Sermons, Treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. How much it concerneth Ministers to Teach, and all to Learn the true meaning of this Ordinance.
1 COR. 11. 26, 27.
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do ſhew the death of the Lord untill he come. Wherefore whoſoever doth eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, &c.
VVHen this Ordinance of the Supper is ſuitable to the Inſtitution, and the Communicant is ſuitable to the Ordinance, then all is right. Of the former I have acquitted my ſelf, by ſetting forth the nature, uſe, end of this Sacrament, according to our Lords Inſtitution, recited by the Evangeliſts, and by St Paul in this place.
§. 1.
Now I am to proceed unto the later, which is to render the Communicant ſuitable to the Ordinance, of which our Saviour did not in the Inſtitution directly ſpeak, but the Apoſtle in this place ſpeaks more fully and directly unto, than in any other place is found, the abuſes and diſtempers of the Corinthians leading him moſt properly to it; and though in Popiſh Churches the grand errour and abuſe lies in the unſutableneſs of their Maſs to the Inſtitution, yet in Reformed Churches, who endeavour to imitate the pattern in the Mount, the common ſin lies in the unſutableneſs of the Communicant to the Ordinance; and ſo the point of worſhip ſtands between us; and the Papiſts, much alike as it ſtood between the Samaritans and the Jews of old, The Samaritans uſed a falſe worſhip, Ye worſhip ye know not what, Joh. 4. 22. The Jews had a true worſhip, but were carnall, and for the moſt part formall worſhippers. The Feaſt is prepared, dreſt, and ordered according to the Inſtitution of Chriſt: Now the gueſts are to be ſurveyed and tried, whether they come worthily or unworthily, by the teſt or ticket of the Apoſtles Doctrine following to the end of the Chapter; of which I ſhall ſay this in generall.
1. That the Apoſtles Doctrine in this place is properly calculated for the rectifying the abuſes and unworthineſs of the Corinthians, as ye may ſee at the 33, 34, verſes, but ſo alſo moſt other Scriptures occaſionally written, are of generall uſe, their latitude is greater than their particular direction.
2. That the Apoſtle ſpends the moſt of his Doctrine upon eating and drinking unworthily, ſetting home the ſin and danger of it, for, the occaſion, viz. the ſinne of the Corinthians, required it; and yet doubtleſs the point of worthineſs, ſhould in order of nature be firſt ſtated, before unworthineſs can be underſtood, for how ſhould I know ſinne, except firſt I knew a law of duty; how a crooked line, except I know what is ſtraight: and therefore to attent conſideration, the Apoſtle will be found to begin there, as I ſhall ſhew you afterwards.
3. That the Apoſtle in ſetting home the ſinne and danger of eating and drinking unworthily, ſpeaks thunder and lightning in very pertinent, but yet new and unuſuall phraſes, which are foreign, have no brother in any other part of Scripture, as guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, eating and drinking judgement or damnation, &c. full of terrour, and fit for compunction. Theſe of the 26 verſe are the words of St Paul, who having recited what Chriſt did and ſaid at the firſt celebration and inſtitution of this Sacrament, goes about to ſet his Corinthian communicants to right, teaching them and us, what is the meaning of this Ordinance, and what the foreign, or main buſineſs of a communicant is, that ſo he may eat and drink worthily, viz. To ſhew forth the Lords death; this he collects from the inſtitution, this he inculcates upon the communicant, as the great buſineſs which he is to do, that he may be ſuitable to the Ordinance.
The words have no difficulty, but what may beſt be opened in every point as it comes to hand: The firſt Point ſhall be from the connexion or whole words:
§. 2.
Doct. People have need to be taught what the meaning of this Ordinance is, and what is the main buſineſs of the Communicant. The Apoſtle hath ſet forth this Sacrament, and now teaches them what is the meaning or great buſineſs intended in it. For as often as, &c. Outward Ordinances conſiſting of viſible matter, as moſt of the Jewiſh Ordinances did, and our Sacraments do, do ordinarily terminate and bound the eye of the ignorant, that cannot, and of the Chriſtian outwardly, that doth not look within the rinde or ſhell of them: The time is not loſt that's beſtowed either by us in the anatomy and opening, or by you in learning and ſpelling out the minde and meaning of an Ordinance of God. When your children, Exod. 12. 26. ſhall ſay unto you, What mean you by this ſervice? ye ſhall ſay, It is the ſacrifice of the Lords Paſſeover, &c. And in another inſtance, When your children ſhall ſay, What mean you by theſe ſtones? ye ſhall anſwer, Joſh. 4. 6. The waters of Jordan were cut off, &c. This was the veil that covered the eye of the Jews, they had Sacrifices, Waſhings, manifold Rites, but were not able to ſpell and put together, they generally little dreamd of the meaning of them, but were as the Apoſtle cals them, Jews outwardly and in the letter; for it pleaſed God in the times of that diſpenſation, to give his people the kernell, but incloſed in a hard ſhell; to give them a pillar of fire, but in a cloud; to hide the light in a dark lanthorne, to convey the truth in ſhadows. Now that the obſcurity is taken off the Ordinances, there remains an ignorance upon our hearts, and many of us know as little the meaning of our Sacraments, as the Jews did of theirs; there is ſcarce any of our ignorant, ſuperſtitious, prophane perſons, but they think there is ſome holineſs in this Sacrament, and therefore they put on a poſture of ſome reverence for the time, but the particular uſe of it, or the ſpirituall importance they know not, and therefore reſt in the opus operatum, and receive the Sacrament as a medicinall potion naturally working, or worſhip that which ſhould be made uſe of by faith, for the nouriſhment of the ſoul.
§. 3.
The Uſe of this point may be for Inſtruction of both Miniſter and people.
Firſt, The Miniſter is hereby taught, That it is not only his duty to give the Sacrament, but alſo to teach the Sacrament; he gives the outward Elements, he teaches the inward meaning of them; he gives the bone, and ſhews the marrow that is in it; otherwiſe you take the Sacrament by rote, and he gives you integram nucem, as Bernard ſaith, a whoſe nut, to a child that cannot crack it, and ſo partakes in that ſin and guilt being dumb, which you contract being blinde. Our Saviour when he gave the Bread and the Cup, ſaid alſo, This is my Body, This Cup is the New Teſtament in my Blood, and ſo taught the meaning. St. Paul when he had recited the Inſtitution, ſhews the mind of it, As oft as ye eat, ye ſhew the Lords death. And you are to be taught what is Gods meaning, and what is the meaning of your own actions; Gods meaning is to make a repreſentation of Chriſts death and ſufferings, by the breaking of the bread, and to afford you the communion of his Body and Blood, 1 Cor. 10. 16. The meaning of your actions is to make commemoration of Chriſt, and to ſhew forth his death: Gods meaning is to dreſs out Chriſt in beſt manner and fitteſt for a ſinner, Chriſt broken, Chriſt bleeding; and the meaning of your eating and drinking, is to feed ſorrowfully and ſweetly upon Chriſt, ſo prepared and preſented to you, for your repaſt and comfort. But now, if the ſame cup taken with ſuch ingredients, would be deadly poyſon, with ſuch a lively Cordiall, would you not expect that the Phyſician ſhould teach you to make it Cordiall, ſo the Lords Supper worthily received, is the moſt ſoveraign Cordiall: But ſome again may eat and drink damnation to themſelves, Would you not expect that the Miniſter, if he have either conſcience of his duty, or reſpect to your ſouls, ſhould teach you to avoid the danger and obtain the benefit? If you do not, yet God looks for it at our hands, Ezek. 44. 23. And they (the Prieſts) ſhall teach my people the difference between the holy and prophane, and cauſe men to diſcern between the unclean and clean; for elſe you may eat and drink damnation to us, as well as to your ſelves.
§. 4.
Secondly, The people are taught, To know the meaning of the Sacrament, before they take it: That's a terrible expreſſion, ver. 29. He eats and drinks damnation to himſelf not diſcerning the Lords Body, that is, not knowing the meaning, the nature, uſe and end of the Ordinance, which to underſtand is a good part of preparation, and without it, there can be no right or true preparation. And therefore all you that intend to be Supper-communicants, attend: The firſt leſſon which you muſt learn, the firſt queſtion to be anſwered is, What is the true meaning of this Ordinance? what is the main buſineſs of it? for it is ſuppoſed in thoſe words, Exod. 12. 26. When your children ſhall ſay to you, What mean you by this ſervice, (i. Paſſeover,) that the father ſhould be able to teach his childe, as it is there directed, and that the child ſhould, as his firſt leſſon be taught what is meant, To know what the meaning of this Ordinance is.
1. It is a proper and excellent antidote or remedy of ſuch abuſes and miſcarriages as creep in at the door, either of ignorance, ſuperſtition, or prophaneneſs; and the Apoſtle ſignifies ſo much here, by applying this corrective to thoſe diſtempers which then reigned in the Church of Corinth, as if he had ſaid, Could you come and eat and drink ſo rudely, proudly, confuſedly, irreverently, unworthily, if ye did conſider but what ye ought to do? that is, exerciſe communion with Chriſt, keep a commemoration of him, ſhew forth his death.
2. This will direct all your preparations to the true end, your praiers, meditations, ſelf-examination, will be anſwerable and ſuitable to the Ordinance. Here is not the eating of a piece of bread, nor the drinking of a cup of wine in a publique company of ſober men and of my betters (which yet is enough to the putting on my better clothes, and framing my ſelf to a grave compoſure) but here I am to meet my Lord Chriſt, and to receive him as my Saviour, I am to have the Covenant of mercy ſealed to me in his blood; I am to make a thankfull memoriall of Chriſt, and to profeſs my embracement and adherence to his death, as my only comfort; therefore be thou awakened, O my faith, my godly ſorrow, my ſpirituall appetite, my thankfulneſs, that I may go out to Chriſt, and he come in to me.
3. This takes off all ſlighting and undervaluing of this Ordinance, which appears to an outward and carnall eye, No better bread or wine than I can have at home, for in this plain caſe is a rich Jewel, this bread is the body, this wine is the Blood of the Lord of Glory; and therefore I muſt not value the ſeal by the worth of the wax, which is not worth a penny, but by the pardon, or the inheritance, which paſſes, and is conveyed by it.
4. This keeps me from running blindfold into the ſin of guiltineſs of the Body and Blood of the Lord, and ſo into condemnation, for as the ſame Signet or Seal of a Prince, doth to one ſeal a pardon, to another an execution; ſo this very Sacrament is to a Beleever a ſeal of pardon, to another, as it were, the ſeal of his condemnation.
5. Laſtly, The preparation ſo much ſpoken of, and the ſelf-examination required by the Apoſtle, cannot be imagined to referre to the eating of bread and drinking wine, but to the inward thing of the Sacrament: it neceſſarily follows that thoſe inward graces that enable us to have communion with Chriſt, and make commemoration of him, can never be known or ſought, except we know the meaning of this Sacrament, for it is that which gives the Law and Rule of all our preparations. And ſo I have ſhown you the reaſons why we ſhould labour to underſtand the language of this Ordinance.
So much of this generall Point, the ſecond Point ſhall be taken from thoſe words, Ye ſhew the Lords death, or ſhew ye, for the word might be conſtrued imparatively, but that the particle [For] would not then ſo well conſiſt.