Sacramental Meditations, Meditation 10
THE TENTH MEDITATION UPON
John 6. ver. 55.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
IN this context our Lord Jesus Christ makes a most spiritual and excellent discourse to the Jews, about the nature and necessity of faith in him, taking the occasion thereof from the Bread, which a little before he had so miraculously multiplied, and fed them with, raising up their minds to more sublime and spiritual things, and letting them know that Bread, how sweet soever it was, was but a shaddow of himself, infinitely more sweet and necessary.
These words are a proposition, in which are these three things observable.
First: The subject, my Flesh and my Blood.
Secondly: The Predicate, it is Meat and Drink.
Thirdly: The manner of Predication, it's Meat indeed, and Drink indeed.
First: The subject, my Flesh, and my Blood, (i. e.) my Humanity; this is meat and drink, true spiritual food. If it be demanded why he had not said, I am meat and drink indeed; but rather chuses to say, my flesh and blood is so; the reason is evident, saith Learned Camero, because if you take away Flesh and Blood from Christ, he cannot be Food or Life to us. For in order to his being so, he must satisfie God for us, and obtain the Remission of our sins; but without shedding of Blood there is no Remission. Now for as much as by the offering up of his Body, and shedding of his Blood, he hath obtained pardon and life for us; therefore his Flesh and Blood is call'd our Meat and our Drink, that by which our souls live. Which brings us to the second thing.
Secondly: The Predicate, it is meat and drink, (i. e.) it is to our souls of the same Use and necessity that meat and drink is to our natural life, which cannot be sustained or continued without them.
The life of our souls as necessarily depends upon the Flesh and Blood of Christ, as our natural life doth upon meat and drink. Yet beware of a mistake here; the Flesh and Blood, or the Humanity of Christ is not the Fountain of our spiritual life, but the Channel rather, through which it flows to us from his Divinity. By reason of his Incarnation and Death, Righteousness and Life comes to us.
Thirdly: The manner of Predication is very Emphatical, it is meat indeed, and drink indeed; which notes two things.
First: Reality, in opposition to all legal shaddows and types.
Secondly: Transcendent excellency, far surpassing all other food, even Mannah it self, which for its excellency is styled Angels food. My Flesh is meat indeed (i. e.) true, substantial, and real food to souls, and choice excellent and incomparable food.
Hence observe.
Doct.
That what meat and drink is to our bodies, that, and much more than that, the Flesh and Blood of Christ is to believing souls.
Two things require explication in this point.
First; Wherein the resemblance or agreement lies betwixt the Flesh and Blood of Christ, and Meat and Drink.
Secondly: Wherein the former transcends and excels the latter.
1. Query. Wherein lies the resemblance and agreement 1. Query.betwixt the Flesh and Blood of Christ, and material Meat and Drink?
Sol. The agreement is manifest in the following particulars.
First: Meat and Drink is necessary to support Natural life, we cannot live without it. Upon this account Bread is call'd the Staff and Stay, (i. e.) the support of the natural spirits which do as much lean and depend upon it, as a feeble man doth upon his staff, Isa. 3. 1. But yet how necessary soever it be, the Flesh and Blood of Christ is more indispensibly necessary for the life of our souls, Joh. 6. 53. Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of man, and drink his Blood, ye have no life in you. Our souls have more absolude need of peace and pardon by Christ, than our bodies have of meat and drink. Better our bodies were starved and famished, than our souls damned and lost for ever.
Secondly: Meat and Drink are ever most sweet and desirable to those that are hungry and thirsty. It is hunger and thirst that gives value and estimation to meat and drink, Prov. 27. 7. To the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet; and so it is in our esteem of Christ, Joh. 7. 37. If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. When God by illumination and conviction makes men deeply sensible of their miserable lost and perishing condition, then ten thousand worlds for a Christ. All is but dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of Christ Jesus.
Thirdly: Meat and drink must undergoe an alteration, and lose its own form before it actually nourishes the body. The Corn is ground to pieces in the Mill, before it be made Bread to nourish us. And Christ must be ground betwixt the upper and neither Milstones of the wrath of God, and malice of men, to be made Bread for our souls. The Prophet saith, Isa. 52. 14. His Visage was marr'd more than any mans. He did not look like himself, the beauty and glory of Heaven, but the reproach of Men, and despised of the People. Oh what an alteration did his Incarnation and Sufferings make upon him, Phil. 2. 6, 7. Quantum mutatus ab illo?
Fourthly: Natural food must be received into our bodies, and have a natural Union with them; and Christ must be received into our souls, and have a spiritual Union with them by faith, or else we can have no nourishment or benefit by him. An empty Profession, a meer talkative Religion nourishes the inner man just as much as the sight of meat, and our commending of it, doth our outward man. It's Christ's dwelling in our hearts by faith, Eph. 3. 17. our receiving of him, Joh, 1. 12. our eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood, Joh. 6. 53. (i. e.) the effectual application of Christ to our souls by faith, that makes us partakers of his benefits.
Fifthly: Meat and drink must be taken every day, or else natural life will languish, and spiritual life will never be comfortably maintain'd in us without daily communion with Jesus Christ: If a gracious soul neglect or be interrupted in its course of duties, and stated times of prayer, it will be quickly discernable by the Christian himself in the deadness of his own heart, and by others also, in the barrenness of his discourses. And in these things stands the Analogy and agreement of the Flesh and Blood of Christ with meat and drink.
2. Query.
The next thing is to open the transcendent excellency of Christs Flesh 2. Query.and Blood, above all other food in the world; and this appears in four particulars:
First: This Flesh and Blood was assumed into the nearest Union with the second Person in the blessed Trinity, and so is not only dignified above all other created Beings, but becomes the first receptacle of all grace intended to be communicated through it to the Children of men, Joh. 1. 14.
Secondly: This Flesh and Blood of Christ was offered up to God as the great Sacrifice for our sins, and Purchase of our peace, Col. 1. 20. Eph. 5. 2. and so it is of inestimable price and value to Believers. The humane Nature of Christ was the Sacrifice, the divine Nature was the Altar on which it was offered up, and by which it was dignified and sanctified, and made an Offering of a sweet smelling savour to God, Eph. 5. 2.
Thirdly: This Flesh and Blood of Christ is the great medium of conveyance of all blessings and mercies to the souls and bodies of Believers. It lies as a vast pipe at the Fountain-head of blessings, receiving and conveying them from God to Men, Col. 1. 14. 19.
So then, it being united to the second Person, and so become the Flesh and Blood of God, it being the Sacrifice offered up to God for Attonement and Remission of sins, and the medium of conveying all grace and mercy from God the Fountain to the souls and bodies of Believers; how sweet a rellish must it have upon the pallate of faith? Here faith may tast the sweetness of a Pardon, a full, free, and final pardon of sin, than which nothing in this world can be sweeter to a Sin-burdened Conscience.
Here it tasts the incomparable sweetness of Peace with God, a Peace which passeth Understanding; the breach Sin made, is by this Sacrifice made up for ever, Col. 1. 20.
Here it tasts the unexpressible sweetness of acceptation with God, and an interest in his favour; a mercy which a poor convinced soul would give ten thousand worlds for, were it to be purchased. Yea, here it rellisheth all the sweet Promises in the Covenant of grace, as confirmed and ratified by this Sacrifice, Heb. 9. 5. So that well might he say, my Flesh is meat indeed, and my Blood is drink indeed, the most excellent New Testament-food for Believers.
1. Use of Information.
First: See here the love of a Saviour, that Heavenly Pelli…an, who feeds us 1. Use.with his own Flesh and Blood. You read Lam. 4. 10. of pitiful Women who eat the flesh of their own Children; but where have you read of Men or Women that gave their own flesh and blood for meat and drink to their Children? Think on this you that are so loth to cross and deny your flesh for Christ; he suffered his Flesh to be rent, and his Blood set abroach for you; what love like the love of Christ?
Secondly: Learn hence a ground of Content in the lowest and poorest condition allotted to any Believer in this world. It may be some of you live low in the world, you have hard fare, and are abridg'd of many of those sweet comforts in the Creature, which the Enemies of God abound in; but still remember, you have no cause to envy their dainties, and be dissatisficd with your own lot and portion, when not many Nobles or mighty in the world feed as your souls do feed. O what a feast have you! What dainties do your souls tast by faith! Whilst others do but feed upon Ashes and Husks, what is the flesh of Lambs and Calves out of the Amos 6. 4, 5, 6.Stall, to the Flesh of Christ? What is Wine in bowls, and the chief Oyntment to the Blood of Christ, and the anoyntings of his Spirit? O be satisfied with your outward lot, however God hath cast it, whilst he hath dealt so bountifully with your souls.
Thirdly: Learn hence the necessity of faith, in order to the livelihood and subsistance of our souls. What is a Feast to him that cannot tast it? And what is Christ to him that cannot believe? That cannot by faith eat his Flesh and drink his Blood?
'Tis not the Preparation made for souls in Christ, but the Application of him by faith, that gives us the sweetness and benefit of him. Faith is the souls mouth or pallate; the Unbeliever tasts no sweetness in Christ, he can rellish more sweetness in money, meat, drink, carnal mirth, or any sensual enjoyment than Christ.
Fourthly: How excellent are Gospel-Ordinances? What sweetness is there to be found in them by true Believers? For there Christ is prepar'd, and as it were serv'd in for them to feed upon. It is your Ministers work to cook and prepare for you all the week long, and to furnish for you a feast of fat things. Loe, here's a Table spread and furnish'd this day with the costliest dainties that Heaven affords. O prize these mercies, sit not here with flat or wanton appetites, lest God call to your Enemies, and bid them take away.
2. Use of Exhortation.
Is the Flesh and Blood of Christ Meat and Drink indeed, then let me exhort 2. Use.you Brethren.
First: To come to this Table with sharp and hungry appetites. Have you ever tasted that the Lord is gracious, and do you not hunger and thirst to taste it again. Surely where the Carcass is, thither will the Eagles be gather'd, Math. 24. 28. There is a two fold appetite, a dainty, and an hungry appetite; beware of a nice and dainty appetite, that can rellish nothing in the most solid and spiritual duties, except the dish be garnisht with flowers of Rhetorick, or the matter serv'd in with art and elegancy: This hath been the great sin of the Professors of this Generation. O Christians, no more of that I pray you. Were you really an hungred and athirst for Christ, you would come to his Ordinances, as famishing men to a feast.
Secondly: To feed heartily upon Christ in every Ordinance, and in every Sacrament especially. O that your souls might hear and answer that invitation this day, Cant. 5. 1. Eat, O Friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O Beloved.
For Motives I will only hint these three following:
First: Christ is the matter of this Feast. God hath prepar'd him for your souls. Is any thing in Heaven or Earth so sweet as Christ Sacrificed is? Do not the Angels and Saints in Heaven feast upon him? Surely one drop of Christ's Blood hath more sweetness and excellency in it, than the whole Ocean of all Creature-comforts.
Secondly: Don't your graces need it? Have you not a languishing love, a staggering faith, dull and sluggish desires? Look into your hearts, and see what need there is of strengthening the things that are in you, which are ready to die. O feed upon Christ, that your graces may be revived & strengthened.
Thirdly: Do you know how many daies you are to go in the strength of this meal? How long it may be ere you sit again at the Lords Table? Surely even these as well as your inferior temporal comforts stand upon terms of greatest uncertainty. Ah Christians! Consider well the times you live in, the Enemy that stands ready to take away the cloth, and remove your spiritual food from you. It's said of Peter Martyr, that being in Oxford when Q. Mary came in, and hearing the first Mass-bell ring, he was struck to the heart, and said, haec una notula omnem meam doctrinam evertit. This one tinkling Bell overthrows all the labours of my Ministry at once.
God grant we may hear none of that Musick in England any more; but it's like to be according to your estimation and improvement of Christ's precious Ordinances.
Thirdly: Commend the experiensed sweetness of Christ to others. Don't conceal his loveliness and excellency. Thus the fair and enamoured Spouse charges or adjures others, Cant. 5. 9. Be not content to feast upon Christ alone, whilst others souls are starving, and perhaps the souls of your dear natural Relations. Say to them as David, Psal. 34. 8. O, taste and see how good the Lord is.
Fourthly and lastly: See that your appetite to Christ be right, and truly spiritual. Such an hunger and thirst, upon which blessedness is entail'd by promise; and you may conclude it so, when
First: It is a sharp and strong appetite, Psal. 42. 1. Let your thoughts run upon Christ night and day, like the desires of a longing Woman.
Secondly: When 'tis a Universal appetite, after every thing in Christ, his Holiness as well as his Righteousness, his Commands as well as his Promises, for he is altogether lovely, Cant. 5. 16.
Thirdly: When 'tis a continual appetite; I mean not that the pulse of your desires should keep an even stroke at all times, but that there be real and sincere workings of heart after him always, Psal. 119. 20.
Fourthly: When 'tis an industrious appetite, awakening the soul to the Use of all means and practice of all duties in order to satisfaction, Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after.
Fifthly and lastly: It's then aright, when 'tis an insatiable appetite, never to be allaid with any thing besides Christ, Psal. 73. 25. No, nor with Christ himself, till thou comest to the full enjoyment of him in Heaven. The Believer knows, how sweet soever his Communion with Christ is in this world, yet that Communion he shall have with Christ in Heaven far excels it; there it will be more intimate and immediate, 1 Cor. 19. 12. more full and perfect, even to satisfaction, Psal. 17. 15. more constant and continued, not suffering such interruptions as it doth here, Rev. 21. 25. More pure and unmixed. Here our Corruptions work with our graces, Rom. 7. 21. but there grace shall work alone. In a word, more durable and perpetual: We shall be ever with the Lord, 1 Thes. 4. 7. Long therefore to drink that new Wine in the Fathers Kingdom. The Spirit and the Bride say came; and let him that heareth, say come, even so come Lord Jesus, come quickly.