Sacramental Meditations, Title page – To the reader
SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS Upon divers select places OF SCRIPTURE WHEREIN Believers are assisted in preparing their hearts, and exciting their affections and graces, when they draw nigh to God in that most awful and solemn Ordinance of the Lords Supper. By Jo. FLAVEL, Minister of Christ in DEVON.
Cant. 4. 16. Awake, O North wind, and come thou South, blow upon my Garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruit.
London, Printed for Jacob Sampson next door to the Wonder Tavern in Ludgate-street, 1679.
THE EPISTLE TO THE READER.
Christian Reader,
CHrist may be said to be Crucified three ways; by the Jews actually, in the Sacrament Declaratively, and by Unbelievers at his Table Interpretatively. Among sins, Blood-guiltiness is reckoned one of the most heinous, and of all Blood-guiltiness to be guilty of the Blood of Christ, is a sin of the deepest guilt, and will be avenged with the most dreadful punishment, 1 Cor. 11. 27, 29. If Vengeance be taken sevenfold on him that Slew Cain, what Vengeance shall be taken on him that Crucifies afresh the Lord of glory?
The heaviest blow of Divine Justice is still ready to avenge the Abuse of the best mercy. What can the heart of man concei…e more solemn, more sacred, or more deeply affective than the representation of the greatest love of the Father, and the most grievous passions of the Son? What sin can be more provoking to God, than the slight and contempt of those most awful mysteries? and what punishment can be more terrible, than for such a wretched soul to eat and drink Damnation to it self?
Melancthon records a very dreadful example of God's righteous Judgment upon a Company of Prophane wretches, who in a Tragedy intended to act the death of Christ upon the Cross. He that acted the Soldiers part, instead of piercing with his Spear a Bladder full of blood hid under the Garment, wounded him to death that was upon the Cross; who falling down, killed him, who (in a disguise) acted the part of the Woman that stood wailing under the Cross. His Brother who was first slain, slew the Murderer, who acted the Soldiers part; and for staying him, was himself hanged by order of Justice. Thus did the Vengeance of God speedily overtake them, and hang'd them up in Chains, for a warning to all that should ever dare to dally with the great and jealous God.
These are terrible strokes, and yet not so terrible as those which are more ordinarily, but less sensibly inflicted upon the inner man for the Abuse of this Ordinance.
To prevent these Judgments, and obtain those blessings which come through this Ordinance, great regard must be had to two things, viz.
1. The Inbeing of true Grace.
2. The Activity of true Grace.
1. Examine thy self Reader, whether there be any gracious principle planted in thy soul, whereby thou art alive indeed unto God. It was an ancient abuse of the Sacrament (condemned and cast out by the Carthaginian Council) to give it unto dead men. Concil Carthag. Can. 6. Placuit …t defunctorum corporibus non detur Eucharistia, &c.Dead souls can have no Communion with the living God; no more benefit from this Table, than the Emperors Guests had from his Table, where Loaves of Gold were set before them to eat. There is more than a shew of grace in the Sacrament; it hath not only the visible sign, but the spiritual grace also which it represents. See that there be more than a shew and visible sign of grace also in thy soul, when thou comest nigh to the Lord in that Ordinance.
See to the exercise and activity, as well as to the truth and sincerity of thy grace. Even a Believer himself doth not eat and drink worthily, unless the grace that is in him be excited and exercised at this Ordinance. It is not Faith inhereing, but Faith realizing, applying and powerfully working. It is not a disposition to humiliation for sin, but the actual thawing and melting of the heart for sin, whilst thou lookest on him whom thou hast pierced, and mournest for him, as one that mourneth for his only Son, for his First-born. Nor is it a disposition or principal of love to Christ that is only required, but the stirring up of that fire of love, the exciting of it into a vehement flame.
I know the excitations and exercises of grace are attended with great difficulties. They are not things within our command, and at our beck. O! 'tis hard 'tis hard indeed, Reader, even after God hath taken the heart of stone out of thee, and given thee an heart of flesh, to mourn actually for sin, even when so great an occasion and call is given thee to that work at the Lords Table; for the same power is requisite to excite the act that was required to plant the habit. Gratia gratiam postulat.
However, the duty is thine, though the power be Gods; why else are his people blamed, because they stirred not up themselves to take hold of him? Isa. 64. 7.
To assist thee in this work, some help is offered in the following Meditations. 'Tis true, it is not the reading of the best Meditations another can prepare for thee, that will alter the temper of thy heart, except the Spirit of God concur with these truths, and bless them to thy soul: But yet these helps must not be slighted, because they are not self-sufficient. Man lives not by Bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God; yet it were a fond Vanity and Sin for any man upon that ground to cast away Bread, and expect to live by a miracle without it. We must lift up our hearts to God for a Blessing, and then eat; do the same here, first pray, then read, and the Lord quicken thee by it for duty.
There are two things of special concernment to the Reader, when thou art to address thy self to any solemn duty, especially such as this:
1. Prepare for thy duty diligently.
2. Rely not upon thy preparations.
First: Prepare with all diligence for thy duty; take pains with thy dull heart, cleanse thy polluted heart; compose thy vain heart; remember how great a presence thou art approaching. If Augustus thus reproved Non putabam me tibi tam familiarem.one that entertained him without sutable preparation, saying, I did not think we had been so familiar; much more may thy God reprove thee for thy careless neglect of due preparation for him.
Secondly: But yet take heed on the other side, that thou rely not upon thy best preparations. It is an ingenious and true note of Luther, speaking to this very point of preparation for the Sacrament; never are men more unfit, than when they Tunc pessime▪ dispositus quando aptisimé.think themselves most fit, and best prepared for their duty; never more fit, than when most humbled and ashamed in the sense of their own unfitness.
That the blessing of God, and the breathings of his good Spirit, may accompany these poor labours to tby soul, is the hearts desire of
Thy Servant in Christ, JOHN FLAVEL.