The Christian Sacrifice, Part 4
PART IV. Containing ſeveral other Meditations, together with Prayers ſutable to this Action.
BY this time, I hope, you ſee, that it is good for you to draw near to God, at his holy Table: if you have any deſire to be good Chriſtians, or any ſavour of ſpiritual pleaſures. You muſt wholly caſt away all remembrance of your duty, and be loſt to all ſenſe of rational ſatisfaction, or elſe be ſtrongly inclined (conſidering what hath been ſaid) to take the pains to prepare your ſelves, or rather to keep your ſelves in a conſtant preparation, for frequent Communion there with our bleſſed Saviour. An innocent, holy, and uſeful life cannot but commend it ſelf to you, if it be but on this ſcore, that you may be intertained with ſuch a comfort, as to know the love of God in Chriſt to you; and be fit to be feaſted continually with ſuch delightful pledges of it. How is it poſſible for any conſiderate perſons to deſpiſe or neglect ſuch means of their contentment? The Table of the Lord, methinks, ſhould be more acceptable to them than a ſtage; and they ſhould run more greedily to this Divine feaſt than they do to the Theatres. He ſhould have more gueſts and a greater croud to attend upon him, than thoſe ſo much frequented places. For what do they ſee repreſented there, but ſome of the follies of mankind; the paſſions and misfortunes of a miſerable lover; the wiles and ſubtle contrivances of ſome ingenious perſon; or ſuch like things, ſome of which never were? But here is repreſented the great wiſdom of Almighty God; the manifold wiſdom of our Creator, into which the Angels deſired to look, and of which they are gladſome ſpectators: The incomparable kindneſs of our bleſſed Saviour; that ardent love which offered him up to God upon the Croſs, and which he ſtill continues now that he is in the Heavens; as we ſee by theſe remembrances which he hath left us of it: The rare method of our Salvation: the wonderful way which Heaven hath contrived to bring loſt ſouls again thither: the glorious conqueſt which the Saviour of the world, hath made over ſin, the grave and Hell: All which we here behold his Captives, and our ſelves the prize which he deſires to win by all his labours. Do not men then extreamly betray their infidelity; is it not plain that Chriſtian piety lies languiſhing and dying; when ſuch numbers will ſpend a great deal of time to prepare and dreſs themſelves to be ſeen in the Theatre, and we cannot prevail, in ſome places, with any conſiderable company to meet us at this glorious repreſentation, which we make at the Table of the Lord? They that will be at the pains to go to the former every day, content themſelves, nay think it a great trouble, to put their ſouls in a poſture to come to this holy place once in a whole year. And God knows how many there are, that will not put themſelves to that pains neither: who rarely appear before God at this holy Solemnity, and whoſe faces are ſcarce ever ſeen in the preſence of our Saviour. O ſhameful ingratitude! which you that read theſe things, if you are believers, can never endure, I ſhould think, to be guilty of. If you give any credit to this hiſtory of the love of God in Chriſt Jeſus, recorded in the Goſpel, you will ſpend ſome time ſure to diſpoſe your ſelves to make frequent acknowledgments to him, by receiving theſe holy Myſteries. You will be aſhamed that ſo much time ſhould be conſumed in trimming up your ſelves to ſee and to be ſeen in other places; and little or none that you may come before God, and behold the great things that he hath done for your ſouls. For the love of God conſider, at what charge he hath furniſhed this Table for you: how often he hath invited you to it: how deſirous he is that you would ſhew him ſo much love, as not to refuſe him your company there. Think how ill he muſt needs take it, if you will not accept of his ſingular kindneſs; nay, that you your ſelves will not be pleaſed, when you reflect and conſider, of how much joy you have deprived your ſouls, by denying him ſo much of your duty. For there is no compare between all the jollities in the world, and this one ſingle pleaſure: of giving hearty thanks to God, for his unſpeakable mercy to us in Chriſt Jeſus. Do but come, and ſee. Satisfie your ſelves by waiting on him at his Table, with ſuch thoughts as become his preſence. If you have the leaſt ſpark of goodneſs; you will find it ſhine and glow, and ſpread it ſelf, to your infinite joy and contentment of heart. Among all the various degrees and conditions of Chriſtian people, there will none be found that come hither, with ſincere affection to do this in remembrance of their Saviour, but may go away rejoycing, loaded with many divine benefits.
For we may apply to this heavenly nouriſhment what the Jews ſay of their Manna, ſent down by God from Heaven to them; which contained in it (as their tradition affirms) all the taſts that any man deſired and longed for: it being ſo ſuted to every pallate and conſtitution, that none could fail to be both fed and pleaſed; though they were of never ſo different tempers. This is not only a common ſtory in the Books of the later Hebrew Doctors, but we meet with it in one of the Apocryphal writings, which is very ancient. Thou feddeſt thine own people with Angels food (ſaith the Author of the Book of Wiſdom, chap. 16. 20, 21.) and didſt ſend them from Heaven bread prepared without their labour, able to content every mans delight, and agreeing to every taſte. For thy ſuſtenance declared thy ſweetneſs to thy children, and ſerving to the appetite of the eater, tempered it ſelf to every mans liking. And in the great Comment upon Exodus they endeavour to prove it thus. It is ſaid, Exod. 16.4. behold, I rain bread from Heaven for you, and v. 31. the taſte of it was like wafers made with honey, and Numb. 11.8. the taſte of it was as the taſte of freſh oyl. How can all theſe agree, that it ſhould be like bread, and like honey, and like oyl? The anſwer is, the young men taſted in it bread, the old men honey, and the infants oyl. Accommodate this now to that divine food which our Saviour hath ordered to be prepared for us, and you will find it true; that he hath declared therein his ſweetneſs to his children, by making it ſutable to every complexion of mind and temper of Spirit: who may meet with what is agreeable to their wants, and will give content to their deſires. The infant Chriſtians are hereby marvellouſly cheriſhed and incouraged: it pours on them the oyl of joy and gladneſs, and ſets them forward in the wayes of God by the ſweetneſs of its pleaſures. It gives ſtrength and power to the young men, and is the bread of life unto them: that they may overcome the wicked one (as S. John writes to them 1.2.14.) and never yield to the temptations of the world, the fleſh and the Devil. And to the Fathers or more aged Chriſtians, to thoſe who have had long experience of the Service of God; it gives a ſingular relliſh alſo: and makes them ſay, that his Commandments are ſweeter than the honey and the honey comb; and that in keeping of them there is great reward. Their hopes of immortal bliſs are hereby exceedingly advanced, and they receive the foretaſtes of it; as the Iſraelites did of the land flowing with milk and honey. For therefore, the Hebrews ſay well, the Manna had the taſte of honey, that it might be a repreſentation and earneſt of that pleaſant countrey to which they were going, and which was ſo deſcribed by Moſes to them. Young and old, weak and ſtrong, if they do but in ſuch a manner, as hath been now directed, feed on Chriſt in their hearts with Thanksgiving, (as the Miniſter of this Sacrament exhorts them) will feel all the graces of Gods holy Spirit plentifully nouriſhed and increaſed in them, to their great ſatisfaction. Their Faith, their Hope, their Charity, both their love to God and to their Brethren; will all be raiſed to an higher pitch. From every one of which, it would be eaſy to ſhew, there muſt needs flow abundance of divine joy, and the laſt of them will be an eternal ſpring of pleaſure. If a man had only an aſſured confidence wrought in him, that Almighty wiſdom and goodneſs will take a fatherly care of him, and provide for him as long as he lives; what a ſatisfaction would it give to his heart? in what peace, freedom and contentment would he enjoy himſelf? now no man can underſtand what he doth at this holy Communion, and doubt of this. If God hath given us his Son, as here we profeſs to believe; we may well conclude, how ſhall he not with him give us all things? If he give us this holy bread, the bread of life; will he not give us the common bread of every day? will he invite us to ſuch a rich, ſuch an heavenly feaſt, and not beſtow on us our ordinary food? will not he that at ſo vaſt a price hath provided for us this ſpiritual cheer, give us that which is ſo cheap, that every Raven, every Crow and Cormorant hath plenty of it? I can never queſtion this, will every pious ſoul ſay. I will never in the leaſt diſtruſt his tender care and providence more. Our heavenly Father knows that we have need of all theſe things: and will not deny them to us.
By this you may judg how much ſtrength and life every other part of divine Faith may derive from hence: and with what joyes likewiſe the hearts of true Believers offer up themſelves in love to God; and wait for the conſummation of his love at his ſecond coming, when they ſhall ſee him as he is.
But it is not the buſineſs of this treatiſe to demonſtrate theſe things, which you may find done in other Books. I only conclude from hence that this is a great reaſon why many that have ſome good deſires, ſome good purpoſes at certain ſeaſons; yea, begin to do well; remain ſo weak and feeble, ſo languiſhing and dull in their devotion, nay, grow cold and indifferent again; becauſe they do not come to this holy feaſt, that they may cheriſh, incourage and confirm what God hath wrought in their hearts. They are eaſily overcome and drawn away by the flatteries and violent temptations from abroad; and ſo bring a reproach upon the wayes of God, breed an ill opinion of them in themſelves and others, perſwade themſelves they cannot do better, but that there is a neceſſity of ſinning: becauſe they will not uſe the means which God hath appointed for the ſtrengthning their inward ſenſe of ſpiritual things; or becauſe they will not frequently uſe them, when they are invited and have opportunity to come to the Table of the Lord. This would mightily quicken and enliven them; it would bind and tye them faſt to their duty; it would make it a pleaſure to them to do the will of God; it would ingage the power from above to come to their aſſiſtance; and being full of faith and love, no temptation in the world would be able to enter when it made its aſſaults. The Devil himſelf would flee away from them: according to that of S. James and S. Peter, Reſiſt the Devil, and he will flee away from you. Whom reſiſt ſtedfaſt in the Faith.Jam. 4.7. 1 Pet. 5.9.
And here I might repreſent the ſordidneſs of thoſe ſouls that perfectly imitate the ſtupid Iſraelites; who preferred the Onions, the Garlick and the Cucumbers, before the heavenly Manna; even after they had taſted of it. That had rather, I mean, enjoy the delights of ſenſe, than theſe ſpiritual pleaſures; and after they have been at this feaſt, call it (as they did Manna,) light bread; a thing which hath no ſolid ſatisfaction in it. Which can be imputed to nothing elſe, but a careleſs, negligent and ſuperficial uſe of this holy nouriſhment. They do not excite their appetite and ſtir up their deſire; they do not employ their Faith, and raiſe their hearts to a due eſteem of the divine benefits; or having taſted how gracious the Lord is, they do not often reflect upon his goodneſs, and remind themſelves of their promiſes and their hopes. For otherwiſe they would increaſe in knowledge and judgment, and grow ſtrong in the grace of the Lord Jeſus, and be furniſhed to every good word and work. They do with this as S. James ſaith many do with the Goſpel: who like a man that beholds his natural face in a glaſs, and taking but a ſhort glance of himſelf, goes away and ſtraightway forgets what manner of man he was. Whereas if he would not only look into the perfect Law of liberty, but continue to look therein; being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work: he would be bleſſed in his deed, Jam. 1.23. &c.
It is the deſign therefore of this laſt part of my diſcourſe, to furniſh you with ſome apt matter for your Meditation, and with ſutable Prayers: whereby you may both quicken your ſelves, in your private cloſets, when you are preparing to go to the Table of the Lord; and likewiſe preſerve alive thoſe godly affections and reſolutions which are excited there, after you are come home again. That ſo by continuing to look upon what you have done, and what your Saviour hath done unto you; and beholding as in a clear Mirror the great love of God in Chriſt Jeſus, and your great obligations to him; you may never forget him, nor the duty you owe him, but be bleſſed in a faithful obſervance of both.
And that no man may have the excuſe which the wanton Iſraelites pretended, who were cloyed with the ſame thing, repeated over and over again; I have taken the pains to compoſe variety of Meditations and Prayers (ſome longer, ſome ſhorter;) for every Month in the year, and the principal Feſtivals in remembrance of our Saviour. Which you may either make uſe of, if your infirmity require it; or elſe ſtick conſtantly to ſuch as you like beſt, and find moſt apt to move your hearts. No mans thoughts are alwayes alike, neither his that writes, nor his that reads; and therefore ſometimes one may be moſt agreeable to you, ſometimes another: but there will be no time, I hope, wherein you may not be able, among them all, to fit your ſelf with a Meditation and a Prayer, that may ſtir up and further your Devotion towards God. And he that will be at ſo much pains with himſelf, as to follow ſome ſuch method as this, will never be able to ſay hereafter, as too many wretched ſouls have done; that they have frequented this holy Sacrament, but were never the better for it.