Ans. Yes : 1 Cor. xi. 26., " As (ft as ye eat of this bread." The ordinance ■« not to be celebrated once in a year, or onte in our lives, but often. A Christian's owt necessities may make him come often hi-'^ ther. His corruptions are strong, there- fore he had need come often hither for an antidote to expel the poison of sin ; and his graces are weak. Grace is like a lamp, Rev. iii. 2., if it be not often fed with oil, it is apt to go out. How therefore do they sin against God, who come but verv seldom to this ordinance? Can they thrive, who for a long time forbear their food? And others there are who do wholly forbear : this is a great contempt offered to Christ's ordinance. Men do as it were tacitly say, let Christ keep his feast to himself. Wliat a crosgrained piece is man ? He will eat when he should not, and he will not eat when he should. Wlien God said, " Eat not of this forbidden fruit," — then he will be sure to eat ; when God saith, " Eat of this bread, and drink of this cup," — then he refuseth to eat.
Quest. 6. Are all to come promii^cuously to this holy ordinance ?
Ans. No ; that were to make the Lord's table an ordinarv. Christ forbids to " cast
xix. 12. : so God's table should be guarded, that the profane should not come near. In. the primitive times, after sermon was done, and they were going to celebrate the Lord's supper, an officer stood up and cried, " Holy things for holy men ;" and then se- veral of the congregation Avere to depart. " I would have my hand cut off (saith Chrysostom) rather than I would give Christ's body and blood to the profane." The wick- ed do not eat Christ's flesh but tea"- it, they do not drink his blood but spill it. These holy mysteries in the sacraments are tremenda rnysteria, — mysteries that the soul is to tremble at. Sinners defile the holy things of God, they poison the sacramental We read that the wicked are to be
cup.
set at Christ's feet, Ps. ex., not at his table. Quest. 7. How may we receive the sup- per of the Lord worthily, that so it may be- come effectual to us ?
Ans. That we may receive it Avorthily, and it may become efficacious,
\st. We must solemnly prepare ourselves before we come ; we must not rush upon tKfc ordinance rudely and irreverently, but cornt in due order. There was a great deal of preparation to the passovcr, 2 Chron. xxx. 18, li>., andthe sacrament comes in the room of it.
Quest, h^herein doth this solemn prepar- ing for the ora'nance consist ?
Ans. 1. In examining ourselves. — 2. In dressing our souk before we come, which is by washing in f^e water of repentance. — 3. By exciting the babit of grace into exercise. — 4. In beggii/r a blessing upon the ordinance.
(1.) Solemn preparing fc the sacrament consists in self-examining, i Cor. xi. 28., " But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat." It is not only a counsel, but a charge : " Let him examine Vimself." As if a king should say, " Let it bo enact- ed." Jesus Christ having by his institu- tion consecrated these elements in the sup- per to an high mysteiy, they represent his " body and blood :" therefore there must
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be preparation; and if preparation, then there must be first examining ourselves, without which tliere can be no preparation. Let us be serious in this examining our- selves, our salvation depends upon it. We are curious in examining other tilings ; we will not take gold, till we examine it by the touch-stone; we will not take land, but we will examine the title ; and shall not we be as exact and curious in examin- ing the state of our souls ?
Quest. 1. What is required to this self- examining ?
Ans. There must be a soleinn retiring of the soul. We must set ourselves apart, and retire for some time from all secular employment, that we may be more serious in this work. There is no casting up of accounts in a crowd ; nor can we examine ourselves when we are in a crowd of world- ly business. We read, a man that was in a journey might not come to the passover, Num. ix. 13., because his mind was full of secular cares, and his thoughts were taken up about his journey. When we are upon self-examining work, we had not need to be in a hurry, or have any distiacting thoughts, but to retire and lock ourselves up in our closet, that we may be more in- tent in the work.