the father of the sonne and of the Holy ghost the inward clensing of the sonle by the blood of Christ is represented This description of baptisme is to be opened and farther expounded vnto vs wherein fiue pointes are to be considered of vs. First it is called the first Sacrament both in respect of the other Sacrament of the Lords supper and because when the nations were conuerted to the saith and beleeued in the name of Christ they were immediatly baptized as we see the practise of the church Act. 2. 4. and Chap. 10. 47. and Ch 8 12. Where after embracing the faith we see the partaking of baptisme and the sealing vp of their conuersion Againe it is said there must be an outward washing of the body with water because the Apostle declareth therby the nature of a sacrament of baptism Eph 5. Calling it the washing of water through the Word and it hath a iust proportion or relation to the spirituall washing of our newe birth Tit. 3 5. being also called the baptisme of repentance and amendment of life for remission of sins Dipping into the water is not necessary to the being of a sacrament sprinkling of water is not necessary to the being of a Sacrament but wetting and washing with water is necessary to the being of a Sacrament Now whether the whole body should be washed or the face only and whether it should be done once or thrice is not greatly materiall but left indifferent to the church to decree and determine what shal be thought fittest to be receiued and practised Thirdly it is added in the former description that baptisme is once onely to be administred For as in naturall generation man is once onely borne so it is in spirituall regeneration And as circumcision was once only receiued in the flesh whereby the fore-skin was circumcised so is Baptisme once onely to be administred not oftentimes to be repeated Wherefore the Apostle Eph. 4. saith There is one baptisme one faith Againe Christ willed the Apostles to minister Baptisme not Baptismes Lastly in baptisme the death of Christ is represented and he died but once so that as his death was not to be repeated no more is baptisme to be reiterated Fourthly the forme and manner of doing is said to be Into the name of the father and of the sonne and of the Holy-ghost Wherby is ment that we haue fellowship with God in three persons as a wife hath with her husband who passeth into her husbands name to be subiect to him to obey him to acknowledge and call vpon him to worship no other god but the true Iehoua This therfore is not to be vnderstood onely of vsing the name of the Trinity in baptizing but by it also is ment that the persons baptized are receiued into the grace and fellowship of God to become his people and to be pertakers of his couenant to their spirituall comfort Lastly in the description before remembred it is affirmed that the outward washing of the body Representeth the inward clensing of the soule by the blood of Iesus Christ. This appeareth expresly Gal. 3. All that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ. And Titus 3. 5. 6. According to his mercy he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy-ghost which he shed on vs aboundaintly through Iesus Christ our sauiour So also the same Apostle We are 〈◊〉 with him by baptisme into his death These testimonies out of the word of truth do euidently teach that this is the principall scope and end of Baptisme to assure our consciences by externall washing of the inward clensing of our soules by the blood of Christ for remission of sins This being the discription of baptisme let vs see what good vses may be made therof and euery part in order as they haue beene laid before vs. And first touching the first point mentioned before in the description that Baptisme is the first Sacrament This teacheth that such as are gained to the faith children of such as are in the profession are immediately to he baptized So was the Eunuch when he was instructed so was Paule when he was conuerted so were the Iewes when they repented And indeede this is a true saying that men cannot be incorporate into any religion whether it be true or false vnlesse they be combined together by some communion and fellowship of visible Sacraments Again Is baptisme the first Sacrament of the new Testament Then it followeth that he which is not baptized is not to be admitted to the Lords table he that hath not receiued the first Sacrament is not to bee made partaker of the second As in the old testament circumcision was the Sacrament of entrance and admission and none was admitted to eate the Passouer but such as wer circumcised as we see Exod. so none hath this right and priuiledge to come to the supper of the Lord vnlesse first they be entred and the doore opened to them by baptisme For a man must be knowne to belong to our family and houshold before he presume to eat of the childrens bread that belongeth not to strangers Touching the vse of the 2. point to wit that there must be washing with waters we learne that washing with water is of the necessity of baptisme Indeed ther may be a washing without baptisme but ther can be no baptisme without washing The washing of water through the word So that this washing is necessary because of the fit similitude that is between it and our regeneration or new-birth The water is apt to clense vs leaueth no silah behind so is our iustification 〈◊〉 sanctification repressented by the blood of christ as shal be cōsidered Therfore such as vsed sand or blood or such like matter not fit for washing did not indeed baptize but horribly prophane the Sacra of baptisme The third point in the description is that baptisme is once onely to be administred which affordeth vnto vs these three vses First it sheweth a difference between it and the Lords supper The Apostle Paule speaking of the supper of the Lord saith As oft as ye shal eat this bread and drinke of this cup and Christ our sauiour Do this as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me therfore it must be often receiued of the church But baptisme once ministred is not againe to be repeated As we are once onely borne into the world but after our birth are dayly nourished so we are but once baptized but there is continuall vse of the Lords supper where at we are fed to eternall life Secondly this teacheth that all rebaptizing is vnlawful as we see by the examples of the Apostles who baptized not the beleeuers and members of the church the second time For Act. 2. it is noted that such as beleeued the gospel continued in the apostles doctrine in fellowship in breaking of bread prayer but not
to praise him fo giuing his onely begotten Sonne to bee our redeemer and humbly to pray vnto him that our vnworthynesse hinder not the effectuall working of his Sacrametnes but that through his goodnesse and mercy they may haue their full force in our heartes for the pardoning of our sinnes for the increase of his graces for the confirming of our faith for the quickning of our obedience and for the preseruing of body and soule to eternall life Thus wee blesse God when we praise him and giue him the honour due vnto his name We blesse the meates we eate the drinkes we drinke the thinges wee receiue as Paule saith The cup of blessing which wee blesse when prayer is made to God that they may be healthfull to vs and we thankefull for them Lastly if in the Sacrament there bee a consecration and separation of the outward elementes to so holy an end it warneth vs to be carefull to vse and receiue oftentimes this Sacrament of the Lordes Supper For heere are not bare signes bare tokens bare figures without fiuite and without grace they are consecrated signes and hallowed elements effectually sealing vppe remission of sinnes And what is more plaine then that which the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 11. As often as ye shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup ye shew the Lordes death till he come Thus the Lord Iesus speaketh Doe this as oft as ye shall drinks it in remembrance of me And haue we not many worthy and effectuall considerations to moue such as professe the same doctrine to resorte oftentimes to the same Table of the Lorde It is the commaundement of Christ so that we ought to make some conscience of this duty as of other commaundementes prescribed vnto vs. It is a commaundement of God Thou shalt not steale Few but to make some conscience thereof because it is Gods commaundement So is this heere often to come to the Lordes Table yet what little account is made heereof all the yeare long euery one seeth and the faithfull soule agreeueth The high God possessor of heauen and earth hath required and commaunded it yet who regardeth The Lorde hath spoken and yet who obeyeth If a father should command a duty of his son or a maister of his seruant he could not patiently endure to be disobeyed and shal we not thinke that God will require his lawes at our hands Againe to his commaundement he hath annexed a promise which maketh our sin and vnthankfulnes the greater if we shew not our selues ready in yeelding to this duty Besides seeing this sacra is a speciall prop to stay vp our faith and geth with it Christ and all his merits and heauenly treasurs we are vtter enemies to our owne selues to our own souls and to our owne saluation if we neglect â—o great mercy offeâ—eâ— vnto vs. Wherefore it is not left free vnto vs and committed to our discretion to receiue or not receiue this were no lawfull liberty but vnlawfull lycentiousnesse Heere in the faithfull find very great comfort and an effectuall meanes to strengthen their faith Euen as the sicke man that feeleth his sickenes and knoweth his own weaknes shoulde haue a speciall care to looke to his stomacke that therby he may receiue norishment gather strength so we are all spiritually diseased assaulted of Satan tempted of the flesh ouercome afterâ—imes of sin and must seeke strength of saith from this heauenly nourishment God of his compassion hath set vp his Sacrament as a signe vpon an high hill whence it may be seene farre and neere on euery side to raise vp such as are fallen to strengthen such as stand to comfort such as are weak and to call vnto him such as run away from him whereby hee gathereth them vnder his winges It is as the brazen Sepent that comming vnto it with a faith to be healed we might liue and not perish It is a banner displayed that euery Châ—â—stian souldiâ—r should resort vnto it as vnto his owne comfortable Supper to be had in often vse and continuall remembrance to put vs in mind of his continuall mercy laid vp for vs in the blood of Christ and to ratifie and seale vp the same farre more liuely then the baâ—e word onely When the words of Christs institution are spoken This is my body which is broken for you this is my blood which was shed for you When these words I say are reade vnto vs our of the scriptures they confirme our faith but much more when the Sacrament is seene with our eyes that we behold the bred broken and looke vpon the wine poured out but most of all when we tast and handle when we eate and drinke the outwarde signes We see when one maketh a bare promise to another with wordes onely betweene themselues he beginneth to doubt to whome the promise is made of the performance thereof if he adde an oath for confirmation the promise is more assuredly ratified but if he giue his hande writing and seale it to the party the matter is made out of doubt Thus we doe reason and helpe our faith We haue the promises of God wee haue the oath of God we haue the wordes and writinges of God we haue the seales and Sacramentes of God these are not reserued in the Lords keeping but are put into our owne handes to see them to keepe them to vse them for our comfort and assurance I speake after the manner of men if wee haue a free promise from an honest man penned fairely in writing ratified vnder his owne hand and seale and all giuen vnto vs to locke and lay vp we doubt not of the possession Now let vs consider the Lords doing and see what hee hath done for vs who is not as man that he shoulde lie nor as the sonne of man that he should deceiue God sent his sonne into the world to take our nature vpon him to be like vs euen in his infirmities hee named himselfe Iesus that is a Sauiour because he shoulde saue his people from their sinnes after his death he sent his Apostles to preach the glad tidings of remission of sinnes and euerlasting saluation he ordained his last supper immediately before his death to testifie and assure them vnto vs not onely by sounding them in our eares but by beholding tasting smelling feeling and feeding to seale them in our hearts and also daily to be repeated and ministred vnto vs. Seeing then we haue both his promises and oath his worde and writings his seales and Sacramentes in our keeping what would we haue more He would not make halfe so much adoin assuring his promises if he loued vs not he would not set such authentike seals to his deede and obligations vnlesse he ment good earnest His bare worde and naked promise is verie good paiment but he respecteth our weakenes whose mercifull kindnesse must not be neglected through our vnthankefulnes
the Holy-ghost he breathed on them and said Receiue the Holy-ghost The corporal blast and breathing was not the Holy-ghost but he added his word and promise with the outward signe to assure them that with the breathing he bestowed a blessing Thus wee see that the Sacramentes haue the word alwaies ioyned with them and without the word whereby their institution and vse is declared they are as a dead body without life as a dumbe shew without voice as an empty cloud without water and as a barren tree without fruit Let vs apply this doctrine to our selues First it teacheth that they partake not the Sacraments aright that haue not the knowledge of the word that are ignorant both of the ordinance and institution of God and of the promise annexed to the institution of god of which sort there are many in the world that neuer labour to know what he hath appointed and commaunded them to do If they do as others of the church do therein they rest and seeke no further to be able to warrant their owne worke If they heare the word spoken if they see the body washed the bread broken and the wine poured out and receiue the outward signes they regatd no more they go no higher they imagine they haue done enough they neuer desire to vnderstand the meaning of the words which are necessary to be knowne comfortable to be vnderstood and profitable to be marked If a man haue goods befallen or legacies bequeathed vnto him by any wil or Testament wil he not resort to his learned counsel to be careful to vnderstand the Testament and know the meaning of the Testator Christ Iesus before his death made his wil he hath made his children heires of his promise he promiseth to them forgiuenesse of sinnes in this life and eternall life in the world to come Doth it not now behooue euery faithfull Christian to search into it and know what is promised and bequeathed vnto him Men of this world for the most part make their eldest and first borne heire of all and leaue little to the other but euery child of God is as the eldest and as the first borne most deare to him he shal receiue his double portion the second shal haue no lesse then the first nor the third lesse then the second nor the younger then the elder the first shall be as the last and the last as the first for he may do with his owne as he list Againe if a man doe leaue all his sonnes heyres and rich inheritors for the most part lesse is 〈◊〉 on the daughters but all the childrē of God both his sonnes and daughters shal be heyres euen the Heires of God and heyres annexed with Christ Iesus their share shal be as great as the portion of sonnes Moreouer when a man hath passed all the daies of his life in carke and care what can he giue to his pofterity but earthly riches transitory possession a fading inheritance leauing them inheritours as well of his sorrow as of his substance It is not so with the children of God Christ by his last wil and Testament hath promised to make his people sound in faith rich in hope blessed in the pardon of their sinnes and heires of the kingdome which hee hath promised to them that loue him This is a great and vnspeakable comfort to al Gods children whether high or low whether rich or poore So then we ought to be much more careful and earnest to know throughly and vnderstand perfectly the will of Christ then any naturall child is to search the meaning of the will of his naturall father And if men were not wholly carnall they would be thus farre fpiritually minded Againe is the word an outward part of the Sacrament Then the Sacraments must neuer be separated and set a part from the word They are not dombe shewes and idle signes but haue alwaies the doctrine of God adioyning vnto them to shew the end vse profit of them and the purpose of God in them This appeareth in all places wher God gaue signes to confirme and assure the truth of his promises When he gaue in mercy to Noah and all his posterity the Rain-bow imediately after the flood as a signe of his couenant he addeth his word vnto the signe My couenant will I establish with you that from hencefoorth all flesh shall not bee rooted out by the waters of the flood neither shall there be a floode to destroy the earth any more This is it the Apostle meaneth 1. cor 11. Ye shew the Lords death till he come Where he teacheth that the Lordes Supper cannot be truely deliuered and rightly administred vnlesse there be a declaration shewing forth of the death of christ Wherefore it is no sacrament except the word and doctrine be ioyned vnto it by way of explication and exposition of the outward signe Lastly those Sacraments are proued heereby to bee no Sacraments which are foisted and brought in without the warrant of the word For take away the word and what is the outward Element but a bare signe What is the water in baptisme but common water What is the bread in the Lords Supper but common bred What is the wine but common wine such as men vse and all men may take at their ordinary tables Seeing therfore such signs Sacraments as haue not Gods commandement for their institution nor promise of grace and saluation annexed vnto the vsing of them are voide and nothing worth heerby the imagined deuised Sacraments of the church of Rome are condemned which deliuereth that it hath not receiued of the Lord and imposeth that to be beleeued which it neuer learned in the word Heereby the last anoyling or extream vnction is excluded wanting the word to warrant the continuall practise of it Also their confirmation hath neither word to institut the practise nor elemēt to assure any grace nor promise to approue any vse True it is they haue words to administer it but they are words of men not of God vnwriten not written of tradition not of scripture The like might be saide of mariage though we confesse and acknowledge it to be an holy ordinance and honourable institution of God yet was it made no Sacrament hauing no word of institution no promise of sanctification and saluation annexed vnto all the faithfull vsers thereof neither is it an instrument whereby God applyeth Christ and his sauing benefits to the comfort and consolation of his children Wherefore to conclude this point we affirme that neither the sonnes of Romulus at Rome nor of Remus at Rhemes shall euer be able to shew and proue that they are to be acknowledged and receiued as Sacraments of the church which haue no warrant of the word to commaund them nor promise annexed to assure the sauing graces of Christ to the worthy receiuers But such are their fiue pretended Sacraments of confirmation penance orders
is the sacra of repentance and faith though neither of these be in infancy yet they are baptised to the repentance and faith to come which albeit they be not actually formed in them yet by the fruites afterward they shal appeare to be in them Lastly if baptisme should be giuen only to those that truely beleeue it should likewise be denied to such as are of vnderstanding for wee are able to pronounce of these that they do truely beleeue and certainely apprehend the promises of the gospel Wherfore if infants are not to be baptized because they haue not faith and want repentance neither are they of sufficient age to be baptized of whom it cannot be directly and vndoubtedly said they do beleeue Simon the sorcerer mentioned in the Actes of the apostles was baptized and yet remained an hypocrite If they say profession of faith is sufficient to make members of the visible church I answer our sauiour speaketh not of a bare profession of faith when he saith He that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued for then al that professe faith should receiue The reward of their faith which is the saluationof their soules Againe profession of faith is for such as are capable of it which agreeth not to the age of infants as they cannot deny the faith before men which they haue not acknowledged no more can they confesse the truth of doctrin which they neuer learned Now to be borne in the church and in the couenant is infants in place and stead of an actuall confession and reall profession Such as are growne vp must beleeue with the heart and confesse with the mouth the gospel of saluation it is sufficient for others to bee the children of such as haue confessed the faith Fourthly they obiect in this manner baptisme is giuen for remission of sinnes but infants haue not sinned they therefor cannot be baptized I answer infants commit not actuall sinne yet are guilty of originall sinne they want inherent righteousnesse they haue a pronenesse to all euill their whole nature is corrupted being in the seede of Adam Albeit therefore infants haue not finned after the similitude of Adams transgression in their owne persons yet they haue sinned in him and in his loynes in whom al are dead This the holy man teacheth Iob. 14. Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse There is not one Likewise the prophet Dauid confesseth this truth Psal. 51. Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sinne my mother conceiued me So the Apostle Paule Rom. 5. Death reigned from Adam to Moyses euen ouer them also that sinned not after the manner of the transgression of Adam which was the figure of him that was to oome for as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Wherefore such as holde infants without all guilt of sinne neuer knewe the greatenesse of Adams fall of Gods iustice of mans misery and of Christes endlesse mercy Lastly they obiect that Christ himselfe was not baptized vntill 30 yeares of age I answer no more did he preach before he was thirty yet hence it followeth not that none ought to enter that calling before that age True it is hee that desireth that worthye office must bee no new plant no younger Scholler none lately come to the profession and gathered immediately from heathenish religion to the fellowship of the gospel yet the office of teaching is not tyed to 30 yeares the age may be lesse if the gifts be great and fit for that calling Againe Christ stood not in neede to be baptized in respect of himselfe being without originall or actuall sinne to he washed away and therefore Iohn at the first put him back yet he would be baptized for our sakes to fulfill all righteousnesse to sanctifie our baptisme in himselfe and that thereby we might know he was installed into his osfice But we stand in neede to be baptized to seale vp the washing away of our sinnes and therfore there is a great difference in this respect betweene Chrift and vs. Besides the Euangelist doth testifie that albeit our sauiour were baptized at thirty years of age yet he was circumcised at 8. daies old Now wee haue proued before that the same which circumcision was to the Iewes baptisme is to al christians If then he in his infancy wer circumcised then children in their in fancy may be baptized and are not commaunded to waite thirty yeares for baptisme is our circumcision as the Apostle teacheth but Christ in his infancy was circumcised when the eight dayes were accomplished therfore children in their infancy may be baptized Furthermore baptisme was not hitherto as yet in vse it was not commanded to be vsed when he was a child and therefore he could not possibly be baptized vnlesse we will imagin he might be baptized before baptisme was So that wee see as he would not haue his circumcision deferred one day beyond the time appoynted so hee was presently baptized so soone as baptisme was instituted of God and administred by Iohn Fiftly we are no more tied to this circumstance of time in christs baptisme then we are to other circumstances of time place and persons in the Supper he ministred it in an vpper Chamber and before his passion we in churches before dinner after his resurrection Lastly when the time appointed came that the promised sauior and redeemer of mankinde should manifest himselfe to the world then he shewed himselfe openly then he came to the preaching baptisme of Iohn began to publish the glad tidings of saluation and to exhort men to repent beleeue the gospel These are the chiefest obiections against childrens baptisme that carry any shew and probability of reason which hitherto wee haue dissolued and discussed And this is the second point before propounded Now as we haue seene the truth proued by the scripture and maintained it against all the ignorant cauils of the Anabaptistes and other Arrians of Transiluania that haue oppugned this truth so let vs come to see the benifit of this doctrine and what profit commeth by baptisme of children that are without knowledge without vnderstanding without faith and without repentance What vse can there be of this Much euery way as well as by circumcising an infant of eight daies old First consider from hence a plaine and palpable errour of the Church of Rome that teach that the baptisme of children is by tradition not by deuine institution from their word vnwritten not in the word of God written But we haue confuted the Anabaptistes by the Scriptures and conuinced them by the institution of circumcision by the tenor of the couenant by the holinesse of their birth by their redemption through the blood of Christ and by the practise of the Apostles This is better armour these are stronger weapons this is a sharper sword to cut in
this death Heereunto also commeth that which the Euangelist setteth downe in the conference betweene Christ and Nicodemes Ioh. 3 That which is borne of flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit marueil not that I said vnto thee ye must be borne againe For this cause are infants baptized because they are conceiued in sinne and borne in iniquity and cannot become spirituall but by a new birth wrought by the spirit which is sealed vp by the water in baptisme Againe this serueth to strengthen our faith when we behold the outward washing pouring out of the water and baptizing of the body it assureth the inward clensing of the soule by the blood of Christ offered to all and receiued of those that are elected to eternall saluation This then is the right and holy vse of baptisme Doest thou feele inwardly in thine heart that through the corruption of thy nature and strength of concupiscence thou art moued tempted and prouoked to commit sinne And doest thou feele thy selfe ready to yeald to Satan and so to fall from God into euill Beginne to haue some holy meditation of that solemne vow which thou madest to God in baptisme when thou didest consecrate and giue vp thy selfe wholly to his seruice and didest renounce obedience to the suggestions of Satan to the allurements of the world and to the corruptions of the flesh For baptisme is the Christian mans ensigne giuen of God to vs that we should fight as it were vnder it against all the enemies of our saluation and ouercome It is the badge and bannerofour captaine that wee shrouding our selues vnder his colours should not cowardly turne our back in the skirmish but coragiously looke the enemy in the face nay tread him vnder our feete for euer Moreouer hast thou through weakenes and infinnity 〈◊〉 once or twice into some sin to the dishonour of thy god to the wounding of thine own conscience to the slander of the gospel or to the scandal offence of thy weak brother haue recourse to thy baptisme as vnto a board after shipwracke as vnto a medicine after sicknesse as vnto a plaister after wounding or as vnto a staffe after falling that thou maiest receiue strength courage and comfort to thy soule For albeit baptisme be once only administred for the reasons before alleged chap 1. of this present booke yet it being once deliuered and receiued testifieth that all our sinnes past present and to come are washed away and shal be forgiuen The fruite or efficacy of the Sacraments is not to be restrained and tyed to the present time of receiuing but extendeth it selfe to the whole course of our life afterward And thus much of the fourth part of baptisme Chap. 12. Of the first vse of baptisme HItherto we haue handled the parts of baptisme both outward and inward now let vs proceed to the vses the last point to be obserued in this Sacrament The vses of baptisme are in number three first to shew our planting ingrafting and incorporating into the body of christ secondly to seale vp the remission and forgiuenesse of all our sinnes thirdly to teach vs to dye vnto sinne and liue vnto righteousnesse and true sanctification These endes appeare euidently by the wordes of the Apostle Rom. 6. Know ye not that al we which haue been baptized into IESVS CHRIST haue beene baptized into his death We are buried then with him by baptisme into his death that like as CHRIST was raised vppe from the dead to the glory of the father so wee also should walke in newnesse of life For if we be planted with him to the similitude of his death euen so shall wee be to the similitude of his resurrection knowing this that our olde Man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serue sinne In this place the Apostle setteth before vs the former ends of baptisme expressely Touching the first vse he sheweth that by it is signified and sealed our vniting setting and inserting into the body of Christ to remaine in him soreuer as braunches in the vine as 1 Cor 12. By one spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be bonde or free where he teacheth that by baptisme wee become one body with Christ. And Gal. 3 All ye that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ. This coniunction with Christ is not bodily or naturall it is not by bāds in the flesh it is not by neernes of blood sor such as we see may be seprated as the father from the son the husband from the wife the brother from the sister but this is wholy mysticall and spirituall aboue reason and aboue sence because it is wrought not by natural waies as by ioynts sinnews arteries ligamentes and such like but by spirituall meanes to wit by the power of the spirit and by vertue of faith he sendeth downe his spirit we send vp our faith First he must send downe his spirit because all goodnes is of him Indeed we loue him but it is because he loued vs first giuing vs the spirit of adoption to cry Abba father Indeed we come vnto Christ to be eased and refreshed as he commandeth but it is because the father draweth vs. Indeed we perseuer in faith and loue but this is because he perseuereth in louing of us Indeed we repent and turn vnto God but this is because he taketh away our stonye hart and giueth vnto vs an hart of flesh Secondly as he putteth his spirit within vs so the faith mounteth vp to the heauens and apprehendeth Christ sitting at the right hand of the father And thus his spirit discending our faith ascending and both of them ioyninge the members to the heade the braunches to the vine vs to Christ being once engrafted wee are neuer sepetated as Ioh. 15. He that abideth in mee and I in him the same bringeth foorth much fruite for without me ye can doe nothing If a man abide not in mee he is cast foorth as a braunch and withereth and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they burne No man can be partaker of Christs benefits to saluation which is not made one with him As a Woman cannot be partaker of the riches and honor of some great man and haue interest in his person except she be ioyned to him in mariage that they become one body and one flesh and as the members cannot draw life from the head except they be ioyned with it so there is no partaking of Christ except thete be an vnion and communion with him as himselfe teacheth vs Ioh. 6. Verily verily I say vnto you except ye eat the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood ye haue no life in you If Christ be present to vs life and all things accompanying saluation are present to vs. If christ be absent from vs death is present wrathlyeth
at the doore life and saluation are absent so that we are neuer partakers of his graces except webe as neerly coupled to his humanity as meat and drink are coupled with our body which of al other is a most neer vnion and inward coniunction Thus we see we are seuered from the world to haue fellowshippe with CHRIST and are set once in him for euer because he that commeth to CHRIST once he casteth him not away hee shall neuer hunger he shall neuer thirst he shall not be lost but hue for euer as the Apostle saith If they had been of vs doubtles they had continued with vs And paule to this purpose saith Rom. 8 Who shal lay any thing to the charg of GODS chosen it is GOD that instifieth who shall condemne Who shal seperate vs from the loue of CHRIST shal tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perill or sword in all the se we are more then conquerours through him that loued vs for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor thinges to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of GOD which is in CHRIST IESVS our LORDE If once wee bee ioyned to him in spirituall Marriage notwithstanding the difference and disparagement between him and vs nothing shall bee able to worke our deuorcement from him True it is God 〈◊〉 vs wallowing in our owne filthines polluted in our owne bloode defiled by our owne vncleannes he hath made an eternall couenant with vs he hath spoken peace vnto oursoules saying Thou shalt liue euen when wee were sunke downe in sinne to death hee saide vnto vs Thou shalt liue so that he will neuer turne from vs to do vs good but we shall be his people and he will be our God he will giue vs one hart and one way that wee may feare him for euer and that it may be well with vs and with our children This made the Apostle to write Ephe. 5. 30. 32. Wee are members of his bodie of his flesh and of his bones this is a great misterie but I speake concerning christ and concerning the church Where he seemeth to allude to the first creation of the Woman made of one of the ribs of the man shadowing and 〈◊〉 our knitting and coniunction with Christe which we haue by faith not by nature by vertue of the spirit not of the flesh Now as we haue shewed that this coniunction made by Gods spirit and by our faith which he hath giuen so the meanes and instruments to worke it are the word and sacraments This is a dignity peculiar and proper to the elect to haue perpetuall fellowshippe with Christ and to growe vp into one body with him as he teacheth Iohn 17 20. 21. I pray for all them which shall beleeue in me through theyr word that they all may be one as thou O father art in me and I in thee euen that they may be one with vs that the world may beleeue that thou hast sent me If then there be not an vnion betweene Christ and vs we haue no accesse to God the father being quite cutte off from all hope of life and sa'uation As then all the substaunce and nourishment of the tree commeth from the roote and all the vitall powers of a true naturall body come from the head so it is betweene the sonne of God and vs we haue not so much as one drop of the heauenly life in vs of our selves CHRIST is the waye the truth and the life no man commeth vnto the father but by him To conclude this first vse seeing such as come to this sacrament must be christians before it appeareth to be a very corrupt custome of the people when they require Baptisme of the pastor for their children to say God hath giuen me a Pagan I desire you to make him a Christian. For Baptisme cannot make a Christian but signifie the Sacraments cannot make that which is not but assure that which is already made as seales do not giue the right but confirme it Thus much of the first vse of Baptisme the second followeth Chap. 13. Of the second vse of baptisme BEing made one with Christ we are partakers of the 〈◊〉 of his death to wit of forgiuenes of sinnes and of regeneration or new birth So then the second vse of Baptisme is to assure vs of the remission and pardon of our sinnes that we may be vnblamable and acceptable to god This is signified by the outward ceremony of washing and sprinkling to wit the sprinkling of our soules with the blood of Christ for the forgiuenes of all sinnes as appeareth Act. 2 38 Then Peter said vnto them Amend your liues and be baptized euerie one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for remission of sins And Act. 22 Ananias said vnto Paul immediately after his conuersion Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes in calling on the name of the Lorde So the Euangelist witnesses Marke 1 4. that Iohn did baptize in the wildernesse and preach the Baptisme of amendment of life for the remission of sinnes And the Apostle maketh this vse col 2 12 13. Ye are buried with him through Baptisme in whome ye are also raised vppe together through the faith of the operation of GOD which raised him vp from the dead and you which are deade in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath hee quickned together with him forgiuing you all your trespasses The meaning of these places is not that baptisme bestoweth or giueth forgiuenesse but onely signeth sealeth and assureth our pardon euen as remistion of sins and the righte ousnesse of faith were not in the old Testament by circumcision conferred but confirmed vnto the faithfull The grace of pardon and forgiuenesse of sinnes is not attained but by faith in Christ so that the worke of baptisme will not effect it Moreouer we haue proued that it is not lawfull to baptize such as are in yeares vnlesse they make open profession of their faith in Christ and repentance from the workes of the olde man wherefore they obtaine them not by the outward washing with water in baptisme So then we are no lesse assuredly washed by the blood of Christ from the spots of our soules then outwardly we are washed with water from the filth of the body For the force of his death hath that effectuall working in clensing our soules from the corruption and filthines of sinne which naturall water hath in washing our bodies By the merit of his death we haue full forgiueneste of all our sinnes not onely originall but actuall not onely past but present and to come whose blood is neuer drawne dry but is euer fresh and full of efficacy Therefore the wordes deliuered by the minister in baptisme at the commaundement of christ namely I baptize thee in the
name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost should alwaies be in our eares euen vntill the last gasp and by them we ought to be assured of the ful forgiuensse of our offences against God For the blood of Christ by which we are once washed can neuer be drawne dry but is euer fresh full of force and strength to the continuall clensing of our filthinesse and iniquities so that they neuer come into the sight of God neither are imputed vnto vs. Wherefore it is like vnto a sealed charter whereby is confirmed that all our sinnes are blotted out We are all taught by our baptisme that none of the enemies of our saluation shall be able to lay any sinne to our charge Art thou tempted to thinke that Christs blood was not shed for thee That thy transgressions are not pardoned That thou shalt be brought to iudgement for them Doth Sathan 〈◊〉 thy tender conscience with them thou maist as well doubt that thou wast not baptized and washed with Water as doubt thy sinnes are not blotted out thou maist as well surnize thou perishedst in the water as suppose thou shalt perish in thy wickednesse the floods where of howsoeuer they go ouer thy head yet shall not be able to preuaile against thee sully and ouercome thee sinally This ouer throweth the false doctrin of the false church of Rome the Mother of abhominations which teacheth that by the grace of Christ receiued in baptisme all our sins going before it are rased and blotted out and leaueth nothing in the party baptized that hath the name and nature of sinne But albeit our sinnes be freely and fully forgiuen for Christs sake pardoned and not imputed coucred and remembred no more yet the stain blot and remnants of sinne remaine though not raigne in our flesh so long as we liue in this world which in the end of our daies togither with the mortality and corruptions of our bodies shall be taken away and abolished Indeede the scripture teacheth that Christs blood clenseth washeth and taketh away sinne Ioh. 1. 29. Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sin of the world but this is not by an actuall purging of vs from all corruption but in freely acquiting and truely discharing vs from the guilt offence and punishment before God as Psal. 32 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sins are lightned blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne I herefore though they be forgiuen yet they remaine as appeareth If we say 〈◊〉 haue no fin we deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. And Solomon in his worthy prayer saith If any sinne against thee for there is no man that sinneth not So the Apostle teacheth toucheth this truth by his owne experience Rom. 7 I see another lawe in my members rebelling against the Law of my minde and leading me captiue vnto the Law of sinne which is in my members We are all as a filthy cloth the fsesh rebelleth against the spirit and in nothing we can do the things we woulde so that if God enter into iudgement with vs we 〈◊〉 stand in his sight And if Originall sinne were extinguished and vtrerly abolished in baptisme then they which are baptized shoulde sin no more but we see they sin again after their baptism To conclude baptisme is auailable not only for sins before but it is a seale for confirmation of faith touching the remission of those sinnes that are committed after baptisme as well as done before as our 〈◊〉 sauiour teacheth Mark 16 16. He that shall beleeue and be baptized shall be saued but he that will not beleeue shal be damnd Faith then beleeueth the forgiuenes of all sins past and to come inasmuch as the bood of Christ clenseth from al sins And the Apostle accordeth heereunto Titus 3 5 7. According to his mercie hee saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the 〈◊〉 of the holy ghost that we being iustified by his grace should be made heirs according to the hope of euerlasting life Where we see that the promise of iustification 〈◊〉 generall against all sins Thus much of the second vse Chap 14. Of the third vse of Baptisme THe third vse of baptisme is to kill and bury our naturall corruption by the power of Christs death and buriall and to raise vs againe to sanctification of our nature and newnes of life by his resurrection Hence it is that sin hath his deaths wounde and is stricken to the hatt so that it cannot liue and raigne in the children of God Hence it is that baptisme is often called the sacrament of repentance 〈◊〉 Luke 3 Iohn came into all the parts and coasts about Iordan preaching the Baptisme of repentance for the remission of sinnes So likewise Marke 1 4. Iohn did baptise in the Wildernes and preach the baptisme of amendment of life And the Apostle affirmeth as much col 2 xii xiii declaring that the one end of baptism is the death and burial of the old man by the almighty power of God This also was taught in those liuely types answering our baptisme to wit the flood that drownd the old world while Noah and his family were preserued in the Arke Also the red sea in which Pharaoh and his host perished but the people of God were deliuered For as God destroyed in the waters and as it were buried in the flood the world but saued a remnant of grace so doth God through christ mortifie the old man raise againe the new man and seale them both in our baptisme Likewise as GOD deliuered his people out of the hands of Pharaoh and opened them a way through the red sea and drowned their enimies that they saw them no more aliue so by baptisme he assureth our deliuerance from the thral dome and bondage of sinne which bringeth greater slauery and captiuity then any slaue is in vnder his earthly maister and the destruction of the flesh that it shall not hurt or condemn vs. We are al born in sins and trespasses we haue need of repentance and regeneration We see then what vse we are to make of our baptisme euen labor to attaine to the efficacy and fruit of it that it may not be a bare and barren signe Moses and the Prophets earnestly exhort the people of Israell to shewe forth the force and effect of their circumcision to cut away the fore-skin of their harts and harden their necks no more as we see Deut 10. 16. The Lorde did set his delight in thy fathers to loue them and did chuse their seed after them euen you aboue all people Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your hearts and harden your neckes no more And in another place The Lord thy GOD will circumcise thine heart and the hearte of thy seede that thou maiest loue the LORD thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou maiest liue
couenant it self but a sign and token of the couenant as also it is afterward expounded It shall be a signe of the couenant betweene me and you The aduersaries cannot denie a figure in this speech Now what difference is there betweene these two speeches This is my couenant and this is my body are they not alike and in like manner to be vnderstood So Exodus 12. 11 It is the Lordes passeouer properly the lambe was not the passeouer but serued to put them in remembrance of that benefit and it is expounded aster the blood shall be a token for you vpon the houses where ye are this day shall be vnto vou a remembrance Likewise the Apostle sayeth 1 Cor. 10. That rocke was Christ whereas properly the rocke was not Christ but the water flowing from it did represent him Thus then we must vnderstand the words plainely truely and briefely as if Christ had saide in this manner This bread which ye haue seene me take breake deliuer and distribute and which I bid you take and cate is a signe or sacrament of my true body signifying and sealing vp vnto you that my body shal be broken crushed and crucified for you to purchase to you eternal life let these sacramental rites and actions now performed by me and you be heerafter put in practise by you and all faithfull ministers and professors for the strengthning of your faith by the remembrance of my death and by the applying of the benefit thereof euery one to your owne selues Likewise hauing finished his supper when he did eate the passeouer with his Disciples hauing taken the cup and giuen thanks he gaue it being filied with wine to his Disciples and saide drinke ye al of this for this wine in this cup is a signe and sacrament of my blood by the shedding whereof togither with my death following the full forgiuenes of sins and perfect saluation which I by my vnchangable wil decree do giue vnto you and al that beleeue in me are assured to you and all beleeuers Thus hauing opened and cleared the interpretation of the words we shal heerafter need to spend the lesse time in confuting the contrary doctrin darkenes shal flie before the light error before truth cloudy mists before the sun-shine of the day Again seeing the words of institution are variably and diuersly set down by the Euangelists and the Apostle Paul we learne that euery change of the words where the sence is nothing altered or diminished is not to be condemned as 〈◊〉 or vnlawfull so that the alteration being in the forme and frame of words not in the substance and sence of the matter the sacrament is not destroyed For if it had bene an heinous sinne to haue made any change or alteration or to haue missed of the tearmes or sillables of the institution no doubt the Euangelists would haue consented in the words and not haue swarued one from another as we see they haue done We see how the Apostles in the allegation of sundry places of Scripture borrowed out of the olde Testament do not euermore strictly binde themselues to the very wordes as Mathew 26. Hebrewes 10. 5. and in sundry other but onely to the sence and therefore sometimes they adde as Mathew 4 10. sometimes they leaue out as occasion serueth True it is to alter any substantiall part or to wrest the wordes to a wrong and contrary meaning or not at all to expresse the sence of the wordes maketh the Sacrament voide but an alteration onely of certaine circumstaunces as of number or person of Letters or sillables cannot make frustrate the whole sacrament albeit we allow not any priuate and particular man to make any chaunge of his owne heade in such circumstaunces or to bring in a new frame of wordes So in baptisme the Greeke church saith Let the seruant of CHRIST be baptized in this Water c. and heereby nothing is detracted from the truth of the sacrament because Christ Iesus hath not precisely appointed how many wordes the Apostles and pastours of the Church shoulde vse in the execution of their Ministry Not withstanding the obseruation of the words I baptize thee obserued in our churches seemeth to drawe neerer to the commaundement of Christ and to confirme more fitly and fully the faith of the baptized and to answere vnto the words of Iohn the baptist I baptize with Water Likewise in the Lordes supper whereas Christ saide Take ye eate ye doe ye this as speaking to many the sacrament is not destroyed when the words are particularly rehearsed and specially applyed in our churches saying take thou eat thou drinke thou Lastly seeing the wordes of institution are an outwarde part of the Sacrament necessary to be knowne read marked and vnderstood wherein the substance and comfortatable vse of the Lordes Supper consisteth it followeth that they are to be published and pronounced openly distinctly plainely not in a strange language but in a knowne tongue that the church of 〈◊〉 and people of God may be edified For wherefore serueth the commaundement and promise set foorth in the supper if they be not vnderstood Whether we doe read the Scriptures sing Psalmes poure out supplications receiue the sacraments or whatsoeuer 〈◊〉 we performe to God that he may be 〈◊〉 and the congregation instructed we must doe all in a knowne tongue to be vnderstood This God commandeth this the Apostle prescribeth this the true church of God practiseth this reason teacheth this the Heathen acknowledgeth 〈◊〉 the sinagogue of Rome that it might take away all fruit and comfort from the faithfull and that it might broch horrible errors 〈◊〉 and securely and not be 〈◊〉 hath not onely commanded to pronounce the words of consecration closely and 〈◊〉 but forbidden to vse the common mother tongue of all the people The people of God must not be like Parrots or 〈◊〉 or Rauens or such birds that chatter with voice record mens words and sounde a sentence but vnderstande not the meaning thereof As Plmy maketh mention of a certaine 〈◊〉 that had learnd to say Aue Caesar imperator All haile or good morrow Emperor Caesar saluting 〈◊〉 and the two young princes 〈◊〉 and Drusus And Celius Rhodiginus writeth that Cardinall Ascanius had a Popiniay that coulde pronounce distinctly and 〈◊〉 all the Articles of the Creede Such birds or rather beasts woulde they haue Christian men to be that would haue them 〈◊〉 and not vnderstand what they pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reading of the scriptures but not know what is reade 〈◊〉 the sacraments but not know the meaning of the institution Things without life which giue a sounde whether pipe or 〈◊〉 except they make a distinction in the soundes howe shall it bee knowne what is piped or harped Or if the 〈◊〉 pet giue an 〈◊〉 sound who shall prepare himselfe to battell All things in the church must tend to the instruct on 〈◊〉 edification
of the new testament his priesthood is immortall and eternall he liueth for euer therefore the Popish priesthood is a plant neuer planted by the heauenly father the true husbandman and the popish priests were neuer called of God to sacrifice the body and blood of Christ he gaue vnto them no such authority therefore in time shall be rooted vp If they pretend the precept and planting of God let them shew their commission that we may see it and let them bring forth their charter that we may trie it otherwise wee must take them for vsurpers and counterfait Officers in the cittie of God Ninthlie the Apostle teacheth that without shedding of blood is no remission But in the vnblodie Sacrifice of the Masse there is not effusion of blood he doth not suffer he is not killed he doth not shed his blood he doth not die therefore in the Masse is no remission of any sins Tenthly if Christ be daily offered in the Masse then hee doth dailie satisfie for sinne for the end of his offering is to make satisfaction as Romaines 4. 25. He was deliuered to death for our sinnes and is risen againe for our instification And Gal 1 4. He gaue himselfe for our sinnes that he might deliuer vs from this present euill world But he doth not make satisfaction for our sinnes no more then now he dieth and riseth again for then Christ would not haue said It is finished nor the Apostle u He entered once into the holy place Wherefore no more sacrifice for sinne remaineth to be offered by such as iniuriously vsurpe the priesthood of christ Last of all all true christians are Priestes to offer vp their bodies an acceptable sacrifice to God which is their reasonable seruice of God and to offer vp a broken contrite spirit as 1 Pet 3 9. Ye are a chosen generation a royall priesthood and an holy nation And Reuel 1. He hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood and made vs Kings and priestes vnto God his father These are the Priests that now remaine this is the priesthood which we professe Whosoeuer maketh himselfe any priest of another order in the new testament abrogateth and abolisheth the Priesthood of christ being after the order of Melchizedech who was both king and priest Now then as they commit sacriledge against Christ that presume to offer him vp an vnbloody sacrifice to God the father to make peace and attonement betweene God and man so they adde another iniquity as drunkennesse to thirst making their oblation not onely profitable to take away the sinnes of the liuing but auaileable to clense the sinnes of the deade that are come to the ende of theyr daies Indeede we deny not but the Masse may be beneficiall to the rabble of Friers and sacrificing Priestes that make it gainefull to themselues who through their sale and merchandize of Masses dwell stately goe sumptuously fare delicately drinke wine in siluer and gold abound in pleasures and heape vp great aboundaunce of all riches shall we not now say the Masse is profitable But other profit of the Masses then these to the Masse-mungers we know none We know we find we feelethem otherwise many waies pernicious in themselues dishonourable to God and hurtfull to the people For first the Sacrament was instituted to no such end and purpose as to helpe the deade and to be a propitiation for their sinnes For Christ sayde take and eat this is my body drinke ye this is my blood but the deade cannot take any thing offered vnto them they can neither eate nor drinke wherefore this supper being spirituall meat and nourishment for the soule cannot auaile the deade who are neither fed nor nourished Secondly it profiteth as much to be baptized for the dead as to receiue the Supper of the Lorde for the deade for both Sacraments were instituted of Christ and there is the same respect of both But it can doe no good to baptize one for another the liuing for the dead therefore the living comming to receiue the Sacrament of the Supper cannot releeue the dead Thirdly there is no forgiuenesse of sinnes after this life we haue forgiuenes in this life or neuer Whatsoeuer is bounde on earth is bound in heauen Heere is the time heere is the place heere is the occasion offered to worke as the wiseman teacheth Ec 9 All that thine hand shall find to do do it with all thy power for there is neither worke nor inuention nor knowledge nor wisedome in the graue whither thou goest And Heb 3. To day if ye wil heare his voice harden not your harts Wherfore then is a sacrifice offred for the dead for whom there is no releefe no redresse no remission Fourthly it is vaine to offer for those that haue ended their daies and are already come to the ende of their race whose estate can neuer be changed The night commeth when no man can worke and Chapt 11 Are there not twelue houres in the day if a man walke in the day he stumbleth not because he seeth the light of this world If a man walke in the night he stumbleth because there is no light in him And Paule 2 Tim 4. I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my race I haue kept the faith from henceforth is laid vp for 〈◊〉 the crowne of righteousnes But this is the state of all the dead they are entred into iudgment they are not subiect to any chang Lastly if the sacrifice of the Masse could wash away the sinnes of the dead then the sacrifice of the Masse should surmount and exceede the sacrifice offered by christ himselfe vpon the Crosse. For this helpeth the liuing it auaileth not the dead and so we should haue other meanes to take away sinne then his oblation and there should be another propitiation for the sinnes of the world And thus much of the popish idoll of the blasphemous masse Furthermore did Christ deliuer his last Supper to all his Disciples that were present Did none stand by and gaze on while other receiued Then heereby fall to the ground the priuate communions of the popish Church where al is deuoured by the priest nothing deliuered to the people For whereas the ordinance of Christ and ancient order of the church was for the minister and people to receiue the Sacrament together among them the priest accompanied with his boy to make answer receiueth the sacrament himselfe alone without distribution made to others yea although the whole congregation be present and looke vpon him whereby God is dishonoured the communion is abolished the people of God are there by depryued and robbed of al comfort How is this a feast which the priest prepareth for himselfe not for others receiueth by himselfe not with his bretheren he speaketh to himselfe and not to the assembly he vseth a strange tongue and no man knoweth what he meaneth the people is
bridegroome shall be taken from them and then they shal fast But if he were remainning on the earth and contained in the pixe the bridegroome could not nor would not be taken away And the same Euangehst chap. 26. saith Ye haue the poore alwaies with you but me ye shal not haue alwaies Like wise Iohn 13. When Iesus knew that hie houre was come that he should depart out of this world vnto the father heeriseth from supper and chap. 14. I goe to prepare a place for you but I wil come againe if I go away to prepare a place for you I will receiue you vnto my selfe that where I am there may ye be also and verse 28 ye haue heard how I said vnto you I go awaie and will come vnto you And chap. 17. Now I am no more in the world but these are in the world and I come to thee Againe act 1. ye men of Galile why stand re gazing into heauen this Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shal so come as ye haue seene him go into heauen If then Christ according to his humane nature be not on earth how can his 〈◊〉 body be on euerie altar how can they eat him with their 〈◊〉 how can they swallow him downe their throat Ninthlie such an eating and 〈◊〉 of the bodie and blood of christ must be holden as is profitable and comfortable to the receiuers for nothing is more 〈◊〉 and fruitfull then these being rightlie receiued 〈◊〉 thereby remission of sinnes assured and eternall glory sealed vp vnto vs. But no fruite to our faith can come vnto vs by this kind of bodilie eating the bodie carnall drinking the blood of christ for wicked men haue as great a portion in this as the godly Nay by their owne doctrin it may be eaten of birds of beasts of Mice of Dogs of hogs of vermine to whom no profit no comfort no benefit can come whereas God woulde haue the flesh of the sonne of man to be eaten of those to whom it shal be auailable to life and saluation I am the liuing bread which came downe from heauen if any man eat of this bread he shall liue for euer and the bread that I will giue is my flesh which I wil giue for the life of the world Tenthly nothing can be more grosse barbarous or inhumane then to deuour mans flesh and to drinke mans blood What doth more transforme men into sauage and 〈◊〉 beasts Nay worse then beastes which deuour not their owne kind what is more contrarie to the purenes holines of Gods law then this The words of the Lord are pure words as the siluer tryed in a furnace of earth fined seuen fold The feare of the Lord is clean the law of God is spirituall holy iust and good And the gospell bringeth saluation to all degrees and teacheth vs that we should deny all vngodlines and worldly Iustes and that we should liue soberly righteously and godly in this present world But what can be more repugnant to godlines sobernes and righteousnes then to teare wirh the teeth and iawes mans flesh and to drink his blood from which the Capernaits abhorred what more crosseth the Religion of Christ the law of god and the light of nature then mā to deuour man and the bowels of one to be in the bowels of another And are not their stomackes strong to digest this meat did not god in the law command to abstain frō eating the blood of beasts and from strangled did not the Apostles for a time renue it amōg the christiās in respect of the weaknes of the Iews because Moses was read in their sinagogue euer saboth day to what 〈◊〉 should this be done if the church had tasted the blood of ch with their mouth or swallowed his body in their bellies And do not the Scythians and al the gentiles that are not vtterly voide of 〈◊〉 abstain from mans blood and 〈◊〉 deuouring his flesh wherefore these men are worse then the Scithians barbariās and Gentiles yea worse then the Canibals Indies that eat their enimies but these deuour ch whom they cal their L. and maist like Actcons houndes to compare one fable with another onely heer ly the differences they deuourd their Lord vnder the shape of a stag or Hart they eat their maist vnder the formes of bread and wine these fastned their mouth vpon their maister because they thoght him absent and not present vnder that shape they openly confesse their maister to be present and yet 〈◊〉 professe to deuour him with their iawes and swallow him in their stomacks wherefore these men are more cruell Eleuenthly if Christ be present in the Sacramant bodily and carnally in what body shall he be present Whether in his glorified body as he is in the heauens or in his mortall body as he was vpon the earth In one of these he must be present necessarily if he be present fleshly Whatsoeuer they answer they are taken onboth hands are stroken downe as with a sword that hath two edges Dare they saie he is thus present in his mortall bodie This cannot be For it is certaine he hath not now a mortall bodie but a glorified bodie this corruptible hath put on in corruption this mortall hath put on immortality and death is swallowed vp in victory This the Apostle confirmeth this the Scripture teacheth this Christian faith beleeueh Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion ouer him For in that he dyed he dyed once to sinne but in that he liueth he liueth to God Like wise Heb. 7. 25 This man because he endureth euer hath a priesthood which cannot passe from one to another seeing he euer hueth to make intercession for them And chapter 9. of the same Epistle he is entred into heauen not that he should offer himselfe often but he was once offered to take away the sins of many These testimonies duly considered he cannot be present in a mortal body What then will they be helped to say he is present in his glorified body Then he cannot nowe be present in the sacrament of the supper as he was present to the Apostles sitting at the table with them and preaching vnto them of his death he cannot be present in the same body that he did deliuer to his Disciples in the institution of his last supper For the body of Christ was then mortall and not glorified then he had not suffered death vpon the Crosle he was not risen and ascended into the heauens to sit at the right hand of his father so that they must seeke another place then these wordes of Christ This is my body this is my blood to build their reall presence and transubstantiation for they pointed out his mortall body because his body was not yet glorified when the sacrament was instituted Besides what a uniserable glorified body should this be to be
like the bitter and cursed waters making tryall of the suspected wife wherupon the counsell of wormes determineth that If any monasterie be suspected of theft let him bee purged by the taking of the sacrament Thus Sybicon Byshop of Spire in the counsell of Mentz did by it purge himselfe of adultery about the yeare 1100 an vse neuer intended by the spirite of God nor practised by anie of the Apostles to institute it to discouer secretes Likewise somtimes it is taken to be good against inchanters and inchantments sometimes to bee good for the remedy and recouery of sickenes to deliuer soules out of purgatory to preserue from the plague to saue cattell to cure the feuer to recouer again things lost to take away tooth-ache to cleere the eyes and what not All these fancies and supposed ends of this Sacrament agree not with the institution of christ nor with the former vses set down which now we come to handle and to proue out of the doctrine of the Apostles themselues Touching the first and principall end that is the remembrance meditation and shewing forth the death of christ with all thanksgiuing this he commaunded to vs at his last 〈◊〉 from vs which ought much to stick in our minds because the last words of a deare friend ready to part from vs do often times leaue behind both deepe impressions and deuout affections in vs. Indeede when we read of the passion and death of christ it doth not much moue vs to heare it opened and expounded it moueth in a farther degree but more then these to haue before our eies a visible representation of the crucifieng of christ in his last supper doth moue vs most of all The institution of this Sacrament hee did in wisedome reserue till the approaching of his death that we might not forget him when he is gone from vs. So god the father after the vniuersal flood drawning the whole world for a remembrance of his mercy in deliuering Noah and his family from the waters and of his promise made neuer to destroy it so againe left to them and al posterity the 〈◊〉 bow When he had iustly smitten the first borne of the Egyptians and gratiously saued the first borne of Israel he commaunded Moses to sanctifie to 〈◊〉 al the first born that first openeth the womb to remember the day in which they came out of the land of Egypt When he had miraculously fed the Israelites with Manna from heauen that men did eate Angels food he would haue a golden pot ful of it to be reserued in the Arke of remembrance for the better remembrance of so great a work So likewise being deliuered by the precious bloode of christ from the floods of sin 〈◊〉 haue gone ouer our heads and eased of the heauy burthen that pressed downe our hearts we haue receiued baptisme to keepe vs in remembrance thereof that wee are ciensed from the filthynes of sin Again being nourished with christs body crucyfied his blood shed for vs we are coÌ„manded to vse this mistery to continue an holy remembrance of his death and passion to our endlesse comfort This end to wit to be to vs a remembrance of Christes sacrifice on the crosse is taught by the Apostle So often as ye shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup ye shew the lords death till he come In like manner the Euangelist Luk of the bread he saith Do this in remembrance of me and of the cup Do this as oft as ye shall drinke it in remembrance of me by declaring his death And we declare the Lords death when we publikely confesse with our mouth and beleeue with the heart that our whole hope and affiance for life and saluation is surely set in the Lords death that we may glorifie him by our confession and exhort others by our example to glorifie him because his death is our life his passion is our saluation his suffering is our reioycing We our selues are the principall and proper causes that he was torne and tormented our sinnes wounded him we our selues crucified him we euen we were the causes for he was chastised for vs that by death he might deliuer vs from death and from him that had the power of death Our euill motions our vile thoughtes our corrupt wordes and our sinfull works did set on worke Pontius Pilate Herod Annas Caiphas Iudas the Gentiles and the Iewes who were but instruments as the crosse nailes the hammer and spear these were as our seruants and workemen in the euill action of his crucifieng Wherefore to speake the truth not Sathan the tempter not Iudas the Traytor not Caiphas the highpriest not Pilate the chiefe iudge not the Iewes that conspired against him not the false witnesses that accused him not the band of men that scorned him not the passengers that nodded their heads at him not the souldier that pierced him not the executioners that railed and nailed him on the Crosse are so much to be accused and reproued for his sufferings as we we I say our selues and our owne sinnes Not that we can excuse those cursed instrumentes that crucified the Lorde of glory who shall receiue according to their workes when they shall see him whom they haue pierced but to teach vs chifely to accuse and condemne our selues We bound him with cords we beate him with rods we buffeted him with fistes we crowned him with thornes wee reuiled him with our mouthes we railed at him with reproches we nodded at him with our heads we thrust him through with 〈◊〉 we berraied him with a kisse we pierced his hands and feet with nailes we crucified him betweene two theeues wee condemned him through false witnesses we poured shame and contempt vpon his person we iudged him as plagued and smitten of God For inasmuch as our fâ—lts and offences procured these things to be done vnto him we were the doers of them and the dea'ers in them And surely then we are profitably grounded in the doctrine of the passion of Christ when our haits cease to sinne and we are pricked with an inward griefe of those great and grieuous transgressions whereby as with speares we pierced the side and wounded the very soule of the immaculate lambe of God as Ioh 3 Who so sinneth neither hath seene him nor knowne him And the prophet 〈◊〉 teacheth chap. 53. He was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastssement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes 〈◊〉 are healed the Lord haih layd vpon him the iniquity of vs all Seeing then christ was slaine for our sins let vs kill sin in our selues seeing he dyed for vs let vs labour that sin may be dead in vs seeing he was crucified for vs and our saluation let vs crucifie our owne Instes that they raigne not in our mortall bodies seeing his hart was pierced with a speare let vs haue our hearts thrust through pierced
present or things to come recouering in him the possession of those thinges which wee lost in Adam being the beloued sonne of the father hee maketh vs acceptable and wel pleasing vnto him leading captiuity captiue and giuing gifts to men hauing Dominion ouer the Deuil sin hell the world the flesh and all our enemies hee protecteth vs that they cannot ouerthrow vs and hath made vs kings and Priests to god euen his father in that he is happy and immortal he maketh vs partakers of his blessednes and immortality When we shall seuerally and particularly apply al the actions and benefits of Christ our lorde vnto our selues we may boldely come to the lordes table where wee shall fiude christ and enioy him to our endlesse comfort Neither are we to abstaine and hang backe from comming to the Supper nor to dispaire of our selues nor to be to much cast downe when wee feele sundry defectes and wantes in our faith For there is a weake and feeble faith which is yet a true faith as well as the stronge faith There are two degrees offaith profitable to be knowne and comfortable to be considered The weake faith is an earnest and vnfained desire to be reconciled vnto GOD in christ which willing desire in vs GOD accepteth as the deede it selfe hee accounteth the defire of faith as faith it selfe the desire of reconciliation and forgiuenesse of sinnes by the death of CHRIST shall be auaileable to worke out our attonement and redemption The stronge faith is a full perswasion and assurance of the mercyes of GOD when the faithful can truely say with the Apostle Rom. 8 38. 39. I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor thinges present nor thinges to come neither Angels nor principalities nor powers neither height nor depth nor any other creature shall separate vs from the loue of GOD which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. This is the greatest measure and highest degree of faith this is the top strength and full ripenesse of faith heereunto wee are to striue and indeuour and neuer to giue rest vnto our soules vntill wee bee resouled and setled in our consciences that all our sinnes are assuredly pardoned and wee accepted to euerlasting life This greatenesse of faith was in Abraham who was not weak but strengthened in faith being fully perswaded He that had promised was also able to doe it All that liue in the bosome of the Church doe not attaine to this full measure of a perfect faith but euen as it is in the estate of the body we are babes before we come to be men of ripe yeares first we be weake before we be strong first we are fed with milke before we can digest strong meat We see corne first is in the grasse then in the blade before it come to the stalke and to haue ripe corne in the eare There must be in all thinges a beginning before there can be a proceeding to perfection The tree sendeth forth his tender braunches and putteth forth his leaues before the fruit commeth So is it with euery christian Man and Woman first they are babes in Christ and haue certaine seedes and beginnings of faith springing in them to eternall life afterward they grow from strength to strength from grace to grace from degree to degree and from faith to faith vntill they come to a full perswasion and assurance without wauering which ariseth after many experiences of Gods ' manifold mercies and fauours in the course of our liues as we see Psal. 23. Doubtlesse kindnesse and mercy shall follow me all the daies of my life and I shall remaine a long season in the house of the Lord. Wherefore let vs not be 〈◊〉 ed and discouraged when our faith is feeble for a feeble faith wil apply Christ as well as a strong faith it wil draw Christ home to dwell in our hartes through whom we shall not perish but haue euerlasting life Hee that had but a weake eie and a dimme sight to behold the brasen Serpent in the wildernesse was healed from the deadly stinging of the fiery Serpents as wel as he that saw cleerly and perfectly a farre off He that hath but a Leprous and sickly hand is able to hold that which is offered vnto it as well as a sound and strong hand So hee that hath a little faith in the Sonne of God shall neuer haue his saluation denied nor forgiuenesse of his sinnes kept from him if with an humble heart he pray to God to haue them pardoned The Apostles beleeued that Christ was the Sauiour of the world yet they were ignorant of his death and resurrection which are the chiefe meanes of saluation and they are saide to be men of little faith So our sauiour when the Disciples had asked increase of their faith declareth that if our faith be in quantity but as a graine of mustard-seede it should be powerfull and effectuall seeing he will not quench the smooking flaxe nor breake the bruised reede but cherish the least sparke and measure of grace giuen vnto vs from aboue This likewise was the faith of that father whose child was possessed with a dumbe and deafe spirit when christ said to him If thou canst beleau all things are possible to him that beleeueth straight way he cryed with teares saying Lord I beleeue help mine vnbeleefe Christ doth not reiect him for his weaknes of knowledge and faith to teach that we should not dispaire or be dismaid when we finde wauering wantes distrust and imperfection in our selues but rather confessing our frailty with that father in this place pray to be strengthned and to haue our faith increased For whosoeuer vnfainedly desireth any grace of God tending to saluation shal receiue it if he continue knocking at the gate of his mercy it shall bee opened and his prayer shal be granted as Christ hath promised I wilgiue to him that is a thirst of the wel of the water of life Thus if wee long after the graces wanting vnto vs as the earth after a great drouth for the comfortable shewers of refreshing rain vsing the meanes appointed of God to attaine them as earnest praier reuerent attending on the continuall hearing of his word diligent receiung of the sacraments being carefull to giue honor and glory to him for his gifts we haue already of his onely mercy obtained and enioyed wee shall be satisfied and replenished for then He that hath 〈◊〉 his good worke in vs will perfect the same in our harts vntill the day of Iesus Christ. Thus much of faith the sec. part of true examination which is the instrument whereby wee lay hold vpon Christ and are made liuely members of him withont which whosoeuer come to the Lords Supper depart away without fruit and comfort Chap. 18. Of Repentance the third part of examination THe next thing in this tryall to be considered is repētance which is a
are present to communicate and receiue this were to commit sacriledge not to deliuer a Sacrament Wherefore vnlesse there be a body to be washed except there be communicants to partake the Supper there can be no Sacrament This appeareth by the words of God to Abraham giuing vnto him circumcision saying Euery male-child of eight daies old shall be circumcised This also appeareth in the words of Christ speaking of baptisme and charging the Apostles to baptize the nations in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy-ghost Where he teacheth that it is not sufficient to take water but there must be a washing So. when he speaketh of his supper he saith Take ye eate ye drinke ye so that there must not only be bread but giuing taking and eating there must not onely bee wine but giuing taking and drinking thereof This truth being euidently deliuered let vs see how it may be profitably applied First of all must the Sacraments necessarily be receiued Then it teacheth that the Sacraments without their lawfull vse are no sacraments at all they are no signes of grace if they be not vsed This condemneth the keeping reseruing holding vp and carying about with pompe and ostentation the Lords supper offering vp kneeling downe vnto and adoring a piece of bread all which are horrible prophanations of that comfortable Sacrament whereby the people isrobbed and depriued of a precious part of their peace in Christ. The bread feedeth not the body reuiueth not the spirits strengthneth not the heart by looking and gazing vpon it by touching and handling it but by eating digesting and feeding vpon it so doth the sacrament strengthen faith not by reseruing and keeping it but by vsing and receiuing of it For sacramentes are actions not dumbe shewes Christ saide not Heare ye see ye gaze re on but baptize ye eate ye drinke ye doe ye this in remembrance of me Secondly are the receiuers an outward part of the Sacrament Then the persons that are to receiue must know that diuers duties are to bee done and performed of them The persons then that are to receiue must ioyne with the Minister in prayer in quickning their faith in the couenant and promises ofGod beholding the former works of the Minister blessing breaking pouring out and distributing ratifieng them in their harts and lastly by receiuing and applying to themselues the visible signes For as we haue shewed if the words of baptisme should be rehearsed ouer the water and no person to be present to be baptized it is no baptisme so if the words of institution in the supper should be spoken and repeated without eating without drinking without receiuing it were no Sacrament Wherefore we must all learne to detest the absurd opinion of Bellarmine and other procters of the Romish religion which teache that the breade and Wine being once consecrate whither they be receiued or reserued whither they bee distributed to be eaten and drunke or whether they be kept in boxes and vessels of the Church for daies moneths and long times and carried solemnly in procession are notwithstanding still the Sacrament of the body and bloode of Christ. Against which dotage wee spake in the former vse and shall speake more in the third booke following Lastly if the receiuing be an outward part then we are not to rest in the outward participation for so farre went Iudas in the Passeouer so farre went Simon that sorcerer in baptisme and so farre went the Israelites as the Apostle sheweth They were all baptized vnto Moses in the cloud and in the sea they did all eat the same spirituall meat and did al drink the same spirituall drinke c yet with many of them was not god pleased but they were ouerthrowne in the Wildernesse And therefore Iohn Baptist said to the Pharisees and Saduces when he saw them come to his baptisme O generation of vipers who hath forewarned you to flee from the anger to come bring foorthe therefore fruit worthy amendment of life Now our righteousnes must exceede the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharisees if wee woulde enter into the kingdome of heauen Let vs all therefore haue this profitable meditatiō so often as we deale with the Sacraments and come vnto them we must looke further then to the outward sight we must consider more then the externall signe otherwise as we approch without preparation so we depart without edification And thus much of the foure outward parts of a Sacrament to wit the minister the word the signe and the receiuer Chap. 8. Of consecration BEfore we proceede to the inward parts of a Sacrament answerable to the outward by a fit proportition it shall not be amisse in this place to speake somewhat of the Consecration of a sacrament First wee must consider what it is for the truth being knowne it will cast downe errour as the light scattereth the darknesse To consecrate then is to take a thing from the ordinary and common vse and to appoint it to some holy vse This therefore is Consecration sanctification and dedication of the outward signes to apply them to an holy purpose This is done partly by the minister partly by the people and partly by them both The minister taketh the water in Baptisme which signifieth the blood of Christ and he poureth it on the person of the baptized he taketh the bread in the Lords supper and breaketh it he taketh the wine and poureth it out he deliuereth them both the people take and receiue they eate and drinke in remembrance of Christ and both minister and people ioynein praier and thanksgiuing vnto God the father for the mistery of our redemption accomplished by Christ our sauiour so that the sacrament is consecrated by the whole action of the minister and people together This maketh the difference betweene common water and the water in Baptisme this maketh the difference betweene that bread and wine of the Supper and the bread and wine which is vsed for ordinary meate and drinke True it is in nature in essence in substance there is none but in the ende and vse Common water we vse for the washing of our bodies but the water in Baptisme is sanctified by prayer to an other vse to be a signe of the clonsing of the soule Bread and wine at mens tables in their houses are set before them for the nourishment of their bodies but at the Lords l'able they are ordained of God to an higher and holier vse euen to be signes of the bodye and blood of Christ. This is noted by the Euangelistes and by the Apostle Paule that the Lord Iesus before he brake the bread and gaue it he blessed and gaue thankes to his father that he had appointed him to be the redeemer of the world and giuen him authority to institute this Sacrament in remembrance of his death and passion For wheras the Euangelist Mathew saith he blessed the other by way
by the Sacramentes and the spirit helpeth our 〈◊〉 to profit by them CHAP. II. Of the third inward part of a Sacrament THus much we haue spoken touching the holy spirit being the 2. inward part the 〈◊〉 inward part is Iesus Christ crucified the very subiect substance of all Sacraments He was represented by 〈◊〉 meision and the pascall lambe and he is represented in Baptisme and in the Lords supper When we receiue the outward signes God the father offereth his sonne and all his graces with him to confirme our 〈◊〉 therby The signe is but a figure and token Christ is the truth and substance This we shewed before Ch. 2. in the discription of a sacrament that therein Christ and all his sauing graces are truely offered sealed vp and giuen to the faithfull that 〈◊〉 in his name Heereunto commeth the doctrine of the Apostle where hee teacheth that the Iewish Sacramentes being in the truth of them the same with ours did signifie Christ for They dranke of the spirituall rocke that followed them and that rocke was Christ. So he doth teach 〈◊〉 that by Baptisme we put on Christ we are buried into his death and are planted into the similitude of his resurrection Wherefore this is the vse and end of the sacraments to lead our saith to the onely sacrifice of Christ once offered vpon the crosse as to the onely ground-worke and 〈◊〉 of our saluation as touching the other Sacrament the same Apostle sheweth that the breaking of the bread sealeth vp the communion of his body and the pouring out the wine the communion of his blood So then this is an euident plaine manifest truth confirmed by testimonies of the Scripture that Christ is the matter and substance of a sacrament Heereby we gather great strength of faith If Christ be offered withal his merits then let vs lay hold vpon him and not let him go let vs stretch forth the hand of faith and receiue him into our harts Wherefore when Satan assaulteth vs touching our faith in christ and assiance in his promises perswading vs we are not elected iustified and indued with faith therby seeketh to cut off our hand from aplying or to blind our eie from looking vpon the brasen serpent that is Christ sitting at the right hand of his father let vs run vnto him let vs hunger and thirst after his righteousnes let vs acknowledge him to be our wisdom our rightiousnes our sanctification and redemption and let vs looke for our saluation from him and in him What though our faith be frail and weak What though it be as a graine of a Mustard seede which is very little and small What if it be but as the groth strength of a child which is ready to fal except he be staied vp yet this weak this smal this little this fraile this feeble faith is able and sufficient to ingraft vs into christ A childe taking a staffe in his hand is able to hold it as truely though not as strongly as a man so if we lay hold vpon christ by faith though we doe it with many wantes and much weaknes yet it shal serue and suffice vs to saluation For God looketh not so much to the perfection as to the truth of faith neither so much to the measure as to the maner of our beleeuing Euen as the blinde man in the Gospell when he beganne to perceiue the mouing of men and saw them walking as trees when yet hee could not discerne their bodies did as truely and certainely see them as other did though not so cleerely plainely and distinctly So when we haue the least sparke of faith it will as truely assure vs of our saluation as a stronger The poore prisoner that 〈◊〉 in a deepe and darke dungeou may as wel discerne the light of the Sunne at a little hole and creuisse as he that walketh in the open ayre so albeit wee bee compassed about with ignorance doubtinges Weaknes and manyfolde fraylties of the fleshe yet by a dimme light and sighte of faithe wee may certainely apply vnto vs the mercies of GOD and the merits of Christ as well as if we had a strong and perfect perswasion of our election saluation before the foundations of the world Thus we see howsoeuer the faithfull may be afflicted yet they are not distressed though tempted yet not ouerwhelmed though cast down yet they perish not For this is their victory that hath ouercome this world euen their faith wherby they apprehend Iesus Christ who is offered of GOD the father in the Sacramentes to all the faithfull Againe if Christ be giuen vs how should not the father with him giue vs all things else as the Apostle concludeth If God spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all to death how shal he not with him giue vs al things also when we inioy him we inioy al things if we want him it is nothing though we abound in all things else Wherefore when the father gaue him for vs it is more then if he had giuen to us heauen and earth For hauing right and interest in him we haue possession of al things his righteousnes his sanctification his obedience his innocency and whatsoeuer he hath is made ours He that hath Christ who is the Lord of al cannot doubt but he is made partaker of that which is his He that hath Christ who is heir of all things may assure himselfe to be made fellow heire with him This is it the Apostle saith Let no man reioyce in men for al things are yours whether it be Paule or Apollos or Cephas or the the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come euen all are yours and ye Christs and Christ Gods When a parcel of ground is purchased and made ours thereby the profit and commodity thereof is made ours also so when christ by the free donation of god the father is giuen vnto vs his righteousnes and obedience becommeth wholy ours togither with him He then that hath christ hath all thinges he that hath not christ hath nothing howsoeuer he thinke himselfe to be something Chap. 12. Of the fourth inward part of a Sacrament THe last inwarde part of a Sacrament is the faithfull receiuer desiring apprehending receiuing hungring and thirsting after Christ. There is required a faithfull receiuer if wee woulde receiue Iesus Christ faith must of necessity goe before without this there is no iustification without this there is no saluation as Rom. 14. Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sunne And Heb. 11. Without faith it is vnpossible to please God Iudas executed the function of an Apostle he was partaker of the Passeouer yet he ceased not to remaine an Hypocrite a deuill and the child of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled Neither was he bettered or sanctified by that sacrament or by the vse therof Ananias
and Sapphira his wife being in the number of Disciples wer no doubt baptized of the Apostles and had also receiued ofttimes the Lordes supper yet they continued in their wickednes lyinge and hypocrisie the sacrament did not take away their wickednes nor giue them a iustifying and sauing faithe which purifieth the hart by repentance and woorketh newe obedience in the soule The like we haue said of Simon the sorcerer who albeit he were baptized yet remained in the gall of bitternes and in the bond of iniquity Wherefore the Apostle teacheth that the worde profited not because it was not mingled with faith in those that heard it If the signes be receiued without faith they hurt not that Gods giftes and ordinances hurt of themselues but not being receiued aright they hurt through our sin and default As the worde not receiued by faith is an empty sound without force so the sacrament is an vnprofitable and a naked shew without substance Wherefore the Sacraments in regard of the vnbeleeuers and vngodly are no Sacraments to them because to them they are not seales of the righteousnesse of faith True it is they remaine Sacraments in respect of God who offereth his owne sonne but they lose their strength and force toward the vnfaithfull that do abuse and contemne them as the Apostle expresly teacheth Circumcision verilyts profitable if thou keepe the law but if thou be a transgressor of the law thy circumcision is become vncircumcision the same Apostle speaketh of such as vsed the Lords Supper without true godlinesse and due preparation saith This is not to eate the Lords Supper denying that to be which was not done as it ought to be Wherefore seeing the right vse of the Sacraments is when such as are truely conuerted vse them aright we learne diuerse instructions that flow follow from hence First that the reprobate though God offer the whole Sacrament to them doe receiue the signes alone without the things signified they haue the bare title without the thing the vanishing shadow without the body the outward letter without the spirit the empty box without the oyntment and the creature without the creator They are washed with the element of water but not with the grace of regeneration They eate the bread and drink the wine but they are not partakers of the body and blood of Christ Iesus to saluation They eate the bread of the Lord but they eate not the bread and the Lord because the signe without the right and holy vse thereof is not an auailable Sacrament to the receiuer of it Wee see therefore the wicked partake not CHRIST although they partake the signes of Christ as they that found his clothes but missed his body Secondly we see heereby that the elect ordained to eternall life but not yet called and conuerted to the Lord to the obedience of his will though they come often to the sacraments yet do in like manner receiue the bare signes without the things signified because as yet they want faith and repentance What then Do they nothing differ from the reprobates In this they differ not for the present time from the reprobate Not with standing that receiuing of the Sacrament which for the time present was vnfruitfull and vnprofitable shall after in them haue his good effect as the corne that lieth long couered in the earth at the length doth come vp and florish For the Sacrament receiued before a mans conuersion is afterward to the beleeuer and penitent sinner ratified and so becommeth profitable wherby the vse of the Sacrament which before was vtterly voide and vnlawfull doth then become lawfull and comfortable as we see in the word heard without fruit faith by an vnbeleeuer is made a word of saluation afterward when he is conuerted Lastly the elect already conuerted and sanctified by the spirit of God do to their profit comfort and saluation receiue both the signe and the thing signified together yet so as that for their vnworthy receiuing thereof which hapneth through their manifold infirmities and often relapses into sin they are subiect to temporall punishments for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saued in the day of the Lord Iesus For this cause many are licke and weak among you and many sleeps for if we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged of the Lord. Where the Apostle teacheth that God brought a iudgement vpon his owne house and punished this church with weakenes sicknesse and death it selfe for their vnreuerent vnworthy and disordered receiuing of the Lords Supper Although many among them no doubt were elected and all of them professed the Gospel of the kingdome yet god visited their want of preparation reuerence with diuerse diseases and great mortality according to the threatning annexed to the law If ye will not obey me nor do all these comcaundements if ye shall dispise mine ordinances or your soule abhor my lawes then wil I do this vnto you I wil appoint ouer youfearfulnes a consumption and the burning ague to consume the eies and to make the heart heauy And if ye walke stubbornly against me and will not obey me I wil then bring seauen times moe plagues vpon you according to your sinnes Wherefore when we haue receiued grace to beleeue and haue tasted the first-fruites of the spirit to the comfort of our soules we must not be puffed vp in our knowledge we must not grow secure but stir vp the giftes of God in vs when they begin to wax faint let vs seek to preuent his iudgments before they com which we may do by iudging our selus by making inquiry into our own waies and by searching the reines of our hartes with purpose to condemne all ignorance error security and vngodlinesse and as it were to take punishment of our selues then this would follow thereupon we should not be iudged and punished of the Lord. This then is the remedy to avoid the sin of vnworthy receiuing A man thus visited with sicknes weakenesse and diuerse kinds of diseases and smitten with the stroke of Gods own hand cannot possibly be restored by any creature in heauen or earth yet behold the Lord hath not left vs without meanes to remoue them and take them away to wit by taking away the cause that we may remoue the effects The cause of these punishmentes is taken away by iudging our selues Now a man in iudging of himselfe must performe foure things 1. he must examine himselfe of his sinnes 2. he must confesse them and himselfe to be guilty as the poore prisoner that standeth at the bar No denying of the fact no defending of the fault no hiding of the offence no iustifieng of our person can procure our pardon the way to haue for giuenes is to acknowledge our own wickednes 3. he must condemn himselfe and giue sentence against himself without partiality 4. he must plead pardon for
the pinicle of a temple and ther fast bound in chaines of Iron that he cannot fall although he would when he looketh down feareth and al his ioynts tremble because he is not acquainted and accustomed to mount vp so high in the aire and to behold the earth so farre beneath but when he remembreth himselfe and perceiueth himselfe fast bound and out of all danger then he conceiueth constant hope of continuing and casteth away all feare of falling So when we looke down-ward vpō our selues and our owne waies we haue doubtings wauerings astomshments horrors terrors tremblings and feares but when we looke vpwards to be hold the sweet consolation which god hath promised Christ hath purchased the word hath published the Holy-ghost hath sealed and euery beleeuer hath tasted wee feele our selues sure and cease to doubt any more For faith though assaulted with doub tings may be certain The Sunne alwaies shineth in the firmament though the clouds haue couered it and the light appeare not The tree hath life in it though it be not in winter discerned So faith hath his assurance and perswasion though it bee shaken with doubtings and assaulted with tentations Wherfore so often as we feele these doubtings and imperfections let vs set against them the certainty of gods truth let vs set before vs the vnchangablenes of his promises let vs draw neere to the holy Sacraments and therby seeke strength and increase offaith Moreouer was this one end of the Sacramentes to strengthen faith Then god refuseth and 〈◊〉 none for weakenes of faith For a weak 〈◊〉 his a true faith as well as a strong faith A Leprous hand can hold that which is offered vnto it as wel as a sound and strong hand albe it not so strongly so is it with faith though it be feeble as a grain of mustard seed yet if it be vnfained it wil aply christ effectually which weaknes leaueth God in vs as a meanes to stir vs vp to go to the sacraments We read that Dauid called lame 〈◊〉 to his table therby honoring the son for the fathers sake so doth god receiue vs al deformed and defiled to his heauenly supper And as Mephibosheth professed himselfe vnworthy to eat bread at the kings table saying What is thy seruant that thou shouldst looke on such a dead dog as I am So must we confes our vnworthines and be contented with the crums of his grace that fal from his heauenly table And thus acknowledging our selues to be blind he will restore vs to bee poor he wil inrich vs to be wounded he wil cure vs to be captiues he wil deliuer vs to besick he wil heale vs to be weake he will strengthen vs to be lost he will saue vs to be hungry and thirsty he will resresh vs to be broken-hearted he wil binde vs vp to be sold vnder sinne he wil ransome and 〈◊〉 vs. Thirdly it reacheth vs to abhor the absurdity of Bellarmine a factour and at turney of the church of Rome who denieth that the Sactamentes are seales of the promises or serue to 〈◊〉 and confirme our faith and to assure vs of free remission of sinnes by the death of Christ. Contrary to that we heard before in the example of Abraham who receiued circumcision to seale vp assure his iustification by faith whose example is set forth to shew how all men are 〈◊〉 before God and what is the vse of the Sacraments in all that are partakers of them So doth Baptisme seale vp to vs Gods promises in Christ and assureth the remission of sinnes as Peter teacheth Lastly if the chiefe end of the Sacramentes and of the ordinance of God in the institution of them be to confirme faith and to assure vs of regeneration mortification sanctification iustification remission and saluation then how say so me we cannot be assured in this life of our standing in the estate of grace of the forgiunesse of sinnes and of our adoption in Christ Doth not the holy ghost testifie vnto vs particularly the adoption of children the remission of sinnes and saluation of our soules As Rom. 8. We haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father the spirit beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God In these words gods sanctifieng spirit and our sanctified spirit are made the two witnesses of our adoption This we must certainly beleeue by faith And this made the Apostle most confident in the end of the same Ch. saying I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shal be able to separate us from the loue of God which is Christ Iesus our Lord. If any obiect we may hope well for forgiuenesse of sinnes but we cannot beleeue the same I answer faith and hope cannot be separated they do 〈◊〉 as louing frends accompany each other they are neuer sundered and diuided so that if we may be assured of our saluation by hope it followeth we may be certainely perswaded True hope followeth true faith as the effect doth the cause and no man can truely hope that is not truely assured Besides this is the property of hope it neuer maketh any ashamed they shall not be confounded and disappointed they shall attaine vnto the thing hoped for according to the doctrine of the Apostle Experience bringeth forth hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy-ghost which is giuen vnto us Hitherto of the first end of a Sacrament Chap. 14. Of the second vse of a Sacrament THe second end of a Sacrament is this It serueth to be a seale of the Couenant betweene God and vs that he will be our God and we will be his people as Gen. 17. I am God all susficient walke before me and be vpright The Sacramentes are assured testimonies and confirmations of the fauour and goodwil of god who is wel pleased toward vs in christ his sonne By them as by certaine pledges giuen and receiued God of great mercy doth as it were binde himselfe to vs and we binde our selues to him to remaine his people to walke in obedience before him 〈◊〉 was a seale of gods promise to Abraham a seale of Abrahams faith and obedience toward God But let vs see what this couenant is what are the Articles of agreement betweene God and vs and what things each part interchangably couenanteth and contracteth each toward other The couenant of God in respect of himselse hath 3. parts He promiseth first of all forgiuenesse of our sinnes The deliuerer shall come out of Sion and shal turne away the vngodlinesse from Iacob and this is my couenant to them when I shall take away their sinnes Secondly the adoption of sonnes and
that make Iohn and not God to be the appointer author and ordainer of his baptisme contrary to expresse euidence of holy 〈◊〉 For seeing no man taketh this honor vpon him but he that is called of God as Aaron was shall we thinke hee would vsurp this office without gods word warrant And doth not christ himfelfe propound the question to the 〈◊〉 priests and elders of the people touching Iohns Baptisme and teach that he baptized and preached by the authority and commaundement of God Besides do not the Euangelists say he was sent of god Ioh. 1 6 and that the word of God came to Iohn in the wildernesse and he came into all the coastes about Iordan preaching and baptizing Luk 3 2 3. yea Iohn himselfe testifieth that he was sent to baptize Ioh. 1. 33 I knew him not but he that sent me to baptize with water said vnto me vpon whom thou shalt see that spirit come 〈◊〉 and tarry still vpon him that is he which baptizeth with the Holy-ghost Where by appeareth that Iohns baptisme was 〈◊〉 of God no of Iohn and Iohn was not the author but onely the minister thereof Againe he obiecteth and allegeth Math. 3 11 where Iohn himselfe saith I baptize with water but Christ shall baptize with the Holy-ghost whence he gathereth that Christs baptisme gaue the Holy-ghost Iohns baptisme gaue not the holy ghost therefore their baptismes are not all one I answer these words were spoken to inform the people that he was not that christ Luk. 3 15 16. so that they make a difference not betweene the Baptisme of CHRIST and of Iohn but between the persons of Christ and of Iohn betweene the minister of the Sacrament and the 〈◊〉 thereof For this is true of all the Ministers of Baptisme to the end of the world that baptize in the name of the holy Trinity they poure on the water they can do no more they can go no further Christ must giue the grace of regeneration and sanctification Moreouer another obiection he taketh out of Act. 19 4 5. where Luke speaketh of certaine disciples at Ephesus to whom Paule said Haue ye receiued the Holy-ghost since ye beleeued And they saide vnto him we haue not so much as heard whether there be an holy ghost And he said vnto them vnto what were ye then baptized And they said vnto Iohns Baptisme Then Paule saide Iohn verily baptized with the baptisme of repentance saying vnto the people that they should beleeu in him which shal come after him that is in Christ Iesus And when they heard it they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus So Paule laid his hands on them and the Holy-ghost came on him and they spake the tongues and prophesied and all the men were about twelue In these words it should seeme at the first sight that Paule baptized the Disciples of Ephesus with the baptisme of Christ which had before receiued the baptisme of Iohn If then he baptized them againe in the name of Christ whom Iohn baptized it followeth necessarily that the baptisme of Iohn was one and the baptisme of christ another otherwise it should bee a needelesse and fruitelesse repetition Besides this the place seemeth to fauour rebaptization and is alleaged by dangerous heretikes to that purpose Wherefore the place being difficult the doubts diuers and the errors many that are gathered and sucked from hence let vs assay by the assistance of God to open the true and naturall meaning thereof If we shall weigh and consider the wordes aright according to the true interpretation thereof agreeable to the drift of the place to the circumstances of the text to the propriety of the words to other testimonies of Scriptures to the proportion of faith we shal see they fauour and further neither rebaptization maintained by the Anabaptistes neither reall difference betweenee Iohns baptisme and Christs defended by the Papists True it is ther is in this scripture a double History and narration inserted intermingled and 〈◊〉 the one within the other which causeth some doubt and 〈◊〉 but may easily be clcered and 〈◊〉 For first of all the wordes verse 5 And they which heard it were baptized are not the wordes of Luke the writer but of Paule the speaker continuing his speach of Iohns Disciples and hearers and are not to be vnderstood of the 12 〈◊〉 as appeareth by the two Greeke coniunctions which are vsed by the maiders of that tongue to ioyne and to disioyne hauing relation one to the other and knitting together the parts of the sentence answering fitly each to other as may be seene in many places wherefore Luke speaketh not heere of Paules baptisme but Paule speaketh of Iohns baptisme He setteth downe the office of Iohn verse 3 then he prose cuteth both the partes of it mentioning his preaching verse 4. his baptizing verse 5. Again these 12. abiding at Ephesus dwelling far from the land of Iudea wher Iohn preached and baptized 〈◊〉 liuing about 30. or 40 years after the death of Iohn could not hear his doctrin from his own mouth or receiue baptisme at his hands Now whereas they are said to be baptized to Iohns baptisme the meaning is they embraced professed the same doctrin which Iohn preached by word sealed with his baptisme Thirdly we haue a like example touching the Samaritans baptized by Phillip The holyghost was yet come down vpon none of them but they were onely baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus then laid they their hands on them and they receiued the holy hgost Heer we are to obseiue this order Phillip preached the people beleeued and were baptized afterward the Apostles hands were imposed and so the holy ghost is receiued They gaue the gifts of the holy ghost by laying on of hands without baptisme Act. 8 17 neither do we read that laying on of hands was vsed in baptisme neither were these baptized againe but onely confirmed and strengthened by imposition of the Apostles hands So in this place the twelue Ephesian Disciples had embraced and receiued the doctrine that Iohn preached and were baptized in the name of christ then the apostle layeth his hands vpon them and they receiue the Holy-ghost they are no more rebaptized then wer the disciples at Samaria Fourthly if the 4 5 verses were to be sundred and dismembred contrary to the vse of the Greeke particles which serue to comoyne the whole and to 〈◊〉 the partes of the sentence as though the one were spoken of Paule the other of Luke why doth Luke afterward verse 6 repeate and assume the name of Paule What neede was there to make mentiō of him again Doth not this shew that in the 〈◊〉 speach before he had spoken of Iohn and his hearers that heard him preaching in the wildernes Furthermore the Apostle neither accuseth nor condemneth the baptisme of these Ephesians neither enquireth whether they were baptized or no
inhritances how carefull and circumspect men are to passe them where they ought to be passed and in such courts and vnder such officers as are authorised for such purpose that there may be no error committed in the conueiance For whatsoeuer is done and passed before him that hath not his patent to warrant his practise is held to be void and frustrate by maisters of that profession In like manner it standeth vs all vppon when a matter of an higher nature and of greater importance is in hand then the sealing and assuring of temporall possessions to looke carefully to the diligent performance of this speciall duty that the signing of our infants and sealing them in the couenant be made by the hands of such officers as are appointed by God for that purpose and by no other Thirdly this condemneth the abuse and prophanation of the Sactament of baptisme in the church of Rome where women midwiues and priuate persons without any commaundement of God nay contrary to his word take vpon them this part of the ministers office to baptize children which they haue receiued from the 〈◊〉 Marcion who gaue women power to baptize which Epiphanius teacheth the holy mother of Christ was not permitted to do Such then as vsurp this calling and approue thereof neuer knew the force of our adoption in Christ nor the strength of the couenant nor that the elect are saued by the good pleasure and will of God Therfore there is not that absolute necessity of baptisme to saluation which many suppose that for this supposed necessity the ordinance of God should be broken and prophaned And a man may maruell why at such times they did not rather commit the mater to priuate men to baptize then to woman whose sexe is surther remoued from execution of this office not onely because they be vncalled and priuate men but euen because they' are women and thereby are wholly vncapable though otherwise qualified of any publike charge or function in the church they are commaunded to sit stil and to be quiet Besides if in time of this extreamety and necessity which is imagened it be permitted them to minister baptisme why should it not be suffered in like necessity and danger of death that they minister the Lords Supper and preach the Gospell in case they be able and men vnable or vnwilling the dignity of the one Sacrament being no lesse then the other and the excellency of the word being as great as of them both If then women may iustly be condemned when they shal presume to sit down in the chaire of Moses or to minister the Supper of the Lord they cannot be iustified if they vsurp to minister baptisme For shall we make a shamefull and double diuorcement of those things that God hath coupled betweene the word and sacraments and likewise betweene the one Sacrament and the other This is to great contumely and contempt offered to baptisme to allow it in those that may neither publikely preach nor lawfully minister the Lords Supper seeing their warrant to practise the one is no greater then to do the other Wherefore let all priuate persous and midwiues consider with the mselues the fearefull examples recorded in the Scipture of such as haue rashly presumed to prophane the holy offices of the church and how God hath often visited this great sin with grieuous iudgments sometimes with fire from heauen sometimes the earth opening her mouth sometimes with suddaine death and sometimes with the most filthy disease of the Leprosie whereby as by his voice from heauen he thundered downe vpon mens disobedience and so ratifieth this law of the necessity of a vocation 〈◊〉 calling for euer Corah Dathan and Abiram taking vpon them the priest-hood without a calling fire from heauen came downe consuming Corah and his company the earth also opened and couered Dathan and Abiram that they were swallowed vp aliue none of them died the common visitation of other men but God wroght a strange worke vpon them and altered the course of nature which ought to be a parpetuall instruction and direction vnto vs to teach vs not to peruert or euert that order which God hath established to continue in his church Hitherto belongeth that which is writen of Vzzah who was smitten with suddaine and vnexpected death only for that beyond the bounds of his calling he put forth his hand to hold vp the Arke which did shake and was ready to fal which was lawfull for the Leuites onely to meddle withal although his intent and purpose wer neuer so good so that if the vnlawful intruders vpon baptisme pretend cases of necessity heere seemed as great a necessity yea his mind and meaning was as good as theirs yet it displeased god because it was done without his word and warrant So Azariah was striken with Leprosie that he was a Leaper to the day of his death for that not being content with his kingly office he would take vpon him the priests office to burn incense vnto the Lord. These worthy examples of gods most feuere iudgements executed vpon the breakers of this ordinance ought to strike such a fear into our harts that we suffer not the sacred functions and offices of the church to be prophaned and to teach vs that euery one meddle only with the approued duties of his own calling And although God do not now thus execute iudgement from heauen and work strange things in the earth in extraordinary manner when his ordinances are broken yet the sin is not therby lessened nor the punishmēt mitagated nor the hand of God shortned but stretched out still though iudgement according to desert be deferred my rather the greater wrath is reserued for his aduersaries to the great day of account when al flesh shal appear before the throne of his glorious presence For if the prophaners of the sign 〈◊〉 sacraments of the old testament did not escape but were thus sharpely and seuerely punished our sacraments established by the lord Iesus are not of lesse value 〈◊〉 worthines so that the contempt of thē shal be visited with sorer iudgments And if god did strike with his reuenging hand priuatemen when they sinned in a abusing the sacramentes and spared not kings in the pride of their hearts how should women standing a degree 〈◊〉 off and barred from the office by a stronger bolt enter into the house at a window and not be accounted as theeues and robbers So that we conclude that the necessity of a calling is as great as the necessity of baptisme And thus much of the first outward part of baptisme namely the minister Chap. 4. Of the second outward part of baptisme THe second outward part of baptisme is the word of institution which is as the forme of the Sacrament as Eph. 2 26. Christ loued the church and gaue himselfe for it that he might sanctifie it and clense it by the washing of water through the word
the malicious man as the Apostle teachech 1 Cor. 11 18 20. When ye come together in the church I heare that there are dissentions among you this is not to eate the Lordes Supper Wherefore in that the people communicate of one and the same bread of one and the same wine it signifieth the vnion and agreement betweene all the faithfull in one body where of Christ Icsns is the head who loued vs decrely and spared not his life for vs. Let vs ioyne our selues together in loue according to the exhortation of the Apostle Rom 15 5 6. The God of patience and consolation giue you that ye 〈◊〉 like minded one toward another according to Christ Iesus that yee with one minde and with one mouth may praise God euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ. All beleeuers must bee of one heart and minde the Wolfe and the lambe the Lyon and the calfe must dwell together in the kingdome of Christ for all are one in Christ Iesus For the Apostle hauing taught that the cup which we blesse and the bread which we breake are the communion of the body and blood of christ he addeth We that are many are one bread and one body because we are all partakers of one bread and therefore he saith 1 cor 11. When ye come together to eate tary one for another The second title giuen to this Sacrament is the Lords Supper by which name it is nowe most vsually and commonly called both because it was so instituted by Christ after his last Supper and is celebrated in the remembrance of CHRIST Heereby we learne first who is the author of this Sacrament not Peter not Paule not any of the Apostles not any man not any angell but Christ Iesus God and man and therefore it is not called the Supper of the Apostles or of any man but of CHRIST himselfe as the Apostle speaketh of baptisme Was Paule crucified for you Either were yee baptized into the name of Paule I baptized none into mine oxne name Wherefore this title serueth to teach vs and to put vs in minde of the author of this Sacrament Secondly seeing this sacrament is not a common supper but an holy and heauenly banket fully furnished not to fill the body but to feede the soule we must come with an earnest desire and longing after CHRIST hungring and thirsting after his righteousnesse and merites as after our life to bee made pattakers thereof For neuer did the body more stand in neede of corporall foode then doth the soule of this Bread of life which came downe from heauen which the father hath promited to giue vnto vs Lastly it condemneth our English Rhemistes and other romish readers of Popish diuinity that wholly condemne this name and title as vnproper and vnfit for this sacrament and vnderstande the Apostle to speake of the loue-feastes when he speaketh of the Lords Supper Indeed in the Apostles times they vsed to meete to gither in one common place not onely for the hearing of the worde for the receiuing of the Sacraments and for prayer to God but to keep certaine feasts which of their end or vse were called feasts of charity as Iude speaketh But of these the Apostle speaketh not when he named the Lordes Supper For first let them shew vs the place where euer these Loue-feasts are called the Lords Supper and then they may warrant their exposition by some colour otherwise wee cannot receiue their interpretation being of priuate motion Secondly if this title were ment of Loue-feastes to what purpose should the Apostle bring in the institution of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ and largely handle the doctrin therof Wher as their abuses in their loue-feasts might be reformed and 〈◊〉 without this mention and remembraunce of the supper Thirdly to what end should these solemn feasts and bankets be called the Lordes supper which were not instituted in the honour of Christ but to testifie the mutuall loue of those that were members of the same body hauing God for their mercifull father the church for their tender mother and Christ for their elder brother These might rather be called the supper of men then of the Lorde being feasts of charity not of piety Fourthly the Apostles drift and purpose in this place is to teach that such as norish discention and diuision partake the Lords supper vnworthily and therefore willeth them when they come to communicate with the Lord to shake out of their minds all vncharitable affections as chaffe from good corn that so they may assemble togither with profit and not with hurt Last of al to call this sacrament by the name of the lords supper is vsuall among the ancient fathers of the church grounding themselues from the authority of the scripture and example of the Apostle 〈◊〉 some of their owne Writers call this sacrament and expound the words of saint Paule to the Corinthians If therefore they will rest themselues either in the true interpretation of the scripture or in the exposition of the auncient fathers or in the confession of their owne Writers we cannot doubt but the Apostle meaning the Lords Supper vnderstandeth the sacrament of the bodye and blood of Christ. The next title giuen to this sacrament is the breaking of bread which offereth to our considerations these vses not to be passed ouer First it she weth that the substance of bred remaineth after the words of consecration and is not altered by any strange transubstantiation For when the Apostle saith This is my body which is broken for you properly it cannot be vnderstood of the body of Christ which was not broken but of his crucifying and death by a figuratiue speech taken from the substance of the bread which christ brake to distribute it among his Disciples and to represent effectually his suffering for vs. The accidents of bread cannot be broken as we shal see afterward no more then they can feed and nourish Besides we learne heerby that tropes and figures are vsed in the Sacrament contrary to the opinion and assertion of the church of Rome as wee make plaine by the institution and as we constraine the aduersaries themselues to confesse as when it is said his body was broken where the lyterall sence cannot be retained seeing a bone of him could not be broken Likewise when it is saide the cup is the newe testament the rock was Christ the bread is the communion of the body of christ these and such like cannot be interpreted without a figure Lastly seeing of this one action the whole sacrament hath his denomination as appeareth in many places Act ii 42. and xx 7. and 1 Cor xi xxiiii we must hold that as the Apostles and other Ministers of the church were wont in the administration of the supper to breake the bread so must we follow their example as they also followed the example
christ is a couenaunt wherin god promiseth his loue and 〈◊〉 for euer to come vpon all that beleeue in his son assuring them of remission of sinnes and eternall life requiring of them onely faith in him as Iohn 3. God so loued the worlde that be gaue his onely begotten sonne that such as beleeue in him should not perish but liue for euer Againe if this sacrament sealing vppe the new couenant between God and man haue the name and nature of a wil or testament then it serueth to condemne the church of Rome that adde and alter mingle and mangle this sacrament at their owne pleasure For the Apostle teacheth Gal 3 15 Though it be but a mans couenant yet when it is confirmed no man doth abrogate it or addeth any thing thereto And Heb 9. 14 Hee is the mediatour of the new Testament that through his death they which are called might receiue the promise of eternall inheritaunce for where a testament is there must be the death of the testator for the testament is cōfirmed when men are dead for it is yet of no force as long as he that made it is aliue If then the Testament of man may not be abrogated or altered much lesse the testament of God confirmed by the death of the mediator Notwithstanding such is the sacriledge and presumption of that Antichristian church that the idolatrous 〈◊〉 as a bottomlesse gulfe hath ouerturned and swallowed vp the Lordes Supper turning the Sacrament into a Sacrifice administring it in a strange tongue taking away the cup from the people of God making prayers for the deade bringing in their carnall presence 〈◊〉 a monstrous 〈◊〉 setting vp a new Priest-hood a new sacrifice a newe Altar and lastly feigning vses and ends thereof which CHRIST neuer appointed the Apostles neuer acknowledged the churches succeeding neuer confessed or practised Now Masses are mumbled in memory of the Saintes they are helde auaileable not onely for the liuing but for the deade they are iudged profitable against stormes and tempests they are thought a soueraigne remedy against euery sore and sicknes of the body heathfull and helpefull for such as are going to warre to couer their heades in the day of battell as a shielde of brasse and to preserue them from the sword of the enimy good against 〈◊〉 and sorceries and fit to be applied to make tryal and proof whether a man be guilty of the crime and accusation laide to his charge But what are all these strange vses but strange abuses yea strong fancies and delusions of the man of sin burying in perpetuall forgetfulnes the true endes for the which Christ Iesus ordained his last supper All these being pestilent corruptions of the sacrament of the supper and fraudulent additions to the last wil and testament of christ do lay open to the full the 〈◊〉 abhominations of the Church of Rome the mother of 〈◊〉 Lastly the name of Christs last will and testament giuen to this sacrament serueth for the great comfort of Gods 〈◊〉 For heerin we shal find al things belonging to a ful and perfect testament For Christ Iesus is the testator all faithfull christians are appointed heires the angels are as the ouerseers the Apostles are the witnesses the legacies bequeathed are not lands and possessions or great summes of mony for the sonne of man had not where to lay his heade nor the kingdomes and gouernementes of this world for his kindome is not of this world but the forgiuenes of sinnes and euerlasting life obtained by the body of Christ giuen and his blood shed for vs and our 〈◊〉 Wherefore if God haue so loued vs if christ haue not spared his owne life to giue vs life and saluation how bitter ought our sinnes to be vnto vs and how ought we to striue against them If we will hate enimies heere are enimies for vs to hate if we will 〈◊〉 reuenge against enimies let vs fight against them that seeke our ouerthrowe and the destruction of our soule and body There is no reconciliation and attonment to be made with these enimies if thou kill not them they will kill and condemne thee for euer Hitherto of the names giuen to this Sacrament Chap 2 What the Lords Supper 〈◊〉 AS we haue in the former Chapt. considred the names and titles attributed to this Sacrament so now wee will see what the Lordes supper is For we shall neuer vnderstand the nature thereof except wee be able to define or describe it Therefore the Lords supper is the second sacrament wherein by visible receiuing of bread and wine our spirituall communion with the body and blood of Christ is represented This description is plainly proued by the institution of Christ by the first celebration of it and by other apparent testimonies of holy scripture First I say it is the seconde sacrament because such as haue interest in the Lordes supper must be first partakers of the other Sacrament for Christ and his Apostles ministred it to those that were before 〈◊〉 And howe shoulde they be continually 〈◊〉 and fed at his table who are not knowne to be of his house nor admitted members of his family We must be receiued into his protection and lurisdiction before we sit downe at his table for our refection They then that are in the house must be 〈◊〉 and fostered in the house the seuerall partes of the family haue the priuiledges of the family it is not lawfull to take the childrens bread and giue it vnto strangers Now baptisme is the true bath of our soules to clense our sores and an honourable badge whereby we are dedicated to the seruice of Christ and haue interest in the priuiledges of the church sealed vppe being partakers heereof wee come with comfort to the Lords supper Vnder the Lawe none 〈◊〉 were admitted to the passeouer If astraunger will obserue the 〈◊〉 let him circumcise all the males that belong vnto him If then the vncircumsed had bene admitted the passeouer had bin prophaned Wherfore it is not enough for vs once to be baptized and admitted into the number of the people of God we must also be partakers of Christs supper When as by baptisme we are brought into the church of God we are afterwarde nourished by this heauenly banquet to eternall life Again I say in the former description that by the bred and Wine the bodie and blood of Christ are represented Heerein consisteth the substance of this Sacrament he was 〈◊〉 giuen for vs and his blood was shed for the remission of sinnes least our faith should wander least our hope should wauer Therefore he saith to his Disciples This is my bodie which was giuen for you this is the cup of the new testament which was shedde for you and for many for the remission of sinnes Now that the description of the lords supper is prooued let the vses there of in the next place be declared Heereby
are oftentims in gendred Eucharist and so consume it whether the shewes of bread be the body without the blood and the shews of wine the blood without the body It were infinite to note out all their contentions and contradictions these may suffice to shew how the enimies of God fight one against another and all of them with their own shadwoes And thus much of the late doting deuise of transubstantiation which is the soule and life of their popish religion the deniers or doubters wherof they pursue with fire and sword more eagerly then such as are enemies to the blessed trinity The last generall vse is this if christ deliuered both these signes not onely the bread but the wine also to his disciples then both kinds by the minister are to be deliuered and both kinds by the people are to be receiued not bread alone nor wine alone but bread and wine the bread in token of his body giuen for vs and the wine in token of his blood shed for vs. This is the ordinance of Christ this is a greeable to the scripture Notwithstanding the Church of Rome hath decreed that it is not necessary for the people to cómunicate in both kinds and holdeth them accursed that hold it necessary for the people to receiue the cup cósecraced by the priest Thus it appeareth they labor nothing more then to take from the faithful the sweete comfort of the Lords supper This is a sacrilegious corruption of christs institution deuised by sathan broached by Antichrist published by his adherentes in the corrupt times of most palpable darknesse as may appeare by these reasons Frist if none may drinke of the consecrate wine but the priest then none should eat of the bread but priests so that they must either exclude the people from both which I trust they dare not or admit them to both which as yet they do not For to whom Christ said Take and eate to those gaue he the cup and said Drinke ye Wherefore the signes being both equal all communicants must drinke of the one as wel as eate of the other there being the same warrant for the one that there is for the other and the let that would barre the one will hinder the other so as the thinges which God in his goodnesse hath ioyned together man without sinne cannot separate Secondly when Christ instituted this sacrament he said Drinke ye all of this and by all he vnderstood of the Communicants And the Euangelist Marke addeth They al drank of it to wit all that were present at his last supper who had before eaten of the bread of the Lord. This also appeareth by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. They haue beene all made to drinke into one spirit This commaundement of Christ being generall imposeth a necessity vpon the people when he saith Take ye eate ye drinke ye do ye this These commaundements are perpetuall vnchangable and alwaies in force not arbitrary not temporall not repealed but bind the conscience to the end of the world against which no limitation or dispensation can be alowed being the commaundementes of God not of man Thirdly the cup is a part of Christes will and testament Now touching the nature of a testament or will the saying of the Apostle is knowne If it be but a mans testament when it is confirmed no man doth abrogate it or addeth any thing therto where he sheweth that the dead mans wil may not be changed nothing can be put to nothing taken out without forgery and salsehood This is the law of nature and Nations But the Lordes Supper is a sacrament proper to the new testament as Christ saith this cup is the new testament in my blood which is shed for you This testament the Lord Iesus made the night before he was betrayed he sealed it by shedding his most precious blood he hath giuen Legacies not of earthly and temporall but of heauenly and eternall goods And seeing he hath appointed the cup of this his testament to be deliuered and drunke of all those for whom his blood was shed it is intollerable boldnes and presumption to take away the vse thereof from the greater part of the Church and an infallible token of an vnshamefast and shamelesse harlot to alter her husbands will to defraud and defeat his children of that worthy portion which their father alotted 〈◊〉 and so to keepe backe part of their inhetitance and 〈◊〉 Fourthly the blood of Christ shed vpon the Crosse belongeth not onely to the pastors and teachers but to all the faithfull that come to the table of the Lord as appeareth by the wordes of Christ This is my blood which is shed for you and for many why then should the blood of Christ be denyed or the cup of the Lord be barred from them If then the blood of Christ were shed for the people as well as for the ministers surely the cup belongeth to one as wel as to the other If the people haue the greater who shall keepe them from the lesse If they haue their part in the thing signified who shall deny them of the outward signe For as the fruite and effect of the blood of Christ is common to the people with the pastor so should the cup also which is the communion of his blood shed for the redemptionof the peoples sinnes be diuided indifferently betweene the pastor and the people Fiftly the Apostle deliuered that to the Church which he had receiued from the Lord Iesus Now the Church ought diligently to obserue the written traditions and verities of the Apostles which are committed to posterity to be kept inuiolably But he hath deliuered how the Lord after taking blessing breaking and distributing of the bread likewise tooke the cuppe blessed and distributed it among them so saith the Apostle must the Churches do If then he receiued this from the Lorde to deliuer both kinds to the people let the Church of Rome consider with her selfe from whence she hath receiued the contrarye to withhold one of the kinds from the people for both cannot proceed from one and the same spirit of truth which is neuer contrary to it selfe Sixtly if all the faithfull that come to the Lordes Table must shew forth the Lords death vntill he come and this be done by them as wel by drinking of the cup as by eating of the bread then all the communicants must receiue the sacrament vnder both kinds vntill the second comming of christ But the faithfull must shew forth the lordes death by eating of that bread and drinking of that cup as the Apostle teacheth As often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup ye shew the Lordes death vntill he come Therefore all communicants must partake the sacrament vnder both kinds Seuenthly the Apostle giueth an expresse commaundemēt to 〈◊〉 whole church which al must obey that come worthily to this holy table Let a man examine himselfe
the word ofGod Again were not Christ and his Apostles as wise as they Were they ignorant of this vnion Did they not knowe this accompanying of the body with the blood and blood with the body Is the present church of Rome wiser then he in whom al the treasures of wisedom and knowledge are hid If they thinke so let them tell vs plainly if not let them lay their hands vpon their mouth and submit themselues vnto him who administred it in both kinds and commaunded his Apostles to do the like Moreouer Christ would haue vs in his supper consider his blood separated from his body and set his death before our eies and his precious blood shed out of his side so that deliuering the cup he said Drinke ye all of this for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many without which sheading there is no forgiuenesse of sins as the Apostle teacheth Wherefore seeing these two are contrary one to the other and cannot stand together to wit the blood to be in the body and to be out of the body to be shed sor vs and not to be shed and that the sacrament leadeth vs to the consideration of the death and especially of the piercing and pouring out of the blood of Christ we may conclude that this vnion of the body with the blood and blood with the body flatly crosseth and ouerthroweth the institution of Christ. And why I pray you do their sacrificing priests receiue the blood twice and the body twice drinking first the blood in the body and againe eating the body in the blood Nay doth not this vnion deuised alter the 〈◊〉 of Christ and confound the seuerall parts of it making him to speake otherwise then the euangelistes expresse For when he said This is my body they will haue him meane this is my body and blood Againe when he said this is my blood they will haue him meane this is my blood and my body Last of all this late inuention turneth and ouerturneth the nature of the partes distinguished one from the other while we eate the flesh they make vs drink the blood and while we drinke the blood they imagine we eat the body Thus to eat and to drinke shall be all one with them for wee shal eate liquid and moift thinges and we shall drinke dry and hard things And is not this drinking of flesh and eating of blood and inuerting euerting of the nature of things But thus God striketh his enemies with giddines of spirit For after they haue broken the pure institution of christ and brought in a carnal presence of his body one absurdity being granted a thousand follow infinite abuses haue ensued vpon heapes the flood-gats being set open wherof there is no end or measure Let thē therfore repent themselues of this sacriledge against god and iniury against his people restoring vnto thē the cōmunion vnder both kinds according ro the ordinance of christ and directō of the Apostles And thus much of the general vses arising from both the signs ioyntly considered Now let vs come to the particular vses offered vnto vs in each of the signes And first touching the bread Is bread simply considered the first signe in the lords supper Then it is not necessarily required that it be administred in vnleauened bread For bread is oftentimes named and repeated but the word vnleauened is neuer added Wherfore as it is in selfe indifferent whether the wine be red or white whatsoeuer the kind or colour be if it be wine so is it not greatly materiall whether the bread be leauened or vnleauened so it bee bread Which ouerthroweth the error of the church of Rome her fauorites who hold it neeessary that the bread vsed in the Sacra be vnleauened They pretend the institution of Christ who say they made the Sacra of vnleauened bread instituting it after he had eaten the passeouer which was to be eaten with vnleauened bread according to the law of Moses neither was there any leauen to be found in Israel 7. daies together Thus they charge vs to breake the institution of Christ. But see heere the 〈◊〉 and partiality of these proud spirits who fly to the institution and sticke precisely to circumstances of 〈◊〉 when it serueth any way to their purpose but when the question is of matters of substance not of circumstance as touching communicating vnder both kinds touching the necessity of eating drinking and of many receiuing together against their halfe communions priuate masses and reseruations they cannot abide to be tyed and yoked to the institution Indeed we deny not but christ might vse vnleauened bread at his last supper hauing immediately before eaten the paschal lambe This peraduenture is truely coniectured yet no such thing is expressed in the gospell nor prescribed as a rule necessarily to bee followed The Euangelists teach he tooke bread but make no mētion or distinction what bread he took nor determine what bread we should take no more then limit what wine we shal vse but leaue it at liberty to take leauened bread or vnleuened as occasion of time place persons and other circumstances serue so we take bread as their own prophets haue confessed 〈◊〉 their own coūsels haue concluded Wherfore to consecrate in vnleuened bread is not of the substance of the supper no more then to eat it at night or after supper as christ administred and the apostles first receiued it For if any would bring in a 〈◊〉 of that time as wel as of that bread which christ vsed we see as faire a warrant for the one as for the other nay we haue a more certain direction for the time which is expressed then for the kind of bread which is not defined Besides if Christ on this occasion vsed vnleuened bread it was because it was vsual common and ordinary bread at that time as we also should vse that bread which is vsual and common So the Apostle speaketh of that bread which was daily vsed among the Gentiles saying The bread which we breake he addeth neither leuened nor vnleuened but vnderstandeth that in common and continuall vse Thus then we conclude it is no breach of christs ordinance nor a transgression of the first originall institution of the Lords supper to eate either the one or the other Againe touching the other signe which is the Wine the church of Rome may iustly be charged with transgressing the ordinance of christ who by her sole authority would type vs to mingle water with wine for Great mistery signification especially for that water gushed with blood out of our Lords side So they condemne all those Churches as doing impudently and damnably that do not mixe 〈◊〉 with wine in the sacrament and say it cannot be omitted without 〈◊〉 sinne True it is the Church in former times where the wine prouided for the Lordes Table was of it selfe heady
taught nothing they vnderstand nothing they heare nothing they receiue nothing and a few childish apish foolish and vnseemely gestures excepted they see nothing they tast nothing they partake nothing neither comfort of heart nor memory of Christ nor benefit of his passion But Christ in his last Supper did not eate vp all alone but after the Disciples hadde supped as Mathew setteth it downe he tooke bread and blessed he brake and gaue it to them saying take ye eate ye neither did he drinke alone of the fruite of the vine but taking the cup he gaue thanks and gaue to them all saying Drink ye all of this So then albeit a certain number of communicants are not limited and determined yet Christ in these wordes apoin 〈◊〉 eth a company to be present as apeareth by the number take ye eate ye drinke ye all deuide ye it among your selues doe ye this in my remembrance ye set foorth the Lordes death when yee come together to eat tarrie ye one for another as often as ye shal eat this bread These words cannot be vnderstood of one perticular man but necessarily import a greater number of men nay the Philosopher teacheth that the word all must be verified at the least of the number of three which is the least and lowest number that would be admitted to this supper Neither do we read that so soon as one was gained to the faith that the Apostles administred this Sacrament to him much lesse would they minister to themselues alone when none were conuerted in a nation or cittie Secondly Christ expressely commandeth vs to doe as himselfe did when he left this fare-well token and pledge of his 〈◊〉 to his Disciples saying Do this in remembrance of me But he after the wordes of consecration did not offer a sacrifice to his father vnder shewes of bread and wine but gaue the bread and cup to his Disciples and left his owne example as a direction for vs to followe so that the distribution and deliuerance of the signes is of the substance of the Sacrament as well as the breaking of the bread or pouring out of the wine and it is not lawfull in any sort to change the testament of Christ or to corrupt the meaning of the testator Thirdly the Apostle teacheth how he receiued from the Lorde that which he deliuered to the churches that the people should eate of this bread and drinke of this cup and proueth that the faithfull are made partakers of the Lords table not by gazing or looking on while others eat but by eating not by standing still while others drinke but by drinking as 1 Cor. x. Wee that are l many are one breade and one body because we are all partakers of one bread Fourthly the same Apostle reprooueth the Corinthians which presumed to the Supper of the Lorde besore others and did not tarry for their brethren when they came togither to be partakers of the sacrament as we see 1 Cor 11. Euery man a hen they should eate taketh his owne supper afore this is not to eat the Lords snpper And afterward Wherefore my brethren when ye come together to eate tarry one for another Now because the Corinthians brake this order and ordinance he chargeth them to come vnreuerently to receiue vnworthily to eat and drink iudgment vnto themselues Shall they then that are faithfull christians patiently beare the iniury done them by these sacrificing Masse-mungers who neuer bid the Lordes ghuestes nor call them to his table nor tarry for them till they come to this heauenly banket but like the priests of Bell do eate and drinke vp all themselues Fistly the same Apostle willeth and warneth all persons which come to this communion diligently to proue and examine themselues and then to come to this supper as we see 1 cor 12. Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eat of this bread and drinke of this cup so that he would not haue any excluded from receiuing which haue tryed their harts by examining and are thereby rightly propared to this great worke Lastly the names giuen to this Sacrament noting the nature thereof doe affoord vs a good consideration to strike through the heart of this priuate Masse being called sometimes the supper of the Lord and sometimes a communion among our selues If it be an holy supper and spirituall banket why are none bidden and called thereunto If it be a communion why doth the Priest vncharitably swallow all alone whereby they make it a communion but without company a supper but without ghuests meat but without eating drinke but without drinking a table but without sitting downe a participation but without any that are partakers a banket but without seeding thereat the people departing as hungery and thirsty as they came Wherefore as no man celebrated the Passeouer aright or receiued profit thereby but such as did eat the flesh thereof so can none come to the supper of the Lord as he ought though he looke vpon others except he eate of the bread and drinke of the cup according to the commaundement of Christ the author thereof And thus much of the sole communions and priuate Masses brought into the church against the example of Christ against the vse of the Apostles and against the name and nature of the sacrament it selfe Hitherto we haue pulled downe the Heresies of the Church of Rome and haue raked in the dirt and dungh ill of their deuises the sauour whereof hath annoyed heauen and earth now let us obserue out of this last outward part of the sacrament how we are directed and instructed therby to further our knowledge and obedience Did Christ commaunde the faithfull of his family to eate and drinke that which he deliuereth without laying any furder burthen or bondage vpon them then we must vnderstand it is no precept of Christ to receiue the Lordes supper fasting before any other meats and drinkes True it is the people whose zeale goeth beyond their knowledge make a great scruple of conscience in this point to come fasting which custom we do not condemn but commend so it be without superstition in themselues and iudging of others But howsoeuer many make as great a matter to communicate fasting as to come in faith yet this is no necessary rule or commaundement binding the conscience to the obseruation thereof For the Worde of God and institution of the sacrament are perfect directions to the church teaching all matters of faith and obedience yet they teach no such practise And our blessed sauiour teacheth his disciples what they should do the Euangelists deliuer what they did and among all their doctrine we find not this precept of fasting Againe Christ administred it not fasting the Apostles receiued it not fasting not that we are bounde to celebrate the supper at that time but to shew that Christ would neuer haue chosen to do it after Supper if that time had bin simply vnlawful Besides
the shewes of wine he is not personally locally carnally corporally naturally really substantially and sensually present in the Sacrament The question is not whether the wordes of christ be true for they are knowne confessed and beleeued so that as he is the truth so all his wordes are wordes of truth neither is the question whether the Sacrament bee a bare signe or bare figure we say Christ is truely represented sealed and exhibited neither is the question whether God'bo omnipotent and almighty this is a part of our faith and an Article of christian beleefe neither is the question simplye of the presence of Christ whether he be truely and vndoubtedly present in the Sacrament of his last supper we acknowledge and receiue as much But the whole question is of the meaning and vnderstanding of the words of institution and of the manner of his presence Wee confesse and teach the people committed vnto vs that christs body and blood are truely verilie and indeede giuen vnto vs that we truely eat and drinke them that we are releeued and liue by them that we are made bone of his bone that Christ dwelleth in vs and we in him yet we say not that the substance of bread and wine is abolished or that christs bodie discendeth from heauen or is groslie and corporally present in the sacrament we are taught to lift vp out hearts to heauen where christ sitteth at the right hand of God the father and there to feede vpon him But he ere is the state of the question and controuersie betweene vs. The church of Rome teacheth that after the wordes of consecration the bread and wine are abolished and the body and blood of christ come in place so that they make them corporally 〈◊〉 not onely in the sacrament to bee eaten with the mouth but in the pixe in the Masse and in their solemne processions where is neither eating nor drinking Yet Berengarius in his recantation was taught to saie and forced to subscribe that Christ is in the sacrament sensible or sensually is touched with the singers diuided broken rent with the teeth and not onely the accidents More ouer they make it to be eaten not onely of euill men but of beasts and to fill vp the measure of blasphemy to be cast out into the draught as some of them haue taught and affirmed Thus then the difference standeth betweene vs they hold that christs body and blood are carnally eaten of wicked men without faith of brute Beastes without reason but wee denye that CHRIST is thus present in the Sacrament for his body cannot bee vnder so little a quantity of bread and Wine besides it is impietie to 〈◊〉 that the person of CHRIST or his bodye and bloode can bee truelie receiued of Dogges 〈◊〉 and Mise be chewed with the teeth swallowed downe the throat digested in the stomacke and be cast out into vncleane places This we deny this we doe not beleeue this wee abhorre and detest from the bottom of our hearts What is it then we teach and professe We deny that the body and blood of Christ are carnally contained vnder the shews and shadowes of bread and wine we deny them to be eaten and drunken ofwicked men or vnreasonable creatures we deny that they are truely and properly both in heauen and on the earth in pixes and on the 〈◊〉 These are meate for the mind not for the mouth for faith not for the teeth for our beleefe not for the belly This carnall eating of Christ is confuted and conuinced by many reasons First Christ sate downe at the Table and the Disciples with him afterward he tooke bread gaue thankes brake it gaue it and said This is my body likewise he tooke and gaue the cup and sayd Drinke ye all of this whereby we see when the Apostles receiued the Sacrament Christ sate at the table with his true body but the body which they tooke sate not at the table therefore they tooke the signe of his body Likewise the blood which they receiued was not in the body which sate at the table therefore it vvas not properly Christes blood vvhich was not as yet really and actually shed The same body could not sit at the table not sit at the table the same body could not be in their handes and out of their handes the blood of Christ could not be out of his veines in the cup and in his vines within his body hee could not sit visible at the table and bee inuisible in the mouthes and bellies of the 〈◊〉 Wherefore the reall presence bringeth with it real contradictions which cannot stand together Secondly the end of the Lords supper is to call his death to a continuall remembrance as Luk. 22. Do this in remembrance of me and the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. Ye shew the Lords death vntill he come Now to what end should we neede the remembrance of Christ if he were corporally present in the sacrament if he were taken in the hands if he were holden in the mouth if he were eaten with the 〈◊〉 And to to what purpose should we shevv the Lordes death till he come if he come 〈◊〉 and be present bodily in the sacrament Besides the wisest a nong the Phylosophers teach vs that sence is of thinges present but remembrance is of such thinges as are absent as hope is of such thinges as are to come not seene and this the Apostle teacheth Thirdly Christ receiued a true body withall the naturall properties of an 〈◊〉 body like to vs in all thinges sinne onely exc pted and is therefore called the sonne of 〈◊〉 the sonne of 〈◊〉 the sonne of man our brother partaker of flesh and blood hee is said to haue taken vpon him the seede of Abraham and not the Angels nature to be visible Luk. 24 39 Behold my hands and my feete for it is I my selfe 〈◊〉 me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me haue For if he may be in many places together in some place visible and in some inuisible in some to be handled in others nor to be handled hee can haue no true body of a true man And if this were not a strong reason It is not felt and seene therefore no humaine body the Disciples might haue answered vnto Christ why doest thou bid vs behold thy hands and see thy feete and handle thy body and thereby to try thy humanity seeing thou hast a body which cannot be seene touched or handled Fourthly christ hath left the earth with his bodily presence and is 〈◊〉 vp into he 〈◊〉 farre aboue all principalities and powers and is sit do vne on the right hand of his father as Act. 1. While they beheld he was taken vp And Mar. 16. After the Lord had spoken vnto them he was receiued into heauen and sate at the right hand of God So Act. 3. Whom the heauens must containe vntil
institution of the Supper and therefore coulde not be referred vnto that which as yet was not so that Christ speaketh of spirituall eating not of carnall by faith not by the mouth whereby wee abide in him and he in vs but many eate the Sacrament of his bodie that haue not him abiding in them not themselues in him Againe without this eating of his 〈◊〉 heere spoken of no man can attain eternal life but manie haue eternall life that neuer are partakers of the Lords Supper Besides how absurd is it for those to imagine that Christ naming bread speaketh of the Sacrament of the altar for they would haue no 〈◊〉 of bread to remain but one lie the figure shew and likenesse of bread so that according to the deuise of their new-found doctrine hee might more 〈◊〉 say I am no breude or I am the sher es of bread then as he doth I am the true bread Moreouer it christ promising to giue bread for the redemption of the world had pointed out the Sacrament of his Supper then he shuld haue giuen his flesh for the saluation of mankind not vpon the crosse but in his last Supper Wherefore then serued his death What neede was there to shed his blood on the crosse Furthermore if these words be referd to his Supper then the svpper maie bee celebrated without materiall breade and Wine without giuing of thankes without blessinge without consecration without breaking and distributing of the bread without pouring our and deliuering of the wine and without remembrance of the death of christ For in this place we haue no mention of these things And shal we imagine that the sacrament is spoken off where neither the matter nor forme nor word of institution nor minister nor externall rite is once remembred Lastly to eate the flesh of Christ and to drinke his bloode is nothing else but to come to Christ and to beleeue in Christ as appeareth in the text I am that bread of life he that commeth to me shall not hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst And speaking of faith hee faith No man can come to me except the father which hath sent me draw him This his truth is so cleere and euident that manye of the aduersaries are driuen to confesse it howsoeuer som of thē seeke to cast mistes before the eies of men that they may not espy it among the which are Sanders and Bellarmine And as we haue shewed before how the Schoolemen and Doctors of the church of Rome are together by the eares in sundry controuersies about the supper so are they about the true interpretation of Ioh. 6. some vnderstanding it of the sacramentall eating some of the spirituall eating and some of both Thirdly they obiect the omnipotency of God that he is able to turne the bread into the body and the Wine into his blood he is able to make it really present in heauen and earth and wheresoeuer Masse is said he is able to make a body to be in many places at once and yet not occupy a place I answer when all other reasons faile they flye to gods omnipotency as vnto a sanctuary and place of refuge But this will not proue a reall presence For albeit God be omnipotent and almighty must he therefore do al things yea offer violence to his owne body to maintaine their absurd and hereticall opinions of the reall presence and of transubstantiation Must his power attend vpon their fansies and dreames Cannot he be omnipotent except their positions and assertions be graunted There is no feare of Gods power albeit we withstand their carnall presence For touching the omnipotency of god we must obserue these two rules and conclusions First gods power is neuer to be opposed and set against his expresse wil plainly and certainly known for God is not contrary to himselfe Now then it is not enough to proue that God can turne bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ vnlesse they proue he will turne them into his flesh and blood We our selues can do many things which we do not and which we will not do so we must know it is with God he could haue added winges to man he might haue made many worlds if it had pleased him Christ of the stones could haue raysed vp children vnto Abraham Christ covld haue praied to his father in his afliction to send him more then 12. legions of angels but how then should the scriptures be fulfilled Wherefore we are not to reason of his power vnlesse wee bee assured of his wil reueiled in his word as we see Christ 〈◊〉 against the Saduces saith Ye are deceiued not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God Where we see he ioyneth the scriptures and the power of God together so 〈◊〉 he is truely said to be omnipotent because he can bring to passe whatsoeuer he will neither can the effect of his will be hindered or resisted Now it is the knowne will of God that christ should haue a true body that he might be a true man with his quantity and dimensions The second rule to be remembred is that in God there is no contradiction that whatsoere necessarily implieth a contradiction is an argument not of power but of weakenesse This the scripture decree this the fathers deliuer this their own schoolmen determine For in God is not yea and nay he abideth faithful he cannot deny himselfe he cannot dye hee cannot lie he cannot deny his word he cannot sin he cannot deceiue he cannot be deceiued These and such like 〈◊〉 cannot do which if he should doe he were not omnipotent For this were a token of impotency not of omnipotency of debility not of ability of want and weakenesse not of strength and power For in euery contradiction there is falsehood and a lie which cannot agree to God who is truth it selfe and therfore hee cannot make affirmation and negation truth and falsehood yea and nay to be true together which things are imposible Yea the popish schoolmen confute this popish fansie of the real presence when they teach that God cannot doe any thing wherein a contradiction is implyed and that all other things he can do and therefore is omnipotent Now who seeth not that herein is a manifest and notable contradiction that christs body is made visible and inuisible together finite and infinite circumscribed and vncircumscribed to haue dimension and to want dimension to be compassed in one certaine place and to be in a great number of Sacramentes in many places to be included in a little bread on earth which is contrary to that nature of a mans true body not to be contained therin as 〈◊〉 in heauen and there hauing the naturall properties of a true body which cannot 〈◊〉 brought within so narrow a compasse as the wafer cake Wherfore the absurd conceit of the reall presence cannot be maintained
and pricked with vnfained sorrow for all our iniquities This is the right vse the true end and the sound comfort following and flowing from the death of christ To conclude we must learne and hold for euer that we haue the beg nning and chiefe cause in our selues which did crucifie christ and crush him with most bitter sorrows let vs then be reuenged of our sins and do al despite we can vnto them let vs endite them arraigne them accuse them condemne them and naile them to his crosse let vs kil thē mortifie them and bury them in his graue for euer This is the first end of the supper which is sanctified by the breaking of the bread and pouring out of the wine declaring vnto vs that as the body of our lord was broken and by violent meanes afflicted so his blood gushed out and flowed plentifully out of his gaping and bleeding wounds This must be our meditation whensoeuer we come to the lords table Chap. 13. Of the second vse of the lords supper THe second vse of the lords supper is our spirituall vnion and communion with christ This the Apostle declareth The cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the communion of the blood of christ The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of christ Whereby he meaneth that the faithfull which come conscionably worthily to the lords table are ioyned and vnited to whole Christ by the bread Sacramentally by faith instrumentally by the holy ghost spiritually and by them all most effectually For we take the bread into our hands and likewise we take the cup into our hands as christ commaunded saying Take ye eate ye drinke ye diuide ye Neither do we lay them apart or hide them aside or reserue them in a boxe or abstaiue from them but when we haue taken them we eate we digest them we are nourished by them and they are turned into our substance So christ being eaten of the Godly by faith is vnited to them by his spirit as we haue shewed before whereby they are made one with christ and he one with them And as meate plentifully prepared daintily dressed and only seene vpon the table doth not nourish the body or take away hunger so if the gospell be preached and the sacraments administred except we apply the promises of the gospel and beleeue that christ withal his gifts is ours they prosit nothing towards our saluation Such therefore as lawfully and worthily come to the lords supper as to a table richly furnished and to a banket liberally prouided must not onely generally beleeue that Christ suffered in the flesh and dyed for sinners but particularly for themselus yea communicateth himselfe and al his gifts to them aboundantly as certainly as themselues eate of the bread and drinke of the cup. This vnion and communion is neere and wonderfull great and therefore the apostle fitly calleth it a mistery euen a great mistery speaking of christ and of the church For what vnion can bee greater then that which is betweene the thing nourishing and the thing ' nourished We haue nothing in Adam but that which conueyeth death vnto vs so that is is needefull to be ioyned to one which maie giue life to vs that as we die in Adam so wee may liue in him This vnion cannot by reason be expressed or fully vnderstood As Christ in the daies of his flesh had a dubble kindred one earthly and carnal kindred the other spirituall that by faith receiued his worde and beleeued in his name of whom he said Behold my mother and my Brethren for whosoeuer shall do my fathers will which is in heauen the same is my brother sister and mother so is it in this vnió and felloship with him one is outward and bodily which al mankinde hath with him in that he is partaker of our flesh and blood the other inward and spirituall whereby we are made partakers of him and of al his sauing graces to euerlasting life As Christ was borne of the Virgin Mary and vnited our nature to him taking vpon him not the Angels nature but the seed of Abraham euery reprobate hath this vnion with him in that he tooke vpon him the shape of a man but there is a mysticall and marueilous vnion whereby he dwelleth in vs by faith whereby we are truely coupled to him made partakers of him deliuered from sin and made heires of euerlasting life quickning and sustaining vs as food which preserueth the life of the bodie If the arme ioined to the body haue no life no sence no benefit of vitall spirits it is no part of the bodie though it be vnited to it so the wicked liuing without faith are as it were sencelesse they haue no forgiuenes of sinnes no sanctification no saluation and therefore are no true members of Christ. If he poure not life and grace into them they are not his members if he kill not sinne in them they are not vnited spirituallie vnto him The bodily vnion with him shall profit nothing it is the spirit that giueth life Seeing then the receiuing of the bread and wine which turne into our substaunce teacheth the misticall vnion between Christ and his members we learne first from hence that all the faithfull and godly are truly made partakers of Christ and his graces as the members receiue life from the head and the tree moisture from the root For euen as the wife ioyned to her husband in marriage is thereby made partaker of his body and goods hath interrest with him in the commodities of this life and loketh for norishment food fellowship protection and gouernement from him so being made one with christ we are indued with his he auenly gifts and blessings This must be our comfort in all dangers and tentations in all tryals and assaults to consider that we are one with christ we are not only dear vnto him but nearely ioyned with him as members to the head as the wife to the husband and as the braunches to the vine and therefore can neuer be seperated from him in life or death Secondly this streight vniting of the faithfull to Christ sheweth that the vngodly haue no part nor fellowship in him and with his graces though they be ioyned to a communion of the same nature and haue many common gifts of knowledge and vnderstanding yet Christ neuer dwelleth in them with his sauing graces and with his spirite of sanctification he possesseth not their harts he worketh not in them a particular perswasion of their reconciltation to God neither an hungring desire aboue all things to bee at vnity and peace with him neyther a distaste and dislike of sinne neyther the comfortable spirite of grace and prayer all which are in some measure in all the saithful Wherfore although they may bee cloathed with the flesh of Christ they cannot be said to be couered with the grace of Christ although they be
Christ is giuen vs to be our spirituall norishment to euerlasting life These grounds of religion must be knowne and vnderstood that we may learne how wretched and miserable we are by nature and what remedy god hath ordained for our deliuerance We shall neuer feel the sweetnes of gods mercy vntill we find the greatnes of our owne misery We cannot perceiue how greatly we stand in neede of Christ vntil we knowe our owne woful and wretched estate by reason of sin Such then as are ignorant in these necessary points of christian religion and especially in the doctrin of both the sacraments can neuer come aright vnto them can neuer shew forth the Lords death can neuer discerne his body but blindly run on to the daunger of their owne soules Wherefore it standeth all men vpon to desire the sincere milke of the word that they may grow thereby to seeke after knowledge as for siluer and after vnderstanding as precious stones A loathing stomack neuer wol digesteth the meat that is put into it and he that is ful despiseth the Hony combe What is the reason that they remaine blind in the matters of god and their owne saluation and as bruit Beastes in vnderstanding Surely because they desire not the waies of god they regard not his fear they contemne knowledge as Esau did the blessing and the Israelites did their Manna For no man truely desired the knowledge of god and of godlines vn sainedly but he had the meanes offred vnto him at one time or other Cornelius desiring to be throughly instructed in the way of saluation was directed by the Angel to sende for peter Who should speake words vnto him whereby he and his houshold should be 〈◊〉 Thus Dauid going the way of all fleshe instructeth his sonne Salomon Thou Salomon know thou the God of thy fathers and serue him with a perfect hart and with a willing mind if thou seeke him he will be found of thee but if thou for sake him he wil cast thee off for euer This is it also which the Prophet proclamed 2 chron 15. O Asa and all 〈◊〉 and Beniamin hear ye me the Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seeke him he will be found ofyou but ifye for sake him he will for 〈◊〉 you Likewise the Euangelist teacheth that when Zacheus sought to see I esus he shewed himselfe vnto him he entered into his house and that which is more into his heart and that day saluation was begun in him and 〈◊〉 his family being made the chi'de of Abraham Heerby is fulfild that which the Prophet speketh Psal. 145. The Lord is neere vnto al that cal vpon him euen to all that cal vpon him in truth he wil fulfil the desire of them that fear him he wil also heare their cry and wil saue them Where he teacheth that if we truely desire knowledge we shal effectualy obtain it God wil not be wanting to vs if we be not wanting to our selus When the Eunuch came to Ierusalem and exercised himselfe in the scriptures in reading the prophet for increase of knowledge as he sat in his chariot did not the lorde direct Phillip to goe to him and ioyne himselfe to his chariot by whom he was farther instructed and baptized So shall it bee with al that hunger and thirst after the doctrine of godlines they shall not bee lest destitute but be filled with the knowledge thereof to their endlesse comfort The hand of God is not shortned he is as ready to help vs as euer he was according to the promise of Christ our Sauior Math. 5. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnes for they shal be filled Heereunto tēdeth the general promise deliuerd in the general words of him that is the author of grace Ask and ye snalreceiue seek and ye shal find knock and it shal be opened vnto you for whosoeuer asketh receiueth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shal be opened Heer we haue an excellent comfort and encouragement to consider that our holy indeuours shall not be in vaine in the Lord. Chap. 17. Of faith in Christ the second part of examination HItherto we haue spoken of knowledge which is the first part of this examination Now a man may haue knowledge and yet want faith Wherfore the next point which we are to try and proue is our faith in christ For euery man receiueth so much as he beleeueth he receiueth according as our Sauiour speaketh to the woman of Canaan Math. 15 O woman great is thy faith be it vnto thee as thou desirest And the Apostle saith to the same effect Vnto vs was the Gospell preached as also vnto them but the worde that they heard prositted them not because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it Al those are worthy receiuers that ground themselues on the free fauor of God in christ Iesus beleeue themselues to be deliuered by him from eternall damnation and desire daily to go forward in godlinesse Heereunto commeth the exhortation of Paule 2 Cor 13 Proue your selues whether ye be in the faith examine your selues know ye 〈◊〉 your owne selues how that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be refused This true faith is the mouth of the soule wherby we receiue christ crucified to our saluation Wherefore it is required of vs not onely to haue knowledge and vnderstandding in the mistery of our redemption but likewise a iustifieng faith which is a wonderfull gift of God whereby the elect doe apply Christ and the sauing promises of the Gospell to themselues particularly We must know the purpose and ordinance of God appointing and setting apart Iesus Christ to be the person in whom and by whom he hath decreed and determined the saluation of al the elect Againe we must haue a perswasion of Gods true meaning toward vs in offering saluation through Christ and that all sufficiency and ability is in him to saue vs whereuppon we shall feele a sweet and comfortable resting vpon him in whom God meaneth to saue vs. These are the handes whereby we apply Christ to our selues both by knowinge himselfe for our sins according to the will of God euen our father and by relying on his al-sufficiency to perform that high worke of redemption whereunto he was sealed and ordained This faith is not borne and bred with vs but is wrought in vs by the Holy-ghost who is therefore called the spirit of faith Except he giue it no man can haue it it is natural to vs to presume on the one side and to dispaire on the other side but to beleeue which is seated in the middest is supernaturall To haue a dead faith commeth of our selues but to haue a liuely faith proceedeth from God to whom we ascribe all praise and glory Now the proper office and function of this iustifying faith standeth in apprehending
renewing of the minde a change of the heart a turning of the soule and a reformation of our life and affections As knowledge is the beginning and as it were the forerunner of faith like a messenger going before his maister to prepare for his comming so repentance is an especiall fruit of faith without which whosoeuer draweth neere to the Lordes Table prophaneth the Sacrament and departeth without comfort For it is an altering of our liues and conuersations to God ioyned with a Godly sorrow and detestation of all sinne together with an vnfained loue and desire of righteousnesse This appeareth in the change of the whole man of our thoughtes affections meditations and delightes in al these the old man with his deceitful lusts must be put off and the new man must be put on which after God is created vnto righteousnesse and true holinesse This duty is taught in diuers places of the scripture Herunto come the wordes of the Prophet Esaiah When ye come to appeare before me who required this at your hands to tread in my courtes Bring no mo oblations in vaine 〈◊〉 is an abhomination vnto me I cannot suffer your new Moones nor Sabbaths nor solemne 〈◊〉 it is iniquity nor assemblies And when ye shall stretch out your handes I will hide mine eies from you and though ye make manie praiers I will not heare for your handes are ful of blood Wash you make you cleane take awaie the euil of your workes from before mine 〈◊〉 to do euel learne to do wel c. And Ch. 66. He that killeth a bullock is as if he 〈◊〉 a man he that sacrificeth a sheep is as if he cut off a Dogges necke he that offereth an oblation as if he fered swines fleshe he that burneth incense as if he blessed an idoll yea they haue chosen their owne waies and their soule delighteth 〈◊〉 their abhominations Whereby the prophet meaneth that god accepteth no sacrifices without faith and repentance This also was figured and shaddowed out by washing the garments and changing the attire of such as came with their oblations vnto God and prepared themselues to his seruice This Iacob commaunded when he reformed his houshold and went vp with them to Bethell the house of God Thus Moses prepared the people before the law was deliuered in Mount Sinas And heereunto the prophet Dauid alludeth Psal. 26. I will wash mine handes in innocency O Lord and compasse thine alter as if he should say I will indeauour to liue most vprightly toward thee and toward men and so come and offer sacrifices at thine alter Wherefore such as feele not themselues to haue penytent heartes to be humbled and grieued for their sinnes to sigh and grone vnder the burden of them to tremble at Gods iudgementes cannot come aright to this holy Supper but eate and drinke certaine iudgement to themselues The broken and contrite heart is the path way to heauen and an vnspeakeable companion of repentance This the Apostle teacheth 2 Cor. 7. Godly sorrow causeth repentance vnto saluation not to be repented off but worldly sorrowe causeth death but behold this thing that ye haue beene Godly sory what great care it hath wrought in you yea what cleering of your selues yea what indignation yea what feare yea what desire yea what zeale yea what punishment Heere be the notes and tokens whereby we may try our repentance whether it be sincere or not It hath these signes to discerne it a care to leaue that sinne into which wee are fallen otherwise we haue not repented as Act. 2. they which had crucified the Lord of life and deliuered him into the handes of sinners were pricked in their heartes and sayed to Peter and to the other Apostles Men and bretheren what shall wee doe And Peter sayde vnto them Amend your liues and saue your selues from this froward generation The other signes of repentance are a confession of our sins to God and a condemning our selues for them an holy and inward anger against our selues for our carelesnesse in looking to our owne waies a feare not so much of Gods iudgements as least we fall into the same sins againe and so offend our mercifull father a desire euer after to please God with all our hearts and last of all a renewing and punishing of our owne soules for our offences cōmitted against him Now to the end we may repent aright and sit in iudgement of our selues according to the forme of gods iustice it shal be needful for vs to examine our selues by the ten words of the law and out of the same to frame ten seueral enditements against our selues whereby we shal find a great defect of righteousnes a great spoile of obedience a great accesse of disobedience and a great heape of all kind of corruptions This then may serue and suffice for the true examination of our selus We must consider and confesse that we haue not loued and feared God we haue not beleeued and depended vpon him in al estates as we ought but haue oftentimes feared and loued the creature aboue him we haue preferred a filthy pleasure before him we haue doubted of his promises through vnbeleefe and relyed vpon an arme of flesh and blood Wee haue beene carelesse in the worship of God we haue not prayed to him with stedfast assurance to be heard we haue not serued him in spirit and in truth as he requireth of vs but hypocrisie hath crept into our best actions and meditations we haue more laboured after the outward shewes and appearances of religion then to expresse the power of Godlinesse and haue more esteemed to seeme to others to bee true Christians then to bee such indeede Wee haue not reuerenced the eternall Maiesty of God as is meete to doe who is infinite inuisible vnchangeable we haue not blessed and praysed his name with thankes-giuing for all thinges and at all times as well for aduersity as prosperity Wee haue not heard reade and meditated in his word with such affection reuerence and zeale as is requisite when occasion hath beene offered to speake of the workes of gods prouidence we haue not acknowledged in them the greatnes of his wisedome power and goodnesse as we ought nay rather the glorious and dredful name of god which ought to be more deare vnto vs then our own liues hath beene blasphemed dishonored and abused by vs. Touching the sabboth wee must consider and confesse how we haue prophaned it we haue bene more careful to follow our worldly workes and affaires then to seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnes hauing had more care of the body then of the soule we haue sent out our seruants to dispatch our busines on that day and haue not suffered them to attend on the 〈◊〉 of the Lord for the saluation of their soules and our soules haue neglected the ministery of the word of god haue defiled his sanctuary and haue polluted that holy
faith and renewed repentance because euery new sinne requireth a new act of repentanee and appealing to Christ by faith Then we are aright disposed to the lords table when we are liuely touched with a sence and feeling of our corrupt dispositions and daily failings in our faith and obedience For the repentance of euery faithfull man must be doble first general repenting of original and actuall sinnes generally receiuing power of God to change ourminds wils and affections whereof Ioh. bap t ist saith Repent for the kingdome of heauen is at hand This is giuen and granted vnto vs at that time when firste we receiue to beleeue it maketh an alteration in vs slayth the old man quickneth the life of the new man beginneth in weaknes continueth in greater strength and groweth more and more vnto perfection Secondly speciall for speciall sinnes and continuall failings into which we fall which we must practise to the end of our dayes Now as we said in the former chapter that no man for the feeblenes of his faith is to absent himself from this supper so must we remember touching our repentance thogh it be in great weakenes and frailty yet if it be a sound and sincere hatred of all sinne not a for saking of some sinnes onely as Saul herod and Iudus did keeping other in themselues to their owne confusion our imperfections shal be couered our wants shall be supplied our weaknes shal be remitted by the death of Christ who was annointed and sent to preach the gospell to the poore to heale the broken hearted to publish deliuerance to the captiues recouering of sight to the blind and to set at liberty them that are brused And hepronounceth such blessed as are poor in spirit For theirs is the kingdome of heauen Wherfore if thou feele in thy selfe great defectes of faith of 〈◊〉 of sanctification pray to God earnestly that hee will vouchsafe to increase his giftes let vs confesse with Dauid wee haue find let vs weep with Pet. and the sinful woman let vs acknowledge our vnworthines and say with the Centurion Lord We are not worthy that thou shouldst come vnder our roofe Let vs cry out with the Publican O God be merciful to me a sinner This is the way to make vs worthy this is the means to fit vs to the Lords table this is to be practised of such as will be his ghuests Chap. 19. Of reconciliation to our brethren the last part of Examination HItherto in examination of our selues we hane shewd what wee are to doe in respect of GOD the roote whereof is knowledge the body is faith the fruite is repentance Now to conclude wee are to handle the last part which is loue toward men and reconciliation of our selues to our neighbors for iniuries wronges and offences done vnto them which are as poyson to this banket For in vaine we shall pretend knowledge boast of faith glory of repentance if we faile in duties toward our bretheren For heere is the touchstone and tryall of all the rest euen our obedience to the second table which concerneth the duties of loue toward our bretheren Heerevnto commeth the doctrine of Christ set downe in the Euangelist Math. 5. If thou bring thy gift to the alter and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leaue there thy gift before the altar and goe first be reconciled to thy brother then come and offer thy gift Where he teacheth that he so approproueth this duty that hee will haue his owne immediat seruice cease and giue place for a time till it be performed So in the Sermon which he made to his Apostles before he was betrayed to death he did diligently beate vpon this point saying By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye loue one another This is my 〈◊〉 that ye loue one another as I haue loued you greater loue then this hath no man that a man bestow his life for his frends ye are my friends if ye doe whatsoeuer I commaund you This likewise the Apostle teacheth that we may know him to be the scoller of the same maister Coloss. 3 As the elect of God holie and beloued put on tender mercy kindnesse humblenesse of minde meekenesse long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiuing one another if any man haue a quarell vnto another euen as Christ forgaue you euen so doe ye and aboue all these things put on loue which is the bound of perfectnesse As euery one hath a comfortable experience in his own hart of Gods mercy toward him in the pardon of his sinnes which are many and great so let him shew mercy againe as he hath receiued mercy and deale vnto others kindly as God hath delt gratiously toward him Our sauiour Christ auoucheth this Math. 18. in the parable of the lender that had many debters he called them to take an account of them and forgiueth the debt hauing compassion on him that was not able to pay but when he was departed and had found one of his fellow-seruants which ought him an hundred pence he laid hand on him thratled him and cast him in prison till he should pay the debt Then the Lord called him and said O euil seruant I forgaue thee all that debt because thou prayedst me Oughtest thou not also to haue pittie on thy fellow-seruant euen as I had pittie on thee So his Lord was wroth and deliuered him to the tormenters till he should pay all that was due to him Then followeth the application of the whole So likewise shall mine heauenly father do vnto you except ye forgiue from your harts each one his brother their trespasses Now the Lordes supper was ordained of God for this end that it might be a band of loue and a chaine to vnite and ioyne vs togither among our selues that if it wer possible we should not breake from him as Paule teacheth 1 Cor. 10 We that are manie are one bread and one bodie because we al are partakers of one bread Wherefore this Supper may fitly be called a Sacrament of vnity and a seale of our agreement one with another Behold heere a chaine consisting of many linkes to knit vs together that wee breake not from God and our brethren Do we not al come to the table Do we not all eat of the same bread Do we not al drinke of the same cup Is not the same loafe compact of many cornes Is not the same Wine pressed out of many clusters Do we not all ioyne together in the same receiuing Were we not baptized into the same baptism What a shameful thing is this full of infamy and reproach to see the branches of the same vine the sheepe of the same shepheard the children of the same father the Seruants of the same maister the fellowes of the same houshould the heirs of the same kingdome the ghuests of the same banket the obtainers of the same