of which it is faid, Apocalyps the nineteenth chapter and the ninth verle, bleed are they which are called to the Lambs (upper. Again, it is reafon Chrift fhould receive us in two forts. Fuft, In refpect of the communicants or commers; for there is no man ever in better ftate and more difpofed to be received, than at the celebration of this Sacrament. If a contrite fpirit for finne can set a man in ftate to be received of Chrift, man is moft contrite and broken in heart at this time: If Chrift will then receive us, when he may dwell in our hearts by faith, Ephefians the third chapter, at this time is our fai.h at the higheft; for when we have the body and blood of Chrift in our hands, then it makes us fay with Thomas, John the twentieth chapter, Domine mi, & Deus mi: If prayer, made with boldneffe and confidence, may move Chrift at any time to receive, we never have more confidence in prayer than at that time; then the love of God most of all fhed in our hearts, by the holy Ghost, Romans the fift chapter and the fift verfe, by which we are rece ved not only to give, for no man is to appear empty, but alfo ro forgive, as Chrift willeth, That remembring our brethren hath ought against us, we leave our gift and be reconciled, Matthew the fift chapter: If at any one time more than other Chrift be more ready to receive, then is he maximè receptivus. Secondly, In refpect of the action it felf, which is a memorial of that facrifice, which he offered at his death to God for fins: Then he received the thief that faid, Lord, remember me when thou comeft inte thy Kingdome, Luke the twenty third chapter. Then he prayed for his perfecutors, Father forgive them. Therefore there is a great congruicy, that now much more he must be carefull to us and receive us, when we celebrate the remembrance of his goodneffe and mercie. But the chief point is, that in the Sacrament Chrift himself is received; and therefore it is very fit, that he which is to be received, be ready to receive them that come to him. The fecond Condition is touching the Fathers gift, All that my F4ther giveth. Which is a limitation: For, as many preffed upon Christ, but there was but one that tou hed, that was the woman healed of her iffue of blood, Luke the eight chapter and the fourty fift verfe; fo many come to the Lords Table, but to the end they may be received they must be known by this mark, he must be datus à Patre, tractus, &doctus, John the fixt chapter, the fourty fourth and fourty fift verfes. There are that are dati ab hominibus, or, as the Apostle speaks, the first epistle of Peter the fecond chapter and the thirteenth verfe, ab humana ordinatione, that is, the most part come not, being given or drawn of the Father, but compelled by man: Their fear is taught by mens precepts, Matthew the fifteenth chapter, and Ifaiah the twenty ninthi chapter. Again, there are that have a fhew of Godlinesfe, the first epiftle to Timothie the third chapter: Such come not upon any motion of Gods fpirit, that they feel in themfelves, but for fafhions fake: They will not be seen to refufe the order of the Church, but doe as others doe; but they that are given to Chrift of God,are fuch as come of of confcience, knowing they ought to performe this duty of thankfulneffe to God; fuch as hunger and thirft after the righteoufneffe of Chrift, the fpiritual food of their fouls, in confcience of their own unworthinelle and ill defervings; and therefore feek for righteoufneffe in him, with as great defire as for bodily food; they that come with fuch an earneft inclination, as given and drawn of the Father. This doth diftinguish true Chriftians from Counterfeits, which fay I know not whether the Father doc give me to Chrift, and therefore I will not come but to fuch Chrift answers, Matthew the eighteenth chapter and the fourteenth verfe, Non eft voluntas patris, ut unus de pufillis illis pereat, De pufillis, dixit, faith Augustine, non de. timentibus. Chrift meaneth not fuch as are little in refpect of the world, but but little in their own eyes, that are not poffeffed with a fpiritual pride of their own righteoufneffe, as though they need not. now to come, another time will ferve. It was the opinion of Feftus, Acts the twenty fourth chapter, when I have convenient leafure, I will fend for thee, So they think another time will be more fit than the prefent occafion; and fo Christ must wait upon them, they may not wait upon Chrift. But as the Pharifees defpifed the counfel of God and would not be baptized by Fohn, Luke the feventh chapter and the thirtieth verfe; io doe thefe defpife the counsel of Christ against themselves, whofe purpofe happily was even at this time to have received them: But because they defpifed his counfel,that happeneth to them which befell Saul, whom Samuel tels, That if he had kept the Lords commandement, he had now established his Kingdome for ever upon Ifrael, the first book of Samuel the thirteenth chapter and the thirteenth verfe: but for that he defpifed the oportunity now, it is removed to another. And of them that come, it may be they will come, but with Cains fpirit, not caring how or what oblation they give to God: But they muft come as given of the Father, and not tanquam ab hominibus dati, they may not come like him that fate down at the Marriage, without a wedding garment, Matthew the twenty fecond chapter. Who fo commeth in that manner, as he, fhall not be received, for that he is not given of the Father; fo he shall be caft out into utter darknesse. Thirdly, The promise is, They that come after this manner, fball not be caft out; Which is fet out earnestly by Chrift with a double negation, un inga, that is, never, at no hand. This fpeech is not vain glorious; for Chrit doth performe it and more, as when the Propnet faith, Thou for fakeft not them that feeke thee, Pfalm the ninth the meaning is, they not only finde God, but with him finde joyes and glory everlasting: So he that comes to Chrift is not only, not caft out, but received to be a member of Chrifts mystical body, and partaker of the divine nature, the second epistle of Peter the first chapter and the fourth verfe. What is meant by being caft out, appears by the cafting out of the dry branch, that bringeth forth no fruit, Fohn the fifteenth chapwhich is to be cast into the fire, by the falt that hath loft his favour ter, and and is caft out, Matthew the fitt chapter; by the bad fish caught in the ner, which is cast away, Matthew the thirteenth chapter and the fourty eight verfe. This cafting out, is a degree to that casting intoutter) darkneffe, which Chrift peaketh of. There is a fecond foras, that is, out of the Church, as John the minth chapter and the thirty fourth verfe, of whom Chrift faith, Mark the fourth chapter and the eleventh verfe, but to them which are without, the first epiftle to the Corinthians the filt chapter and the twelfth verfe, What have ye to doe with them that are without? that is, the: Heathen: And this is nothing but a difpofition to the fecond foras, that is, to be caft our of the Kingdome of Heaven; of which, Apoca yps the twenty fecond chapter and the fifteenth verle for as autem erant. canes, and to be caft into the lake that burns with fire and brimflone, where their fmoak fhall afcend for ever, where the worm never dyeth, and the fire is never quenched, where they shall wish for death, and death shall flie. from them. This is the state of them that are caft out. 3 But Chrift promiseth, That who fo commeth to him, being given, shall not be caft out, but shall be quit from death and damnation: He doth not only receive them, and eat with them; but receives them into that union that is inter alitum & alimentum, that is, to be one with him which is a greater union than is either between brother and brother, or between man and wife; for herein is that verified, That we are received to be partakers of the Divine nature, by partaking whereof, he is in us and we in him; we and Chrift are made one; we receive him, and he receives us : So that as God cannot hate Christ, so he cannot but love us, being ingraffed into him. Thus it comes to paffe that we are not caft out, but are made partakers of all the good things of Chrift, who faith to him that comes to him, Luke the fifteenth chapter, Omnia nostra tua funt, and Matthew the fifteenth chapter, Intra in gaudium, Domini, that is the chief point in this promile. As for them that come not to Chrift, howsoever they deserve to. be caft out, yet Chrift doth not caft them out, but they caft out them-. felves,in as much sthey fever themselves from this Sacrament, which is the holy of holieft; and from the memorial of his loving kindness : He that commeth not to the Lords Supper, fets himself in the state of the Heathen; which albeit they have a kinde of prayer, and a knowledg, no leffe than we, yet come not fo farre as to celebrate this Sacrament: He is in no better state than the Jews and Turks, which albeit they beleeve the creation of the world, and the last Judgment, yet acknowledge not Chrift, nor come to him tanquam panis vita. But they must come to the Lords Supper, if they will be bidden to the Lambs Supper: Neither may they defer to come at their own pleafure; for it may be now is the time that Chrift will receive them, and if they neglect the opportunity, they fhall be caft out, as Saul was, in the first book of Samuel the thirteenth chapter. It remains that we ftirre up in our felves a willingneffe to come: For to come is a voluntary action, as Chrift tells us, John the fift chapter, Vosnon vultis venire ad me nam qui venit,ideò venit,quia voluit venire, unk fle us, unleffe we be as willing to come, as Chrift is to receive, all is nothing, Matthew the twenty third chapter and thirty feventh verfe, Quotie's volui, & noluiftis? How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a Hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not? Therefore we must beware of removing this willingneffe from our felves. To this end we must continually pray that Chrift will work in us this willingneffe; that the Father will draw us by his fpirit and fay with Peter, Matthew the fourteenth chapter and the twenty eight verfe, Domine, mitte me ad te venire; let me be in numero pufillorum, non timentium; one of thofe Little ones that willingly will come as often as they may, and not like thofe that fwell with pride, and lay another time will ferve as well as now, as Davids fervants faid to Na ball, in the firft book of Samuel the twenty fift chapter, We come now in a good time, for thou makest a feast, and art in case to relieve another time peradventure thou wilt not be fo prepared : So men ought to take the opportunity, and to fay in their felves, Now is the time of the celebration of Gods mercy and loving kindneffe: Now we receive Chrift; and therefore there is great hope, that if we come, he will receive us: Now we celebrate the memory of his death, when he was content to receive the thief that came unto bim; and therefore it is moft likely that he will receive us, if we come to him. Bu if we come not now, happily we fhall not be received when we would. It is Chrifts will, That they which are given him of the Father, be with him where he is, and may behold his glory, John the feventeenth chapter and the twenty fourth verfe. Therefore it ftands us upon to come to "Chrift, that he may receive us to be one with him in the life of grace, and partakers with him in his Kingdom of glory. Qui verò hac audierunt compuncti funt corde, & dixerunt att, 2.37a UR Saviour Chrift promifed Peter Acts the fift April, 12, Gggg Which 1 Which when we advisedly confider, it cannot but be matter, First, Of great comfort, Teaching us, that albeit we be great finners as the Jews that put the fonne of God to death, yet there is a quid faciemus? what to doe, that is, a hope of remiffion of finnes. Se condly, Of inftruction touching the means, That if we repent and be pricked in heart with the confideration of our finnes as they were, we shall attain this mercie which they received. First, St. Luke fets down the Sermon of Peter. Secondly, The fruit and effect of it. As the Sermon it felf propounds the death and Refurrection of Chrift; fo in the effect that followed of it, we see the means how we are made partakers of his death and Refurrection; and that is fet down in these two verfes; which contain a question and an answer. In the question is to be obferved, Firft, the caufe of it, that is, the compunction of their hearts Secondly, the cause of that compunction, and that was the hearing of Peters Sermon, Touching this effect, which Peters Sermon wrought in the hearts of his hearers, it is compuncti funt corde. Wherein note two things, First, the work it felf. Secondly, the part wherein (of the work it felf) it is faid, they were pricked. Wherein first we are to oblerve, That the firft work of the fpirit and operation of the word, is compunction of heart; howbeit the word being the word of glad tidings and comfort, it is ftrange it should have any fuch operation, but that Chrift hath foretold the fame, John the fixteenth chapter, When the comforter comes, he fball reprove the world of finne. Now reproof is a thing that enters into the heart; as Proverbs the twelfth chapter and the eighteenth verfe, There is that Speaketh words like the prickings of a fword; and as Chrift gave warning before hand; to now when the holy Ghost was given, we see that Peters hearers are reproved and pricked in their confciences, that they dealt so cruelly with Chrift. As this befalleth the Elect of God; fo there is another fpirit called by the fame name of pricking, vega varav bas, Romans the eleventh chapter and the eighth verfe, that is, the fpirit of flamber, which fhews it felf upon thofe that shall not be faved. Touching the manner of this operation, we fee it is not a tickling or itching, but a pricking, and that no light one, but fuch as pearced deeply into their hearts, and caufed them to cry: Whereby we fee it is not the fpeaking of fair words, faying with the falfe Prophets, Je remiah the twenty third chapter,The Lord hath faid ye fhall have peaces it is not that arozia xỳ Brozia, Romans the fixteenth chapter and the eighteenth verle, that makes this effect, but this fpeaking. The part wherein this work was wrought, was the heart, as Like the twenty fourth chapter, they burned in their hearts; and Hofea the second chapter and the fourteenth verfe, I will speak to their hearts. So it was no iching of the cares, in the fecond epile to Timothie the fourth chapter,or of the brain that they felt, but a pricking of the very heart; and so should we be affected at the hearing of the word. As he that is pricked in the flesh, is difquieted, till he have remedy; fo fhould the |