apposite Text Ezek. 16.62 63. And I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord That thou maist remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God It is to be considered moreover that the promises of joy are principally made to this frame The spirit of the humble and contrite God hath promised to revive They that mourn shall be comforted And they who come to the Table of the Lord weeping are most likely to return from thence rejoycing 4. And when you are wrought to this humiliation for and hatred of sin you will easily be brought to the next part of your work which is stedfastly to resolve by the grace of God never more to give willing entertainment to the same but to be entirely devoted to God by Jesus Christ to love please and serve him all your days I have told you how at the Lords Supper you renew your Covenant to perform those duties which you were engaged to by being Baptized into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Renouncing carnall self you professe to place your happinesse in the love of God and no farther to regard or please your selves than is consistent with his pleasure Renouncing the world your own abilities righteousnesse and worthinesse and all ways to to happinesse which are set up against Christ you professe to take him alone for your Redeemer and to resign up your selves to him that he may bring you to the fruition of God and therefore Renouncing the Devill who would draw you from God and Christ to gratifie your lusts with earthly things you professe your resolutions to be led by the Holy Spirit of God in those ways that lead to his everlasting kingdome You who are truly willing to all this for to such I speak I would have you in the most serious manner to professe the same before God and especially in the prayers that you make in preparation for the Sacrament Bind your selves over to him by the strictest vow that he shall be your God and you will be his people Professe to him that he shall be the portion of your souls that you will have none in heaven but him and will desire nothing on earth in comparison of him that if he will but vouchsafe you his saving love in Jesus Christ you shall be indifferent to all things here below as knowing that in his favour alone you are abundantly provided for Acknowledge his right to govern you and dispose of you being your Maker and Preserver infinitely wise and good and engage to take him for your Soveraign and Lord to render a sincere unlimited obedience to his commands and quietly to submit to his dispensations Professe to him that you relinquish all right to your selves and give up all into his hands to do with you what he pleaseth consecrating all to his glory whatever he doth or shall afford you being resolved through his assistance so to improve and employ it Promise to him that neither your own will nor the will of any mortall man shall be obey'd in contradiction to his And bethink your selves of those sins whereof you have been more especially guilty in thought word or deed and of the duties you have omitted and engage your selves particularly against those sins and to the performance of those duties And then Remember under what notion you enter into Covenant with God and what kind of creatures you are even poor lost sinners loaded with much guilt which you could never by any satisfaction of your own making take off from your selves and also exceeding weak so that you cannot by your own strength give that obedience to God which he requires nor vanquish the difficulties which you will meet with wherefore it is of absolute necessity that you accept of Jesus Christ as your Deliverer and your Strength for he onely who hath the Son hath the Father also Professe then before God your unfeigned willingnesse to close with the Lord Jesus to all those ends for which he offers himself to the world Acknowledge to him that you neither expect mercy for any merit of your own nor set upon duty in your own might nor look for acceptance of any service for its own worth but that you humbly depend upon Christ the Mediatour for all that you stand in need of Acknowledge his right to rule over and in you as having bought you out of slavery with his own most precious blood to whose mild and gracious government you will therefore submit your selves Professe your willingnesse and earnest desire to have your hearts purged and sanctified by his Holy Spirit and your lives thereby directed according to the precepts of the Gospel Thus professe your acceptance of Christ and submission to the Spirit that you may be brought into the favour of God and be enabled to please and glorifie him by your holy conversation for all tends to this even to make you holy in heart and life Therefore are we married to Christ that we may bring forth fruit unto God Râ—m 7.4 And the fruits of righteousnesse are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God Phil. 1.11 In him we are created unto good works This is the effect of his death and resurrection that we might be dead to sin but alive unto God Rom. 6. throughout They are Christs Disciples that bring forth much fruit to the glory of God the Father Joh. 15.8 And therefore is the Spirit of life given us through Jesus Christ that we may be made free from the power of sin and death that the carnall mind might be taken away and we made subject to God and able to please him yea that we might rise up to an higher kind of life more spirituall and heavenly than was ordinarily attainable under the Law Rom. 8. the former part of that Chapter This being then the summe of all to devote your selves to God by Jesus Christ to live in his love and fear and in strict obedience to his laws till you shall be taken glory you that are firmly purposed to do this and have made promises thereof betwixt God and your own souls Do you eat thâ— Bread and drink the Wine in the Sacrament as a confirmation of these promises Let this be remembred I beseech you whatever you forget That hereby you do most straitly engage your selves to live a Righteous Sober and Godly life from this very day and to the end of your days This some give as the reason why the Name Sacrament is put upon Baptisme and the Lords Supper because they are of a like nature with that Oath which Souldiers were wont to take to be obedient to their Generall and rather to die than to forsake their Colours which military Oath was called a Sacrament and thus both by Baptisme and the Lords Supper are we consecrated to the service of God
it not enough to be able to say the bare words to repeat your Creed without book or the like but labour well to understand them and fix them deeply upon your minds as those things which are of greatest necessity to be known and remembred of any in the world But yet barely to know and remember them will not profit you except you so digest and improve them that they move your affections and guide you in your conversation It s a most lamentable mistake to think that the meer saying of what you believe and what you are to doe will save your souls as if there was some strange force in the very words which would make them usefull to all that should patter them over for by this means a Parrot might passe for a good Christian. If you had a Receipt given you directing you how to cure the Toothache doe you think it would take away the pain to get it without book and say it over by rote would you not rather see to read it and make use of the medicine which it should appoint Even thus must you read Gods Word and good Books to know what is your duty that you may set with all your might to the doing of it And indeed your knowledge is defective till it come thus to affect your heart wherefore let that be the mark by which you may judge of its truth and sincerity if it raise your affections and leads you forth to action 1 Joh. 2.3 4. For if you know that God hath in himself all fulnesse of goodnesse and know that you are needy and indigent and can onely receive supply and satisfaction from him you cannot but desire after him and seek how to get a part in his love If you know that you are in your selves lost undone creatures and that Jesus Christ and he alone is able and willing also to recover and save you you will then betake your selves to him for healing and saving mercy If you know that sin is your disease bondage and dishonour and holinesse your glory liberty and health you will readily comply with the Spirit of God to be freed from sin and to be made as holy as your nature is capable This then is true and saving knowledge which must be in all that can affectionately remember Christ at the Communion Of this knowledge Christ speaks Joh. 17 3. This is life eternal to know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent And of this the Prophet speaks Isa. 53.11 By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many that is he shall justifie those who have such a sound and working knowledge of him as leads them to the performance of what he requires of them For if men once come indeed to know that Christ is the Son of God who earnestly desires their good and enjoyns them nothing but what makes thereto surely they will readily then hearken to and obey him All this I adde to knowledge because it is very imperfect till it become thus fruitfull and will not vindicate those in whom it is from the imputation of ignorance Now to get your knowledge to be thus powerfull upon your hearts and lives I cannot advise you to any more necessary course than these two 1. Humbly to beg of God to work the truth with power upon your souls that you may receive it in the love thereof When you go to hear or sit down to read beseech God to accompany the Word by his mighty Spirit that it may sink into your minds and not become unprofitable but that it may enlighten and awaken you and reach to the very inwards of your souls and give you such insight into your selves and such a discovery of your duty that you may vigorously be carried on to the performance of it And then 2. You must often consider of those truths that you know you must dwell upon them in your minds till you are moulded changed and wrought upon by them For want of this Consideration chiefly it is that so many remain in ignorance and that many others who have some sleight knowledge are no more bettered by it for you must meditate upon what you read or hear that you may more clearly and distinctly understand it which you cannot doe if words slip out of your thoughts as soon as they are out of your ears And then after the doctrines of the Gospel are well understood you must farther consider wherein they concern your particular case and what use you are to make of them for otherwise how is it possible they should profit you Though you have never so much book-learning and brain-knowledge what are you the better for all if you improve it not your own good by this serious consideration Can you think ever to have a profitable saving knowledge of Christ if you use not seriously to think of him what need you stand in of him and what benefit he will be to you and what must be done to make him yours Can you get your sins mortified and pardoned if you will not so much as bethink your self what an evil thing sin is and what your particular sins are Can you be move with the hopes of glory if you have it not in your thoughts Can you escape your danger if you forget it and so are out of fear If then you would ever have any profit by your knowledge follow the Apostles advice to Timothy 2 Tim. 2.7 Consider what is said to thee at at any time and that 's the next way to obtain from the Lord understanding in all things so likewise 1 Tim. 4.15 Meditate on these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may appear to all If you have not time to spare purposely for meditation yet take time as you are upon the way or about any businesse which will permit you And let this be the chief subject of your thoughts which I am sure deserves them most even how you should doe to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ and never leave following on this enquiry till you be fully resolved to set about what 's required of you to that purpose As there must be this sound knowledge of Christ and of the chief points of Christian Religion in all that can duely remember Christ at a Sacrament so it will be readily granted that this Jesus Christ must be believed to be indeed the Saviour of the world as is declared in the Scriptures and all that is there laid down of his Incarnation Life Death Resurrection Ascension Intercession and coming again to Judgement must be believed to be true I will not make a distinct Head of this because it s necessarily supposed in the former as I have explained it for our knowledge of these truths is never like to be effectuall with us if we are not first of all perswaded that they are truths And the Reader might be offended if I should make any question whether he believes the Christian Religion and
great men their friends recommending themselves to the world by their sumptuous Houses great Retinues rich Cloathes gentile deportment and the like braveries others by their strength beauty wit learning and the like accomplishments of body or mind Thus you see according to the nature of mens happinesse they make use of means to reach it Search well therefore whether some of these or the like empty trifles have not been more set by and laboured for than â—hâ—ist himself If so never say thou takest him for thy Mâ—diatour for it is apparent thou dost not make him so No but those things are indeed thy Mediatours which thou makest use of to accomplish thy selfish dedesigns And hereby thou dost in effect as much reject and vilifie Christ as if thou didst revolt from him and take Mahâ—met fâ—r thy Saviour Oh beware of deceiving thy self in this point which is so easie so common and dangerous to talk of trusting and relying on Christ whiâ—st the heart relies most upon some outward enjoyment to bring it to the happinesse it seeks for and the most they look for from Christ is to have him keep them from Hell after they have been all their days gratifying their lusts and serving the Devil but they never think of improving him as a Mediatour betwixt God and their souls expecting all their mercies of this life and the next to come by him and by him offering up all their services to God Wherefore I beseech you to remember that nothing will prove you sincerely in Covenant with Christ as one of his living members but a thorow stedfast willingnesse to be brought to happinesse by him in his own way and let it be your care to examine whether you are thus heartily willing And then lastly hast thou submitted thy soul to the powerfull workings of the Holy-Ghost to renew and regenerate thee Hast thou faithfully rendred up thy self to him to be transformed into the divine likenesse to have thy corruptions purged away and all saving graces implanted in thee It is the office of the Holy Ghost to carry on Christs interest in the souls of men to fulfill all the pleasure of his goodnesse and the work of faith with power to bring them to the Father by the Son No man can cry Abba Father and be fill'd with a child-like disposition and nature but he who hath received this Spirit of Adoption and no man can call Jesus Lord and be heartily subject to him but by the help of this almighty Spirit He shews men the vanity of the Creature and the goodnesse the fulnesse and all sufficiency of God and enables the heart firmly to cleave to him He convinces men of sin and shews them the odiousnesse and danger of it and discovers to them a Saviour by whom they may be Redeemed from all their iniquities from the dominion and from the condemnation of sin and he begets in the soul a saving faith making men not onely willing but earnestly desirous to accept of Christ to both these ends Reflect upon thy self then whether thou hast experienc'd any such workings in thy soul or not whether thou art changed by this divine power into a new and heavenly nature and art hereby become a new creature as all in Christ are old things being done away Hast thou ever found the vigorous and warm movings of this holy Spirit upon thy heart conveying light and life to thy dark soul dead in trespasses and sins Hast thou carefully cherisht these motions and complied with this sanctifying work which spreadâ— it self through the whole man And art thou willing to be governed by him to hearken to his voyce within thee and to that word which was inspired by him to be a lamp to thy feet If these things be so then indeed thou hast performed the engagement that was laid upon thee by being baptized into the name of the Holy Ghost But call thy self to account whether it hath not been quite otherwise with thee Dost thou not still remain in the carnall selfish state alienated from the life of God through a blind mind and a wicked stubborn will being still at enmity with him Hast thou not quenched the Spirit and stifled convictions and resisted his operations upon thy soul Art thou not rather guided by the seducing spirit and thy own unmortified lusts Doe not these still remain in strength and power so that whatever they draw thee to must be done let the Word and Conscience say what they will If it be thus never boast of having God to be thy Maker nor Christ thy Redeemer for if thou art not sanctified by the Holy Ghost God will never own thee for his who accepts of none but an holy people Thus by looking carefully into your hearts you may discern whether you are truly in covenant with God or not And if this seem any matter of difficulty to know what your hearts are or rather least you should pretend your hearts are thus right when it is no such thing I shall give one instance more whereby you may know how you stand related to God and that is by the consideration of your lives and conversations for if you are sincerely devoted to God in your hearts then you must needs shew it in the holinesse of your lives which is nothing else but the keeping of that Covenant which is made betwâ—xt God and the soul. If you do indeed fâ—llow after holinesse it 's a sign you account it your chief happiness to see God If you are patient and unwearied in well-doing it 's a sign you seek for honour and glory with God And if you keep the Commandments of Christ endeavouring to walk as he walk't it 's manifest that you love him and believe in him If you bring forth much fruit hereby you and all men may know that you are Christs Disciples that you are living branches of him the true Vine then have you received Christ if you walk in him And if you shew forth the fruits of the Spirit in your lives it 's a sure token that his graces are sown in your hearts If you are led by and walk after the Spirit then indeed the Spirit is with and in you and you live in him Gal. 5.25 But on the other hand it 's as certain thou art a stranger and Aliene from this Covenant I have beâ—ore described if thou be one that servest the Devil rather than the true God Make what profession thou wilt to love God and believe in Christ if thou allowest thy self in any one known sin all thy great pretences will at length come to nothing What doth that man love the Lord who doth not hate evil Nay who delights in that which the Lord abhorrs and wherewith he is griev'd and provokt to fury Doth hee take Christ for his Lord who will not be obedient to him Doth he take him for his Physitian who would not be heal'd but had rather keep his diseases Beware as thou lovest thy soul of
it as a farther assurance from God that his promises of mercy shall be made good to thee CHAP. VII The second benefit is Sanctification 2. THe second great benefit purchast by the Death of Christ and held forth in the Sacrament is Sanctifying Saving Grace for the enlivening and strengthning the souls of Believers There is no truth more plain in the whole Gospel than that one great end of Christ's Death was to obtain from the Father that the holy Spirit should accompany the proclaiming of the Gospel to enlighten the minds and soften the hearts of those who should not wilfully resist his workings that they might entertain the truth in the love thereof and that on these greater measures of grace should be poured forth to make them in all things conformable to their Maker according to the capacity of their natures which was the great design of the Redeemer even to restore apostate creatures to the image of God wherein they were created that so they might be made meet for his service here and the fruition of him hereafter A most lamentable mistake it is to confine Christs death onely to the procuring of a pardon and keeping sinners out of Hell since this was but in order to a work of grace on their hearts and onely such who submit to this work shall at last have a share in the absolute pardon For suppose a company of prisoners were taken in Warre who being weak and wounded cannot return into their own Countrey but must presently be put to death by the King that took them and in the mean time comes their own Prince and pays a great sum to obtain that the execution of them may be put off for some time and that his Physician may use medicines and apply plaisters to as many as are willing and that all such when they are made whole shall be sent to their own homes and the rest who will not be ruled by the Physician but spit out his potions because they are bitter and throw away his plaisters because they make them smart they are to remain in their prison and be put to death as they were sentenced Here we see the ransome that was paid was first to stop the slaughter of the prisoners and to get liberty to use means for their recovery to health and soundnesse and secondly to obtain that the recovered should be set free to return to their own Countrey and not onely the contempt of the ransome but of the Physician would bring death Thus had we by the Fall both brought our selves into danger of present destruction and disabled our souls that we could not return to that state whence we fell but the Son of God undertaking our Redemption obtained for us that the sentence of condemnation should not speedily be executed and that there should be assured hopes of escaping destruction and returning to happinesse for all those who make not their condition desperate by continuance in sin and rejecting of the cure which his Spirit would work upon them now the work of his Spirit is to plant and encrease grace in their hearts to heal the diseases and remove the weaknesse which sin hath caused that they may be enabled to walk in the ways of holinesse to their everlasting rest and the sending forth of his healing Spirit was the fruit of his blood Now as it will assuredly damn men to despise the blood of Christ as if it was of no force to be a ransome nor to attain those ends for which the Gospel saith it was shed so is it as dangerous and damnable to resist and sleight the Spirit of Christ let them pretend what esteem they will for his blood A like mistake also it is flowing from the former to limit the notion of free grace to meer pardoning mercy whenas it includes sanctifying 〈◊〉 so for in the instance now given the Physick I hope was as free a gift to the prisoners as the ransome that was paid for them notwithstanding this was without them and the other to be taken into them And in like manner is the giving of the Spirit into us as purely from the grace and mercy of God though merited by Christ as the giving of his Son for us accepting of us for his sake This I was willing to hint least any when they hear or read of being saved by Free grace should dream of a salvation to be had by a meer pardon without being sanctified by the Spirit That the making men holy in their hearts and lives was a principall end of Christs Death without which no happinesse is to be attained is I say a truth so evident in the very tenour of the Gospel that it may seem needlesse to produce particular proofs yet amongst the rest read these few Eph. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works c. Eph. 5.25 26 27. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it c. and that it might be holy and without blemish 1 Joh. 3.8 The Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 Pet. 3.24 Who bare our sins that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse Tit. 3.4 5 6. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Read also Mat. 1.22 Luk. 1.75 Rom. 6.11 Galat. 1.4 Tit. 2.12 13 14. Heb. 9.14 Now though I acknowledge it is by the help of the Spirit that we are brought to believe for faith it self is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 yet I think we shall ordinarily find the promises of the Spirit to be made to those who are already Believers to advance and carry on the work of God upon their souls And to this end and of this nature is that Grace which is 〈◊〉 and given forth by the Sacrament even to refresh and nourish the souls of Believers to confirm and encrease those graces that are wrought in them and to bring them forward to farther degrees of perfection And this much the very elements themselves do teach us for as Bread is the support and stay of life and Wine that which makes glad the heart of man and both are needfull for the maintaining of life and encreasing our strength so are the Body and Blood of Christ alike necessary and usefull to our souls for he himself hath told us that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and that he who eats his flesh and drinks his blood dwelleth in him and hath eternall life with much more to the same purpose Joh. 6. The proper meaning whereof as will appear by the Context and the occasion of that Discourse I suppose is That they who believe in him having the same expectations of spirituall life from him that they have of temporall life from their food and accordingly receive digest and improve
hid but rather use all means to supply them whilst they are afforded And as there is required in all Receivers an earnest longing after sanctifying grace which is here vouchsafed so the other qualification suitable hereto I told you is a Resolution to improve this grace that is to lay it out and shew forth the fruit of it in an holy conversation This is an effect of the former and indeed necessarily flows from the nature of grace which is no way desirable but for use and exercise not is it possible that in should ordinarily lie still in the heart and not be brought forth into act and shewn in the life He that desires patience humility purity temperance to what purpose is it but to overcome the temptations which he meets with in the world to the contrary vices and to shew forth these fruits of the Spirit in all his converse Whence it appears that no man is worâ—hy to come to the Lords Table who is not resolved by the grace of God to live an holy life and to be led by the Spirit in all his ways He that hath got any sin which he is resolv'd to keep is not like to have any desire after that grace which should mortifie and quell his sin nor any mind to remember that Death which was to deliver us from this present evil world He 's like to be far from a right remembrance of Christ who will not be perswaded to imitate him for certainly that 's one end of our remembring his Death that we may thereby be drawn to follow his example which he gave us then as well as in his life by his constancy patience charity to his enemies and ready resignation of himself to his Fathers will As he walked so ought we to walk and from his very death may we fetch directions for our life This resolution for holinesse which I am speaking of is indeed one branch of our Faith in Christ being no other than our consent to take him for our King to guide and govern us in all our thoughts words and actions and therefore having said something to it under that Head as also the former of Repentance I shall at present passe it over CHAP. VIII The third benefit is eternall happinesse with God 3. THE last of those benefits which I named obtained for us by the death of Christ and to be remembred at the Sacrament is eternall happinesse It is by his resurrection from the dead and consequently by his death that Believers have a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in the heavens for them 1 Pet. 3.4 It was his blood that redeemed them to be Kings and Priests to God Rev. 5.9 10. He gave his flesh for the life of the world Joh. 6.51 By Jesus Christ God calls us to eternall glory 1 Pet. 5.10 He opened the entrance into Paradise which sin had shut up It was his will not onely that they who believe in him should be kept from the place where Satan was but that they should also be with him where he is Joh. 17.24 This he pray'd for this he died for and is gone before to prepare a place for them and keeps them here to prepare them for that place and being ready they shall enter into the Kingdome He receives their Spirits when they die and will raise up their bodies at the last day Now their life is hid with Christ in God and when he appears then shall they also appear with him in glory Coll. 3.3 4. Be we sure then this Death of Christ cannot be remembred as it ought if the glory purchast thereby be forgotten How can we remember a dying Christ but withall we must call to mind that he vanguisht this death is risen again and ascended into glory whither in due time he will exalt his people Moreover that Covenant which is sealed to by this Sacrament promiseth an everlasting Kingdome to Believers and can any man forget such a benefit even whilst he is receiving a confirmation of his right to it Again here is that grace given out which is the pledge the seed the beginning and forecast of glory here is the meat which endures to everlasting life and who can forget his Journeys end whilst he is taking food to strengthen him for his travell To conclude here 's a communion of Saints which does in some measure shadow out and signifie that perfect communion which they shall have one with another when all the Elect shall be gathered from the four corners of the earth and with Abraham Isaac and Jacob shall sit down and for ever remain in the Kingdome of God Now hence it appears that the worthy Receiver must be one who hath taken the heavenly glory for his portion who hath got a treasure above and there placed his heart and his hopes for none but such a one can with any life and raisednesse remember this glory which is to be revealed He that is wont to solace himself with the contemplation thereof will rejoyce in every thing that hath a relation to it much more in the remembrance of that price that was paid for it But how can the earthworm whose soul lies groveling upon the dust bring himself to any affectionate thoughts of hidden treasures which cannot be got into his bags not coffers which he cannot so much as get a sight of Nor can the swinish voluptuous sinners that feed upon none but the muddy delights of sense take any comfort in the forethoughts of pure and spirituall pleasures such as are prepared for exalted purified souls Any whoever they be that place their chief conâ—entment on earth are not like with any pleasure to think of that time when they must leave this earth and enter upon another state where are no such sensuall enjoyments as here they blest themselves in Ignorant narrow souls have no heart to think of what shall be thousands and millions of years to come These poor sordid spirits are so glewed to the little trifles of the world that they look not so high as after Crowns and Scepters which Christ hath in store for his faithfull followers And they who never took much pains to secure or clear up their evidences for heaven but have taken it for granted that they must needs go thither at last or counted it an indifferent thing whether they doe or not will be farre from those lively apprehensions of the greatnesse of that love which purchast it and of the excellency of the blisse it self which are necessary for him who can rightly remember either Now to bring those who are yet strangers hereto to such an apprehension of the glory to come by Christ that they may chuse it as their portion and so be joyfully taken up in the expectations thereof in one word I would desire thee whoever thou art that hast but so much common reason as to distinguish between good and evil to consider well whether thou hast not
A very Heathen anciently when he gave an account of the practice of the Christians said of them that they did sometimes in their assemblies by eating and drinking together engage one another to abstain from theft murder adultery and all kind of wickednesse so right a notion he had of the design of this duty Imagine then you heard Christ saying All that will hearken to me and become such as I would have them both in their hearts and lives let them come and take this Sacrament as a witnesse of their resolutions to cleave to me And let the voice of your souls in answer be Lord I am willing to hearken to thee to take thee for my Redeemer and Lord and it is my unfeigned desire to be holy as thou would'st have me and it is my resolution from this time forward by the help of thy Spirit to yield a sincere obedience to all thy commands and not allow my self in any known sin whilst life shall last and in witnesse hereof I take this holy Sacrament which thou hast call'd me to And thus thou do'st plight thy troth to Jesus Christ by partaking of these consecrated Elements as friends are wont to break a piece of silver betwixt them to bind each other the faster to the promises they make or as the Man and Woman expresse their consent to a Marriage by their use of the Ring And hereby thou do'st in effect professe that thou expectest salvation by Christ upon no other terms than as thou shalt be found faithfull in making and keeping this Covenant with him Thou maist easily perceive this is no trifling matter and therefore good reason there is I should advise thee to be serious and deliberate in it least by thy hypocrisie thou should'st even bind over thy self to damnation for if thy heart will not consent to such a Covenant as I have described think not I go about to perswade thee to dissemble with God But yet remember there is nothing in all this that may afford any ground of hesitation or doubting whether thou should'st do it or not unlesse thou art in a doubt whether thou hadst best be sav'd or damn'd for except thy heart be brought to such a subjection to and closure with Christ it 's impossible thou should'st ever be sav'd by him This Wedding-garment of Faith and Obedience which I would have thee put on is as necessary for thy being received into Heaven as for thy being a welcome guest at this Table And by the way consider how you have endangered your souls you who have from time to time received Sacraments and never thought of any such engagement as this which yet the very action it self lays upon you nor ever took care to be faithfull thereto In what a daring manner have you laid your selves open to vengeance And how great is that patience which hath hitherto born with you even whilst you have been wilfully guilty of most horrid perjury I mention not this to drive you to despair no there is yet hope of mercy concerning this thing if now at length you are but sensible of your miscarriage and will carefully reform it for the future Whoever you are that do now from your very hearts render up your selves to God by your Redeemer doubt not of a gracious acceptance you that with such designs do assemble to this Supper and none else are fit to come there of you will Christ say when he looks upon you as once of his Disciples who sat about him Behold my mother and my brethren Mark 3.34 for as he there addes ver 35. whosoever shall do the will of God the same is his Brother Sister and Mother Yea to you will the Lord Almighty say I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters 2 Cor. 6.18 and and safely may you regard your selves in this comfortable nearnesse of relation to him which brings me to the next 5. You that are thus truly humbled for sin and turned from it to God by Jesus Christ upon good grounds may and ought to believe that God will make good all the promises of his Covenant which he hath wade to such as you are Whereupon you may with an holy boldnesse beg the same at his hands and accordingly do it Humbly beseech him to deal with you according to those gracious promises wherein he hath caused you to trust And for the strengthning of your faith consider some of the chief of them and plead them with God in prayer and beg the blessings contained therein Pray earnestly that the Blood of Christ may cleanse you from all unrighteousnesse that your iniquities may be remembred no more but that you may have peace with him being freely justified by his grace Beseech him to give you his Holy Spirit to carry on the work of faith with power to enable you against temptations of all sorts to fill you with peace and joy to lead you in the way wherein he would have you to walk and to perform that good thing he hath begun in you to the day of Jesus Pray that you may be found in Christ at that great approaching day and may stand before him with boldnesse and be discharged from all accusations and set with the sheep on his right hand and with that little Flock be received into the Kingdome which he hath promised to all that love him And since you are as yet in the body which stands in need of outward comforts and supplies and are in a World where you have relations friends and affairs wherein you are concern'd you have promises touching these also and may therefore confidently beg your heavenly Father who knows what you need to take care of you and yours and furnish you with what he sees convenient for you to direct you in all difficulties and by his providence so to order all your affairs as may tend most to his glory and your good Ask these things of God and what ever you perceive necessary and doubt not but they shall be given into you more abundantly than you can ask or think and look upon them as confirmed to you by the Sacrament But remember alwaies that it is for Christs sake that these mercies are confer'd upon you so that you are to acknowledge your selves unworthy of the least of them and confesse if you had your own desert you should be stript of all comforts and be laid under the greatest miseries Professe therefore that all you hope for is on the account of Jesus Christ who hath purchast all things needfull for the happinesse of his people after a forfeiture was made of all by the fall of Adam through him are these good things promised and these promises fulfilled In the new Covenant founded in his blood they all accompany his Person and are ascertained to those that cordially receive him as the Wife by taking a Nobleman to her Husband is made partaker of his estate and honours So that having Christ to be
did as it were reprieve the world and kept us from being suddenly destroyed by divine justice which otherwise would have laid hold on us and did obtain for us that we should be tried once again for our lives so that our first fall should not be our damnation if we would accept of that way of Salvation which he had procured for and revealed to us Now since our first happinesse did consist in our being like to God being righteous and holy and obedient to him that it might appear that Christ consulted for his Fathers honour as well as our interest the way to salvation which he appointed was this That we should love God above all and count it our greatest happinesse to be reconcil'd to him that we should humbly acknowledge and repent of all our sins of nature and practice whereby we had provoked his anger against us and be sincerely willing to live in obedience to his Laws and that we should own him the Lord Jesus as our onely Redeemer and depend upon him onely for ability to perform these conditions and to obtain the pardon of sin and the favour of God upon performance of them And then that we might have this ability who by the fall were become weak and unable for good but strongly bent to evil Christ by his death obtained of the Father that the Holy Ghost the third person of the Trinity should be employ'd to bring men to the performance of those conditions which Christ required of all whom he would save And accordingly the Holy Ghost in pursuance of this work did inspire the Apostles and their fellowers to write and preach the Gospel and sealed to the truth of it with miracles for the conviction of all that should hear it And in some places in all ages hath enabled men to make it known and moreover this Holy Spirit doth accompany the Word to the hearts of the Hearers and where he is received doth enlighten the mind and soften the heart and heal and change and sanctifie the nature of man and restores him to the image of his Maker and begets in him a strong love to God and a willingnesse to please him in all things and brings him to an hearty sorrow for and an hatred of all his sins and enclines and enables him to come to Christ to believe in him to love and highly to esteem him for this work of Redemption which he hath wrought ascribing it wholly to his merit that he hath hopes of mercy from God and any power to please him And then for all those who by this assistance of the Spirit are made willing thus to come to Christ and to God by him for these Christ hath purchast that their sins should be forgiven them and greater measures of the Spirit bestowed on them in a word that they should have all things good for them here and be received into everlasting glory hereafter But all they who reject these offers of sanctification and salvation shall die in their sins and be everlastingly in torment with the Devil and his Angels And this same Jesus Christ will be the Judge of all men and at the end of the world shall come with great glory and power and raise up the bodies of all that were dead and change those that are alive and shall pronounce and cause to be executed the sentence of absolution and glorification upon the righteous and the sentence of condemnation upon the wicked This is that Jesus the Redeemer of the faln world whose memory ought to be so precious to you And these were the weighty causes and the glorious effects of that death which you shew forth and keep up the remembrance of in celebrating the Sacrament I suppose it needlesse to turn you to the particular Texts of Scripture proving these things they being so common and well known and the truth of them so plain that they cannot well be doubted of by any that own the Christian Religion And I hope they are neither so many nor so difficult that you should pretend you want time or learning or wit to get well acquainted with them I dare say you could learn other kind of matters than these if you could get any worldly advantage by it If Books were Printed that should teach you how to be rich and honourable to live in ease and pleasure to enjoy health long life and all kind of prosperity you would pore sufficiently upon such Books and beat your brains day and night but you would get to understand and remember them But if indeed you have so little regard to your souls that you will perish for lack of knowing those things which might easily be known your damnation is just And as for you that think the most sottish ignorance is excusable because you are no Schollars and yet take your selves for as good Christians as the best let me tell you plainly if you be without the knowledge of these principal Heads of Religion you are not fit to be so much as called Christians Are you Disciples of Christ that are so blockish and stupid that you have not yet learnt the first principles which he teacheth his Schollars Nay if you refuse to learn them you thereby renounce Jesus Christ to wit as he is your Prophet and Teacher which if you doe expect not salvation from him And as without being acquainted with these fundamentall truths you are able to perform no duty aright so especially not this of receiving the Lords Supper for I say can he remember Christ as he should that knows not who he is what he has done for him or what need he stands in of him And they who being in this wilfull blindnesse venture upon this Ordinance must needs doe it to their own hurt coming to it as a common meal or meerly for custome and fashion sake and so are guilty of the very same miscarriage which the Apostle represents as so dangerous 1 Cor. 11.29 They eat the Bread and drink the Wine not discerning the Lords Body not having that knowledge of Christ who is there represented whereby they might be enabled to give him that reverence and honour which is required of all that are admitted to these mysteries I need not sure spend time in examining the Reader whether he know these truths before laid down or not If thou hast the use of thy reason thou canst tell I hope what it is thou knowest and what thou doest not wherefore take thy self to task and go over the severall points of Religion as I have before briefly mentioned them if thou thinkst fit and take account of thy own apprehension and understanding and where thou findst thou art most wanting be diligent to inform and satisfie thy self and to this purpose make conscience of hearing the word Preacht and of reading the holy Scriptures in private And get well acquainted with the grounds of Religion as you may find them in Catechismes or the plâ—inest Books that treat of them But think
this canst thou without tears and groans look back upon all the disorders of thy life whereby thou hast done all that in thee lay to make those wounds of thy tender compassionate Saviour bleed afresh which he first receiv'd upon thy account I believe thou thought'st not of this no if thou hadst one would think thou could'st never have done it Thy design was onely to please thy flesh by all thy sensuall courses thou wast onely full of projects to maintain and raise thy self and thy posterity by all thy worldly designs and businesses wherewith through thy whole life though hast been so swallowed up But thou seest how the case stands that this while thou hast been most viley rejecting and even trampling upon the Lord Jesus who would have have brought thee off from thy vain conversation from all thy ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and hath followed thee with his Word and Spirit to that end and hath prest thee with arguments drawn from his matchlesse love discovered by his Death and hath besought thee to regard him yea to take pity on thy self but thou hast made light of all and hast gone on as securely and quietly in the ways of sin as if thou hadst never heard what sin did upon Christ. And what art thou resolv'd to doe so still shall nothing stop thee in thy career wilt thou not stay to hearken what a way it is thou walkest in nor think what unvaluable mercies thou all this while treadest under feet Hast thou not yet sufficiently abused thy Redeemers love and patience hast thou not made him wait long enough in vain wilt thou still make shew of deafnesse to all those messages he sends thee If so yet be thou sure of this thou shalt not be able to say at thy appearance before him that thou never knewest that sin was such an evil thing and so provoking to him for beside all other warnings that thou hast had I now declare to thee who readest or hearest these words that if thou still continuest in thy loose ungodly life living in swearing cursing drunkennesse whoredome covetousnesse cozening malice or any other known sin and wilfully neglectest thy duty to God going whole days without prayer or reading Gods Word profaning the Lords Day neglecting Sacraments if thou hold on this course thou dost no better than again crucifie and deny the Lord that bought thee and so hast no reason to complain if thou fall under the same condemnation which thou thy self wilt acknowledge Judas and Pilate and the rest of Christs enemies deserve and therefore that thou maist not be found amongst them loaded with the same guilt at Judgement I doe once again in the name of Christ beseech thee with all speed to change thy heart and life and use all means appointed to that end and after all thy wandrings now at length return to him the good Shepherd of souls who laid down his life for his sheep 4. Lastly the Death of Christ may powerfully move thee to repent of and forsake all sin as it holds forth this weighty but sad truth That all those who are despisers of this Death and by living and dying in their sins reap no saving benefit by it shall in their own persons undergo insupportable torments for this their unbelief and wilfull impenitence If thou believest the Gospel thou canst not but acknowledge that all men had been in a most miserable condition if Christ had not died and thou wilt grant that sin is a most perilous mischievous thing and an unspeakable provocation to the most holy God since nothing could appease his wrath but the Death of Christ without whose bloodshed we had obtain'd no remission And what then dost thou think is like to be thy case if through thy own fault thou art never the better for all Christ hath done but must thy self answer for thy sins and bear the punishment they have deserved Let the Death of Christ I say instruct thee what thou art like to expect if this be thy condition If as he himself speaks such things were done to the green tree what shall be done to the dry If he who was without the least stain of originall or actuall sin drank such a bitter cup when he stood in our stead what will be the portion of their cup who being poor frail creatures must make satisfaction for their own sins How will they ever up under all the load of Gods hottest wrath when he shall meet them in judgement and cause his fury to rest upon them And above all thy impenitent obstinate continuance in sin and contempt of Christ will lie heaviest upon thee in the day of vengeance These sins aganst the Gospel against mercy the greatest and freest mercy are most provoking to God most inexcusable in themselves and will therefore prove most pernicious to sinners Methinks then if thou hadst but any regard to thy self to thy own ease and comfort this should make thee out of love with sin to consider how dear its like to cost thee how pleasant soever it may now seem It was not for nothing that Christ felt so much sorrow and pain as thou shalt know to thy everlasting woe if thou pluck the heavy judgements of God on thy own head by sleighting him who would have kept them from off thee Assure thy self poor sinner as bold and confident as now thou art thou wilt never be able to contest with that wrath which exercised even the strength of Christ to bear it thou art never like to go away lightly with that which he felt so heavy For shame at length leave thy foolish plea that God will be more mercifull than to torment his creatures for hast thou not seen how he bruised his own Son who never offended him how he bruised him I say for our iniquities and will he then spare thee who in thy own person hast been a most stubborn hard-hearted rebel and hast cast away with loathing the mercies that were again and again even prest upon thee Thou hast no reason for such fond expectations What wilt thou tell Christ at Judgement that thou didst not believe that ever God would be so severe as to punish thee so dreadfully and everlastingly as his Word threatned and that therefore thou took'st somewhat more liberty in thy life than he allowed thee Darest thou come with such a plea as this But if thou should'st what wilt thou answer to Christ when he shall lay open what he underwent for thy sake and how thou madest light of his love will not this soon silence thee If he ask thee whether thou hadst not evidence and proof enough of the evil and danger that was in sin by his suffering so much for others transgressions wilt thou have any pretence left to justifie thy self I may perhaps urge this consideration but I mention it now as offered to us by the sufferings of Christ which doe most plainly declare that dolefull are the miseries prepared for those who
zeal for him should be found pure selfishnesse And therefore they dare not make their own private apprehensions which they find not in the Creed nor in the Gospel the standard and measure of such as must passe for godly and be thought worthy their regard and esteem which is the constant note of one addicted to a party but I say they would have their friendship as large as their Lord and Masters since 't is for his sake that they have any friends at all Such is the affection which Gods Spirit works in his people and with which they are possest so farre as they are fram'd and moulded by his Spirit But moreover the charity requisite in Communicants consists not onely in a cordiall love to the godly whom they are to reckon upon as dearest friends but also in forgivenesse of injuries to all that are their enemies and have done or endeavoured to doe them wrong which temper is of flat necessity to all that would come worthily to this Ordinance Hither men come expecting a pardon and can he look for a pardon of his many and hainous sins from the great God of heaven and earth who will not forgive some small offence that he may have received from his fellow-creature Small I say for the greatest injury that can be done us by another is exceeding small and not worthy our notice so farre as we our selves onely are concerned therein Selfish men will never believe this but it 's a certain truth and so plain that many sober heathens doe with great earnestnesse inculcate it Alas what can they doe but a little hinder out thriving in the world or deny us that respect we would have by their carelesse carriage or speak meanly or falsly of us to lessen our credit Such like trifles as these are the worst that we shall ordinarily meet with from our bitterest enemies And are these such unsufferable injuries that by all means we must seek to be revenged Surely such a wicked spirit cannot enter into the breast of a Christian that remembers what he hath done against God and yet what he expects from him and what he hath already received And indeed there is nothing more likely to bring us to the performance of this duty to our brother than the serious consideration of the infinite mercy God hath shown to us in sending his Son and freely tendering forgivenesse through him This we find prest upon us Eph. 4.32 And be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 3.13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye And to engage us the more our forgiving of others is made a condition of being forgiven our selves Mat. 6.14 15. For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses How hard-hearted must that Servant be who when his Lord hath forgiven him ten thousand talents takes his brother by the throat and casts him into prison for an hundred pence How just is it that all the former debt should be charged by his Lord upon such a servant as you may find in the parable at large Matth. 18. from 23. to the end where after Christ had told how terribly that unthankfull cruell servant was dealt with he addes ver lâ—st So likewise shall my heavenly Father doe also unto you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespâ—sses To love God above all and our neighbour as our selves are the two great Commandments whereon depend the Law and the Prophets and which comprehend all our duty and to both of these we have the greatest help and strongest obâ—igation by the Death of Christ that ever could be thoâ—ght on Shall we not love him that hath thus loved us And shall we not shew pity and compassion to others who have received so much our selves Yea who shall be shut out from mercy if we be unmercifull No spirit in the world is so contrary to the Gospel as that of malice and revenge and retaining a secret enmity and spight against any person whatever As thou would'st escape the society and portion of Devils hâ—reafter beware how thou now entertainest this devilish nature than which nothing is more frequently forbidden in the Gospel and nothing more flatly enjoyned than the contrary temper Gal. 5.20 Now the fruits of the flesh â—re manifest which are these adultery fâ—rnicâ—tion c. hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders ver 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse fâ—ith meeknesse c. Col. 3.8 But now you also put off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy c. v. 12 13. Put on therefâ—re as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-sâ—ffering When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to rectifie the disorders they were guilty of in reference to the Lords Supper the first thing he falls upon is the Divisions that were amongst them 1 Cor. 11.18 That composednesse of soul that humility self-abasement and humble dependance upon free mercy which are so absolutely necessary for him that would profit by this Ordinance do all call for a quiet charitable frame of spirit toward our brethren when we betake our selves thereto And thus by Gods assistance have I in some measure shewn from the nature and design of this Ordinance which is to keep up the Remembrance of Christ how those persons must be qualified who can duly attend thereupon To repeat their description once again They who are furnisht with the knowledge of the necessary fundamentall truths of Christian Religion and doe believe them to be indeed truths being so verily perswaded that Christ is the Saviour of the world that they heartily consent to take him for their Saviour and therefore being humbled for and resolved presently to turn from all their evil ways doe humbly expect or at least earnestly desire the pardon of their sins from the mercy of God for his sake and are truly willing to have their hearts sanctified by the Spirit of God given out through him that they may lead an holy life and doe depend upon him to bring them to everlasting glory in the enjoyment of God upon whom they have set their dearest love and chose him as their onely portion being sincerely thankfull for the manifestations of his wonderfull love in Christ and by the power of this love are in charity with all men forgiving their enemies and having a peculiar affection to the members of Christ These and onely these are fit to partake of the Lords Supper Wherefore I entreat thee whoever thou art that would'st not wilfully delude thy own soul and rush upon this duty to thy hurt take thy self to task and
that here thou bindest thy self to even this thou should'st thirst and aspire after but yet thou art not to be discouraged if thou never attain it till thou art taken into the number of the Spirits of just men made perfect Mistake me not as if I was indulging thee an allowance in any the least sin no this is it I warn thee of and against this thou must covenant in the Sacrament to wit against a willing loving entertainment of any sin whatever And thou shalt be accounted true to this Covenant if thou hate and strive against all and art humbled under the sense of thy remaining imperfections being farre more desirous to be rid of them than to retain them and if upon knowledge of any slip or stumble thou risest again by true repentance and recourse to the blood of Christ for mercy and to his Spirit for fresh strength being resolved to take more heed to thy ways for the time to come It is here as if thou should'st promise thy Pâ—ysician thou would'st be carefull of thy health this doth not imply that thou wilt never be sick more but yet it implies thus much that thou wilt not wâ—lfully bring diseases upon thy self but wilt use the means that are appointed to preserve thy health and whatever sicknesse cleaves to thee will be thy trouble and thou wilt desire and endeavour to be freed from it Even thus art thou bound to regard the health of thy soul and to look upon sin as a spirituall sicknesse and therefore never to fall in love with it but to do thy best toward its utter removall Even those infirmities to which the best are liable are not to be cherisht and pleaded for no more than thou would'st plead for the keeping of a little head-ach or any bodily pain Thou should'st not by thy good will be guilty so much as of a vain thought an idle word or the least motion to any sin but yet it is not required of thee to promise absolutely never more to be guilty of any of these nor art thou to judge thy self unfit for the Sacrament because thou find'st such imperfections cleave to thee so long as from thy heart thou abhorrest them and do'st ordinarily overcome all temptations to more grosse and wilfull sins Whilst thou art in the flesh thy state is like to be so farre imperfect that it will be thy daily duty to grow in grace and to pray for the forgivenesse of thy trespasses to improve Christ both as a treasurie of grace whence thou art to be supplied and as an Advocate with the Father through whom thou maist be pardoned This I mention that thou maist not say I discourage thee from the Sacrament by making it an engagement to greater strictnesse than it 's possible for man in this life to come up to since I do assure thee thou maist safely come hither if thou art but sincerely resolved to doe what in thee lies to please God and not to run wilfully into those actions which thou know'st are contrary to his will And this also may take away that fond opinion of some ignorant people that it 's best never to receive the Sacrament till they come to their death-bed as thinking that every sin afterward will damn them but remember what I have told you that we do not promise never to sin more but not to allow our selves in sin and to this sincere endeavour to keep all Gods commands we are before as strictly tied by our Baptisme and therefore by your reason this should be deferred till we come to die as some of the ancients did partly through this mistake and thinking this washt away all the sins before committed And if you should be of this opinion also that the Sacrament gives you a pardon of all your former sins and therefore it 's good to put it off to your death-bed consider well that it 's by virtue of Gods promises that you have any ground to expect pardon of sin and by those promises to which the Sacraments are seals this pardon is assured to all penitent believing ones so that Baptisme and the Lords Supper do seal your pardon even of sins that may hereafter be committed if you truly repent of them and betake your selves to Gods mercy in Christ for forgivenesse But if you think when you have liv'd an ungodly life to make up all by taking the Sacrament when you are sick know to your timely conviction this will not do the work as you shall know to your terrour if you depend upon 't for remember what I told you that if you do not truly repent of sin it is not the Sacrament that will give you a pardon and this true repentance few upon a death-bed have that put it off till then Moreover you that are for deferring this duty till you come to die I might ask you how you know whether you shall not die suddenly or have the use of your reason taken away by your distemper or be visited with the Plague that no Minister dare come near you and farther you seem not to consider that this Ordinance is exceeding helpfull to us for the overcoming of lusts and leading our lives as we ought and this brings me to the second thing which I would have you take notice of 2. Namely That if thou art but once come up to a resolution to do thy best against sin and to please God and addressest thy self to the Lords Supper with an earnest desire of grace to be here given thee from Christ to enable â—hee to perform thy promises thou maist very confidently expect strength and assistance from him and even now to partake thereof Little do'st thou think what a mightie blow thou mightest give to thy strong lusts and to the kingdome of Satan within thee by such a firm resolution as this made with an humble dependance upon Gods grace bound upon and confirmed by taking the Sacrament Oh! if thou wast but brought into so ingenuous and good a frame as to be truly grieved that Sin and Satan should have so much interest in thee and didst heartily desire that God would cast them forth and take possession of thee for himself in how good a way wast thou then to a deliverance If God saw thee labouring under the burden of thy lusts tugging with thy backward heart to bring it tâ— him thou canst not imagine what help he would soon afford thee Wherefore sit not down in a faint dejection say not there is no hope of ever getting up such strong lusts which are so deep rooted in my nature and so confirmed by long custome it 's to no purpose to attempt it Why man must not this work be done or thou perish for ever And the longer it s delaid the harder it 's like to be Thy case is sad indeed but not desperate yet Let neither thy presumption nor despondency make it desperate The things that are impâ—ssible with men are possible with God Wherefore rouze
more have mercy upon me He I am sure will be true to his promises and shall I be false to mine and so fall under his threatnings And after this manner quicken your selves to duty when ever you are apt to grow listlesse to any part of God's service and also quiet your spirits when they are ready to rise up in tumult and discontent under any cross that befalls you Then think I have resign'd up my self to God as to a loving Father let him do with me what he please therefore be still my heart and rebell not against nor murmur at his righteous will If you can but thus finde your selveâ— more strongly bent against sin and better able to put off â—emptations to it this is the surest evidence you can have of profiting by the Sacrament And beware of imagining that any space of time can wear out the force of that obligation which is here laid upon you which as unreasonable as it is one would think was the opinion of mâ—ltitudes for they 'l be very demure and solemn a little before they go to the Communion and a day or two after but within a very little while all seems forgotten and they are just such as they were before But for certain God forgets not their promises though they do nor will he forget their breach of them as they will one day finde to their cost if they take not another course The bonds you are entred into to render homâ—ge and obedience to God will never be cancel'd For this is a debt you will owe as long as you live though you are alwaies paying it Baptism will be as strong an engagement upon you to godlinesse when you are sixâ—y as when you are but sixteen And the same strictnesse the Lords Supper binds you to for a day to the same doth it bind you all your days Think now what an horrible thing it would be to run into drunkenness whoredome or quarrelling the same day you have received it and know your sin is little lesse hainous though it be a Month or two or twenty after it for this breaks your oath as well as that If the Wife be guilty of Adultery twenty years after her marriage her crime is as great as if it had been within a week after for she had oblig'd her self to conjugall fidelity as long as she and her husband should live And thus your Covenant with God is not for a Month or Year only but for your whole lives If you should never but once have opportunity to receive the Sacramet this would ever after remain a forcible engagement upon you but yet God in his wisdome and good providence hath ordered that this duty should be frequently repeated that it might the more work upon and affect our mindes who are prone to be so forgetfull and dull Remember then the matter is now out of your hands you have given away your selves to God and cannot revoke this gift since indeed you gave him nothing but what was his own before After these vows there is no inquiry to be made whether they should be kept or not Yet this much I 'le say to you if you can finde a greater portion and surer friend than God a better Master than Christ better work than his service better wages than life eternal you may take your choice for I would wish you to nothing for your hurt or losse nor doth God you may be sure that blessed Beeing who wants nothing out of himself nor envies his Creatures any thing that 's truly good for them but till you can thus better dispose of your selves keep your first love and if you will keep it till then I shall never question your perseverance to the last And as you are thus to improve this Ordinance to quicken you to and help you in your duty so may you make advantage of it for your comfort by remembring how God stands engaged to you by that Covenant to which he hath here set his seal and which he will be sure to perform to you that depart not from him With this consideration repell all temptations to excessive doubtings and despair When the remembrance of former sins is ready to overwhelm you have recourse to your sealed pardon and confidently take the comfort it affords you When you finde the remnants of corruption yet so strong within you that you are afraid you shall never hold out remember the Holy Ghost is in Covenant with you to assist you in your combat and will bring you off Conquerour if you throw not away your weapons And let this encourage you the more to beg his assistance yea in all your addresses to God let it strengthen your faith to apprehend him as in covenant with you And if you are surprized by any sin yet whil'st it's matter of grief and shame to you and you are resolv'd to be more watchfull for the time to come let it not cast you into such a sorrow as tends only to disquiet and consume your spirits but remember God hath assured you through Christ the forgiveness of such weaknesses and they shall not put you out of Covenant with him but know if you are hereupon a whit the more encouraged to aâ—y sin it is a very great sign that this promise of pardon at present belongs not to you In a word whatever difficulties you are plunged into relating to soul or body let this still uphold you to consider that God hath engag'd himself to be with you in all estates and conditions and to order all things so that the issue of them shall be for your advantage And thus by a frequent consideration of your own engagements at the Lords Table and of the priviledges thereby confer'd upon you you will finde your selves not only comforted and cheared but very much advantaged for the walking on more steadily in the ways of holiness 2. And to the same end my next counsel is That the Lord Jesus whom you have here been remembring may ever live fresh in your thoughts Let not your remembrance of him be confin'd to Sacrament-seasons but let him ever dwell in your heâ—rts by faith and love Set his example before you and labour to walk as he walkt who counted it his meat and drink to be doing his Fathers will Behave your self as you believe he would have done was he in your case Consider how meek and lowly he was how little he regarded yea how much he contemned the riches honours and applause of the World and learn â—ou to valâ—e them at the same rate Consider how patient he was in sufferings how courteous and gentle to all to the vilest siâ—ners and his bitterest enemies doing hurt to none but seeking the good of all Copie out this lesson also Willingly deny your selves take up your cross and follow him Grudge not to be conformed to hâ—m though in suffering it self and complain not till you are in a worse case than he was who had not where to
lay his head It 's like you think if Christ was on Earth you 'd follow him though but in the company of poor Women and Fisher-men and though the most of the World should laugh at you for so doing why know hee 'l take it as well at your hands if you will but tread in his foot-steps and adhere faithfully to his interest though it should cost you the losse of all you had and of life it self And let the death of Christ be much in your thoughts let the love of God which was herein shewn be your daily delightfull study and ever leave a sweet tincture upon your spirits that by the power of love you may be moved and carried on in the whole of your duty Let this shame and drive you from sin let this make you laborious and unwearied in his service When you are set upon by a temptation stay so long as to set a bleeding Saviour before you and think how you have much such a case now before you as the Jews once had to wit whether Christ or Barabbas should be prefer'd whether your lust should be subdued or your Lord crucified afresh If you approve of the Jews choice in this case you had best imitate them If that which would murder your soul deserve to be spared rather than he who dyed to save it then go on give Christ a stab and sin boldly Consider further how Christ by his death hath acquired a title to you so that you must glorifie him both with body and soul as being not your own but bought with a price Bought you are not out of the hands of the Father that you should now have liberty to sin against him but out of the hands of Satan that being free from sin you may become subject to God and the servants of righteousnesse How wilfully blinde are they who take the more liberty in sin from the consideration of that death which was undergone to redeem us from a vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Where 's that Man's reason and ingenuity who when he was fallen into his Masters displeasure and brought into favour again by the great industry of the Son should think he might now safely disobey his Master Though the Son pittied the servant so much that he was loth to see him perish yet he loves his Father so well that hee 'l never purchas'd an allowance for his disobedience and indeed the servants disobedience is his destruction Christ died once to save the penitent but hee 'l never die more to save those that remain willfully disobedient Consider also Christ by his death hath purchast abundant grace for the supply of all your wants and now being at the Fathers right hand hath full power to give out of this store wherefore make use of him to obtain the same Even as the Egyptians received food from Pharaoh by the hands of Joseph so must you receive all you have from the Father by his Son Jesus Let then the very life you live in the flesh be by faith in the Son of God By earnest desires vented in fervent prayers be ever deriving virtue and vigour from him your head Be as desirous and craving as you are necessitous as hungry as you are empty that the good God accoâ—ding to the riches of his grace may furnish you with all plenty of spiritual blessings til you shall come up to the measure of the stature of Christs own fulnesse Eph. 4.13 3. If you would thus grow in grace Be diligent in the use of all the means of grace which Christ hath afforded and let them be used and improved as means You must I have told you be much in earnest Prayer to God in the name of Christ for what ever you are wanting in Let not one day pass without the practice of this duty you that have Families call them together and pray with them morning and evening If you neglect this how little do you differ from those Heathens who call not upon God and upon whom he will pour out his wrath Be diligent in attending to the publick preaching of the Word and prepare your selves before-hand with a resolution to obey what shall be made known to you to be the wil of God and beg his blessing on what you hear Consider when you come home wherein you are particularly concern'd in what you have heard and accordingly follow it Setting against that sin or upon that duty that you are thereby convinc't of When you can get time spend it in reading Gods Word and good Books which may explain and enforce that Word Especially you that have not much time on the week-days spend the remainder of the Lords day after publick worship in some such good employment and waste it not in idlenesse no nor an hour at any other time Read also to and with your Family and ponder of it afterwards that it may be more profitable to you Often discourse one with another about the matters of your souls soberly and seriously that you may afford each other what help you can It would be exceeding well if when you sit with your neighbours you would be thus employed in holy savoury conference to the use of edifying rather than in idle chatting and talking of persons and things that concern you not But especially they who are of the same Family and are more neerly relaâ—ed have more opportunity and engagement hereto and should be admonâ—shing one anoâ—her daily and provoking to love and good woâ—ks For the Lord's Supper I have already directed you at large and I hope you will practise answerably and be frequent therein not ordinarily neglecting any opportunity when you are call'd to it But as I desire you not to neglect these exercises of Religion so on the other hand as earnestly I would wish you to beware of resting in them as thinking all Religion is confin'd to them and so becoming lesse carefull of your carriage as to justice temperance inward piety and all vertuous actions Methinks the wretched error of those Sects that throw off all external duties of worship and crie up themselves as above Ordinances may teach this wholsome lesson to all professing Christians to beware of resting in these things and framing to themselves a Religion out of them These I grant are parts of obedience to God for he hath commanded them and they are waies for the exercise and encrease of our graces and to be as helps to godlinesse but to think that they give any discharge from the practice of godlinesse and make amends for sins we are loath to leave for which we do as it were compound with God by these formalities making sin our pleasure and his service a pennance for it these are conceits so gross that methinks none but a Papist or one willingly ignorant should entertain them Religion is no road of performances but a new nature attended with a new life It is the subjâ—ction of the soul to the will of God expressing it self