The Revival of Grace, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 11
CAP. V. Sect. 11. Better'd obedience the Fruit of Chriſt's Dying a Teſtator.
11. THE next grace ſuiting to the Lord's Supper, and improveable on the conſideration of Chriſt's Death as he died a Teſtator, is Reſolution and endeavour of New and better Obedience for future. There's no man (that accounteth the ordinance a mercy, that looketh on it as a Sealing ordinance, a renewing our Covenant with God, or a memorial of the Death of Chriſt Dying for us that we might live to him) but confeſſeth New Obedience ſhould be the effect, and reſolutions for new Obedience ſhould be the preparatory for this Sacrament. It is not therefore needful to prove it particularly, and at large; I ſpeak to none but ſuch as judge it their duty after they have been at the Lord's Supper, to endeavour a renewing of their Obedience to the commands of Chriſt.
1. The gain and reward bequeathed is worthy, very well deſerveth our Obedience. We have had frequent occaſion to tell you, that the promiſes both of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, are the Legacies of Chriſt; which promiſes are rich and precious, they contain all neceſſary, noble, and high encouragements to Obedience: when the labourers were hired, and ſent into the vineyard, the husbandman perſwadeth them to obey and work; for (ſaith he) I will give you what is meet, Matth. 20.4. What the Apoſtle ſaith (in a caſe little different from this,) I ſay to you, caſt not away your Obedience for it hath great recompence of reward, Heb. 10.35. It is a harveſt for its abundance, and riches; It is a Crown of Righteouſneſs which the Lord the righteous Judge will give to them that finiſh their courſe, 2 Tim. 4.7, 8. It is a Crown of Glory which fadeth not away, as the Apoſtle St. Peter hath it 1 Pet. 5.4. A Kingdom that cannot be ſhaken, Heb. 12.28. Let us then have grace; let us be ſo ingenuous and thankful to our Lord, as to ſerve him to all well pleaſing: the Apoſtle argueth from the expectation of ſuch a reward to the reaſonableneſs of our ſerving the Lord with fear and trembling, the renewed thoughts of this ample, glorious, eternal recompence of our ſincere Obedience, will ſurely renew our purpoſes and endeavours of bettering our Obedience; what then ſhould you and I do at the Lord's Supper, but meditate on the greatneſs of the Legacies he hath given; and with David, demand of our ſelves, What ſhall we render to the Lord for all his benefits? Pſal. 116.12. Wherein ſhall we expreſs our thankfulneſs? Shall it be in Sacrifices and Offerings? No, God doth not require theſe, but to do juſtice, and love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, Micah 6. To love him with all the heart, and with all the underſtanding, and with all the ſoul, and with all the ſtrength, and to love our neighbour as our ſelves, is more than all whole burnt Offerings and Sacrifices, Mark 12.33. A Diſcerning Obedience is a moſt acceptable Sacrifice to the Lord. In one word, we are called to the Goſpel, and to the Knowledge of Chriſt in the Goſpel; and we muſt walk worthy of our Calling, Epheſ. 4.1. worthy of the Lord, Col. 1.10. worthy of the Goſpel of Chriſt, Phil. 1.27. Now as every one who believeth is bound by his firſt Call to walk in New Obedience; ſo is every Believer bound by every renewal of his Call, by every renewed remembrance of his Call to Chriſt, to revive his Reſolutions of renewing his Obedience to the Goſpel of Chriſt.
2. Thy Renewed Obedience to Chriſt muſt be the evidence of thy Right and Title to the Rich and Glorious Legacies which he hath bequeathed to his kindred. Thou haſt no more to ſhew for thy Right, then thou haſt of Renewed Obedience. Chriſt thy Lord hath bequeathed a Kingdom and a Crown, but it is on condition thou wait for both in a conſtant courſe of New Obedience. It is a Kingdom which cannot be ſhaken, the Apoſtle ſaith; and it is true, it is a Kingdom that can neither be ſhaken by a Plea againſt your Title, nor by force againſt your Poſſeſſion: But obſerve, thoſe who have this Right, and who ſhall have the Poſſeſſion of this Kingdom, are ſuch who ſhould
1. Have Grace which is of a growing nature; And
2. They ſerve God, they worſhip, they obey him; And
3. They do this acceptably with reverence and godly fear. The Apoſtle uſeth a Verb of that Mood, which expreſſeth matter of Duty, or Exhortation, foreign habeamus, or habere oportet, and foreign ſerviamus ſive ſervire debemus; the Syriack reads foreign, by foreign, apprehending, which ſpeaks a voluntary and active ſeeking Grace, and accipiamus, which ſpeaks a ready cloſing with Grace offered, and retineamus, which ſpeaks a holding faſt what we ſought, and acccepted, thus furniſht with Grace, foreign, miniſtremus ceu Sacerdotes ſpirituales qui Deo foreign, 1 Pet. 2.5. And foreign placeamus.They ought to be ſuch perſons, and to employ themſelves in ſuch exerciſes.
Do we then hear the Apoſtle's Exhortation? Do we ſee a Kingdom offered? Do we read the Will which inveſteth us with it? Do we ſee the Will ſealed in the Sacrament? And will not all this ſtir us up to renew our Obedience? Will we be ſo fooliſh to hazard our Title to it through backwardneſs and diſobedience? When he caſt the Law of Grace and Mercy into the mould and form of a Teſtament or laſt Will; he framed it ſo that he might ſtrongly bind all to obedience who expected benefit by it. Hence it is that we read, He became Mediator of the New Teſtament, to the end he might purge our conſciences from dead works to ſerve the Living God, Heb. 9.14, 15. The Covenant of Promiſe which offereth grace, Heb. 10.16, 17.and engageth the Almighty to write his Law in our hearts, was confirmed to us, and is made good to every believing ſoul through Chriſt our Teſtator; ſo that obedience to Chriſt is as much incorporated in the Teſtament, as is Glory and Bleſſedneſs. He is the Author of Eternal Salvation to thoſe that obey him, Heb. 5.9. Obedience is required of us, as Salvation is promiſed to us. How canſt thou then renew thy Faith and Hope in expecting of the promiſed Salvation, and not renew thy reſolutions to perform required obedience? How ſhall we look Chriſt in the face, when we ſo ſeparate what he hath joined? How will you plead his Promiſe, who have not obeyed his Precept? or how ſhould your expectations be anſwered by Chriſt, when his expectations have not been anſwered by you? It is the unreaſonableneſs of ignorance, and prophaneſs to boaſt of rich gifts made over to them by the Will of Chriſt; and yet at the ſame time to ſleight, neglect and refuſe the duty, obſervance, and obedience, which Chriſt requireth of all his Legatees. When thou comeſt to a Sacrament to renew thy aſſurance of intereſs in the laſt Will of Chriſt, be ſure thou obſerve what he expreſly requireth as condition of this intereſs, and conſider, He will be Author of Eternal Salvation to thee on no other terms than thy obedience to him.
3. Chriſt dying once to conrfim the New Teſtament, and to make a firm Will for our good, did not, as other Teſtators do, continue under the power of Death, but he roſe again from the Dead, according to the Scriptures, and now obſerveth how thou, and every one elſe do acquit themſelves in this New Obedience required of thee and of them. Let it be well weighed; Chriſt doth now exactly know, and particularly obſerve all thy works, and what obedience thou giveſt him. His countenance is as the Sun when it ſhineth in its ſtrength, Rev. 1.16. both for the luſter of it, and for the power of making manifeſt whatſoever is done, both in the world, and alſo in the Churches, amidſt which he walketh, Rev. 2.1. Knowing the works, the labour, and the patience of each Church, of each member of the Church. He ſeeth who it is that laboureth and fainteth not; Rev. 2.3.and who would not take courage from ſuch an eye-witneſs to abound in the bleſſed works of obedience? For whom will you labour, if you will not labour for him who ſeeth you? and will as certainly reward, as he ſeeth exactly? When Sarah's ſeverity made Hagar weary of her ſervice, and fly from it, I obſerve ſhe was perſwaded to return, to ſubmit her ſelf, and to become obedient to Sarah at the command, and upon the promiſe of God who liveth and ſeeth, Gen. 16.13. For memorial of which ſhe gave name to a Well, foreigncalling it Beer-la-hai-roi. Chriſtian, thy Lord who commandeth thy obedience, and encourageth thy diligence and willingneſs, both liveth and ſeeth. Wilt thou not obey, that he may perform his promiſe to thee? What, ſhall ſlothful, careleſs and unfaithful ſervants ſhake off ſloth, and put on a ſhew of diligence and faithfulneſs whilſt under the eye of their Maſter? and ſhall not the Chriſtian (who is ever under the eye of his Maſter) be thereby perſwaded to care, diligence, and faithfulneſs in his obedience? Whoever thou art that attendeſt at the Lord's Table, doſt know, (or elſe now learn it, that for future thou mayeſt know it, and conſider it) That the Lord of the Feaſt cometh to entertain his Gueſts, and to receive their promiſes of renewed Obedience; and when thou haſt made the promiſe, Chriſt makes the obſervation what diligence thou uſeſt in performing thy promiſe; he ſeeth whether thou art mindful of thy promiſe, and will one day call thee to account for it, and require it of thee. And what wilt thou anſwer to ſuch a demand? Friend, waſt thou not guilty enough under the ſingle guilt of neglect, but muſt thou needs add the guilt of perfidiouſneſs and falſhood to thy other guilt? How didſt thou dare to affront me to my face, to give me thy promiſe at the Sacrament, and under my eye break the promiſe thou madeſt me? Let me, O God! ever keep it in mind my Teſtator liveth and ſeeth, may he ſee my obedience renewed in its fruits! as my obligations are renewed in the Sacrament.
4. Conſider in Christ a Teſtator living and ſeeing (who do, or who do not perform the conditions qualifying the Legatees for the receiving the Legacies) Thou mayeſt ſee him Judge, ſupreme Judge of all the claims that are made to the whole, or to any part of what he hath bequeathed. In this he excelleth all other Teſtators, who can only make their Wills and dye, they cannot judge and determine the pleas and pretences which are made upon their laſt Teſtament. Hence it often falleth out that ſuch get and poſſeſs the goods bequeathed, whom the teſtator never intended ſhould be the better for them. But here no pretender can by ſleight and fraud get any of the great and rich Legacies of Chriſt: Nor ſhall any who hath good right ever miſs of them. Oh! let us look to our Bleſſed Redeemer, the Soveraign Judge of his own laſt Teſtament, and readily, diligently, conſtantly, do what he commandeth, that we may receive what he promiſeth. Fulfil his holy Will, that he may make good his laſt Will to us: Let Sacraments bind us to an increaſe of Obedience; for this will be the only Plea allowed by our Judge; this will be the only Plea advantageous to us. Theſe are ſome few of many inducements which may move us to renew our obedience, for ſo much as we obey our Lord a Teſtator, bequeathing us Legacies rich, and worth our greateſt obedience; Legacies no way to be attained but in the ſincere obedience of our life and heart: Legacies that ſhall be given by him who is now living to ſee who obeys him, as he once died to enſure the reward to their obedience; Legacies that muſt be adjudg'd to the obedient by him who commands the obedience, and made the Will; out of all which reſulteth
1. A Motive that may prevail with our ingenuity and hopes; we obey in expectation of a Noble Reward; our Legacies are worth better obedience.
2. A Motive that may work on, and prevail with our fears, and our leſs ingenuous principles: Our Judge his eye is on us; and he is our Judge who will give only to the obedient.
3. A Motive that may meet with, and prevail on, our mixed affections, to encourage our hopes, to manage our fears, to enforce our backwardneſs, we muſt obey, or loſe our reward; to cheriſh our ingenuity, the reward is generous and noble, exceedingly well becoming the ingenuity of the moſt free and noble ſpirits.