A Worthy Communicant, Treatise · Chapter 10
Chap. 10. Of Examination.
CHAP. 10 THe heart thus withdrawne from all avocations, and bent upon the worke of preparation, let a man in the next place come to the ſecond duty of examination, to that duty which the Apoſtle preſcribes, 1 Cor. 11. 28. Let a man examine himſelfe, and ſo let him eate of this bread, and drinke of this cup. VntoUnto orderly receiving, is required, a precedent examination of a mans ſelfe. A duty, though to bee done at other times, yet never more ſeaſonable then before our comming to the Sacrament; and yet a duty to which above al others we are naturally extreamly backward. Might ſome ſlight formalities ſerve the turne, wee could be contented withal, but if men be pinched and preſſed to a ſolemne examination of, & a ſtrict inquiry into themſelves, they are ready to ſnuff at it, and to ſay of this duty as they ſpeake in that caſe, Mal. 1. 13. Behold what a wearineſſe is it? It is a duty ſo CHAP. 9 weariſome and toileſome, that they have neither liſt to, nor leiſure for it. That therfore men may be the more cheerefull and willing to it, conſider theſe two things:
1 This is an undoubted and a ſure truth, that a mans comfort depends as well upon his knowledge of his fitneſſe, as upon his fitneſſe it ſelfe. It is not enough to be fit and worthy, but a man muſt know it. So long as the conſcience queſtions a mans fitneſſe, and is in doubt whether a man be fit or no, though hee bee fit and well prepared, yet the doubts of the conſcience, and the feares it is in, will not only allay, but quite foreſtall all the comforts that would ariſe from his fitneſſe. To a mans comfortable receiving, it is as needfull to know his fitneſſe, as to have it. There is no grace or good thing that a Chriſtian hath, but it may be knowne to him that he hath it. What is a rich man better than a poore man, if he be not privie to his wealth, if he have treaſure and know it not? Wherein are his wants, feares, cares, diſtractions, and diſquiets of ſpirit leſſe than a poore mans? It was Laodiceas ill condition, Apoc. 3. 17. Thou ſayeſt I am rich, and knoweſt not that thou art poore. And it is many a mans condition, He ſaith I am poore, and knowes not that he is rich. This is the ſafer condition indeed of the two, but yet for the preſent, it is but a drooping and uncheerefull eſtate. Therefore as our ſafety lyes in having Chriſt and his graces, ſo our comfort lyes in knowing that we have them. And know our wealth wee may. A Chriſtian not onelyonly knowes God, but hee knowes that hee knowes him, 1 Iohn 2. 3. And hereby wee know that we know him. A Chriſtian not onelyonly is in God, but he may know that he is in God, 1 Iohn 2. 5. Hereby know wee that wee are in him. And 1 Iohn. 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him. A Chriſtian may know that he beleeves, 1 Iohn CHAP. 10 5. 10. He that beleeves on the Sonne of God, hath the witneſſe in himſelfe. A Chriſtian may know that God loves him, 1 Iohn 4. 16. And we have knowne and beleeved the love that God hath to us. A Chriſtian may know that he loves Gods children, 1 Iohn 5. 1. By this we know that we love the children of God. A Chriſtian may know that he is of the truth, 1 Iohn 4. 19. And hereby we know that wee are of the truth. A Chriſtian may know that God abides in him, 1 Iohn 3. 24. And hereby we know that hee abides in us. A Chriſtian may know that he hath eternall life, 1 Iohn. 5. 13. That ye may know that ye have eternall life. But now how comes a Chriſtian to know all theſe things? The way by which a man gets the knowledge of all theſe things, is the examination of himſelfe. A man firſt tries and examines himſelfe in all theſe, and by examination comes to the knowledge of them, and from the knowledge of them ariſes his comfort in them. So it is in the caſe of fitneſſe for the Sacrament. It is abundance of comfort the heart hath in the knowledge of its owne fitneſſe; and this knowledge ariſes from the examination of a mans ſelfe. A man that examines not himſelfe, for ought he knowes, may come an unworthy gueſt, hee knowes not whether he be worthy or no; but this he knowes, that hee that is unworthy is unwelcome, and ſo cannot come but with a tremulous and an heſitant heart, fearing leſt inſtead of a bleſſing he may meet with a breach. It is impoſſible in ſuch a caſe that a man ſhould receive comfortably. I dare not ſay of eating the Sacrament, as S. Paul ſpeakes in the caſe of eating ſome meates, Rom. 14. 23. And he that doubts is damned if he eat; a man may come with doubts and feares to the Sacrament, and come acceptably: but this I may ſay, That he that doubts of the lawfulneſſe of his comming, he exceedingly hinders his owne comfort if hee eate doubtingly, doubting whether he be fit to eat, doubting whether he may come, yea, or no; eating with ſuch doubtings muſt needs be prejudiciall to a mans comfortable eating. Now the way to prevent ſuch doubtings, is to live by that rule the Apoſtle gives in that caſe of eating, Rom. 14. 5. Let every man bee fully perſwaded in his owne minde. Be carefull beforehand to take ſuch a courſe, as may aſſoile and cleere up ſuch doubts: take ſuch a courſe as may aſſure, and perſwade your hearts, that you are fit in an acceptable meaſure to come to the Sacrament. But what courſe may be taken to this purpoſe? Let a man examine himſelfe. The way to put all out of doubt, and to prevent ſuch troubleſome doubtings when we are come, is ſelfe examination. For when a man hath ſeriouſly examined himſelfe, hee ſhall thereby bee inabled to give a true judgement of his own fitneſſe; and an examined heart, that upon examination hath found it ſelfe fit, is able to charme all troubleſome doubts, and can ſay to them, Be ſtil, & trouble me not, for I have throughly examined my ſelfe, and upon ſerious and ſincere examination, I know that I am a fit and a worthy Communicant. Doubts, they trouble the heart, examination prevents doubts, and ſettles the heart, and puts things out of doubt. When Chriſt after his reſurrection appeared to his Diſciples; they were terrified and affrighted, Luke 24. 37. but ſee how Chriſt anſwers them, Verſ. 38. Why are yee troubled, and why do doubts, foreign, ariſe in your hearts. They ſhould with all gladneſſe have received and imbraced Chriſt, but contrarily, they were troubled. And whence came the trouble of their ſpirits? Why doe doubts ariſe in your hearts? Mark then, that doubts trouble the heart, and unfit it for the receiving of Chriſt. They doubted whether hee were Chriſt or not, and were ſo troubled with theſe doubts, that as yet they received him not. But afterwards their doubts are turned into joy, V. 41. They rejoyce at the ſight and preſence of Chriſt, but how came theſe doubts to be removed, and to be changed into joy? Chriſt puts them to the examination and triall of himſelfe, Verſ. 39. to put them out of doubt, Behold my hands, and my feet, that it is I my ſelfe; and when he had thus ſpoken, he ſhewed them his hands and his feet. As if he had ſaid, I ſee you are much troubled with doubtings, whether I be Chriſt, or not; examine and try me, view me, feele me, handle me, and you ſhal find by examination, that I am not as you think, a ſpirit. And ſo in probability they examining him wth their eyes, and with their hands found him to be no ſpirit; found him to bee Chriſt, and had their doubts removed, and joyfully received him for Chriſt indeed. Thus, as this examination removed & cleered their doubts that troubled them; ſo examination of our ſelves would prevent the doubtings that are ready to trouble us in receiving the Sacrament. If we would behold and ſee, if we would look into our hearts, and feele and handle our owne hearts, yea, ſearch and dive into them by examination, how ſhould we prevent our troubleſome doubtings, and how ſhould we meet with joy & comfort inſtead of doubtings? We come to Chriſt in the Sacrament; In one ſenſe, in regard of that awfull reſpect wee ſhould have unto his bleſſed Majeſty, we ſhould come to Chriſt as that woman did, Mark 5. 33. The woman fearing and trembling, came and fell downe before him: but in another ſenſe, namely when it riſes from an ignorance of our own eſtate, whether we be fit to come to his ordinance, or not, and from the doubtings of conſcience, that we are not prepared as we ſhould be; thus to come with feare and trembling is not good: examination would prevent feare. By examination we ſhould finde out the truth of our condition, we ſhould finde out whether we be fit or not. And upon examination finding our ſelves fit, we ſhould come with an holy boldneſſe and confidence of ſpirit, to Chriſt in his Ordinance. As therefore we deſire to have our hearts diſcharged of troubles, and doubts, when wee are drawing neere to the Lords Table; as we would not have conſcience peſter us with diſquieting ſcruples, and unſeaſonable diſputes, & reaſonings whether we may come or no; ſo beforehand beſtow ſome time and paines in a private ſcrutiny, and ſearch of our ſelves: examination wil prevent all theſe, and we ſhall be able to huſh and ſtill them all, if wee can ſay, I have examined mine heart, I have ſincerely tried my ſelfe, and I find upon good examination, that I have good leave to come to the Lords Ordinance.
2 Secondly, it is better a great deale to examine our ſelves before we come, then to be examined by God. God wil examine ſuch to the purpoſe, that wil not be at the pains & trouble to examine themſelves. It was a ſharp kinde of examination by which Saint Paul ſhould have beene examined, Acts 22. 24. The chiefe Captaine commanded that he ſhould be examined by ſcourging. Certainly, when men neglect ſelfe-examination, God will himſelfe examine them, but it will be an examination with ſcourging. Every interrogatory and queſtion that God puts to us, ſhall be as a ſmarting laſh with a ſcourge, yea, as a ſtinging laſh with a Scorpion. The man that came to the Feaſt without his wedding garment, never examined himſelfe before he came, whether he had a nuptiall garment to goe in or not; God therefore examines him, but it is with a ſcourging queſtion that made his heart ſmart, Friend, how carneſt thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? It was a ſcourging queſtion, that drew bloud on his conſcience. When a man comes to the Sacrament, and hath not examined himſelfe, and God comes to him, and ſayes, as to Eliah, 1 Kings. 19. 13. What doeſt thou here Eliah? So, what doeſt thou here at my Table? How will ſuch a queſtion pinch the conſcience, what a girding laſh will it be to a mans heart? Thoſe are laſhing interrogatories, Iſa. 1. 12. Who required theſe things at your hands, to tread in my Courts? Iſay 58. 5. Is it ſuch a faſt that I have choſen? Pſal. 50. 16. What haſt thou to doe, that thou ſhouldeſt take my covenant in thy mouth? Ier. 7. 9, 10. Will yee steale, murder, and commit adultery, &c. and come and ſtand before me in this houſe? Theſe be ſcourging examinations, that fetch bloud at every ſtroake: with ſuch kind of queſtions and ſuch kind of interrogatories, will God examine men that come unſelf-examined to the Sacrament. Now when God ſhall come to ſuch examinations, who may abide the day of his comming? and who ſhall stand when he appeares? as Malachi ſpeaks in another caſe, Mal. 3. 2. How terrible a thing will it be to be thus examined: were it not good for every one to take a courſe to prevent ſo ſharpe an examination? There is a way to doe it, and that is, before wee come to the Sacrament, let a man examine himſelfe; for as the Apoſtle ſayes, 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our ſelves, we ſhould not be judged, namely, of the Lord: ſo if we would examine our ſelves, we ſhould not be examined of the Lord. But if we examine not our ſelves, then ſhal we be both examined and judged of the Lord. When a man hath examined himſelf, he needs not feare Gods examination; nay, a man may then be willing to come under Gods examination. David puts himſelf upon Gods examination, Pſa. 139. 23, 24. Search me, O God, and know mine heart, try me, and know my thoughts, and ſee if there bee any wicked way in me. Certainly, David never durſt have beene ſo bold, as to have put himſelfe upon Gods examination, if he had not firſt examined himſelfe. But having firſt examined himſelfe, and thereupon knowing his own conſcience throughly well, now he dares be tried by God himſelfe. Oh, with what ſweet confidence might we put our ſelves upon Gods owne triall when we come to the Sacrament, if we our ſelves had had our ſelves upon triall firſt? But how dreadfull will Gods examination be to ſuch, who neither uſe, nor liſt, nor care, before they come to the Sacrament, to examine themſelves?