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gers we are like to fall into, furely we cannot be otherwise affected than fenfibly grieved with the Thoughts and Ap prehenfions of our prefent and approaching Mifery. The Sorrows of David, and the Repentance of St Peter, 2 Sam. xii. Luke xxii. fhewed themselves in Floods of Tears, and were too big to be confined within: But our Hearts are generally fo hard and unrelenting, that we fin againft God, and lofe our own Souls without fo much as a Sigh or Tear I know that the Tempers of People are different; fome can fhed Tears upon every flight Occafion, and others cannot weep, though their Hearts are ready to break for Grief; and therefore we are not to judge of the Sincerity of our own or other People's Repentance by fuch Signs and Tokens ; nor are Tears always neceffary to Repentance, though they very well become us; and the leaft we can do when we have done amifs, is to be forry for it, and to condemn our Folly, and to be full of Indignation and Difpleasure against ourfelves. I will declare my Iniquity. (faith Holy David) and be forry for my Sin, Pfal. xxxviii. 18. efpecially if we have been very wicked, and have multiplied our Tranfgreffions, and have continued long in an evil Courfe, have neglected God, and have forgotten him Days without Number, then the Measure of our Sorrow muft bear fome Proportion to the Degrees of our Sins; if they have been as Scarlet and Crimfon, Ifaiah i. 8. that is, of a deeper Dye than ordinary, then our Sorrow must be as deep as our Guilt; if not fo great, we ought to fhew fo much Trouble and Contrition of Spirit, as to produce in us a Penitential Confeffion of all our former

Sins

Which is the third Property of a fincere Repentance,

I will acknowledge my Sin unto thee, (fays the ProConfeffion phet David) and mine Unrighteoufnefs have I not bid; I said I will confefs my Sins unto the Lord, and fo thou forgaveft the Iniquity of my Sin, Pfalm xxxii. 5. Which Confeffion of Sins must not be in general Terms, that we are Sinners with the reft of Mankind, but it must be a fpecial Declaration to God of all our moft heinous Sins in Thought, Word, and Deed, with all their feveral Aggrava

tions, laying open our Sores to our Heavenly Phyfician; and this we must do, to fhew that we condemn all our former evil and vicious Courfes, with a full Purpose and Re. folution of Mind (by God's Affiftance) that we never intend to do the like again. Unless this be done, our Sorrow for Sin, and the Confeffion of our Wickedness, can never profit us in the Sight of God, if it be not joined with a firm Relolution of leading a New Life;

A new

Which is the fourth and moft effential Part of a

Life. Sincere Repentance, and the only Condition of finding Mercy with God. He that covereth his Sins fhall not profper, but whofo confeffeth and ferfaketh them, fhall have mercy, Prov. xxviii. 13. Let the wicked Man forfake bis Ways, and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and be will have Mercy upon him, and to `our God, and be will abundantly pardon, Isaiah lv. 7. I tell you nay, (faith Chrift) but except ye repent, ye shall all likewife perife, Luke xiii. 3. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your Sins may be blotted out, Acts iii. 19. Thofe preceding Parts of Repentance before-mentioned, are only preparative to this, that which must compleat and finish the Work of a new Convert, is to become a New Creature, to turn from our evil Ways, and to break off our Sins by Righteousness. This certainly must be the Defire and Intention of all Communicants, if they hope or expect any Benefit or Advantage from this folemn Rite or Covenant; for he that comes with a Design or Intention of continuing in his former Sins, comes fomewhat like unto Judas, that came, and received, and at the fame Time continued his Refolution of betraying his Master. That which makes a Man abfolutely unfit to receive the Holy Sacrament, is the living in the conftant and habitual Practice of any known Sin, without the least Defire or Intention of repentance or Amendment. Such a Man's Approach to the Holy Table, no doubt, is to eat and drink his own Damnation, fince it is a plain mocking of God, and a great Contempt and Abufe of his Divine Authority. We must therefore (by the Help and Affiftance of God's Grace) refolye to lead a New Life, following the Command,

ments

ments of God, or otherwise our former Examinations will appear but flight and fuperficial, our Sight and Senfe of Sin trivial and indifferent, our Sorrow and Contrition of Spirit forced and hypocritical, and our Confeffions odious and formal. Therefore examine well the Sincerity of your Repentance and Refolutions, that you neither deceive God nor yourselves: Him you cannot, because he is a Searcher of the Heart, and a Difcerner of the Thoughts, nor will he accept of any Thing which is not hearty and unfeigned.

No abfolute Obedience expected after the Holy Sacrament.

Not that we are to fuppofe that this Sacrament of the Lord's Supper doth require perfect Obedience in all our Addreffes to the Holy Altar, or that none must come, but fuch as are in a finless State of Perfection: No, this were impoffible, because there is no Man that liveth and finneth not; for who can fay, I have made my Heart clean, I am pure from my Sin; and that even the juft Man falleth feven Times a Day. This Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is not a converting, but a confirming Ordinance, intended to preferve and increase that Spiritual Life and Grace which we received at our Baptifm; fo that when we come to the Holy Communion, we come thither for fresh Supplies of Grace and Goodness, for the ftrengthening and refreshing of our Souls in all Holiness and Virtue: As our natural Bodies are fed and nourished with thofe Elements of Bread and Wine, the fame. Effect is wrought in the Soul, in the inward Man, by these Holy Myfteries, as in the outward Man by Bread and Wine; Bread being the Staff of Life, and Wine the moft Sovereign Cordial, (when taken in due Proportion) to chear and rejoice the Heart. And thus our Souls by this Sacrament are fortified and ftrengthened with Grace, Wifdem, Courage, and all other Spiritual Gifts, to keep us through Faith unto Salvation. Both the Comfort and Benefit of it are great; the Comfort of it, because it does not only reprefent to us the exceeding Love of our Saviour, in giving his Body to be broken, and his Blood to be fed for us, but it likewife feals to us all thofe Bleffings and Benefits which are purchased, and procured for us by his Death and Paffion, viz. the Pardon

of

of Sin, and Power against it. The Benefit of frequent Communion is alfo of as great Advantage, becaufe hereby we are confirmed in all Grace and Goodnefs, and our Refolutions to live in Obedience and Conformity to God's Laws are ftrengthened, and the Grace of God's Holy Spirit, to do his Will, is hereby conveyed to us: It is the fovereign Remedy against all Temptations, by mortifying our Paffions, and by fpiritualizing our Affections: In a Word, it is the lik lieft Method to make our Bodies the Temples of the Holy Ghoft, and to prepare our Souls for the Enjoyment of God to all Eternity.

dangerous.

And if at any Time, thro' Ignorance, Sur Relapfes after prize, or the Violence of any other Temptation, Receiving, not we fhould fall into thofe very Sins which we have repented of and vowed against, when we were at the laft Sacrament, yet thefe Relapfes fhould not make us afraid of coming again, fince we have always the Benefit of Repentance allowed us: if after a Relapfe we repent and renew our Refolutions, with a hearty Grief and Contrition of Spirit, we are made whole as before, If the Wicked (faith God) will turn from all his Sins that he bath committed, all his Tranfgreffions that he hath committed, they fball not be mentioned unto him, Ezek. xviii. 21, 22. Sin no mere, fays our Saviour to the Woman taken in Adultery, and I will not condemn thee, John viii. 11. It is not the Commiffion of this or that great Sin that will utterly exclude us from God's Mercy and Forgivenefs, for then indeed, no Perfon could efcape Damnation, becaufe there is hot a juft Man upon Earth that doth Good and finneth not, Eccl vii. 20. But it is our Living and Dying without Repen. tance and Amendment, that brings, God's Wrath and Vengeance upon us. His Mercies are not limitted, he will not only pardon us once or twice, but always upon our Repentance and Return to him. No Time, no Age, or Season, does he accept againft, but whenever the Wicked Man turnetb away from his Wickedness that he hath committed, and doth that which is lawful and right, be fall fave his Soul alive, Ezek. xviii. 27. Neither is there any Sin, though never fo vile

and

and heinous in its own nature, but fhall be remitted and forgiven, unless it be that against the Holy Ghost. All Manner of Sin and Blafphemy shall be forgiven unto Men, but the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft fhall not be forgiven, Mat. xii. 31, 32. And confequently, the Sin of Eating and Drinking unworthily, in the worst Senfe, cannot be a damning Sin, becaufe God in the Gospel (for Chrift's Sake) has promifed to forgive all our Sins, upon our Repentance, and therefore this of unworthy receiving among the reft.

Some People, I remember, have been very much concerned and difcompofed at their Devotions, upon the Repetition of fome few Expreffions contained in the laft Exhortation to the Communion, viz Of being guilty of the Body ' and Blood of Chrift our Saviour; of eating and drinking our own Damnation — -Not confidering the Lord's Body.

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Kindling God's Wrath against us.- Provoking him to plague • us with divers Difeafes, and fundry Kinds of Death.' Thefe are hard Sayings, and fome of them too hard to be understood: But however, they are all avoided and escaped by coming worthily, i.e. by Faith and Repentance: therefore let not the terrible Expreffions trouble you, or detain you from the Holy Communion: Repent and believe, and you are fafe and fecure from falling into any of thofe Dangers which thefe Sentences may feem to threaten you with. So that the want of Preparation, as fome Men have alledged, and in the Senfe they generally take it, can never be a fufficient Plea or Pretence for their not coming to the Holy Communion; because, after our belt and ftrictest Endeavours to prepare ourselves, we profefs, (before God and the Congregation) That we do not come to this Heavenly Table trusting in our own Righteoufnefs, but in his manifold and great Mercies.' By thefe we are invited to come and to the Mercy of God (thro' Chrift) all of us muft flee and take Sanctuary in, who has promifed, that ke will in no wife caft out those who come unto him, John vi. 37. A broken and a contrite Heart, O God, thou wilt not defpife, Pfal. ii. 17. There is nothing dreadful in this Sacrament, but to the wilful, impenitent and perfevering Sinner, whofe

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