The crucified Jesus, or, A full account of the nature, end, design and benefits of the sacrament of the Lords Supper with necessary directions, prayers, praises and meditations to be used by persons who come to the Holy Communion / by Anthony Horneck ...

The Preceding Considerations reduced to Practice.

I. THE Wise Man's Advice, surely, is very rea∣sonahle, Eccles. 7. 14. In the Day of Adversity, consider. Times of Affliction are considering Times. Affliction is sent on purpose to teach, and to instruct us: 'Tis intended to put us in mind of the Sins we have forgotten, or been wilfully ignorant of; the Sins of our Childhood, the Sins of our Youth, the Sins of our ri∣per Age, and the various Neglects and Defects of our holy Services. And therefore, in the Old Testament, the Word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Jasar, which stands for Affliction, im∣ports not only Correction and Chastisement, but In∣struction too: It is an excellent School-master; and he that submits to its Teachings, will become wiser than a Multitude of Books will make him. Therefore, my Son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord; nor faint when thou art rebuked of him, Heb. 12. 5. Consider who it is that sends the Rod, and what the Design of the unwel∣come Messenger is. Consider how much thou needest it, and how justly thou hast deserved it. Consider how

it is intended for thy Good; and how thou shouldest have forgotten why thou camest into the World, but for this Remembrancer. Consider how little Reason thou hast to take it ill, when the dearest Servants of God have passed through this Fire; and how, without it, thou wouldst have continued a Stranger to thy self. Consider its Mercy, that he will call home the straying Sheep, and will not let thee wander in the Wilderness of Sin: And that when he strikes, his Intent only is to beat the Dust out of thy Clothes, not to hurt the bet∣ter part. This Consideration will go near to produce that excellent Temper in thee, which David speaks of; Surely, I have behaved and quieted my self, as a Child that is weaned of his Mother: My Soul is even as a weaned Child, Psal. 131. 2.

II. Let not him that is weak in Faith, yet loves the Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity, makes Conscience of his Laws, and would not willingly offend him, to gain the World; let him not be frighted when Sickness, or any outward Disaster and sad Accident befals him, as if that were a certain Argument, that therefore he hath received unworthily. The Enemy may suggest such a Thought; but, Christian, explode it as boldly as it comes. They are other Reasons that make thy Heavenly Father lay his chastening Hand upon thee. His Design is, to make thee entirely conformable to his own Son; to that Son, who, for the Glory set before him, endured the Cross. He was made perfect through Suffering; so would God make thee perfect through Affliction. If a Person be never so holy, yet if he hath not passed through the Furnace of Affliction, he wants Perfection. Afflictions gave the Son of God, as he was Man, a Title to his Fa∣ther's Kingdom; and they are Items to thee, that thou shalt reign with Christ for ever. These Troubles that encompass thee, are to make thy future Joys the greater, and thy Crown more bright and shining. Fear not that thou hast received unworthily, while thy Conscience bears witness that thine Eyes, thy Heart, thy Affections,

were toward him in the holy Sacrament, and are so still: If thy Treasure and thy Heart was in Heaven then, and thou still endeavourest to preserve that Frame, thy Eating and Drinking hath done thee good, and thou hast been refreshed by it, and the Lines did fall to thee in pleasant places. These present Afflictions are thy Securi∣ty, that God loves thee; and as they tell thee that thou hast no continuing City here, so they help to prepare thy Soul for the Possession of that Inheritance which shall last for ever.

III. Worthy Receiving of the Lord's Supper, is the best Preparative for Death. No Man can die uncom∣fortably, that makes it his Business, as often as he comes to this Table, to receive worthily. Death cannot hurt him, let it be natural or violent, untimely or orderly; for, by this worthy Receiving, he hath laid up a good Foundation against the Time to come Death may destroy his Body, but cannot kill the Soul. Death may fright him, but it cannot undo him. It may dis-lodge his Spi∣rit, but it drives it to a nobler Habitation. It may ex∣pel the Guest, but it gives him a Title to a better Buil∣ding. His worthy Receiving gives him an Interest in Christ's Death; and because Christ lives, he shall live also. Death may come blustering, and make a Noise; but in that Whirlwind his Soul rides to Heaven. Let his Death come by Sword, or Famine, or Torment, or Fire, or Water, it makes no Alteration in his Happiness. To him, to live, is Christ; and die, Gain: And he knows who hath said, I am the Resurrection, and the Life. The worthy Receiver never dies, for he lives in Christ, who abides for ever. Christ will not suffer that Soul to pe∣rish, in which he hath been pleased to make his Habita∣tion. He is concern'd to secure her Happiness; and his Eyes are open upon her, to do her good. Her worthy Receiving arms her against the Fears of Death, and scat∣ters the Mists which Death doth cast before her Eyes. Receiving worthily, makes the Soul a sit Habitation for the Spirit of God; and If the Spirit of him that raised up

Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal Bodies by his Spi∣rit that dwells in you, Rom. 8. 11.

IV. As the unworthy Receiver, when Sickness, or some other heavy Judgment, lights upon him, hath rea∣son to believe, that it is for his unworthy Receiving; so he that wilfully neglects coming to this holy Sacrament, may very justly conclude, that all the Troubles and Mi∣series that befall him, do, in a great measure, befall him for that Neglect. 'Tis hard to determine which is the greater Sin, whether Receiving unworthily, or not Re∣ceiving at all; both will admit of great Aggravations: And as these Sins are in a manner equal, so it is not ir∣rational to conclude, that the Judgments threatned to the one, may be inflicted for the other too. As the Jews say of the Golden Calf, that an Ounce of that Sin is an Ingredient into all the Calamities that came upon them; so there is not a Cross that the wilful Neglecter of this Sacrament feels, or endures, but he hath reason to think that this Neglect contributes towards it; and all his Mi∣series call to him, though he will not hear the Voice, not to neglect so great Salvation; and if all these Calls cannot awaken him into a Sense of his Duty, how must his Reckoning swell, and how inexcusable must he be, whom neither the still Voice of Prosperity, nor the shril∣ler Sound of Adversity, can convince? Take, eat, this is my Body; and Drink ye all of this, is a Duty, as much as doing by others the same that we would have others to do us. It will appear, and be made out one Day, that this was not an Evangelical Counsel only, which the more Reli∣gious Sort, that are ambitious of the highest Place in Heaven, need only mind, if they please. It was said to all the Disciples, that represented the Church-Militant: And if thou professest thy self a Member of that Church, thou art no more excused from the Performance of it, than thou art from coming to Church, and attending the other Ordinances of God. But if these Motives cannot prevail, God hath Enforcives which shall; but from these, Good Lord deliver us.