Consider. 1. Very Black is the SIN committed by them, who do not in a Gracious and a Worthy manner approach to this Holy Table. We read in 2 Cor.30.15. The Priest & Levites were Ashamed, and Sanctified themselves Truly Tis a great Shame for us, to come ••to the Table of the Lord, in an Unsanctified manner; a Great Shame it is, because it is a great Sin. Tis an Affront unto Him who says, I am a great King, and my Name is Dreadful; tis a Vile thing to be Undecent and Uncivil, but so tis, to be ungracious, at the Table of such a King. A great prince being too poorly and meanly treated by another person, gave him that up braid, Non putabam ess• me tibitam Fami•earem; I did not look for this Familiarity! ⟨p. 142⟩Tis an impudent Familiarity that an unfit Communicant imposes upon the God of Heaven with. Every thing else at the Table usually is clean; we have only clean Linens; and clean Vessels there; tis inexcusable if our Hearts and our Frames be not also cleansed. It is a hot Thunder-bolt that falls, in 1 Cor.11.27. Whosoever shall Eat this Bread, and Drink this Cup of the Lord Unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body and the Blood of the Lord. That unworthy, notes not so much the Subject, as the manner, of Communicating. Every Communicant is an Unworthy Subject of this Ordinance, and m•st cry out, Lord I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies. But the Communicant that comes in an unworthy manner, this man, as it were Crucifies the Lord Jesus over again, and Justifies all the Abuses that His villainous Murderers give unto Him; he handles the Blessed Body of our Lord, as unworthily as the Jews did, when they Scourged it, smote it, Stabbed it, Hanged it, and Spat upon it: he do's indeed Show forth our Lords Death; but how? Tis with a Guilty profane, wicked Repetition of it. Yea, the man would be a very Judas, if he had but Judas's Opportunities. Now what an horrible Guilt is this? To be Guilty of any mans Death is a most borrid thing; O Deliver me from Blood Guiltiness! was the outcry of ⟨p. 143⟩David once. But what is it then to be Guilty of His, who is the Son of God, the Prince of Life, and the Lord of glory! For the Blood of any man to cry against us, is a dreadful, and a dismal thing; but what is it then, to have the Blood of our only Saviour crying to God against us? Woe to us, if that Blood should not cry for us, and speak better things than the Blood of Abel;
Consider. 1. Very Black is the SIN committed by them, who do not in a Gracious and a Worthy manner approach to this Holy Table. We read in 2 Cor.30.15. The Priest & Levites were Ashamed, and Sanctify'd themselves Truly Tis a great Shame for us, to come ••to the Table of the Lord, in an Unsanctify'd manner; a Great Shame it is, because it is a great Sin. Tis an Affront unto Him who says, I am a great King, and my Name is Dreadful; tis a Vile thing to be Undecent and Uncivil, but so tis, to be ungracious, at the Table of such a King. A great prince being too poorly and meanly treated by a nother person, gave him that up braid, Non putabam ess• me tibitam Fami•earem; I did not look for this Familiarity! ⟨p. 142⟩Tis an impudent Familiarity that an unfit Communicant imposes upon the God of Heaven with. Every thing else at the Table usually is clean; we have only clean Linnens; and clean Vessels there; tis •nexcusable if our Hearts and our Frames be not also cleansed. It is a hot Thunder-bolt that falls, in 1 Cor.11.27. Whosoever shall Eat this Bread, and Drink this Cup of the Lord Unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body and the Blood of the Lord. That unworthy, notes not so much the Subject, as the manner, of Concunicating. Every Communicant is an Unworthy Subject of this Ordinance, and m•st cry out, Lord I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies. But the Communicant that comes in an unworthy manner, this man, as it were Crucifies the Lord Jesus over again, and Justifies all the Abuses that His villainous Murderers give unto Him; he handles the Blessed Body of our Lord, as unworthily as the Jews did, when they Scourg'd it, smote it, Stab'd it, Hang'd it, and Spat upon it: he do's indeed Shew forth our Lords Death; but how? Tis with a Guilty profane, wicked Repetition of it. Yea, the man would be a very Judas, if he had but Judas's Opportunities. Now what an horrible Guilt is this? To be Guilty of any mans Death is a most borrid thing; O Deliver me from Blood Guiltiness! was the ourcry of ⟨p. 143⟩David once. But what is it then to be Guilty of His, who is the Son of God, the Prince of Life, and the Lord of glory! For the Blood of any man to cry against us, is a dreadful, and a dismal thing; but what is it then, to have the Blood of our only Saviour crying to God against us? Wo to us, if that Blood should not cry for us, and speak better things than the Blood of Abel;
