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red from the facrament, but that they should be affrighted from their fins, and from that wicked courfe of life which is an habitual indifpofition and unworthiness. St. Paul indeed, as I obferved before, truly represents and very much aggravates the danger of the unworthy receiving of this facrament; but he did not deter the Corinthians from it, because they had fometimes come to it without due reverence, but exhorts them to amend what had been amifs, and to come better prepared and dispofed for the future. And therefore, after that terrible declaration in the text, Whofoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, he does not add, Therefore let Chriftians take heed of coming to the facrament; but, Let them come prepared, and with due reverence, not as to a common meal, but to a folemn participation of the body and blood of Chrift: But let a man examine himfelf, and fo let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

For if this be a good reason to abstain from the facrament, for fear of performing fo facred an action in an undue manner, it were beft for a bad man to lay afide all religion, and to give over the exercise of all the duties of piety, of prayer, of reading and hearing the word of God; becaufe there is a proportionable danger in the unworthy and unprofitable ufe of any of these : The prayer of the wicked (that is, of one that refolves to continue fo) is an abomination to the Lord. And our Saviour gives us the fame caution concerning hearing the word of God: Take heed how you hear. And St. Paul tells us, that to those who are not reformed by the doctrine of the gofpel, it is the favour of death; that is, deadly and damnable to fuch perfons.

But now will any man from hence argue, that it is best. for a wicked man not to pray, nor to hear or read the word of God, left by fo doing he fhould endanger and aggravate his condemnation? And yet there is as much reafon, from this confideration, to perfuade men to give over praying, and attending to God's word, as to lay afide the use of the facrament. And it is every whit as true, that he that prays unworthily, and hears the word of God unworthily, that is, without fruit and benefit, is guilty of a great contempt of God and of

our

our bleffed Saviour; and, by his indevout prayers, and unfruitful hearing of God's word, does further and aggravate his own damnation. I fay, this is every whit as true, as that he eats and drinks the facrament unworthily, is guilty of a high contempt of Chrift, and eats and drinks his own judgment. So that the danger of the unworthy performing this fo facred an action, is no otherwise a reason to any man to abstain from the facrament, than it is an argument to him to caft off all religion. He that unworthily ufeth or performs any part of religion, is in an evil and dangerous condition: but he that cafts off all religion, plungeth himself into a most defperate state; and does certainly damn himself, to avoid the danger of damnation; because he that cafts off all religion, throws off all the means whereby he should be reclaimed, and brought into a better state. I cannot more fitly illustrate this matter than by this plain fimilitude. He that eats and drinks intemperately, endangers his health and his life; but he that, to avoid this danger, will not eat at all, I need not tell you what will certainly become of him in a very fhort space.

There are fome confcientious perfons, who abstain from the facrament upon an apprehenfion that the fins which they fhall commit afterwards are unpardonable. But this is a great mistake; our Saviour having fo plainly declared, that all manner of fin fhall be forgiven men, except the blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft: fuch as was that of the Pharifees, who, as our Saviour tells us, blafphemed the Holy Ghost, in ascribing those great miracles which they faw him work, and which he really wrought by the Spirit of God, to the power of the devil. Indeed, to fin deliberately, after fo folemn an engagement to the contrary, is a great aggravation of fin, but not fuch as to make it unpardonable. But the neglect of the facrament is not the way to prevent these fins: but, on the contrary, the conftant receiving of it with the best preparation we can, is one of the most effectual means to prevent fin for the future, and to obtain the affiftance of God's grace to that end: and if we fall into fin afterwards, we may be renewed by repentance: For we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, who is the propitiation for our fins; and as fuch, is,

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in a very lively and affecting manner, exhibited to us in this bleffed facrament of his body broken and his blood fhed for the remiffion of our fins. Can we think, that the primitive Chriftians, who fo frequently received this holy facrament, did never after the receiving of it fall into any deliberate fin? Undoubtedly many of them did: but far be it from us to think that fuch fins were unpardonable; and that fo many good men fhould, becaufe of their careful and confcientious obfervance of our Lord's inftitution, unavoidably fall into condemnation.

To draw to a conclufion of this matter: Such groundlefs fears and jealoufies as these, may be a fign of a good meaning, but they are certainly a fign of an injudicious mind. For if we ftand upon thefe fcruples, no man perhaps was ever fo worthily prepared to draw near to God in any duty of religion, but there was still some defect or other in the difpofition of his mind, and the degree of his preparation. But if we prepare ourselves as well as we can, this is all God expects. And for our fears of falling into fin afterwards, there is this plain answer to be given to it, That the danger of falling into fin is not prevented by neglecting the facrament, but increased; because a powerful and probable means of preferving men from fin is neglected. And why fhould not every fincere Christian, by the receiving of this facrament, and renewing his covenant with God, rather hope to be confirmed in goodness, and to receive farther affistances of God's grace and Holy Spirit to strengthen him against fin, and to enable him to fubdue it, than trouble himfelf with fears, which are either without ground, or if they are not, are no fufficient reason to keep any man from the facrament? We cannot furely entertain fo unworthy a thought of God and our blessed Saviour, as to imagine that he did inftitute the facrament, not for the furtherance of our falvation, but as a fnare, and an occafion of our ruin and damnation. This were to pervert the gracious defign of God, and to turn the cup of falvation into a cup of deadly poifon to the fouls of

men.

All then that can reasonably be inferred from the danger of unworthy receiving, is, that upon this confidera

tion men fhould be quickened to come to the facrament with a due preparation of mind, and so much the more to fortify their refolutions of living fuitably to that holy covenant which they folemnly renew every time they.receive this holy facrament. This confideration ought to convince us of the abfolute necessity of a good life, but not to deter us from the ufe of any means which may contribute to make us good. Therefore, as a learned divine fays very well, this facrament can be neglected by none but those that do not understand it; but those who are unwilling to be tied to their duty, and are afraid of being engaged to use their beft diligence to keep the commandments of Chrift: and fuch perfons have no reafon to fear being in a worse condition, fince they are already in fo bad a state. And thus much may fuffice for answer to the first objection concerning the great danger of unworthy receiving this holy facrament. I pro

ceed to the

2. Second objection, which was this, That so much preparation and worthinefs being required to our worthy receiving, the more timorous fort of Chriftians can never think themselves duly enough qualified for fo facred an action.

For a full answer to this objection, I shall endeavour briefly to clear these three things. 1. That every degree of imperfection in our preparation for this facrament, is not a fufficient reason for men to refrain from it. 2. That a total want of a due preparation, not only in the degree, but in the main and fubftance of it; though it render us unfit at present to receive this facrament, yet it does by no means excufe our neglect of it. 3. That the proper inference and conclufion from the total want of a due preparation, is not to caft off all thoughts of receiving the facrament, but immediately to fet upon the work of preparation, that fo we may be fit to receive it. And if I can clearly make out these three things, I hope this objection is fully answered.

1st, That every degree of imperfection in our preparation for this facrament, is not a fufficient reafon for men to ábftain from it: for then no man fhould ever receive it. For who is every way worthy, and in all degrees and refpects duly qualified to approach the prefence of

God

God in any of the duties of his worship and fervice? Who can wash his hands in innocency, that fo he may be perfectly fit to approach God's altar? There is not a man on earth that lives, and fins not. The graces of the best men are imperfect; and every imperfection in grace and goodness, is an imperfection in the difpofition and preparation of our minds for this holy facrament: but if we do heartily repent of our fins, and fincerely refolve to obey and perform the terms of the gospel, and of that covenant which we entered into by baptifm, and are going folemnly to renew and confirm by our receiving of this facrament, we are at least in fome degree, and in the main, qualified to partake of this holy facrament; and the way for us to be more fit, is, to receive this facrament frequently, that by this fpiritual food of God's appointing, by this living bread which comes down from heaven, our fouls may be nourished in goodness, and new ftrength and virtue may be continually derived to us for the purifying of our hearts, and enabling us to run the ways of God's commandments with more conftancy and delight. For the way to grow in grace, and to be ftrengthened with all might in the inner man, and to abound in all the fruits of righteousness which by Chrift Fefus are to the praife and glory of God, is with care and confcience to use those means which God hath appointed for this end and if we will neglect the use of these means, it is to no purpose for us to pray to God for his grace and affiftance. We may tire ourselves with our devotions, and fill heaven with vain complaints; and yet, by all this importunity, obtain nothing at God's hand: like lazy beggars, that are always complaining, and always afking; but will not work, will do nothing to help themfelves, and better their condition; and therefore are never like to move the pity and compassion of others. If we expect God's grace and affiftance, we must work out our own falvation in the careful ufe of all those means which God hath appointed to that end. That excellent degree of goodness which men would have to fit them for the facrament, is not to be had but by the ufe of it. And therefore it is a prepofterous thing for men to infist upon having the end before they will ufe the means that may further them in the obtaining of it. H

VOL. II.

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