3. You must consider what doubt it is, that doth most obstruct your full assurance of salvation; and you must come to the Sacrament, as to a cheering Cordial, made for this very end, to revive your fainting spirit. It is also a sealing Ordinance to seal up the love of God in Christ, and to be as a golden clasp to fasten you to Christ, and Christ to you: And in which Christ doth often go from man to man, with his privy seals, and his hidden manna of heavenly consolation.
4. You must consider how apt you are to start from God, and his just Commands, and therefore you must at the Sacrament renew your Covenant with God, and binde your selves afresh unto God, in the strength of Christ, to be his more faithful servants afterwards, then ever you were before.
And hereby likewise you may know when you come from the Sacrament, whether you have received worthily, or no: For if you finde these Effects from the Sacrament, that it hath been Medicinall, corroborative, comforting, and obliging: If you find your sins more mortified, your graces more strengthened, your souls more comforted, and your hearts more engaged unto God in obedience; You may certainly conclude, that you are worthy Receivers. Nay we adde, for the comfort of weak Christians, if you find any one of these Effects. For sometimes Christ lets out himself in the Sacrament in a way of Comfort; sometimes he hides, as it were, his face, and sends us home more inlarged in our desires after him; sometimes he kisses his children with the kisses of his lips, and gives them to eat of his hidden Manna; sometimes he sends them home inlarged with godly sorrow, for want of his imbraces. His dispensations are various. But if you finde his presence in any one of these waies, You are worthy Communicants.
6. To endeavour, that your [131]eyes may affect your hearts, when you are at the Sacrament. For as Christ in the Ministery of his Word, preacheth to the ear; and by the ear conveyeth himself into the heart: so in the Sacrament he preacheth to the eye; and by the eye, conveyeth himself into the heart. And therefore it is well called a visible Sermon. Take heed, lest the Devil steal away the benefit & comfort of it out of your hearts, by a wanton or wandring eye. And when you find your hearts deaded, and your meditations begin to flag and grow dry, fasten your eyes upon the Sacramental Elements, and Sacramental actions. Consider the bread broken, and the wine poured forth, and let your eye affect your heart; and never leave looking upon them, till Christ be pleased to look upon you, as he did upon Peter, and then your hearts will be affected indeed, as his was.
7. To take heed of passing rash censures upon those that are admitted to the Sacrament, together with your selves; say not such a man is unworthy, but say rather with the Centurion, [132]Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof, wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee; say as John Baptist of Christ, I am not worthy to untye thy shooe-latchet, much lesse to sit with thee at thy table; say not that such a one is a Dog, and not fit to eat childrens bread, but say rather of thy self, as Mephibosheth doth, [133]What am I? that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog, &c. The nature of man is very apt (as one saith) [134]to use spectacles, rather then looking-glasses; spectacles, to behold other mens faults, rather then looking-glasses to behold our own. But we hope better things of you. Remember, that when the Disciples were at the Passeover with Christ, and Christ told them, that one of them should betray him; They did not passe harsh sentences one upon another, but every one suspected himself, rather then his fellow-Apostle, and said, Master, Is it I? Be not offended at thy brothers wickednesse, which thou art not sure on, but at thine own unthankfulnesse, which thou art sure is very great.
8. When you are gone from the Sacrament, you must labour to walk in the strength of that food, (as Elias did of his) till you come to the mount of God. As you have been made partakers of an Ordinance, to which others are not admitted, so you must endeavour to live more self-denyingly, more heavenly mindedly, more holily and righteously, then they do, that are not admitted. [135]You must love your enemies; blesse them that curse you; do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that do despitefully use you, and persecute you. For if you love them that love you, what reward have you? Do not even the Publicanes the same? And if you salute your Brethren only, what do ye more then others? Do not even the Publicanes so? You are admitted to an Ordinance, that is not common to all, but peculiar to Saints, and therefore your lives must have something peculiar in them, which no wicked man can have. You must believe and repent after such a manner, as no Reprobate can do; You must pray in your families with more life and zeal then others; you must be more just & faithful in your dealings then others; and have more faith, and hope, and love to God. In a word, You must so carry and demean your selves in all your words and actions, as that you may be a credit and an ornament, and not a scandal to the Congregation, of which you are members. [136]Walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being faithfull unto every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulnesse. And this we pray[137], That your love may abound yet more and more, in knowledge, and in all judgment: That ye may approve the things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ: Being filled with the fruits of Righteousnesse, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.
We have been larger, then we thought, in these particulars about the Sacrament, out of a holy jealousie which we have over you, (which we doubt not but you will pardon in us) fearing lest after your first admission to this Ordinance, you should grow remiss and careless, satisfying your consciences with the naked approbation that your Minister and Elders give of your knowledg and conversation; and in the mean time, neglecting to get the benefit and comfort of this Ordinance, and to thrive, and increase in knowledg and holiness proportionably to the expectation of God, and your godly officers.
We shall be briefer in what we have further to say unto you.
3. In the third place we exhort you, to [138]Obey those that rule over you, and submit your selves, for they, watch for your soules, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you. [139]And we beseech you, Brethren, know them which labour amongst you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and esteem them very highly in love for their works sake, and be at peace amongst your selves. And remember, [140]That the Elders that rule well, are worthy of double honour, especially they that labour in the Word and Doctrine. For the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzel the oxe that treadeth out the corn, and the labourer is worthy of his reward. And it likewise saith, [141]Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. And further, [142]Do ye not know, that they which minister about holy things, live of the things of the Temple; and they which wait at the Altar, are partakers with the Altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the Gospell, should live of the Gospel.----If we have sowen unto you spirituall things, is it a great matter, if we reap your carnal things? This we write, not to shame you, but to intreat you to give liberall and honourable maintenance to your godly Ministers, that they may not only be [143]lovers of hospitality, but also inabled to exercise it: lest God in anger to you, drive your Ministers into corners, and take both your estates, and your Ministers from you; so as you shall neither have Ministers to give maintenance to, nor estates to maintain Ministers.
4. To perform all those offices which are required of you, as you are Members of a particular Congregation. For this purpose we exhort you brethren, to [144]comfort your selves together, and edifie one another, even as you also do; to warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient towards all men: And see that none render evill for evill unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among your selves, and towards all men, &c. [145]Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdome, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymnes, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. [146]Let no man seek his own, but every man anothers wealth; and [147]let every one of you please his neighbour for his good, to edification; for even Christ pleased not himself; but as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee, fell on me. [148]Let nothing be done through strife, or vain-glory; but in lowliness of minde, let each esteem other better then themselves. Now though we are far from thinking, (as some do,) that you are bound to perform these duties only to those to whom you are united in Church-fellowship, (for if you ought to pluck your neighbours ox and horse out of a ditch, and to relieve his body, when in want, though not of the same Congregation with you, much more ought you to extend acts of spirituall mercy (such as these are) to their souls; and this you are bound unto by communion of natures, communion of Saints, communion of Churches; and by that Royal law of love, which commands us to love our neighbour as our selves,) yet notwithstanding we conceive that you are more especially tyed by your Congregational relation, to perform these duties to those that are of your own Communion.