these three or doe it in the name of any one of the three persons onely ye lose the essentiall form of Baptisme In the Lords Supper if yee leaue out the least ceremonie ye lose the essential form and so it is not a Sacrament I speak of the essentiall forme in respect of the Papists who keepe the essentiall forme in Baptisme though they haue brought in trifles of their owne and mixt with it yet in respect they keepe the substantiall forme it is not necessary that they who were baptized vnder them be rebaptized Indeed if the vertue of regeneration flowed from the person it were something but in respect Christ hath this to giue to whom when he pleaseth the essentiall forme being kept it is not necessary that this Sacrament be reiterated Now what are the faults in the person that peruerts the Sacrament The fault may be either in the person of the giuer or in the person of the receiuer I speake not of those common faults which are common to all but of such faultes as disable the person of the giuer to be a distributer of the Sacrament taketh the office from him so when the person of the giuer is this way disabled no question it is not a Sacrament Then again in the person of the Receiuer the faults may be if their childreÌ„ be not in the couenant but out of it they get not the SacrameÌ„t Indeed if the Parents afterward com to the couenant the children thogh they be gotteÌ„ out of the couenant may be receiued Euen so in the L. Supper if a man be laden with any burthen of sin without any purpose to repent hee ought not to receiue it So then if ye come without a purpose to repent ye lose the vse of the Sacrament it is onely this purpose to repent that maketh me who receiue the Sacrament to get the fruit effect therof therefore euery one who goeth to that Sacrament must looke what purpose he hath in his hart Hast thou a purpose to murder to continue in adultery or to commit any other vile sin that is in thy hart and art not resolued to repent In shewing thee to be without repentance thou shewest thy selfe to be without faith and consequently thou commest vnto thy condemnation not to thy saluation take heed then what your purpose is for if with a dissolute life yee haue a dissolute purpose yee come vnto your euerlasting perdition I had thought to haue entred particularly into the handling of this Sacrament CoÌ„clusion with an exhortation but because the time is past and some of you I doubt not are to communicate onely this Remember that yee addresse not your selues to that Table except ye finde your harts in some sort prepared The first degree of preparation standeth in contrition in sorowing for sinne in a feeling of your sins wherein ye haue â—ffended so gracious a God If ye be able as that woman was by the tears of a contrite hart to wash the feete of Christ humbly to kiss his feete and to get hold of the foote of Christ though yee dare not presume so high as to get him whole ye are in a good case but if thou want all these and hast them not in some measure thou wantest all the degrees of preparation therefore let none come to this Table except hee haue these in some measure But vvhere there is a displeasure for sinne a purpose to doe better an earnest sobbing and sighing to get the thing that thou wantest in that soule where God hath placed this desire of Christ it is the vvorke of Gods spirit Christ will enter there And therfore though that soule be farre from the thing that it should be at let him not refuse to goe to the Lords Table but let him go with a profession of his owne infirmitie weakenesse and with a desire of the thing that he wants Euery one of you that findeth himselfe this way disposed let him goe in Gods name to the Lords Table and the Lord worke this in euery one of your harts that this ministerie may be effectuall in euery one of you at this time and that in the righteous merits of Iesus Christ To whom with the Father the holy Ghost be all honour praise glorie both now and for euer Amen THE SECOND Sermon vpon the Lords Supper in particular 1. Cor. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to vvit that the Lord Iesus in the night that hee vvas betrayed tooke bread c. WE ended the consideration of the Sacraments in generall in our last Exercise welbeloued in Christ Iesus now it remaines that we proceed to the consideration of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper in particular Of the Supper of the Lord in particular And that yee may the better attaine vnto the knowledge and consideration of the great varietie of matter that is coÌ„tained in this Sacrament of the Lods Supper I shall endeuour Heads to be intreated of as God shall giue me grace to set downe certaine things for the easier vnderstanding of it And first of all I vvill let you see what names are giuen vnto this Sacrament in the Bible and I will shew you some names that are giuen to this Sacrament by the Ancients Next I will let you vnderstand for what chiefe ends respects this Sacrament was instituted and appointed by Christ Iesus Thirdly I will come to the things that are contained in the Sacrament how these things are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued And last of all I will answere certaine obiections which may be obiected to the contrary of this doctrine and as God shall giue me grace I will refute them and so end this present exercise Now First head generall we finde sundry names giuen vnto the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in the booke of God and euery name carries a speciall reason with it Of the names giueÌ„ vnto this Sacrament both in the Bible and by the ancients Wee finde this Sacrament called the body and bloud of Christ This name is giuen vnto it no doubt because it is a heauenly spiritual nouriture it containes a nouriture of the soule that is able to nourish and traine vp the soule to a life spiritual to that life euerlasting for this cause it is called the body bloud of Christ It is called also the Supper of the Lord to put a difference betwixt it a profane supper for this is the Lords Supper a holy supper not a profane or common supper a supper appointed for the increase of holiness for the food of the soule in holiness to feede the soule vnto life euerlasting Not a supper appointed for the belly for he had ended that Supper that was appointed for the belly or euer he began this supper which was appointed for the soule A supper no doubt hauing respect to the circuÌ„stance of
was in the wombe of the Virgin His flesh is not called spirituall in respect it is glorified in the heauens at the right hand of the Father be not deceiued with that for suppose it be glorified yet it remaineth true flesh that same verie flesh which hee tooke out of the wombe of the blessed Virgine Neither is it spirituall because thouseest it not in the Supper if thou wert where it is Answere thou mightest see it But it is called spirituall in respect of the spirituall ends wherunto it serues to my body soule because the flesh bloud of Christ serueth to nourish me not to a temporall but to a spirituall heauenly life Now in respect this flesh is a spiritual foode seruing me to a spirituall life for this cause it is called a spirituall thing if it nourish mee as the flesh of beasts doth but to a temporall life it should be called but a temporall thing but in respect it nourisheth my soule not to an earthly and temporall life but to an heauenly celestiall and spirituall end In respect of this end the flesh of Christ and Christ in respect of his flesh is called the spirituall thing in the Sacrament It is called also the spiritual thing in the Sacrament in respect of the spirituall instrument whereby it is receiued The instrument whereby the flesh of Christ is receiued is not a corporall instrument is not the teeth and mouth of the body but it is spirituall it is the mouth of the soule which is faith and in respect the instrument is spirituall therefore Christ who is receiued is also called spirituall In respect also that the manner of receiuing is a heauenly spirituall and internall manner not a naturall nor externall manner in respect that the flesh of Christ which is giuen in the Sacrament is receiued by a spiritual secret maner which is not seene to the eyes of men In all these respects I call Christ Iesus the heauenly and spirituall thing which is signified by the signes in the Sacrament Now The thing signified must be applyed I say in the end the thing signified must bee applyed to vs. What auaileth it me to see my medicine in a box standing in an Apothecaries shop what can it worke toward me if it be not applyed What auaileth it mee to see my saluation afarre of if it be not applied to mee Therefore it is not enough for vs to see Christ but he must be giuen vs or else he cannot worke health and saluation in vs. And as this saluation is giuen vs wee must haue a mouth to take it What auaileth it mee to see meat before me except I haue a mouth to take it So the thing signified in the Sacrament must be giuen vs by God by the Three persons of the Trinitie one GOD by Christ Iesus who must giue himselfe as he giues himselfe so wee must haue a mouth to take him Suppose he present and offer himselfe yet he can profit and auaile none but them who haue a mouth to receiue him Then ye see what I call the thing signified whole Christ applyed to vs and receiued by vs vvhole Christ God and man without separation of his natures vvithout distinguishing of his substance from his graces All applyed to vs. Then I say seeing we come to the Sacrament to be fed by his flesh and refreshed by his bloud to be fed to an heauenly and spirituall life and seeing there is no profit to be had at this Table without some kinde of preparation therefore let no man prease to come to this holy Table except in some measure hee be prepared Some will be prepared in a greater measure then others alwayes let no man presume to go to it except in some measure his heart be sanctified therefore my exhortation concerning the way whereby euery one of you ought to prepare your selues that yee may fit you the better to this Table is this there is not one of you that commeth to the Table of the Lord that may bring before the Lord his integritie iustice and vprightnes but whosoeuer goeth to the Table of the Lord hee ought to goe with the acknowledging confession of his misery he ought to goe with a sorrowfull hart for the sinnes wherin he hath offended God he ought to goe with a hatred of those sinnes Not to protest that hee is holy iust and vpright but to protest and confesse that he is miserable and of all creatures the most miserable and therefore hee goeth to that Table to get support for his misery to obtaine mercy at the throne of Grace to get remission and forgiuenes of his sinnes to get the gift of repentance that more more he may study to liue vprightly holily and soberly in all time to come Therfore except yee haue entred into this course and haue a purpose to continue in this course to amend your life past to repent you of your sinnes and by the grace of God to liue more vprightly and soberly then yee haue done for Gods cause goe not to the Table For where there is not a purpose to doe well and to repent of necessity there must be a purpose to doe ill and whosoeuer commeth to that Table with a purpose to doe ill and without a purpose to repent he commeth to mock Christ to scorne him to his face to eate his owne present-condemnation So let no man come to that Table that hath not in his hart a purpose to doe better that hath not a hart to sorrow for his sinnes past and thinketh not his former follie and madnesse ouer-great Let no man come to that Table without this vnder the paine of condemnation But if yee haue in your hart a purpose to doe better suppose your former life hath been dissolute and loose yet if yee be touched in your harts with any feeling or remorse of your life past goe not from the Table but come vvith a protestation of your misery and wretchednesse and come with a heart to gette grace if vvith a dissolute life I meane not of open slaunders thou haue also a purpose not to amend but to doe vvorse for Gods sake abstaine Thus farre of the thing signified Vnto this generall consideration there remaineth these things yet to bee made plaine vnto you First how the signes and the thing signified are coupled together and how they are conioyned Next it restes to be told you how the signe is deliuered and hovv the thing signified is deliuered and hovv both are receiued as vvell as they are deliuered This beeing done I shall speake briefely of the other part of the Sacrament vvhich is the vvord And last of all I shall let you see what sort of faults they are that peruert the Sacrament and make it of no effect And if time shall serue I shall enter in particular to this Sacrament which wee haue in hand Then to come back againe In the third place How the signe the
vvill come in your minde and it vvill signifie vnto you that that is the Kings picture So if the signe of the Sacrament did no further all pictures should bee Sacraments but in respect the Sacrament exhibites and deliuers the thing that it signifieth to the soule and hart so soone as the signe is deliuered to the mouth for this cause especially it is called a signe There is no picture of the King that will deliuer the King vnto you there is no other Image that will exhibite the thing wherof it is the Image therefore there is no Image can be a Sacrament Then in respect the Lord hath appointed the Sacraments as hands to deliuer and exhibite the thing signified for this deliuery and exhibition chiefely they are called signes As the word of the Gospel is a mighty potent instrument to our euerlasting saluation so the Sacrament is a potent instrument appointed by GOD to deliuer vs to Christ Iesus to our euerlasting saluation For this spirituall meat is dressed and giuen vp to vs in spirituall dishes that is in the ministery of the word and in the ministery of the Sacraments And suppose this ministery be externall yet the Lord is said to deliuer spirituall and heauenlie things by these externall things Why Because hee hath appointed them as instruments whereby he will deliuer his owne Sonne vnto vs. For this is certain that none hath power to deliuer Christ Iesus vnto vs except God and his holy spirit and therefore to speake properly there is none can deliuer Christ but God by his owne spirit hee is deliuered by the ministery of the holy Spirit it is the holy Spirit that seales him vp in our harts and confirmes vs more and more in him as the Apostle giues him this stile 2. Cor. 1.22 To speak properly there is none hath power to deliuer Christ but GOD the Father or himselfe There is none hath power to deliuer the Mediator but his owne spirit yet it hath pleased GOD to vse some instruments and means wherby hee will deliuer Christ Iesus vnto vs. The meanes are these the ministery of the vvord and the ministery of the Sacraments and in respect he vseth these as meanes to deliuer Christ they are said to deliuer him But heere yee haue to distinguish between the principall efficient deliuerer and the instrumentall efficient which is the word and the Sacramēts keeping this distinction both these are true GOD by his word and GOD by his spirit deliuereth Christ Iesus vnto you Then I say I cal thē signes because God hath made them potent instruments to deliuer that same thing which they signifie Now I goe to the thing signified and I call the thing signified by the signes in the Sacrament What is the thing signified in the Sacrament that which Irenaeus that old Writer calleth the heauenly spirituall thing to wit whole Christ with his whole gifts benefites and graces applyed giuen to my soule Then I call not the thing signified by the signes of Bread and Wine the benefits of Christ the graces of Christ or the vertue that floweth out of Christ onely but I call the thing signified together with the benefites and vertues flowing from him the very substance of Christ himselfe from which this vertue dooth flowe The substance with the vertues gifts and graces that flowe from the substance is the thing signified heere As for the vertue and graces that flow from Christ it is not possible that thou canst be partaker of the vertue that floweth from his substance except thou be first partaker of the substance it selfe For how is it possible that I can be partaker of the iuyce that floweth out of any substance except I be partaker of the substance it selfe first Is it possible that my stomach can bee refreshed with that meat the substance vvhereof came neuer in my mouth Is it possible my drouth can be slackned with that drinke that passed neuer downe my throat Is it possible that I can sucke any vertue out of anie thing except I gette the substance first So it is impossible that I can get the iuyce vertue that floweth out of Christ except I get the substance that is himselfe first So I call not the thing signified the grace vertue that floweth from Christ onelie nor Christ himselfe and his substance without his vertue graces onely but ioyntly the substance with the graces whole Christ God and man without separation of his natures without distinguishing of his substance from his graces I call the thing signified by the signes in the Sacrament for why if no more be signified by the Bread but the flesh and body of Christ onely and no more be signified by the Wine but the bloud of Christ onely thou canst not say that the body of Christ is Christ it is but a part of Christ thou canst not say that the blood of Christ is whole Christ it is but a part of him and a peece of thy Sauiour saued thee not a part of thy Sauiour wrought not the worke of thy saluation and so suppose thou get a peece of him in the Sacrament that part will doe thee no good To the end therefore that this Sacrament may nourish thee to life euerlasting thou must get in it thy whole Sauiour whole Christ God and man with his whole graces and benefites without separation of his substance from his graces or of the one nature from the other And how get I him Not by my mouth It is a vaine thing to think that wee will get God by our mouth but we get him by faith As hee is a spirit so I eate him by faith and belieue in my soule not by the teeth of my mouth that is a vaine thing Be it that thou mightest eate the flesh of Christ with thy teeth this were a cruel maner of doing yet thou maist not eate the God-head with thy teeth this is a gross fashion of speaking Then if euer yee get good of the Sacrament ye must get whole Christ and there is not any instrument whereby to lay hold on him but by faith onely therefore come with a faithfull hart O but yee will aske mee and by appearance the definition layd downe of the thing signified giues a ground to it If the flesh of Christ Question and the bloud of Christ bee a part of the thing signified how can I call his flesh a spirituall thing and Christ in respect of his flesh a heauenly thing Yee will not say that the substance of Christes flesh is spirituall or that the substance of his bloud is spirituall vvherefore then call ye it an heauenly and spiritual thing I wil tell you The flesh of Christ is called a spirituall thing and Christ is called spirituall in respect of his flesh not that his flesh is become a spirit or that the substance of his flesh is become spirituall No it remaineth true flesh and the substance of it is one as it
inward and renewed vnderstanding whereby wee get the first apprehension of Christ Now if this first apprehension of Christ like vs well then the next followeth Wee beginne to cast the affection of our harts on him we haue good will to him for all our affections proceed from our will and our affections beeing renewed and made holy wee sette them wholly vpon Christ We loue him and if we loue him we take hold on him we eate him and digest him that is we apply him to our soules and so of this loue and liking of him the second apprehension doth follow But if we haue no will to him if wee haue no loue nor liking of him what doe we Then we reiect him and preferre our owne Idol and the seruice of our own affections to him and so the second apprehension followeth not Wee cannot digest him and if wee digest him not that spirituall life cannot growe in vs for marke in vvhat place the eye serues to the bodie in the same roome serueth knowledge and vnderstanding to thy soule and looke in vvhat place thy hand and thy mouth thy taste and thy stomack serue vnto thy body in that very place serue the hart and affections to thy soule So that as our bodies cannot be nourished except our hands take and our mouthes eate the meate whereby the second apprehension may follow likewise our soules cannot feede on Christ except we hold him and imbrace him hartilie by our wills and affections For we come not to Christ by any outward motion of our bodies but by an inward motion and apprehension of the hart For God finding vs all in a reprobate sense he brings vs to Christ by reforming the affection of our soules by making vs to loue him And therefore the second apprehension wherby wee digest our Sauiour will neuer enter into our soules except as hee pleaseth the eye so he please the will and the affection also Now if this come to passe that our wills affections are wholly bent vpon Christ then no doubt vvee haue gotten this Iewell of faith Haue yee such a liking in your minds and such a loue in your harts of Christ that ye will prefer him before all things in the world then no question faith is begun in you Now How faith is nourished and entertained in vs. after a thing is begunne there is yet more required for though this faith be formed in your mindes in your harts and soules yet that is not enough but that which is formed must be nourished and hee who is conceiued must be entertained and brought vp or else the loue that is begunne in mee by the holy spirit except by ordinary meanes it be daily entertained and nourished it will decay except the Lord continue the working of his holie Spirit it is not possible that I can continue in the faith And how must we nourish and continue faith in our soules Two manner of waies First wee nourish faith begunne in our soules by hearing of the word not of euerie word but by hearing of the vvord of God preached and not by hearing of euery man but by hearing the word preached by him that is sent For this is the ordinarie means wherunto the Lord hath bound himselfe hee will work faith by the hearing of the word and the receiuing of the Sacraments And the more that thou hearest the vvord and the oftner that thou receiuest the Sacraments the more thy faith is nourished Now it is not onely by hearing of the word receiuing of the Sacraments that we nourish faith The word and the Sacraments are not able of themselues to nourish this faith in vs except the working of the holy Spirit be conioyned vvith their ministery But the word and the Sacraments are said to nourish faith in our soules because they offer and exhibite Christ vnto vs who is the meat the drink and life of our soules and in respect that in the word and Sacraments wee get Christ who is the foode of our soules therefore the word and Sacraments are said to nourish our soules As it is said Acts 2.42 The Disciples of Christ continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowshippe and breaking of bread and prayers by these means entertaining augmenting and nourishing the faith that was begunne in them Then the holy Spirit begets this faith works this faith creates this faith nourisheth and entertaineth this faith in our soules by hearing of the word preached and by the receiuing of the Sacraments which are the ordinary meanes whereby the Lord nourisheth vs and continueth this spirituall foode with vs. For obserue by what meanes the spirituall life is begun by the same meanes it is nourished and entertained as this temporall life is entertained and nourished by the same meanes whereby it is begun Then seeing by these meanes Conclusion with an exhortatioÌ„ the holy Spirit begets this vvorke of faith in our soules It is our dutie to craue that hee would continue the worke which hee hath begunne And for this cause we should resort to the hearing of the vvord when it is preached and to the receiuing of the Sacraments when they are ministred that we may be fedde in our soules to life euerlasting But alas wee are come to such a loathing disdaine or reiecting of heauenly foode in this Countrey that where men in the beginning would haue gone some twentie miles some fortie miles to the hearing of this vvord they vvill scarcelie novv come from their houses to the Church and remaine there but one houre to heare the vvord but rather abide at home VVell I say too much vvealth vvith-drawes their hearts and the aboundance of this vvord ingenders such a loathsomnesse that it is a rare thing to finde out any that haue that thirst and desire to heare the vvord as they vvere wont to haue in the beginning And for those that are in higher places they will heare it sildome or not at all for they cannot indure to heare the thing that accuseth them and conuicts them and therefore they auoyde it But they should not doe so they should not shunne Christ nor abstaine from â—is vvord that accuseth them but they should heare the vvord and as the vvord accuseth them they should accuse themselues also that thereby they may come to a confession of their sinne and obtaine mercy for the same So vvhen Christ accuseth thee thou shouldest not runne from him but thou shouldest draw neere to him thou shouldest threaten kindnesse of him and as it vvere make a breach and forcible entry into his kingdome It is not the way vvhen thy sinnes touch thee and when Christ accuseth thee to runne from him no thou shouldest then turne to him thou shouldest confesse thy sinne cry Peccaui and seeke mercy and after that thou hast obtained mercy this word shal becom as pleasant to thee and thou shalt take as great delight to come to the hearing of it as euer thou delightedst to flie from it before