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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91314	A vindication of foure serious questions of grand importance, concerning excommunication and suspention from the sacrament of the Lords Supper, from some misprisions and unjust exceptions lately taken against them; both in the pulpit, by a reverend brother of Scotland, in a sermon at Margarets Church in Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons, at a publike fast there held for Scotland, on the 5th of September last: and in the presse, by three new-printed pamphlets, by way of answer to, and censure of them. Wherein some scripture texts, (commonly reproduced for excommunication, and bare suspention from the Lords Supper onely,) are cleared from false glosses, inferences, conclusions wrested from them; ... / By William Prynne of Lincolns Inne, Esquire.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1645 (1645)	Wing P4124; Thomason E265_5; ESTC R212424	79,558	71

Church of England publikly reserved in all our Churches part 5. sect. 16. Divis 1. pag. 635. who determine that Iudas received the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ though not Christ himselfe and the whole Church of England in the Exhortation before the sacrament in the antiquated Common-prayer booke hath resolved that Judas did receive the sacrament as this clause manifests Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of God c. bewaile your sinnes and come not to this holy Table least after the taking of that holy sacrament the Devill enter into you as he entred into Iudas c. And the 29. Article of the church of England with the 96. Article of the church of Ireland resolve as much in citing approving S●int Austins words as orthodox doctrine which he spake directly of Judas his receiving the Sacrament and externall elements of Christs body and blood for which you may consult with Ma●ter Rogers his exposition on this Article The verity of Judas his receiving the Sacrament being thus abundantly ratified by direct Scriptures and so many concurr●nt authorities of all sorts in all ages to which hundreds of like testimonies might be added I shall onely add● this further consideration to the premises that al our Antagoni●●s the Evangelists cleerly agree that Judas did eat the Pass●over with Christ himselfe as well as the other Apostles now the Passeover was a type of the Lords Supper which su●ceeded in its place and a Sacrament under the Law the same in substance with the E●charist under the Gospell wherein Christ was spiritually represented and received as well as in the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 10. 3 4. ch. 5. 7. Therefore since Christ admitted him to the one I cannot beleev he quite excluded him from the other which the last answer to the four Quaeres doth ingenio●●ly acknowledg And here I cannot but wonder to see with what groundle●●e confidence many godly learned Divines now averre the contrary both in Presse and Pulpit of purpose to introduce a suspension of pretended ●nworthy persons from the Sacrament before any actuall excommunication from the Church or other Ordinances deno●●ced against them Certainly their grosse mistake against Scripture and the resolution of all ages Churches in this particular will make wise consciencious men in all parts of this particular controversie wherein prejudice and selfe ends I feare have much over blinded their judgements distrust and examine all other their Paradoxes Inferences and mis-interpretations of Scripture which will prove but darknesse in the conclusion though cryed up and embraced by many under the specious seducing notion of NEW-LIGHT Having thus made good the affirmative I shall answer the reasons produced by the opposites to prove that I●das received not the sacrament which in truth are meer mistakes First they say that Iudas went out before supper ended immediately after he received the sop John 13. 30. but our Saviour did not ordaine this sacrament till after supper Luke 22. ●0 when he had supped 1 Cor. 11. 25. therefore Judas certainly received not the Sacrament I answer first That Judas went not out till after Supper as Saint Iohn expre●●y resolve● Jo●● 13. 2. And SUPPER BEING ENDED the Devill having n●w put it into the heart of Judas c. After which he addes that Christ rose from the Table and washed his Disciples feet and Judas feet among the rest if not first of all a●Theophilact with others hold After this Judas continued there with Christ for some space as the series of the chapter from the 20 to the 30 verse attests Seco●dly all the three other Evangelists prove directly that Judas was present at the sacrament as I have formerly evidenced therefore to inferre the contrary fr●● John 13. 30. is to make John contradict all the other Evangelists and himselfe 100 v. 2 c. Therefore it must needs be a cursed interpretation which corrupts the Text and se●s the Evangelists together by the ears Thirdly This Sacrament was not i●sti●●ted after Supper but as th●y sat● at supper whence i● was called the Lords supper Matthewes and Pauls expression is As they were eating Iesus tooke bread c. Marks As they sate and did eat and Lukes words taken altogether imply as much Therefore he instituted the Sacrament not after supper but at and during supper whiles they sate and did eat at table True it is Luke writes not of the bread but cup onely to which Pauls objected words likewise relate he tooke the cup after supper Luke 22. 20. yet it appeares he took it likewise during supper verse 17. yea some learned me● are o● opinion that Christ had two suppers that night First his Pas●ha● sup●er at the clo●e whereof he instituted the Sacrament of his owne supper Secondly an ordinary supper which succeeded the insti●●tion of his owne in imitation whereof the u ●or●●h●ans and x Primitive Christians had their Agape or Love feasts which they did eat immediately after the Lord supper and this is more then intimated by Saint John ●hap 13. ver. 2. 4 12. to ●1 where we read that af●●r supper Jesus did rise from supper and washed his Disciple feet which done after some discourse he SATE DOWNE AGAINE with them and then dipped a sop which could not well be at the Paschall Supper where we read of no so●s nor ought to dip them in and gave it to Judas c. who having received the sop went imediately out therefore Lukes after supper he took the cup must be meant only after the Paschall supper not the other common supper for if Judas went out before the Paschal supper q●ite ●nded thē you mu●t grant that he did not drink of the cup contrary to Christs expr●●●e precept Drink ye ALL of this and Saint Marks relation that they did ALL drink thereof to wit all the twelve Disciples Fourthly the word imediately doth not alwayes imply a thing done at the self-same instant without the lest intervenient stay or delay but many times as all know in our common speech it signifies soon after or not long after as we usually say we will doe this or that imediately instantly presently when as we meane onely ●peedily within a short time not at that instant or very time we speak it So that admit the mo●● that can be this word will not necessarily in●erre that Jud●s went out so imediatly after the sop received that he did not stay to receive the Lords supper ere he went out which all the other Evangelists words deny who would certainly have expressed it in direct tearmes had there been any such thing Their second reaso● that Judas received not the Sacrament because Christ could not say unto him particularly Take eat this is my body which is given for thee this is my blood which is shed for thee is very absurd First because it appeares not that Christ did deliver the Bread and Wine severally one after another to every of his Disciples as our

Jewes Church though they were execrable to the Jewes by reason of the●r Tax-gathering and Oppressions yet we never read in Scripture that they w●re excommunicated or cast out of their Sinagogues but contrarily that they went up into the Temple to pray as well as the Pharises and were more acceptable to Christ himselfe who never excommunicated but received and conversed with them then the proud Pharises were Luke 18. 11. to 15. ch. 3. 12. chap. 7. 29. chap. 5. 27. 28 29. chap. 15. 1 2. chap. 19. 2 c. Mark 9. 11 12. Matth. 10. 3. Marke 2. 15 16. Therefore these expressions can no wayes warrant or imply any excommnnication or suspension from the Sacrament Fifthly the words runne onely let him be TO THEE as a heathe● man and a Publican not to the whole Church and all others professing Religion which might have intimated something in behalfe of the Opposites and therefore ●o ground excommunication from the Church or suspension from the Sacrament on this Text which the Papists and others have very much abused is to extract water out of a flint and palpably to wrest the Scripture from its genuine sense Object And whereas some object that the n●xt ensuing words verse 18. Verily I say unto you what soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven c. doe necessarily infer the preceding words to relate to Ecclesiasticall censures and the power of the Keyes as they phrase it Answ. I answer first that these words have no coherence with or dependence on the former but are a distinct sentence of themselves because spoken onely to and of Christs Disciples as is evident by the Parall●l Text of John 20. 23. not of the Jewish Church much lesse of their Councell or Sanhedrim meant onely by the Church in the former verse as is already cleared Secondly the this binding and loosing is not meant of excommunication or suspension from the Sacrament as some would fancy it but onely of binding and loosing mens finnes by preaching the Gospell and denouncing pardon or remission of sinnes and salvation to penitent and beleeving sinners but judgement and damnation to obstinate impenitent sinners as is evident by comparing it with Matth. 16. 19. Marke 16. 16. John 3. 16 17 18 36. chap. 12. 48. Luke 13. 3. 5. Rom. 2. 16. Acts 2. 38. chap. 3. 19. Therefore some clearer Text then this must be produced to found excommunication or suspension from the Sacrament and Ecclesiasticall Discipline upon by those who contend for it Jure divin● Thirdly whether 1 Cor. 5. 5. To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus and 1 Tim. 1. 20. whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheame be properly meant of excommunication or suspension from the Sacrament Some of our Opposites peremptorily affirme it but produce no shadow of proofe for it others speak dubiously of these Texts as needing a large debate and therefore prudently wave them with a rhetoricall preterition as the late Reverend Preacher did I for my part humbly conceive that to deliver to Satan is a thing somewhat different from excommunication and suspension from the Lords Table My reasons are these First if to deliver a man to Satan be the self-same thing with excommunication or suspension from the Sacrament as some affirme then every excommunicated or suspended person should during his excommunication or suspension either in a literall or sprituall sense at least be in their judgement in the actual power of Satan though a true child of God whom e Christ himself hath rescued out of the jawes and pawes of Satan since such a one may be actually excommunicated suspended from the Lords Table for a season not onely injuriously but upon just grounds and yet not inthe Devils actuall power or possession but in Christs John 10. 28 29. Secondly if to deliver unto satan were the same with excommunication then it would have some proportion and coincidency with other Scripture phrases produced for proofe of excommunication as put away from among you that wicked person and the like forecited with which it hath no 〈◊〉 Thirdly our Opposites generally grant f that Excommunication belongs onely to the Presbytery or whole Congregation not to any one particular person be he Bishop Minister or other whereas Paul himselfe deliv●●ed Hymeneus and Phyletus unto Satan as the words whom I have delivered c. import without the concurrence of any other Fourthly many members of the visible Church are spiritually under the g ●ower of satan and taken captives of him at his will though still within the Church and not actually excommunicated therefore to deliver men over thus to satan and no more cannot be properly tearmed excommunication Fifthly nor can it be meant meerly of suspending people from the Sacrament for then children and others debarred from the Sacrament by reason of their nonage or any other naturall dis-abilities should be as much delivered over to Satan as any scandalous persons What this delivering of men over to satan is hath been much controverted among Divines Many who take it to be meant of excommunication and an act of discipline established then in the Church for all future ages interpret it to be not onely a casting of a man out of the Church h wherein Christ reigns into the world of ungodly men among whom satan rules but likewise to give a man over to be guided in his spirit by the word spirit of satan as the Church and those within it are led guided by the word and spirit of God explaining it by Ephes. 2. 2 3. 2 Tim. 2. 26. John 14. 30. John 8. 44 1 John 3. 8. But this exposition seems to me both false and improper First because these scandalous sinners even whiles they were in the Church were i led and acted by the spiret of satan in committing those scandalous sinnes for which they were excommunicated and therefore their excommunication cannot thus deliver them over unto satan who tooke them captive at his will but leaves them in his hands in the same condition as before Secondly such a delivery unto satan as this to be guided acted in their spirits by him and no more tends nothing at all to the destruction of the flesh but rather to the pampering of it much lesse to the reforming of the life or the saving of the spirit in the day of the Lord Jesus but rather to aggravate and encrease mens sinnes Thirdly it 's confessed that a godly man may for some notorious sinnes or scandals be actually excommunicated as well as other wicked persons now such a one God never k gives over to be led and ruled by the unclean spirit of satan but he always leads them by his own holy spirit which ever dwels and rules within their soules and is never dis-possessed by the Devill Fourthly all accord that the end

vescentibus ut ostenderet crudelitatem Judae quia in mensa Communione ciborum illius quando si fera fuisset mansuetiorem se exhibuisset tunc neque cum argueretur intellexit sed et corpus illius gustans non poe●●tuit Quidam autem dicunt quod egresso Juda tradidit Sacramentum alijs discipulis proi●de et nos sic f●cere debemus et malos a Sacramentis abarcere c. Bibite ex ●o omnes Sunt qui dicunt propter Judam hoc dictum Judas enim panem accepit et non comedi● sed oc ul●avit ut monstraret Judaeis quod panem corpus suù● voc●rit Iesus pocul●m autem invitus bibit cum non posset occultare propterea ho● loco dic●b●t bi●ite omnes Saint B●rnard suffragates to all the former that Iudas did receive the Sacrament as well as the other Apostles I shall trouble you with no more Ancients since they all unanimously acco●d herein without one dissenting voice excepti●g Hilary in Matth. Can●n ●0 The old and moderne Canonists of all sorts with one consent suffragate to this verity I shall instance but in two to wit Gratian Caus. 1. Quest 1. Ivo C●●not ensis D●cretalium secunda pars in both which we have many senten●●s of Fathers collected to this purpose and among others this of Augustine in Exposi● Psalmi 10 Christus quid fecit vobis qui Traditorem suum tant a pati●●ti● pertulit ut ei primum Eucharistiam confectam manibus et ore suo commend●t●m sicut caeteris Apostolis traderet Quid vobis fecit Christus qui eundem Traditorem suum que● diabolum nominavit qui ante traditionem Domini nec lo●●lis d●minicis ●idem potuit exhibere cum caeteris discipulis ad praedicandum Regnum Caelorum misit nisi ut monstraret dona dei perve●ire ad eos qui cum fide accipi●nt etiamsi talis sit per quem accipiunt qualis Judas fuit See Gratian to the same effect Caus. 7. Que. 1. de Conserat dist. 1. 2. All succeding Canonists and Glossers upon Grat●●n concurre with these two ancients without dissent and so doe the Casuists too I spare their names for brevity sake The Schoolmen generally s●bscribe to this conclusion I shall mention onely three or four of them The first is Alexander Alensis our owne Country-man stiled the irrefragable Doctor in whose Summa Theol●giae pars 4. Quest 11. Art 1. Sect. 3. I first of all meet with this Question propounded and disc●ssed An Christus etiam Iudae corpus suum in coena dedor●t This Doctor holds affirmatively that he did which he proves by Ma●th 26. 24. c. Iohn 13. Dionysius Areopagita Chrysostome Hom. 81. super Matth. the Ordinary Glosse on Mat. 18. Iohn 13. 1 Cor. 11. and other Texts Adding that if Christ had actually excluded Iudas from this Sacrament certainly s●●● of the Evangelists or others would have expresly noted such a memorabls and notable all which not one of them hath done And he resolves thus Tha● Christ in this Supper gave his body to Iudas and that for divers reas●ns The first t●ken from Gods wisdome and that for a twofold reason First to teac● us to love our e●emies since Christ fed this Traitor with his owne slesh Secondly to instruct the Ministers of this Sacrament for in that he denied ●ot his body to Iudas who was entangled in a grievous ●inne he hath taught the dispensers of this Sacrament that they ought to give it to sinners in the like case when they shall desire it Secondly in regard of Gods mercy and that in two respects F●rst revocati●n from evill secondly promotion in good For ●his well ought out of the consideration of Gods mercy which most appeares in this that he delivered his body to him to recla●me him from his evill p●rpose and conse●uently to meliorate him by the vertue of so great a Sacrament but he increased in his sin from whence he ought to have augmented his Merit Thirdly in resp●ct of divine justice and that in two respects the augmentation of his fault the retribution or damnation of his punishment for since he would not cease from his conceived malice by so great a benefit by the just judgement of God he is punished by a fall into a more grievous crime to wit desperation Fifthly in respect of divine conversation the Lord for this cause giving him his body with others that he might shew him that he ought to be of like good conversation with others Sixtly for his perfect reformation as much as might be on the Lords part since he left no meanes unattempted to reclaime him This and much more Alensis who is seconded by Thomas Aquinas 3. Qu. 81. 1. 0. l. 4. Dist. ii Qu. 3. ar. 2. Qu. 1. 2. 0. By John Gerson Serm. in Coena Dom. ad Eccle. Ca●telam Hugo de Sacram. l. 2. c. 8. and by our Countrymen Rich. de Media Villa l. 4. dist. 11. ar. 4. qu. 2. 3. Tho Waldensis Oper. tom. 3. c. 43. sect. 6. and all the Popish Schoolmen many of them holding t that Iudas did receive the very body of Christ himself as well as the Sacrament of his body This Doctrin of Judas his eating the Sacrament with Christ at his last Supper is so currant in the Church of Rome that they have inserted it into most of their Ladies Psalters Howers Missals and expressed it in this Rime Rex sedet in Coena Turba Cinctus DUODENA Se tenet in manibus c. For Protestant Writers the most and best of them in forraigne parts agree u that Judas did receive the Sacrament or outward elements of Christs body and blood but not the body and blood of Christ himself Panem Domini non panem Dominum Sacramentum corporis sanguinis Christi non rem Sacramenti The outward signes not the inward spirituall grace for which read Caluini Instit. l. 4. ● 17. sect. 34. Aretii Problemata Locus 77. De usu Sacramentorum instead of hundreds of others And as the prime Writers so the publike Confessions of the Reformed Churches resolve That Judas did receive the Sacrament as well as the other Apostles Witnesse the x Confession of Bohemia In the holy Scripture manifest examples of this nature are found in many places especially in Judas who received the sacrament of the Lord Christ himselfe And the confession of Belgia An evill man verily receiveth the Sacrament unto his owne condemnation but the thing or truth of the Sacrament he receiveth not as for example Judas and Simon Magus both of them did receive the sacramentall signes but as for Christ signified thereby they received him not For our owne Protestant Writers I shall nominate but two of note our English Apostle John Wickliffe as Thomas Waldensis records his opinion Operum Tom. 3. c 43. sect. 6. and our incomparable Bishop Jewel in his Defence of the Apology of the

Pulpit to Pulpit where they freely and boldly vent their errours seismes to seduce poore ignoran● people and preach against our Church-worship Doctrine Ministers calling the Parliaments Synods authority in setling Church government c. declaiming outright against our Church Ministers as Antichristian and the like without apprehension censure or controle driving on their own s●ism●ticall designes under pretext of doing God and the Parliament service Thirdly the permission of Ministers and Sectaries of all sorts contrary to the lawes of God and the Realme openly to gather and set up private Independent Churches and Conventicles of their owne seperate from the publike and to meet freely boldly at them without the least interruption With the toleration of such to hold constant private meetings and consultations together every day week or moneth at least how to advance and strengthen their party in all places and get the greatest power and places of trust into their hands Now will excommuncation or suspension from the Sacrament or the setling of Church discipline prevent or redresse all these true causes of our seismes Certainly no Not the first nor last of them and the second but in part For those who thus voluntarily separate themselves from our Churches Ministers and will not joyne in any Church communion with us will not care a straw but deride and je●re u to our faces if we should excommunicate them from our S●c●aments Churches Assemblies of which they professe themselves no Members and from which they have already excommunicated suspended themselves but only when they creep up into our Pulpits of purpose to preach against ●s and seduce the people to sever from us and seperate to them whenas they will not permit any orthodox Ministers of ours to preach much lesse to preach against their wayes errours in their separate Congregations The only wayes therefore to remedy this dangerous mischiefe for the present and prevent it for the future are these e●suing which answer to these causes of them First for our own Ministers to labour to discerne and then publikely to retract and unteach the people by word and writing their erronious grounds scismaticall doctrines touching the Sacrament of the Lords Supper unmixt communions and suspension from the Sacrament and then none will separate when they are better taught and the false grounds of separation and scism formerly pressed on them through ignorance or in●ogitancy be as constantly preached and written against as they have been formerly asserted in the Pulpit and Presse Secondly for our Magistrates conscionably to convent question and people to informe against all Ministers or others who runne about and vent scismaticall erronious new Doctrines or whimseys in their own or others Pulpits seriously to admonish cheek them for what is past and enjoine them for time to come to prea●h nothing but Christ crucified o● doctrines of edification and to avoid all ●nnecessa●y controversies concerning Church government in which some now place all Religion snd all erronious doctrines contrary to those established among us and in case they shall afterwards offend in the like kind to debarre them from stepping up into other mens P●lpits and suspend them from their owne till they shall reforme their erros scisms and promise never to offend in like kind againe And withall carefully to suppresse the printing and dispersing of all hereticall erronious or scismaticall books by inflicting severe punishments on the Authors Printers dispersers of them for which the good lawes and ordinanc●s already made and in full force are sufficient were they but duly executed Thirdly to prohibit suppresse by strict publike lawes and ordinances the gathering of any particular Churches or Congregations without publike authority together with all private conventicles of Ana●aptisticall sectaries wholly separating from and standing in direct opposition against our publike Church-meetings together with all their private cabinet-councels consultations to foment and augment their party And in case they will not be reclaimed by lenity and friendly christian proceedings but continue still obstinate and incorrigible then to proceed severely against the ring-leaders of separating sects ●cismer and to keep or remove them from all Offices or places of publike trust in Church o● State wherein their continuance may prove prejudiciall to b●t● or either of them And if all o●r Magistrates Judges and Justices in City and Country would but modestly execute the good statutes and ordinances already provided against those I am certain these spreading errours sectaries scismes would be soon suppressed and we all united in one now the great stumbling block of Superstitious popish Ceremoies Altars Images with the Common prayer Book the only eye-sores heart-sores and grounds of separation formerly complained of ● conscientious people are totally removed by the Parliament together 〈◊〉 scandalous and unpreaching Ministers and Gods word more powerfully more ●ncere●y preached then in any Conventicles or segregated Congergations whatsoever where illiterate Mechanicks who may as well st●p into the Kings Throne a●d civill Magistrates Tribunall as into the Ministers Pulpit or ignorant ●●gif●ed Ministers doe usually exercise their leaden Talents and vent their dros●e straw stubble instead of the pure gold and orient Pearles of Gods sacred oracles As therefore you desire tender the redresse of this great grievanc● the speedy settlement peace unity of our distracted Church and State the long expected establishment of such an exact Church discipline as is warranted by Gods Word not built on humane fancies the advancement of Gods truth honour the avoyding of all groundlesse unwarrantable occasions of scismes or separations occasioned by some new erronious paradoxes and false notions touching this weighty subject of Excommunication and suspension from the Sacrament I shall humbly beseech and seriously adjure you in the name of Jesus Christ the o great Shepheard of his sheep and impartiall Judge both of quick and dead 〈◊〉 p you wil answer the contrary before his dreadful Tribunal at the last day avoid his q Anathema Maranatha with all good mens censures here to lay aside all self ends self interests prejudices whatsoever in this weighty controversie and with a single upright heart seriously to weigh the severall particulars her● presented to your consideration and where you find I have Scripture truth or right reason siding with me there cordially to embrace it without more co●te●●● where you shall discerne I have been mistaken in any thing as for ought I know I am in nothing there in a brotherly manner to refute it and the Lord give 〈◊〉 all sincere hearts to r Prove all things and hold fast what is good both in our judgements and practises and to rest truly thankful for the great work of Reformation already made not to murmure or repine against God and the Parliament ●s if little o● nothing were already done because that Church-Discipline of excommunication and suspension from the Sacrament which some pretend but prove not to be Christs Ordinance and Kingdom is not fully established in