The Life of Faith, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. The ſeveral uſes of the Lords Supper exciting Grace in us; conveying Grace to us; ſealing the Covenant; by Faith only we have a right thereto, and make right uſe thereof; in the Controverſies about the Sacraments, the Queſtion is not ſo much about mens title thereto, but our judgement of their title; the Judgment of the Church of England herein; whether thoſe who doubt of their ſincerity may come to the Lords Supper; how we are to deal with ſuch; the ground of many mens deſire to come thereto.
I Come now to ſpeak of the Lords Supper, and that you may ſee how this is a means for the ſtrengthening and encreaſe of Grace, that ſo we may have life, and have it in abundance, Joh. 10.10. I will ſhew you the uſe of this Ordinance. And
Firſt, It is a ſign to repreſent ſpiritual things to us, we do herein ſee Jeſus Chriſt, as it were, evidently ſet forth and crucified among us, Gal. 3.1. we therein ſhew forth the Lords death till he come, 1 Cor. 11.26. and therefore are to do it in remembrance of him, verſ. 25. that is, to perpetuate or continue the memory of his Death and Sufferings in the Church to the end of the World; and hereby it becomes a means for the exciting of Grace, and an occaſion for the exerciſe of it, the eye affecting the heart, Lam. 3.51. Here we have occaſion for the exerciſe of Repentance, while we ſee the body of Chriſt broken, and his bloud powred forth; He was wounded for our tranſgreſſions, and bruiſed for our iniquities, Iſa. 53.5. we are many times it is likely filled with indignation againſt the Jews, when we read how they dealt with him; but we are therein, at Dr. Stoughton ſaies, like the fooliſh Athenians, who when they had killed an Oxe, an innocent Creature in Sacrifice, acquitted the Prieſt, but condemned the Sword that gave the deadly ſtroke of murder; for we did more to the crucifying of him than Pilate, or the Jews, or the chief Prieſts, ſo that we ſhould father be moved with indignation againſt our ſelvs, 2 Cor. 7.11. When we look on him whom we have pierced, Zach. 12.10. And be in bitterneſs. There we may ſee more of the evill of ſin by what God inflicted on his own Son, than if we could look into hell and ſee the preparations which are made for the puniſhment of it. Again, we have here an encouragement to Faith while we ſee the love of God in giving his Son, Joh. 3.16. The love of Chriſt in giving himſelf, Gal. 2.20. The expiation which was made by his Bloud that cleanſeth us from all ſin, 1 Joh. 1.7. Heb. 9.14. We have here alſo occaſion for the exerciſe of our love both to God and man, while we behold the love which God hath towards us, 1 Joh. 4.11.19. Epheſ. 4.32. Mat. 18.32. Our patience, while we ſee how Chriſt endured the Croſs, and deſpiſed the ſhame, Heb. 12.2. Our joy and deſire, while we ſee the preparations that God hath made for us, repreſented to us under the notion of a Supper, friendſhip and communion being moſt ſhewn in eating and drinking, and meat and drink is more neceſſary to us than the Objects of any other ſence; See Vines on the Lords Supper, p. 97, &c. But there is a further uſe of this Ordinance, and that is to offer ſpirituall things and communicate them to us; wherefore it is called, The Communion of the Body and Bloud of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 10.16. God doth therein really offer to us Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo all his benefits, as in Marriage, by taking the perſon we are entitled to the Eſtate; and his fleſh is meat indeed, and his bloud drink indeed, Joh. 6.55. whereby our ſpiritual life comes to be preſerved and maintained; and as our food is turned into our ſubſtance: So there is the neareſt communion betwixt Chriſt and us in this Ordinance, and under this is comprehended the ſealing uſe of it; God doth hereby abſolutely confirm the Covenant of Grace in general, and likewiſe in particular, to every one ſo far as their faith doth act upon the things ſignified, as their ſence doth upon the outward ſigns. See this plainly handled in Mr. Marſhal's defence of Infant-Baptiſm, 117, 201. but accurately in Mr. Baxter againſt Blake, Sect. 64.
Now, Faith is abſolutely neceſſary to the right receiving of the Lords Supper; and obſerve this, That though there are many diſputes about the qualifications of ſuch as are to be admitted thereto, the queſtion is not concerning the ground of their title, but our judgement: Not what it is that gives them a right to it, or fits them for it, but what is a ſufficient ground for us to judge them to be ſuch as have a right to it, and are fit for it. Some ſuppoſing a meer verbal profeſſion to be enough; others requiring a credible profeſſion, or ſuch a profeſſion as we may in prudence and charity judge to be real and ſincere; which ſeems very reaſonable, profeſſion not being required for it ſelf, but as a ſign of the thing profeſſed. See Mr. Baxters Diſputations of right to the Sacraments, p. 6. &c. and of Confirmation, p. 41, &c. but that Faith is neceſſary to the right uſe of it hath been the conſtant Judgement of the Church of England, both in its former and latter conſtitution; and that not only a dogmatical faith, but a lively Faith in the mercy of God through Jeſus Chriſt. See not only the Confeſſion and Catechiſm of the late Aſſembly, but the Articles of the Church of England, agreed upon 1562. Art. 29. The Articles of Ireland, Art. 96. The Catechiſme in the Book of Common-Prayer.
And if any ſhould object, that the Catechiſme only ſaies, that Believers are to examine themſelves about their faith.
I anſwer, the duty of examination is not required for it ſelf, but as a means to know whether we have this faith; becauſe, as the forementioned Articles expreſs it, without this we cannot partake of Chriſt, but eat and drink to our own condemnation.
I forbear to cite the Teſtimony of other Churches or Authors, which would be both tedious and needleſs, the thing being evident in it ſelf; For conſider the Lords Supper, as it repreſents to us ſpiritual things, and we cannot without faith diſcern the Lords Body; and though it may be diſcerned ſpeculatively by a bare hiſtorical faith, the fruit of tradition and common knowledge, yet we cannot diſcern it practically, ſo as to have the heart affected therewith, but by a lively faith, which is the ſubſtance of what is paſt, as well as of what is hoped for; that is, we do by Faith as really apprehend or diſcern the Body and Bloud of Chriſt, as if we had ſeen him upon the Croſs; and it is by faith alone that we appropriate to our ſelves what Chriſt hath done and ſuffered, which is neceſſary to a due affecting of the heart therewith, Gal. 2.20. Phil. 3.8. But conſider the Sacrament as it offers and ſeal ſpiritual things to us, and it is certainly of no uſe to us without Faith. For as it is the eye of the ſoul whereby we ſee Chriſt, ſo the hand whereby we receive him, and the mouth whereby we feed on him; and a dead man may as ſoon feed upon a banquet ſet before him, as an unbeliever on the Body and Bloud of Chriſt. Yea, though this ſhould be granted to be a converting Ordinance, yet a concomitant faith is abſolutely neceſſary to our receiving it with any benefit to our ſelves, which is ſufficient for my purpoſe to prove how neceſſary Faith is for the improvement of all means for the preſerving and encreaſe of our ſpiritual life; and conſidering this as a ſeal, it is wholly uſeleſs to unbelievers, the Seal confirming no more than is in the Covenants, and they are wholly void and of none effect to thoſe who fail of performing what is required of them therein.
I ſhall conclude this with anſwering a queſtion which may ariſe from what I have before laid down. If Faith be ſo neceſſary to a right receiving of the Sacrament, how can thoſe adventure to come thereto who doubt whether they have true faith or no?
This queſtion hath already been diſcuſſed by others, as Mr. Baxter on the Sacraments, p. 191, &c. Mr. Ford in his Treatiſe of the ſpirit of bondage and adoption, 308. Wherefore I ſhall be more brief in the anſwer of it: And firſt in Theſt I may anſwer with Mr. Baxter, that we muſt in ſuch caſes as theſe follow the ſmalleſt prevalent perſwaſion of our Judgement, though far ſhort of full aſſurance; and as he truly ſaith, if we muſt act only upon certainty, we muſt ſleep out moſt of our lives: for beſides the caſes wherein he inſtanceth that we muſt forbear giving thanks for ſpiritual mercies, as Juſtification, Sanctification, Adoption, &c. till we have attained full aſſurance; it would be deſtructive to humane Society, and diſcharge children of their duty to their Parents, and in ſome caſes, and in ſome ſuppoſitions which are by many made, all Inferiours from ſubjection to their Superiours; in this caſe I may ſay with the Apoſtle, 1 Joh. 3.21, If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. Though we have not ſuch a full perſwaſion as doth exempt us from all doubting, if upon a due examination of our ſelves our heart do not accuſe us of hypocriſie, we may come with boldneſs to this heavenly banquet. But now in Hypotheſi if one ſhould come to me, and make it a caſe, whether he ſhould come to the Lords Supper or no: I would know of him the ground of his queſtion, if it be any deſire that he hath to come to this Ordinance, If it be not, I ſhall not trouble my ſelf to ſatisfie his curioſity; but if he do truly deſire to come thereto, this may help to anſwer his queſtion. I do not think indeed that every deſire of coming thereto is an evidence of what may entitle a man to it, or fit him for it, for then we ſhould have many more Believers amongſt us than I can yet hope that we have; and it is this which hath cauſed ſo many violent intruders, and put Miniſters to ſo much trouble to keep thoſe who are unfit from theſe holy things. Doubtleſs, this deſire in many proceeds partly from mens impatience of having their faith or ſincerity queſtioned, though they are more unwilling to be Believers indeed; And partly, from thoſe Popiſh Principles which are ſo deeply rooted in many, of the neceſſity and efficacy of the Sacraments, as if there could be no Salvation without them, and no fear of miſſing ſalvation if we receive them. But I here ſpeak of a true, ſincere, well-grounded deſire; wherefore I would know of ſuch, what is the ground of their deſire to come to the Lords Supper; and if it be that they might partake of Jeſus Chriſt and his benefits, and a greater meaſure of his grace, whereby they may be enabled to walk more worthy of their holy vocation, this is ſufficient ground for a judgement of charity in thoſe who admit then, and of confidence in themſelves that they may come with boldneſſe thereto: and if they ſhould ſtill tell me they dare not come, and fear they have no right thereto; I ſhould no more regard what they ſay, than if a man ſhould ſeriouſly tell me that he would fain utter his minde to me but he cannot ſpeak. And if they ſhould further object, that they fear, though their heart do not at preſent condemn them, yet they may be as the ſtony ground, and in time of temptation fall away, and ſo diſcover, that their Faith was not true: I ſhould adviſe ſuch to come to Chriſt in this Ordinance, as the Campani of old applied themſelves to the Romans, when they were oppreſſed by the Samnites Liv. li. 7. their Envoie which they ſent to them after a long ſpeech, uſeth theſe words, Quandoquidem noſtra tueri adverſus vim atque injuriam juſtâ vi non vultis, veſtra certa defendetis, &c. Although you will not by lawfull power defend what belongs to us, againſt injury and violence, you will certainly defend what is your own; therefore we yield up the people of Campania, the City of Capua, our fields, Temples, and all belonging to us to your juriſdiction or dominion; ſo that whatſoever we ſuffer for the future, we ſhall ſuffer as your ſubjects. So if we fear being overcome by the aſſaults of our ſpiritual adverſaries, let us apply our ſelves to Jeſus Chriſt, and go and renew our Covenant with him, reſigning up our ſelves, ſouls, bodies, and all the faculties and members thereof, to be kept by his power to ſalvation, that we may be able to claim his aid, and challenge his aſſiſtance, as he hath a ſpecial inte…eſt in us, John 10.12. cap. 17. 9. and pray, as David, Pſal. 119.94. I am thine Lord, ſave me.