The New Covenant, Book 1 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of the fourth inward part of a Sacrament.
THeaThe laſt inward part of a Sacrament is the faithful receiuer. laſt inward part of a Sacrament is the faithfull receiuer, deſiring, apprehending, receiuing, hungring and thirſting after Chriſt. There is required a faithfull receiuer, if wee would receiue Ieſus Chriſt, faith muſt of neceſsity goe before, without this there is no iuſtification, without this there is no ſaluation; as Rom. 14. Whatſoeuer bRom. 14, 23 Heb. 11, 6.is not of faith, is ſinne, And Heb. 11. Without faith it is vnpoſsible to pleaſe God. Iudas executed the function of an Apoſtle, hee was partaker of the Paſſeouer: yet he ceaſed not to remaine an hypocrite, a diuell and the childe of perdition,cIohn 17, 12. that the Scripture might be fulfilled: Neither was he bettered or ſanctified by that Sacrament, or by the vſe thereof. Ananias and Sapphira his wife,dActs 5, 4, 9. being in the number of Diſciples, were no doubt baptiſed of the Apoſtles, & had alſo receiued ofttimes the Lords Supper; yet they continued in their wickedneſſe, lying, and hypocriſie: the Sacrament did not take away their wickednes, nor giuegive them a iuſtifying and ſauing faith,eActs 15, 9. which purifieth the heart by repentance and worketh new obedience in the ſoule. The like we hauehave ſaid of Simon the ſorcerer,fActs 8, 23. who albeit he were baptiſed, yet remained in the gall of bitternes, and in the bond of iniquity. Wherefore the Apoſtle teacheth, that the word profited not,gHeb. 4, 2. becauſe it was not mingled with faith in thoſe that heard it. If the ſignes be receiued without faith, they hurt: not that Gods guifts and ordinances hurt of themſelues, but not being receiued aright, they hurt through our ſinne and default. As the word not receiued by faith is an empty ſound without force: ſo the Sacrament is an vnprofitable and a naked ſhew without ſubſtance. Wherefore the Sacraments in regard of the vnbeleeuers and vngodly, are no Sacraments to them, becauſe to them they are not ſeales of the righteouſneſſe of faith. True it is, they remaine Sacraments, in reſpect of God who offereth his owne Sonne, but they looſe their ſtrength and force toward the vnfaithfull, that do abuſe and contemne them;hRom. 2, 25. as the Apoſtle expreſly teacheth, Circumciſion verily is profitable if thou keepe the law: but if thou bee a tranſgreſſor of the law, thy circumciſion is become vncircumciſion. The ſame Apoſtle ſpeaking of ſuchi1 Cor. 11, 20. as vſed the Lords ſupper without true godlines and due preparation, ſaith, This is not to eate the Lords Supper; denying that to be, which was not done as it ought to be.
Wherefore, ſeeing the right vſe of the Sacrament is, Vſe 1 when ſuch as are truely conuerted vſe them aright, we learne diuers inſtructions that flowe and follow from hence. Firſt, that the reprobate (though God offer the whole Sacrament to them) doe receiue the ſignes alone without the things ſignified: they hauehave the bare title without the thing, the vaniſhing ſhadow without the body, the outward letter without the Spirite, the empty boxe without the oyntment, and the creature without the Creator. They are waſhed with the element of water, but not with the grace of regeneration. They eate the bread and drinke the wine: but they are not partakers of the bodye and blood of Chriſt Ieſus to ſaluation. They eatekPanem domini, non pan…m dominum. …uguſt, hom. in Ioh. 65. the bread of the Lord, but they eate not the bread & the Lord: becauſe the ſigne without the right and holy vſe thereof, is not an auaileable Sacrament to the receiuer of it. Wee ſee therefore the wicked partake not Chriſt, although they partake the ſignes of Chriſt,lIoh. 20, 6, 7. as they that found his cloathes but miſſed his body.
Secondly, we ſee heereby, that the elect ordained to Vſe 2 eternall life, but not yet called and conuerted to the Lord, and to the obedience of his wil, though they come often to the Sacraments: yet do in like manner receiue the bare ſignes without the things ſignified, becauſe as yet they want faith and repentance. What then? Doe they nothing differ from the reprobates? In this they differ not for the preſent time from the Reprobate. Notwithſtanding, that receiuing of the Sacrament which for the time preſent was vnfruitefull and vnprofitable, ſhall after in them hauehave his good effect, as the Corne that lyeth long couered in the earth, at the length doth come vp and flouriſh. For the Sacrament receiued before a mans conuerſion, is afterward to the beleeuer and penitent ſinner ratified, and ſo becommeth profitable: wherby the vſe of the Sacrament, which before was vtterly voide and vnlawfull, doth then become lawfull & comfortable; as we ſee in the word heard without fruite and faith, by an vnbeleeuer, is made a word of ſaluation afterward when he is conuerted.
Vſe 3 Laſtly, the elect already conuerted and ſanctified by the Spirite of God, do to their profite, comfort, and ſaluation receiue both the ſigne and the thing ſignified together: yet ſo as that for their vnworthy receiuing therof, (which hapneth through their manifolde infirmities and often relapſes into ſinne) they are ſubiect to temporal puniſhments for the deſtruction of the fleſh, that the ſpirit may be ſaued in the day of the Lord Ieſus. Heereunto cometh that ſaying, 1 Cor. 11.30. For this cauſe many are ſicke and weake among you, and many ſleepe: for if wee would iudge our ſelues, wee ſhould not bee iudged of the Lord. Where the Apoſtle teacheth, that God brought a iudgement vponupon his owne houſe, and puniſhed this Church with weakneſſe, ſickneſſe, and death it ſelfe, for their vnreuerent, vnworthy, and diſordered receiuing of the Lords Supper. Although many among them (no doubt) were elected, and all of them profeſſed the Goſpell of the kingdome: yet God viſited their want of preparation and reuerence with diuers diſeaſes and great mortality,nLeuit. 26, 14 25, 21. Deut. 28, 15, 16, 20, 21. according to the threatning annexed to the lawe, If ye will not obey me, nor do all theſe commandements, if yee ſhall deſpiſe mine ordinances, or your ſoule abhorre my lawes, then will I do this vntounto you, I will appoint ouer you fearefulnes, a conſumption, and the burning ague to conſume the eyes and to make the heart heauy. And if ye walke ſtubbornely against me and will not obey mee, I will then bring ſeauen times mee plagues vponupon you, according to your ſinnes. Wherefore, whē we hauehave receiued grace to beleeue, and hauehave taſted the firſt fruites of the Spirit to the comfort of our ſoules, we muſt not be puffed vp in our knowledge, we muſt not grow ſecure, but ſtir vp the guifts of God in vsus, when they begin to waxe faint. Let vsus ſeeke to preuent his iudgements before they come, which wee may do, by iudging our ſelues, by making inquiry into our owne waies, and by ſearching the reines of our hearts, with purpoſe to condemne all ignorance, error, ſecurity, and vngodlineſſe, and as it were to take puniſhment of our ſelues: then this would follow thereupon, wee ſhould not be iudged and puniſhed of the Lord. This then is the remedy to auoide the ſinne of vnworthy receiuing. A man thus viſited with ſickneſſe, weakneſſe, and diuers kinds of diſeaſes, and ſmitten with the ſtroke of Gods owne hand, cannot poſsibly be reſtored by any creature in heauen or earth: and yet behold the Lord hath not left vsus without meanes to remooue them and take them away, to wit, by taking away the cauſe, that wee may remoue the effects. The cauſe of theſe puninſhments is taken away by iudging our ſelues. Now a man in iudging of himſelfeoWhat we are to do in iudging our ſelues. muſt performe foure things. Firſt, he muſt examine himſelfe of his ſinnes. Secondly, hee muſt confeſſe them, & himſelfe to be guilty, as the poore priſoner that ſtandeth at the barre. No denying of the fact, no defending of the fault, no hiding of the offence, no iuſtifying of our perſon can procure our pardon: the way to hauehave forgiueneſſe, is to acknowledge our owne wickedneſſe. Thirdly, he muſt condemne himſelfe, and giuegive ſentence againſt himſelf without partiality. Fourthly, he muſt pleade pardon for the remiſsion of his ſinnes, and neuer reſt vntill he giuegive him peace of conſcience, & reſtore him to the ioy of his ſaluation.