Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

you, though you should gain the whole world, if you fhould lofe your fouls ?"

There are two things you fhould carefully fearch into, when you come home from the Lord's table: 1. If you had fincerity in covenanting with God 2. If you had his gracious prefence with you in this ordinance.

Queft. 1. "How fhall I know if I have fincerely tranfacted with God at his table, and if he hath taken me into the bond of his covenant?"

Anf. 1. It is of great confequence for you to know this; for it is not every one that externally receiveth the feal of God's covenant, that is really taken into the bond of it: Many thousands deceive themselves in this matter. You may discover your fincerity in covenanting, by reviewing the frame and condition your fouls were in when you were about it, and by confidering the frame and difpofition they are in now.

I. "What was the frame of your fouls when you were tranfacting with God?"

1. Were you low and vile in your own eyes, and deeply humbled under a fenfe of your own unworthinefs and ill-deferving fo that you were made to say with the Centurion, from the bottom of your heart, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou fhouldst come under my roof; I have lived all my days in rebellion against thee; the bottomlefs pit is my due?" Then this is a good fign of thy being brought within the covenant, according to Ezek. xvi. 62. 63.

2. Were you weary of the burden of fin? Did you groan under it as a heavy load? Were you fenfible that it was too heavy for you to bear? as the Pfalmift was, Pfal. xxxvii. 3. Then it is a good fign; for it is to fuch that Chrift affords reft in his covenant.

3. Did your fouls long and pant for Chrift, as the hunted bart for the water-brooks, the fearched ground for a refreshing shower, or a condemned man for a remiffion? Wis it your cry, None but Chrift, give me Chrift, or elfe I die: Lord Jefus, here a poor beggar for thy bounty, a difeafed Lazarus for thy cure, an empty belly for thee to fill, a naked back for thee to cover: Never was there a foul that flood more in need of thee than I VOL. I. Then

4 D

Then this is a good token: For, wherever there is true faith, it empties the foul, difcovers want and mifery in ourfelves, and great fulness in Chrift. Faith comes with an empty veffel to Chrift's open fountain, it comes with an open mouth to his full feaf, and with an empty hand to his rich treasure.

4. Were you in a refigning frame when you took the feal of the covenant into your hand? For faith, as it embraces and lays hold on Chrift, fo it delivers up the foul to Chrift; and, as it takes Chrift wholly, fo it gives up the foul wholly to him. Did you give all you are, and all you have, your children, relations, honours, eftates intereft, t me, talents, health. ftrength, and all to Chrift, to be difpofed of, and employed by him, according to his pleature? Then this is a good mark of thy fincerity.

5. Were you in a renouncing frame, willing to part with every luft, and put a bill of divorce in the hands of every Delilah or beloved idol? Then it is a good fign; for every fincere foul will fay, at fuch a time, Ephraim, "What have I to do any more with idols ?"

II. Confider the frame and difpofition of your fouls fince you came from the Lord's table; for you may find out your fincerity hereby.

1. Afk your fouls that question, which Chrift himfelf once afked the Pharifees, Matth xxii. 42. "What think ye of Chrift? Covenanted fouls, to be fure, will have a very high opinion of him; for " to all that believe he is precious. Can you fay, then, that you have high and admiring thoughts of Chrift, and that you wonder at his beauty: Once I was at peace without Chrifl, but now I fee nothing but fire and wrath out of him: Once I faw little beauty in him, and faid, as the daughters of Jerufalem faid to his fpoufe," What is thy beloved more than another beloved?" But now I fee him altogether lovely: Yea, I fee not only a matchlefs beauty in his perfon, but alfo in his way, his word, his ordinances, his people; nay, in his very cross, and every thing that belongs to him.

2. All covenanted fouls will be mightily pleased with the contrivance, frame and defign of the covenant; they

will fay, "It is well ordered in all things" they will be fatisfied with all the articles of it, and with all the offices and relations of Chrift; they will be content to be governed by his laws, as well as to be juftified by his righteousness. All they who have entered into a marriage-covenant with Chrift will look to his perfonore than to his patrimony, and they will embrace his precepts as well as his promifes. Try, therefore, if it be fo with you. Are vou ple fed with the defign of the covenant, viz. to exalt free grace? Would you have Christ all and yourselves nothing? Would you be content with heaven, though it were for no more than to stad an eternal monument of free grace, and that you might, with others, join in your note to glorify and exalt it? Do you love ftill to cry, "Not unto us, not unto us, but to Christ be the glory? Then this is a good fign you are within the bond of this covenant.

3. Have you heart melting thoughts at the remembrance of Christ's wounds? Are you fenfibly touched for your fins that pierced him, refolved, through his grace, to pierce him no more, and that give any harbour to thofe traitors that put to death the you will never Son of God? Then it is a fign you have eyed him by faith at his table, and taken hold of his covenant.

4. If you be his covenanted friends, you will refolve to obey every commanded duty, John xv. 14. be a people zealous of good works. And remember Ye will this, ye will refolve to perform covenant duties in a covenant-way, in a gospel method; i. e. ye will do all out of love and gratitude to your benefactor and Redeemer; ye will do all to glorify him; ye will go out of yourfelves even to Chrift for ftrength, and depend on him for all.

Queft. 2. How fhall I know if I have met with Chrift at his table, and enjoyed any thing of his gracious prefence there?

Anf Chrift hath many ways of visiting his people, and holding communion with them; and, though he hath not done it in the way you were expecting, do not conclude that he hath not done it at all.

1. He fome times draws near his people in this ordinance, by bringing light to their underflandings, and 4 D 2 making

making gracious difcoveries to their fouls.Sometimes he discovers to us his greatness and purity, fo as to humble us to the duft, and make us feem nothing in our own eyes, and confefs we are the vileft of finners, and wonder that we are out of the pit. So was it with these holy men, Job xl. 4. Ifa. vi. 3.Sometimes he dif cors his goodness and mercy, in giving his Son to die for fuch wretches, and offering pardon to fuch rebels: and thereby he sheds abroad his love into our hearts, and melts them in tears, confeffions, and thankful refentments of his love, as in Luke vi. 44. 1 Tim. i. 16. -Sometimes he difcovers Chrift to be altogether lovely, fin to be altogether vile, the world to be altogether vain, holiness to be altogether neceflary, and heaven to be altogether glorious.

2. He kindly vifits his people, when he draws out their graces to a lively exercife, and particularly fends his quickning Spirit to melt their hearts into the exercife of repentance and mourning for fin, or to actuate their faith, and enable them to lean on Chrift for par don and falvation, and fay with that poor man, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief:"-Or when he kindles love in the heart, and makes it burn while he talks to them, and opens the fcriptures, as he did to the two dif ciples going to Emmaus; or help you to fay with Peter, "Lord, thou that knoweft all things, knoweft that I love thee:"-Or when he draws out the defires, longings, and pantings of the foul after himfelf, and makes us thirst after him, and follow hard after him. Hence we see what a mistake many are in, who think there is no communion with Chrift but by fenfible confolations and manifeftations of his love: For, where there is a holy fhame, grief, and forrow wrought in the foul for fin, it is as real an evidence of his gracious prefence, as when the foul is affectionately melted into love, praife, and joy. Tho' Chrift come not to you by the higher way, yet be thankful if he come in the lower way.

3. Chrift holds communion with his people in this ordinance, by ftrengthening them for duty, and making them delight in his fervice, and count it their meat and

[ocr errors]

drink to do his will, and reckon "one day in his courts worth a thousand elsewhere."

4. When he intimates his special love and favour to their fouls, which he doth many ways, by diffolving their doubts and fears, fcattering their clouds, fhining on their graces, and clearing up their evidences; or whispering by his Spirit into their confciences, "Fear not, I am your falvation: Be of good cheer, all your fins are forgiven you: The Lord hath put away thy fins, thou shalt not die." It is this way the Lord fometimes brings his people into the banqueting houfe, fatisfies them as with marrow and fatnefs, makes them to hear the voice of joy and gladness, fils them with peace that paffes understanding, with joy that is unfpeakable and full of glory. It is thus that he kiffes them with the kiffes of his mouth, i. e. applies the comforts of his promifes, which are the sweet words of his mouth, yea, sweeter to them than honey or the honey-comb: It is here he makes them to drink of the rivers of his pleasures, brings them to his boly mountain; and makes them joyful in his houfe of prayer: It is here he "brings them out of the miry clay, fets their feet upon a rock, eftablithes their goings, and puts a new fong in their mouth, even praises to our God"

It might be proper in this place to fpeak to the cafes of feveral forts of communicants: But, having done this pretty fully in my Sacramental Catechifm, I thall here fpeak only to two forts.

I. Those who, after fecret felf-examination, and reviewing of their communicating, are put to complain that they do not find any comfort or fpiritual advantage by the foleinn ordinance of which they have been partaking.

II. Those who cannot but acknowledge, to the praise of free grace, that they have been kindly dealt with, and privileged with fpecial manifeftations of God's love and favour at this holy ordinance.

First, As to the first fort of communicants.

There are fometimes found not a few of God's people who, on the back of their communicating, are in a difconfolate condition, "O (faith one) I have been examining myself

« AnteriorContinuar »