Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A77288
|
A sermon of the blessed sacrament of the Lords Supper; proving that there is therein no proper sacrifice now offered; together with the disapproving of sundry passages in 2. bookes set forth by Dr. Pocklington; the one called Altare Christianum, the other Sunday no Sabbath: formerly printed with licence. By William Bray, Dr. of Divinity. Now published by command.
|
Bray, William, d. 1644.
|
1641
(1641)
|
Wing B4316; Thomason E157_8; ESTC R22819
|
22,195
|
69
|
is ceas'd also together with the Law and in stead thereof a Sacrament more sutable to the Gospel is instituted in Bread and Wine which of all sensible substances here below are the most pure and so the fittest to set out the spirituall service of the Gospel The consideration whereof should teach us that live under the Gospel not to rest our selves in any bodily or outward observations as if they were the onely or principall duty of the Gospel but to use them as helpes onely the better to enable us for the due performing of our spirituall services which is the perfection the Gospel cals us to and without which all other performances like a hungry and barren soyle will yeeld but little solid fruite or comfort to our soules And so I passe from the more sensible and earthy part of this Sacrament to the spirituall and heavenly part to wit the Body and Blood of Christ which is imported in the Emphasis of the Articles here This Bread and This Cup. Where before we come to the Emphasis and what it imports give me leave to observe First that the Apostle here cals the Sacramentall Elements Bread and Wine and that after the words of Institution and Consecration So they retaine their nature and substance still and remaine Bread and Wine even after this great advancement And here you may see upon what a sandy foundation the Church of Rome hath built that most dangerous and destructive doctrine of Transubstantiation Saint Paul calls the Elements Bread and Wine after consecration the Church of Rome saith they cease then to be Bread and Wine their very substance is converted into the substance of the naturall Body and Blood of Christ by a new way of their owne fancying which Biell a prime Doctor of theirs confesses is not to be found in the Canon of the Bible * Biel Lect. 40. in Can. Missae for which they have sutably invented a new Name of Transubstantiation And I call it a destructive Doctrine and that most justly and in many Regards For first it destroyes the nature of the Elements of Bread and Wine by a totall Conversion of them into the substance of Christs Body and Blood Secondly it destroyes the nature and properties of Christs Body by ascribing Infinitenesse and Omnipresence not onely to the Person of Christ but to his naturall Body which was borne of the Blessed Virgin Thirdly it destroyes the Peace of Christendome or at least it hath a great share in it as being boldly and rashly defin'd by the Church of Rome and presumptuously impos'd as an Article of Faith to be beleev'd upon Necessity of Salvation Fourthly it is notoriously knowne the denyall of it hath destroy'd the Lives of many of Gods faithfull Servants both here and in other parts of the Christian world Fifthly and Lastly to adde no more it 's destructive of Piety and Devotion in diverting the Soule from devout and usefull Meditations and drawing it aside to subtleties of wit and empty speculations To this purpose Master Hooker * Eccles. Poliâ— lib. 5. sect 67. excellently observes that the Discourses of the Romanists concerning Transubstantiation are hungry and unpleasant full of tedious and irkesome labour heartlesse and without Fruite whereas the Discourses of Ancient and Later Writers concerning the Mysticall presence of Christ the use efficacy and benefit of the Sacrament are heavenly and devout their words sweete as the Honeycombe their tongues melodiously-tun'd Instruments and their sentences meere Consolation and ioy The second thing which I will observe from this part is that Saint Paul doth not call the Consecrated Elements bare Bread and Wine and no more but Bread and Wine with an Emphasis This Bread and this Cup of which it was said before in the words of Christ This is my Body which is broken for you and this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood How the Bread and Wine in this Sacrament are the Body and Blood of Christ is a great Mystery to unfold Master Calvin in his fourth Booke of Institutions Calv. lib. 4. Instit cap. 17. sect 7. Cap. â—vij calls it sublime mysterium cui nec mens plane cogitando nec lingua explicando par esse potest A Mystery so sublime that the minde of Man is not able to comprehend it much lesse the tongue to unfold it Quod ergo mens nostra non comprehendit concipiat fides so hee goes on excellently in the same Chapter Sect. 10. What therefore our Reason cannot comprehend let Faith conceive Christ hath said it this is my Body let us therefore beleeve the Truth of the thing But hee hath not said the manner how let us not therefore search into that which is not written For mine owne part saith the same Authour * Lib. 4. Instit c. 17. sect 19. Caeterum his absurditatibus sublatis quicquid ad exprimendam veram substantialemque Corporis ac sauguinis Domini communicationem quae sub sacris Coenae symbolis fidelibus exhibeÌ„tur facere potest libenter recipio atque ita ut non imaginatione duntaxat aut ment is intelligentia percipere sed ut re ipsa frui in alimentum vitae aeternae intelligantur his absurditatibus sublatis set aside the absurdities which boldly and falsely define the manner of the presence of Christs body and blood in the Lords Supper Hee meanes Consubstantiation and Transubstantiation whatsoever may be said to expresse the Communication of the true and substantiall Body and Blood of the Lord which are exhibited to the Faithfull under the holy Symboles of the Supper J willingly admit and that in such sort that this participation may be understood not in Imagination onely and Apprehension of the minde but a Reall Fruition to nourish the body and soule to eternall Life Thus that Reverend Author and much more to the same purpose in that place With the same wisedome and sobriety the Church of England speakes of this great Mystery shee does not as the Church of Rome unjustly charges us exclude Christ out of the Sacrament and make it a bare signe and Figure of his body and blood shee indeed denyes their Carnall and Corporeall presence of Christ in the Sacrament and acknowledges onely an heavenly and spirituall presence without any farther defining of the manner in particular But for the Truth of the thing it selfe shee beleeves and acknowledges expressely That to such as rightly worthily and with Faith receive the same the Bread which we breake is a partaking of the body of Christ and likewise the Cup of blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ in the * Art 28. relig 28. Article of Religion and more fully in the * Doctr. of the Sacraments Catechisme The body and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken of the Faithfull in the Lords Supper I goe on to the Sacramentall actions which are likewise two answerable to the parts of this Sacrament to wit Eating of this Bread
to frequent receiving And I would to God there were no need of such an Exhortation but alas it 's too usuall for many to make excuses for absenting themselves from the Lords Table * â— Luke 14. as the unworthy guests in the Gospell did I will briefly shew the vanity of these Excuses and so passe over this circumstance And I will go no farther for Evidence against them than to the Grounds already laid You have read that this Blessed Sacrament is Heavenly Food for our Nourishment A Holy Feast to mainetaine Love and Vnity amongst Christians A Spirituall Banquet for Delight and Soveraigne Physicke for the Soule First then an unworthy guest pleades multiplicity of worldly businesse and therefore hee cannot come so frequently to the Sacrament But hee should consider that this Sacrament is Heavenly Meate for his Nourishment and as Meate hinders not our Businesse so neither must our Businesse hinder our Meate in the seasons of it whether for Soule or Body A Second is not in charity with his Neighbour and therefore hee holds himselfe excus'd which is Excusatio accusatione digna as Salvian speakes in a like Case an aggravation no excuse thus to cover one sinne with another This man considers not that the Communion is a Holy Feast instituted by our Blessed Saviour to mainetaine Love and Amity amongst Christians A Third alledges he findes no rellish in this Manna and this discourages him But Oh! taste and see how gracious the Lord is prepare thy Taste aright before thou commest and thou shalt find this blessed Sacrament to be an Heavenly Banquet for Delight such Delight as is most glorious and unspeakeable in comparison whereof all that is called Delight here below is but meere anity and vexation of spirit * Hanc Dei gratiam recolens qui de Sacro caline bibit amplius sitit ad Deum vivum erigens desiderium ita singulari fame ille uno appetitu teneturut deinceps fellea peccatorum horreat pocula omnis sapor delectamentorum carnalium fit ei quasirancidum radensque palatum acutae mordacita tis acetum S. Cypr. de Coena Domini sect 17. A Fourth and last pretends his manifold sins the sense whereof deterres him from often approaches to this Holy Table But if he account sinne a disease indeed and desire unfeignedly to be cured why does he neglect the Remedy which is by Faith and Repentance to prepare himselfe for this blessed Sacrament The whole have no need of the Physitian but the sicke saith our blessed Saviour * Mat. 9.12 This man considers not the vertue of this Sacrament in such as are so prepared That through the Grace of Christ it is with these preparations a soveraigne Physicke against all Diseases of the Soule The second circumstance is of the Persons Yee First Yee in the plurall number for this Holy Sacrament is a Communion and therefore may not bee received by one alone as the name it selfe imports A Communion that is a Common union of Ministers and People together Thus much Cassander one that liv'd and dy'd in the Communion of the Roman Church acknowledges That it cannot be properly call'd a Communion unlesse there be a Plurality of Communicants * Communio proprie ditinon pâ—test tisiplures participent c. CassaÌ„ Consultat de solitariiâ— missis The private Masses therefore in the Roman Church where the Priest Communicates without the People are rather excommunications of the People then Communions as Goulartius wittily calls them in his Notes upon Saint Cyprians Tract on the Lords Prayer * Vid. Calvin lib. 4 Instit c. 18 § 7. Aditus missis privatis est patefactus quae Excomunicationem quandam magis reservent quam coÌ„munitatemillam à Domino institutam c. Concil Trident. Ses. 22. cap. 6. I am not ignoraÌ„t that the Councel of Trent * Vid. Calvin lib. 4 Instit c. 18 § 7. Aditus missis privatis est patefactus quae Excomunicationem quandam magis reservent quam coÌ„munitatemillam à Domino institutam c. Concil Trident. Ses. 22. cap. 6. wishes that the people would coÌ„munic ate alwayes with the Priest and acknowledges it to be the more profitable for the peoples soules but this blanches the matter only but mends it not the private Masse is a bitter Almond still for all the blanching so long as the people are not injoyn'd to Communicate with the Priest Nay so long as the Priest is by that Church allowd nay injoyn'd to celebrate though without distribution to the people Ye again that are Members of the Church by Baptisme Ye and Ye onely must eate this Bread and drinke this Cup. For the Grace which we have by the Holy Eucharist doth not begin but continue life No man therefore receaveth this Sacrament before Baptisme because no dead thing is capable of nourishment That which groweth must first live saith Reverend Hooker in his fift Booke of Ecclesiasticall * 5 Lib Ecc le polit §. 67. init Policie Besides wee must first bee receav'd as members into Christs Family before we may be admitted to his Table The Childrens bread must not be given to strangers But I hasten to the second Generall and main part of my Text which is the Meaning of this service of the Holy Communion in the last words Yee doe shew forth the Lords death till hee come The principall verbe which beares the waight of this part of the Text is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Translation renders it most fitly Ye shew forth which expresseth the latitude of the word and the meaning of the Sacrament more fully then Annuntiate in the Latine which properly is but a verball declaration Now in this Sacrament Christs death is shewne forth three wayes especially First by way of Representation and Resemblance so signes and figures of things doe shew forth the things that are represented and resembled by them Secondly by way of Evidence and Confirmation so the Testators seale set to a Testament and his delivery of it as his deed doth shew it to bee his Will and Testament Thirdly and lastly by way of Commemoration or memoriall so a feast appointed in remembrance of a Benefactor doth shew forth his benefits to us Therefore Beza translates the verbe here Commemoratis yee Commemorate Christs death Now as oft as wee cate this Bread and drinke this Cup wee doe all these wayes shew forth the Lord's death both in the end and meaning of the service and wee ought to doe it in obedience and duty for so the verbe here used may be taken either Jndicatively Ye do or Imperatively Doe yee or Ye ought to doe and so I shall follow it First Then we doe shew forth Christ's death in the Sacrament by way of representation and resemblance and that not naked without attendance but solemnly accompany'd with the causes and effects of it Christ and Christ Crucified is here evidently set forth before our eyes * Neque tamen