vntill the tenth Generation but against Incest he is more seuere Deut. 271 for he would not onely haue a generall curse pronounced against it whereunto he commanded all the people to say Amen but touching the Moabites and Ammonites the first spawne of Incest that we find in the Scripture though they were the posteritie of LOT whom GOD loued for AERAHAM's sake Deut 23. yet doth he command that they shall not enter into the Congregation of Israel for euer Israel is forbidden to seeke their peace at any time RVBEN is a second example marke what his owne Father IACOB said of him when he blest the Patriarkes Ruben thou art my first borne my might Gen. 49. the beginning of my strength the excellencie of digniâ—â—â— and the excellencie of power these were the preeminences of his birth-right but he forfeited them all for Incest as appeares in the verie next words of his Father Vnstable as water thou shalt not excell because thou wentest vp to thy Fathers bed then defiledst thou it He went vp into my couch A third example is ABSALON he abused his Fathers Concubines therefore he came to an infamous end he was hanged by the haire of his owne head he dyed childlesse and so his name did rot Leu. 8. The Land of Canaan spued out the old Inhabitants for Incest and GOD threatneth the destruction of Israel for that a man and his sonne would goe in to one maid Amos 2. By GODS Law no lesse then death was the punishment of Incest Leu. 10. The Lawes of the Land are more mercifull vnto you the Penitent that suffer you to breathe and leaue you to the censure of the CHVRCH But if you mind what you haue heard touching that censure and drinke in St AVSTINS conceipt therof you shall find cause enough to feare and freedome from death may seeme vnto you worse then death But yet your case is not desperate for there yet remaines one point in the Text which may yeeld a mitigation to your feares and a consolation to your Soule The censure is not mortall but medicinall as appeares in the end whereunto the censure serues Now a medicine you know doth first paine then it doth ease yea it doth therfore paine that it may ease so doth this ghostly censure it serues for the destruction of the flesh there is the paine but there followeth ease vpon it the spirit shaâ— be saued First of the paine As the flesh signifieth sometimes the substance sometimes the corruption of the outward man so may the destruction signifie either the mortalitie or the mortification thereof mortalitie if the censure proceed from the power which is proper to an Apostle but if it signifie the power which is common to Bishops with the Apostles it noteth mortification it signifieth the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof the putting off the old man and the dying vnto sinne And indeed this we intend by our Ecclesiasticall censures We intend that you should root out the sinne for which you doe penance and so destroy your flesh This is painfull to flesh and blood but vt valeas multa dolenda feres you must brooke the paine that you may enioy the ease that followeth thereupon the spirit shall be saued The spirit noteth the soule or the grace thereof the sauing of the soule is the preseruing of grace therein if the soule loose grace it looseth it selfe in regard of all well-being and it were much better for it not to be at all then to be without grace so that the saluation of our spirit is no small part of our happinesse Which must the rather be esteemed because if our spirit fare well it will make euen the flesh that is destroyed in regard of the corruption to be farre better in regard of the substance for it shall be purged from dead works to serue the liuing GOD. But when shall we reape this easâ— out of paine In the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Though a peniten euen in this life shall find some case in his Conscience yet the full benefit of Ecclesiasticall censure is reserued to the day of the Lord because all this life we must be mortifying our flesh especially enormous sinners must be so imployed the greatest of their ease in this world must haue a mixture of paine but in the day of the Lord they shall haue ease without all delay But what day of the Lord is meant here Euerie mans particular day of death or the generall doomes day An account must be made at both and if we vse the Ecclesiasticall censure well we shall find that this Iudgment preuents that this temporall the eternall For as CHRIST at his first comming came not to destroy but to saue so his Ministers that dispense the Gospel vse their power not to destruction but to edification But I thinke the day of the Lord signifieth properly the last day CHRIST will publikely manifest before the CHVRCH tryumphant the effect of the Keyes which he hath committed to his Ministers to be exercised publikely in the CHVRCH militant he will then reueale how all stand bound in Heauen which were neuer loosed on Earth and all whom the CHVRCH hath loosed in Earth shall then appeare to be loosed in Heauen I end The successe which St PAVL had when he inflicted this sentence was that the Corinthians became verie sensible of their fault and the Incestuous person of his St PAVL himselfe doth witnesse this 2 Cor. 7. where he amplyfieth both their godly sorrowes and his congratulating indulgence towards them both Oh that like successe might blesse my paines that I may giue as good a testimonie to this Congregation for their hatred of sinne as St PAVL gaue to the Corinthians and to this Penitent the like mittigation of his Censure as St PAVL to that Incestuous person So may this penitentiall sheet of his be turned into a white robe of righteousnesse his teares into ioy and all we that are humbled for him in the Church militant be with him exalted in the Church tryumphant Amen A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRAL CHVRCH OF WELS AT WHAT TIME TWO DID PENANCE FOR INCEST A MAN AND HIS WIVES DAVGHTER LEVIT 20. VERSE 14. Likewise if a man taketh a wife and her mother this is wickednesse they shall burne him and them with fire and there shall be no wickednesse amongst you NO sooner doe you heare this Text but I am ure you vnderstand this spectacle you vnderstand what sinners these persons are what doome this Law doth passe vpon them And indeed their sinne and Gods doome are the maine parts of my Text. But more distinctly In the sinne we must note first the fact then the haynousnesse thereof The fact is vnnaturall adulterie Adulterie because one man taketh more women then one that is plaine adulterie And this adulterie is vnnaturall because there is the neerest reference betweene the women the one a Mother the other her Daughter to take two
these good precedents they that are honoured to bee Gods messengers must learne that it beseemes Referendaries to keepe themselues to their instructions and deliuer so much as and no more then they haue receiued in charge But to speak a litle more distinctly to this point The message did consist of two branches First That which God required Secondly That which God offred Moses that did deliueral Gods Cōmandements deliuered both these branches he informed them of their dutie aswell as of Gods mercy and of Gods mercy no lesse then of their dutie And indeed both are requisite to be taught our dutie that wee doe not presume Gods mercie that we doe not despaire omit either and you may me the doctrine of Gods Couenant There is also committed vnto vs the Law and the Gospel the one to humble the other to comfort men we ought to conioyne both and you must be content to heare of your dutie aswell as of Gods mercie We preach them both to our people the Papists charge vs with taking from the doctrine of the Couenant but the bookes of our Confession the Articles and Catechismes and the booke of our Deuotion our publike Lyturgie and finally the Homilies which are appointed to be read vnto the people refute this slander But wee iustly charge them with adding to the doctrine of the Couenant the bookes Apochryphall and their vngrounded Traditions and wee remember them of that saying of Salomon Pro◠30 v. 6. adde not to Gods Word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar And what wee haue censured in them are nothing else but the forgeries of mens braines which may not bee reputed the Oracles of God Therefore though we call vpon you dutifully to heare and receiue aswell what God requires as what hee promiseth yet as necessarily to saluation wee doe not wee should not call vpon you to heare more then he requires or to beleeue more then he promiseth But enough of Moses Fidelitie Let vs now see his Wisdome As hee dischargeth himselfe fully so doth hee discharge himselfe clearely also For he laid all that God commanded him before the faces of the Elders Nec incautis nec nescientibus ingeritur Lex Here first we meete with a strange phrase for can words bee laid before mens faces you would expect that the Text should haue said Moses spake that which God commanded in the eares of the people and here wee find their eares turned into eyes When the Holy Ghost meaneth euidence of speech it vseth to expresse it in such significant tearmes Saint Paul telling the Galathians of his perspicuous preaching the Gospell vnto them 〈◊〉 3. v 1. saith that Iesus Christ was described in their sight and crucified before them Although the Holy Ghost doe speake to some in Parables Mat 13. that in hearing they may heare and not vnderstand which he doth in punishment of their contempt of euident truth which hath beene laid before them Mat. 6. because as the Prouerbe is Pearles are not to bee cast vnto swine nor holy things vnto dogs yet to those that heare with a reuerent and an obedient eare Mat. 13. ◠11. Datum est nosse mysteria regnicoelorum the Parables are vnfolded the mysteries of the Kingdome of heauen are laid before their face To open this point a little better We must distinguish the Couenant of God from the Illustrations and Amplifications thereof The Couenant it selfe both Old and New is plainly deliuered whether you respect that which God requires or that which Godoffers aswel in this chapter as in other parts of the Bible But there are many Illustrations and Amplifications of either of these Typicall Mysticall darke and hard to be vnderstood which the people cannot vnderstand without an Interpreter ea which the Interpreter himselfe cannot vnderstand without manifold helpe helpe of Deuotion that Gods Spirit may inlighten him and helpe of Meditation painfully scanning and comparing the branches of the Text with other places finally helpe of Varietie of humane literature which giueth great light sometimes to the phrase sometimes to the matter in hand But aboue al in matters necessarie to saluation we follow Catholike Tradition This we say And yet the wrangling Romanists beare the World in hand that wee say there is no difficultie in the Scriptures and that for their guide wee referre the people only to their priuate Spirit which are grosse vntruths We encourage the people to read the Scripture and tell them that though there bee some depths therein wherein an Elephant may swimme yet there are some such shallowes wherein a Lambe may wade The simplest may meete there with all parts of their Catechisme the ten Commandements the Articles of their Creed the Lords Prayer the Sacraments These points containe the substance of the Couenant and they are plainly deliuered there And more then these are not necessarie to saluation Some may haue more some lesse vnderstanding of these according to their breeding yet all should vnderstand these And for this purpose did Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and the Fathers of the Primitiue Church commend vnto the people the reading of the Scriptures But we aduise them to leaue vnto the learned at least to learne of them to vnderstand those things that are vailed and soberly to edifie their pietie with these things which they shall find there vnuailed or laid before their faces I haue done with the deliuerie of the Message I come now to the Answere that is made thereunto And here we are to take notice first Who maketh it the whole Congregation The people answered But doe not you remember that the Message was deliuered to the Elders why then doe the People answere Surely because the Elders receiued it to deliuer it to the people and therefore not only the Elders but the people also were to make an answere Some are of opinion that the Elders were the representatiue bodie of all the people and that their consent was the consent of all and that all were bound by that which they did as in Parliaments the chosen Knights and Burgesses in Synods the chosen Proctors of the Clergie haue such obliging voices Which conceit the Romanists wrest so farre as therupon to make the tenents of the Elders of the Church the ground of the peoples faith to which purpose they also abuse the maxime of Cyprian Ecclesia est in Episcopo The Church subsisteth in the Bishop vbi non sunt Sacerdotes Ecclesia non est The same premises serue aswell to conclude for the Lyturgie in an vnknowne tongue and for their priuate Masse For if the people may beleeue because their Bishops beleeue they may aswell as indeed they doe serue God in the Priest and in the Priest they may communicate without any their priuitie to what hee doth or any their cooperation with him from which they are necessarily excluded by priuate Masses and vnknowne Prayers But the reason why the people are said to
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not in the nature of man but in the nature of God hypostatically vnited vnto man In the twentieth of the Acts God is said with his owne blood to redeeme his Church An impossible thing were it not for the personall Vnion which maketh that to be ascribed vnto God in Concreto which indeed belongs vnto Man But the reason of the Phrase is God is one with Man Yea all the nature of merit is founded in this Vnion Loose the vnion and ouerthrow the merit For the ability of the Sonne closeth not with that aptnesse which before you heard of in the Child to performe the blessed Act of Redemption but by this meanes of personall Vnion Against so pestilent an Heresie was assembled the Councell of Ephesus that defined that God and Man made but one Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that the nature of man assumed by the Son of God was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it had no personality but that which before was in the Sonne And the Reason of it is very cleare For seeing Christ came to saue not any one person but the seed of Abraham as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 2. he was to assume not a person but the nature of Man that so he might be the common Sauiour of Mankinde Nestorius being put downe vp starteth Eutyches and he in stead of a personall Vnion of the Natures forged a Confusion of them He would so ioyne them that two should become one not Person but Nature and so of God and Man wee shall neyther haue God nor Man one shall be swallowed vp in the other at the least the Manhood in the Godhead And this ouerthrowes not only the apparant Texts of Scripture which speaking of Christ after the Incarnation call him sometimes God and sometimes Man and particularly as Rom. 1. Phil. 2. and elsewhere reckon vp eyther Nature but it abolisheth all the comfort of those sweete Texts which affirme that the Law was fulfilled in our flesh that wee were crucified with Christ that wee rose with him and that with him wee sit in heauenly places but especially that Text to the Hebrewes which biddeth vs come with boldnesse vnto the Throne of Grace because wee haue not such an High Priest as cannot be touched with our infirmities seeing he is like vnto vs in all things sinne only excepted Against Eutyches was assembled the Councell of Calcedon which prouided for the sincerity of our Faith in this Article and hath defined against this confusion of Natures the compounding of the Nature of God and Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the learned Writings of Leo the First Vigilins and others are excellent Commentaries vpon that Councell But to what end haue I opened all this Surely that you might see the riches of this first branch of my Text teaching vs what Christians must beleeue maugre all Hereticks guided by those famous Generall Councels namely foure things there are to be considered therin 1. The truth of the Godhead 2. The fulnesse of the Manhood 3. The Personall Vnion of both 4. and yet without abolition of eyther So that wee may in these words reade the whole Mysterie of the Incarnation But one Caution I must giue you and not I but the Fathers generally and that is You must acknowledge these Mysteries but you must not pry too farre into them lest that befall you which is in the prouerbe Qui scrutator est Maiestatis opprimetur à gloria While you will know more than is permitted you mistake that which is reuealed In euery Article of our Creede especially in this that of Moses holds The secret things are for the Lord but the reuealed things are for vs. That these things are so is the reuealed part of the Article but how they come to bee so is the secret part thereof Let vs bee contented with that which is ours and leaue Gods vnto himselfe Licet scire quòd natus sit Christus non licet discutere quomodo natus sit illud negare mihi non licet hoc quaerere metus est Nam generationem eius quis enarrabit saith St. Ambrose And it was this Quomodo that was the bane of all the fore-recited Heretickes and I pray God their harms may make vs to beware Let vs be wise vnto sobriety the seedes that they sowed are not yet all dead they fructifie too much in other parts and something haue they shewed themselues of late in our Country lest they possesse vs this Caueat must be marked by vs. The last thing which I will note on these words is they are most sweet words The name of Child and Sonne make Christ most louely in the eares in the eyes both of God and Man If man were put to his choyce what nature hee would wish to bee vsed in his Redemption is there any that he could desire rather than his owne And what nature can better content God in the Redemption than his owne Looke vpon the Childe Man hath what he would and looke vpon the Sonne God hath what hee would both cannot be but well pleased You heare not all the sweetnesse of it looke againe vpon the Childe The Physicians and Diuines druide the life of man into many ages some after one fashion and some after another but the very first is that which most properly is noted by this word it signifieth that age which begins vpon the conception that moment wherein the nature of man taketh beginning No sooner is the Child quickned but it is jeled it is that which is noted by this Child and the English word seems to come thence The loue of Christ to children appeared many waies when he rebuked his Disciples that would not suffer them to be brought vnto him when he accepted Hosanna out of their mouthes when he vouchsafed them to bee Martyrs at his death but neuer did hee expresse so much loue vnto them as he did in being like vnto them euen the yongest and tendrest of them lodging in his mothers wombe borne in his mothers armes sucking at his mothers breast and learning to speak from his mothers mouth could Christ euer haue taken a more gracious course to sanctifie their simplicity plicitie their infirmity and shew how deare they were vnto him I wonder not now at those other words of Christ The childrens Angels continually behold their Fathers face in Heauen and To them belongs the Kingdome of Heauen yea They that will enter into the Kingdome of Heauen must be like vnto them And who would disdain to be like vnto them to whom Christ was pleased to be so like And is not the Child then a sweet word Haue not Parents therein a great comfort Children oftentimes dye in their mothers wombe and often so soone as they come out of the wombe dispise them not despaire not of them they cannot be so yongue but Christ was as yongue and what he was he sanctified they are holy vnto him and by him to God their
to be most in number But there are two cautions to be obserued in this boundlesnesse of the Church One concerning the bound lesnesse thereof in regard of place Another concerning the boundlesnesse thereof in regard of time Touching the former whereas the Church is said to spread it selfe ouer the whole world we must not only vnderstand it de generibus singulorum not de singulis generum in all nations but also obserue that Christ which hath Ius ad omnem terram hath not at the same time Ius in omni terra the proprietie of all is his but he taketh possession of it successiuely and by parts As the scope of the Sunne is all the world and yet at one time the Sunne doth not shine in all parts thereof it beginneth in the East and passeth to the South and so to the West and as it passeth forward bringing light to one place withdraweth it from another so is it in regard of the Sunne of Righteousnesse the easterne Countries the foutherne haue had his light which now are in darknesse for the most part and we that were more northerly doe now enioy the clearest noon-tide but the Sunne beginneth to rise to them in the West and it is too plaine that our light beginneth to grow dimme it is to bee feared that it hasteneth to their Meridian and whether after their noone it will then set God knoweth The cause hereof is not lest we mistake in the Sunne of Righteousnesse as the cause why all haue not light at one time is in the corporall Sunne The corporall Sunne cannot at one time illighten all the Sunne of Righteousnesse can But for the sinnes of the people the Candlesticke is remoued and giuen to a nation that will beare more fruit We interpose our earthlinesse between our selues and the Sun and so exclude our selues from the beames thereof A second caution concerneth the time The peace and the gouernement are said to be euerlasting But they may bee considered in fieri or in facto when they are once consummated they shall bee continued for euer but while they are in fieri the rebellion of the flesh against the spirit interrupts the gouernment and the conscience of sinne within and the crosse without interrupt the peace Yet both are lasting pro modo viatoris in the roote though not in the fruite the principles of obedience which are repentance and faith by which wee recall our selues and the principles of peace which are faith and hope by which we pacifie our selues inwardly and patiently sustaine what befals vs outwardly continue for euer yea and disobedience repented of maketh vs more obedient and the interruption of peace breedeth vs more peace more peace inwardly we haue the lesse we haue outwardly and after our reconciliation with God we do more comfortably enioy the light of his countenance but when wee are comprehensores then our Obedience shall bee entire and our peace be full and both without end The last note is that which is the life of all to wit the vse that wee must make of it Although we cannot say of a body consisting of heterogeneous parts that Eadem est ratio vnius omnium yet when it consists of homogeneous parts wee may say it truly I cannot say that my hand is my head or my head is my hand or that in the one I see the nature of the other but whereas of flesh euery part is flesh in the least part I see the condition of the whole The Church hath a double consideration so farre as these children are subiects of the Kindome they are all homogeneous parts but as they haue seuerall functions so they are heterogeneous parts We haue not all the same graces of edification but the same graces of adoption we should all haue though we be not all Prophets all Apostles all workers of Miracles all Pastors yet are wee all children of God seruants in his house subiects in his kingdome euery man so farre is a little catholicke Church at least should bee And wee should all try our selues by the rules of my Text whether we find in our selues the gouernment of Christ in our voluntary subiection to him the peace of Christ in his comfortable influence into our consciences Wee must try how these things increase in vs how we daily profit in both And we should profit so farre as that no part of our body norpower of our soule should be withdrawne from Christs gouernment there should bee no part or power of eyther that doth not partake of the sweetnesse of his peace They should doe so and euery day should they doe it as they must exclude Christ from no place so must they exclude him at no time But alas many of vs are no subiects at all wee are sonnes of Belial few of vs growing subiects but Catholickesubiects there are none on earth for how many holds hath Sathan in vs in our bodies and in our soules out of which we keep Christ the lawfull owner of them And for Time it were well if we paid a tenth part therof vnto Christ but we afford him not so many houres as we do yeares vnto the Diuell We are like vnto the image in Daniel which had a golden head siluer shoulders brazen thighes feet of clay and iron the lower the worser and we the longer we liue commonly the worse wee are the first time wee come to Christ we are at the best How it is with particular persons let euery man aske his own conscience Certainly it is so with whole Churches what zeale what charity was there in the dayes of the Apostles but it was of no long continuance The Fathers that write of the persecutions say That God sent euery one of them to correct in his Church the decay both of zeale and charity When the Gospell reuiued with vs those that are old may remember how religious this Kingdome was both within the Church and without and what a friendly conspiracie there was between true deuotion and honest conuerfation But may not Christ say now to vs as he said to the Church of Ephesus I haue somewhat against thee Reu. 2. because thou hast left thy first loue Nay rather may not he repeat the words which hee sent vnto the Church of Sardis I know thy workes Reu. 3. thou hast a name that thou liuest but art dead Certainely true Piety true Charity is dead amongst vs. I conclude all with Christs exhortation Reu. 2. Let vs remember from whence wee are fallen and repent and doe our first workes lest he come vpon vs quickely and remoue our Candlesticke out of his place because we doe not repent O Lord that hast vouchsafed to place thy Gouernement amongst vs and with this Gouernment to giue thy Peace we beseech thee that hast planted them so to water them that both may grow in vs and let vs set no bounds to that which thou wouldst haue boundlesse Let not our whole Church let not any member
a ground in the entrance to their decrees But when we come to enquire where the Lord saith so here we differ we differ about the Register of Gods Word wee acknowledge none but Verbum scriptum the written Word they adde vnto it Verbum non scriptum vnwritten Traditions but when we presse them with where is that to be found here they iarre between themselues To omit smaller differences this is a maine one that they cannot tell in whom the infallibilitie of relating these traditions is placed as likewise of interpreting the written Word The Councell of Constance and Basil placed it in the generall Councell to whom they gaue power euen ouer the Pope to ouer-rule him and giue Lawes vnto him and to this doth the French Church sticke though otherwise it hold the Romish faith But the Italian faction and specially Iesuites place it in the Pope and giue him authority ouer the Councell to controule it to giue Lawes vnto it and without it to make Lawes that shall binde the whole Catholicke Church and besides the Pope they hold that there is infallibilitie in none no not in a generall Councell Some place it ioyntly in both in a generall Councell that hath its approbation from the Pope wherein he presides by himselfe or his delegates and whose Canons he confirmes But while the Aduocates of the Pope strongly ouerthrow the reasons brought for the Councels infallibilitie and the Aduocates of the Councels ouerthrow the reasons brought for the infallibility of the Pope we may fairely collect from both that the infallibilitie is in neyther and if in neyther then not in both For as a cipher added to a cipher maketh but a cipher it maketh no significant figure so if the Pope may erre as the one side holdes and the Councell as the other side holds the fallibilitie of eyther added to the fallibilitie of the other cannot amount to the summe of an infallibilitie But we hold that which they confesse that the Word written in the Canonicall bookes is vndoubtedly signed with Thus saith the Lord of Hostes as for the Apocryphall Scriptures not onely the Fathers but their owne men haue branded them for Bastards before euer wee challenged them therefore doe not wee recommend them to the people further than they agree with the Bookes Canonicall Neither doe we burden the peoples consciences with their Vnwritten Word whereupon themselues are not yet resolued eyther Where or What it is Wherefore Thus saith the Lord must limit the Pastors message and the Peoples faith must not desire any thing beyond it for it is a sure foundation The best of men speake but in veritate mentis without simulation or dissimulation without equiuocation or mentall reseruation but God speaketh in certitudine veritatis no myst of errour can ouercast his wisdome or his holinesse his Word is tried to the vttermost Psalme 12 Heb. 12. as siluer tried seuen times in the fire there is stablenesse in his promise immutablenesse in his counsaile What should change him within him nothing can for he is the Lord neyther can he be changed by any thing that is without him for he is the Lord of Hosts therefore he speaketh thus in the Prophet Mal. 1. Ego Deus non mutor immutability is reciprocall with Gods nature Iames 1 With God there is no variablenesse or shadow of change God is not as man that hee should lye neither as the sonne of man that he should repent Hath he said it Numb 23. and shall he not doe it Yea he spake the word and it was done hee commanded and it stood fast The Lord breaketh the counsell of the Heathen and bringeth to naught the deuices of the people Psalme 33. but the counsell of the Lord shall stand for euer and the thoughts of his heart throughout all ages What neede we then feare Iulians scoffe who derided the Christians for that they had nothing to say for their faith but Thus saith the Lord. Orat. 3. Nazianzene replieth well vnto him you that allow Ipse dixit in the schollars of Pythagoras and though Suidas thinke that God was meant by Ipse yet Cicero saith Ipse erat Pythagoras may not except against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I beleeue in the followers of Christ It is more lawfull to captiuate our iudgement vnto the authority of God than of man and if they might doe it in the principles of Philosophy which are examinable by reason much more may we doe it in the Articles of Faith vnto the secrets whereof no approach can bee made by the wit of man Wherefore Thus saith the Lord may well passe for an indemonstrable principle of our Faith and an irrefragable rule of life If there were no more in the signature but Thus saith the Lord this were enough to secure the Faith of a Christian man But Thus saith the Lord of Hosts is enough to stoppe the mouth of an Atheist let Iulian himselfe teach them hee derided Thus saith the Lord but hee had a wofull experience of the Lord of Hosts for being mortally wounded by Christs hand as himselfe confessed he breathed forth his impure soule with those words Vicisti Galilaec O Galilaean thou hast ouer-mastered mee Secondly if Thus saith the Lord of Hosts bee the signature we are hence to learne that the function of the Ministry is not onely for promulgation to instruct you in Gods will and in so doing to open vnto you the riches of our knowledge but it is for application also we thereby binde or loose the soules of men and remit or retaine their sinnes which the world little thinketh vpon For whereas there are two things considerable in a Minister his Sufficiency and his Authority the people listen much to his Sufficiency but take little heed to his Authority and therefore come they to Church rather to iudge than to be iudged forgetting that many may bee as skilfull but none can be as powerfull in this kinde as is a Minister A Iudge or Iustice of Peace may haue lesse Law in him than a priuate man but he hath much more power and they that appeare before him regard his acts according to his power so should it be in the Church But men feare the Magistrates that are vnder earthly Kings because the paines which they inflict are corporeall our hands our feete feele their manicles and their fetters And did our soules as truly feele as indeede they should the Pastors binding and loosing of them wee would make more account of these officers of God than we doe And it were good we did so for they so binde as that they can loose againe but if we neglect them when our Lord and Master commeth he will command all contemners so to be bound hand and foote that they shall neuer be loosed againe Wherefore let the power of the Keyes work more vpon your soules and consciences than vsually it doth I speake in regard of your religious submission to them If any
as from the Sunne euery man receiues a beame of the same kinde though not the same beame or from a Tree euery man gathereth an apple though not the same apple or out of a Riuer euery man drinketh a draught of the same water but not the same draught of water euen so all doe partake of the same Christ but not in the same measure and no man whole Christ Whole I meane totum Christi though euery man doth receiue him whole that is totum Christum euery man hath Christ alike intensiuè though extensiuè wee haue him not all alike And yet extensiuè euery man hath his full measure As it was in Manna Hee that gathered more had not too much and he that gathered lesse had enough The breaking then of the bread doth not onely represent Christs passion but also his proportioning of himselfe fit for our participation For so it followeth breaking was for giuing It is a question Whether Christ himselfe did communicate in the Eucharist it may well be presumed that he did It is euident that he did in his owne person sanctifie and honour both Sacraments of the Old Testament Circumcision and the Passeouer And touching Baptisme the first Sacrament of the New Testament there can be no question why should there then bee any question of this If any obiect the silence of the Holy Ghost in the words of Institution that may receiue an answer that it was not necessarily to be exprest because it might well bee supplyed out of the correspondency of this Sacrament to that of the Passeouer But the next words to my Text seeme to mee to put it out of all doubt I will not henceforth drink any more of this fruit of the Vine vntill that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome Although St. Luke seem to place those words betweene the Passeouer and the Eucharist which St. Matthew and St. Marke place after the words of the Institution But to let that point passe Though Christ did partake yet it was not for any need that he had of it but for that by his owne participation hee would giue vertue vnto this as he hath done to other Sacraments Hee needed not to dye for himselfe he dyed for vs therefore as he gaue himselfe for vs so did he giue himselfe to vs for vs on the Crosse to vs in the Sacrament Here appeareth the truth of the Apostles saying He that was rich became poore that wee by his pouerty might be made rich 2. Cor. 8.9 He that knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that wee might be made the righteousnesse of God in him And let this suffice for Christs worke Let vs come now to the Disciples worke And here first we must obserue that they that must meddle with these elements must be Disciples that is profest Christians For as none might eate of the Paschall Lambe but they that were circumcised no more might any receiue the Eucharist that was not baptized The reason is plaine No man can be nourished except he liue and liue to God no man can but he that is incorporated into Christ and incorporated he is by Baptisme But euery one that is baptized is not fit to receiue the Eucharist hee must be of age to examine himselfe as St. Paul aduiseth and to discerne the Lords body It is true that about St. Austins time they did put the Eucharist into childrens mouthes before they could vnderstand what it meant And this was done vpon the mistake of those words of St. Iohn Except you eate the flesh of the Sonne of man Cap. 6. and dâ—inke his bloud you haue no life in you But that errour was long since deprehended and the custome discontinued and none receiue but those which are come to years of discretion and moreouer are able to giue an accompt of their faith Yea by the laudable orders of our Church none should receiue vntill they are confirmed and great pity it is that so laudable a custome is not obserued Were it many aged ones would not liue yea and dye too so ignorant of that which they receiue as now they doe to the dishonour of our Church and discomfort of their soules Pastors Parents Masters Churchwardens yea and Godfathers and Godmothers also should make more conscience of their dueties their oathes their vowes wherein they stand bound to God his Church and their Charge and take more care to remedy this than for ought I see they doe It is a question Whether vnder the name of Disciples more are vnderstood than the twelue Apostles Some thinke yea but not one of the Euangelists doth fauour their conceit It should seeme by them that onely the twelue Apostles did now represent the whole Church And happely they onely were present because Christ was pleased to teach them the forme and giue them the charge of administring the Sacrament Surely that is more likely although if wee doe conceit that other were present there is no Heresie in it But I leaue the persons and come to their worke Their worke is double as was the worke of Iesus The first is they must take Take what Christ gaue for he therefore gaue it that they should take it And indeed it were a great contempt to bee present and not to take part Certainly the Primitiue Church thought so whose Councels require scuere censures to be inflicted vpon idle gazers on And there is great reason for it for they abase themselues and excommunicate themselues at least range themselues in the order of Penitents or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who were not thought meete or worthy for their simplenesse or their wickednesse to be guests at the Lords Table Yea and what a wretchednesse is it for them that know what neede they haue of the New Couenant to be carelesse of confirming their assurance thereof and for them that are loaden with sinnes and iniquities not to vnburthen their consciences of the guilt and purge them from the corruption by taking the pledge of remission of sins and meanes which should further the amendment of their liues He deserues to perish for want of grace that hath it offered and doth refuse it Besides this worke of taking the Disciples had another work and that is eating and drinking what they take that they must eate and drinke also These are corporall acts but they must be vnderstood according to the food And seeing the food consisteth of an earthly and a heauenly part we must eate and drinke both And God hath prouided vs wherewith we may doe it for wee our selues consist of an earthly and an heauenly part We must bring both parts vnto this feast and there vse them both our bodies must take eate and drinke the elements our soules must take eate and drinke the body and bloud of Christ Yea our bodies must in these acts onely attend our soules for the Feast is not Ventris but Mentis neither is our corporall feeding vsed otherwise than to helpe