an usuall course of Christianity Secondly in our revolts And my method shall bee this First to lay downe the will of God about them both and in what particulars they stand Secondly in the use of the doctrine to presse the tryall of them at the Sacrament with a revived affection For the former then the usuall practise of repentance may bee thus divided eyther to the first understanding part secondly the willing or affecting part thirdly the acting part in the life The Iudiciall part stands in the inquiry and search of those speciall errors abuses and corruptions of heart tongue or life which have passed us from Sacrament to Sacrament or before Eyther in the understanding Lam. 3.40 beginning as hee Genesis 44. Verse 12. at the eldest and ending at the yongest Both spirituall as hardnesse deadnesse and defilednesse of heart of the tongue rash idle uncharitable false vaine offensive or superfluous words morrall of the heart and life hollownesse earthlinesse unprofitablenesse selfe-love pride rancor and bitternesse of stomacke passions of rage As search base feares hopes joyes sorrowes unrighteous unmercifull censorious deedes and passages or the like These although like Saul and Gehazi's booty they lye hidden must be watched as they utter themselves and breake out notice being taken and a Register of them kept by us that they may ever be before us when wee come to the Lord. And if the conscience play booty in concealing or excusing them the soule must goe to the candle of the Lord which searches the bowels of man and begge light to discerne Prov. 20.27 and strength to convince it selfe of them and the curse due to them till the soule bee even caused to stoppe her owne mouth and give up her weapons of defence standing as mute and guilty before God of them Concerning which worke of search because I spake of it in generall in the first Chapter of this Treatise I remit the Reader to that place Heere onely this It were good for us to make use both of our best friends and worst enemies if we would know our selves and not wholly be our owne judges Helpes to search Our friends perhaps see us better than we our selves spy out our secret haunts loose liberties declining in our zeale and falling to our pleasures loving them and such base companions as become us not for our pleasures sake more than Gods secret company or his servants So also our enemies sometimes might tell us our secret corruptions As hee once who fought with his enemy searcht out that impostume which his friends could not Yea Gods crosses as great enemies as wee thinke them if wee would hearken to their voyce would tell our hearts presently what the sinne is which God aymes at perhaps unfruitfull deadnesse under blessed meanes of grace dallying with the ordinances neglect of our family earthlinesse and walking loosely with God And although wee should not neede to seeke out to spy thefaults of others for lacke of our owne yet it were a good way to search our owne in the glasse of the sinnes of these times the desperate formalnesse of men and abhorring of any more religion than will runne in the streame of our ease and wills Idolatry contempt of the best examples To end if some of us would but aske our consciences for what sinnes wee are faint on the sudden to forsake and turne backe upon the Sacrament for feare of shame when yet perhaps we came into Church with purpose to receive it were not amisse And so much for this judiciall part Our Soule part The next is the soule part or the affecting And heere in the first place is required a broken mourning heart for sinne being thus searched out 1. Brokennes and that with uprightnesse and tendernesse as Zachary describeth it Zach. 12 10.11 They shall see him whom they have peirced and mourne as one mourneth for his sonne and heire yea they shall be in bitternes note the phrase that is godly sorrow shall soke and sape them they shall be in the power of it so that it shall over-rule them they shall not easily shake it off yea it shall be exceeding sorrow as that of Hadrimmon for the sadde losse of Iosia and further it shall be fervent and sincere both signified by the secrecy of it husband apart wife apart and family apart as we say He mournes truly that mournes without witnesse Such a sorrow such teares hearty and unfaigned not in a mood comming from a full heart impotent and powring it selfe out before God plentifully because it hath greeved the Spirit of so good a God so patient and longsuffering I say such a one is the true badge of repentance which issues from faith Wherein eyther teares are abundant as at Bochim or Mizpeh when the people drew buckets before the Lord Iudge 2.4 or else in the want thereof the heart sheds teares of blood 1 Sam. 7 6. and the soule sighes under a burden which shee cannot well utter This sorrow usually beares the name of repentance as being a maine companion inseparable from it and that true eating of sowre hearbes required of him that ate the Passeover which hearbes grow no where save in the garden of grace Onely the love of that God whom the soule hath dishonored even in the middest of mercy and when she peirced the Lord of life then was that Lord willingly peirced to death by her that shee might live Act. 2.37 I say this love onely can melt a heart of stone and breake it in peeces so that it cannot but repent whereas before by the hardnesse of heart Rom. 2.4 despising the patience of God it could not repent True search of heart will worke true brokennesse and cause the belly to tremble Habac. 3.16 and rottennesse to enter into the bones that it may finde peace in the day of trouble Yea as the Lord turned the captivity of Iob Iob 42.10 when he prayed for his friends So in this through mourning of heart tne Lord turnes the captivity of the soule and converts it to himselfe No terrours of conscience can soften an hard heart but rather they will harden it and bind it up to greater hardnesse As we see an hammer may breake a bell to gobbets fit to be melted but the fire onely can melt them that so they may be moulded a new So the love of God can onely effect this mourning after God and broken heart a most welcome sacrifice to God till which the soule cannot beteame the Lord herselfe to be offered up unto him Rom.
delight in the inner man prevent falls restore ye being fallen and cause ye to grow in grace more than ever Which if you had once tasted who should drive ye from the Sacrament Or should ye come to Church meaning to receive and to yet depart without it or which is worse give advantage to the divell and the world to set upon you the more fiercely by occasion of this defiling your selves No surely but be confirmed in comming the oftner the welcomer Vse 5 Fifthly and especially make we this Doctrine Examination a rule of triall to us about our Sacramentall repentance I have laid downe 3. grounds in this Chapter which might serve for this use to a carefull heart Likewise in the triall of our estate Chapt. 2. at the end I have said somewhat which sorteth well with this Point Yet least I should leave the Reader unsatisfied let me here helpe somewhat toward setting this triall on worke I will cull out some few leaving the Reader to apply the rest Triall 1 And first trie thy selfe by this marke Thou knowest the Sacrament is a reall setting before thine eyes the body and bloud of Christ slain and crucified Zach. 12.10 Now it was prophecied by Zachary that repentant soules should see him whom they have pierced and mourne How is it then with thee Dost thou mourne to see the Lord Iesus pierced at the Sacrament Dost thou as well take thought for him as for thy selfe Is thy heart broken to thinke how thy pride hollownesse and selfe-love have shed his precious bloud and beene the speare to pierce him I mean not that thou shouldst whip thy self for the cruelty of the Priests and Scribes as Papists doe themselves being as bad but that the cost of thy redemption doth abase thee and thy sinne humble thee even to hells brinke in thy owne sence And doth it deepely affect thee that thy sinne caused the Lord to lay such loade upon his Sonne Doth it make thy sinne truly irkesome to thee And darest thou not the second time crucifie Christ to thy selfe But rather carriest all thy beloved darlings to his Crosse that they may there lose their life and heart bloud sacrificing them in an holy recompence unto him Rom. 12. â— It is a good signe Triall 2 Secondly art thou willing by any meanes to be informed of thy sinnes not onely morrall but also spirituall those that doe most defile thy spirit and vexe the Spirit of grace Ephe 4.30 Is that Ministry most welcome to thee which carrieth in the spirit to search the depth of thy heart When thou canst overtake thy subtill heart and find out the turnings and trickes of it the farre fetch'd devices of it to keepe thee in such a course as maintaines selfe and fleshly ease destroying selfe-deniall and sincerity canst thou rejoyce as one that findeth spoiles Is it thy secret prayer that the Lord would set the righteous to smite thee Psal 141.5 And countest thou him a deere friend that will reprove thee Yea when thou mightest carrie a sinne slily and none the wiser hast thou one within thee that will give thee no peace till it be cast out And is secret sinne as base as open unto thee A blessed signe Triall 3 Thirdly is the uprightnesse of others the servants of God more highly esteemed by thee than thine owne yea than the opinion of others though they thinke never so highly of thee Feelest thou no bottome in other mens praises when thy heart tells thee they esteeme too well of thee And dost thou desire they might thinke of thee as thou art 1 Cor. 4.3 that they might as well pray as praise God for thee as being privy that the greatest part of thy vertues are not the least part of thy corruptions Dost thou still see an excellencie in the members of Christ above thine owne And some such base stuffe in thy selfe as oft causes thy best graces to be in lesse account Rom. 7.24 mourning that thou canst not reach that measure in tendernesse jealozie of heart plainenesse and truth which thou seest in others It s a good signe Triall 4 Fourthly canst thou yet acknowledge that good which God hath done for thee with true enlargednesse of heart and without swelling Canst thou joyne humilitie with thanksgiving without prejudice to each other And although thou feelest when evill is present as pride selfe yet thou darest not bite on Gods glory in thy obedience because there will goe some scurffe of thine in the streame But thy heart prayeth Lord let mee shine still and honour thee but dash all shining upon my selfe and getting up into thy saddle by mine owne stirrops It is a signe of a wise and holy seeking Gods ends and that thine heart is cleane Triall 5 Fifthly dost thou love righteousnesse it selfe as righteousnesse be the thing and subject of never so small a nature And dost thou hate sinne as sinne be it never so little in thine eye Is the one precious to thee for that pure natures sake which it resembles and the other loathsome 2 Thess 5.22 because it is opposite to it It is a good signe Triall 6 Sixthly when thou feelest thy heart touch'd for thy sinne and humbled in prayer darest thou not stay there but proceedest to renounce it as seriously Or rather doth not thy tongue goe before thy heart So that when occasion is offered it seemes sweeter and welcomer than when there was none As Peter vowed to sticke to his Master when there was nothing to trie him but when there was Mat. 26 23.56 then to sticke to him was too hard and heavy to him If it be thus thou knowest not thine owne spirit Take an ensample Thou professest that thou darest not be unrighteous but it falles out that thou art convinced of some bad dealing now thou art willed to renounce it that is to make such a satisfaction as thou hast damnified not being thine owne judge but as they who are wise thinke best If thou be as free in renouncing when either shame by open confession or losse by restitution lies upon it it is a good signe else thine heart playâ—s bootie Triall 7 Seventhly are the sinnes of others the sorrowes of the Church as sensible bitter and laid to heart by thee Psal 119.136 as thy own And canst thou drown both other joyes and sorrows of thine owne in these And accordingly to thy affections so are thy prayers endeavours procurements for the peace of the Church and against her miseries and those that cause it And canst thou forget thy selfe and thy businesse for this purpose It is well Triall 8 Eightly dost thou rejoyce alway to be crossing thy selfe in those succors and supports of thy sinne which thy corruption suggests to thee if grace did not gainesay As for example findest thou thy selfe eager of base gain And when it tickles thy spirit canst thou in the chiefe of that sweetnes cut off thy hand and foote
and intercept this fuell of thy lust even by revenging thy selfe upon thy selfe and giving that to the poore 2 Cor. 7 9. or a good use which hath been the instrument of fulfilling thy lust It is a good signe Triall 9 Ninthly if God call thee to suffer for a truth of his about which thou feelest a strife on the one side it is suggested to thee that there be greater truths to suffer for in which thou shouldest finde more comfort than in that truth thou art called to suffer for on the other side thou canst not denie the lesser truth to bee a truth in such a case to be willing to suffer for any truth commending thy selfe to God and craving that thou maist not bee afraid to suffer for greater if called to it yea to count the price of any truth to exceede thy best contentments it s a good signe Triall 10 Tenthly if not onely thy knowledge doe sway thee to duty but thy conscience also And if there be wrought in thee not onely some generall awe of God but also a quickning power acting and putting thee forth to the lively delight in good and hatred of evill whereas an hypocrite hath onely a dead hearted knowledge without power its a good signe Likewise when the experience thou hast of sinne and of grace is no dead but a stirring experience quickning thee to goodnesse and mortifying of corruption it is a sweet signe I might be larger but I leave the Reader to collect others from former grounds By the paw judge of the Lion Thus much for the triall of revived repentance at the Sacrament Vse 6 Consolation Lastly this Doctrine affords us use of Consolation which belongs to all the poore servants of God that cannot as they would comfort thmselves in their triall of repentance Oh! say they our life is a continuall revolting from God but rare repenting If say they repentance be such a thing as stands in the renewing of the soule the ordinary practise of the life and recovery out of our falls wee cannot say much for our repentance Well but I demande of thee Are these wrought in thee for the kinde Is there a sound heart in all though much weakenesse Then thy weakenesse shall not sunder thee and the Lord at the Sacrament But why then will you say doe you presse repentance so strictly I answer Not to urge repentance in perfection here for that is for heaven but to provoke all beleevers to the greatest measure that they can here attaine unto And let such be comforted that the Sacrament belongs to them for their further encrease It is as if a poore Lazer should have said Hee was not worthy to step into the poole when the Angell had roared the water Oh! But if the poole served to heale such an one it had beene a wrong to have deprived himselfe of the poole by that argument which rather served to encourage him God sees not the unavoidable defects of his owne nor imputes them he lookes at that which is good and his owne in them and passes by the bad which is theirs In this case thy faith must fulfill the righteousnesse of the Law Rom. 10.4 when thine owne is too weake That must be thy chiefe Robe to cover thee though thine under-garment be worne and thinne Oh! but they cannot mourne they say their hearts are dead and senselesse no sooner doe they resolve upon a forsaking of sinne but it salutes them againe presently They keepe no Covenant almost which they renew at the Sacrament Well I praise you not for this yet I hope you mourne that you are so mournelesse and you are not dead so farre forth as you feele it Strengthen the feeble hands Heb. 12.12 and make straight that which is crooked Revive the edge and furbish the blade of your repentance But to refuse the meanes of your growth and encrease because you are weake were to conclude That because you are but poore therefore you must starve your selves Nay rather you have the more neede of strength Goe to the Sacrament that your complaints may be fewer abstaine not because you feele cause of complaining For so you may adde oyle to the flame and the divell will rejoyce but to be sure your selves shall be the greatest lozers And touching the triall of repentance so much CHAP. VII Of Sacramentall Love and the triall thereof The 4. grace Love I Come now to the fourth grace required of all true partakers of the Lords Table which is love A most maine grace for the Sacrament and of speciall familiarity with it Entry Three things And for the better conceiving hereof I purpose God willing to handle these three things First I will shew what this love is secondly I will prove the truth of the Point by Scripture and Reasons thirdly I will make use of the Doctrine and therein I will propound the trials of this grace Premising still this caution that as needefull a grace as this is yet I make it not of that essentiall nature for the very act of receiving as faith though otherwise most necessary for the Supper because its that grace which improves and beautifies the whole Commumunion of Saints and much more the Communion for so we call it of the Supper 1 What it is For the 1. of these three Sacramentall love differing no otherwise from the grace of love than as reviving of it differs from the thing it selfe is a grace of the Spirit in the soule of man and the daughter of faith renewed by occasion of the Sacrament in all true receivers whereby they are so united unto all that are their fellow members that they enlarge themselves to all occasions of their good for the ends of Communion Sixe things in the descript In this description are sixe distinct things 1. The author of it 2. The begetting cause 3. The circumstance of reviving 4. The forme or being of it 5. The act of it 6. The end it propounds For the first I call it a sanctifying grace of the holy Ghost in the soule 1 A grace of the Spirit Vsually wee plant love in the affections and concupiscible part But here I plant it in the will of the soule ascribing to it an higher seate than an appetite or passion as being grounded in the choise and purpose of the soule planted by a far stronger agent than affections are and to an higher end But of this I say the lesse That the spirit is the workeman of it appeares by direct Scripture Gal. 5 22. Paul gives it the birthright of all fruits of the Spirit The fruites of the Spirit are love joy peace c. And the like he saith in sundry places Rom. 5 5. For the Spirit shedding the love of God into the barren and hatefull heart of man causeth it to conceive like love to them who are begotten as that was in him that begat Hence that of our Saviour Thou evill
to life with an 100. more Now he who hath evidence of all these within himselfe how sweetly may he sit at the Sacrament not onely with Saints rejoycing in their mutuall welfare but even with Angels So much for Reasons 3. Generall The Vses Now I conclude with the uses of the Doctrine Vse 1 First let it be terrour to all that dare abuse the Supper by comming to it without this Sacramentall grace of love Branch 1. Of Terrour And to terrefie them by degrees they come in the fore-ranke that cloke their treachery and villany both in their owne hearts and against others under this ordinance Iesuites establish their trayterousnesse against Princes States and Common-wâ—alths by this meanes and digge deepe to hide their counsells from God and man As Iacobs sonnes used the pretent of circumcision Gen. 34.19 1 King â—1 9. Matth. 26.26 and Iudas covered his treason by the Passâ—over Iezabel hers with fasting with impudent faces being yet full of murther and Treason but in stead of secrecy he exposed himselfe to a desperate conscience that could not repent that so hee might goe to his worke without checke or feeling and so his eating the sop was costly So shall the Sacrament be to all such as under their receiving it do hide their griping usury unmercifulnesse For who thinke they will judge us such in the second Table seeing us to be so devout in the Sacrament Doe yee not see say they how folke balke the Sacrament when they are come to it But alas wee goe through stitch with it It is true so yee doe if that were the worst if yee were as ready to be purged of your rancor and malice Then I would say yee had put on a breastplate indeede of proofe But now yee are armed with a paper defence which conscience and the wrath of God will shoot through one day â—am 4.8 Clense your hearts yee sinners and purge your hands yee hollowly minded Lay away your colours and plucke off these mufflers of uncharitablenesse Psal 26.6 and so yee are allowed to compasse the Altar of God with washen hands and in innocency of love Agree with your Adversary not onely man but the Lord quickly soder not nor equivocate but deale sincerely Empty out all filth and turne the bottome upward that yee may bee the children of him who as an innocent Lambe shed his blood for enemies that you might not know any save his This feast of the Lambe will bee a costly feast to you that want nay cast off this lappe of the wedding garment from you Branch 2 Secondly terrour againe to all who basely blanch over their owne conscience by seeking a kind of peace and good will betweene themselves and their enemies just before the Sacrament Not for true reconciliation as if they desired that but to keepe in the Sacrament from comming out at their nostrills Oh yee wretches yee defile your selves wilfully in the things yee know Not much unlike that Iew who being under feare of breaking the Sabboth in taking ship and yet willing to goe hired a Turke to thrust him into the ship mocking his conscience Who hath taught you thus to paint the outside of your rotteâ— Tombes of hollow love with such varnish knowing the inside to bee as it is For no sooner is the Sacrament over but yee returne to your vomit to your former jarres and quarells and so weare your sinne as a marke upon your faces for all to see and for the Lord in wrath to curse you saying Never grow love from such rootes or trees of bitternesse any more such as proclaime their sinne as Sodome Branch 3 Thirdly terrour to all such who although their lives swarme with the sinnes of selfe-love rage envy talebearing and unpeaceablenesse yea grinding the face of the poore c. yet they dare wipe off all crummes from their mouth and come to the Sacrament Nay some are so empty of this heart of love that with him in S. Iames they dare dally with love Iam. 2 16. and say to the needy Be warmed cloathed and fedde yet themselves give them nothing Others there are of a currish and Naballish disposition that their oyle of love is not sufficient for their owne Lampes but most chorlishly deprive even such of their due who are of their owne flesh as drunkards c. Oh monsters how dare yee lift up your head before the master of this feast and crucifie againe him that dyed for such traytors as your selves How dwelleth Sacramentall love in such Oh be scared from thus adventuring any further Come no more O yee fearefull spotts of assemblies Iude 12 into the holy place in which Châ—ists body and blood are offered least as dogges yee catch at them and bane your selves Act. 8.22 Pray if possible that these wickednesses may bee forgiven you Branch 4 Fourthly all such ungodly youths men or maydes whose practise is in Citties and great townes to turne the day of the Sacrament into a Sacrifice to Bacchus and spend five or six houres of the Sabboth in junketting Chambering and wantonnesse tossing of pots eating of deinty belly cheere playing at stooleball barley breake dancing and such base behaviours If yee aske them why Oh say they we have receaved too day this is a merry day with us But if a Turke saw yee in this your holy day worke what manner of God would they thinke yee serve And this is a more woefull blindnesse because sometime both Minister and cheefe of their parish not to speake of their governours encourage them to it and have no sence of any sinne but thinke it a very fine way to make youth love well together Oh yee profane creatures Doe yee despise Gods holy bands to bring in your owne rotten packthred and doe yee turne his sacred ordinances into such scurfe If ignorance and base custome be the cause Gal. 6.7 be informed if profanenesse bee also terrified God will not be mocked To conclude the whole use seeke the remedy of all this There is hope if yee bee not hardned seeke to know your enmity with the Lord himselfe and get his love to be shed into your soules which may constreyne you to love his people and so come to the Supper and welcome Despise not this my counsell Vse 2 Reproofe Secondly let it be reproofe even to Gods owne Servants and likewise admonition to search their hearts and lives for all this sowre leaven of false love and venom which many of them dare suffer to clogge them from Sacrament to Sacrament Though perhaps they keepe the sore sweet and so that it festereth not yet they are very carelesse in casting out that bitter roote which daily springeth up and defiles them through their pronenesse to fall to it Oh! true love is a jewell indeede not every Merchants portion nor easily preserved when it is gotten Loth I grant we are to be noted for so unsociable and lovelesse ones that
it be thus who doubts but a feast of the mountaines a feast of all delicacies a Kings feast offered with so solemne an invitation yea threat of contempt yea to the most unworthy yea with such a welcome at the feast as this Esay 55.2 Eate good things and let your soules delight themselves in fatnesse I say who can deny but here is an object of the best and most earnest desire and longing These things I have thus in a shaddow premised to spare repetition of the substance contained under them least the Reader might conceive me to rush upon the point without some ground of preparation I come now to the point it selfe and the proofe thereof The point it selfe That is this Christ Iesus our nourishment in the Supper must be received with speciall longing and desire For proofe of it take first the Analogie of the Passeover Proofes In that there were sundry ceremonies noting out this desire For first what did that typifie that the Lambe should bee separated from the teate of the damme foure dayes ere it was slaine Exod. 12.6 Surely not onely to teach mortifiednesse of lusts and liberties but especially the desire which the soule should feele in her selfe as we know the poore Lambe made many a mournefull bleate after the damme in that time Verse 12 Againe what signified those first guises of eating the Passeover save desire in a speciall degree I meane their eating with their shoes on and standing Their staves ready in their hands and their hasting to bee gone Doubtlesse it argued earnest desire And therefore Luke 22. verse 15. Luke 22.15 it is sayd expressely of Christ that hee exceedingly longed to eate the Passeover with his Disciples If he so desired it what ought they to doe Also those sowre hearbes or sawce made of them as some write what doe they shew but the sharpening of appetite For the reasons also these few may serve Reason 1 1. The appetite of the soule after Christ our nourishmēt is as requisit for a receiver as the desire after Christ our life is requisite for a convert But we know that hunger after Christ our life is one of the conditions and markes of faith Therefore is this also a marke and condition of a true receiver Especially if we consider that the Sacrament is a fuller and more festivall exhibiting of Christ than the word alone ohn 6.35 Objection Objection How can this be true seeing the soule once satisfied with Christ her life shall never hunger more Answer Answer He speakes of hunger in that kinde not of each renewed actor measure of it He meanes not that any shall ever taste Christ after who hunger not after but that they shall never be so hungry any more as when their sinne stung and schorched them Reason 2. Reason 2 All other Ordinances require it of such as will partake hem with fruit As 1 Pet. 2.2 1 Pet. 2.2 If ye will covet the sincere milke c. Great appetite even as great as an infants after the brest is due to hearing of each Sermon to each fast how much more to each Sacrament Reason 3 Thirdly it is urged the rather for that it is a great signe the other foure graces are wrought also For what better argues the scowring out of those lusts of ignorance infidelitie profanenesse or uncharitablenesse than when the stomack of the soule hath gotten an appetite after the Supper Fourthly and especially how else should the soule declare it selfe to judge aright of the Sacrament to be the Lords feast except it come to it with at least such a preparation as any common feast requireth Reason 4 Not to adde this though not the least reason that the Lord offers Christ our Nourishment to us that wee might exceedingly much fare the better for him How shall we so doe except we hunger after him If any meate truly strengthen refresh and satisfie the body it is that above all which is eaten with best appetite Other meate may prove humorous which is eaten with a fulsome stomack This for Reasons Meanes of attaining it Ere I come to the use methinkes I here some asking How may this grace be attained I answer by sundry steps wrought in the soule by name these first a sensible heart of her daily and hourely wants about which reade Chapter the third of this latter Treatise Secondly Sight of Christ Sacramentall and his fulnesse For where there is no hope of supply there the soule hath no list to feele her needs But the knowledge of Gods feast will worke hope of being satisfied Meditation therefore and pondering hereof with prayer will cause the soule to hunger without horror or despaire other hungers there may be after a thing denied yea impossible But the desire of the faithfull is sweetned and strengthned by the fulnesse of the supply joyned with the promise of him that inviteth and welcometh freely and bountifully Thirdly by the experience of the Saints in their former receivings when they came empty and found that filled such and sent the full empty away So much of this Now the third part of the Chapter remaines Terror viz. the use of the Doctrine And that is manifold Vse 1 First it is terror and that to all such as come to the Sacrament without desire and yet blanke not at it The things that should breed appetite in them to wit Christ and his dainties pardon peace grace and heaven savor no more with them than the white of an egge without salt Ye wofull ones What are ye such impure Swine that these Pearles which God offers you to ravish your dead hearts with you smell of them and trample them under your feete in the dirt Aske such after the supper ended What saw ye there They answer they saw a goodly company of people and a faire cloath a golden Cup and wine powred out but as for Christ or any dramme of good in him to relish their soule they saw no more than the blinde Batt To what end then have Gods Messengers so dispensed him unto you Surely that it might be verified The eares of this people are waxen deafe and their hearts fat seeing they perceive not and hearing they understand not least they should convert and heale them If yet Christ be hidden 2 Cor. 4.4 hee is so to none but those that shall perish whom Satan hath more power over to darken than the Lord to enlighten Oh Lord but to consider how great a part of our Christian Church consists of such would gaster a good man They savor nothing save backe and belly and trade Phil. 3.18 and pleasures and drinke and gold if ye would preach of such things ye were for them But Alas As for desire of the savor of Christ in the Sacrament of nourishment a Dogge savors a chip as much Why Of a thing unknowne there can be no desire Why then come such upon unsavory saplesse and senselesse termes
Perhaps one hath beene sicke or upon a journey and his wife was loth to receive till they might goe together I doe not mislike the joyning of couples but if God by disease have hindred thy husband or by absence must his wife needs hold off what scurffe is this for sinister ends to balcke the Sacrament Oh! the qualmes of cold undesirous Communicants should justly stirre the faithfull to loathe it in themselves Such as come not with desire either may come or not come upon any base pretext as because they see others come or because t is Easter or because they thinke it is a better thing at so holy a time to be among devout folke than to sit in the chimney corner at home alone So alas Many come because they came not last time and they are loath to be noted to absent themselves too often or because some of their neighbours receive to day Oh fulsome beast Avant from the presence of that God who will be followed in the savor of his ointments Marke 9.50 who will receive no sacrifice from any but such as have salt in them and season it therewith Who abhorres a dead beast with the throat cut and not raised up and burning upon his Altar If the least drop of relish were in thee could these be the motives to bring thee to Gods table God give thee an heart to tremble at thy sottish profanenes and if meere ignorance have hitherto caused it adde no more drunkennesse to thirst least the Lord by some fearefull hand rend thee from thy companions with horror at thy death or else leave thee a most saped senselesse conscience in thy presumption Tremble to thinke how many thousand of affections of Gods Ministers both by Sermons and Sacraments must finally be lost upon such stones and stockes If ye lay sicke upon your beds and your stomackes were lost what an outcry would your wives make in the eares of the Physitian saying Helpe for Gods cause my husband is a dead man he takes nothing But Oh thou beast Thou takest neither droppe nor crumme of the flesh or bloud of Iesus Sacramentall and yet feelest no aile Beware least sence be reserved for thee in hell except thou repent Vse a reproofe Math. 11.10 Secondly here is also reproofe even of Gods owne for comming to the Sacrament without renewed appetite It is with many unsavory receivers as it was with Iohn Baptist hearers at the first they rejoyced in his light but shortly they became so fulsome that their savor was gone So that our Saviour upbraides them saying What went ye out into the wildernesse to see a reede shaken with the wind Or a man wearing soft raiment Their zealous devotion was turned into forme and custome So it is with these Those sacred layes of first Love which shined in you at your first receivings then when the Sacrament was as honey to their taste lo now they are damped and cooled Plenty makes no daintie now with you but except God rouse ye up to meditate of the object which first drew your affections to burne within you while he preached and reached out the Sacrament unto you so that the same fulnesse makes as great daintie as ever and the oftner the greater God shall not hold ye guiltlesse of this forfeit I tell thee the very besotted Papists shall rise up against this saplesse age and condemne it for they as Esay saith inflame themselves under every greene tree with their Idols They burne in their adulterous desire after their Wafer and their saplesse god their Agnus Deis and Crucifixes Images of the Virgin and the Saints But as for us the Lord Iesus preach'd and offered in the feast of a Supper leaves us as barren emptie and saporlesse as a chip Oh brethren be zealous and amend What cold or surfeit hath taken us that the things of God should wax as dry Manna to the Israelites Num. 11.4 Could the Lord endure their brutishnesse Did he not sweare they should not enter into his rest Heb. 12.11 If there be but a dramme of old appetite and sparke of old fire left upon the Altar take Gods bellowes of indignation and blow it up that it die not Strengthen the feeble knees and hands Heb. 3.12 12. that they faint not Hath the day beene wherein the morning watches of a Sabboth have beene more precious than all the dayes of the weeke And yet every houre in the day appointed for Gods honour more sweet than the houres of eating and working and is now meate drink gaming and pleasure so full of taste that Christ and his Supper can afford no appetite The Lord recover it in thee if thou be his he will by some smarty Crosse or sting of conscience rather than suffer thy affections to lie buried in the earth Doe as those do who must carry home logges or timber which are sunke and buried in some dirty ditch or quagmire first they must raise it by their skill and unsettle it and then being loose they may carry it and carry it home So doe thou if there were ever true desire in thee lo it s sunke into some dirtie pit of the world leud company sloth and ease raise it first out of it and after thou shalt the better carrie it home with thee to Gods house Oh! I touch a sinne now more frequent than I know any in the Church viz. of sleepy dead Sacraments without affection If thou seest that the Lord will not take of this cover off darkenesse Esay 25. â—7 and dampe of undesirousnesse from the body because of their long desperate carelesnâ—sse yet steppe in for thy owne soule that it perish not in this common yea Epidemiall lathergie Vse 3 Thirdly let this be admonition Admonition to all that know what this point meanes to be weary of all those enemies of desire which haunt the soule in an insensiblenesse and indifferencie of appetite toward the Sacrament They are these first 1. Against resting upon former affections a resting upon former affections in receiving and supposing they are still the same when as yet they are oppressed and surfeited with such scurffe as hath choked them and therefore are not now at hand as they have beene to cheere us at the Sacrament whereas affection had neede be revived daily in secret above all things What should be a Christians daily exercise but this to try how those promises of the Sacrament can affect us as this Christ is my feast of full nourishment his flesh is meate indeede c. These would have affected mee in time past but now they will not stirre mee As that Courtier told Alexander that hee would appeale from him drunke to himselfe sober so had wee neede to doe when wee feele neither judgement nor affections tender and open to the Sacrament nor perhaps to any thing else either word or workes of God shake thy selfe before God and say It is not with me as
all his feast and lay it unto thee And this also shall serve for this fifth and last grace of desire and the tryall of it and so in generall concerning the whole doctrine of Sacramentall preparation Which the Lord so blesse that all his servants to whose hands this poore treatise may come may meete with some morsells which may cause them not to repent them of their Travaile CHAP. IX Of the due behaviour of a communicant in the act of receiving NOw according to our order prefined we proceede to adde somewhat concerning the worke it selfe of receiving Of the carriage at the Sacrament The communicant then having taken due paines for the making himselfe fit for the Supper is not there to rest but to goe to the Sacrament to eate of that bread and drinke of that cup as Paul speaketh Now to give the Reader a taste beforehand of the subject matter of this Chapter let him know it is twofold The one concerneth the comming unto the other the due receiving of the Sacrament For the former I will by this occasion speake a little of the necessity of comming to the Sacrament both in generall as it concernes all that are worshippers and in speciall those that are prepared for it For the latter I shall handle it eyther in that due carriage of the receiver towards the whole ordinance or towards some passages thereof For the whole ordinance it selfe the receiver owes a double carriage Entry and division eyther of commemoration or of perpetuation The former being a thankefull raysing of heart to God the father 1. Point Necessity of comming in praise for the Lord Iesus The latter being a preservation of the integrity of this ordinance by the incorrupt use thereof from all corruption of humane devises The carriage of the receiver concerning some occasionall passages in the Sacrament is a spirituall accommodation of the soule attending so to the outward Sacramentall acts there performed that hee finde himselfe much quickned in the grace he brought with him and edified in respect of that fruit which he lookes to carry away For the first of these The words of the Apostle are plaine So let him come and eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. Proofes 1 Cor. 11.28 Which words are not permissive let him if he will but imperative let him See Treatise 1. Cap. 1. I command him upon paine of my wrath and displeasure But many reasons there are to proove it also First who can deny but the Church and ordinances under the Gospel are more excellent than those under the Law Reade these Texts Heb. 9.11.23 Heb. 5.1.2 c. Heb. 3.5.6 with many more Now in the old Testament we see how sollemne a penalty is threatned against him that in coole blood having no plea by sicknesse or jorney and businesse to alledge should forbeare to keepe the passeover Numbers 9. Verse 13. even such a one saith the Lord shall be cut off from his people Nay it seemes that although legall pollutions might hinder ordinary services and sacrifices yet the necessi y of the Passeover Verse 7. tooke away the barre of such pollutions so that the touching a dead man or being in a jorney and about common businesse might not infringe it The Lord by this meane providing for the honor and necessity of the Sacrament How much more necessary then are the Sacraments of the Gospel to frequent And how severe a censure of excommunication lyes upon the violaters of them Reason 1 If now the Lord so severely plagues a receiver for want of worthy receiving 1 Cor. 11.29 how much more will he plague a non-receiving dispiser If a Prince send for some of his Subjects to appeare before him whereof some appeare but bow not the knee to doe homage others refuze to waite upon him at all whether of these two thinke we incurre greatest dispeasure Reason 2 Secondly to what issue comes all wee have sayd hitherto concerning Supper preparation Can wee conclude such a thing to be needelesse as requires such a costly entrance It might then bee sayd Why is this great waste No surely So necessary a preparation cannot argue a slight duty If all the land had summons by a day to waite upon the King in their colours for a warlike expedition were any so fond as to deeme that enterprise idle which cost such a tedious addressements Reason 3 Thirdly the substance it selfe of the Sacrament is a thing of necessity and that absolute If a man were in a ship like to bee cast away he would say it s not necessary I keepe my corne or provision but its necessary I keepe my life So heere It s not necessary that we thrive or live long or live at all for we may be happy without any such but it is necessary wee have the life of grace in our soules Now the Sacrament is Christ our life and nourishment Except yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood yee have no life in you Ioh. 6.53 What case are such miscreants in then for sole life as abhorre Sacraments Reason 4 Fourthly the industry and paines taken by those famous worthies and restorers of the collapsed Passeover 2 Cron. 30.3.21 both in their commissions sent about their munificence in providing lambes for such as wanted their charge given personally to the people to keepe the same to the Lord 2 Cron. 35.7.18 doe sufficiently argue that these holy Princes were fooles if the thing they undertooke were a needelesse trifle How much lesse then is the use of the Passeover of the Gospel a needelesse thing Fiftly if the Lord presse oftennesse of comming to the Supper as a necessary duty how much more is a coming and tendring of our persons to God needefull If scanty comming be a sinne what a fearefull premunire then runne they into that refuze at all to come Reason 5 Lastly if the scope of the Supper be peculiar honour and thankes to God for Christ and a solemne holding out his death till he come Luk. 22.21 what a sinne is that which cuts off both the generall end of the worship and the peculiar scope of this But I dwell no longer upon a point so cleare To brutish swine reason is lost And to the good it is needelesse Vses Before I leave the point I must adde a few uses 1 Terrour First terrour to all profane Esau's who being out of love with the Sacrament through loathing of examination of their woefull profane lives which indeede are so intricate and overwhelmed in sinne that they admit none make it their constant practise to abandon all Sacraments And when they are cut off by mens censures for this their contempt they are content so to live and are no whit troubled a man knowes not whether the disease or the remedy doe worse with them I might compare them to Caine save that I should wrong him by so unjust a comparison
Elements hee gathers that God the Father hath given the Lord Iesus to the Church and thereby comforts himselfe in the free gift of God Secondly The second when hee sees him to blesse and breake the Elements he remembers that himselfe peirced and brake his body and sides by his sinne and provoked the justice of the Father against him which causes him to eate this Lambe and to mixe sweete meate with the hearbes of mourning and contrition Thirdly The third when hee heares the Minister offer the Elements to himselfe in particular he heares in him the voyce of the Father exhorting him to apply the Lord Iesus to himselfe for his peculiar strengthening against Sathan the world and corruption Fourthly beholding himselfe to thrust forth his hand to take The fourth eate and drinke the Elements he rejoyceth to thinke that God hath united them to Christ inseparably that by the power of the ordinance the one might carry the other into the soule and the soule might fasten with faith and hunger upon both as the true Nourishment of grace peace joy unto eternall life so that no enemy shall be ever able to frustrate the fruit of this Sacrament The fifth Also when hee sees the Church partake with him in these mysteries hee perceives an inward tender love and communion quickned in his heart and drawing him to rejoyce in his owne welfare as a member in and under the welfare of the Church through which as the body each member receaves her owne speciall influence from the head Yea the Psalmes and Almes of the Congregation sung The sixth and given from a cheerefull and charitable heart both to God his poore brethren doth provoke him to doe likewise to sing with a grace in his heart to the Lord and to distribute with a loving spirit to the necessities of the Saints All which being pertinent relations to the Acts administred doe further and ripen the soule in the grace of the Sacrament so that it shall not neede to repent her of her labour but with the end of the Sacrament reape also the fruite and carry away the blessing and returning God the Glory And thus much of the behaviour of the communicant at the Sacrament Which if it were wel weighed what difference should we soone see a maine difference between the basenesse of man the Provision of God Conclusion Alas this would banish all earthly wearisome sensuall wandring carriage of communicants who either for lacke of sound knowlege or else want of savour of heart are faint to fiâ—l up the time of long Sacraments with most tedious thoughts and affections and so defile themselves in an yrkesome receiving of that whereto they made so solemne a preparation Whereas wee know that as it is a greater commendation to a subject to demeane himselfe duly in the presence of his sovereigne than onely to spend thoughts before hand how he may doe it so it is no small comfort to a poore soule that hath painefully prepared it selfe when also it can converse with God in the ordinance so as it may lay no offence in the Lords and her owne way from a plentifull dispensing of mercy upon her selfe while the season of dispensing lasteth And thus much for this chapter CHAP. X. Touching the due carriage of a receiver after the Sacrament ended The third and last generall carriage after TO conclude the whole treatise let mee also adde a word or two concerning this last but not least duty of a communicant after the Supper A peece of worke very little regarded by the most But let us know that as some part of the Sacrament was entred upon in preparation so some part of it is to be done after the publike action ended I confesse it is counted a ridiculous thing by the moste to be so precise as never to have done but to goe from Church to chamber and there finish the worke But to such as make conscience of other ordinances in private this will bee more welcome and no paines will bee thought too great for the attaining of so great commodity Breefely then the Supper being ended 1. In speciall duties a Christian receiver should in private set himselfe in the presence of God and performe these two duties The first of faith The other due survey of his receiving Touching the first 1. Faith A Christian must close up the whole action with the Amen and so be it of faith lotting upon the word of God that it shall be to him in the fruite of his travell Esay 53. end according to that which God hath caused him to looke for It comes in my mind what is recorded Acts 12. of the Church assembled together in Maries house They had beene earnest to God for Peter Act. 12.15 in their prayers It pleased God to heare them and breake chaines and prisons by them And to send Peter miraculously among them as they desired Now when the Damosell came in and told them it was Peter they told her she was mad It was an Angell Whence came this that they should so hardly beleeve that which they had so earnestly prayed for Surely because faith is such a stranger to our spirit even when it is at the best that it seemes to bee a grace above us Carnall reason feare and distrust are alway upon the latch ready to breake in when we have beene most spiritually occupied how much more then ordinarily and to buzze into our eares thus Thus now thou hast beene busied and as thou thinkest thou hast discerned that which few have done at the Sacrament But what if all this thy labour should bee lost What if God should doe neither good nor evill What if for all this thou shalt be no better than if absent Oh! Heere then let thy faith still be as attentive to guard thy soule as Satan is with his fiery darts to dismay thee be able to quench them by faith thinke it no strange thing that unbeleefe hath never done assaulting thee but ply thy selfe with this sheild and Armour till thou have frayed away Satan from thee and recovered thy former part in the promise Say thus Lord was thy word strong at my going to the Sacrament and is it weake at my returne Dost not thou alway speake the same thing Is there any shaddow of turning in thee Shall I in the generall say with Martha oh 11.22.39 I know thou canst doe all things but when it comes to the push then start backe and say Hee stinketh Farre bee it from mee Lord thus to bee at a sudden losse as if thy promise were no bottome sufficient to cleave to This is the first thing which the Lord lookes for that thy faith should be as reall as the promise and that thereby thy heart should bee fenced from the feares and distempers of carnall sence and distrust which else will breake in upon thy wanzing heart and weaken thy confidence Alas wee see nothing
Oh! thou shalt have thy belly full of it one day with aking and sorrow when conscience shall present thee with thy sinne and shew thee how many Sacraments and the fruit of them this gulfe of the world hath devoured without recovery And what a narrow entrance into heaven it hath caused to thee who if thou hadst beene enlarged to Gods opportunities as they to thee mightst have found a large doore opened unto thee Then shalt thou bee weary of those cauils which thy covetous heart hath cast upon the Sacrament as these Where finde ye that so much cost is required to the Sacrament that men must lay aside their businesse and looke after that Nay where findest thou that the matters of so divine a Nature must stoope to thy base trash And so ingrosse thy hurt that when holy things are in hard thy soule is no where lesse than where thy body is So that that hadst as good doe never a whit as never the better The Remedy is Resigne up thy selfe and ends to God make him the Moderator Remedy and hee will not defraude thee of thy worldly due if thou wilt be ruled But if thy selfe be judge the Lord must needes prove the loozer More causes added To these I might adde more As that men make a dead worke of the Sacrament they live not by faith in it they walke not humbly and tenderly but suffer smaller evils to lurke in them and defile them till they feele conscience crazed they make not up their breaches by speedy repenting but soder and crust them over they ply not Sacraments with other private and personall helpes meete to preserve the grace thereof but in the midst of their slightnesse vanities and pleasures which they mixe with holy things they looke to fare as well as those that watch closely to those succors wherein as they are foulely deceived so let them know that the Lord is righteous and will not conceale the labour of love in his better servants to equall the slight and carelesse with them in blessing Remedy For remedy whereof let them looke backe to the Chapter of Repentance Conclusion of the whole And thus at last I have also finished these few advices added to the Doctrine of preparation Conclusion of the whole Craving therefore of him who is Alpha and Omega and hath now brought us to an end of our purpose that be would set home this doctrine of the Sacrament to the hearts of the Readers I finish the whole Booke FINIS An Alphabeticall Table containing the chiefe points handled in the second Part. A. ASsisting grace of God one marke of our effectuall calling Page 38 And how ibid. The Act of faith one speciall triall of our faith 96 and wherein it stands ib. The stirring of the Affections up by the good things of Christ Sacramentall a speciall meane of reviving faith Page 101 Application of the promise of the Sacrament ib. Act of love is negative or positive 179. 180. In what particulars both consist Abandoners of Sacraments terrified Page 213 Admiration of God Christ and the Spirit necessary to raysing the heart in the Sacrament Page 218 Severall Acts and Passages of the Sacraments require due carriage called Accommodation of the soule Page 222 In six particulars Page 223 Affections cannot be sacred except they have a due object Page 193 Trusting to former Affections an ill quality in Receivers an enemy to desire Page 202 B. BRokennesse of heart and mourning is one signe of hearty repenting Page 116 God recovers the soules of his being fallen to new Brokennesse and mourning Page 126 Behaviour of a Communicant at the Sacrament must be holy Page 209 Behaviour there must be sutable in body and soule Page 215 Behaviour of Communicants must be due both in respect of the whole Sacramont and the particular passages thereof Page 216 Better sort very unfruitfull in Receiving with the causes Page 242 C. COnfusednesse and indiscretion in the worship of God sinfull Page 3 Cavilling about Gods Commands under colours an ill marke Page 19 God may justly punish those who obey his Commands in an andue manner aswell as the disobeyers ib. Markes of effectuall Calling necessary for our tryall of estate Page 37 The fruits of Calliog a speciall marke of our estate in grace and what they are Page 41 42 33 Curiosity in prying into other mens wants makes men blind in seeing their owne Page 54 Excesse of Care and sorrow overloding Gods people for their wants sinfull Page 55 Carelesnesse of our wants comes from grosse sin and is dangerous ib. Each ordinance includes Christ in it as their sappe Page 82 Cleaving to the promise against bondage and Carnall reason a marke of faith renewed Page 103 Testimony of good Conscience at the Sacrament a signe of faith renewed ib. The Christian Combate one sound marke of repentance Page 114 Confession a great tryall of hearty repentance Page 117 Carnall and hypocriticall receivers of the Sacrament are in a dangerous case Page 130 Crossing of our selfes in our sweet lusts a triall of repentance Page 137 Censoriousnesse purged from love by faith Page 148 Comming to Sacrament necessary and commanded proofes reasons of it Page 209 210 211 Commemoration of Christs benefits necessary behaviour in receiving Page 216 Due Carriage of a Receiver after the Sacrament necessary Page 224 Contentation and well apaiednesse in God ought to be practised by such as have beene satisfied at the Sacrament Page 229 Care a speciall grace to bee practised after our Receiving Page 230 A pure Conscience daily preserved so a sweete meane to make preparation to Sacraments sweet Page 235 Conceit of a civill condition without being in Covenant a meane of bad Receiving with the Remedy Page 241 Sundry Causes together of the ill Receiving of the better sort with their Remedies Page 244 D. NOt to discerne the body of Christ in the Sacrament dangerous Page 60 Dalliers with God in point of future repentance dangerous Page 131 Little hope of Delayed repentance to prove sound Page 132 Dissimulation purged from love by faith Page 147 Diffusivenesse of love Page 182 Dissemblers of love at the Sacrament are bad Receivers Page 186 Desire of the Sacrament a necessary grace for a Receiver Page 193. 197. 198 Object of Desire is Christ Sacramâ—ntall described Page 194 How Desire of the Sacrament may bee attained Page 198 Such as come without Desire to the Sacrament terrified Page 199 Want of renewing of Desire a great sin in Gods people at the Sacra Page 220 Ab helpes and motives to be used to stirre up Desire Sacramentall Page 204 The triall of true Desire Page 205 E. TRiall of our Estate in grace the first Object of Sacramentall triall What it is and the branches thereof 32. Objection answered ib. How farre a Christian may be doubtfull and solicitous about his Estate Page 43 Our Estate in grace is to be tried by our calling and how 35. In three things ib.
Effectualnesse of faith one property to try faith by Page 98 Effectuall faith prevailes against all distempers and doubtings of the soule and what they are ib. Experience of the fruit of the Sacraments a signe of faith renewed Page 104 Extent of repentance is one triall of the soundnesse of it Page 113 Meane Esteeme of our selves and higher prizing of others a signe of repentance Page 136 Edifying of the body the end of love Page 183 Sacraments to last Eternally in the Church 220. How and by whom ib. Expâ—rience of our former Receivings a great meane to make preparation sweet Page 237 Bad Example an enemy to good Receiving with the remedy Page 242 F. FAith consists not in the overpowring of the soule but in resting on the promise Page 43 Great need of pressing faith effectuall ib. Sacramentall Faith above all graces to be tried at the Sacrament Page 81 Faith being well grounded upon the maine promise is easily tried in the particular Page 87 How Faith in the maine promise is to be tried Page 90 How Faith is to be tried in the reviving of it See reviving of it Exhortation to renew and to bring renewed faith to the Sacrament Page 106 The Forme of repentance is one triall of the so undnesse thereof Page 112 Folly of love purged by Faith Page 144 Fulnesse of Christ emptying the soule of her selfe one triall of desire Page 205 Feeding savorily a good triall of true desire after the Sacrament Page 206 Faith and the exercise thereof one speciall part of our carriage after our Receiving Page 2â—5 Faith lottes upon the promise Page 226 Feare a speciall grace to be exercised after our Receiving Page 230 G. SVch as can finde no substance of grace must cut off themselves from Sacraments Page 44 Such good persons as seeke not to bee Grounded reproved and yet comforted Page 69 The end of beleeving which is the Glorifying of grace a marke of faith Page 97 Graces Sacramentall Page 5 And why they onely Page 63 Why Graces Sacramentall must be tried Page 63 Why these five especially and whether equally ib. Graces of Sacraments are not to bee onely for Sacraments but perpetually Page 64 God not tyed to our girdles at the Sacrament Page 105 Graces to be practised after our receiving the Sacrament Page 230 H. HVmiliation of soule with selfe-deniall and prayer a speciall meane to renew faith at the Sacrament Page 105 Holding out with God in the triall of Sacrament a signe of renewed faith at the Sacrament Page 105 Hearkning after food a sure triall of hungring after the Sacrament Page 206 Hiding of sin a great enemy of good Receiving in the best Page 243 With the Remedy ib. I. POpish Ignorance pretended to be the mother of devotion confuted Page 74 Ignorant Communicants reproved and admonished Page 75 The seeds and fomenters of Ignorance to be abhorred 77. what they be ib. Ignorance may damne aswell as knowledge abused Page 77 Wofull fruits of Ignorance discovered Page 78 God hath given an Instinct to his people to seeke supply of their wants Page 52 Iudging our selves for our wants necessary Page 62 To rest in Gods Imputation as a reall thing a signe of faith Page 97 Impenitent receivers of the Sacrament in a wofull case Page 129 Inconstancy purged from love by faith Page 144 Ignorance a common cause of ill Receiving with the Remedy Page 239 K. KNowledge one of the Sacramentall graces to be tryed Page 64 With reasons of it Page 64 65 Knowledge the key of other graces ib. a principall helpe to discerne Christs body ib. Objections against Knowledge answered Page 67 68 What Knowledge is necessary for the Sacrament Page 69 And the particulars at large opened Page 71 72 73 Trials of Sacramentall Knowledge Page 78 79 80 L. LOve of lusts and secret evils the seed of ignorance Page 77 The Life part of repentance in a Christian course a signe of sound repentance Page 120 God sustaines the Light of his Spirit in the Elect to keepe them in their fals from confusion Page 121 Love of grace as grace and hatred of sin as sin though small a triall of repentance Page 136 Sacramentall Love necessary to true receiving and how farre Page 140 183. What Sacramentall Love is Page 140 Love a sanctifying grace of the Spirit Page 140 To be discerned from carnall Page 141 True Love bred by faith 142 and purged Page 143 Love to be revived at Sacrament Page 145 Those that dare receive without Love wofull and what colours they have Page 186 187 Dishonouring God on Sacrament dayes under pretence of Love odious Page 187 Gods owne people reprooved for comming to the Sacrament with little Love Page 188 Love at the Sacrament to be renewed and tryed Page 189 Sundry trials of Sacramentall Love 189 190 191. Note and peruse them well in speciall Such as can prove their Love to bee sound may be comforted Page 191 Surfeit of Lusts an enemy to Sacramentall desire Page 203 Excesse of lawfull Liberties also is so Page 203 Life of faith daily an excellent helpe to make preparation to Sacrament sâ—eâ—t Page 235 M. 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ster of God must be carefull 〈◊〉 â—â—y the Communicants Page 30 〈◊〉 them with knowledge yet not alone Page 78 Faith in the maine promise lookes at the Meane of beleeving viz. Satisfaction Page 90 The Meditation of Gods meaning freely to offer Christ fully and beteamingly at the Sacrament is a meane to revive faith Page 101 The Matter of repentance is one triall of the soundnesse of it 111. in a turning to God ib. God supports his relapsing servants by the Memory of old Mercies Page 121 Good Matter must be gotten ere the soule can remember Christ Page 217 Meanes to be used after our Receiving for the preserving of grace Page 230 Constant ayming at the Sacrament in the use of all Meanes a meane to make our preparation to the Sacrament sweet Page 238 Want of Meanes an enemy to good Receiving 241. The Remedy ib. O. ORdinances are familiar wayes to convey all Gods good things to us Page 82 Faith in the maine promise lookes at the Object and how Page 93 Each Ordinance hath a peculiar exhibiting of Christ by special promise Page 110 Turning the eye of faith upon the Ordinance of the Supper is a meane to revive faith at the Sacrament Page 100 The meditation of Christs omnipotency in the Sacrament a speciall helpe to renew faith Page 102 Each Ordinance requires repentance ere it can be well partaken Page 110 Cleaving to God when the Occasion of 〈◊〉 evill presents it selfe a triall of repentance Page 137 Object of love manifold Page 181 Both Ministers people soule bodies Page 182 Object of Sacramentall desire is Christ the soules full nourishment Page 196 P. PRreparation for the Sacrament more generall then Triall What it is Page 2 Tryall of our estate by Preventing grace is one marke of our calling 37 and how Page 38 Tryall of our selves by the Perfitting