we not be glad to see Christ to have him look graciously upon us to have communion with him to have him invite himselfe to us to have him be a guest in our hearts Would we not be glad to have it thus with us Surely there is little comfort in the Sacrament when it is not thus with us Word and Sacrament both are but dead and dull services when Christ is not seene in them when we heare not his voice see not his face in them Therefore when we are to come to the Sacrament looke to that and provide for it before-hand that when we are come we may see Christ have him see and owne us But how may that be done Set thine heart first strongly to desire to see Christ and then though thou may have discouragements that there is a multitude and a crowd of duties to be done and that thy stature and strength is very little and therefore no great hope that thou shouldest get the sight of Christ in the Ordinance yet for all that hold on thy desires to see Christ and run before and get up and though it cannot be done without much adoe yet climbe up into the Sycamore Tree and thou shalt see Christ and have communion with him from the top of that Tree I but what is that Sycamore Tree what is this running before what is this climbing up It is out of a desire to see and enjoy Christ in his Ordinance an industrious paines-taking in private duties of preparation examination excitation and renewing of faith and repentance and striving in prayer with God This is running before this is climbing up into the Sycamore Tree And whosoever takes paines before-hand in the fore-named and forehandled duties of preparation he runs before he climbes up into the Sycamore shall speed as happily as Zacheus did shal from the top of that Sycamore so painfully climbed see Christ and enjoy fellowship with him All that come to the Sacrament say they desire to see Christ and injoy him there and yet to how many doth Christ say in effect at the Sacrament as the Lord speakes to Ezekiel Ezek. 12. 18. Son of man eat thy bread with quaking and drink thy water with trembling So Son of man eat thy Sacramentall bread with quaking and drinke the Sacramentall wine with trembling Go get your wayes home with a drooping and an heavie heart But why should they so do because they see not Christ nor Christ looks not at them vouchsafes no fellowship with them in his Ordinance Go thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart sayes he Eccles 9. 7. for God now accepts thy workes but contrarily may it be said to many Go thy way eat thy bread at the Sacrament with sorrow and drink thy wine at the Sacrament with an heavie heart for God accepts not thy work nor thy service herein Christ doth not looke upon thee doth not invite himselfe to thee And what may the reason of it be Men say they desire to see and injoy Christ in the Sacrament but they doe not run before they doe not take paines to climbe up into the Sycamore Tree Their desires are idle lazie slothfull there is no industrious preparation no industrious examination no industrious renewing faith and repentance there is no industrious praying and painfull seeking of God before hand And hence is our mischiefe and miscarriage we run not we climbe not and therefore we see not So long as Zacheus kept on the ground he saw not Christ nor could see him but when he had run before and climbed then he doth more than see him Our desires keepe on the ground we spend no time wee take no paines the week and the day before and therefore we misse the comfortable sight of Christ in the Sacrament But let our desires be once running and climbing desires let them once get up in the Sycamore Tree and they shall finde fruit worth the running and the climbing for Pro. 27. 18. Whoso keepes the Fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof so he that climbs the Fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof We must not thinke that these Figs will drop into our mouthes they must climbe for them that will have them and climbing is painfull They that will take Zacheus's paines shall reape Zacheus's gaines A little faith a faith of as small a stature as Zacheus if it be industrious and will take paines before-hand will helpe a man to great benefit and comfort from Christ in his Ordinance Though industrious preparation examination prayer c. be teadious and wearisome to sloathfull flesh and that pretends a presse and a crowd of earthly businesses that must be lookt to and a crowd of duties to be done that will keepe a man off from a possibility of seeing Christ yet all the wearisomenesse notwithstanding and presse of secular businesse notwithstanding hold thy selfe closely to this worke there will come that comfort and that sweet in the Sacrament that will pay for all Though it were troublesome to run before though it were a matter of trouble and difficulty to climbe and clamber into the Sycamore Tree yet findes Zacheus that precious fruit therein that richly payd him for all his paines Now besides all this paines in our own personall preparation we must also know that we must have a care to prepare others as wee stand charged with them in their severall relations to us Ministers must not onely prepare themselves but must do their best to prepare their people As Iosiah speakes to them 2 Chron. 35. 6. Sanctifie your selves and prepare your brethren so it may be said to Ministers sanctifie your selves and prepare your people so to Parents sanctifie your selves and prepare your children so to Masters and Governours sanctifie your selves and prepare your servants and your Families See Exod. 12. 26 27. It shall come to passe that when your children shall say What mean you by this service that ye shall say It is the Sacrifice of the Lords Passeover c. And Vers 48. When a stranger shall sojourne with thee and will keepe the Passeover to the Lord let all his males bee circumcised c. Such whom it concerned must looke that he were prepared before he came Thou therfore that hast others under thy charg have a care to prepare them instruct them direct them call upon them to have a care to come in due Order If thou know'st any sin or evill in them admonish them and advise them to repentance for it and to a resolution to a reformation of it before they come to the Sacrament And thus much for preparation to the Sacrament Ob. But when I have done all that I can I must say I am an unprofitable servant When ye have done all those things which are commanded you sayes our Saviour say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do The Lord then be mercifull unto me for if when I have done all
will goe that they will but alas at the very banquet of wine they meet with the King of Heaven his wrath upon their soules which there arrests them and sentences them to death As if God should say Loe here is a company of people come to my Table amongst them I spie a great many that are not come after the due Order and shall such as these that thus unduly and disorderly seeke me meet with my blessing Shall these have my Christ such as these shall they eate my sons flesh and drink his bloud No here is not for you God will say to them as Nabal to Davids servants 1 Sam. 15. 10 11. Who is David And who is the sonne of Iesse Shall I take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be So will the Lord say to all such Who are ye and whence are ye shall I take my Sacramentall bread and my Sonnes flesh and bloud which I have prepared for such as come after the due Order give it unto a company of persons I know not whence they are Be gone and meddle not or if you will needs be medling not only no blessing but my curse be upon your communicating Therefore in the feare of GOD looke we to it to come to this holy Ordinance in an holy Order A great conscience is to be made of comming It is a grievous sin to neglect Gods Ordinance and as great a conscience is to be made of comming after the due Order Be no lesse solicitous to come in due Order than to come to the Ordinance Chap. 2. Of preparation before the Sacrament and the necessity of it CHAP. 2 SInce then our comming to the Sacrament is not enough unlesse we come in due Order and since the danger of comming otherwise is so great it will not be amisse to make enquiry to consider what is that due Order and that holy and spirituall manner after which God is to be sought in the Sacrament This due Order therefore of seeking God in the Sacrament of the Supper it stands especially in three things or three kinds of Duties In 1 Doing such Duties as must go before the Sacrament Antecedaneous Duties 2 Doing such Duties as accompany the Action of Receiving Duties concomitant 3 Doing such Duties as follow after the Action of Receiving Duties Subsequent 1 In doing such Duties as must go before the Sacrament And they may all be reduced to this one duty of Preparation The Duty then before the Sacrament is Preparation This is GODS Order and this is to seeke God after the due Order to begin with Preparation and the man that desires to seek God orderly must first prepare himselfe A man comming to the Sacrament without preparation comes not after the due Order Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of the Lord Eccl. 5. 1. Now when we come to the Sacrament we come to the Table of the Lord and if it concerne a man to prepare himselfe before he enter into the House of the Lord then much more when he comes to approach to the Table of the Lord. See how David speakes here in this Text Sanctifie your selves and your brethren c. for we sought him not after the due Order Therefore they that will seek God in due Order in the use of his Ordinances must first sanctifie and prepare themselves It holds good in the case of the Sacrament which Samuel spake in the case of Sacrifice 1 Samuel 16. 5. Sanctifie your selves and come with me to the Sacrifice So Sanctifie your selves and come to the Sacramt. Come but first sanctifie your selves Psal 26. 6. I will wash my hands in innocency and So c. 1 Cor. 11. Let a man examine himselfe So c. It was not enough then to cōpasse Gods Altar but it was to be cōpassed So. It is not enough to eate of this bread to drinke of this cup but it must be eaten So drunken So. This same So it notes unto us the due Order of seeking God in his Ordinance We seek God in due Order when we seeke him So we eat and drinke in the Sacrament in due Order when we eat and drink So. That is when we do it So as S. Paul enjoynes With due preparation going before There ought to be no lesse care in us comming to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper than was required in the Iewes to the eating of the Passeover And speciall care was required of them for preparation see 2 Chron. 35. 6. So kill the Passeover and sanctifie your selves and prepare your brethren And if they were in their places to be carefull to prepare others how much more ought others to be carefull to prepare themselves And that is to be observed Exod. 12. 3. Speake unto all the Congregation of Israel saying In the tenth day of this moneth they shall take to them every man a Lambe a Lambe for an house And Vers 6. And ye shall keep it untill the fourteenth day of the same moneth So that the Lambe was taken and set apart foure dayes before it was killed What might the meaning of that ceremony be what ever other meaning it had this might be one thing aimed at therein to teach them what care they were to have of preparing themselves for eating the Passeover if the Lambe must be prepared and be set and kept apart from the rest of the flock foure whole dayes before then how much more were they in a solemne and an holy manner to prepare themselves for the eating of that Lambe What was all that foure dayes separation of the Lambe but a continuall standing-Sermon preaching preparation to them It was as if God had said unto them Be ye also prepared It questionlesse teaches that there should be a preparation and that not a sudden but a solemn serious preparation some good space of time before men come to receive the Sacrament Therefore we reade Iohn 19. 14. That the Iewes had a day of preparation and it was the preparation of the Passeover And Vers 31. Because it was the preparation And upon that ground was that Act of theirs In abstaining from comming that day into the Iudgement Hall Iohn 18. 28. And they themselves went not into the Iudgement-Hall lest they should be defiled but that they might eat the Passeover It shewes that upon the day of their preparation they were to take heed of doing any thing that might defile them and unfit them for the eating of the Passeover though it be true that they were not in that case so carefull to keepe themselves from morall as from ceremoniall defilement And if such preparation were required for the eating of the Passeover why then should not there be as great a care at least if not greater to come with due preparation to the Lords Supper Is our sacrament inferior to theirs in
speakes in another case Psalme 39. 3. Mine heart was hot within me whilest I was musing the fire burned So whilest we are thus musing and meditating of the love of Christ in his passion the fire should burne and our hearts should waxe hot within us the fire and flame of our love to Christ should kindle and grow hot in our hearts The view of his passion should worke in us an holy Rogo te per illa salutifera vulnera tua quae passus es in cruce pro salute nostra e quibus emanavit pretiosus ille sanguis quo sumus redemptiâ— vulnera hanc animam meam peccatricem pro qua etiam mori dignatus es vulnera eam igneo potentissimo telâ— tuae nimiae Charitatis Configcor meum jaculo tui amoris ut di cat tibi anima mea Charitate tua vulnerata sum c. Aug. lib. medit c. 37. passion of love The view of his wounds should wound our hearts with holy and enlarged affection to him Follow and goe along with CHRIST in all his sufferings in thy meditations Begin where his passion begun Iohn 12. 27. follow him thence into the Garden from thence into the High Priests Hall from thence into the Iudgement Hall from thence to the Crosse There is not a passage in all the story that affordes not matter of meditation and not a meditation that may not set forth his love to thee and kindle thine to him Thus therefore at the Sacrament should our hearts be imployed in the meditation of CHRISTS death and passion and thus should we make that good Cant. 1. 12. Whilest the King Sitâ—â— at his Table my spikenard sends forth the smell thereof that is whilest CHRIST had communion with me my graces were exercised and manifested themselves even then whilest I had fellowship with him As CHRIST sate at Table Mary tooke a pound of oyntment of Spikenard very costly and annoynted the feete of Iesus and the house was filled with the odour of the oyntment So the King sits at his table and when wee sit at his table in the SacrameÌ„t we shold cause our spikenards to send forth the smell thereof That we do when in the ordinance we take up our hearts with the holy meditations of the love of Christ in his bitter passion Such holy meditations are the smell of the spikenards and are as pleasing to Christ as Maries spikneard was that filled the whole house with the odour therof This Christ commandes and makes it one maine end of the Institution of the Sacrament Doe this in remembrance of me therefore appointed he the Sacrament that therein we might in speciall manner meditate upon his passion and his love to us therein David had a Psalme of Remembrance Psalme 38. in the title But for the death of Christ his love in it and the benefits by it we have not onely some Psalmes of Remembrance as Psalme 16. 22 and 69. and others but besides the Lord Christ hath to the worlds end appointed a Sacrament of Remembrance that this great worke of CHRISTS death and his infinite love and mercy therin might above all other workes bee meditated upon and had in remembrance One specially in the Evangelists is worth our notice Some of Christs workes are specified only by one Evangelist at his turning of Water to wine as his healing the sick man at the poole of Bethesda his healing that blind man Ioh. 9. Some of them are specified by two Evangelists as the history of Christs birth by Matthew and Luke Some things are recorded by three of them as the Institution of the Sacrament of the Supper But as for Christs death and Passion it is recorded by them all foure Onely two write the History of his birth but all foure the History of his death without doubt to teach us that though all Christs workes and actions are to be seriously minded meditated upon and remembred yet none so speciall as his death and sufferings And therefore specially should his death be meditated upon at the Sacrament whose institution was purposely for the remembrance of it Therefore ought men to make speciall conscience of this duely How cold and dead a remembrance of Christs death is the receiving of the Sacrament without this serious meditation of the bitternesse of his death and the sweetnesse of his love therein Wee make not good the end of the Sacrament without it yea wee as much as in us lyes make the Sacrament but a dumbe shew What remembrance is there of Christs death in such receiving the Sacrament Makes it bee in a fresh crucifying him againe by our unworthy receiving 2 Secondly An exercise of Repentance And this exercise of Repentance must be in two things 1. First in godly sorrow for sinne 2. Secondly in a solemne renewing of our Covenants with God 1. First in godly sorrow for sinne for our owne sinnes in particular for which Christ did undergoe all that sorrow and smart in his sufferings Wee have in the Sacrament a representation of the sufferings of Christ wee have him crucified before our eyes Behold saies Iohn the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world In the Sacrament should we behold him taking away the sinnes of the world In it we see and behold Christ crucified wee see his hands feete and side pierced now this sight should so affect us as it should pierce the very hearts of us What The blessed Sonne of GOD to strip himselfe of his glory to humble and abase himselfe to the ignominious and accursed death of the Crosse The glorious Sonne of GOD thus abused and abased Why How comes this about The only begotten Sonne of the Father to make such bitter lamentation My God my God why hast thou forsaken me What may the cause of all this be Alas all this was for our sinnes It was not Iudas not the Iewes not Pilate not the Souldiers but they were our sinnes thy sinnes my sinnes that put the Sonne of God to all his sorrow We we and none but we were the evill beasts that devour'd this Ioseph Our sinnes were so heinous and had so provoked the Iustice of God that there was no way to satisfie Gods Iustice to appease his wrath and to make our atonement but by the pretious bloud of the Sonne of God crucified on the Crosse And shall I now see my sins lye so heavy upon him as to make him sweate bloud shall I see him even squeezed under the huge weight of my sinnes shall I see my sinnes crowne him with thornes nayle his hands and feete to the Crosse Gore his side with the speare with an unpierced heart Oh the deepe sorrow that our hearts should bee leavened withall when wee see Christs body brusing and bleeding in the Sacrament Christ our Passeover is sanctified for us The Passeover was to be eaten with bitter herbes or will bitternesses Exod. 12. 5. And how happy is that soule that in this respect can say at the