Twenty-Nine Sermons, Sermon 6 – Title page 6
EXAMINATION Required in every COMMUNICANT A SERMON preached by Maſter WILLIAM FENNER Miniſter of GODS Word.
1 Cor. 11. 28.
But let a man examine himſelf, and ſo let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup.
IN the later part of this Chapter the Apoſtle treats of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper: and firſt he reproves the Corinthians for their unworthy coming to it, as we ſee in verſe 18. There were Errors, and Schiſmes, contempt of the poor, drunkenneſſe, exceſſe, diſorder, and unprofitableneſſe in the duties of God, they waxed worſe and worſe by the Sacrament. All theſe, and ſundry other abuſes were among them; ſo that they did not eat the Lords Supper aright as they ought.
Secondly, he reduceth them back to the firſt prime inſtitution of it by Jeſus Chriſt, as we ſee in verſe 23. that hereby they might both ſee how grievouſly they had abuſed the Sacrament, and likewiſe ſee how they might ſanctifiedly uſe it.
Thirdly, he ſhews the danger of unworthy receivers: and this he ſets out two wayes.
Firſt by the grievouſneſſe of the ſinne; ſuch a perſon makes himſelf guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord, as we ſee, verſe 27.
Secondly, by the doleful conſequence that follows upon it; He eats and drinks damnation to himſelf, as we ſee verſe 29.
Now in this verſe (that I may not trouble you with ſpeaking of anyThe ſum of the Text. more matter than what is neceſſary for the preſent Theme) he ſhews how we may prevent, eſcape, and avoyd this danger; how we may take an order that we do not fal into this grievous ſin, that we do not plunge our ſelves into this grievous miſery: Let a man examine himſelf, and ſo let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. A man muſt examine himſelf, ſift his own ſoul, and labour to prepare himſelf, before he dare to venture on this ſacred buſineſſe. In theſe words, before we ſet upon the particular handling of them, we may obſerve, that
Obſervation 1. We muſt not ruſh upon the Sacrament.We muſt not ruſh upon the Sacrament.
There muſt ſomewhat be done before we can receive it. Let a man examine himſelf, and ſo let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. There are none of the Ordinances of God, that a man may ſafely ruſh upon. Wouldeſt thou offer any ſacrifice to God? but thou muſt ſtay firſt, and examine thy ſelf, whether there be not ſomething yet undone. It may be thou haſt offended God in ſomething or other; It may be thou art out with thy brother; thou muſt firſt go and be reconciled to thy brother, and then offer thy guift, Matth. 5. So wouldſt thou reprove thy neighbour? It may be there be ſomewhat out of order, ſome indiſpoſedneſſe in thee, thou art not yet in caſe to ſet on this duty; it may be thou art faulty, and guilty thy ſelf; it may be thou haſt a beam in thine own eye, Firſt (ſaith the Text) pull the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou mayeſt ſee clearly to pull the moat out of thy brothers eye, Matth. 7. 5. So would'ſt thou reform thy outward man? But it may be thy inward man is not reformed; there is ſome luſt in thy heart, ſome pride in thy will, ſome ſtubbornneſſe in thy ſpirit, ſome Idoll in thy boſome; Firſt, cleanſe the inſide of the platter, Matth. 23. 26. There is never an ordinance of God that can be done, but there muſt be ſomewhat done firſt, a man muſt do ſomething before. As in the choice of officers, as Miniſters, as Deacons, other Officers in the Church, firſt, they muſt be proved before they be choſen: ſo in all the Ordinances of God. Would we come to the Sacrament? There is ſomewhat muſt be done firſt, we muſt examine our ſelves, and root out all unſanctifiedneſſe, and indiſpoſition, that cannot ſtand with the right communicating in the Lords ſupper. And ſo in every other good duty.
The reaſons of this are;
Firſt, becauſe naturally we are not invited gueſts, we are not ſuch as areReaſon 1. Naturally we are not invited gueſts. invited to the Lords Supper; we are children of wrath, and as long as we are in ſuch an eſtate, we cannot come aright to the Communion. This is childrens, bread, and it cannot be given to dogges. Chriſt, whenſoever he ſets his dainties before his people, he tels us for whom they are, Take eat, this is my body that is broken for you. This is the ſupper that is made for you, as it is in this Chapter, verſe 24. Firſt we muſt prove our ſelves invited gueſts.
It is true, the Lord Chriſt invites every man to the Lords Supper; but he invites him methodically, he muſt be in ſuch an eſtate: but every man is not ſo fitted: a man muſt be a member of Chriſt that means to partake of Chriſts death, he muſt be one that is in Chriſt, he muſt be able to prove that he is ingrafted into Chriſt, he muſt be able to ſhew the mark of the Lord Chriſt on him. As it is with the ſome of your great dinners,Simile. and feaſts in this City, you have tickets and all that are admitted to the feaſt, muſt ſhew their ticket before they are admitted; So thou muſt be able to ſhew thy ticket, that thou haſt an invitation from Chriſt, thou muſt have a mark, and token from Chriſt that thou comeſt, and comeſt with his warrant.
A ſecond reaſon is, though thou be invited, it may be thou art not diſpoſed.Reaſon 2. We are indiſpoſed. If a man will do a thing that he is naturally indiſpoſed to, there muſt be ſomewhat done before of neceſſity: So the Lords ſupper, it is a thing that naturally we are indiſpoſed unto, therefore ſomewhat muſt of neceſſity be done firſt. Naturally we are unholy, we are unthankfull, and carnall, we are in our ſinnes, ſtrangers from God, and the Covenant of God, and from the ſeal of the Covenant: all this indiſpoſition muſt be wrought out before we can comfortablely come hither. If Chriſt would have the very Chamber firſt trimmed, before he inſtituted the Paſſeover, and the Sacrament; much more will he have the ſoul diſpoſed for him, and the heart cleanſed from all filthineſſe. If he that was of the Peace-offering being indiſpoſed, having his uncleanneſſe upon him, was to be cut off from his people, Levit. 7. 20. what will God doe to ſuch people as come hither in their uncleanneſs and indiſpoſition, unſanctified and unqualified?
Thirdly ſuppoſe we were both invited and diſpoſed, yet this it not enough:Reaſon 3. Solemn preparations required to the Sacrament. This is a ſolemne Ordinance of God, and an ordinary diſpoſition will not ſerve the turn. Though every child of God be ordinarily diſpoſed to every good word and work, to pray, and to hear the word of God, he is prepared and furniſhed to every well-doing ordinarily and habitually? but a man muſt be diſpoſed farther; There is a ſolemne preparation required to the Communion, as in Deut. 16. 15. there were ſolemn feaſts in the Law▪ ſo there is this ſolemn feaſt in the Goſpel, and there are ſolemn preparations required thereto. When we come to the Communion, to eat the Lords Supper, it is not eating and drinking in Chriſts preſence; for ſo may any reprobate do, and yet Chriſt may ſay to him, Depart from me, thou worker of iniquity. It is not to come and ſit in your Pewes, and wait till the Bread comes, and take it; and till the Cup comes, and drink it, ſo many a Reprobate may doe, as the Corinthians did, that did eat and drink their own damnation. But there muſt be a ſolemn preparation to it, to be ſealed with the Spirit of Promiſe, to be righteous by faith in the body and blo…d of Chriſt; For a man to be humble and empty of his ſin, to be …ſ…y a… the precious bloud of Chriſt; to be fed and built up in the promiſes; It is a weighty thing to come to the Communion: a man muſt be a worthy man, or elſe he hath nothing to do here. As Solomon ſaid of Adonijah, if he be a worthy man, not a hair ſhall fall from his head; but if wickedneſſe be found in him, he ſhall dye, 1 Kings 1. 52. So, if we be worthy men and women, not a hair of our heads ſhall fall to the ground, none of the curſes ſhall light on us, that light on unprepared perſons: but if wickedneſſe be found in us, if we be guilty of any ſin, if we live in any luſt not mortified, if there be any prophaneneſſe in our lives, in our families, in our courſes and callings, though we catch hold of the horns of the Altar, though we partake of theſe holy myſteries, yet we ſhall be ſo far from having any mercy, as that we ſhall haſten our own ruine, we ſet a ſeal on our own judgement, and make our caſe worſe than it was before.
Let us take notice of it, and never dare to ruſh on any of Gods Ordinances.Uſe. To take heed of ruſh performance of duties. You know what became of the fooliſh man in the Goſpel, that when they were invited to come to the marriage ſupper, he thought it was nothing but to come with them that came, to crowd in with them, and ſit down among the reſt; he conſidered not what he went about, that he might be prepared accordingly; the event was this, he was caſt out into utter darkneſſe, Matth. 22. 13. It is dangerous ruſhing on any of Gods ordinances. To ruſh upon prayer, for a man to fall down upon his knees, and to utter any thing before the Lord haſtily with his mouth, not conſidering that God is in heaven, and he on the earth. A mans word may damn his own ſoul, and pull vengeance on his own pate, his prayers may prove a curſe, his prayer for mercy may be turned into vengeance: So the higher the ſervice, the greater the danger. As the ſervants2 Sam. 15. 17. of Abigail ſaid to her, Conſider what you do, when evill was determined againſt them: ſo conſider what you do when you come to the Sacrament, you come to a weighty thing, to that, that will either ſet you neerer to the Kindome of God, or hell and condemnation. But I let this paſſe, and come to the words themſelves.
Let a man examine himſelf, and ſo let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup.
In theſe words obſerve;
Firſt, the matter of the duty commanded; that is to eat of that bread, andParts of the Text. drink of that cup.
Secondly, the manner of doing the duty; not only to eat of that bread; but ſo to eat; and not only to drink of that cup, but ſo to drink.
Thirdly, the rule of direction how to come in a right manner to partake of it, that is, by examining of our ſelves, Let a man examine himſelf, and ſo let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
Fourthly and laſtly, the benefit following that direction, and that is in this word, But let a man examine himſelf. He had ſaid before, He that eats and drinks unworthily, is made guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord: and, he diſcerneth not the Lords body, verſe 27. But, ſaith he, as if he ſhould ſay if a man would prevent this, if a man would take order that he be not guilty of the body and bloud of Chriſt, that he do not come undiſcerningly to theſe heavenly myſteries, but with comfort, and title to the promiſes, with hope and confidence and ſpeeding there of the benefits of Chriſt exhibited, then, let a man examine himſelfe, and ſo let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
Now I will paſſe over ſome of theſe points, namely that we are to eatNeceſſity of receiving the Lords Supper. that bread, and drink that cup. There is a neceſsity that we ſhould receive the Lords ſupper. I need not ſtand on this, you know it ſufficiently proved by the Sacrament of the Law, which was the fore-runner of this Sacrament, that ſoul that did not partake of that, was to dye the death, he was to be cut off from Gods people, Num. 9. 13. If the Lord was ſo carefull of thoſe Sacraments that were inferior to theſe (and yet they were of the ſame ſubſtance as theſe) that the man that neglected to come to them, to partake of them, was to be cut off, to be excommunicated from the people of God, and to be rent off from the congregation of the Saints, then how much more for theſe heavenly, and weighty, and glorious Ordinances of the Goſpel, which are farr more glorious than them of the Law? But I will not ſtand upon that.
I might here take notice too of the frequency of the duty: for ſo it hathThe Lords Supper to be received often. dependence on thoſe words formerly, As oft as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye ſhew the Lords death, and ſo, that is, as oft as ye eat, do it in this manner. This is the command of God, that we oft receive the Lords Supper. In the Primitive times St. Baſil obſerves, that they eat it three or four times in a week, on Wedneſdays, Frydays, and on the Lords day; but that was a time of perſecution, I will not ſtand upon that. I think it not neeedfull; But it ſhould be often, we ſhould not thurſt it only upon Eaſter and Whitſuntide. and Chriſt-tide, three or four times in the year.
Again, I might obſerve here from this myſtery received, in that he calls it Bread, I might obſerve againſt the Papiſts Tranſubſtantiation, that the bread received, is not tranſubſtantiated, but is bread ſtill; and againſt that of receiving in one kind; So let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup: he doth not ſay, let him eat of that bread only, but he directs the commands in both kinds. But I let this paſſe, and come to the ſecond rhing, that is the manner how we ſhould do this duty.
So let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
It is not, firſt let him examine himſelf, and then let him eat of thatObſerv. The manner of performance of duties to be regarded. bread, and drink of that cup: But, let him examine himſelfe, and then, SO, let him eat: implying, that examining a mans ſelfe helps or ought to help a man to a right manner: and when he hath gotten a right manner, then to eat that bread, and drink that cup; that he may do, not only for matter, that which the Lord commands, but, for manner, as the Lord commands. Beloved, the Lord ſtands on circumſtances as well as on duties: we are all racers, we run, we muſt ſo run that we may obtain, 2. Cor. 9. 29 So pray that we may ſpeed, ſo hear that we may be converted, ſo reprove that we may be edified; ſo behave our ſelves in our places and callings, that we may glorifie God. It is not enough for a man to runne, but he muſt ſo run, if he mean to obtain. Every man will be ſpeaking and doing good things; but ſo ſpeak, and ſo do, Jam. 2. 12. The Lord calls upon us to have a care of the manner of duties, as well as of the matter of duties. It is not enough that a man come to eat of that bread, and drink of that cup, but ſo to eat, and ſo to drink of it, he muſt partake of the Lords Table, and ſo as the Lord enjoyns.
Now the Reaſons of this are;
Firſt, becauſe the ſame Lord that commands the matter, commands the mannerReaſon 1. The Lord commands the manner as well as the matter. too. The Lord will have his ſervice well done, as well as done, he will have the work well performed, as well as performed. It is not only the thing that the Lord ſtands upon, but the right manner and kind of doing it.
When David perſwaded his ſon Solomon to worſhip the God of his Fathers, he bids him not only do the thing, but to do it in a right manner, And thou my ſon Solomon, know thou the God of thy Fathers, and ſerve him, Is that all? No, but with a perfect heart, and a willing mind, 2. Chron. 28. 9. He commands him to do it, not only for the matter of it, but in the right manner of it. A man may ſerve God, but if it be not with a perfect heart, and a willing mind, and with a chearfull ſpirit; if he be not ready to every command, if he doe not open his ears to every rebuke, a man doth not ſerve God at all. The manner either makes all, or marres all.
Secondly, another Reaſon is, becauſe circumſtances overthrow actions,Reaſon 2. Circumſtances overthrow actions, as in Prayer. if they be not rightly and duly obſerved. As for example in Scripture, prayer is an action commanded of God: the Lord commands us to pray, that we call upon his name duly, every day, in all our needs and neceſſities, upon all occaſions continually. But now if we pray not aright, not in that manner that the Lord hath preſcribed; if we pray either with a guilty defiled conſcience, with cold affection, with a dead ſpirit, or without departing from iniquity, or without a pure heart: if a man pray without the right manner of prayer, he marrs all his prayer, it is a howling, and not a prayer. They did not cry to me (ſaith God) when they howled on their beds, that is, when they prayed, becauſe they did not pray in a right manner, the Lord calls it howling, and not a prayer. We roar as Bears, in Iſaiah 59. 12. the Prophet nicknames it, ſpeaking in the perſon of the people, he calls it the roaring of Bears: The Lord had as lieve hear the barking of a Dog, or the grunting of a Swine, as a man that doth not pray aright, with a bleeding heart, with contrition of ſoul and ſpirit, with a ſpirit of grace and ſupplication. When a man prays, and prays not aright, his prayer leaves that name, it is no more a prayer in Gods account.
And ſo preaching, it is an admirable action; but if a man do not preach2 Preaching. aright, if it be flattering with the entiſing words of mans wiſdome, or beating the ayr, and to ſhew his own learning, this overthrows the action of preaching, he preacheth not Chriſt, but himſelf; not the Goſpel, though the Goſpel be in his Sermon all over, yet himſelf he preacheth, the action is marred, the circumſtances marre it.
So in the Lords Supper, if a man come not prepared, that he have3 Receiving the Sacrament. not the Wedding Garment, that he be not aright qualified according to the requiſites of the Goſpel, this is not to eat the Lords Supper; Saith the Apoſtle, When ye come together, this is not to eat the Lords Supper: you think you eat the Lords Supper, you take the bread and the cup, and can ſay, Bleſſed be God, and I pray God to bleſſe me: you may come and do theſe actions, but the action is altered, the action is diverſified when it is not done in a right manner.
So if a man come to reprove his brother, if he himſelf be faulty, do you4 Brotherly reproof. think this is ſufficient reproof? No, it is hypocriſie. Thou hypocrite, Matth. 7, 5. his reproof of his brother is hypocriſie.
So, for men to tell one another of their faults, and to tell them with a Spirit of bitterneſſe; this is not Chriſtian dehortation, but biting one another, Gal. 5. 15.
And ſo for eating and drinking, beloved, eating is lawfull, and drinking5 Eating and drinking. is lawfull, and marrying and giving in marriage, all theſe are lawfull, yet if a man eat not aright, and drink not aright, and marry not in the Lord, eat and drink without title to the Lords creatures, that he have not intereſt in the Covenant of God, if Chriſt be not in it, how ſhall he have comfort? Nay, that very nature of his eating is altered, his eating, and drinking and marrying is a ſinne. As our Lord Chriſt ſhews of the old world, They did eat and drink; and were marrying and giving in marriage, till Noah entred into the Ark, and the flood came and ſwept them away, Mat. 24. 37, he reckons their eating and drinking among their ſins, among the reaſons and cauſes why the flood came upon them, they did eat and drink, and marry and give in marriage.
You will ſay, was that the reaſon the flood came? And was that an argumentObjection. of their ſecurity? Did not Noah eat and drink and marry? And were not his ſonnes married that were in the Ark, and he a grand-father?
But he did it aright; therefore his eating and drinking is not broughtAnſwer. as a ſign of ſecurity, but of the old world, that were carnal and wretched people, it was becauſe they did not eat and drink aright.
There be Rules in eating and drinking, in talking and diſcourſing, in doing the duties of our callings: There be Rules how you ought to buy and ſell, and to do every good word, and work. If theſe Rules be not obſerved, the Rules of Gods bleſſed word, the actions themſelves are altered; though the things be commanded of God, yea they are curſed and abominable things, when the true form and faſhion of them is not regarded, though they be never ſo godly.
A garment though it be never ſo good, if the Taylor handle it notSimile. well, it is marred in the making, if he bring it not to a right form, and make it in a right manner, the man that is to have the garment, is diſappointed. So Timber, though it be never ſo excellent, though it be all Oak, or Elm, or whatſoever tree, though it be never ſo fit for building, if the Artificer deal not well in handling it, the inhabitant that comes there, may curſe the day that ever he came there: if it be not well built, it may fall on his head and kill him, and all that belong to him. So it is in all the Ordinances of God, and the matters of Religion, we muſt not only do them for matter, but for manner too: for that either makes or marrs them.
Thirdly, another Reaſon is, becauſe only the right manner of doing dutiesReaſon 3. The right manner of doing duties gets the bleſſing. gets the blessing. A man may pray a thouſand times, and never be heard, he may hear a million of Sermons, and never be converted, a man may come to all the Sacraments in the year, all his life long, and never be ſealed againſt the day of redemption. A man may do the things, and never get the bleſſing; all the bleſſing lies in the right manner of doing. Bleſſed is that ſervant, whom, when his maſter comes, he ſhall find ſo doing, Matth. 24. 48. He ſaith not, Whom when his master cometh, he ſhall find doing. Chriſt when he cometh to judgement, ſhall find many doing; it may be he will come in prayer time, it may be he will come in the morning, when many thouſands ſhall be at their prayers in their families: it may be he'l come at night when all are at prayers in their houſes; it may be he will come on the Sabath, when all the country is at Church, hearing of Sermons, he ſhall finde many thouſands doing, and praying. But bleſſed is that ſervant, whom his Lord when he comes, ſhall find ſo praying, ſo hearing, ſo receiving the Sacrament: He ſhall find many believing, but ſo beleeving gets the bleſſing: many profeſſing, but it is ſo profeſſing that gets the comfort, I ſay, all the bleſſings of God are promiſed to the right manner of doing. Now, what is it, when we do duties, what do we look for? Is it not for a bleſſing? Why do we do the duties, if we doe not do them ſo as we may get the bleſſing? Now except we obſerve the right manner of doing them, all is to no purpoſe.
Fourthly, another Reaſon is, the example of Jeſus Chriſt, Chriſt hathReaſon 4. Chriſts example given us an example that we ſhould do as he did: Now he did not onelyonly do that which his Father bid him do, for matter but for manner, both in all the words he ſpake, and in all the deeds that he performed. For the words he ſpake, As the Father hath ſaid unto me, even ſo ſpeak I, John 12. And in John 14. 31. As the Father hath given me commandement, even ſo do I. Mark, he did not only obey his Father in the matter of his command, but in the manner of it. And as Chriſt hath done thus, ſo all that are Chriſts, all the ſervants of God in all ages, they have been very carefull, eſpecially of the right manner of obeying God. As it is ſaid of Noah, Gen. 6. 22. As the Lord commanded Noah, even ſo did he, juſt as the Lord commanded him, he did not only make an Ark, but ſo he made all the rooms: ſo he made it in the ſame form and figure, and in the ſame ſimilitude, juſt as the Lord ſet him down in the pattern, even ſo did he. So the Lord ſets down the pattern of every good word and work, of all our prayers, and Sermons, and hearing; and conference, and keeping the Sabath, and ſpeaking holily: all our actions have their pattern ſet down in the word of God. Now as we are to do the things, ſo we are to do them in the ſame manner as the Lord commands, even ſo muſt we do.
Fifthly and laſtly, except we do it in a right manner, except as we comeReaſon 5. From Gods glory. to the duty, ſo we come to the right manner, we can never glorifie God; The glory of God lies in the manner of doing of things. So let your light ſhine before men, that they may ſee your good works, and glorifie your father which is in heaven, Matthew. 5. 16. Mark, the light muſt not ſhine only in our lives and converſations; but ſo that the duty muſt be a means to the glorifying of God. Now the means muſt have i'ts proportion and likeneſſe, and nature, and mold, and frame, from the nature of the end. Look how the end is that the dutie looks unto, ſo muſt the frame and faſhion of the duty be: Now if the end of all our actions be, that God may be glorified, that muſt put a form and faſhion upon every duty, that it may be ſo, that he may have glory. Suppoſe a man pray every day in his family and call all his houſbold, his ſervants, and wife and children, and all under his roof about him every morning and evening: he may diſhonour God by prayer every day on this faſhion, if a man pray coldly, and careleſly, for form and faſhion, without ſaith, and life, he makes all the ordinances of God vile, and all the works of God contemptible: his houſhold ſleeps, one ſnorts it may be; another is infinitely prophane it may be, and though there be divers that would fain be quickned, and wakened, yet his prayer is ſo cold, there is no life, or heat, nor warmth in it, that God is exceedingly diſhonoured, and all are thereby rather worſe than better. So for a mans preaching, though it be never ſo good a duty, yet he muſt labour to preach ſo, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks of his preaching and labour in the work of his Miniſtery, how he may edifie others, and ſave his own ſoul. So fight I, not as one that beats the ayr; but ſo as I may get the maſtery: We muſt ſo preach, that we may attain the converſion of the people, or elſe we may rather do as Hophni and Phineas, the ſonnes of Eli, that made the table of the Lord contemptible, and the Sacrifice of the Lord loathſome in the eyes of the people: So may we do with the ordinances of God.
Take any duty of religion, if it be not done aright, God hath no glory by it. Suppoſe thou wouldeſt reprove thy brother, and tell him of his fault, and check him for his back wardneſs, or omiſſion of ſome duty, and for the commiſſion of ſome ſin; if thou do it, do it with a ſpirit of compaſſion, and bowels of Jeſus Chriſt, with an humble heart, with a feeling and a pure conſcience; I ſay thou getteſt a blot to thy own ſelf, & cauſeſt God to be ill ſpoken of, and the very way of his name to be diſhonoured. This wil be the effect of it; and ſo in every other duty. And ſo I come to the uſe.
It is ſo, that we muſt not only come to the Sacrament, but come aright;Uſe 1. To reprove thoſe that barely do duties, without looking to the manner. or do any duty, but we muſt do it in a right manner? This ſerves to condemn that naturall popery, that is in mens hearts, that is of opus operatum, of the deed done; this is the religion of the Church of Rome, that ſo man do the duty (indeed it is better if it be done in a right manner,) but if it be done, there is ſomewhat a man may look for by that. If a man come to the Sacrament, the very eating of the Hoſt, the very partaking of the body of Chriſt, they make it meritorious: ſo the very hearing of ſo many Sermons, the very ſaying of ſo many prayers; the very performance of ſo many duties: the very thing it ſelf, nakedly confidered, it is of ſome validity. This is rooted into the hearts of men, we ſee it up and down; people do the dutie, and think all is well enough, when they conſider not how it is done. People pray, but not with zeal; they hear, but not with reverence: People come to the Sacrament, not for the better, but for the worſe, they come not in a right manner; and yet every one hopes to ſpeed, and builds himſelfe on this, that God accepts of him. But this is the folly of mens hearts; it is an evident argument that men go fooliſhly to work in the ways of God. It is the brand of a fool not to be able to obſerve circumſtances. Ariſtotle the heathen, he ſaith, it is the part of a wiſe man to think of, and underſtand the manner of actions; as a wiſe man ſaith, he obſerves circumſtances. It is the part of wiſedome to obſerve the right circumſtances of every action, as it is, Epheſ. 5. 15. Walk circumſpectly, that is, accurately, as it is in the original, not as fools, but as wiſe. Mark, he perſwades them to a right manner of walking; not onelyonly to walk in a good courſe, in praying, and hearing, in obedience, and ſobriety, in temperance, faith and diligence in our callings; but do it accurately, in a right manner; do it as wiſe men, and not as fools, who do it in a wrong manner. It is the part of a fool, I ſay, to do a thing, and to leave the right manner of doing it. Now this is nothing with God, the Lord doth not eſteem any action though it be never ſo frequently done, except it be done with his own ſtamp, except it have his own character upon it.
I remember a ſtory in 2 King. 17. 26. The Aſſyrians there obſerved, that God ſent Lions among them, becauſe they did not obſerve the right manner of the God of Iſrael: they worſhipped the God of Iſrael; but becauſe they obſerved not the right Manner of his word, he ſent Lions among them, to tear and devour them in pieces. So though we pray, and hear, and read, and profeſſe, and have a name that we live; and though we be taken for good people and heap up duties from day to day, and vie performances, and though we do them as many times as the children of God; nay, though we could do them ten thouſand times oftner than they, yet if we do them not in a right manner, if we know not the manner of the God of heaven and earth, with humble hearts, and ſelfedenying ſpirits, with holineſſe of affection, and with purity of heart: if a man do them not in a right manner, the Lord wil tear him in pieces, and he ſhall have no deliverance for all that.
Another uſe ſhall be, what may be the reaſons why people are ſo willingUſe 2. The reaſon why men regard the matter and not the manner of duties. generally, to do duties for the matter, and care not to do them in a right manner. It ſhall not be amiſſe a little to ſhew the myſtery of this thing: for we ſee every man is willing to do duties, every man will be praying and coming to Church, many reprobates, and God knows how many carnall hearts are in this congregation, ſome drunkards it may be, ſome adulterers, ſome it may be that committed whoredome the laſt night, ſome that have been ſwearing even now, and deceiving in their ſhops, there are many carnall hearts; yea every man is willing to do duties, to hear, and to pray; Now what may be the reaſon that people are willing to do good duties, and yet are loath to come off with their carnall hearts? There are four reaſons.
The firſt is this, Becauſe the matter of the duty is eaſy, but the manner isReaſon 1. The matter of …. difficult. It is an eaſie matter to pray, to ſay, Lord I have ſinned againſt heaven and againſt thee. Lord, I have ſworn, I have been a drunkard, I have diſallowed the Sabbath, I have done this and that, I pray thee pardon and forgive me, and give me thy grace; it is an eaſie matter to do this. It is eaſie for a man to come to Church, and mark what the Miniſter ſaith, and follow him from point to point, and it may be he go over it to his famimily. This is good, there are few that come thus farr. And ſo it is eaſie to come to the Sacrament, to take the Bread and the Cup, and to pray for a bleſſing, this is eaſie; but when a man comes to do a duty in a right manner, here is difficulty, when a man doth it with a How; Take heed how ye hear. He doth not call upon people to hear, that is not the matter; there needs no great diligence for that: but, if you will conſider How you hear, take heed to that. Here muſt be a great deal of circumſpection; the ſoul muſt be marvellous painfull, a man muſt offer violence to his own ſoul; a man muſt fight againſt his own will, a man muſt beat down his own ſpirit, he muſt crucifie his own thoughts, muſt mortifie his own mind, and beat down his own ſoul. It is a hard thing to do in a right manner, as the Lord commands, if we conſider how to do it. This is certain, fleſh and blood cannot abide to take pains; if it can ſerve God with eaſe, and pray with eaſe, that it will do; but for a man to weep before God, for a man to indict his heart before the throne of grace, to rend his bowels before his maker, to tear the caul of his heart upon his kees, for a man to vow to God and pay them; for a man to rid his hand of all the wages of iniquity, for a man to purifie himſelfe as Chriſt is pure, for a man to wreſtle with God, and to take grace according to the covenant of grace, with life and power; to do it in a right manner, here is religion, and this man cannot abide.
And ſo for the Sacrament, for a man to come in a right manner, Oh it is difficult to fleſh and bloud; for a man to go and examine all his life, to reckon up all his converſation, to anatomize himſelfe from his cradle to this moment; to conſider how he hath ſinned in his calling, in his family, in his ſhop, in his company, in his ſpeech, and in his life; to go and judge himſelfe of theſe, and condemn himſelfe, and to accept of his own puniſhment, to go and rack his own thoughts, and crucifie his own ſoul: Oh! this is hard, men cannot abide this: therefore they go and take the matter, they obſerve that, and leave out the manner.
Secondly, another reaſon is this, becauſe the matter of duties may beReaſon. 2. The matter of duties may be done with a proud heart. done with a proud heart; there is no duty but a man may do it with a proud heart, and never be humble. A man may pray, and uſe good words, and make good petitions, and have marvellous good language, and Scripture phraſe, and terms, and paſſages, and an admirable ſweet tone, and yet have a proud heart. A man may come and Preach a Sermon, he may preach ſo as that he may ſtrangely affect the hearts of the people, and may make all the people wonder and admire at the gracious words that come from his mouth, and yet have a proud heart.
A man may hear, and hear oft, and hear the beſt Preachers in the City; and delight in hearing, and yet have a proud heart. A man may come to the Sacrament, and ſit, to ones thinking, as devoutly as any in the Church, and pray when the people pray, and give thanks when others give thanks, and have a kind of morall faith in the Covenant, and a moral application of the promiſes, and yet have a proud heart. It is the manner of doing duties that humbles the ſoul, as Saint Paul ſaith, Acts 20. You know in what manner I have been with you. Why, what was the manner? In all humility of mind, ſaith he, being among the Epheſians; preaching to them in a right manner, leaving them the example of his own pattern, doing all this in a right manner, he did it in all humility of heart. It is the right manner of prayer that puls down the heart before God. It is the right manner of hearing the word, that makes a man melt at it. It is the right manner of coming to the Sacrament, that makes a man feel the comfort of God, and the promiſes of the Goſpel, and to ſeek and find the admirable things contained in it. It is the right manner that makes a man walk lowly with his God.
Thirdly, another Reaſon is, Becauſe the matter may stand with an unholyReaſon 3. The matter of duties may be done, and yet a man be unholy. life; A man may do a duty for the matter of it, and yet be unholy. This is plain; how many thouſands are there that pray, and yet are vain, and covetous, and carnall? How many thouſands hear Sermons, and yet are unprofitable? Ever hearing, and never come to the knowledge of the truth. If they were injurious before, they are injurious ſtill; if they were couſners before, they are ſo ſtill; if they were drunkards before, they are ſo ſtill. A man may receive the Sacrament every monethmonth, and yet may have his luſts, and roll them as a ſweet morſell under his tongue; he may delight in his ſecret luſts, and go on in his deadneſſe of heart. It is the right manner of worſhipping God, that purgeth the conſcience, and purifieth the ſoul, and makes a man that there is no room for his corruptions, as you may ſee, 1 Theſſ. 2. 10. You your ſelves know (ſaith the Apoſtle) how holily, and unblameably we walked among you. He ſpeaks there of his manner of walking, and he ſaith to them, becauſe it was in a right manner, it was an holy manner; ſuch walking as excluded all unholineſſe, and prophaneneſſe. Fleſh and bloud cannot abide this. Men, they love to pray, and be proud; they love to hear ſermons, and to have their profit; they love to profeſſe religion, and ſtill to carry their ſecret luſts in their boſomes. People love this alife, to go to Gilgal & tranſgreſse, to offer ſacrifice every new moon, and every morning and to find the labour of their hands, this is right; but for a man to part with his iniquity, that is the thing that goes againſt the hair.
The laſt reaſon is, becauſe the matter of duties brings not the croſſe uponReaſon 4. The matter of duties brings not the croſſe. a man. A man may do all the duties of Religion, and never be perſecuted for it: a man may be as devout as the devouteſt man under heaven, & yet no body hate him for it, except he be devout in a right manner, and worſhip God in a right manner. One man may reprove another that is wicked; A drunkard may ſuffer a drunkards reproof, and be never the worſe: A whoremaſter may ſerve his quean ſo, he may call her ſo, and yet not be ſpited, becauſe it is not right. It is the right doing of it that brings the croſſe; as in 2 Tim. 2. 10. Thou knoweſt thy manner of life. It was that that brought afflictions and perſecutions.
We may ſee to this very day many thouſands that ſeem devout men in the Church; they will pray, and will hardly miſſe any time of prayer, morning or evening; and yet they are farre from being perſecuted: nay, many of them are main perſecutors of the Goſpel of God, enemies to the croſſe of Chriſt, and adverſaries to the Saints of God. We ſee it plain in Acts 15. 5. we read there of devout women that raiſed perſecution againſt Paul. Mark, they were devout, and becauſe it was not in a right manner, they perſecuted the Apoſtles, and ſet themſelves againſt them that were truly faithfull. Though wicked men do not love to pray aright, yet many of them are much for praying, they care not how much praying they have, and when they are at prayer, they will pray over from the beginning of the book to the end, they love it alife. But if they come to a praier that moves the heart, that rifles the conſcience, that dogges a man into his boſome that lays a man flat on his face before God, they gnaſh their teeth at ſuch a prayer. So they love Preaching too; I, it is true, if it be preaching that is flaunting, and gloſing, with the enticing words of mans wiſedome: but if a man preach to the conſcience, if he preach the pure naked word of God, and carry it home to mens ſouls, this makes them gnaſh their very teeth, and they could eat the Miniſter of God for his labour. It is the right manner of duty that is accomdanied with the croſſe.
Thirdly, if we ought to be carefull to perform duties in a right manner,Uſe 3. To labour to do duties aright. Let us be exhorted in the fear of God, to go and quicken all our duties, to bring a ſoul into ſo many bodies; we have bodies of praying, and bodies of hearing, and bodies of receiving the Sacrament, and of good duties, let us get a ſoul into them, labour to do them in a right manner. The bare duty is like a carkaſſe. It is a Proverb of the Jews, Prayer without preparation it as a carkeſſe without the ſoul, that is, a loathſomething; ſo is prayer without life, and without a right manner of powring it forth. Let us labour therefore in the fear of God, to pray, and pray aright, to hear, and to hear aright; to ſeek God, and to ſeek him with all our hearts, aright, and to do every thing in the right way.
Let us conſider, firſt, wee doe not pertake of any ordinance at all,Motives to perform duties in the right manner. except wee doe it in a right manner. I remember a fit place for this in Numbers 11. 14. It is ſaid there, The ſtranger ſhall eat the Paſſeover, and partake of of it according to the ordinance, and the manner of1. Motive it. Where the text puts in the Ordinance of the Paſſeover, and the manner of it. For it is all one, they are Synonima's. So the Ordinance in every duty, Gods ordinance in praying, in hearing the Word, in the Sacramement, in reproof, in every good duty, it is all one; as the ſelf-ſame thing. So that if we pray, and do not pray in a right manner, we have not prayed, we do not partake of the ordinance. So when we come to the Sacrament, the ordinance and the manner of it is all one; it is one compleat concrete action, we do not partake of it, except we partake of both.
Secondly conſider, it is nothing but hypocriſie, when a man prayes, and2. Motive. doth not pray in a right manner; when a man doth any dutie to God, and not in right wiſe, it is nothing but hypocriſie. Mark how our Saviour Chriſt ſets forth the hypocriſie of the Phariſee, Luke 18. 11. The Phariſee ſtood and prayed thus with himſelfe, hee marks this manner of prayer; hee doth not ſay, Hee ſtood and prayed this, theſe words, but, Thus he prayed; he did not pray in a right manner, there was his hypocriſie, and that was the reaſon he went home not juſtified.
Thirdly conſider; it makes the ordinance of God of no effect. Thus they3. Motive. make the Conmandements of God of none effect, Matthew 15. 6. Hee ſpeaks there of their duties that they did in a wrong manner, and their expounding the Scripture, that they did in a wrong wiſe; and their ſacrifice, their offerings, and tithings, their precepts, and many things that were all done after another faſhion than God had commanded; therefore ſaith Chriſt, Thus they make the Commandement of God of none effect. So we make all the duties of Gods worſhip of none effect. Wee know there is never an ordinance of God, but it hath great effect if it be rightly performed. Prayer is of great effect, it is able to rend heaven, it is able to pull down God to the ſoul, it is able to wraſtle out a bleſſing, to quicken the heart, to obtain of God every thing we want: but if a man pray not aright, a man may pray and go away never a whit the more holy, nor more quickened, nor neerer to heaven, nor comfort. So, preaching and hearing, they are admirable Ordinances, what powerfull effects have they wrought when they have been done in a right kind? People have cryed out and been converted at them; and many a man hath been pulled out of the power of Satan to the Kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt. They had royall glorious effects upon many thouſand ſouls. But what is the reaſon that our hearing is ſo uneffectuall? Becauſe we hear not in a right manner, this makes the Ordinance of God of none effect, it makes prayer of no effect, the Word of no effect, the Sacrament and Sabbaths of none effect; you ſee people partake of theſe things, and are never the wiſer.
Laſtly, it cannot pleaſe God, it is onelyonly the right manner of doing duties that pleaſed God, as in 1 Theſſalonians, 4. 1. As ye have received of us, How ye ought to walk, and to pleaſe God; Marke, there is the manner, That we may know HOW to walke, and by that to pleaſe God: It is not enough for a man to walk in good duties, that a man may do and not pleaſe God, but (ſaith he) ye hauehave received the manner HOW to walk and to pleaſe God. It is the manner how that pleaſeth God. A man may walk to hell upon heavens ground, he may go to hell in the wayes of God, it isSimile poſſible. Suppoſe a man ſhould go and take (if it were poſſible) all the ſurface of ground between this place and York, and lay it between this place and Dover, a man might go to Dover upon York ground▪ So many a man lays the Ordinances of God in hell way: he walks in the way to hell, and there he lays his prayers, and there his hearing, and his good duties; he prayes every day, and hears every day, and doth good duties every day, and yet walks to hell: he goes to hell on heavens ground; The reaſon is, becauſe he doth the duty, and doth not obſerve the manner how he doth it.
The third thing is, the rule of direction, how we may come to the right manner of receiving the Sacrament, that is, by preparing of a mans ſelf: and the preparation is here ſet down by the ſpecification of it, namely, in examining himſelf, Let a man examine himſelf, and ſo let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup.
The general ſcope of the words, and the Apoſtles meaning in them, is this, That,
Obſervation 1. Eevery man muſt prepare himſelf before he come to the Lords Table.Every man muſt prepare himſelf before he come to the Lords Table.
I cannot ſtand on this; I will only name it.
As in the Sacrament of the Paſſeover, there was preparation for the Paſſeover. In John. 19. 14. it is ſaid of the Diſciples of Chriſt, that they made ready the Paſſeover. In Matthew, 26. they made the Lamb ready, and the room ready, and themſelves ready, and the Table ready, and every thing ready. So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, wherein Chriſt is the true Paſcall Lamb, when we come to eat of him, we muſt make every thing ready, faith ready, and repentance ready, and intereſt in the promiſe ready, and hunger and thirſt after theſe ſpirituall dainties ready, every thing muſt be ready. Or elſe like a man that comes into the field to battell, that hath not gotten his ſword, nor his weapons ready, that is the way for himſelf to be killed; ſo it is when we come to the Communion, and have not all things ready, it is the way to be damned.
The Reaſons of this are;
Firſt, becauſe the Sacrament is an ordinance of God: Now all the OrdinancesReaſon. It is Gods ordinance. Simile. of God require preparation, they are all ſpirituall, and naturally a man is carnall, and therefore cannot be prepared. As it is with wood, there is never a tree in the wood, but it is unprepared for building; Is there any tree in the wood of the faſhion of a Chimney, or of a Lintell, or a Door? It muſt firſt be prepared, as it is in Prov. 24. 27. Firſt prepare thy work without, and then build thine houſe. So every ordinance is to build a man up in the fear of God, in the grace of God, and in Religion: Now man is naturally unprepared for it; Firſt, a man muſt fell his wood, and then cut it, and hew it even, and carve it, and plain it fit, and prepare it, before he build: So a man muſt hew down his own heart, he muſt humble his own ſoul, and qualifie all within him, and ſo be ſanctified, before he be fit.
As for example: in prayer, a man muſt be prepared to prayer before he pray; he muſt prepare his heart, and then Gods ears will hearken to it. In Pſal. 10. 17. The Lord will have the heart prepared before he hear the prayer. So it is with the word of God, a man muſt be prepared before he hear it: As a man that preacheth muſt be prepared before he preach, as Ezra is ſaid to prepare his heart. Ezra. 7, 10. He prepared his heart to do the Law, and to teach it: So a Miniſter cannot preach, except he be prepared beforehand, with a commiſſion from God, with preſerving knowledge, with a coal from Gods Altar, with a ſpirit of wiſdome and underſtanding, with a Law of kindneſſe in his lips, with meditation, and with a Theme fitted in his mouth for the people, he muſt be prepared with a burning and a ſhining light; or elſe he ſhall not edifie the congregation: So it is with all other Ordinances. For humbling of a mans ſoul, a man cannot humble his heart, except he be prepared to it, Amos 4. 12. Prepare to meet thy God, he ſpeaks of humiliation. If a man would humble himſelf before God, if he be not prepared, if his heart be not prepared to let go the world, his worldly profits, and vain pleaſures, and carnal acquaintance, his wonted luſts, and former delights. If he be not prepared to let theſe go, when he comes to keep a Faſt, or to afflict his ſoul, and goes along to do the duty, to lay himſelf down before Almighty God, ſome luſt or other will ſtick in his teeth, and intercept his heart, he ſhall never be able to do it: as Samuel ſaid to the people; If you will turn to the Lord, prepare your hearts to do it, 1 Sam. 7. So it muſt be in all the ordinances of God, and much more in the Sacrament.
Secondly, another Reaſon is, becauſe the Lord Chriſt hath made greatReaſon 2. Chriſt hath made preparation for us in the Lords Sup▪ preparations to provide the Lords Supper; therefore we muſt be prepared to eat it. You know what a great deal adoe there was before the Supper was made. Chriſt muſt be incarnate, and fulfill all righteouſneſſe, he muſt conclude it upon his ſuffering; he muſt tread the wine-preſse alone, and ſuffer himſelf to be beaten and rejected of God, and men, and ſuffer death, the curſed death of the Croſse, all theſe things were concluded upon, before this holy and bleſſed Supper was provided. Come (ſaith he) I have prepared my dinner, Matth. 22. Mark, Chriſt is fain to prepare his dinner; he makes a great Feaſt: there was great preparation for it; ſo there muſt be great preparation of our ſouls before we can come to this holy banquet. It is true among men, there may be great preparation for a feaſt, and little or nothing for the eating of it. Sometimes there are two or three dayes preparation for a feaſt, and is eaten preſently. The reaſon is, becauſe man naturally hungers after meat and drink, and he alwayes provides twice or thrice in twenty four hours, for eating and drinking: But the Lords Supper is a ſpiritual banquet, a man is every day, and hour, and moment naturally unfit for it, and there is much adoe to put an edge upon mens appetites, and a keenneſſe upon mens deſires, that they may be fitted and prepared for it.
Thirdly, another reaſon is, Becauſe the Lord Chriſt, when he adminiſtersReaſon 3. Chriſt looks for good entertainment. himſelf in this heavenly myſtery, he offers to come into the ſoul, and he looks for good entertainment; and therefore of neceſſity there muſt be preparation for it. You ſee when a mortall man, an earthly Prince, or a Noble man comes to another mans houſe, what a deal of preparation there is to provide for him: there is meat made ready, and purging the houſe, and ſweeping the yard, and trimming up the very pales, and every thing, and making clean all the Chambers, and ridding out whatſoever fills it, and every thing that is out of order it ſet in tune. And what will my Lord think? and what will his Majeſty think? he wil think he is ſlighted and contemned; And when he comes in, it may be, his own children ſhal ſerve, and his own wife wait at the Table; and there is running up and down of errands, and a great deal of adoe to give ſuch a one entertainment. There is preparation to entertain a man, as Saint Paul ſaid to Philemon, I will that you prepare me lodging: how much more when the eternall God ſhall come under a mans roof, and dine with him?
Laſtly, Becauſe the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, is a part of Chriſts last will and Teſtament. Now it is a terrible thing when we know our Lords will, and prepare not for the doing of it. Look in Luke 12. 48. he that knew it not, did things worthy of ſtripes; but in verſe 47. That ſervant that knew the Lords will, and prepared not himſelf, neither did according to his will, ſhall be beaten with many ſtripes, that man ſhall be damned with much damnation; he ſhall be damned deeper than any body. Doſt thou know the Lords Table, that this bleſſed Sacrament is part of Chriſts laſt Teſtament? and wilt thou not prepare thy ſelf for it, to get an humble heart, and labour for a holy life, and ſeek for a thirſty ſoul, and vow upon new obedience, and enter into Covenant with the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; for a better kind of converſation for the time to come? Wilt thou not go and examine thine own ſoul, and go and reform whatſoever is amiſſe in thy family, in thy place and calling? Wilt thou not do theſe things to prepare for this holy will of Jeſus Chriſt? thou ſhalt be damned deeper than any body elſe, becauſe this is a part of Gods laſt Will and Teſtament, and thou knoweſt it, and therefore woe unto thee, if thou prepare not for it.
THE DUTIE OF THE REPROVER, And the Perſons Reproved. SET FORTH In a SERMON preached, By that Reverend and Faithfull Miniſter of Gods Word, WILLIAM FENNER, B. D. Sometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, and late Paſtor of Rochford in Eſſex.
London, Printed by E. T. for John Stafford.