Worthy Communicating, Introduction · Part 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of the meaning of our eating and drinking in the Sacrament.
The Contents.
Three Ends of Feasting in the Lords Supper. 1 End is in Remembrance and Commemoration of our Saviour Christ, and of his dying for us. To remember him is not barely to call to mind that once there was such a Person, but to think of his particular Quality and Relation to us, which are worth remembring, as of his being our most Faithful Teacher, our most gracious Governour, our most intire Friend, and noble Benefactor. These things usually commemorated by Festivals. 2 End is in confirmation of the New Covenant which his Death purchased for us. An account of the New Covenant. Christs Death purchased it: It is ratified in the Holy Sacrament, which is shown from the same thing being done in Baptism, Circumcision, and the Passover which answered to it: more particularly, 1. From the Words of Institution, wherein the Cup is call'd the New Covenant, and we are bid to drink of it, which was a Covenant-Rite; and the Bread Christs Body, to the same intent the Paschal Lamb was, which was a Federal Conveyance of it. 2. From its being a Feast or Sacrifice, for Sacrifice is one way of Covenanting with God, and by Feasting on it we partake of it. 3. From its conveying the particular Blessings of the New Covenant, which otherwise than by Federal Promises, or Performances are not to be had. 3 End is in Ratification of a League of Love and Friendship with those Brethren that Communicate with us, and with all others. This Chapter summ'd up.
FIrst, I shall shew what is the meaning of eating Bread and drinking Wine in the Blessed Sacrament, and what we are to understand by them, and think of them, when we do them.
When we come to eat Bread and drink Wine in the Holy Sacrament, we must not come only for a Bodily refreshment, or for eating and drinkings sake, as we do to our common Food: For this is to eat, as St. Paul says, not discerning the Lords Body; but as if it were bare ordinary Meat, 1 Cor. 11.29. But we must eat and drink with special ends, and particular Intentions, which may render our eating and drinking, not an ordinary Repast, but a Religious Feasting upon the Body and Blood of our Lord. And these ends are three.
1st. In Remembrance and Commemoration of our Saviour Christ, and of his dying for us.
2ly, In Confirmation of the New Covenant, which his Death procured us.
3ly, In Ratification of a League of Love and Friendship with those Brethren that Communicate with us, and with all others.
First, We must eat Bread and drink Wine in Remembrance and Commemoratio… of our Saviour Christ, and of his dying for us. By these Actions we must be put in remembrance and call to mind our selves, and commemorate or tell it out to others, what a good Friend and Saviour Christ has been to us, and how at last he died and gave his own Hearts Blood for our sakes. And this our Blessed Lord expresly ordered at the time of Institution, This do, says he, both of the eating Bread, and drinking Wine, in remembrance of me, 1 Cor. 11.24, 25.
To Remember one, is not barely to call to mind that once there was such a Person; but also to think of their particular Quality and Relation, what they are to us, or what they have left with us, or what they have done for us which is worth Remembring. If we bid a Servant remember us, we intend he should be mindful of the Commands which we have left with him; if a Friend, that he should bear in mind the Great Love and Faithfulness which we have always expressed towards him; if one we have highly obliged, that he should gratefully resent, and think of the kindnesses which we have done him; or if one, lastly, whose favour we desire, and of whom we have requested any thing, that he would be mindful of the Good turn which he promises to do, or which we ask of him. In desiring any of these, or any others to remember us, we mean not barely that they should call to mind how once there were such men as we in being; but, over and above that, that they be particularly mindful of the Relation wherein we stand, and think of what we have done, what we deserve, or what we desire or expect from them.
And this our Blessed Lord intends, when in this Holy Feast he Desires, and Commands us to remember him. He would have us think of him in all those Capacities, and reflect upon him under all those Relations, wherein he so infinitely deserves to be remembred by us: Such as are that of a Faithful Teacher, a Gracious Governour, an intire Friend and noble Benefactor, doing the highest kindnesses, and working the greatest deliverances for us, and for all Mankind.
1st, He would have us remember him as our Faithful Teacher, who has made known to us the whole Counsel of God concerning us, and to call to mind those excellent things which he has revealed to us. As namely, That for the sake of his Death, and through the merits of his Blood, all mankind, who were utter Enemies before, shall be put into a way of Reconciliation with God, and have the Benefit of a New Covenant, which proffers Pardon to all that truly Repent, and Spiritual help and inward Grace to all that carefully indeavour with it, and the Blessings of Heaven and Happiness to all that are intirely obedient, promising that at our Death our Souls shall go into Paradise, and at the General Judgment our Bodies, which till then were held in their Graves, shall be raised up again to Eternal Life.
2ly, He would have us remember him as our Gracious Governour, whom God has anointed to give Laws to us, and to recollect and bear in mind those Commands, which, as our Soveraign Lord and Master, he has laid upon us. As namely, That we love God, and trust in his Goodness, and submit to his Providence, and Worship him with Prayers and Praises, but above all with an Holy and a God-like Life; that we be Humble and Heavenly-minded, Chaste, Temperate, and Contented; that we be dutiful to our Governours, respectful to our Superiours, courteous to our Equals, condescensive to our Inferiours, grateful to our Friends, loving and obliging to our Enemies, and just, charitable, and peaceable towards all Persons, of whatsoever Nations, Sects, or Parties, even to all Mankind.
3ly, He would have us remember him as our most intire Friend, and noble Benefactor, who let us in so deep into his Heart, and heaped his Favours on us at so prodigious a rate, as never was, nor ever will be equall'd. For he loved us without any thing of our own Deserts; and in spite of our highest Provocations; and without expecting any other recompence, besides the Pleasure of being kind to us; and to such a degree, as made him forego the greatest pleasures which he might have held without all interruption in Heavenly places, and become a man of Sorrows, and lead a Persecuted, difficult, and necessitous Life, and at last dye a most exquisitely painful, and ignominious Death for our sakes, which ransom'd us from the greatest Curse, and procured us the most valuable Blessings that our Nature can admit of. And this Benefit of his Death, being not only in it self the costliest, but the very price and purchase of all the rest, he would have remembred above all others in this Feast; and accordingly he has suited the Food in it to be broken Bread, and Wine poured out, which do most lively represent it. As often as you eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, saith the Apostle, you exhibit to all that look on and observe it, or shew forth the Lords Death till he come, 1 Cor. 11.26.
These are the things which our Saviour Christ calls us seriously to remember and consider of in our own minds, and which the Actions themselves commemorate and shew forth to others, when we eat Bread and drink Wine in this holy Sacrament. When we partake of this Feast, which he has appointed us, he would have us remember him, and think with our selves how Faithful a Teacher he was to us, and what good Lessons and Declarations he has left with us; how gracious a Lord and Master he proved, and what Commandments he has laid upon us; and lastly, how kind a Friend, and noble Benefactor he shewed himself, and what astonishing kindnesses he has done for us in all the Labours of his Life, but especially and above all in his suffering a bloody Death for our sakes, which purchased us the Forgiveness of our Sins, the Grace and Spirit of God, and Eternal happiness. All this Faithful Teacher, and Gracious Governour, and intire Friend, and noble Benefactor Christ is to us in the highest Measures, and to all imaginable Degrees; and since he is so, he would have us to bear it in mind, and oftentimes to think of it. And that we may be sure to do it, he has instituted this Feast on purpose for it, and told us that our work is to call to mind and remember him whensoever we come to it.
And this way of having these things remembred, by appointing Feasts for the Commemoration of them, has been very usual in the World. Thus the †foreign. Athen. Deipn. l. 5. c. 1. Diogenistae, Antipatristae, Panaetiastae appellati sunt, qui stato anni Die Diogenis, Antipatri, & Panaetii nobilium Philosophorum memoriam celebrarent. Is. Casaub. ad loc. Animad v. c. 1.Disciples, in the several Sects of Philosophers at Athens, were wont to have a set Feast and Collation in remembrance of their Founders. And it has been the way of all the World to remember their Benefactors, and commemorate some great Blessings, by Festivals. Thus at this day we commemorate the deliverance from the Powder-Treason, and the Kings happy Restauration, by a yearly Festival upon that occasion. And the whole Christian Church has perpetuated the memory of Christs Nativity, Resurrection, and the Descent of the Holy Ghost, by the yearly Feasts of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. And God himself in the old Testement call'd men to a remembrance of the Creation of the World by the Feast of the Seventh day Sabbath; and all the Jews to the commemoration of his sparing all their First-Born, when the destroying Angel slew all the First-Born of Egypt, by the yearly Festival of the Passover appointed for that very purpose, Exod. 12.14.
This then is the first end of our eating Bread and drinking Wine at the Lords Table, it is in remembrance of our Saviour Christ, and of what he has done for us. So that when we partake in this Feast of his appointment, we must seriously reflect on him who has appointed it, and bethink our selves that he is our Faithful Teacher, calling to mind his Revelations; our Soveraign Lord and Master, remembring his Commandments; our intire Friend, Saviour, and Benefactor, who has done strange things for us, but above all, who has laid down his own Life to purchase us the Pardon of our Sins, and Spiritual Grace, and Eternal Happiness, upon our Repentance, Obedience, and Virtuous endeavours. With these Thoughts he would have us entertain our minds, at the same time we Feast our Bodies with the Creatures of Bread and Wine which he has prepared for us: and if we would answer his end in it, and be welcome Guests at this Feast when he calls to it, we must be sure so to do.
And as we must eat Bread and drink Wine at the Lords Table in remembrance of our Saviour Christ, and of his dying for us; so must we,
2ly, In Confirmation of the New Covenant, which his Death purchased and procured us.
This Covenant is a mutual contract and ingagement between God and us; and consists of several Articles agreed to on Gods side, and several on ours. As for Gods part, to all Believers, i. e. to all that believe the Scriptures, and particularly that part of them, these his promises, without a belief whereof they will have no lift or encouragement to set about the performance of the Conditions required on their parts: to all Believers, I say, he promises three Things, viz. the forgiveness of Sins, the assistance of the Spirit, and Eternal happiness. And answerably on their Parts they promise three more, which three indeed are all summ'd up in one, i. e. the last of them: and those are, to Repent of all their Sins, to endeavour with his Grace, and to obey all his Commandments.
He promises to forgive them all their Sins. For this is one Article of the New Covenant, as the Apostle relates it, Heb. 8. This is the Covenant I will make with them in those days, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more, v. 10.12. But then at the same time he expects, and accordingly they promise that they will Repent of them, and forsake them. For he orders Repentance and Remission of Sins to be preached both together, Luc. 24. That Repentance and Remission of sins should be preached in his Name to all Nations, v. 47; and tells us expresly, that except we repent we shall all perish, Luc. 13.3.
He promises them the assistance of his Spirit to enable them to do his will and become obedient. For this also is reckoned as another Article of the Covenant made with Abraham, that he would grant unto us the Power to serve him in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of our Lives, Luc. 1.72, 73, 74, 75. and the great Promise of the Gospel is, that God will give his Holy Spirit to those that ask him, Luc. 11.13. But then he expects, and accordingly they promise, that they will use and improve his Grace whensoever it is intrusted with them, and endeavour after all Virtues as they stand in need of them. God works in us both to will and to do, says St. Paul, when we join with him, and work out our own Salvation, Phil. 2.12, 13: and 'tis only to him that hath, saith our Saviour, i. e. to him that hath improved the Talents bestowed on him, as those Good Servants had done, who had gain'd the one †v. 20.five, the other *v. 22.two Talents with them, that more shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, i. e. hath not improved what he received, as the wicked Servant had not done, who went and †v. 25.hid it, shall be taken away even that which he hath, Mat. 25.29. And that this is Gods ordinary Rule where he intrusts any thing, he expresly declares again upon another occasion, Luc. 19.26.
He promises them, lastly, eternal Life and happiness. This, says St. John, is the Promise which he hath promised us, even Eternal Life, 1 Joh. 2.25. But then he expects, and at the same time we promise, that we will obey all his Laws, and do every thing which he requires of us. For Christ is become the Author of Eternal Salvation, says the Apostle, to those only that obey him, Heb. 5.9: and blessed are they that do his Commandments, says St. John, for they only have Right to the Tree of Life, Rev. 22.14.
So that the New Covenant is a mutual Contract and Ingagement between God and Men, wherein he promises to all that Believe, and accordingly they accept it, that he will forgive them their Sins when they Repent of them, and help them to any Graces when they concur with him and endeavour after them, and give them Eternal Life after they have intirely obeyed him. He promises Pardon, Inward Grace, and everlasting Happiness; but then they, having Faith or Belief already, without an actual exercise whereof they would not seek after this Covenant, nor, if they did, could be admitted to it, make Promise to him again of Repentance, virtuous endeavours, and an intire obedience, which must confer a claim, and give them right thereto.
This is the New Covenant, and this Christs Bloody Death has purchased and procured for us. God would not dispense with the First Covenant without a Ransome that might remove all hindrances, by securing the Honour of his Holiness, and utterly discouraging all future offences, and satisfying all the ends of Justice: and because that could not otherwise be so well effected, as he thought fit it should, Christ himself became an expiatory Sacrifice, and, by dying for it, obtained the Second. And for this cause it is called the New Covenant in his Blood, i. e. that Covenant which was confirmed and purchased by it. This, says he, is the New Testament, or rather, the New †foreign.Covenant in my Blood, 1 Cor. 11.25.
Now this Covenant, which is the purchase of Christs Death, and which is the summ and substance of all that he has got for us, we all entred into at first when we were Baptized. For Baptism is our Sealing of this Covenant, and stipulating or ingaging to make good these Terms to Almighty God; Baptism, says St. *1 Pet. 3.21.Peter, is the Answer, or †foreign,Stipulation of a good Conscience towards God; i. e. it is the Federal Promise, or undertaking of it, which every Person makes when he is Baptized. And this is plain from that form of the Baptismal Vow which the Primitive Christians used, and which we use now at present, wherein, if they are grown Persons, they themselves, or if Children, their God-fathers and God-mothers in their Names do expresly Covenant and ingage for that Faith, Repentance or Renouncing of all Sins, and Obedience to Gods Laws, which are required by it.
And as we first entred into this Covenant when we were Baptised; so are we called to renew and confirm it every time we are invited to sup with our Lord in this Holy Sacrament. When he Summons us to eat Bread, and drink Wine in remembrance of his Death at this Feast; he calls us withall to confirm this New Covenant, which his Death procured, and which was the price and purchase of it. He invites us to receive ingagements from God of his promised Mercies, and to give him ingagements of our Duty and Service: to be assured by him, that, if we do believe the Scriptures, he will forgive us our Sins upon our Repentance, and give his Grace and Spirit to our endeavours, and make us eternally happy upon our obedience; and to assure him, that we do so believe, and are resolv'd so to repent, endeavour, and obey, that so by virtue of his Gracious Promise we may have right thereto. He intends our eating and drinking at his Table as a Federal Rite, and for a Renewal and Ratification of this League of Love and Friendship: So that at the same time we eat and drink in remembrance of Christs Death which procured the Covenant, we must solemnly give our Consent to it, and expresly ratify and confirm it too.
This may fairly be presumed to be one end of the Holy Communion, because it is the end of Baptism, which St. Peter calls a †1 Pet. 3.21.Stipulation, and which, as we have seen, is our entrance into the Gospel-Covenant and Religion. And since it is so evidently the use of that, in great likelihood it is of this too; for both the Sacraments were still held of like Vse, Nature, and Signification.
Nay, this was the end, not only of the Christian, but also of the Jewish Sacraments, which shews it was not peculiar to any one, but runs through all of them.
For as for Circumcision, it was a Federal Rite or Sign. It bound the Jews (as before it had done the Patriarchs) to God, and God to them, in the Covenant Moses gave them, by a mutual Obligation. For therein they promised to perform all that the Law injoined—He that is Circumcised, says St. Paul, is a Debtor to keep the whole Law, Gal. 5.3. And thereby they were assured of the Righteousness and Benefits God had promised—Abraham received Circumcision as a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith, says the same Apostle, i. e. as a Seal or Confirmation of the Promises made to it, Rom. 4.11. And because it was thus a sign to both parts, and a Rite used at their engaging in it, Circumcision is call'd the Covenant, i. e. the Solemn Ceremony and undertaking of it, Gen. 17.10. Act. 7.8.
And then as for the Passover, it also was a Covenanting Ceremony and Federal Rite, as may sufficiently appear from its being a Feast on Sacrifice, which is the most Solemn way of Covenanting with God. And this use of the Passover is of the greater weight to conclude the same of the Lords Supper, because among us this answers to it, and comes in stead of it. It answers to it, I say; for our bleeding Lord was the Great thing which their Sacrificed Lamb signified, whence he is called the †1 Pet. 1.19.Lamb without Blemish and without Spot, the *Rev. 13.8.Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World, and the †Joh. 1.29.Lamb of God that takes away the sins of Mankind: and our Feasting upon his body and blood is the same with their Feasting upon it, as St. Paul plainly intimates, when he says Christ our Passover is Sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep our Eucharistical Feast upon him in it, answerable to what they did upon the Lamb in theirs, 1 Cor. 5.7, 8. And at the Institution of the Holy Sacrament, our Saviour intimated that the Passover was abolish'd, and that this was henceforward to succeed and come in stead of it. For immediately before he appointed his own Supper, he tells them he would not any more eat of the Lamb, or drink of the Wine in the Passover; i. e. he would abolish this, so as we should no more eat or drink of it; and substitute that in place of it, Luc. 22.16, 18.
And now since 'tis the general Nature of Sacraments, both among Jews and Christians, to be Covenanting Rites; since Baptism plainly is, that goes hand in hand with it; and since the Passover was, which preceded and answered to it, this being substituted in place, and put instead of it: in all likelihood the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a Federal Feast, and a Covenanting Rite too.
But to prove this yet more particularly, That this Holy Sacrament is intended for a Federal Rite, and for our Renewal and Ratification of the New Covenant, will appear,
1st, From the words of Institution, wherein the Cup is call'd the New Covenant, and we are bid to drink of it, which is a Federal Rite; and the Bread is call'd Christs Body to the same intent as the Paschal Lamb was, which was a Federal Conveyance of it.
2ly, From its being a Feast upon Sacrifice, which is a Federal Feast; for Sacrifice is one way of Covenanting with God, and by Feasting on the Sacrifice we joyn in and partake of it.
3ly, From all the particular Blessings of the Covenant being conveyed by it, which otherwise than by Federal Promises or Performances are not to be had.
1st, That o…r eating Bread and drinking Wine in the Holy Sacrament, is intended for a Federal Rite, and for our Renewal and Ratification of the New Covenant, appears from the words of Institution, wherein the Cup is called the New Covenant, and we are bid to drink of it, which is a Covenanting Rite; and the Bread is call'd Christs Body to the same intent as the Pascal Lamb was, which also was a Federal Conveyance of it.
1. In the words of Institution the Cup is called the New Covenant. This Cup, says our Saviour, is the New Testament, or †foreign.Covenant, in my Blood, 1 Cor. 11.25.
And we are all bid to drink of it, which is a Federal Rite, and was then a known Ceremony of confirming any Covenant. Drink ye all of it, says he to his Disciples, Mat. 26.27.
This drinking of it, as it is an Application of it to our selves, and taking it into our own Bodies, is a plain sign of our ingaging in it, and adhering to it; for thereby we shew that we close with, and embrace it. But this is still further evident, because anciently among the Jews, and other Eastern Nations, eating and drinking were Federal Rites, whereby they were wont mutually to Seal Leagues of friendship, and confirm Covenants with each other. For they used to bind their Compacts by a Friendly Treat, and to consummate them in all Hospitable Entertainment. Thus we read in the Story of Laban and Jacob: for when Laban demands, Come thou, let us make a Covenant, I and thou; Gen. 31.44; Jacob's Consent to it is expressed by this, —he said unto his Brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap, and did eat there upon the heap; by that Note of Friendship answering the Demand, and confirming the Covenant which was proposed, v. 46. And so Joshua's Covenanting, or making Peace with the Gibeonites when they came to sue for it, is called his taking of their victuals, Josh. 9.— the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel of the Lord, and Joshua made Peace with them, and made a League with them to let them live, Josh. 9.14, 15. And Obadiah mentions being in Covenant with any one, and Eating Bread with him, as Words that signifie the same Thing, whereof the one is the others Explication. The men of thy Confederacy have brought thee even to the border, says he, i. e. have almost quite bereft thee of thy own Country; the men that are at Peace with thee, have deceived thee; they that eat thy Bread, have laid a Wound under thee: in which Description of the Enemies of Edom, tho' there be Variety in the Expression, yet is one and the same Thing meant by them, Obad. v. 7. And the same might appear from other Instances, both in the Scriptures, and in Prophane Authors.
Since in the Words of Institution then our Saviour tells his Disciples, the Cup is the New Covenant, and bids them drink of it, which was well known among them to be a Federal Rite; he plainly shew'd his meaning was, that they should ratifie and confirm the New Covenant by it.
2. In the Words of Institution the Bread is called Christs Body to the same intent, as the Paschal Lamb was in the Jewish Sacrament: and this also shews it to be a Covenanting Rite, because that was a Federal Conveyance of it.
The Bread, I say, or rather the taking and eating of it, is called Christs Body to the same Intent, as the Paschal Lamb was in the Jewish Sacrament. Jesus took bread, says St. Matthew, and brake it, and said, Take, eat, *Not foreign in the masculine, to agree with foreign bread; but foreign, wh…ch, b…ing of a different gender, cannot agree to foreign, but to the whole Action.this is my Body, Mat. 26.26. Which Words, This is my Body, relate to the Paschal Lamb, that in the ordinary Phrase of the Doctors was called the †Corpus Paschatis, & Corpus Agni Paschalis. Vt Buxt. observ. è Talmud. & Maim.Body of the Passover, and the Body of the Paschal Lamb, to shew, that the taking and eating of the Bread and Wine was to be his Body in the same sense now, as the eating of the Paschal Lamb had been hitherto. Which Relation to the Passover that he had then in hand, and to their manner of expressing it, I think is one very obvious and natural Account of his calling this New Feast his Body when he spake of it.
And this also shews it to be a Covenant-Rite, because the eating of the Paschal Lamb among the Jews was his Body in a Federal sense, as a Federal Conveyance of it. For their Slain Lamb was a Figure of our Dying Lord, as hath been proved, and was accepted to all the purposes of his Blood: and their Feasting on it, as in all other Sacrifices, was their Federal joyning in, and partaking of it. For to Feast on a Sacrifice, was to joyn in the Covenant made by it, and to partake of the Blessings promised to it, as shall presently be shewed.
And since in the Words of Institution our Saviour says of the Eating of the Bread that it is his Body, to the same intent as the Eating of the Paschal Lamb was in that Jewish Sacrament, which was so in a Federal sense, as a Federal Conveyance of it: he plainly intimates his own Supper to be a Federal Feast, and that we confirm the New Covenant by joyning in it.
And as this appears from the Words of Institution, wherein the Cup is called the New Covenant, and they are bid to eat and drink, which is a Federal Rite; and the Eating of the Bread is called Christs Body to the same intent as the Paschal Lamb was, which was so in a Federal sense, as it Federally conveyed it: So doth it also,
2ly, From its being a Feast upon Sacrifice, which is a Federal Feast; for Sacrifice is one way of Covenanting with God; and by Feasting on the Sacrifice, we joyn in, and partake of it.
The Lords Supper, I say, is a Feast upon Sacrifice. It was the way both among Jews and Gentiles, that when they brought an Offering to God, they who offered it were to come, and Feast on some part of it. Thus it was in the Worship of the Golden Calf, and the Sacrifice which Aaron made to it, Exod. 32: He built an Altar before it, and offered Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings, and the People sate down to Eat and to Drink, i. e. upon part of what they had offered, v. 5, 6. And thus it was in the Sacrifice which Samuel blessed, 1 Sam. 9: The People will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the Sacrifice, and afterwards they eat that be bidden, v. 13. And to this Usage several Places of the Scripture allude, as namely Psal. 106.28. —they joyned themselves unto Baal-P…or, and ate the Sacrifices of the Dead: And Exod. 34.15—lest thou do Sacrifice unto their Gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his Sacrifice: And several others. And as it was thus in the Religious Feasts both of Jews and Gentiles, so it is also in the Lords Supper. Our Saviour gave his Body and Blood a Sacrifice for our Sins, putting away Sin, as the Apostle says, by the Sacrifice of himself, Heb. 9.26. And having thus made the Oblation, according to what was in use both in the Jewish and Gentile Sacrifices, he institutes this Treat of Bread and Wine, as a Feast upon it. This I suppose is aim'd at, when St. Paul brings in an Altar speaking of the Christian Feast, which sufficiently intimates its relation to a Sacrifice, as a Treat upon it: We have an Altar, says he, whereof they have no right to eat that serve the Tabernacle, i. e. wherein the strict Judaizers may not partake; for Judaism excludes Men from the Communion especially, and indeed from all Parts of the Christian Worship, Heb. 13.10. And this he also shews concerning it, when he compares it with the Jewish and Gentile Feasts on Sacrifices, making them answerable and parallel to it, 1 Cor. 10.16, 18, 20, 21. And this he directly affirms of it, when he says, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the Eucharistical Feast, i. e. upon this Sacrificed Christ, 1 Cor. 5.7, 8.
And Feasts upon Sacrifice are Federal Feasts, i. e. Feasts that ratifie and confirm Covenants; for Sacrifice is one way of Covenanting with God, and Feasting upon it is the way of participating or sharing in it.
Sacrifice, I say, is one way of Covenanting with God. When God would enter into Articles, and bind himself in Covenants with Men, he chose to do it in shedding the Blood of some Sacrifice, that Typified the Blood of Christ his Son, which is the onelyonly thing that moves him to deal with us in any Concern that either implies or tends to Friendship and Reconciliation. Thus he did with Abraham when he promised him the Land of Canaan if he would continue †Gen. 17.1, 2.perfect, and walk before him; he ordered him to make a Sacrifice, that therein he might covenant and engage it to him. Take an Heifer, says he, and a she-Goat, and a Ram, &c. And Abraham took them, and divided them in the midst, and when the Sun went down, behold a smoaking Furnace, and a burning Lamp that passed between those Pieces, wherein, 'tis like, God Consumed and Feasted on Abraham's Sacrifice; and in that same day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham, saying, VntoUnto thy Seed have I given this Land, &c: Gen. 15.8, 9, 10, 17, 18. And thus he did with the Jewish Nation, when he ratified that Covenant with them, which Moses gave them; he chose the Blood of Burnt-offerings, that therein he might seal it t… them. For when Moses told the People all the words of the Lord, and they answered with one voice, saying, We will do them; he built an Altar of twelve Pillars, according to the twel…e Tribes, and offered Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings, and then recited the Book of the Covenant in their …ars, that they might give their Assent to it in the Solemnity of this Sacrifice; the Blood whereof is therefore called the Blood of the Covenant, because it was thus solemnly entred, and established by it, Exod. 24.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And thus he did in other Compacts, but particularly in all those wherein he promised Pardon of Sin; for without shedding of Blood, i. e. of some Sacrifice, says the Apostle, there is no Remission, Heb. 9.22. Thus did God, in all Contracts of Pardon and Reconciliation, require the Blood of some Sacrif…ce, that therein he might ratifie and confirm them. And this was the great Use whereto all Sacrifices of Exp…ation (such as our Saviour Christs is in most signal manner, whereon we Feast in the Lords Supper) served among the Jews: they were solemn Compacts and Stipulations, wherein he promised Pardon, and they Amendment, after any Offences. He ingaged to accept the Life of the sacrificed Beast in lieu of theirs, and to exempt them because it had suffered; and they engaged to amend the Fault which they sought to have atoned, and never more to repeat it. This 'tis plain they did, from that Form of Penitential Confession in use among them, when they brought an Expiatory Sacrifice to the Lord: †Obsecro Domine, peccavi, deliqui, rebellavi, hoc aut illud feci, nunc autem poenitentiam ago, sitque haec hostia expiatio mea. Vi. Episcop. Instit. l. 3. c. 3. ad Praecep. 35. & Ouir. de Sacr. c. 15.O Lord! I have sinned, and dealt wickedly, and rebelled against thee in doing this or that; now I am sorry for it, and ashamed of it, and will never more return to it; and therefore beg this Sacrifice may atone for it. And if they had not thus repented of it, the †Isa. 66.3.Sacrifice would have been of no avail to the Forgiveness of it. For, to what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord, so long as you shew no Repentance with them? But wash you, make you clean, cease to do evil, learn to do well: Come now, and let us reason together; tho' your Sins be as Scarlet, they shall be as white as Snow, Isa. 1.11, 16, 17, 18. The Sacrifices of God, says the Psalmist, are a broken Spirit, i. e. they must be offered and presented with it; a broken and a contrite Heart, O God, thou wilt not despise, Ps. 51.17.
Thus were Sacrifices a mutual Stipulation and Engagement, consisting of a Promise of Pardon on Gods part, and a Promise of Repentance and Amendment on Mans: so that they were in the nature of a virtual Contract and Covenant between them. And this God plainly intimates concerning them, when he tells of his Saints making a Covenant with him by Sacrifice: —Gather my Saints, saith he, who have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice, Ps. 50.5. and calls Salt, wherewith every Oblation of Meat-offering was to be seasoned, the Salt of the Covenant, because it was to season all those Sacrifices wherein the Covenant was confirmed, Levit. 2.13.
And as Sacrifice is one way of Covenanting with God, so is Feasting upon it the way of sharing and partaking in it. He who joyned in the Feast, was looked upon by God himself to joyn also in the Offering, to promise all the Duty which it engaged, and to partake in all the Blessings which it procured for them. They which eat of the Sacrifices, says St. Paul, are Partakers of the Altar, 1 Cor. 10.18. And therefore he forbids them to joyn in the Gentile Feasts, where they sacrificed to Devils, because that were to partake and have Fellowship with Devils, v. 20, 21.
And thus, from this also, viz. the Lords Supper being a Feast on Sacrifice, it appears to be a Federal Rite, because Sacrifice is the great way of Covenanting with God, and by Feasting on it, we joyn in and partake of it. In eating Bread and drinking Wine at the Lords Table, agreeably to what the Jews and Gentiles did at their Religious Feasts, we feed on the Sacrifice of Christ; and that Sacrifice confirmed the New Covenant with Almighty God, that being, as he says, sealed †1 Cor. 11.25.in his Blood, so that by our Feasting on it we are made to share in it, and give our full Consent thereto.
3ly, That our Eating and Drinking at the Lord's Table is a Covenant-Rite, appears from all the particular Blessings of the Covenant being conveyed by it, which otherwise than by Federal Promises and Performances are not to be had.
The Particular Blessings promised in the Covenant, I say, are all conveyed by it. Our Saviour tells us of the Bread we eat, and of the Wine we drink, that they are his Body and Blood:—This is my Body, says he, and this is my Blood of the New Testament, Mat. 26.26, 28. By which, altho' we are not to understand that they are so in their Natures, yet the least we can understand is, that they are so in their Effects, i. e. that they convey to us all those Blessings, which the piercing of his Body, and the shedding of his Blood procured for us. Those Blessings are contained in the New Covenant, and, as I said, are chiefly these three, viz. the Forgiveness of Sins, the Assistance of Gods Spirit to aid and strengthen us, and Eternal Life and Happiness: and all these the Eating of Bread and Drinking Wine in the Holy Sacrament are designed to convey to us.
They convey to us Forgiveness of Sins, and assure us, when we perform them as we ought, that God is in Favour and at Peace with us. Of this we have sufficient Assurance, because we Feast upon a Sacrifice, which is Gods Meat, and are entertained at his own Table, as his Guests whom he has invited: and the least which that can mean is, that he admits us into a State of Love and Friendliness, since we do not invite those we will not be Friends with to our own Tables. When any one calls another to a Treat, it is a plain Sign he either would be, or is, or at least makes shew of being reconciled. It is a most Natural Sign, and now every where is, and always was a Note of Friendship and Endearment. And as such the Scriptures are wont to speak of it. When those whom he had shut out, should knock at the door to be let in, and claim Acquaintance, our Saviour tells us, they will say to him, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, Luc. 13.25, 26. And when he shews his Apostles how high Favour, and what great Interest they shall have with him, he tells them, they shall eat and drink at his Table in his Kingdom, Luc. 22.29, 30. And when he declares how kind he will be to those that hear his voice, and open unto him, he …ays, he will come in and sup with them, and they w…th him, Rev. 3.20. So that when God entertains us at his own Table, and invites us to Feast with him, as he doth in the Holy Communion; we may be sure, if we come worthily as we ought, he is in Friendship with us, and our Sins are forgiven. And this our Saviour plainly intimates, when he tells us at the giving of the Cup, that it is †Mat. 26.28.his Blood shed for the Remission of Sins, and bids us *ver. 27.drink of it, that so we may have it in our selves, and be assured we have received the Atonement. And this, we must observe, is a Privilege which God never vouchsafed to the Jews, no not to the Priests themselves: for in all their Sacrifices he would never give them the Blood of Expiation, to assure them of their Sins being atoned by it, (nay, nor the Flesh neither in the Great Sacrifice of Expiation, which was burnt †Lev. 16.27. Heb. 13.11.without the Camp) but ordered it always to be poured out upon the Altar, or the Ground, Exod. 29.12. Levit. 4.25, 30, 34. And to this, 'tis like, St. Paul may have respect, when he tells the Hebrews, We have an Altar whereof they have no right to eat, who serve the Tabernacle, Heb. 13.10, 11.
They convey to us also the Assistance of Gods Spirit and Grace to aid and strengthen us. This is intimated by our Saviour Christ, when he calls his Flesh, which all must eat (i. e. not in its Natural Substance, but in its Effects, or those Blessings which were purchased by it) by the Name of Bread, which is a thing that, as the *Psal. 104.15.Psalmist says, strengthens mans heart, and gives Nourishment and Support to us. I am the living Bread, says he, which came down from Heaven: If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the Bread which I will give, is my Flesh, which I will give for the Life of the World, Joh. 6.51. In the Sacrament we are called to eat Christs Flesh, and drink his Blood (not in their Natural Substances, as I have hinted, but in their Effects:) and he that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood, saith he, dwelleth in me, and I in him; and when Christ dwells in any Man, his Spirit dwells there too, so that he cannot want Grace sufficient to assist him, Joh. 6.56. And St. Paul alluding to the Power of Wine, whose Natural Vertue is to enspirit and enliven Men, says, That in the Eucharist we are all made to drink into one Spirit, i. e. we are all made to share in the same Holy Spirit, which is the same to our Souls that a Draught of Wine is to our Bodies, a Principle of New Life, Strength, and Vigour in us, 1 Cor. 12.13.
They convey to us, lastly, a Right and Title to Eternal Life and Happiness. The Blessed Sacrament was thought anciently to have a peculiar Efficacy in preparing our Bodies for an Immortal State. Thus Irenaeus says of it: *Quemadmodum enim qui est à terra panis percipiens invocationem Dei, jam non Communis panis est, sed Eucharistia, ex duabus rebus constans, terrena & coelesti: sic & corpora nostra percipientia Eucharistiam, jam non sunt corruptibilia, spem resurrectionis habentia. Iren. l. 4. adv. Haer. c. 34.As the Bread that springs from the Earth, after it is blessed is not Common Bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of an Earthly and an Heavenly Part, i. e. the Sensible Sign, and the Spiritual Thing signified; so our Bodies receiving the Communion, are not now corruptible as they were before, but are put in hope of a Resurrection. And St. Ignatius calls it †foreign. Ignat. Ep. ad Ephes.the Medicine of Immortality, which is an Antidote to preserve Men from Dying, and give them a Life that is Everlasting. And to this, as 'tis not unlike, the Prayer at the giving of the Bread and Wine refers, That they may preserve our Souls and Bodies to everlasting Life, as it was long since in the Form of the Western Church, and as it is still in use amongst us. But whatever becomes of that Conceit, viz. its preparing our Bodies for it; 'tis plain, that a Right to Life and Immortality is conferred by it. Whoso eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood, saith our Saviour, hath Eternal Life, and I will raise him up at the last day, Joh. 6.54: and again, He that eateth of this Bread shall live for ever, v. 58. And if he had not in express Words declared it, in all Equity and Reason this might most justly have been presumed: For since in this Sacrament God gives us the Body and Blood of his own Son, than which nothing can be dearer to him; we may justly argue as St. Paul doth, and say, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up, both for, and to us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Rom. 8.32.
Thus are all the Particular Blessings of the New Covenant, which Christs Blood has purchased, and which God has promised and made over in it, conveyed to us in this Holy Sacrament. And since they are so, it must needs be a Federal Rite, and a Solemn Ceremony of Covenantin… with God, because otherwise than … Federal Performances and Engagements … are not to be had. God has suspended all these Benefits upon our Performance of certain Conditions; so that we cannot have them conveyed to us on his part, otherwise than by undertaking at the same time for these on our own. He will not forgive any Believers their Sins, unless they repent of them; nor help them to any Graces, unless they endeavour after them, nor reward them at last with Eternal Life, unless they have intirely obeyed him, as we have already seen. And therefore wheresoever those are bestowed, these are either performed, or sincerely promised too.
So that from this Reason also, it appears, that the Sacrament is a Federal Rite, and a Ratification of the New Covenant, and of our Baptismal Ingagement; because all the Blessings of that Covenant are conveyed by it, which otherwise than by Federal Performances or Engagements are not to be had.
And thus we see, upon all these accounts, that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is intended not onelyonly for a Remembrance of the Death of Christ, but also for a Renewal and Ratification of the New Covenant which was purchased by it. For so much the General Nature of Sacraments which are Covenant-Rites, of Baptism which goes hand in hand with it, and of the Passover which preceded and answered to it, do fairly intimate; and so much also the Words of Institution, at the Blessing both the Bread and Wine declare, and its being a Feast on Sacrifice infers, and its conveying all the Blessings of the Covenant proves concerning it.
And this is the second End of our Eating Bread and Drinking Wine in the Holy Sacrament; namely, to renew our Baptismal Vow, and in most solemn sort to confirm the New Covenant with Almighty God. So that when we come to remember our Saviour Christ in this Feast, we must come also to give and receive Engagements with our Blessed Lord, promising that we will believe all his Words, and endeavour after all Virtues, and obey all his Laws, and repent of all our Faults: and then hoping assuredly that his Mercy shall forgive us, his Grace and Spirit assist us, and his Bounty reward us with Eternal Happiness when we do.
But besides these Ends, of its being in Remembrance of Christ and his Dying for us, and in confirmation of the New Covenant which his Death procured us; there is yet another,
3ly, And that is, in Ratification of a League of Love and Friendship with those Brethren that Communicate with us, and with all others.
Eating and Drinking together at the same Table, and joyning in the same Feast, was always a Note of Friendship, and a Profession of Love and Kindness among Men. It is the common way of the World to compose Differences, to keep up Friendliness in Neighbourhoods, and to beget Endearment and mutual Love in all Fraternities. And this our Saviour intended it should be among us. He invites us all to eat of the same Loaf, and to Feast at the same Table, that we may embrace as Friends, and love as Brethren, and be knit together in the same Fellowship and Communion. We being many, says St. Paul, are one Bread, and one Body; for in the Sacrament we are all Partakers of that one Bread, which is a firm Bond of Union to make us one also, 1 Cor. 10.17. It links us together by the most Powerful Arguments of our being Servants of the same Lord, and Sharers in the same Privileges, and Members of the same Body, which are all most strong Motives to Peace and mutual Kindness; and besides all this, by our own Solemn Covenant and Engagement also. For in coming to this Feast, we are not onelyonly excited to it by mighty Reasons which suggest it; but are to Covenant and Promise Love to all our Brethren, and to plight our Troth for it. And thus the Primitive Christians understood it, and accordingly made use of it, whose Judgment and Practice in this Point were so apparent, that the Heathens themselves, who looked any thing into their Religion, took notice of it. For Pliny in his Letter to the Emperour Trajan, wherein he gives an Account of the Christians Meetings, reports their Communicating to be a Religious Compact and Combination among themselves, to do no hurt to each other, but to love as Brethren, and live as Friends together. †Soliti stato die ante lucem convenire; carmenque Christo, quasi Deo dicere secum invicem: Seque Sacramento non in scelus aliquod obstringere, sed ne furta, ne latrocinia, ne Adulteria committerent, ne fidem sallerent, ne depositum appellati abnegarent: quibus peractis morem sibi discedendi fuisse, rursusque coeundi ad capescendum cibum, promiscuum tamen & innoxium. Plin. ep. l. 10. ep. 97.They assemble early in the morning, says he, and sing an Hymn to Christ as God; and then bind themselves mutually in their Sacrament, which is a sacred Oath, not to commit any wickedness like a pack of lewd Conspirators; but to be no Thieves, Adulterers, Injurious, False and Perfidious Persons: and having done these things, and given these Assurances of mutual Honesty and Kindnesses to each other, they depart home, and meet again at a promiscuous and Friendly Treat, where they innocently Feast together.
This then is a third End of our Eating Bread and Drinking Wine in the Holy Sacrament, namely, to be a Solemn Profession of our Communion and Fellowship with our Brethren, and an Engagement of mutual Love and Friendship to those who Communicate with us, and to all others. So that when we come therein to remember our Saviour Christ, and to confirm the New Covenant with Almighty God, we must enter into a League of Love with all our Brethren, and promise an inviolable Friendship unto them too.
And thus we see what is the meaning of Eating Bread and Drinking Wine in the Holy Communion, and what we must intend and understand by them, that we may, as the Apostle says, *1 Cor. 11.29.discern the Lords Body in them. When we Eat Bread and Drink Wine according to Christs appointment, we must fix our thoughts upon him, and remember what Love and Friendship he had for us, what Lessons, as our faithful Guide and Instructor, he has taught us; what Commands, as our Lord and Master, he has left with us; and what inexpressible Things, as our most Precious Saviour and Benefactor, he has done for us, in being made Man, and leading a mean and necessitous Life, but above all in dying a most ignominious and painful Death for our sakes, and that he might purchase us the Favour of God, the Graces of the Spirit, and Eternal Happiness. We must renew that Engagement which we made when we were Baptized, and confirm again that New Covenant with Almighty God which his Blood procured; professing that we do, and will believe his Word, and repent of every Fault, and endeavour with his Spirit, and obey all, not wilfully transgressing any Commandment; that so we may have Right to that Forgiveness, Grace, and Happiness, which upon these Terms he has purchased. And lastly, we must confirm a League of Love and Friendship with all our Brethren, professing that we do and will forgive all that injure us, and be kind to all about us, and never fall into Hatred or cause Difference with any Persons, but be at Peace and live in Charity with all the World. The Bodily Eating is but the out-side, and the least part in this Feast; but the chief thing required is this Spiritual Work and Business which is to accompany it. So that when our Saviour Christ calls us to Eat and Drink at his own Table, he calls us not barely to Feast our Bodies, for that is the least thing that he intends; but chiefly and principally to employ our Souls, in remembring him, his Laws and Benefits, and among them, above all, that of his Dying for us; in confirming the New Covenant with God, and a Covenant of Peace and Brotherly Love with his Members throughout all Mankind.