A Preparation to the Receiving of the Lords Supper, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Of the ſpeciall ſignes and tokens, of the aforeſaid curſe in the Church of Corinth.
THe Apoſtle more ſpecially ſhewes, the curſe aforeſaid, by certaine ſpeciall ſignes and tokens thereof in the Church of Corinth, viz. Certaine ſpeciall iudgements of God, that at that time were inflicted vponupon diuers perſons, in and of that Church.
Theſe iudgements were bodily afflictions, of diuers ſorts and degrees. Some were ſmitten with one kinde of infirmitie, and ſome with another, and ſome with death it ſelfe. For this cauſe (ſaith the Apoſtle) many of you are weake, & ſicke, and many ſleepe: verſe 30.
Hence we learne,
1 That we ought in a ſpeciall manner, to reuerence and religiouſly vſe thoſe ordinances of God, the profanation wherof, hee markes and brands with particular viſible iudgements. Gods meere threatnings of death after this life, ſhould bee enough to terrifie Chriſtians, from the abuſe of any of his ordinances: Much more then ſhould they moue vsus, when (as ſo many ſeales & Sacraments thereof) hee ſhall annex thereunto ſenſible plagues & puniſhments in this life. We cānot but ſee, that many plagues & iudgements are gone forth, from the Throne of God into the world; yea; into the Church; yea, into many of our houſes, and vponupon our owne perſons: Neither doe we ſee the iudgements only, but we might ſee alſo (if wee did not wilfully ſhut our eyes) for what particular ſins GOD infflicteth many of them. Who is it that cannot ſee, that ſo many & ſo many plagues and vengeances hauehave fallen, and doe yet lie vponupon ſuch and ſuch men, for their murthers, thefts, adulteries, treaſons, periuries, drunkenneſſe, &c. And yet neither the ſight of theſe iudgements, no nor the ſenſe and feeling of ſome of them in our owne perſons, will ſerue to reſtrain vsus from thoſe ſinnes; But in the midſt of ſo many iudgements theſe ſinnes abound, and as it were triumph ouer them.
2 We may learne, that the vnworthy & profane receiuers of this Sacrament, doe not onelyonly eat and drinke therein a ſpiritual iudgement (which hypocrites and carnall men do not ſo much care for;) but euen bodily iudgements alſo, ſo that it may proue in the end & effect no bette, rthen a very bane & poyſon vntounto our bodies, & a means of many grieuousiſeaſes, yea and of vntimely death. For ſo it proued (we ſee) to ſome of theſe Corinthians; and we can pleade no ſpeciall priuiledge. The more therefore that wee may louelove our bodily liues & health the more; let vsus make conſcience of the former duties. Theſe kind of iudgements here mentioned, are no ſtrangers amongſt vsus; yea the hand of God in this kind hath lien a long time heauy vponupon vsus; and though we cannot preciſely ſay (as the Apoſtle heere doth,) That for this very cauſe, ſome of vsus are afflicted, with this diſeaſe & ſome with that, and ſo many with the peſtilence, &c. yet hauing ſuch a preſident ſet before vsus, in the Word of God, of ſuch a ſin, puniſhed with ſuch iudgements, it being too apparant, that not onelyonly the ſame ſin doth raigne amongſt vsus, but that alſo the ſame iudgements lie in great weight and meaſure vponupon vsus; wee hauehave iuſt cauſe to feare, that amongſt others, this very ſinne is one cauſe thereof. And therefore, in ſeeking to remoue theſe iudgements, let vsus hauehave a ſpeciall care amongſt other ſinnes to reforme this.
3 So oft as any of vsus are guiltie vntounto our ſelues, of vnreuerent and vnworthy receiuing of this Sacrament, and the more free we hauehave been withall, from any of theſe iudgements, in the greater danger we ſhold feare our ſelues to bee. For wee are indebted, ſo many deaths and ſickneſſes to the Lord, which (except wee preuent betimes with true Repentance) we ſhall be ſure to pay, with the intereſt, either in this life, or in another. For the Lord as much hates this ſinne in vsus, as in the Corinthians, and will be ſure at ſome time or other, by one meanes or other, to puniſh it ſeuerely; And the more hee deferres to puniſh it, the more ſeuerely he will doe it, when hee takes the rod once into his hands. Let vsus then in the feare of God take heed, how in this caſe wee too much abuſe the patience and long ſuffering of God; patience wounded becomes fury.
For the further inforcing of this, the Apoſtle ſhewes,
Firſt, the Iuſtice of God in this curſe of his: Secondly, his Mercy.
His Iuſtice, in that he had not thus ſharpely iudged them, if they had iudged themſelues. For (ſaith hee) if wee would iudge our ſelues, we ſhould not be iudged, v. 31. As though hee ſhould ſay: Wee may thanke our ſelues for theſe and ſuch like iudgements that lie vponupon vsus, and can no way blame God for them. For it is iuſt with him, the beſt of vsus being ſo ſinfull as we are, that when wee will not iudge and condemne our ſelues, we ſhould be in ſuch a manner iudged and condemned by him.
Hence we may learne,
1 That the beſt means to preuent any iudgement of God, whether temporall or eternall, is, to accuſe, arraigne, iudge & condemne our ſelues: and contrarily, the ſureſt way to pull downe all ſorts of iudgements vponupon our ſelues, is to iuſtifie our ſelues, and to glory in the merits of our owne righteouſneſſe.
Would wee then in moſt effectuall manner, preuent ſickneſſe, ſhame, death? Let vsus examine our ſelues, and ſearch what ſinnes are in vsus, and paſſe the ſeuereſt ſentence of condemnation againſt our ſelues that may be. The more (if it be done vnfainedly) wee ſhal condemn our ſelues, the more the Lord will iuſtifie vsus.
2 The due triall and examination of a mans ſelfe, and the iudging & condemning of a mans ſelfe, doe one neceſſarily follow vponupon another. Otherwiſe there is no good coherence of theſe words with the former.
He thē, that ſhal carefully & conſcionably examine himſelfe, ſhall be ſure to finde matter enough in himſelfe, to iudge and condemne himſelfe for. So that hee doth moſt worthily eat and drinke this Sacrament, that ſhall diſcerne in himſelfe moſt matter of iudgement & condemnation: and none more vnworthy receiuers thereof, then thoſe which can finde nothing in themſelues to iudge & condemne themſelues for.
Hee ſhewes ſecondly, the Mercy of God towards them herein. That theſe iudgements (vntounto them that can make right vſe of them) are but fatherly and louing chaſtiſements and inſtructions, to keepe them from the common condemnation of the world. But (ſaith he) whilſt wee are iudged, wee are chaſtened (or nurtured and inſtructed) of the Lord, becauſe wee ſhould not be condemned with the world.
As if hee ſhould hauehave ſaid: You are notwithſtanding to behold Gods merciemercy towards you, ſhining in this Iuſtice of his. For he doth not this out of any hatred hee beares to any of you, that are humbled vnderunder this hand of his, & can make a good vſe thereof. But as a louing and deare father chaſteneth and correcteth his childe, when he ſees him in any fault, not that hee might bee auenged of him, but only thereby to terrifie him and keepe him from ſuch courſes, as might bring him to the gibbet, or gallowes, or any other ſuch ſhamefull end: So God exerciſeth you with theſe temporall chaſtiſements, that thereby hee might keep, and reſtrain you from following ſuch courſes, as might bring you (with the reſt of the wicked world) to eternall damnation.
The conſideration hereof, ſhould not embolden vsus to be the leſſe carefull of the former duties, but rather to make more conſcience of them. For howſoeuer thoſe who receiue this Sacrament vnworthily, doe not ſo eat and drinke their own damnation, that there is no meanes or hope of mercy left vntounto thē being fallen into this ſinne, and though theſe temporall iudgements, which God inflicts as ſignes and tokens, that therein they eat and drinke their own damnation, are to ſome perſons the effects of Gods louelove, & the meanes to ſaue them from that damnation: Yet curſed and deſperate muſt their ſtate needs be, that ſhall in ſuch a manner abuſe, ſo great a mercy & louelove of God; yea, theſe temporary iudgements, doe ſo farre forth onelyonly proceed from his louelove, as they are ſanctified vntounto vsus, and made holy inſtruments, in and thorow them, to ſee and behold what an odious and damnable ſin it is to receiue vnworthily; and ſo they become a good meanes, to make vsus repent of it, and forſake that ſinne. In others they are but the forerunners of eternall puniſhment.
Thus much for our helpe and direction, that we may bee worthy and fruitfull receiuers of this Sacrament.
The Lord for his mercy ſake pardon our former wants herein; and moue our hearts to the carefull performance of all theſe duties; that ſo we may not onelyonly auoid the iudgements, which vnworthy receiuers are in danger to fall into; but that wee receiuing theſe Myſteries worthily, may in and by them, receiue the aſſurance of that grace and mercy, which is ſhadowed and repreſented by them, euen the full and perfect Redemption of our bodies and ſoules, through the ſacrifice of Chriſts body, and his moſt precious bloud ſhed vponupon the Croſſe, Amen.
FINIS.