N00426:227
A companion for communicants. Discourses upon the nature, the design, and the subject of the Lords Supper; with devout methods of preparing for, and approaching to that blessed ordinance. / By Cotton Mather, Pastor of a church at Boston. ; [Seven lines from Augustine]
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The Children of men are but in One of those two States. Either, they are the Sheep, that must at the Right Hand of the Lord Jesus, Except a, Come ye Blessed, Inherit the Kingdom! or else they are the Goats, that must at the Left Hand of the Lord Jesus, Expect a, Depart ye cursed, into Everlasting Fire!
The Children of men are but in One of those two States. Either, they are the Sheep, that must at the Right Hand of the Lord Jesus, Except a, Come ye Blessed, Inherit the Kingdome! or else they are the Goats, that must at the Left Hand of the Lord Jesus, Expect a, Depart ye cursed, into Everlasting Fire!
If upon Examination, you find yourselves in a Good, Justified, Sanctified, State of Soul; Oh then, Comfort yourselves with these words; Comfort yourselves against all the Griefs, & all the Fears, that may oppress you. Imagine, That you now hear that Voice from the Lofty Battlements of Heaven reaching to your Ears, Child, Be of Good cheer, Thy sin• are forgiven thee! And, methinks, one such Intimation as that, may swallow up all the Troubles which this Life is made uneasy with. Hereupon likewise offer up your most Raised Praises unto the Great God, who ha's thus called you out of Darkness into His Marvellous Light. Go sing the Beginning of the Hundred and third Psalm; and let the High Praises of God be ever sounding in your souls; and be often thinking therewithal. O ⟨p. 109⟩what shall I render to the Lord, for all His Benefits?
If upon Examination, you find yourselves in a Good, Justify'd, Sanctify'd, State of Soul; Oh then, Comfort yourselves with these words; Comfort yourselves against all the Griefs, & all the Fears, that may oppress you. Imagine, That you now hear that Voice from the Lofty Battlements of Heaven reaching to your Ears, Child, Be of Good cheer, Thy sin• are forgiven thee! And, methinks, one such Intimation as that, may swallow up all the Troubles which this Life is made uneasy with. Hereupon likewise offer up your most Raised Praises unto the Great God, who ha's thus call'd you out of Darkness into His Marvellous Light. Go sing the Beginning of the Hundred and third Psalm; and let the High Praises of God be ever sounding in your souls; and be often thinking therewithal. O ⟨p. 109⟩what shall I render to the Lord, for all His Benefits?
But what if you find your Souls in an Ill-State, upon your best Examination? what if you find that your Souls are not yet by Effectual Calling brought into the Bundle of Life? and that still, God is Angry with you every day? Oh Then, tremble to Continue as you are. Betake yourselves immediately to such Transactions with the Blessed God, as may bring you into a Blessed state. Immediately, Renounce and Forsake all the Idols of your Souls; and without any more ado, give up yourselves unto God in Christ, by a Covenant never to be forgotten. Been't so mad, as to lie down in the Top of a Mast, from whence you are always ready to drop into the Roaring Horrid Floods of ever-burning Brimstone. Holy Bolton would say, I would not be in my Natural Estate again, so much as one Hour, for a thousand Worlds; lest I should happen to Die in that Hour, and my Immortal Soul be lost forever. Oh that the Gracious God would inspire you all with a just Horror at such a Dangerous and such a Damnable state, as that of Unregeneracy! Man, How canst thou Endure to remain among the Wretched slaves, that are Led Captive by the Devil at his will? or be every Hour obnoxious to the Vengeance of Eternal Fire? Let thy Awakened ⟨p. 110⟩Soul, fly faster out of this Estate, than Lot fled out of Sodom, when the Hot wrath of God was going to consume it; and let thy Cry be like that of those that saw the Earth Rumbling and Gaping under them of old; Lord, save me, I perish: Oh Never be […] Rest, until you have some cause to Hope, that you are going to, The Rest which remains for the people of God forever.
But what if you find your Souls in an Ill-State, upon your best Examination? what if you find that your Souls are not yet by Effectual Calling brought into the Bundle of Life? and that still, God is Angry with you every day? Oh Then, tremble to Continue as you are. Betake yourselves immediately to such Transactions with the Blessed God, as may bring you into a Blessed state. Immediately, Renounce and Forsake all the Idols of your Souls; and without any more ado, give up yourselves unto God in Christ, by a Covenant never to be forgotten. Been't so mad, as to ly down in the Top of a Mast, from whence you are alwayes ready to drop into the Roaring Horrid Floods of ever-burning Brimstone. Holy Bolton would say, I would not be in my Natural Estate again, so much as one Hour, for a thousand Worlds; lest I should happen to Dy in that Hour, and my Immortal Soul be lost forever. Oh that the Gracious God would inspire you all with a just Horrour at such a Dangerous and such a Damnable state, as that of Unregeneracy! Man, How canst thou Endure to remain among the Wretched slaves, that are Led Captive by the Divel at his will? or be every Hour obnoxious to the Vngeance of Eternal Fire? Let thy Awakened
Voe miseris nobis, qui de Electione nostr• nullam adhuc Dei Vocem Cognovi••us, et jam in ocio quasi de securitate Torpentus.
And here Let me say; First, This Day, even the present season is a proper season for your Self Examination; This day, on which you have this voice and call of Heaven sounding in your Ears, O Examine yourselves; take This day for the doing of it. What if you should before you Rise from the Seats which you are now upon, receive that Message, Set all in order for thou shalt die before many Days are out? What if it should be signified unto you, as it was to the Muckworm in the Parable, This night thy Soul shall ⟨p. 111⟩is Required of thee? Would you not presently enter upon some Examination, Am I own that the second Death shall have no power over? Well, then be advised; This is as like to come upon you as Not. Oh then do not Procrastinate your Self-Probation; tis a thing not to be Delayed, or Dallied in I Indeed Every Day is a season for it. A Watchful Christian will not find it easy to sleep in that Evening wherein he ha's not cleared Accounts between God and him, Our liableness to a speedy and a sudden Death, makes this a fit Question for us to sleep withal, If I Die this Night is my immortal Spirit safe? Moreover, Every solemn, settled, Fixed Meditation, brings a season for it. When we are in a Daily course thinking on the ••ings of God, we should first Enlighten our ••nds, and then Enliven our Hearts; now that second part of our work, we should ••rk, what our own Failings have been […] out that point which we have been mediating of. May the Children of Isaac, accustom themselves to this Ingredient in their meditations!
And here Let me say; First, This Day, even the present season is a proper season for your Self Examination; This day, on which you have this voice and call of Heaven sounding in your Ears, O Examine yourselves; take This day for the doing of it. What if you should before you Rise from the Seats which you are now upon, receive that Message, Set all in order for thou shalt dy before many Days are out? What if it should be signify'd unto you, as it was to the Muckworm in the Parable, This night thy Soul shall ⟨p. 111⟩is Required of thee? Would you not presently enter upon some Examination, Am I own that the second Death shall have no power over? Well, then be advised; This is as like to come upon you as Not. Oh then do not Procrastinate your Self-Probation; tis a thing not to be Delay'd, or Dally'd in I Indeed Every Day is a season for it. A Watchful Christian will not find it easy to sleep in that Evening wherein he ha's not clear'd Accounts between God and him, Our liableness to a speedy and a sudden Death, makes this a fit Question for us to sleep withal, If I Dy this Night is my immortal Spirit safe? Moreover, Every solemn, settled, Fixed Meditation, brings a season for it. When we are in a Daily course thinking on the ings of God, we should first Enlighten our nds, and then Enliven our Hearts; now that second part of our work, we should rk, what our own Failings have been out that point which we have been mediing of. May the Children of Isaac, accusme themselves to this Ingredient in their meditations!
Once more, A Time of Affliction is a Time or Self Examination. Is it with us a Time •f Affliction upon our Inward man? We are •en to do like Asaph, who then said, in Psal: 7.7. I Communed with my own Heart, and my ⟨p. 112⟩Spirit made diligent search. Tis now seasonable for us to Examine, Why art thou cas• down, O my Soul? and whether we can say My God, My God, as well as, Why hast tho• forsaken […]? Or, Is it with us a Time of Affliction upon our Outward men? We are then to do what is propounded, in Lam.3.40. Let us search and Try our Ways, and return unto the Lord. It were now seasonable for us to Examine, Why am I thus? and whether we are those for whom, All things sha•• work together for good?
Once more, A Time of Affliction is a Time or Self Examination. Is it with us a Time •f Affliction upon our Inward man? We are •en to do like Asaph, who then said, in Psal: 7.7. I Communed with my own Heart, and my ⟨p. 112⟩Spirit made diligent search. Tis now seasonable for us to Examine, Why art thou cas• down, O my Soul? and whether we can say My God, My God, as well as, Why hast tho• forsaken 〈…〉? Or, Is it with us a Time of Affliction upon our Outward men? We are then to do what is propounded, in Lam.3.40. Let us search and Try our Wayes, and return unto the Lord. It were now seasonable for us to Examine, Why am I thus? and whether we are those for whom, All things sha•• work together for good?
But finally, when we are Approaching to the Table of the Lord, Then tis that we are more peculiarly to Examine our selves.
And there are two Cases of Conscience which I am now to Endeavour your Satisfaction in.
To be Particular.
First. Every Communicant should Examine himself, whether his Knowledge be competent ⟨p. 113⟩and whether his Belief be Orthodox.
You must Examine your selves in the first place upon this point;
Am I able to Discern the Lords Body in the Lords Supper?
The well-known words of the Apostle testify this unto us; That when we come to the Lords Table, we must have not only such a Rational, but also such a Christian Exercise of our Understandings, as to be capable of Distinguishing the Sacramental Bread and Wine, from what is Common upon every Table, and to be sensible of the Use and End which these Element•• •here devoted unto. The Lords Table must not be […] upon as, An Altar to the Unknown God. To admit Children unto the Communion-Table, is a thing worse than Childish; it is not less than Folly to Receive hither those who are Natural Fools; and it is a perfect Frenzy to put these Mysteries into the Hands of those, in whom a crazy madness would father call for Hellebore. We must have in us the Conceptions of a Reasonable Creature, before we intermeddle in this Reasonable Service. If we have been so Uncatechised, as not know,who the Lord Jesus is, nor, How a Fellowship is to be maintained with Him, in this Ordinance, We are to stay till we are better acquainted with the First Principles of the Doctrine of Christ.
The well-known words of the Apostle testify this unto us; That when we come to the Lords Table, we must have not only such a Rational, but also such a Christian Exercise of our Understandings, as to be capable of Distinguishing the Sacramental Bread and Wine, from what is Common upon every Table, and to be sensible of the Use and End which these Element•• •here devoted unto. The Lords Table must not be 〈…〉 upon as, An Altar to the Unknown God. To admit Children unto the Communion-Table, is a thing worse than Childish; it is not less than Folly to Receive hither those who are Natural Fools; and it is a perfect Phrensy to put these Mysteries into the Hands of those, in whom a crazy madness would father call for Hellebore. We must have in us the Conceptions of a Reasonable Creature, before we intermeddle in this Reasonable Service. If we have been so Uncatechised, as not know,who the Lord Jesus is, nor, How a Fellowship is to be maintained with Him, in this Ordinance, We are to stay till we are better acquainted with the First Principles of the Doctrine of Christ.
