Firsts Examine thyself, reader, whether there be any gracious prin- ciple planted in thy soul, whereby thou art alive indeed unto God. It v/as an ancient abuse of the sacrament (condemned and cast out by the * Carthaginian council) to give it unto dead men. Dead souls can have no communion with the living God, no more benefit from this table than the Emperor's guests had from his table, where loaves of gold were set before them to eat. There is more than a shew of grace in the sacrament : it hath not only the visible sign, but the spi- ritual grace also, which it represents. See that there be more than a shew and a visible sign of grace also in thy soul, when thou comest nigh to the Lord in that ordinance : see to the exercise and activity, as well as to the truth and sincerity of thy grace.
Even a believer himself doth not eat and drink worthily, unless the grace that is in him be excited and exercised at this ordinance.
It is not faith inhering, but faith, realizing, applying and powerfully working. It is not a disposition to humiliation for sin, but the actual thawing and melting of the heart for sin ; ' whilst thou lookest on him whom thou hast pierced, and mournest for him as one that mourneth for his only son, for his first-born :' nor is it a disposition or principle of love to Christ that is only required, but the stirring up of that fire of love, the exciting of it into a vehement flame.
I know the excitations and exercises of grace are attended with great difficulties : they are not things within our command, and at our beck. Oh ! it is hard, it is hard indeed, reader, even after God hath taken the heart of stone out of thee, and given thee an heart of flesh, to mourn actually for sin, even when so great an occasion
* Concil. Carthag.Can. 5. Placuit ut defunctorum corporibus non detur eucharistia^ &c.
and call is given thee to that work at the Lord's table ; for the same power is requisite to excite the act that was required to plant the habit. Gratia gratiam postidat.
However, the duty is thine, though the power be God's; why else are his people blamed, because they stirred not up themselves to take hold of him ? Isa. Ixiv. 7.
To assist thee in this work, some help is offered in the following meditations : it is true, it is not the reading of the best meditations another can prepare for thee, that will alter the temper of thy heart, except the Spirit of God concur with these truths, and bless them to thy soul : but yet these helps must not be slighted, because they are not self-sufficient. 'Man lives not by bread alone ; but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God;' yet it were a fond vanity, and sin, for any man, upon that ground, to cast away bread, and ex« pect to live by a miracle without it. We must lift up our hearts to God for a blessing, and then eat. Do the same here ; first pray ; then read ; and the Lord quicken thee by it for duty.
There are two thing of special concernment to thee, reader, when thou art to address thyself to any solemn duty, especially such as this.
1. Prepare for thy duty diligently.
2. Rely not upon thy preparations.
1. Prepare with all diligence for thy duty. Take pains with thy dull heart ; cleanse thy polluted heart ; compose thy vain heart; re- member how great a presence thou art approaching. If *Augustus thus reproved one, that entertained him without suitable prepara- tion, saying, * I did not think we had been so familiar ;' much more may thy God reprove thee, for thy careless neglect of due prepara- tion for him.
2. But yet take heed, on the other side, that tliou rely not upon thy best preparation. It is an ingenious, and true note of Luther,-f- (speaking to this very point of preparation for the sacrament) • Never are men more unfit, than when they think themselves most fit, and best prepared for their duty ; never more fit, than when most humbled and ashamed, in a sense of their own unfitness.'
That the blessing of God, and the breathings of his good Spirit, may accompany these poor labours to thy soul, is the heart's desire of,
Thy servant in Christy
* Non putaham me tibi tamjhmiliarem. f Tunc pnssime dispoiitus, quando cptissime.
SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS. S8l
Psalm Ixxxix. 7. God is greathj to he feared in the assembly ofhis saints, and to he had in reverence of all that are ahout him.
JL HERE are special seasons, wherein tlie saints approach near unto God in this life, and wherein the Lord conies near unto them.
It pleaseth the Majesty of heaven, sometimes to admit poor worms of the earth to such sensible and sweet perceptions of himself, as are found above all expression, and seem to be a transient glance upon that glory, which glorified eyes more steadily behold above : ' Be- lieving, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory;' or, *glo- rified joy ; as it is, 1 Pet. i. 8. And yet how sweet and excellent soever these foretastes of heaven are, heaven itself will be an un- speakable surprize to the saints, when they shall come thither.
Now among all those ordinances, wherein the blessed God mani- fests himself to the children of men, none are found to set forth more of the joy of his presence, than that of the Lord's Supper : at that blessed table, are such sensible embraces betwixt Christ and believers, as do afford delight and solace, beyond the joy of the whole earth.
And where such special manifestations of God are, suitable dis- positions and preparations should be found on our part, to meet the Lord.
And, certainly, we shall find reason enough for it, if we will con- sider the importance of this scripture before us; ' God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of his saints, and to be had in reverence of all that are round about him.' Wherein we have, 1. The object : S. The subject : 3. The mode of divine worship.
Fi7^st, The object of worship, God ; God is to be feared. In all divine worship, men and angels have to do with God. " All things (saith the apostle) are open and naked to the eyes of him with whom we have to do," Heb. iv. 14. AVith whom we have speech, or business ; so it may be understood. When we worship, we draw- nigh to God ; and that about the greatest concerns, and weightiest business in the world.
* AyaXX/a^s X^S^ avsx^.a/.Jjrw y.ai bthiQiafiivr^, Innerrabili, ^ glorijlcate. Montanus.
S82 SACRAMENTAL MEDITATIONS.