but also to expose himselfe to death in this forme and shape of a Seruant yea to the shamefull death of the Crosse which is the very meditation of the Apostle to the Philippians Philip. 2.6,7,8 Iesus Christ being in the forme of God thought it no robberie to make himselfe equall to God But he made himselfe of no Reputation and tooke on him the forme of a Seruant and was made like vnto man and found in the shape of a man who humbled himselfe and became came obedient to death yea to the death of the Crosse And the same Apostle ravished in this meditation saith in another place Rom. 8.32 Who spared not his owne Sonne for vs but gaue him for vs all to death Hee saith not simply that he hath given him but that he hath not spared him as if he should have said hee made no difficulty to expose him for vs to extreame paine and torments A degree of Charity which the Angels themselues cannot sufficiently comprehēd and therefore the Apostle postle requireth in vs the Spirit of wisedome and revelation to wit that the eyes of our vnderstanding bee so illuminated Ephes 3.13 that wee may know what is the length breadth height and depth of this love of God towards vs. In a word vpon this obiect let vs briefly collect and consider against our adversaries of the Church of Rome That in this holy Supper and Communion the body of Iesus Christ is not simply proposed as vnderstanding it to bee a body nor the blood as taking it for blood but the body as vnderstanding it to be broken and the blood as taking it to bee spilt Because in that consisteth all the merit of our salvation and all the cause of our life From whence it followes That the action wherewith wee receiue the body and blood of Christ cannot choose but bee spirituall to wit an action of the soule and no way of the body because the bodie cannot bee taken as vnderstood broken nor the blood as meant shed except by Faith For those forepast and betided things on the crosse that is to say the breaking of the body and the effusion of blood cannot bee giuen or presented to the soule but by the meditation of Faith The third obiect of our Meditation is the fruit and benefit of this obligation which were received by Christs body and blood in these words Broken for you Shed for many for the remission of sinnes And heere two considerations againe present them to vs I. Of the persons for whome Iesus Christ is offered II. The profit and benefit which it brings them Of the persons vnderstanding that he offereth himselfe for wretched and sinfull creatures who in regard of his excellent being are nothing but dust and ashes and as it were formed but yesterday but which is more for creatures infected with sinne guilty of rebellion against him and professed enemies of his divine maiestie both in their thoughts and wicked workes and actions which the consideration of the Apostle to the Colossians thus expresseth Col. 1.21 You which in times past were strangers and enemies because your minds were set in evill workes he now also hath reconciled in that body of his flesh to make you holy and vnblameable and without fault in his sight And also writing to the Romans saith Rom. 5.6,7,8 For Christ when we were yet of no strength at his time dyed for the vngodly adding againe farther doutblesse one will scarse die for a righteous man but yet for a good man but God setteth out his love to vs seeing that whiles we were yet Sinners Christ died for The other consideration proceeds from the profit and benefit which it brings vs and Iesus Christ defines it whē he saith that it is for the remission of sins And this is the profit and benefit which to expresse the Prophets aleage that our sinnes have beene throwen into the bottome of the Sea and that God remembreth them no more and that as farre distant as the East is from the West so farre from him the Lord hath cast away our sinnes and the figures vnder the Law to wit that of the Goat Hazazel teaching that our sinnes have beene caried into a desert and vnhabitable Countrey never to returne more in Gods sight and Presence Which beleeving wee see all evils as they are paines and torments to have lost their being in the faithfull righteous man yea and that death it selfe is swollen vp in victory and the Law with his curses which were as a contrary obligation is quite rased out defaced by the blood of the Sonne of God cleare abolished cancelled and fastened to his Crosse as the Apostle teacheth to the Colosians Col. 2.14 Likewise Sathan who performed nothing but as the Executioner of Gods iustice against Sinners by this alone death found all his power to be vanquished and overthrowen as the Apostle sheweth vs in the same Chapter of the same Epistle to the Colossians in these words Col. 2.15 Christ hath spoyled the Principalities and Powers and hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed over them on the Crosse But besides that our enemies and afflictions are taken away and defaced by this oblation of Iesus Christ so likewise all sorts of profits and benefits are put in place thereof as many promses as there are they are so many Yeas and Amens in Christ Iesus life is given which is a new spirituall and divine life by regeneration and the new heavenly Sanctuary is opened vnto vs Heb. 10.19 for there wee have leave and liberty to enter by the blood of Christ and therefore it is that the earthly vaile of the Templerent in peeces at his death The Kingdome of God is given vnto vs and wee are made children and heires to possesse and enioy all the goods and treasures of God as the Apostle saith Gal. 4.6,7 That Iesus Christ having beene made subiect vnder the Law hath redeemed vs from the Law to the end that wee should receive the adoption of children and that if wee are children wee are also heires of God by Christ Iohn 17.11 yea God himselfe is given to vs in his Sonne to the end that wee be in him and he in vs 1. Cor. 1. and likewise that one day he be all things in all III. Poynt or generall Head These are the Meditations which the words of Iesus Christ in his Supper requireth of vs And now come wee to see the acts functions which these Meditations ought to produce in our hearts the which likewise result and descend from these words of Iesus Christ These actes and functions are fiue to wit I. The feeling of our misery and a godly sorrow for having sinned II. The beliefe and assurance of the remission of our sinnes III. The sanctification of the soule and particularly of Loue and Charitie towards our neighbour IIII. Our consolation and patience in afflictions V. Our hope of heavenly felicitie
our soules in the participation and receiving thereof But the excellencie of this Sacrament is fully comprised and containd in the very words wereby our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ doth institute it to vs which were a briefe declaration of his owne vse and custome So that as this Sacrament is a short abridgement and epitome of the mysterie of our redemption so the words which Iesus Christ hath pronounced therin containe the most excellent matter and the most necessary meditations of faith and to give but a word for all is the very true Epitome and Compendium of all that which Faith ought to contemplate and behold in Iesus Christ Wherefore Since by the Grace of God wee are heere this day assembled to prepare and dispose our selues for the celebration of the Lords holy Supper Wee have now purposely chosen for our text and meditation the words of Iesus Christ which hee vsed in that Supper not to stay or make you listen to points of Controversie which at the first hearing of the text you may conceive or imagine which is not so requisite for this time and occasion wherein wee have more cause to dispute and reason to fight against the obduratnesse of our owne hearts against our impenitency diffidencie presumption and the like vices and sinnes then against our aduersaries But to represent and shew you what meditations and functions the words of Iesus Christ should produce and propagate in our soules when wee present our selues to his holy Table to receive this Sacrament And although as wee have formerly sayd It be not now my intent or meaning to treat of Controversies yet notwithstanding wee are obliged to deduce and give you the occasion and reason of these words and to shew the cleare and pure sense thereof thereby to cause to slide into your hearts and to distill into your soules the holy doctrine and Instructions which they containe To which end and purpose by Gods assistance we will especially treat insist on three mayne points and generall heads 1. The Reason and Sense of these words 2. The Meditations which these words administer and furnish vs with 3. The Dutie and Functions whereunto they oblige vs. I. Point or Generall Head The words are Take eat this is my body which is broken for you Where first we must know why it was that Iesus Christ spake of eating and why hee proposed this Sacrament vnder the words of Meate and Drinke It is not sufficient to alleadge that Iesus Christ did this occasionally that is to say because hee was at Table as by occasion he found himselfe neer a well and demaunding water to drinke of the Samaritane woman that the spake to her of the grace efficacy of the holy Ghost vnder the names of water and drinke This answere sufficeth when wee demaund why Iesus Christ speaking to the troopes and multitude of people before hee instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist proposed himselfe as bread descended from Heaven and his flesh as meat which gave everlasting and eternall life For it is cleare and apparant that Iesus Christ spake so by occasion answering those troopes and multitudes which asked him for bread and who followed him for earthly meate and for this occasion hee therefore assumed the names of those things to the which hee saw them affected But here where it concernes and depends of the Institution of the Sacrament the answere drawen and derived from the occasion to bee at Table is not sufficient For we may demaund againe why Iesus Christ placed and sate himselfe at Table to institute and celebrate this Sacrament For answere whereof they alleadge and propose three reasons I That Iesus Christ having already instituted Baptisme vnder the similitude of a Birth It was likewise very fit and expedient that hee should institute his holy Supper vnder the similitude of nutriment or nourishment For if the beginning of Grace and of spirituall life had bin propos'd in the first Sacrament by a Birth in comparison of a temporall life It was very requisite and reasonable that the aduancement and progresse of Grace should by the same comparison be proposed by a nourishment in the second Sacrament As then Iesus Christ had in Baptisme given water which is the principall of the generation of corporall things to bee a figure of the Holy Ghost which is the principall and efficient cause of the regeneration of our soules So he instituted the Sacrament of his blessed Supper by those things from whēce we have and receiue our temporall nourishment to wit Bread and Wine thereby to represent vnto vs the life which our soules receiue of his body and blood offered on the Crosse from whence it followes that the word of eating is no more meant or taken of the letter in this Sacrament then that of Birth in the Sacrament of Baptisme and that hee who thinkes or pretends to nourish himself of Iesus Christ by his bodily mouth commits the same errour which Nicodemus did who because Christ spake to him of being borne againe Iohn 3.4 Asked if man when hee were growen old could reenter into his mothers belly and be borne anew II. Reason That our vnion with Iesus Christ being the foundation of the application which is made and given vs by the merits of Christ For the death and passion of Iesus Christ is not applyed or given but to those who are one and the same body with him according as it is sayd that Iesus Christ is the Saviour of his body It is expedient that this vnion should bee represented vnto vs But it cannot more perfectly or lively be represented or figured to vs then by the vnion of meates with our body Sith there is nothing which nature doth more strictly or efficably vnite to our bodies then meates by our eating thereof As then by eating meats doe become our owne proper flesh and bones so wee are taught that by the faith and vertue of Christs holy Spirit wee become one with Iesus Christ and are made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone And againe that as by the vnion of meates we receiue our temporall life so by our vnion with Iesus Christ wee receiue our spirituall and eternall life III Reason That Iesus Christ would institute his holy Supper at the Sacrament of Easter in which Sacrament the Iewes were accustomed to eat a Lambe And indeed Iesus Christ was at the table for the celebration of Easter But at the Sacrament or Passeouer of Easter two things were done and performed first there was a Lambe eaten and after as for a banquet and this is verified and recited by those who have written the Iewes Liturgie the Father of the family tooke bread to wit vnleavened bread which was held course and poore bread and in giving it to every one of his family which were sitting at Table said Take eat this is the bread of misery which our fathers have eaten in Egypt and taking the Cup blessed it with a solemne