The Right Administration and Receiving of the Lords Supper, Treatise · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of doing this in remembrance of Christ; The Properties of this Memorial.
§. 1 IT's a ſolemn memorial inſtituted by Chriſt himſelf, Great deliverances have ſolemn commemorations, ſuch was the Paſſeover, the feaſt of Purim, the Encaenia or feaſt of Dedication; Great victories, have their dayes of Thankſgiving; great deliverances, benefits. Benefactours are honoured with ſolemn memorials; private remembrances which every man may agitate in his own minde are too low expreſſions of publick, and eminent, and univerſal benefits, therefore Chriſt will ſet up his own monument, and ordain a ſolemn Ordinance for remembrance of himſelf, to be Obſerved by all that have his memory, and it is one of the great Sea-marks of the Church of Chriſt, he did not ſet up anniverſaries or feſtivals for his Nativity, Circumciſion, Aſcenſion, &c. which the Churches in after times Obſerved, but he did ſet up in groſſe this ſolemn memorial of himſelf, and that is principally of his death; His death I ſay, For ye ſhew the Lords death, ver. 26. And why? BecaUſe his death is the expiation of ſinne, therein was made the Sacrifice of Atonement; Redemption, Reconciliation was made thereby, the Covenant confirmed, the love of God to man demonſtrated, the juſtice of God for ſinne exemplified, the foundation of our righteouſneſſe, hope, peace and victory laid, the fulneſſe of merit, the mirrour of mercy, the admiration of Angels, the center of all Chriſtianity, and the ſumme of all Scripture types, Prophecies, Promiſes, the moſt admirable of all the works of God that ever were; and indeed all that can be ſaid, and more then can be ſaid was here to be ſeen, and is here to be remembred.
Secondly, This remembrance of Chriſt muſt be lively and practical; There is a naked, hiſtorical, theoretical remembrance, a review of the Species or Ideas formerly imprinted in the minde; So Abſolom is remembred in his Pillar, and Lot's wife in her pillar of ſalt, meerly hiſtorically; and there is a practical remembrance, which connotes affections fruitfull effect, and ſo in common ſpeech to remember is to requite good or evil, and in Scripture phraſe, God remembers our ſins, our ſervices, when he puniſhes or rewards, Remember me, O my God, and ſpare me, Nehem. 13. 22. with infinite the like. Our remembrance of Chriſt in this Supper ſets awork all that is within us; Our ſorrow for ſinne, as Peters remembrance of his words, when the Cock crew, Mark 14. 72. He wept bitterly; our faith to believe in, and receive him, ſo Pſal. 20. 7. We will remember, that is, truſt in the Name of our God. It ſets on work our thankſgiving, for ſo great a benefit ingages reſolutions, blows up the coals of love, fils with admiration. What would the ſight of Chriſt bleeding on the creſs for us, groaning under our ſins, have wrought on tender heart? The ſame, as far as a reflexion can work (which is weaker than the direct Species) ſhould be the temper of our hearts, when we ſee him and his death perſonated, and acted in this Sacrament, here we ſee him dying, paying our ranſome▪ Oh the dreadfull example of Gods juſtice upon ſin! Oh the ſweeteſt example of Gods mercy to a ſinner, actually acting their ſeveral parts in this ſpectacle of Chriſt repreſented to our ſaith, as yet hanging on the croſſe, the Lamb of God is as yet ſmoking upon the Altar, which takes away the ſins of the world, if you ſeel not your remembrance of Chriſt, it's nothing; If you exerciſe onelyonly wit and invention, it's barren, but the exerciſe of affection is the beſt commemoration; He that brings ſin hither as bitter herbs, ſhall be ſweetly refreſht with Chriſt our Paſſeover
§. 3. To whom this Remembrance is made.
§. 3 Queſt. To whom is this remembrance made?
Auſw. 1. We make it unto, and within our ſelves, whetting upon our hearts the fruit and benefit we receive from him, and the torments and pains he endured for us.
2. We make this remembrance to others, to all the world, by our ſolemn profeſſion of Chriſt and his death, as that we ſtand unto for remiſſion of ſins, and acceptation with God. Let the Jew or Infidel laugh at us for truſting to a crucified Saviour and memorizing him in a piece of bread and cup of wine. It is our joy and triumph, we live, and hope to die in, and if need be for this profeſſion.
3. We make this remembrance to God, we ſet before him the Sacrifice of his own Sonne, and put him in minde by him to be mercifull to us, we inculcate the death of Chriſt to God, and ſet before him theſe monuments, we ſay and pray, Lord remember Mede▪ Diatrib in Mal. 6. c. 1. v. 11. Forbeſ. Hiſt. Theol. p. 618. Cal. 2.that Sacrifice which we here remember: If thou remember our ſins we will remember thy Chriſt, pardon us in the name of that Sacrifice, which we commemorate, and make mention of before thee; and this is the reaſon why the Ancients ſo often called this Ordinance a Sacrifice, which Chryſoſtom recalling himſelf, ſaith, Chryſ. in Heb. Homil. 17. pag. Graecat. 856.foreign, rather the commemoration of a Sacrifice, becaUſe they offer'd up their prayers and thankſgiving in the name of Chriſt the Sacrifice here commemorated, for here is no real ſacrificing of Chriſt to God, that turns the Table into a croſſe, but here is the commemoration of a Sacrifice, and a feaſting and feeding thereupon by faith, as men that are in covenant and fellowſhip with God.