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Title: The Glorious Law-Giver, and the Obedient Subject
Author: John Church
Release Date: October 2, 2018 [eBook #58006]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GLORIOUS LAW-GIVER, AND THE
OBEDIENT SUBJECT***
Transcribed from the [1810?] R. Thomas edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org
THE
_Glorious Law-Giver_,
AND THE
OBEDIENT SUBJECT:
BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF
A SERMON,
On the DUTY of all BELIEVERS
TO COMMEMORATE THE DEATH OF THE REDEEMER,
IN THE
LORD’S SUPPER.
INTENDING TO SET FORTH
_The Authority of Christ_; _the Nature of the Ordinance_;
And a DESCRIPTION of the PERSONS who have a Right to
partake of the same.
* * * * *
By J. CHURCH,
MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL.
* * * * *
“Yet have I set my King upon my holy Hill of Zion.”
“Obey his Voice; my Name is in him.”
* * * * *
SOUTHWARK:
PRINTED BY R. THOMAS, No. 11, RED LION STREET, BOROUGH.
Sold at the Obelisk Chapel.
* * * * *
A SERMON.
1 CORINTHIANS, Chap. xi, Ver. 23, to the End.
_For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto
you_, _&c._ _&c._
OUR most adorable Redeemer is set forth in the sacred Scriptures, as the
glorious Mediator of a better Testament. In this character, he sustains
the three-fold office in his Church, of Prophet, Priest, and King—from
everlasting he was set up to be future man—to ransom the elect, honor the
divine Law, and glorify all the sublime Attributes of God. As
Man-Mediator he was set up; for as the eternal Jehovah, he could not be
higher than he was; God having chosen his elect in him, accepted them in
him—he appointed him to be _all_ to them; do all for them; and finally
bring them to glory—hence, he says, _Thy throne_, _O God_, _is for ever &
ever_. The Lord Jesus having engaged in the eternal Covenant, to be our
Surety, Righteousness, Advocate, and Friend, immediately after the breach
of the Covenant of Works, he graciously revealed himself in his lovely
offices; and, as a Prophet, he foretold his own incarnation, threatened
Satan, and pardoned our first Parents. As a Prophet, he preached by the
ministry of Noah, to those souls now in the prison of hell—was typified
by all the pious prophets that appeared till his coming in the flesh,
when he gave ocular demonstration that he was that Prophet that should
come into the world—he carries on, and still executes this office in the
hearts of his people, by his Word and Spirit—enlightening their minds,
and leading them into all truth; removing the veil of ignorance, and
delivering his people from all damnable heresies—hence he says, _I am the
Lord thy God_, _which teacheth thee to profit_, _and leadeth thee in the
way in which thou shouldest go_—this is done by the holy Spirit’s
inhabitation. As our Prophet, he is our light, and will be so for
ever—_for the Lord shall be thy everlasting light_, _& thy God thy
glory_—though this office will be carried on in heaven different to what
it is on earth. His character, as Mediator, includes his Priestly
Office; and this is of vast importance to us—this was shadowed forth
under the old Law, by the calling and qualification of the High Priests,
particularly Aaron, though Christ was not of the same tribe with him, nor
made a Priest after that Law, but of one more ancient, and which
continues to this day, and will for ever, _after the order of
Melchisedec_—ever blessing his people, and his blessing on Mount Zion is
life for evermore. Yet Aaron was a figure of the High Priest of our
Profession, in his separation from his brethren; in the holy unction,
when installed into office; in the several vestments with which he was
cloathed; his mitre, embroidered coat, ephod, and the girdle of it; with
the breast-plate of Judgment—but more so in the sacrifices he offered up;
all which held forth the Redeemer, who, through the eternal Spirit,
offered up himself to God; being himself the Altar, Priest, and
Sacrifice. He is still carrying on this office in the Church, and for
his people, by presenting his sacred Person, and meritorious Work, to the
Father; making intercession, not as he did on earth, _with strong cries
and tears to God_—not as supplicating an angry Judge; but by shewing
himself, as having done, as our Surety, all that Law and Justice could
require—he is now our Advocate on high, offering up our prayers and
praises, which become acceptable to God, through the sweet incense of his
Mediation. Our spiritual holiness is derived from him as our Priest. We
are anointed by virtue of union with him—the same divine anointing that
was on him, as the Head, runs down, even to the skirts of his cloathing,
on the meanest, lowest, and weakest of his saints; and it is the business
of our faith to make use of him in every season of guilt and bondage. We
feel the liberty of God’s children, as we are led by the Spirit to Jesus,
as our atoning and interceding Priest, putting away sin; whilst the
Spirit bears testimony to the conscience, _that the blood of Christ
cleaneth from all sin_.
Another office of vast importance to the Church of God, is the Kingly
Authority of our Redeemer; this he sustains, and this he exercises—as God
he is King by nature, and has a kingdom, common to the three divine
Persons—hence he is called Lord of Hosts, or armies; the six armies—two
in heaven, elect angels and spirits of just men—two on earth, the Church
and the nations of the world—two in hell, fallen angels and reprobate
characters; and it is a most awful consideration, that all who despise
his Law, Gospel, and Grace, dying in such a state, he will make them feel
his kingly power, in _breaking them to pieces_.—Psalm ii. This office is
exercised in the Church of God; the Father himself says, _Yet have I set
my King upon my holy hill of Zion_: the learned tell us it reads in the
Hebrew, I have _anointed_ my King upon my holy hill of Zion—in allusion
to their anointing kings at their inauguration—_anointed with the oil of
gladness_, _above their fellows_.—In the Old Testament he was prophesied
of and typified by pious kings.—The Church of God is Christ’s kingdom,
and the members of it his subjects: the exercise of this office is first
in the hearts of his saints, in rescuing them from the power of the
Devil, by his almighty grace—the King of Glory opens the doors of their
hearts; first destroys the Devil’s armour, even the veil of ignorance,
(in which he trusts) then turns Satan out for ever. _He makes us willing
in the day of his power_, to come out of the world; to chuse him as our
_better part_; to love him, to serve him all our days, _in the newness of
the Spirit_, _and not in the oldness of the Letter_—the throne he sits on
is our hearts, and this will be for ever—_thy throne_, _O God_, _is for
ever and ever_. He displays this office in our defence; _for upon all
the glory shall be a defence from our enemies_; from the dominion and
damning power of sin; maintaining our graces, continuing and preserving
us in the faith, keeps us from falling, finally, and preserves us to his
heavenly kingdom and glory.—This office is executed, externally, by the
Word and Ordinances. Christ, as King, is Law-Giver in his own Church;
the New Testament is our Rule of Conduct. As Ministers, we are not to
send our hearers, nor go ourselves to Moses, for a Rule of Conduct; the
preceptive parts of the New Testament are quite sufficient; and where
their is faith in the soul, embracing the righteousness of Jesus, and the
love of God shed abroad in the heart, such are no Antinomians; for the
righteousness of the holy and righteous Law of God, is fulfilled in them
_who walk not after the flesh_, _but after the Spirit_—this is the end of
the Law, and the glory of the Gospel; and while we serve _in the newness
of the Spirit_, we obey the external Precepts of the Law, as far as they
extend to us, as creatures of God’s power. We have no spiritual King but
Jesus; he is the Head of the Church, and the Master of his House. His
laws are spiritual, as they relate to spiritual Subjects—_I will put my
laws in their hearts_, _and in their minds will I write them_. These
are, first, Faith, which is the Work of the Holy Ghost, and centers in
the Person and Work of Jesus. The other is Love—_a new commandment I
give unto you_, _that ye love one another_. This love stands
distinguished from that mentioned in the old Covenant; _that_ respects
all mankind, as our fellow creatures—_this_ is the law of Love; a new
commandment Christ has given to us. As King he has external Laws, which
must be obeyed in Faith and Love, called the Obedience of Faith, and
_serving in the newness of the Spirit_; and I am very confident that
wherever Christ has displayed his Prophetic office in teaching, and his
Priestly office in anointing the soul, that all such characters accept
Christ as their King, and say, from the heart, _Thine are we_, _Lord_,
_and on thy side_, _thou blessed King Zion_—_O King_, _live for ever_!
_and take me as I am_—_to thee I yield till my powers_, _and consecrate
all my days_.
I remark, then, that there are certain external Laws, which Jesus has
issued out, and ought to be attended to; not one of them is grievous;
_but this yoke is easy_, _and this burden is light_. His commandments or
ordinances are not grievous, but pleasant; and when our Faith is in
exercise, our Hope lively, and our Love glowing, we find _Wisdom’s ways
pleasantness_, _and all her paths peace_. I will mention some, and
enlarge only upon one, which is the design of this Discourse.
_First_—The MINISTRY of the WORD. This is the glorious _Magna Charta_,
exhibiting the loveliness of the Saviour, the wisdom of God, the freeness
of grace, the high privileges of all the elect. I mention this because
some proud professors have written (and many have imbibed their error)
_that every Christian is to be a Preacher_!—and if so, Where would be the
_Hearers_? These men, to me, resemble the awful characters that
conspired against Moses and Aaron, who said, _all the Lord’s people are
holy_; and why should not one be exalted to preach as well as another!
But let the above characters read their awful end, as recorded in the
16th Chapter of _Numbers_. The public Ministry of the Word is an
Ordinance of Christ, for public good; this is plain from the Old and New
Testament—_See_, _then_, _that ye refuse not him that speaketh from
heaven in Christ’s name_; _for how can they preach_, to any good purpose,
_except they be sent_?
_Secondly_—PRAYER, public and private; and good men ought always to
pray—_I will that men pray every where_—the Jews had their stated times
for Prayer; _in the evening_, _in the morning_, _and at __noon-day will I
cry unto thee_. In public, by Ministers, or private Christians at their
Prayer-Meetings, which are praise-worthy, when carried on in a spirit of
modesty and humility, with life and fervor—and here I would drop a Word
of Exhortation—Let your public Prayers be always short. O that
Ministers, Masters, Heads of Families, and those who conduct
Prayer-Meetings, would adopt this method. God forbid that I should limit
the Holy One of Israel to time, in leading the minds of his people to
himself, but we can certainly distinguish between access to God, and a
long, dry, formal address to the Deity. How tedious the service when the
Minister is nearly half an hour (and I have known it the case forty
minutes) in Prayer, and the same old, dry, formal address to God twice,
and perhaps three times a day. O that Dissenters, Baptists, and
Presbyterians particularly, were convinced how painful they render that
service that ought to be perfect freedom, to old and young. The same
hint I would drop to those who conduct Prayer-Meetings: Why should one
brother be so prolix as to engage a full half hour, and sometimes more,
wounding the feelings of others that ought to be engaged, and rendering
the whole service tedious. Perhaps this is one reason why our Prayer
Meetings are so often neglected—no brother ought to occupy more than one
quarter of an hour, including the hymn, so that four might engage in one
hour; and if there are not brethren enough to carry it on, then I
recommend the Scriptures to be read, and singing of Hymns. Permit me,
also to advise the Heads of private families, where there are servants
kept, and young people, children, and the various branches of that
family, to use brevity in your Prayers; your servants, perhaps, have been
hard at work all day—they are tired and heavy: O what a burden they must
consider Religion when you keep them on their knees full half an hour;
and I have known it too often forty-five minutes! This renders the
externals of Religion an unpleasant service to those of your family who
know not God. Contrive to make your evening services short; and if
circumstances would admit, it would be well if this were performed before
supper, before your and their powers are almost lost in sleep, or at
least heaviness.—Try to make the very externals of Religion pleasant—Let
your Prayers be grave, solid, and important; avoid nonsense, absurdities,
loud speaking, or too low to be heard; above all, avoid levelling your
speeches in Prayer, at individuals present; why should any one make a
throne of grace a bow to discharge arrows at others. I have mentioned
those things, as they have long hurt my mind; I hope it will prove a word
in season, while none will take offence at my design, as I have no other
end in view than the honor of Religion.
_Thirdly_—GODLY CONVERSATION must be considered an Ordinance. This must
be carried on with humility of course; affection, kindness, and
tenderness, to those of different denominations from ourselves; while the
main subject ought to be, the way the Lord has led us; the great things
he has done for us; what ideas God has been pleased to give us of Jesus,
his blood and obedience; his Covenant; what light to understand such a
sweet text; how he applied such a Sermon, such an hymn, such a promise;
how wrought such a deliverance; appeared in such an hour of temptation.
These topics would encourage one another, comfort the feeble-minded,
exalt the Saviour, and exclude scandal, wrath, bitterness, and a party
spirit.—_Come hither_, _all ye that fear God_, _I will tell you what he
has done for my soul_.—_They shall speak of the glory of thy
kingdom_.—_They that feared the Lord_, _spake often one to another_,
remembering the end of their Conversation, _Jesus Christ_, _the same
yesterday_, _to-day_, _and for ever_!
_Fourthly_—SINGING his high Praises, with the understanding, and with
grace in the heart. This is an Ordinance kept up in all ages of the
Church: _Is any merry_, _let him sing Psalms_.—So another is, _Speaking
to yourselves in Psalms and Hymns_, _and spiritual Songs_; _singing with
grace in the heart to the Lord Jesus_. This Ordinance is not a carnal
one, nor is it to be despised: the Quakers, and some other characters I
have met with, set it aside as a carnal Ordinance. O! what an awful
insult upon the Saviour! who, with his disciples, _sung an Hymn_, _and
then went out to the Mount of Olives_. What an insult to set aside this
Ordinance as carnal, seeing the Holy Ghost by the Apostles Paul and
James, has commanded it; and John heard the Songs of the redeemed, in the
Church militant—and of Saints it is said, _Let the high Praises of God be
in their mouths_. Singing is only speaking in a musical voice; and the
subject-matter of it ought to be the precious Person of Immanuel; every
Hymn ought to be of him and to him—this enlivens worship; God delights to
hear it, and those characters that set it aside altogether, I am almost
uncharitable enough to suppose they have nothing to sing about. But if
we have obtained Mercy, Righteousness, Redemption, and Pardon, let us
sing of them—_I will sing of Mercy & Judgement_—_I will sing of thy
Righteousness all the day_. _They sung a new Song_, _saying_, _Worthy
the Lamb that redeemed us_.
_Fifthly_—BAPTISM is another Ordinance: this is evident from the
commandment of our Lord to his Apostles: _Go teach all nations_;
_baptizing them in the name of the Three divine Persons_. Some learned
men that have written against this Ordinance, tell us it is the Baptism
of the Holy Ghost; and that the Greek text reads, _into the name_—and
suppose it does, this is no argument against Water Baptism—the Apostles
were never commanded to baptize any one with the Holy Ghost, that was the
immediate Work of the Spirit himself. Besides, there is a vast
difference between baptizing into the _Name_ and into the _Nature_ of
Christ; as much difference as between plunging the Body in Water and the
Regeneration of the Soul; the one is an outward visible sign of the
other, which is the Substance. That it is a command it is evident—_then
he commanded them to be baptized_. God sent John to baptize, and Jesus
sent his disciples. It is an act of religious Worship, and it is
intended to represent the Sufferings, Death, Burial, and Resurrection of
the Son of God. It is intended to lead the mind to the Blood of Jesus
for its Pardon; and having this Pardon of Sin sealed home upon the
conscience, this is the answer of a good conscience towards God; and this
is the Work of Faith to apprehend and apply the Death of Jesus to the
conscience, through the operation of the Holy Spirit.—I now come to the
principal Ordinance I mean to give my thoughts on, and in which, I
believe, all who love the Saviour agree—
_Sixthly_—The LORD’S SUPPER.—1st. I shall notice the Nature and Design
of it. 2ndly. Point out the Characters who have a Right to partake of
it. 3rdly. Answer some of the Objections brought against such a
partaking of it, by some of those very Persons who have a Right to it;
and in so doing I will not encourage the Pharisee or the Libertine, nor
bolster up an Hypocrite with false evidences, but descend to the lowest
class of God’s People; none else have any Right, either to Doctrines,
Promises, Ordinances, or Evidences. Reader, all the faults are mine, but
the truths are God’s.
The Lord’s Supper ought always to follow Baptism—the one is preparatory
to the other, and none but those who submit to the one, ought to be
admitted to the other; at least this was the ancient custom among the
first Christians, who had light given them to see the Order and Design of
them both. This is called the Body and Blood of Christ, not really so,
but symbolically represented to our faith. Some call it the Ordinance—so
it is; but the term is not emphatic enough—the Scriptures call it _the
Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ_, because the People of God
held communion with Christ and one another. It is called _this Bread_,
and _this Cup of the Lord_. Sometimes it is expressed by the _Breaking
of Bread_—a part for the whole. It is called _the Lord’s Table_—a Table
he has furnished, as an emblem of Christ. It is called a _Feast_—_Let us
keep the Feast_. But the best phrase of all is the _Lord’s Supper_—a
Supper, the last Ordinance the Lord instituted, and at which he has
promised his gracious presence. It was instituted and first eaten at
night; and was first performed by our Lord the evening in which he was
betrayed; nor does this detract from the grandeur of the entertainment;
though it is of little consequence what part of the day it is celebrated,
yet I certainly give the preference to the evening, as it is better
calculated to remind us of that evening when our dear Redeemer went out
into the Garden of sad Gethsamane; the night Judas betrayed him—the night
Christ’s holy soul endured the wrath of God—the night he sweat drops of
blood—the night he struggled with, and overcame the powers of Hell; ’twas
on that dark, that doleful night! Permit me here to observe, that this
is the best time, much better than an afternoon, when people and
ministers are generally dull in their frames. The divine authority we
have for keeping it is because it was instituted by Christ himself. How
dare Quakers and black Antinomians ridicule this as a carnal Ordinance!
it is a spiritual Feast, made by a spiritual King, for a spiritual
People, to be received in a spiritual way. This is peculiar to the
Gospel Dispensation; perhaps typified in the Old Testament, by
Melchisedec, who was the Priest of the most high God, and brought forth
bread and wine to refresh Abraham and his weary troops; and how many
times has the same High Priest refreshed his dear people in his
Ordinances, particularly in the Supper-Scene? Perhaps it was perpetually
represented by Wisdom in the Proverbs, saying to simple souls, called out
of darkness into light, _Come eat of my Bread and drink of the wine which
I have mingled_. And when we meet with Christ, and enjoy his presence in
this Ordinance, we know what is meant by the _mingled wine_. This
Ordinance appears a more clear command than any other, and it is to
continue till Christ comes the second time; and this second coming
referred to, is in his power and glory, at the last day. Some have
attempted to allegorize it, and they tell us we are not to keep this
Ordinance now, because Christ did come the second time on the Day of
Pentecost, and then all Figures and Shadows vanished. But this objection
is groundless; the Shadows of the Ceremonial Law were abolished, but all
figures are not done away—_Baptism_ is a Figure, and to be observed—the
_Lord’s Supper_ is a Figure of his Body broken and his Blood shed, to
take away Sin. And this is plain by the Text, which was received by Paul
long after the Descent of the Holy Ghost on the Day of
Pentecost—delivered to him, and the Holy Spirit, by him, has commanded it
to be kept till the end of the world. The Matter of it First, _Bread_,
not wafer Cakes, which are not properly Bread, nor broken, nor fit for
nourishment, and so not a proper emblem. _The Bread which we break_, _is
it not the Communion of the Body of Christ_?—not his mystical Body, but
an emblem of his natural Body, which he took into union with his
Godhead.—Secondly, _Wine_. This is another part of the Ordinance; and
the Matter of it a symbol of the Blood of Christ—_This is my Blood_.—Paul
says, _The Cup of Blessing which we bless_, _is __it not the Communion of
the Blood of Christ_?—_The Blood of the New Testament_. Every action of
the Redeemer, in its institution, is worthy of our highest regard. _He
took Bread_—this was to shew his act of taking our flesh. _He blessed
it_, that it might be nourishing to our Faith, and encouraging to our
Hope. _He brake it_—to shew he should be broken for us. _He gave it to
his Disciples_—to shew he had given himself to his People, for their
eternal Salvation. The grand Design, then, of this Ordinance appears to
be, simply, to preach Christ more clearly and sensibly—to bring him more
to their feelings or senses than hearing. _Faith cometh by hearing_—but
in this Ordinance we taste, touch, handle, and have Christ evidently set
forth as crucified, for our Faith to apprehend. It is to remind us of
his Love, in that wonderful breaking forth of it, in his dreadful
Sufferings, and painful, though victorious Death. This is designed to
arrest our attention, and call forth our love, wonder, admiration, and
praise—to lead us to the contemplation of his Agony and bloody Sweat—when
in a cold night, such was the agitation of his Soul, beneath the Wrath of
God, the Guilt of our Sin, and his Struggles with the Powers of Hell,
that he exclaimed _My Soul_ (being truly human) _is exceeding sorrowful_,
_even unto death_. _O_! _my Father_, _if it be possible_, _let this Cup
pass from me_. Here it was his great mind took in all the evil,
apprehended all the vileness that was in Sin. Our Sins here beset him,
stared him in the face; encompassed him, and he felt their burden so
heavy, he was filled with amazement and terror. _Now it pleased the
Father to bruise him_—he was exposed to the whole storm of divine Wrath;
he was in an Agony, such as had never been felt before by any one—it
covered his whole Body with a bloody Sweat, which started from his Veins,
came out at the Pores, and fell in clots on the ground! The Curse due to
the Sins of the Elect, seized him and fell on him.—Here it was he offered
up _strong cries and tears to God_. At this time his heart melted like
wax, so that he might well say, _I am poured out like water_. In the
midst of this Agony he was betrayed by an apostate Apostle, seized on by
an insulting rabble, led from the Garden, first to Annas, next to
Caiaphas, and then to Pilate; from him to Herod, then back again to the
Roman Governor. Here he endured the contradiction of Sinners against
himself—He stands at Pilate’s Bar—then uncovered, bound to a pillar, and
flogged by merciless men—a thousand Roman soldiers, perhaps, around him,
and each gave him a wound—being bound so fast to the post, as that his
arms were ready to break. Now the Ploughers _ploughed on his Back_, _and
made long furrows_—he was wounded that his flesh was made black and blue
with blows—they continued their strokes till they made him bare to the
very bone—then he was untied and turned, and tied up again, so as to
wound that part which yet remained whole—then platting a crown of thorns,
drove them into his Temples, so that they entered into his Skull, so that
the pain was exquisite—they put a reed or cane in his hand, struck him
with it—mocked his Offices—put on his Body an old coat—they smote him
with their hands.—He came forth, wearing the purple robe and crown of
thorns. But, O! what an object of grief, sorrow, and pain! He looks
around him, and exclaims, _Beheld the Man_! while his every step was
marked with blood! The rabble still cry out, _Away with him_! _Crucify
him_!—He goes forth, and ascends the Hill, where his dear Body was nailed
to the cursed tree. See him giving his dear Hands, with all the meekness
and patience of a Lamb, to the cruel executioners, while they, hard as
adamant, drove the rugged iron through them. His Body was stretched on
the cold Cross, his Hands and Feet bored through with iron pins, from
which the Blood gushed out abundantly. Here was _a fountain opened_,
under the Wrath of God! The heavens gathering a dismal gloom, he cried
out, _My God_, _my God_! _why hast thou forsaken me_?—All these sorrows,
and infinitely more than these, our Jesus experienced for our Salvation.
This is what is represented in the Supper—and “Hard is the wretch that
never felt one soft affection move;” for, “Did ere such love and sorrow
meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?” And I must doubt the state of
those who despise this Ordinance as carnal, seeing it is the last request
of him who is God-Man Mediator, our friend, and eternal _all_.
I now proceed, 2ndly, _To point out the Characters that are incited_, for
whom this was instituted, and _who have a right to partake of this
Ordinance_. Negatively—No Unbeliever, no ignorant Persons, who know
neither God nor themselves; no immoral Character; no Pharisee, Worldling,
or Hypocrite—these, if they could be found out, ought to be denied; but
the _Tares and the Wheat_ must grow together till the _Harvest_—the wise
and foolish Virgins will keep on till the midnight Cry is made; the
sacred Scriptures are the grand touch-stone—all must be weighed in these
Balances of the Sanctuary; Doctrines, Experience, Ordinances, and
Characters, must be according to this Word. As all Promises, so all
Ordinances are for the People of God; and these People go by various
names in Scripture—perhaps the best is that of Children. The most lovely
character of God is that of a Father, and the nearest idea of
relationship is that of Children: this term relates to the whole Election
of Grace, among Jews and Gentiles. God called the Israelites his
Children, and the same name is given to his chosen among the
Gentiles—_More are the Children of the Desolate than the Children of the
married Wife_, saith the Lord. As Children, and by virtue of our
adoption into his family, as the fruit of eternal love, all the
Ordinances of the Gospel are ours—_all are yours_, _and ye are Christ’s_.
As Children, he has provided a Table, and he, as our Father, loves to see
us at it—we have a right to it; to this priviledge all the Children of
God were appointed—_having predestinated us to the adoption of Children_;
this was an eternal act. But I shall now consider, Why they are so
called, which will give us to see whether we have any evidence in our
souls that we are the Children of God, and have the _Spirit of Adoption_,
to say, _Father_, _Father_. _Doubtless thou art our Father_. If
Children, then, in the _First_ place, _We must be born again_: this
originates in his will—_of his own will begat he us_. This New Birth is
the sovereign Act of God—_Born not of the will of the flesh_, _but of
God_. This Work is solely through the Agency of God the Holy
Spirit—_Except a man be born of Water and the Spirit_, _he cannot see_
(that is to say, _enjoy_) _the kingdom of Heaven_. The means he usually
makes use of is the Word—_being born_, _not of corruptible Seed_, _but
the Word of God_. Sometimes through the Ministry of Men—_My little
Children_, _for whom I travel in Birth—Timothy_, _my own son in the
Faith_. This New Birth is produced by the inhabitation of the Spirit, he
forms this new Man at once; our knowledge of it is progressive. This
work on the heart consists. First, in spiritual _Light_ in the mind. By
this we are led to see our lost state by Nature, and the Suitableness of
Jesus. This, (as an evidence it is of God, in a covenant way) is always
attended with humble confession, self-abhorrence, seeking after Pardon in
the Atonement of Christ; after a better righteousness than our own, and a
sense of God’s favour; and wherever this Work is begun, such souls
cannot, will not rest till they have found that _Pearl of greatest
price_—their eyes are open to see the value of it. Secondly, _Life_—this
distinguishes a Believer from an Hypocrite, or a mere nominal Professor.
This is God’s Blessing on Mount Zion; and it is felt by the most lively
and keen sensations of the Burden of Sin; of the Guilt, the Power, and
Love of it—this arms Death—this makes Judgment and Eternity formidable.
This Life is felt and discovered in hungering and thirsting after Christ,
as the Rest of his Saints. This is to be seen and felt under the
Word—sometimes in reproving, directing, comforting, instructing, and
building up. This Life is felt when God proclaims Liberty to the Soul;
for as Life must be in the heart, to feel Bondage, so we can always tell
by the same in Liberty.—This New Birth is attended with much pain, many
conflicts, and gloomy fears—in some Children of God they are lighter than
others, but all are taught by the same Spirit, and the work is the same
in all, in point of its Nature.—The Third, is _Love_. This is infused
into the mind as a holy Principle, though it is not shed abroad till it
is felt, casting out fear, which hath torment—_this is born of God_, _and
sinneth not_. When Light and Life come into the Soul, Love always
attends it; and though it is but little exercised under the Workings of
Conviction, yet it is in the Heart—this is evident, for let a Believer be
under what Law-Work he may, he, at times, feels a love to Truth and to
Jesus, though he cannot see his interest in him, yet he desires to love
him above all. He feels a love to Ministers of the Truth, though he is
cut up root and branch by them, yet he loves them. He loves the
Ordinances, and wishes he could see his right to them. He loves the
People of God, thinks they all excel him, and sometimes is envious of
their felicity; not that he would deprive them of what they enjoy, but he
is jealous lest God loves them and not him. I might mention _Fear_, as
it is a covenant Blessing; but wherever there is Love, there is a holy,
child-like, filial Fear. These things evidence God is our Father, Christ
our Friend, and shew our Right to this and every other
Ordinance.—_Secondly_, by our _Food_; the Holy Spirit having given us
spiritual Appetites; and having graciously provided spiritual Food for
his Children, he has _been_ pleased to send his Ministers to proclaim it;
and setting before his People the Blessings of an everlasting Covenant,
in the everlasting Love of God, and made known in an everlasting Gospel,
by Ministers of his own sending. _Christ_, in the Glories of his Person,
in the Love of his Heart, in his atoning Sacrifice, in his perfect
Obedience, in his Sufferings, victorious Death, Burial, Resurrection, and
Ascension, in his covenant Engagements, and lovely Offices. This is the
Food of an immortal mind, and well calculated to satisfy it. All the
Promises of the Word, the Invitations, and precious Declarations, are set
forth as Food for his Children, and we can feed upon nothing else. All
the Doctrines of the Gospel, and all the Perfections of God, as displayed
in our complete Salvation—if these things are precious to us, this is
another evidence that we are Children of God, and have a Right to his
Ordinances.—Thirdly, by our _Clothing_. The Obedience of Christ to the
Law, is a Robe, the best, or first Robe, lined with Love, and hemmed
round with every precious Promise. This imputed to us by the Father,
wrought out by the Son, brought into the Conscience by the Spirit, and
apprehended by the hand of Faith, we are justified freely, by this
covenant Act of Grace. This we sweetly enjoy, when _the Spirit bears
witness to our spirits_—at all times we depend on it, for our
Righteousness before God. _Humility_ is another part of our cloathing,
as Children—_be ye clothed with Humility_. _Zeal_.—This at times is put
on; the Exercises of the Graces of the Spirit, on their proper Objects,
is called Garments; and while God says, _Put on thy beautiful Garments_,
we can say, _I will greatly rejoice in the Lord_, _for he hath clothed me
with the Garments of his Salvation_. This shews our Right to the Lord’s
Supper. _Fourthly_, in our _Education_. God the Spirit trains us up in
the way we should go. Hence it is written, _They shall be all taught of
God_. We sit down at the feet of Christ, and learn the Emptiness of the
Creature; the Vanity of the World; the Danger of a Form of Godliness
without the Power; the dangerous Tendency of false Doctrines; the Devices
of the Devil; the Workings of the old Man; the perpetual Warfare between
the Flesh and the Spirit; the Difference between the Law and the Gospel;
a Minister of the Spirit and one of the mere Letter; what it is to forget
the things that are behind, and to be pressing on to know, win, and
apprehend Christ as our Salvation, who first loved, choose, and
apprehended us. These are some of the many Lessons we learn in his
School—and who teacheth like him? We learn how to walk by Faith, live by
Faith; to make use of Christ, as the whole Armour of God; and to rejoice
in his eternal Love, and immutable Covenant—and these evidence our Right
to the sacramental Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ.—I might
here mention the _Corrections_ we received—_for whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth_, _and scourgeth every Son he receiveth_. Mark that! they are
_Sons_. The kind Presents, the Love-Tokens, the Deliverances, the
Support, the Protection, Care, long Suffering, Kindness, Compassion which
our Father manifests to us, in public and in private; the Letters he
kindly accepts from us, while we are out at School; the kind Answers he
gives; the Presents he sends; the Indulgences he grants; all evidence he
is our Father, and we his Children.—I now appeal to my own Soul, and to
all who hear me, What know we of these Things? Examine yourselves; let a
Man examine by the Touchstone of God’s Word: if the above are Things you
have felt and known, in some degree, then you are welcome to the
Sacrament. Approach the Table, let nothing keep you back—Obey his
Commands, they are the Commands of a Father to his Children; of a King to
his Subjects; of a Master to his Servants; of a Captain to his Soldiers;
but, above all, the Intreaty of a dying Friend to those he loves. This
leads me,
3rdly. _To answer some Objections_—there really is no end to objecting.
I principally intend to answer the Objections of those who are Children
of God, who through weakness of Judgment, and Faith, and for want of
clear Evidences, scruple about their Right to the Lord’s Supper.—Here I
scarcely know how to begin, the objections are so numerous. I will
answer the few following: Some object, Because, say they, I am so very
bad; I have such Evils in my Nature; such Thoughts in my Heart; such
Fears I shall never be saved.—These Objections are frivolous; if you
tarry till you are better, you will never come; you cannot come too bad
to Jesus—_I will in no wise cast out_. You must come to every Ordinance,
and to Jesus, as a Sinner, vile and polluted. Away then with that legal
notion, that proud spirit! for this Objection arises from Pride: it is,
in fact, saying, If I was better than I am, I should have less need of
Jesus, and less need of his Grace. Besides, not any thing you feel can
justify you in the breach of a plain Command.—_Do this in remembrance of
me_. Another objects to the Table, because it is not essential to
Salvation; then I wonder you do not object to hearing, to reading, to
praying—for none of these things are essential to Salvation; and though
it is not essential to your Salvation, you may find it essential to the
Knowledge and Enjoyment of it. Here at the table, God has met with many.
Besides this, though not essential to Salvation itself, yet it is an
essential Command of the eternal Jehovah—_Do this_. Let his Word be
obeyed whether essential to Salvation of not.—Another Objector says, I
think it best to stay till I know more of myself and of God, and then I
will come. This is acting against yourself, as well as the Command: if
the Ordinances are designed to communicate Knowledge to the Mind, and you
feel your need of Knowledge, you ought, above every other, to be in the
use of that Ordinance, to gain a clearer Knowledge—_In the keeping thy
Commands there is great reward_. We cannot get our Knowledge first, and
then come to Ordinances; but in the Ordinances God may be pleased to give
you clearer Knowledge. But do you obey his voice? _My Sheep hear_
(_obey_) _my voice_—_See that ye refuse not him that speaketh from
Heaven_—_Do this_, _in __remembrance of me_.—Another Objector says, I
think it right to wait till I see my interest clear. This appears very
feasible; but, upon examination, this Objection falls to the ground.
When our Lord instituted it and gave it to his Disciples, they did not
make this Objection, and say, Oh, we cannot think of obeying your
Commands, nor receiving the Bread and Wine at your Hands; because you
have not yet manifested yourself clearly to us.—We read of no such
Objection. What Philip said to the Eunuch on another occasion, may be
applied to this—_If thou believest with all thine heart_, _thou mayest_.
If you believe on Jesus, in such a way as to depend on him, look to him,
and desire nothing in comparison with him, your Faith is to grow
exceedingly, even up to full Assurance. By the use of Ordinances, then,
in order to see your Interest clearly, obey his divine Word, _Do this_,
and you shall be blessed, though not for, yet _in_ the deed,
Let not Conscience make you linger,
Nor of Fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth,
Is to feel your need of him.
With respect to others, in reference to Church Orders, this must be left
to the Consciences of Believers, whether they are led to approve of
strict or mixt Communions; as there are Ministers who are faithful and
experimental, of both Parties.—I must pass by many other Objections I
have heard, as scarcely worth attending to. I close, with answering the
old Objection, which arises from the Apostle’s language, _He that eateth
and drinketh unworthily_, _eateth and drinketh his own damnation_, _not
discerning the Lord’s Body_. This has frightened many, and kept them,
through their own legality, from the Table. As to Worthiness, we shall
never possess it; we may as well object to every meal, to the light of
the sun, to every breath we draw, as object to the Table because of our
Unworthiness. To set this Passage in a fair light, it appears there was
a custom in the Corinthian Church, of having a Supper before the
Sacrament: this was, as they said, to imitate Christ, who, with his
Disciples, first kept the Passover Feast, then celebrated his own Supper.
At this Anti-Feast or Supper, they acted so disorderly, exceeding the
bounds of Temperance and Sobriety, that in the midst of such Cheerfulness
and Gaiety, they were not fit to attend to the Lord’s Supper.—_See ver._
20, 21.—All are worthy whom he invites, his Friends, his Beloved, his
Children, because they in the Supper discern the Lord’s Body; but all
others, who have no Knowledge of Christ, nor the Nature of the ordinance,
are considered as unworthy, or unfit persons; and when this Ordinance is
dishonored by such Characters, they dishonor the Saviour it holds forth,
and eat and drink, not eternal _damnation_, but _condemnation_ to
themselves; God testifying his disapprobation of the Abuse of any of his
Ordinances—this he did in the Corinthian Church, (_see ver._ 30) the Lord
chastened them who had behaved in such a disorderly manner, with bodily
infirmity; and although he saved their Souls in himself, yet he actually
took away some by Death. The Unworthiness then spoken of in this Text,
is not of the Persons, but of the unbecoming conduct of those who would
come in a state of Intoxication or Gluttony, to the Lord’s Table; and the
Damnation spoken of, is Guilt, and of course, the sad consequences
attending it; so that this Objection to the Lord’s Table must fail—only
let a Man examine himself, whether he is a Child of God—whether he is in
the Faith and the Faith in him—a Faith, that works by Love—goes out of
self and embraces Christ as his Atonement, Righteousness, and
Strength—that produces good Works, and animates the Mind in the Prospect
of that Joy which never fades away.
JESUS, thy Feast we celebrate,
We shew thy Death, we sing thy Name,
Till thou return, and we shall eat
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
[Picture: Decorative graphic with FINIS on it]
Thomas, Printer. Red Lion St. Borough.
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