The Badges of Christianity, Book 3 · Chapter 19
Chap. 19. Of reconciliation to our brethren: the last part of Examination.
HItherto, in examination of our selues, we hane shewd what wee are to doe in respect of GOD, the roote whereof is knowledge, the body is faith, the fruite is repentance. Now to conclude, wee are to handle the last part, which is aLoueLove toward their brethren is required of al that come to the table.louelove toward men, and reconciliation of our selues to our neighbors, for iniuries, wronges, and offences done vntounto them, which are as poyson to this banket. For, in vaine we shall pretend knowledge, boast of faith, glory of repentance, if we faile in duties toward our bretheren. For, heere is the touchstone and tryall of all the rest, euen our obedience to the second table, which concerneth the duties of louelove toward our bretheren. Heerevnto commeth bMath. 5, 23the doctrine of Christ set downe in the Euangelist Math. 5. If thou bring thy gift to the alter, and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leaue there thy gift before the altar, and goe first be reconciled to thy brother, then come and offer thy gift. Where he teacheth, that he so approproueth this duty, that hee will hauehave his owne immediat seruice cease, and giuegive place for a time, till it be performed. So, in the Sermon which he made to his Apostles, before he was betrayed to death, he did diligently beate vponupon this point, saying, cIohn 13, 35By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples, if ye louelove one another. This is my …, that ye louelove one another, as I hauehave loued you: greater louelove then this hath no man, that a man bestow his life for his frends: ye are my friends, if ye doe whatsoeuer I commaund you. This likewise the dColos. 3, 12Apostle teacheth, that we may know him to be the scoller of the same maister, Coloss. 3, As the elect of God, holie and beloued, put on tender mercy, kindnesse, humblenesse of minde, meekenesse, longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiuing one another, if any man hauehave a quarell vntounto another, euen as Christ forgaue you, euen so doe ye: and aboue all these things, put on louelove, which is the bound of perfectnesse. As eueryevery one hath a comfortable experience in his own hart of Gods mercy toward him in the pardon of his sinnes which are many and great; so let him shew mercy againe, as he hath receiued mercy, and deale vntounto others kindly, as God hath delt gratiously toward him. Our sauiour Christ auoucheth this Math. 18. in the parable of the lender that had many debters: he called them to eMatt. 18, 23take an account of them, and forgiueth the debt hauing compassion on him that was not able to pay: but when he was departed, and had found one of his fellow-seruants which ought him an hundred pence, he laid hand on him, thratled him, and cast him in prison till he should pay the debt. Then the Lord called him and said, O euil seruant, I forgaue thee all that debt, because thou prayedst me: Oughtest thou not also to hauehave pittie on thy fellow-seruant, euen as I had pittie on thee? So his Lord was wroth, and deliuered him to the tormenters, till he should pay all that was due to him. Then followeth the application of the whole, So likewise shall mine heauenly father do vntounto you, except ye forgiue from your harts each one his brother their trespasses.
Now, the Lordes supper was ordained of God for this end, that it might be a band of louelove, and a chaine to vnite and ioyne vsus togither among our selues, that if it wer possible we should not breake from him: as Paule teacheth. 1 Cor. 10 We that are manie, f1 corin. x. 17are one bread, and one bodie, because we al are partakers of one bread. Wherefore this Supper may fitly be called, a Sacrament of vnity, and a seale of our agreement one with another. Behold heere, a chaine consisting of many linkes to knit vsus together, that wee breake not from God and our brethren. Do we not al come to the table? Do we not all eat of the same bread? Do we not al drinke of the same cup? Is not the same loafe compact of many cornes? Is not the same Wine pressed out of many clusters? Do we not all ioyne together in the same receiuing? Were we not baptized into the same baptism? What a shameful thing is this, full of infamy and reproach, to see the branches of the same vine, the sheepe of the same shepheard, the children of the same father, the Seruants of the same maister, the fellowes of the same houshould, the heirs of the same kingdome, the ghuests of the same banket, the obtainers of the same promise, the partakers of the same hope, the members of the same bodye, and the professors of the same faith, to contend and striue one against another, to delight in brauling, fighting, quarrelling, and to norish hatred, malice, rancour, spite, enuy, biting, and backbiting one of another. If Ephraim be set against gEsay 9, 21Manasses, and Manasses against Ephraim, if Brother be diuided against brother, if we bite one at another, let vsus take heed least we be consumed one of another. The sonnes of God are renewed into the image ofGod, to resemble their heauenly father in true holines, and doe all weare the same cognizance and liuery. For the Sacraments are the marks of Ch. sheepe, whereby they are knowne and discerned: so that all our discentions, diuisions, railings, reuilings disgracings and defacings one of another, tend to the reproch and dishonour of our common father, and do giuegive an heauy testimony against our souls with God and his elect Angels. For how do we approach vntounto God? how do we come into his presence? With what harts do we pray before him and vntounto him? Are we not taught hMath. 6, 12to aske forgiuenes of our sins, as we forgiue the trespasses done vntounto vsus? It then we be malicious and enuious, and carry the fresh remembrance of wronges in our hearts, to pursue them with reuenge: do we not pray against our selues? Do we not beseech God to poure out vengance vponupon vsus? Do we not open our mouths to our owne destruction? For when wee vse our tongues to say, iLuke 11, 4Lord, forgiue vsus, for euen we forgiue: is it not asmuch as if we should pray, forgiue vsus not Lord, for we do not, we will not forgiue others? Therefore, after the forme of prayer giuen to the Disciples, Christ addeth, If ye do forgiue men their trespasses, your heauenly father will also forgiue you: but if ye do not forgiue men their trepasses, no more will your father forgiue you your trespasses. And as he exhorteth, that when they stand and appeare before the Altar, kMark. 11, 25they must forgiue: so when we appeare at the Lords table, we must forgiue, if we hauehave any thing against any man, that our father also which is in heauen may forgiue vsus our trespasses. Now, if we woulde be directed to knowe whether this louelove be is vsus or not, wee may try our owne hearts by these l1 Cor. 13, 4holy properties and blessed effectes described by the Apostle, 1, cor, xiii, LoueLove (saith he) suffereth long, it is bountifull, louelove enuieth not, louelove doth not boast itselfe, it is not puffed vp: it disdaineth not, it seeketh not her owne things, it is not prouoked to anger, it thinketh not euill: it reioyceth not in iniquity, but reioyceth in the truth: it suffereth all things, it beleeueth al thinges, it hopeth al things, it endureth al things.
Heere we may see, what manner of louelove ought to be in vsus. EueryEvery one of vsus must indeuour, that all the parts of this description may rightly agree to eueryevery one of vsus, and truely be found in vsus toward all men, euen our enimies, as we see Iesus Christ hath left vsus an example of his louelove, mLuk. 23, 35when he praied for his enimies, that crucified and cruelly entreated him, father forgiue them: for they know what they do and this did stephen to those that stoned him, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. This is the way, let vsus walke in it: this was their practise, let vsus follow it.
Thus we hauehave shewed the necessity of examination of ourselues before we come to the Lordes supper, and declared the parts wherein it standeth, and the manner how it is to be performed. If we come furnished with these things, with sauing knoledg, with iustifieng faith, with vnfained repentance, with a louing and longing reconciliation towarde our brethren among whom we liue, hauing as much nRom 12, 18as is possible, Peace with all men, yea euen our enimies: let vsus not abstaine from the Lordes table by reason of some frailties and infirmities in vsus: for God couereth them, o2 chr. 305 18and will not bring them into remembrance, as we see 2. Chron, 30. A multitude of people had not clensed themselues, yet did eate the passeouer, but not as it was writen: wherfore Hezekiah praied for them, saying, The good God be merciful toward him that prepareth his whole hart to seeke the Lord god, the god of his fathers, though he be not clensed according to the purification of the sanctuarie: and the Lord heard Hezekiah, and healed the people. Where we see, that because their hart was vpright and sincere, their wants and imperfections were not imputed vntounto them. For God respecteth the truth of the inward partes, and pard oneth their sinnes that thus prepare their harts to seeke him. So then, pThe sacrament is not honoured by abstaining from itthey were greatly deceiued, that thoght they honoured the Sacrament by abstaining from it: it is not honoured, but dishonoured: not hallowed, but prophaned: not regarded reuerently, but reproched greeuously by our wilfull abstinence, q1 cor. xi, 28as the Apostle teacheth, 1 cor, 11. let a man examin himself, and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. He doth not say, let him proue himselfe and so let him abstaine. For the Sacrament is abused, as well by forbearing, hauing examined our selues, as by not examining our selues, and receiuing vnworthily. And thus much of examination, and the manner to be obserued therein.