Sermons, Treatise · Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. The Sinfulneſs of Eating and Drinking Ʋnworthily.
§. 1.
I Have ſaid, concerning eating this Bread and drinking of this Cup of the Lord worthily. Now I come to the other branch, The eating and drinking unworthily; What that is hath been ſufficiently opened already. The Antitheſis or oppoſition between worthily and unworthily is ſuch, as if you know the one, you know both, as he that knows what a right line is, knows what is a crooked or oblique; Worthily to eat is in ſuch manner as is anſwerable and ſuitable to the nature, end, and uſe of the Ordinance, and unworthily to eat is contrary, that is without a ſacramental or Supper-diſpoſition, and otherwiſe then is fit, that theſe holy myſteries be handled and intreated, as I have before proved.
The Point I ſhall take up is this,
§. 2.
Doct. To eat the bread and drink the Cup of the Lord unworthily, is a ſinne of an high Nature, and of conſequence dangerous. It is a fearfull ſinne, and attended with fearfull effect. It is of a high nature, as appears by that peculiar guilt which is contracted, he ſhall be guilty of the Body and Bloud of the Lord, it is of fearfull conſequence, He eats and drinks judgement to himſelf. Thou ſeeſt, ſaith Chryſoſ…em, foreign,In loc. what a terrible word the Apoſtle ſpeaks, ſpeaks, nay thunders, ſo as may awake the ſecure ſoul into a trembling. The example of Nadab and Abihu, their being made Sacrifices themſelves, was enough to give warning to all after them againſt offering of ſtrange fire, and was the occaſion of that excellent Rule which God gave at that time to be obſerved in all our near approaches to him, I will be ſanctified of all that come nigh me, Lev. 10. 3.
There are four things to be open'd:
1. The ſin it ſelf, viz. Eating and drinking unworthily.
2. The cauſe of the ſinne, Not diſcerning the Lords b…dy.
3. The aggravation of the ſinne by the object and peculiar nature of it, viz. A guiltineſſe of the body and bloud of Chriſt.
4. The danger that attends or follows upon it, He eats and drinks judgement to himſelf.
§. 3.
1. The ſinne is Eating and drinking unworthily, and it is a peculiar ſinne or tranſgreſſion of the Law of this Ordinance; One may do what the Law requires, and yet ſinne grievouſly, if the manner of doing be vicious and corrupt; Men may be content, if the matter by their Law required be done, whether with a good will or an evil, but God is not ſo, who values the diſpoſition of heart, when the thing in command ſometimes is not done; ſo he hearkned to Hezekiah his prayer for them that prepared their heart to ſeek God, though not legally purified, 2 Chron. 31. 19. and is highly diſpleas'd when the command, Do this, is obſerved, but it is done unworthily, and therefore they ſay, he is pleaſed with benè, not meerly with bonum. The Ordinance it ſelf is the Index or Touchſtone of unworthineſſe: Here is Chriſt offer'd and preſented to thee, and thou haſt no faith; Chriſt broken, bleeding for ſinne, and thou haſt no repentance; Chriſt for ſpiritual nouriſhment, and thou haſt no appetite. The Covenant is ſealed, and thou art no confederate, ſtrengthening and refreſhing grace convey'd, and thou art a dead man; Communion of Chriſts body and bloud, and thou art no member in Union with him: How unſatiable art thou to the Ordinance, and therefore eateſt and drinkeſt unworthily.
§. 4.
This word [unworthily] may he taken two wayes, Privative and Contrary; Taken privatively, it is as much as not worthily, not ſuitably to the Nature and Uſe of the Ordinance; Taken contrarily, it is as much as wickedly, ſo we ſay, a man deals unworthily that is baſely, unjuſtly, injuriouſly.
In the firſt ſenſe,
He that hath no ſpiritual grace, and therefore cannot exerciſe it, or he that hath ſome, but doth not exerciſe it, may come unworthily, for the words, Take ye, eat ye, do denote, and ſo require the exerciſe and acting of our graces, ſuch as have no grace can exerciſe none, as a dead body without life cannot exerciſe an act of life, it cannot take and eat. Hear what the Schoolman ſaith, Statum gratiae, &c. that a ſtate of holineſſe and grace is neceſſary to the worthy receiving of this Sacrament; And I believe the ancient Fathers were of this ſenſe by the order of Baptiſm, the Sacrament of Regeneration going before the Supper an Ordinance of corroboration, and this Rule ſpeaks plainly, no man unregenerate receives this Sacrament worthily. It's a Doctrine of hard digeſtion, but hard wedges cleave hard knots, make that the point of your examination.
§. 5.
Such as have ſome grace, and do not exerciſe it, but are either ſtupid or preſumptuous, they have a wedding-garment, but do not put it on; Pride and preſumption of grace betrayes many a man to fin, and to come to this Table unworthily; Theſe Corinthians were moſt blown up of any, and they are puniſht for eating and drinking unworthily; Let no Chriſtian be ſecure, as if he could not come unworthily, and ſo neglect the trimming of his Lamps. The beſt ſwimmers are ſooneſt drown'd; I would not cruſh the leaſt ſpark of grace, I mean by having grace, that ſpark in the flax, and by exerciſe the very ſmoak of that ſpark, Chriſt would not let them be drown'd, whom he cals foreign, o ye of little faith, he exerciſed his faith thatMatth. 8. 26. ſaid, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.
In the ſecond ſenſe taken contrary, unworthily is
He that comes to this Table with a conſcience imbrued in guilt without remorſe, or lives in practice and cuſtom of foul ſins and luſts, we have ſuch as come out of the adulterous bed, newly ſtept off the alebench; their hands are full of bribes and extortions, their mouths belch out lying, ſwearing and revenge, they come to the Sacrament in ſuperſtition to be ſhriven, to ſin again, not in repentance to be forgiven, to go away and ſin no more, their proſaneneſſe dreams of a cure, not of a conqueſt, they are willing to leave their ſins upon Chriſts back, only while they go and fetch more; There is a wretched crew of ſuch Communicants, tha… make conſcience of the Sacrament, and make no conſcience of thoſe ſins they live in. Judas came impudently, and in the purpoſe of horrible ſinne, Parta timeat qui paria audet, ſaith Novarine, Let them fear the like, that dare do the like; God was not pleaſed with them, that did eat the ſame ſpiritual meat, and drink the ſame ſpiritual drink, the reaſon is given, they were idolaters, and committers of fornication, and other enormous ſinnes, 1 Cor. 10. And who, you will ſay, can come without ſinne? I ſay, there are remaining ſinnes in the regenerate, but not reſerved ſinnes: If you hold the courſe and cuſtom of thoſe ſinnes, which your conſcience cannot but tell you of, you do but adde the ſinne of receiving unworthily to the reſt of your ſinnes, and blow up the fire of Gods wrath the hotter againſt you; why then (you ſay) better ſtay away then come, to load our ſelves with more guilt? If you will not come, becauſe you will not repent, and caſt off your ſinnes, you proclaim your juſt condemnation, in preferring your ſinnes before Chriſt Jeſus. If ye come without true repentance, you eat and drink your own damnation, nothing can lead you out of this labyrinth, but repentance and converſion: Therefore as the Prophet ſaid to ſome that deſired the day of the Lord, To what end is it for you? It's darkneſs and not light; ſo ſhall I ſay to many that are forward to ruſh into the Lords Table without fear. To what end is it for you? The bread and wine ye eat and drink is but your own condemnation: Unto the wicked God ſaith, What haſt thou to do to Amos 5 18.take my Covenant in thy mouth, ſeeing thou hateſt inſtruction, and art not reformed, Pſal. 50. 16, 17?