parts 1. Of all that Christ did and suffered for all the elect 2. That Christ was chosen of the Father to be redeemer of all the elect Ps 89.19 That the Father did preordain Him 1 Pet. 1.20 Sent Him Ioh. 3.17 Sealed Him Ioh. 6.27 Sanctified Him Ioh. 10.36 And that Christ was freely given of the Father Ioh. 3.16 And was made of the Father unto all the truly faithfull our wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Es 9.6 And that Christ gave Himselfe freely for all the elect Eph. 5.2 So this Sacrament representeth both these unto us 2. That this Sacrament is the seale of the Gospel Rom. 4.11 shewing all that to the eye for it is a visible word which the Gospel presents to the eare Even that Christ is freely given of the Father and fully gives Himselfe in this Sacrament unto all who will take Him by faith as His own words prove Take eat this is my body Drinke this is my bloud Q. How can I take Christ A. Taking of Christ is an act of the will which act by faith takes Christ to be my Prophet to teach me Ioh. 15.15 To be my Priest whose sacrifice of Himselfe can only save me Heb. 7.24,25 And to be my King to apply salvation unto me Act. 4.12 And whose only laws concerning his worship and my salvation I must solemnly sweare to observe Ps 119.106 2. As I must take Christ by faith which wanting Gods best Ordinances profit not Heb. 4.2 So I must take Him to love Him above all things Philip. 3.8 for nothing can please the Lord which is not done in love 1 Cor. 3. passim 3. In taking Christ I must resolve and constantly endeavour to my best possibility to serve Him all the dayes of my life Luk. 1.74,75 Q. What learnest thou hence A. 1. Seeing Christ who is the full food of my soul is given of the Father freely gives himselfe in this Supper I must purge away all my native corruptions Es 1 16,17 and hunger for it Mat. 5.6 before I receive it 2. I admire the hellish obstinacie of Papists and Lutherans who confesse these words This cup c. to be a figurative speech The cup for the wine and yet will not allow so much when the Lord calleth the bread His body 3. Papists perversenesse who give not the wine unto the inferior sort of their receivers Do this in remembrance of me Q. What is here to be markt Q. Two things 1. Why is remembrance again commanded And secondly what is it that we must remember Q. Why is remembrance again urged A. Because of our natures totall corruption Gen. 5.6 Rom. 7.24 forgetting what we should remember and remembring what we should forget Q. How is that proved A. We are commanded to remember 1. The seventh day to keep it all holy Ex. 20.8 2. To remember and not forget how we provoke the Lord to wrath Deut. 9.7 3. To remember now our Creator in the dayes of our youth Eccles 12.1 4. To remember Lots wife for looking backe to sin Luk. 17.32 5. And in this Sacrament to remember Christ which all wee too often forget Againe we too much remember injuries which we are commanded to forget Mat. 6.15 So our memories are like strainers which keep the dregs and suffer the best to passe thorow Q. Are not all those from our memories weaknesse A. No but from our natures perversenesse for the world sin trespasses and vanities are too much remembred even of the faithfull Rom. 7.15 Q. What are we here to remember concerning Christ A. 1. We must remember what Christ hath done and suffered for us And that His blood which is my soulss spirituall drinke and which only can cleanse me from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 is fully and freely given here unto all faithfull receivers 2. We must remember this Sacraments four ends 3. That Christs bloud was shed for mee Mat. 26.28 4. And to imitate the Institution Q. What learnest thou here A. 1. To bewaile my natures perversity and my memories frailty 2. To frequent this Sacrament often that I may still remember what my Lord hath undergone for me V. 26. Yee doe shew the Lords death till hee come Q. What is here propounded A. Another end of this Sacrament Christs death Q. What was Christs death A. It was the last act of His voluntary humiliation in which He suffered the most extreame most horrible paines which were due unto all the elect by reason of their sins Q. Why is his death which is a passion called an act A. Because Christ did dispose himselfe willingly to undergoe it Joh. 10.11.18 Q. Why is Christs death called voluntary A. None could enforce Him unto it for He is omnipotent Esa 96. Rev. 1.8 19.16 His death was of power Col. 2.15 not of infirmity for observance of His Fathers will Mat. 26.39.42 for His love to the elect Ioh. 10.15 for satisfying His Fathers justice by victory 1 Cor. 15.54 and not succumbing by misery Act. 2.24 Q. Did our Saviour indeed suffer such extream torments A. Yes for his sufferings did equall all those eternall torments which the whole elect should have suffered Esa 53. Psal 22. Ioh. 19. Q. Christs sufferings being so short how is that possible A. 1. The eternity of paine the totall absence of Gods favour and such other circumstances accompanying the eternall torments of reprobates are not of the essence but are adjuncts of paine And therefore Christ did not undergoe them 2. Our Lord had sufficiency both of power and dignity to overcome death and all its circumstances Act. 2.24 1 Cor. 15.54.57 3. These limitations duly considered Christs death was the very same both in its kinde for it was accursed Gal. 3.13 and in its measure for he bare all the elects sinnes Esa 53.3,4,5 6. And His death did represent the very death of the damned fully Mat. 27.46 Luk. 22.44 Q. What doth this teach thee A. 1. Seeing that the Father spared not the Sonne of His love who did no sin neither was guil found in His mouth 1 Pet. 2.22 He will not spare me if I continue in any one knowne sin with delight Iam. 2.10 compared with Deut. 27.26 2. That the Lord is of purer eyes then to behold evill and cannot looke on iniquity Habbac 1.13 3. I must communicate often that I may shew alwayes the Lords death and that sinne live not in me Rom. 6.3 compared with v. 6. 4. If in this Sacrament I get Christ by faith then his bloud cleanseth mee from all sin 1 Ioh. 1.7 V. 27. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drinke this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. Q. What is most remarkable in this verse A. Three things especially 1. What that sinne is which maketh unworthy receivers guilty of Christs body and bloud 2. How that unworthinesse maketh them guilty 3. And the ground or cause of that guiltinesse Q. What sinne is
be no good end seeing all the faithfull wanting this change can and doe get Christ by faith as hath been proved before Ioh. 1.12 3.16 c. 5. This change were against all our senses we heare Christ calling it bread Mat. 26.26 Mar. 14.22 Luk. 22.19 The H. Ghost calleth it bread 1 Cor. 10.16.17 1 Cor. 11.23 Now in objects of sense our senses are competent judges according to Christs own argument Luk. ult 39. we see we touch we taste we smell bread 6. This change were against not only S. Scripture Ioh. 16 7.28 17.11 Act. 3.21 Heb. 8.4 But also this change were against naturall yea heavenly reason that Christs humane body should be at one and the selfe same time in heaven and on earth also it would contradict Mat. ult 6. Mark ult 6. and Luk. ult 6. Ob. D. Luther affirmeth that there is no contradiction in this affirmation Christs humane body is at one and the same time not on earth as Joh. 17.11 Christ saith I am no more in the world then it is understood of a sightly moveable and comprehensible manner of being But when it is said that Christs humane body is in the world as in the bread and wine Then it is understood of the unsightly immoveable and incomprehensible manner of beeing A. The H. Ghost taught no such divinity in S. Scripture That Christs humane body hath a manner of being belonging unto it of invisibility immoveability and incomprehensibility Besides its visible moveable and comprehensible manner of being Surely Christ even after His resurrection demonstrates the realty of His humane body by its visibility and palpability Luk ult 39. 7. This change would altogether overthrow the very beeing of this Sacrament for in every Sacrament there must be both a signe and the thing signified that the elect may receive both 8. If such a change be it must either bee naturall or miraculous by nature it cannot be that a little bread should be made Christs body nor is it done by a miracle for all miracles were visible but this we see not yea all our senses witnesse the contrary 9. What Christ once rejected as unnecessary unto salvation He will not afterward admit of it as necessary unto salvation for he cannot lie Tit. 1.2 nor deny himselfe 2 Tim. 2.13 but Christ hath rejected the carnall eating of his flesh which Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation do maintain as unnecessary to salvation Joh. 6 63. He will not then admit it now as necessary Ob. Christ affirmeth that unlesse we eat His flesh and drinke His bloud we have no life i.e. everlasting in us Joh. 6.53 A. 1. To beleeve in Christ and to eat his flesh and drinke his bloud are one and the same Joh. 6.29.35.40.47 compared with 1.51.53,54,55 2. These words litterally taken would contradict Christs affirmation unto Mary Magdalen who never tasted this Supper Luk. 7.48 and his assurance given to the theefe on the crosse Luk. 23.43 who never tasted this Sacrament Q. What learnest thou hence A. That that Sacramentall bread and wine are not changed in their nature even after the Consecration but in their use and end only Which is broken for you Q. Why was Christs body broken for the elect A. For two maine causes 1. That although Christ be the fountaine of life Ps 36.9 Ioh. 6.58 as in Himself Ioh. 10.18 So also unto us Act. 17.25.28 Col. 3.4 And although His flesh be meat indeed and His bloud drink indeed Ioh. 6.55 Yet unlesse His body had been broken for the elect He had neither been our life nor our soules food not our life untill by death he had destroyed him who had the power of death that is the divell Heb. 2.14 Nor could Christ be our soules food untill His body was broken Heb. 9.13,14,15,16 2. Unlesse Christs body had been broken He could not have procured remission of sin unto the elect for without shedding of bloud there is no remission of sin Heb. 9.22 Nor could he have answered Gods truth Gen. 2.17 because that nature that sinned behoved to dye But now His body being broken He is a fountaine opened for sin and for uncleannesse Zach. 13.1 Q. What doth this teach thee A. 1. To know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge Eph. 3.19 that I may love him above all things counting my life and all things but dung in comparison of Christ Philip. 3.8 2. To bewaile my sins confesse them and forsake them Prov. 28.13 because they occasioned the breaking of Christs body Esa 53.5 and crucifie him afresh Heb. 6.6 3. Papists and Lutherans sinfull folly who keep their sacramentall bread whole unbroken in their mouth Ob. But they offer an unbloudy sacrifice as they say A. They are meer deluders of their owne soules for without shedding of bloud there is no remission of sins Heb. 9.22 4. Seeing the Father spared not his own Son but gave him freely for us all Rom. 8.32 And that Christ spared not himselfe but laid downe His life willingly for all the elect Ioh. 10.18 If I can get Christ in this Sacrament by faith I get all whatsoever is good for me Rom. 8 32. Doe this in remembrance of me Q. What doth the Holy Ghost aime at in those words A. 1. This is the first end of this Sacrament in which I am commanded to remember continually all that Christ hath done and suffered for me which all is summarily signified in this Supper of the Lord. 2. That whatsoever was at first done and said in this Sacrament by our Lord and his Apostles must be imitated in discretion ever afterwards Q. What doth this teach thee A. 1. Never to forget my Lords love lest I be turned into hell Ps 9.17 2. In receiving this Sacrament to imitate the institution according to my calling be I Minister or hearer 3. The terrible condition of such who refuse or contemne this Sacrament for they refuse the means of their salvation and remember not Christ V. 25. This cup is the New Testament in my bloud Q. Why did Christ take wine to represent Hâ—… bloud in this Sacrament A. 1. Because wine resembles Chrisâ— bloud both in colour being red and in namâ—… for its called the bloud of the grape Gen. â—… 11 2. As it is not wine untill it be pressed oâ—… of the grape So nor Christs bloud did saâ—… as actually untillit was shed out of His body Mat. 26.28 Heb. 9.14 3. As wine is to be given to the sorrowfull and heavy hearted for comforting them Prov. 31.6 So Christs bloud is the only salve which can comfort a sin-sick soule which is sensible of its sin and misery Act. 2.38,39 1 Joh. 17. 4. As wine maketh mans heart glad Ps 104.15 So doth Christs bloud glad our souls when by faith we are sure that it was shed for us 1 Pet. 1.18,19 Q. What doth the Holy Ghost shew in these words This cup is the New Testament in my bloud A. 1. As the Gospel consists of two main
conversation practice it Mat. 5 16. They must open their hearers eyes convert them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God Act. 26.18 They must first feed their slocks with milk and thereafter with meat 1 Cor. 3.2 1 Pet. 5.1 They must be stewards of the mysteries of God 1 Cor. 4.1 Ministers must watch for their peoples soules and give account for them Heb. ult 17. All the premises prove that faithfull Ministers must examine their people We are commanded to give an answer to every man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us with meeknesse and fear and we must be ready to doe it 1 Pet. 3.17 Who obstinately refuse to be examined by their Minister run hazard of condemnation Seeing light is come into the world and such love darknesse rather then light Iohn 3.19 Such are doers of evill haters of the light and dare not come to the light lest their deeds should be reproved Ioh. 3.20 Such who will not be examined by their Minister are despisers both of Christ and of God Luk. 10.16 Q. What learnest thou hence A. 1. The H. Ghost tyeth this examination and our receiving together I must not then separate them Mark 10.9 2. The greater that the danger is in unworthy receiving we should be the more strict in our examining of our selves and in our being examined by our Minister 3. All Christians occasion being fully offered must receive or be despisers of Christ and of God all then who would bee Christians must both examin themselves and be examined by their Minister lest they despise Christ and God 4. Who will not examin themselves and be examined by their Minister they hide their sin and so shall never prosper Prov. 28.13 5. Who will not examine themselves concerning their sins and wants cannot be helpt by receiving Iudas the traytor Ioh. 13.17 and Simon Magus Act. 8.20 are instances Quest Q. What must I doe when I come to the table to communicate A. We must come with filiall feare setting our faith a worke in meditation of foure things 1. When we see that bread broken and wine powred out we must call to mind That our Saviour was wounded for our transgressions and broken for our iniquities Esa 53.5 2. As that bread and that wine are given unto us So God the Father gave his Son Rom. 8.32 And Christ gives himselfe unto us in this Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.24,25 3. We must beleeve without doubting that as that bread eaten and that wine drunken of us become one substance with us So Christ and all the faithfull receivers are made one Ioh. 17.21 That Christ is our bead Eph. 5.23 That we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones Eph. 5.30 And that we are every one members one of another Rom. 12.5 4. As we take that bread and that wine with our bodily hand So with my soules hand faith we must take Christ Ioh. 6.29.35.40.47 compared with v. 51.54.56.58 Quest Q. What must I doe after I have received A. 1. Render all possible praise unto God for that his inestimable benefit Ps 103.2 1 Thess 5.18 2. If we have sped well and gotten Christ we must be the more thankfull and become new creatures 2 Cor. 5.17 But if we finde not our selves to have sped well we must notwithstanding praise the Lord and not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not Gal. 6.9 Quest Q. Is it not a sure signe of unworthy receiving if we become worse after we have received A. We must distinguish betwixt a reall worsenesse and Satans delusions 1. If we become really worse then aâ—…redly our unworthy receiving made that holy Ordinance ineffectuall unto us as unto Judas and Simon Magus 2. But though passiens stir in us more furiously and temptations assaile us more desperately after we have received then they did before we must not conclude thence that we received unworthily but by the plaine contrary For if by prayer and practice we continue constantly to resist these sinfull motions our constancie in that our resisting proveth that we were worthy receivers for then wee may be sure that because sin in our worthy receiving had a deadly wound and that Satan was dislodged out of his too long kept lodging sin would the more furiously rage and Satan more fiercely assault Quest Q. I swore both afore and in the act of recuving new observance I come far short of performance was I not then an unworthy receiver A. The true sight and reall sense of our imperfections with a zealous endeavour to be perfect is the greatest perfection we can attaine unto in this life for to know our fins to confesse and forsake them is to finde mercy Prov. 28.13 And to endeavour zealously is to be accepted of God through Christ 2 Cor. 8.12 V. 29. For he that eareth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe not discerning the Lords body Q. Wee have heard what unworthy eating and drinking is But what is meant by damnation A. 1. Some Interpreters read it thus They eat and drink judgement to themselves But because the H. Ghost did affirme v. 27. that such were guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord which was proved to be murder it is more consonant to the scope of the H. Ghost to read it damnation 2. Damnation is the consummation of spirituall death or the highest degree of that eternall punishment which the Lord hath adjudged unto reprobates for sinne Revel 19.2.3 Damnation is infinite in respect of losse for reprobates lose God who is that infinite and only good Mat. 19.17 Damnation is eternall in respect of duration for it shall never be ended Mark 9.44.46.48 Hence is the highest height of all extreamest torments upon their soules and bodies having a never dying worme of their accusing conscience within them eternall torments of devouring fire round about them ugly divells to be their only companions And all to continue everlastingly Luke 16.23 Not discerning the Lords body Q. What is that To discerne the Lords body A. 1. To have the Lords body in highest esteem duly considering its excellencies that so with most exact examination preparation consideration and sanctification wee come and receive at the Lords Table 2. That that bread and that wine even after the words of institution remaine bread and wine in substance And although that Christs humane body be in heaven Act. 3.21 Heb. 8.4 Yet in due receiving this sacramentall bread and wine all faithfull receivers get in this Sacrament Christs body and spilt bloud by faith as his owne words Take eat drinke This is my body which is broken for you This is my bloud which was shed for many for remission of sinnes doe prove 3. It is by a full knowledge of our damnable condition by sin and to know what Christ hath done and suffered for us that so we may prepare our selves to be both ready and willing to doe and suffer for his sake Philip. 1.29 Q. What doth this teach thee A. Foure things 1. The deadly and damnable condition of especially perverse ignorants who neither know nor will be taught what infinite good there is in worthy receiving nor what infinite evill is in unworthy receiving They are murderers of Christ v. 27. 2. Their desperate estate who either maliciously despise or carelessely neglect their examination preparation consideration and fanctification and yet dare adventure to receive Those eat and drinke damnation to themselves v. 29. 3. Their dangerous condition who having time and opportunity to examin themselves yet will not communicate Those are despisers of Christ Luk. 10.16 4. And their blessed estate who come well prepared having on their wedding garment Christ for they get the seale of the Covenant Rom. 4.11 They get increase of grace and of all spirituall graces They get Christ who is our life Col. 3.4 Our light Rev. 21.23 And our all Col. 3.11 FINIS Soli Deo gloria in aeternum Amen Imprimatur Ia. Cranford Aug. 28. 1645.