A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

1. I beseech you consider whose command it is you break: it is the command of the Lord Jesus; to remember him in this Supper is a debt you owe to him your Saviour, Lord, and head; it is a command that bears the superscription of the most supreme Authority in Heaven or Earth, and if by the sentence of Christ it was but just to pay the tribute-money to Caesar, because it bore his superscription, it is much more just for you to pay the tribute of obedience to this command, that bears the superscription of an Authority greater than all the Caesars that ever were. What's the name of Caesar in compare to the name and title of the Son of God? which is a title that speaks him greater than all Angels or Arch-Angels in Heaven; for to which of his Angels said he at any time, thou art my Son, ¹this day have I begotten thee: this is he whom the Prophet Isaiah calleth Wonderful, ²Counsellor, the mighty God, the Prince of peace, on whose shoulders it hath pleased the Everlasting Father to lay the government, this is he whose Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom, ³and of whose dominion there will be no end, of whom David speaketh, Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a Sceptre of Righteousness is the Sceptre of thy Kingdom; ⁴all power (my brethren) God hath given into his hands, and hath given him to bear this royal title, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, ⁵and it is he only that is head of his Church, it is this great Lord that hath said, this do in remembrance of me; how then dare you disobey him? believe it, if he hath so great authority to command, he hath as great a power to punish, if he find you presumptuously disobedient: he that could strike some ⟨p. 239⟩sick and others dead for profaning this Supper, he can do as much to you for not observing it; and that he doth not, is not because he wants power, but because he is gracious, long suffering, not willing you should perish for your neglect, but that you may be drawn to repentance, and so to obedience; but if you be obstinate after you are told throughly of your fault, take heed, it will be a horrible thing for you to fall into the hands of consuming fire.