The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Containing ſome practicall caſes concerning the Lords Supper with relation hereunto.
BUt here ariſeth an objection.
Object. I am not a fit receiver, without this Teſtimony of the Spirit, which you ſpeak of: and therefore 'tis improper to bid me ſeek that teſtimony this way, whereas I cannot apply my ſelfe to this way, till I have it in actual aſſurance.
Anſw. Hereto I anſwer Negatively. That propoſition which is the ground of thy miſtake is but miſtaken for truth; to wit, That none is a fit receiver of the Sacrament of the Lords Body and Bloud, but one that is certified by the Teſtimony of the Spirit that he is a Child of God. This is that that puzzles and embroyls many a poor ſoul, that he knowes not which way to take, between ſinning againſt Gods invitation in refuſing to come, and againſt the inſtitution in coming unworthily.
But I hope to ſpeak a word ſatisfactorily in this caſe. That this is a miſtaken principle I prove by this Argument.
The actual aſſurance mentioned, is not required under any of thoſe things wherein we are to examine our ſelves before we come, therefore 'tis not neceſſary to make a fit receiver.
The graces to bee examined (among the Proteſtant Divines) are uſually theſe four, Knowledge, Faith, Charity, and Repentance.
Under Knowledge, Charity, and Repentance, I believe no man comprehends the certainty of his intereſt in Chriſt; they being graces (in their natures) quite different from it, though poſſibly in ſome higher actings of them it be ſuppoſed. I dare not think there can be none of theſe without Aſſurance.
All the doubt is concerning Faith, whether the Faith required to the receiving the Lords Supper, be not Faith of perſwaſion, that I am a Child of God, from the Teſtimony of the Spirit?
I conceive the Faith required to my coming to the Lords Supper, is no more but the having accepted the terms of Salvation revealed through Chriſt, my having claimed my ſhare in the free offer thereof in the Goſpel, and my reliance and dependance upon Gods faithfulneſſe in the making that claim good unto me. And if I can find theſe acts have ſeriouſly (to my utmoſt knowledg and ſearch) been performed by me, I need examine no further whether I have ſufficient Faith to fit me for the Sacrament And my grounds are.
1. Becauſe by theſe acts there is a real application of the ſoul to Jeſus Chriſt for juſtification, which the Scripture expreſſeth by coming to Chriſt, believing and truſting in him, as was before ſhewn: and of Chriſt to the ſoul, which is expreſſed by receiving him; and Pſalm 2. 12 John 1. 12in theſe acts the nature of faith, as it applies Chriſt for juſtification is ſufficiently expreſſed. Now thoſe that come to Chriſt cannot be ſuppoſed to have the witneſſe of the Spirit in their heart that they are Chriſts.
For reſt, or peace of Conſcience (which is the immediate fruit of that aſſuring Teſtimony of the Spirit) is promiſed as the conſequent of coming to Chriſt, Mat. 11. 28. and becoming the children of God, (which is leſſe then knowing we are ſo) is ſet down as the conſequent of receiving Chriſt, Joh. 1. 20 And therefore (by the way) to receive Chriſt, is not to know that I am a child of God, but to apply my ſelf to him, that I may be ſo. And as for truſting or believing in Chriſt, that it is truly done without actual aſſurance, is clear, becauſe truſting in Chriſt the object of the Goſpel, is ſpoken of by way of diſtinction from this ſealing or aſſuring act of the Spirit, as that which goes before it, Epheſ. 1. 13. In whom after ye heard, ye truſted; and after ye believed foreign, Aor. 1. Poſtquā credidiſſeti… not, foreign dum credidiſtis.(or truſted) ye were ſealed with the holy Spirit of Promiſe; and received its earneſt See alſo 1 Joh. 5. 13. Now coming to Chriſt, receiving Chriſt, applying Chriſt for Juſtification, is ſufficient qualification to enable a man to receive the Sacrament with profit, Becauſe where ſpiritual life is, there is a right to all ſuch food as may ſtrengthen it
2. The Sacrament is a Seal of the Covenant in all its promiſes. Now Promiſes become mine by claim and relyance. If then I have right only to one Promiſe; nay, if I can but lay claim to one, I may come to the Sacrament to have that ſealed to me. Suppoſe this; I find my heart made weary of ſin, and account it the greateſt burthen in the world, I apply my ſelf to Chriſt to eaſe me of it: hereupon I lay claim to the Promiſe thus, Lord Jeſus, thou haſt done thus for me, (bleſſed be thy name) whereas I accounted ſin a pleaſure once, now I account it a burthen; make good thy Promiſe to me, eaſe me, I claim this on the credit of thy Promiſe; Mat. 11. 28. If hereupon I come to the Sacrament, deſiring God to ſeal to this Promiſe which I lay hold upon, I cannot be ſaid to come unworthily, though I have no witneſſe in my heart from the Spirit that I belong to Chriſt. I told you before, that it is the claiming of Chriſt, and ſtanding to that claim, and being reſolved to adventure my ſoul upon it, that entitles me to him, and that that entitles me to Chriſt, gives me a right to the Sacrament, as I ſaid but now, upon the former head.
Object. But let this faith be what it will; I muſt know that I have it, ere I come: elſe it is in vain to require Examination before I come. And if ſo, then 'tis all one (for ſubſtance) to be aſſured that I am in Chriſt, and to be aſſured that I believe in him, becauſe believing in him neceſſarily implies being in him.
Anſw. Sacramental Examination doth not preſuppoſe a neceſſity of a certain or aſſured knowledg, that I have the graces which I examine my ſelf for. But only a finding thoſe acts in my ſelf which ordinarily thoſe graces appear in (my heart dealing plainly and faithfully with it ſelf in the ſearch) and my earneſt deſire and endeavour that they may be true, though at preſent I ſee not that they are true, ſuppoſing that I ſee nothing of weight (according to the rule of the Word) to judg them falſe. Nay, if I ſhould ſee cauſe to condemne thoſe former acts, which I took for gracious, as falſe and unſound; yet upon that conviction, if I ſeriouſly labour to ſet them right now, I ought not to keep from the Sacrament for that, but to draw nigh, and from thence to expect ſtrength to proſper my endeavours, and give me evidence (in Gods time) of the reality of them. If this were not true, then every Chriſtian under deſertion and doubting muſt be excluded from the Sacrament. And ſurely, if ſo, the fitteſt perſons that can be will be debarred; there being none more fit for a ſtrengthning Ordinance then ſuch ſouls. To exemplifie the preſent caſe. A man examines his faith, repentance, &c. he finds ſome ſuch acts as look like the acts of thoſe graces yet he doubts whether they were true or no; he therefore examines faith by the rule of the Word, purifying the heart, working by love, over-coming the world; Repentance, by hatred of ſin, of all ſin, ſincere endeavors of future obedience; ſome ſuch things as theſe he ſees no ſufficient ground to conclude he hath not; and yet he thinks he may deceive himſelf in thinking that he hath them.
Here is his caſe: What ſhall this man do? Shall he come to the Supper or no?
I anſwer, Yes. For I am fit for the Sacrament, when my heart doth not upon good grounds condemn me: Unwarrantable Scruples do not unfit me: it is not required that my heart do alwayes clearly abſolve me. See what John faith in this caſe, 1 Joh. 3. 20. If our hearts condemne us not, (he doth not ſay if they actually abſolve us, many needleſſe Scruples may hinder that) but if they condemn us not, (it muſt be meant of the conſcience enlightned by the Word: An ignorant wordleſſe conſcience its abſolution or condemnation is nothing in this caſe, but an enlightned conſcience) then have we confidence; i. e. ground of confidence, towards God. And by conſequence ground of approach to thoſe Seals in which this confidence is beſtowed, and encreaſed.
2 It is not neceſſary to a worthy participation of the Lords Supper, that I be able ſatisfactorily to evidence to my owne heart the truth of every grace required thereunto. One grace ſometimes may be more conſpicuous then another. And it is ſufficient it I can ſee any thing in my ſelf of the new creature, though I know not how to improve it by Argument, to prove ſuch or ſuch a grace thereby. For example, ſometimes repentance may be more conſpicuous to a man then faith, ſometimes love more viſible then both. ſometimes a man may be able to ſee neither of them all diſtinctly, yet he ſees ſomething which he cannot but acknowledg is a fruit of a mighty and ſupernatural change; and this change, he finds, he cannot reſt till it be increaſed and improved to greater perfection If he can ſee nothing elſe, yet he finds earneſt and hearty deſires after Chriſt, not only as a fountaine of pardoning, but alſo of purging grace. Theſe deſires (as far as he can judg) are not counterfeit, though many times weak. Now in ſuch a caſe as this, the ſoul muſt conſider, that Chriſt hath promiſed not to break the bruiſed reed, nor quench the ſmoaking flax. Though a mans grace be very infirm (if it be not a ſtaff but a reed, and a reed too not firm, but bruiſed,) and though the kindlings of grace be but in ſmoaking flax, (a Metaphor taken from thoſe that kindle a fire, that put ſome pilled ſtalks of flax or ſtraw, or ſome ſuch combuſtible thing under the wood to make it burn, which if it be moiſt will not flame out by and by, but ſmoak a while, and then kindle) though grace be but yet an embryo, as fire in ſmoaking flax, which a man can ſcarce tel whether it wil burn or no: yet God will not quench, that is, he will make much of it (as a ſervant doth of a little ſpark of fire in a wiſp of ſtraw) and gently blow it up till it flame, Iſai. 42. 3. He is to conſider, moreover, that he ought to conclude from theſe ſmal meaſures (as far as he is groundedly perſwaded that they are true) that though he cannot ſee faith, repentance, love, yet where theſe deſires are, they are good ſignes of a gracious change, though yet but in the beginning, and a gracious change comprehends every grace in kind; and it concerns him to come to the Sacrament to promote it.
Caution. Yet let me add (laſtly) that I ſpeak not this to encourage a lazy credulouſneſs by which we are apt to be eaſily perſwaded (without any ſufficient enquiry) to take it for granted that we have grace, becauſe we have now and then ſome good wiſhes, when as our own hearts, if they were well ſearched, would witneſs to us, the faintneſs, coldneſs, inconſtancy, lazineſs of our affections towards heavenly things (eſpecially in compariſon with thoſe large meaſures of earneſtneſs, importunity and diligence with which they are attended in the things that concerne this preſent life) which might be a ſufficient confutation of all our good conceits that wee have of our ſelves. Friends, take heed that you do not make ſuch truths as theſe a protection for your ſupine negligence to examine your ſelves more throughly and exactly. The truth is, the perſons to whom this cordial is intended, are only thoſe, who after earneſt enquiry after their own eſtate from other evidences, are driven to this Sanctuary as their laſt refuge; not to thoſe who becauſe they wil ſpare their pains to enquire more at large, and particularly fly to this as the moſt compendious way, and that wherein leaſt pains is required, to ſatisfie themſelves concerning their condition. Yet I fear ſuch truths, by Gods juſt judgment, accidentally ſtumble many ſouls: and no wonder, the Doctrine of free grace, I dare ſay, accidentally, damnes millions.