THE RIGHT RECEIVING. 73
man who thus comoth with a covetous heart, if it bo with rcsohation, I will not be broke oft' from it ; take what sin thou wilt, if thou come with a resolution that thou wilt not part from it ; when a man shall say, I will follow my course, this is a great sin. And I say that man taketh a cup of poison in his hands ; I say, he that comcth with such a heart, proclaimcth war against him and killeth him, as Judas did. The Lord will not be mocked ; and know this, that that man shall he bo partaker of God's mercy ? No ; for he that partaketh of God's mercies cannot be profane. And it is as true, that that man who hath not holiness, whose heart is not set to please God, that that man shall never see God. The Papists cannot enforce this doctrine so much as we, because they be ignorant of the power and true life of holiness springing from the true ground thereof.
A wicked man, I say, shall have no benefit in the body and blood of Christ Jesus. This is a fearful saying, you will think. But it is true, that a man intending to live and die in his sin, and will not be broken oft", shall have no portion in his body and blood. Was there ever any man who so much magni- fied the free mercy of God without works as the apostle Paul |^did? yet he] saith, ' Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If to the flesh, of the flesh he shall reap corruption ; if to the Spirit, of the Spirit he shall reap life everlasting,' Gal. vi, 7. Mark, saith the apostle, look you to this, if there be a man who soweth nothing but tares in the seed-time, and yet in the harvest will look for good corn, will we not think him mad ? If thou hast sown good corn, thou mayest then expect good fruit ; if otherwise, bad ; accordingly as thou hast sown thou shalt reap. And will you deceive yourselves, that when you have sown to the flesh, you think to reap of the Spirit ? Deceive not yourselves thus. And, Gal. v. 19, scq., now, saith the apostle, * The works of the flesh are manifest, which are adultery, fornica- tion, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, debate, emula- tions, wrath, contentions, seditions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, gluttony,' and such like. There is a black guard of them. Well, then, saith the apostle, do you think to reap the harvest of God's children, whilst you sow such fruits ? No ; I tell you now as before, they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. This shall not be re- versed, but shall stand as firm as the law of the Modes and Persians, not to be revoked, Esther i. 19. Such wicked persons, as it is Rev. xxii. 15, shall be thrust out amongst the dogs, ' enchanters, whoremongers, murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth or maketh lies.'
So now to come to the point : he that cometh unto the Lord's table, let him examine his heart, whether or not he be given unto these vices. Some will say, I am no Papist, no idolater ; nay, T hate such ; I am not envious. But the apostle here speaketh of all such things as are like them. Yea, he speaketh against such things as are accounted but petty matters, as envy, drunkenness. Oh! they say, some have not gentlemen's qualities, which cannot swear. But the apostle's words stand firm, that such shall not see God ; their gentlemen-like qualities shall bring their souls to hell. When they have so malicious and quarrelsome spirits, when they have such proud contentious spirits, that men cannot live quietly amongst them, what fruit is this ? What doth it ai'gue but certainly this, that there is no grace in them, whenas their hearts are thus set against all men ?
But you will say as in justification, so in this matter of sanctification, I thank God, I am not given to these gross Tyburn- matters, though mine heart telleth me that I have a great sink of corruption in me.
* That is, Tyburn, or the placo of the gallows = great sius. — G.
74 THE RIGHT RECEIVING.
I will then examine thee how dost thou stand affected towards sin ? Hast thou shaken hands with it ? hast thou shaken off familiarity with all sin, and not from some only ? For so an hypocrite. But see whether there is not some sin remaining which thou wilt and dost make reckoning of. If it be to thee as a right eye, or as a right hand, Mat. v. 30, as our Saviour saith, look unto that especially, which is so dear and profitable that it bringcth in great wealth ; see how thou standest affected to that. Art thou content, though it be as profitable as thy right hand, to have it chopped off ? If thou findest this resolution to be in thee, thou art in a good estate ; thy case is happy. This sheweth that there is good seed in thee. For it is impossible that there should be such a divorce betwixt thee and thy corruption, if grace were not in thy heart. A man then who cometh unto the Lord's table must consider and say, I have been wanting in the service of God ; I have not been so careful in keeping of the Sabbath ; I have not had that watchfulness over my corruptions. Well ; I will now get me new strength ; I will go to this table that I may be more strengthened in time to come, to fight afresh ; that whereas I was weak and feeble before, I will now get strength. He that cometh with this resolution, if his heart can say. This I aim at, it is wonderful to think what profit the Lord will give unto him. If we say, we come to get strength to fight against Satan, and so forth, we shall prevail and obtain it. Would not a man think his meat ill bestowed on him whom it doth no good, who eateth and drinketh, and yet is never the better, whose meat is never seen by him. Even so he that cometh to the Lord's table, and yet thriveth not by that heavenly food there eaten, he discrediteth the same. It is with him as it was with the ill-favoured kine, Gen. xli. 1, seq., who albeit they ate up seven others, yet they themselves were still so ill-favoured and lean, that it could not be seen that they had eaten anything. It is so with many poor Christians, who often feast and yet are never the better, remaining as lean as ever.