[afes a1zd T>irefl:ioi!S about the Sacrament. Phyfick or food (how good focvcr) is not to be taken which would kill the taker; GodsO d' nances are not appointed for o~r. dc{huCbon ?ut f?r our edification, and fo mull: bt ufed as ten:c:r 1 h thereunto. Yet tO thofc Chnfhans who are m thts cafe and dare not communicate I mufipur h" OE,~llion? How dare you fo l?ng refUfe it? He that confenreth to the Covenant ma; boldly come ~n~ figmfie hts Confcnt, and rccetvc the fcaled Covenant of God : i'or Confent is your preparation 0 h ncceffary conditi.on ~f your Right : If you Conjb1t not, you rcfufe all the mercy of the Co~e:a:r~ And dare you hve m fuch a . !late' Suppofe a Pardon be offered to a condemned Thief, but fo that If he after ea~ 1t m the dnt, or t~rn Traytor, h~ fhall dye a forcr death, will he rather choofe to dye than take 1t, and lay I am afmd I 01all abufe 1t >To rcfufe God1 Cove11•111 is certain death; but to Confem is your preparation and your life. ~eft. 7· 111 §. 25· Q!.e17. 7· But wbat if Sttpcriours compeU {uch a Chriftian to communicate, or elfe tbry wilhxcvmmunic.Jte and imprifon him : !Ybat then Jhould he clnofe l 1 Anfw. If be ""Id d?it w out his own fouls hurt, he !hould obey them ( fuppofing that it · 5 ~1~~~~ 1 /;. :~: no~~in~ but that which in it fe_lf is good that they com~and him.) ~ut they have their power c 1 0 eddicauon and not to ddlruCbon ; and he rnufi value h1s foul abo• 1115 body ; and therefore it is pall queOion that it ls a finaller hurt to be excommunicated and lye and dye in Prifon, than to cafi his foul into dcfpair by doing that which he thinkerh is a grievous fin, and would be his damnation. But all means mufi be ufc:d ro cure the mifiake of his own undnfianding. ~·ft· 8. 9· 26. Quell. 8. Is n.>l the cafe of ail Hypocrite 1ha1 l;_nowetb n01 himf•lf to be an hyp"rite, and of a fincere Chr:ftia;: that Jtttowttb 11ot btm{elf to be fincere, aU. one ar to communicating; n-ben both are eqrully i1t doztbt l . An[w. No: ~or Being and Seeing are things that mull be dilliogui!hed: The one h~th grace in Ecing, though he fee it not ; and therefore hath a Rigbt to the blcflings of the Covenant: and there~ fore a~ once rem:~ineth obliged both to Difcern his Title, and wComt and taJte it: And therefore if he come doubtingly, his fin. is not that he R~riveth, but in the Manner of r::ctiving, that he dorh it doubtingly : And then 'fore it will be a greater fin not to receive at all, unlefs in the lafi mentioned cafe, wherein the confequents are like to be worfe to him: Bu't the other hath no true R6pcntance or Faith, or love h1 Bciftg; and therefore bath noRight to the blefiings of the Covenant: and there– fore at prefent is Obliged to difccrn that he is graceL::[s, and to Repent of it : and it is not his fin that he donbm/J of his title, but that he demandeth and taketh what he hath no title to : And therefore it is a greater fin in him to Take it, than to delay in older to his recovery and preparation. Yea, even in point of Comfort, there is fome difpariry: i'~or though the true Chrifiian harh fa·r great.. u terr6rs than hypocrites, when he taketh himfelf to be an unworthy Receiver (as 1ieing more fenfiblc and regardful of the weight of the matter ), yet ufually in the midll of all his fears, there are fame fecrer trflimonies in his heart of the Love ofGod, which are a Cordial of hope that keep him from finking into dtfpair, and have more lift and power in them than all the hypocrites falfe perfwaftons of his own finceri:ty. ~ell• 9· 9· 27· ~ell. 9· Wherein lytth the fin of an hypocrile and ungodly perfon, if he do receive l A11[w. Hu fin is, 1. In lying and hypoarlfie ; in that he profdfeth to Rtprnt u>ifeignedly of bil fin, and to be refolved for a holy life, and to llelieve in'Chrifi, and to Accept him on his Covenant~tcrms, and to give up himfclf to God as his Fathtr', his Saviour and his Sanctifier, and to forfake the fle!h, the wotld and the Devil, when indeed he never did any of this, but fccredy abborretb ir at his heart, and will not be ptrfwaded ro it : And fo all this profrf!ion, and his very C•vena••ingil fclf, and his i?..ectiving, as it is a profrffing~Covtnanting·fign, is nothing but a v.ery .rye. And what it is to lye to the Ho/)' Chrj~~ the cai'e ot Ananiai and SaJZphira tellcth us. 2. It is ufurp!ltion to come and lay daim Commandto tho{e Emt.hts which he hath no title" ro. 3• lt is a prophanation of thefe holy myfi:eries, to be rhus mcot1. & 3· ufcd : and it is a>:aking of Gods Name in -lain, who is a jealous God, and will be fanctitied of all lcv.lo. 2 ,3. that draw near U!JtO him:- 4• ~nd it is a wroug_ro the Church of God, and the 'Communion ofSlints, and the honour bf the Ch,IHiin Religion, thaduch ungodly hypocrites intrude •s members : As it is •to rhc: Kings Army, when the entrnies ~pies creep in atnongfi them·; or to his Marriage-feaft to have a gucft in r,tg~.· Matth. 22.-1~, J.z, Ob)eC!.Rilt 'it iJ no L~e) becaufe they tbi;Jk,. they [Jy I rue in their '[>rcfiffion .Anftr· That is th•ough their linful negligence and felf·dtceir : And he is a lyar that fpeaks a tal010od, which he way and ough1 to know to be a f•lfhood, though he do nol know it. There is a Lyar in Ra{1utrji ~nd Negligt;rce, as well as of fit purpnfe. ~cft· 10 : ~· 28. ~dt IO· DDth ~u unWorthy receiving mak.,e a m.m lyab/e to dJnmation? Or w.!;a: unt~~orI Lor. 1t. :zS, thinrji if h jbat if fo tbrt~muJ ? •9· A•f"'· !;here are ehrce forts of unwmhinefs ("or unfimefs ) and ihree forts of judgemw anfwerably to be feared: 1. There i< the utter unworthinefs of an Infidel, or Impenitent ungodly hypo– crite: And damnation to H'!\l fire is the punifhrnent that fuch mufi expeel, if converfion prevent it nor: 2· Th~re is an unworthintfs throngl1 fome great aud fcandalous crime, which a regenerate per!on falkth into : and this 010u!d Hop him from the Sacrament fo'r a time·, rill he have repented and call away his fin : And if he come before he rife from hi• fall by a particular Repentance, (as the Corimhia111 that tinned in the very ufe of the Sacrament it fclf) they may expeCt fo!l)c notable J{;~;l!:.()ijur- tem~oral j.udgernent at th~ prefent ; (and if Repenta?ce dld .not prevent i~, they mi~ht fe~r.ete~~'al [raJ.. 'tblol. · pum01ment ). 3. There ts that meafure of unworthmefs wh1ch confiHeth m the o~d1?ary 1nfirmi~ICS Britt.rx. in Ar~ of a Saint ~ and this (hould not at all deterr them from the Sacrament, becaufe 1t 15 accomplmed tic.~· with a greater worthinc:fs: yea, though their weaknefs appear in the time and manner of their Receiving: But yet ordinary correCtions may follow thofe ordinary infirmities. ( Thegro§tr aln<fe oftbt Sacrament it felf, I joyn under the fccond rank). 9· '~·
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