Gospel-Worship

Because you do never find that God did set that apart as an Ordinance, an institution appointed to that end that they should come to look upon that for the breaking of their hearts; there was indeed a naturalness in it, that if they did behold Christ, it might break their hearts, but it was not such an Ordinance, it was not a Sacrament as this is; now this being in a sacramental way in the use of an Ordinance appointed by Jesus Christ to set forth his sufferings, and all the riches of the Covenant of grace to the soul, there may be expected here a further blessing then in the other, though its true, the other might work mightily upon the heart; but yet this being a great Ordinance of Christ in the church, a great institution of Jesus Christ, for the setting out of his sufferings, it hath a more special blessing that goes along with it; every Ordinance hath a promise, and a more special blessing then any other thing that is not an Ordinance. So when you come here to behold Christ crucified before you, you cannot see Christ naturally crucified as upon the Cross: but you have Christ crucified before you in the way of a Sacrament, in the way of a solemn institution of Jesus Christ, that hath a special Blessing which goes along with it; therefore if the heart be not broken here, there is an aggravation of the hardness of the heart as great as if we should behold Jesus Christ upon the Cross and our hearts not broken there; and indeed this is a special reason why those are said to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ that receive unworthily; as if a man had been then alive, and had been before the Cross, and there have seen how the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for sin, and should not have been affected with it, but should have accounted it as a common thing; this man in some regard might have been said to be guilty of his death; that is, to have joined and consented with those that did crucify him; for if a man sees another commit a sin, if he be not ⟨p. 249⟩affected with that sin, and it does not stir his heart, he may come to be partaker of his Sin; so those that shall come to see Jesus Christ crucified, and have not their hearts at all stirred with the crucifying of Christ, they are in some regard truly said to be guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ;

Because you doe never find that God did set that apart as an Ordinance, an institution appointed to that end that they should come to look upon that for the breaking of their hearts; there was indeed a naturalnesse in it, that if they did behold Christ, it might break their hearts, but it was not such an Ordinance, it was not a Sacrament as this is; now this being in a sacramentall way in the use of an Ordinance appointed by Iesus Christ to set forth his sufferings, and all the riches of the Covenant of grace to the soule, there may be expected here a further blessing then in the other, though its true, the other might worke mightily upon the heart; but yet this being a great Ordinance of Christ in the church, a great institution of Iesus Christ, for the setting out of his sufferings, it hath a more special blessing that goes along with it; every Ordinance hath a promise, and a more speciall blessing then any other thing that is not an Ordinance. So when you come here to behold Christ crucified before you, you cannot see Christ naturally crucified as upon the Crosse: but you have Christ crucified before you in the way of a Sacrament, in the way of a solemne institution of Iesus Christ, that hath a speciall Blessing which goes along with it; therefore if the heart be not broken here, there is an aggravation of the hardnesse of the heart as great as if we should behold Iesus Christ upon the Crosse and our hearts not broken there; and indeed this is a special reason why those are said to be guilty of the body and bloud of Christ that receive unworthily; as if a man had been then alive, and had been before the Crosse, and there have seen how the blood of Iesus Christ was shed for sinne, and should not have been affected with it, but should have acounted it as a common thing; this man in some regard might have been said to be guilty of his death; that is, to have joyned and consented with those that did crucifie him; for if a man sees another commit a sin, if he bee not