Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

This Holy Sacrament is generally fet out in Scripture by Meat and Drink. 'Tis call'd exprefly by the Name of the Lord's Supper. And, fays our Saviour to the Jews, My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed, Joh. 6. And as 'tis expreffed, fo alfo was it prefigured by Types of the like Nature, fuch as the Tree of Life in the midft of Paradife, the Bread and Wine of Melchifedeck, the Manna, the Pafchal Lamb, the Shew-bread, the Bread wherewith the Angel fed the Prophet, and particularly by the Waters fpringing out of the Rock, whereof the Fathers drank in the Wilderness.

Now I confider that as thefe Figures reprefent the Nature and Efficacy of the Holy Sacrament, that 'tis the Food of the Soul, and the Life and Strength of the Spiritual Man, fo they do alfo reprefent to us our Duty, and the proper Measure and Argument of Preparation: For if Meat and Drink be the Entertainment, what more convenient Preparation than Hunger and Thirst? We ought indeed to come to thefe Springs of Salvation, as the Hart is reprefented to do by the Pfalmift to the Waterbrooks, panting and thirsty, longing and impatient. Or rather, to ufe a nearer Emblem, as thofe thirsty Ifraelites did to the Waters that iffued out of that Myftic Rock in the Wildernefs. 'Tis impoffible to give a juft Defcription of this Sacramental Thirst; but if we could but fo far advance our Fancy, as to reprefent to our felves with what Eagerness and Greediness

G 2

thofe

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

those thirsty and fcorched Travellers in the Wilderness did apply their Mouths to the fpringing Stone that was now more indeared to them by the Benefit than by the Miracle, then and then only may we have fome Notion of that Hunger and Thirft wherewith we are to approach and receive thefe Divine Myfteries. For if that Rock and Miraculous Water was a Type of our Sacrament (as the Apostle affures us it was, telling us exprefly that that Rock was Chrift, 1 Cor. 10. 4.) then by the like proportion that Thirft was alfo a Symbol of our Duty, a Signification of our Sacramental Thirft.

AND as he that will come to this Divine Feast, muft come Hungry and Thirfty; fo he that is truly Hungry and Thirfty as he ought, will be fure to come, and not (as too many do) ftudy to find out Pretences to excufe his Abfence. But why do I fay Study to find Excufe? There are fome Men that will be hinder'd by any thing; nay, by every thing. There is nothing, there can be nothing fo little and inconfiderable, but what will hinder fome Men from the Holy Sacrament: That which would not hinder them from any thing elfe, things of much lighter Weight than what were pretended by those in the Parable, the buying of a Farm, or the Trying of a Yoke of Oxen, or the Marrying of a Wife. If the Heavens do but frown, or if they themselves are never fo little out of Humour if a Vifit be intended a Day after, or if a Domeftick Jar happen'd a Day before, they presently keep

keep off from the Sacrament. Nay, fome are fo very abfurd, that though they themselves are in perfect Charity with all the World, and have not the leaft Tincture of the old Leven remaining in them, yet if another Perfon happen to be out with them, they fhall think this a fufficient Warrant to stay away from the Sacrament; which amounts to as much as if a Man fhould fay, Because another Perfon has finn'd against me, therefore I will fin against God and my self, and fo be fure to outdo him.

But there is a Degree of Folly beyond this. There are fome that cover over this grofs Negleft, which comes the neareft of any thing to what the Apostle calls Trampling upon the blood of the covenant, and doing defpite to the Spirit of Grace, with the fpecious Pretence of Reverence. They have, forfooth, fo profound a Reverence for the Holy Sacrament, that they cannot find in their Hearts to come to it. A very odd Way of expreffing Reverence to any Divine Inftitution, by turning ones Back upon it. This is fuch a Reverence as the Jews pretend towards the Tetragrammaton, or Name Jehovah, which confifts in their never using it. Such a Reverence (if fo much) as the Papifts fhew to the Hoft, when they carry it in Proceffion, to be gazed upon, and ftared at. But do these Men, indeed, reverence the Sacrament? Then one would expect, at least, that when-ever they do come, they fhould behave themselves there with more Devotion and Reverence than others that are most conftant.

G3

conftant. But there is nothing like to be observed. Nor do I at all wonder at it, fince the Way to Communicate well, is to Communicate often. And I farther remark, That thofe who behave themselves most irreverently at all other Parts of Divine Worship, are the very Men that ftay most away from the Holy Altar, upon the Pretence of Reverence.

But how comes it to pass that this is the only Part of Religion that must be neglected' upon the Account of Reverence? Do they do fo by any other Part of Religion? 'Tis true, indeed, that all the other Parts of Divine Worfhip are too much neglected, as well as this; but I do not find that ever any were fo abfurd as to pretend Reverence for the neglecting of them; and why then should they do it here?

Búr do thefe Men indeed reverence the Holy Sacrament? Why then do they not pay fome Regard to the Command it felf, as well as to the Matter of it? Do this, fays our Saviour, in remembrance of me. Why fhould all the Reverence be fixed upon This, and none upon Do? Or, if they do reverence the Command, how are they not afraid of breaking it? Or how can a Command be reverenced by not obferving it? Do this in remembrance of me. If the doing this be in Remembrance of our Saviour, then the not doing it is to forget him: And how can he pretend Reverence to the Inftitution, that forgets the Author of it?

[ocr errors][merged small]

AND here I cannot but take Notice of another grofs Notion that I find paffes very current among Common People. They think all the Danger lies in Coming unprepared: If they eat and drink unworthily, then nothing but Death and Damnation: But if they ftay away, all is fafe and well. As if a Man might not destroy himself with Fafting, as well as by taking Poison. These Men ought to confider that there is fuch a thing as an Unworthy Non-Communicant, as well as an Unworthy Communicant. And I wish they would read a certain Book that bears that Title, 1 be Unworthy Non-Communicant: They would then perhaps be fenfible of fome other Danger, befides that of Coming without fufficient Preparation. In the mean time, all that I fhall farther fay to those Men is, that what-ever Pretences they make to Christianity, 'tis certain they have not that Hunger and Thirst which is fo neceffary to the Life of a Chriftian, and which, if they had it, would bring them oftner to this Spiritual Banquet, and procure them the Bleffing of being filled, and replenished. To the Confideration of which I now return.

Now there are two Ways of being filled; either Abfolutely and Simply, fo as not to be any more in Defires: Or with refpect to fome certain Object, fo as not to defire any more of the fame; tho', fimply fpeaking, you do defire ftill. The First of thefe is Satisfaction, the Second is Satiety: And those that duly hunger and thirst after Righteousness shall be filled both Ways; that is,

G4

They

« AnteriorContinuar »