Inference 2.
* 1.1If Christ have sanctified or consecrated himself for us, learn hence what an horrid evil it is to use Christ, or his Blood, as a common, and unsanctified thing. Yet so some do as the Apostle speaks, Heb. 10.29. The Apostate is said to tread upon the Son of God, as if he were no better than the dirt under his Feet, and to count his Blood an unholy (or common) thing. But woe to them that so do, they shall be counted worthy of some∣thing worse then dying without mercy. As the Apostle there speaks.
And as this is the Sin of the Apostate, so is it also the Sin of all those that without Faith approach, and so prophane the Table of the Lord, unbeleivingly and unworthily handling those aw∣full things. Such eat and drink judgement to themselves, not dis∣cerning the Lords Body, 1 Cor. 11.29. Whereas the body of Christ was a thing of the deepest sanctification that ever God created. Sanctified (as the Text tells us) to a far more excellent and glo∣rious purpose, than ever any Creature in Heaven or Earth was sanctified. It was therefore the great sin of those Corinthians, not to discern it; and not to behave themselves towards it, when they saw and handled the signs of it, as so holy a thing.
And as it was their great Sin, so God declared his just indigna∣tion against it, in those sore strokes inflicted for it. As they discerned not the Lords body, so neither did the Lord discern their bodies from others, in the judgements that were inflicted. And as one well observes God drew the Model and Plat-form of their punishment, from the structure and proportion of their sin. And truly, if the moral and spiritual Seeds and originals of many of our outward afflictions and sicknesses were but duly sifted out, possibly we might find a great part of them, in the Bowels of this sin.
The just and righteous God, will build up the breaches we make upon the honour of his Son, with the ruines of that beauty, strength and honour which he hath given our Bodies. O then,