whereby they are receiued is visible and corporall The thing signified by the bread and wine is not receiued by the mouth of the body no the Scripture denieth that plainly but it is receiued by the mouth of the soule Then there are two mouthes that bread and that wine which are the signes are receiued by the mouth of the body Christ vvho is the thing signified is receiued by the mouth of the soule that is by a true faith Then bring not to the Lords Table one mouth onely for if yee bring the mouth of your body onely it auaileth nothing but bring with you also the mouth of your soule a constant perswasion in the death of Christ for that is availeable Novv concerning the manner hovv the signes are receiued and the manner how the thing signified is receiued yee may easily knowe that these corporall naturall signes must be receiued after a corporall and naturall maner they must be taken with the hand or mouth of the body Againe a supernaturall thing must be receiued after a supernaturall manner A spirituall thing must be receiued after a spirituall manner So as the signes are corporall and receiued after a corporall manner with the hand or the mouth of the body In like manner the thing signified is spirituall and receiued after a spirituall manner with the hand and mouth of the soule which is true faith Thus yee haue briefely deliuered vnto you the whole preparation that is necessary for the vnderstanding of this Sacrament Now what doctrine gather I from this Of this last point vvhere I say that Christ is the thing signified and cannot be preceiued but by faith cannot be receiued nor digested but by a faithfull soule what kinde of receiuing confirme I in this Sacrament I establish no kind of receiuing of Christ What kinde of receiuing Christ is established in the Sacrament but a spiritual receiuing he can not be perceiued nor receiued but by faith and faith is spirituall Therefore in this Sacrament I establish onely a spiritual taking of Christ not a carnall or fleshly receiuing This is the ground Novv let vs see what inconuenience can follow vpon this ground Inconueniences cast in by the Papists against the spirituall receiuing of Christ in the Sacrament The Papists say that vpon this ground this inconuenience shall follow If there be no receiuing of Christ but a spirituall receiuing then say they your Sacrament is in vaine this Sacrament of the Lords Supper was instituted to no end And what is their reason If there be no way to receiue Christ say the Papists but by faith what need you then a Sacrament Yee receiue Christ by faith in the word by the naked and simple preaching of the word ye get faith So the simple word may serue the turne What need haue ye of a Sacrament if ye get not some new thing in the Sacrament which yee could not get in the word This is their Argument whereof ye see their conclusion to be this Wee get no other new thing in the Sacrament First inconuenience That the Sacrament is superfluous then we doe in the vvord if there be no receiuing but spirituall Ergo The Sacrament is superfluous VVee admit the Antecedent to bee true vvee get no other thing nor no new thing in the Sacrament but the same thing which we got in the word I would haue thee deuise and imagine vvith thy selfe what new thing thou vvouldest haue let the hart of man deuise imagine and wish he durst neuer haue thought to haue such a thing as the Sonne of GOD hee durst neuer haue presumed to haue pearced the clowdes to haue ascended so high as to haue craued the Sonne of GOD in his flesh to be the foode of his soule Hauing the Sonne of God thou hast him who is the heire of all things who is King of heauen and earth and in him thou hast all things What more then canst thou wish What better thing canst thou wish Hee is equall with the Father one in substance with the Father true GOD true man vvhat more canst thou wish Then I say vvee get no other thing in the Sacrament then wee had in the vvord content thee vvith this But suppose it be so yet the Sacrament is not superfluous But wouldest thou vnderstand what new thing thou obtainest what other thing thou gettest I will tell thee Refutation of the first Inconuenience Suppose thou get that same thing which thou haddest in the vvord yet thou gettest that same thing better What is that better Thou obtainest a greater and surer hold of that same thing in the Sacrament then thou hadst by the hearing of the vvord That same thing which thou possessedst by the hearing of the word thou doost possesse now more largely it hath larger bounds in thy soule by the receiuing of the Sacrament then other-wise it could haue by the hearing of the word onely Then wilt thou aske what new thing wee get I say wee get this new thing we get Christ better then before we get the thing which we had more fully that is with a surer apprehension then we had it before we gette a greater hold of Christ now For by the Sacrament my faith is nourished the boundes of my soule are enlarged and so whereas I had but a little hold of Christ before as it were betweene my finger and my thumbe now I get him in my whole hand and still the more that my faith groweth the better hold I get of Christ Iesus So the Sacrament is very necessary and if it were no more but to get Christ better and to get a faster apprehension of him by the Sacrament then vvee could haue before Now if it were true that the Sacrament is superfluous by the same reason it shold follow also that the repetition of the Sacrament is superfluous For when yee come to the Sacrament the second time ye get no other thing then yee did the first time vvhen ye come vnto the Sacrament the third time yet get no other thing then yee did the first time and yet no man will say that the third and second comming is a superfluous thing And vvhy Because by the second comming my faith is augmented I vnderstand better I growe in knowledge I growe in apprehension I grow in feeling and in getting the growth of all these as oft as I come there is no man will say that the oft comming to the Sacrament is superfluous if it were euerie day once So their first inconuenience auailes not Wee get no new thing in the Sacrament Ergo the Sacrament is superfluous Thus farre for the first Then there depends another thing on the same ground If Christ be not perceiued but by faith then say we no wicked body can perceiue him hee that lacketh faith cannot perceiue him He that lacketh faith may perceiue that Sacrament of that bread and that vvine and may eate of that bread and drinke of
before hee beeing I say lost by this sinne and left in this desperate estate in himself what doth God The euerliuing God only wise whose waies are vnsearchable hath found out a way how that man this way lost yet hee may bee saued heerein hee sought counsell from whom Not from any creature but hee counselled with himselfe The persons of the Trinitie tooke counsell of them selues one God was moued to seeke counsell from himselfe only moued in himselfe for hee had not an externall principall without himselfe to induce him So he seeking this counsaile at himselfe and being moued in himselfe thereto As Ephes 1.9 what doth hee when all men should haue died for euer it pleased him of his infinite mercie to select out of all and to elect a certaine number out of the lost race of Adam that should haue perished for euer In this his counsell and decree moued I say of himselfe and seeking counsell from himselfe only he selects a certaine number out of this rotten race which certaine number hee will haue sanctified hee will haue iustified hee will haue glorified And therefore to bring to passe the worke of their saluation what doth hee hee appointes his owne naturall sonne for hee had but one naturall sonne hee appointes the second person of the Trinitie his owne naturall sonne God in power glory and maiestie as high as himselfe equall with God the father in all things hee appoints him to worke this worke to bring to passe this worke of our redemption and eternall saluation This is but the mysterie of it in some measure disclosed And therefore in the fulnes of time for hee dispenseth all things according to his wisdome at such time as hee appointed hee makes his sonne to come downe to seise himselfe in the wombe of the Virgin to take on our flesh to take on the likenes of sinne hee tooke not on sin but he tooke on the likenes of sinne what call I that likenes our flesh is the likenesse of sinne he tooke on our flesh and nature the likenes of sin which was perfectly sanctified the verie moment of his conception in the verie wombe of the Virgin Hee tooke on this flesh that in this flesh and nature sin might be banished and cast out of vs foreuer And whereas we should all of vs haue gone one way for there was no exception of persons by nature Chr. Ies our sauiour hath elected vs according as his father in his secret election before the beginning of the world had elected vs the same Chr. Iesus in his owne time calleth vs and maketh vs partakers of that saluation which he hath purchased he repaires not only that image which was lost in our forefather Adam he placeth vs not in a terrestriall paradise where Adam was placed at the beginning and what more could haue bin sought by vs but he giues vs a far more excellent image thē we lost he placeth vs in a more high in a more celestial paradise thē we lost For so much the more heauēly is the paridise which he giues vs as the 2d Adam is more excellent then the first and as the son of God God himselfe is farre aboue any creature that euer was man or Angell Therfore it comes to passe that by the benefit of the second Adam Chr. Iesus our Sauior the son of God whereas had we remained in that Image wherin our forefather was first created wee should haue settled our selues in the earth for euer wee could not haue craued a beter paradise then an earthly paradise for earthly Tabernacles By benefit of the sonne of God I say it commeth to pass that we are plucked vp out of the earth to the heauen to a heauenly paradise And what haue wee to doe with heauen Are wee not made of the earth to returne to the earth Becomes not an earthly paradise an earthly bodie yet the Lord in his mercy sendeth downe his sonne to draw vs vp out of the earth to the heauen This is so high a thing that it cannot bee easily considered For this drawing of vs to a heauenly paradise is a thing more then could haue beene thought on That wee should liue the life of Angels in heauen how could the heart of man thinke on this yet it pleased the liuing Lord in the great riches and bowels of his mercie and in the exceeding greatnes of the power of his mercie towards vs The Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians cannot get words enow to expresse this he knowes not how to begin nor how to end when hee speakes of the riches of that mercie And if yee looke well into that Epistle to the Ephesians yee shall finde more high and excellent stiles giuen to the riches of that mercy in that Epistle then in any other part of the Scripture It pleased him I say of his own mercy not to giue vs simply the Image which wee lost nor to leaue vs in this earth but it pleased him to giue vs a better Image and beside that to place vs in heauen there to remaine with him for euer Now resteth his mercie and grace heere No But that this saluation which hee hath alreadie purchased and brought about by his sonne our Sauiour Christ Iesus that it might be wholly accomplished hauing nothing wanting in it As hee redeemed vs in his owne person perfectly So he makes this same redemption to come to our knowledge and make vs sure of it in our consciences and to this end what doeth hee As by his death he purchased our full redemption so hee makes it knowen vnto vs hee intimates it vnto vs by our inward calling letting vs both finde and feele in our hearts what hee did in his bodie for vs. For our Lord when hee makes his seruants to proclaime this redemption and to intimate it to our consciences hee workes this Iewell of faith in our soules which assures vs that the son of God hath died for vs For what could it auaile vs to see our redemption to see our saluation and our life a farre off if a way were not found out a hand and meanes giuen vnto vs whereby wee may apprehend that saluation and applie it to our selues What can it auaile a sicke man to see a drugge in an Apothecaries shoppe except hee may haue it and apply it to his sicke bodie So to the ende that this worke of our redemption and saluation may bee fully and freely accomplished looke how freely hee hath giuen his onely sonne to the death of the crosse for vs as freely hath hee found out this way and meanes and offered vs this hand whereby wee may take hold on Christ and applie him to our soules This meanes to conclude is faith There is not a way nor an instrument in the Scriptures of God whereby we can applie Chr. to our soules but only the instrument of faith therfore fayth cannot be enough cōmended Turn to faith it will make thee
thou doost except it flow from faith it can profit nothing Thus farre briefly concerning the word Now it wil be demaunded What need is there that these Sacraments seales should be annexed to the word wherfore are they annexed seeing we get no more in the Sacrament then we get in the word and wee get as much in the very simple word as we get in the Sacraments Seeing theÌ„ we get no new thing in the SacrameÌ„t but the same thing which we get in the simple word wherefore is the Sacrament appointed to be hung vnto the word It is tru certainly that we get no new thing in the Sacrament nor wee get no other thing in the Sacrament then we get in the word for what more wouldest thou craue then to get the Sonne of God if thou get him well Thy hart cannot wish nor imagine a greater gift then to haue the Sonne of God who is King of heauen and earth therefore I say VVhat new thing wouldest thou haue for if thou get him thou gettest all things with him thy hart cannot imagine a new thing besides him Wherefore then is the Sacrament appointed Answere 1 Not to get thee any new thing I say it is appointed to gette thee that same thing better By the Sacrament we possesse Christ more fully then by the simple vvord then thou haddest it in the vvord The Sacrament is appointed that we may take better hold of Christ then we could in the simple vvord that we may possesse Christ in our harts and mindes more fully and largely then we did before in the simple vvord That Christ might haue a larger space to make residence in our narrow harts then he could haue by the hearing of the simple vvord and to possesse Christ more fully it is a better thing For suppose Christ be one thing in himselfe yet the better hold thou hast of him thou art the surer of his promise The Sacraments are appointed that I might haue him more fully in my soule that I might haue the boundes of it enlarged that he may make the better residence in me This no doubt is the cause wherefore these Seales are annexed to the euidence of the simple word They serue to this end also to seale vp and confirme the truth that is in the word They serue to confirme the truth contained in the vvord for as the office of the Seale hung to the Euidence is not to confirme any other truth then that which is in the Euidence and though ye belieued the Euidence before yet by the seales yee belieue it better euen so the Sacraments assure me of no other truth then is contained vvithin the vvord yet because it is a seale annexed vnto the vvord it perswades me the better of the same for the more the outvvard senses are wakened the more is the inward hart and minde perswaded to belieue Now the Sacrament wakeneth all the outward senses as the eye the hand and all the rest and the outward senses beeing mooued no question the spirit of GOD concurring there-with moues the hart the more The Sacraments are then annexed vnto the vvord to seale vp the truth contained in the word and to confirm it mâ—re and more in thy hart The word then is appointed to worke beliefe and the Sacrament is appointed to confirme you in this beliefe But except yee feele the truth of this inwardly in your harts except yee haue your harts as ready as your mouth thinke not that any thing will auaile you All the seales in the world wil not work except the spirit of God concur and seale the same truth in your harts which the Sacrament seales outwardly Except hee make cleere the sight of thy minde inwardly and worke a feeling in thy hart both word and Sacrament shall lose their fruite and effect which they should haue All the Scriptures are full of this the whole Scriptures of God are but a slaying letter to you except the spirit of God concurre to quicken inwardly Exhortation Therefore your whole indeuour should be to prease to feele Christ inwardly in your harts that finding him in your harts and seeing him in your minds both word and Sacraments may be effectuall If not your soules remaine dead ye are not translated from that death wherin ye were conceiued Therefore all the study of Christians should be when they see the Sacraments and heare the word to labor to finde and feele in their harts and mindes that which they heare and see and this I call to finde Christ quick in your ovvne soules This cannot be except yee sanctifie his lodging for if all the corners of thy soule remaine a dunghill Christ cannot dwell there and therefore except ye studie for continuall growth in sanctification seuer your selues from euery thing that seuers you from Christ it is not possible that hee can liue or dwell in you This is a great lesson and it is not possible to doe this except as I haue said a stronger come in possesse vs and make vs to renounce our selues Then the seales had not been annexed to the word except for our cause for there is no necessity on Gods part that God should either sweare or confirme by seales the thing that hee hath spoken for his word is as good as any oath or seale But the necessity commeth of vs there is such a great weaknesse in vs that vvhen hee hath sworne and set his seales vnto his vvord wee are as neere to belieue as if hee had neuer spoken a vvord So to helpe our beliefe our vveakenesse and inabilitie that is in vs for we are so vnable by nature that we can belieue nothing but that which is of our selues and the more wee leane vnto our selues the further we are from God I say to helpe this wonderfull weakenes whereby we are ready to mistrust God in euery word he hath annexed his Sacraments besides his Sacraments hee sweares the things that concerne most our saluation As in the Priesthood of Christ Psal 110.4 He will not speake onely but he sweares and that for our weakenes and infirmities but yet if he abstract the ministery of his spirit all these meanes will do no good Now the last thing is how the Sacrament is peruerted Faults w th peruert the Sacrament and how we are defrauded of the fruit and effect thereof Two sorts of faults peruert the Sacrament and defraude vs of the profit and vse thereof and these faults are either in the forme or in the person In forme if the essentiall forme be spoyled we gette nothing for when the Sacrament is spoyled of the essentiall forme it is not a Sacrament There is an essentiall forme in Baptisme and an essentiall form in the Lords Supper which if they be taken away ye lose the vse of the Sacrament The essentiall forme of Baptisme is I baptize thee in the Name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost leaue out any of
bloud chiefely is the thing signified in the Sacrament of Baptisme and why because that by his bloud hee washeth away the filth of our soules because that by the vertue of his bloud he quickneth vs in our soules with a heauenly life because that by the power of his bloud hee ingrafteth and incorporateth vs in his owne body For that Sacrament is a testimonie of the remission of our sinnes that is of the cleanenesse of our consciences that our consciences by that bloud are washed inwardly It testifieth also our new birth that wee are begotten spiritually to a heauenly life It testifieth also the ioyning of vs in the body of Christ As it is a testimony so it is a seale it not onely testifieth but sealeth it vp in our harts and maketh vs in our harts to feele the taste of that heauenly life begun in vs that wee are translated from death in the which wee were conceiued and ingrafted in the body of Christ Marke then Christ in his bloud as hee is the washing of our regeneration is the thing signified in Baptisme In this Sacrament of the Lords Supper againe this same Christ is the thing signified in another respect to wit in this respect that his body and bloud serue to nourish my soule to life euerlasting for this Sacrament is no other thing but the image of our spirituall nourishment GOD testifying how our foules are fed nourished to that heauenly life by the image of a corporal nourishmeÌ„t So in diuerse respects the same thing that is Chr. Iesus is signified in Baptisme and is signified in the Lords Supper In this Sacrament the fruits of Christes death whereof I spake the vertue of his sacrifice the vertue of his passion I call not these fruits vertues only the thing signified in the Sacrament of the L Supper but rather I call the thing signified that substance that person out of the which substance this vertue these fruits do flow and proceed I grant and it is most certain that by the lawfull vse participation of the Sacrament thou art partaker of all these fruites yet these fruites are not the first and chiefe thing whereof thou art partaker in this Sacrament but of force thou must get another thing first It is true that no man can be partaker of the substance of Christ but the same soule must be also partaker of the fruites that flowe from his substance yet notwithstanding thou must discerne betwixt the substance and the fruites that flowe from the substance and thou must be partaker of the substance in the first roome then in the next place thou must bee partaker of the fruites that flowe from his substance To make this cleere in Baptisme the fruites of Baptisme are remission of our sinnes mortification the killing of sinne and the sealing vp of our adoption to life euerlasting The substance out of the which these fruite doe flowe is the bloud of Christ Ye must heere of force discerne between the bloud vvhich is the substance and betweene remission of sinnes washing and regeneration which are the fruites that flow from this bloud so in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the fruits of that Sacrament are the growth oâ— faith the increase in holiness The thing signified is the substance that is the body bloud of Christ is the substance out of which this growth in faith and holinesse doth proceed Now see ye not this That you must discerne betweene the substance and the fruites and must place the substance in the first place So that the substance of Christ that is Christ himselfe is the thing signified in this Sacrament For your owne experience will make this plaine vnto you Before your stomack be filled with any foode yee must eate the substance of the food first before you be filled with bread yee must eate the substance of the bread first before your drouth bee quenched with any drinke yee must of necessitie drinke the substance of the drinke first Euen so after this maner before the hunger of your soules be satisfied the thirst thereof quenched yee must eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his bloud first and that by faith So consider the one by the other looke to what vse bread and vvine serue to thy body to the same vse the body and bloud of Christ serue to thy soule and he that appointed the one to serue for thy body the same God appointed the other to serue for thy soule So looke how impossible it is for thee to be fedde with that foode that neuer commeth into thy mouth or to recouer health by those drugges which neuer were applyed it is as impossible for thee to be fed by the body of Christ to get thy health by the bloud of Christ except thou first eate his bodie and drinke his bloud Then yee see that the thing signified in the Lords Supper is not the fruites so much as the body and bloud and Christ Iesus which is the fountaine and substance from which these fruites doe flowe and proceed Then I say suppose Christ The thing signified in both the SacrameÌ„ts is one the signes are not one who is the thing signified remaine alwaies one and the same in both the Sacraments yet the signes whereby this one Christ is signified in the Sacraments are not one nor of an â—quall number For in Baptisme the thing that representeth Christ is Water In the Lords Supper the things that represent Christ are Bread and Wine Water is appointed to represent Christ in Baptisme because it is meetest to represent our vvashing with the bloud of Christ for what is fitter to wash with then water so there is nothing meeter to wash the soule then the bloud of Christ In this Sacrament he hath appointed Bread and Wine why Because there is nothing more meet to nourish the body then bread and vvine so the Lord hath not chosen these signes without a reason As the signes in the Sacrament are not alwaies one so the same in both are not of one number for in Baptisme wee haue but one element in this Sacrament wee haue two elements Now what is the reason of this diuersitie that the Lord in the one Sacrament Why in Baptisme there is but one signe and in the Lords Supper two hath appointed two signes and in the other but one signe I will shew you the reason He hath appointed onely one signe in Baptisme to wit Water because Water is sufficient enough for the whole If Water had not been sufficient to represent the thing signified hee would haue appointed another signe but in respect that water doâ—â— the turne and representeth fully the washing of our soules by the bloud of Christ what need then haue we of any other sign Now in this Sacrament one signe will not suffice but there must be two And vvhy Wine cannot be sufficient alone neyther can Bread be sufficient alone for he that hath Bread onely and
to the soule Now it may be that where two things are truly conioyntlie offred a man may receiue the one and refuse the other Hee receiueth the one because he hath an instrument to take it he refuseth the other because he wanteth an instrument I heare the word because I haue an eare to heare it with I receiue the Sacrament because I haue a mouth to receiue it with but as for the thing which the word and Sacraments represent I may refuse it because I haue not a mouth to take it nor an eye to perceiue it and therefore the fault is not on Gods part but on our part The wicked get the body and bloud of Christ offered to them conioyntly with the word Sacraments but the fault is on their part that they haue not a mouth to receiue him and God is not bound to giue them a mouth Mark this That if it were not of Gods speciall grace and mercie that he giueth mee an eye to perceiue him and a mouth to receiue him I would refuse him as well as they So this Argument holdeth not Christ is offered to all Ergo hee is receiued of all Happy were they if they could receiue him Thus far for the 3. Argument What resteth now for the ful vnderstanding of the Sacrament These things remain That we vnderstand the Sacramentall speeches that are vsed in the Sacrament for we vse to speake of them God vseth to speake of them and the Ancients vse to speake of them Wee vse to say that the soule eateth the body of Christ and drinketh the bloud of Christ How the soule is said to eate the body and drinke the bloud of Christ These speeches wold be opened to you how the soule is said to eate the body drink the bloud of Christ these speeches are Sacramental yet yee are not the wiser but I will make it plaine by Gods grace They are Sacramentall what is that Ye knowe it is proper to the bodie to eate and drink they are the proper actions of the body only Now they are ascribed to the soule by a translation by a figuratiue maner of speaking That which is proper to the body is ascribed to the soule and it is said that the soule eateth drinketh The eating of the soule doth resemble the eating of the bodie then the eating of the soule is no other thing but the applying of Christ to the soule to belieue that he hath shed his bloud for mee that he hath purchased remissiō of sins for me Wherfore then cal you this an eating what call you the eating of the body They body eateth when thou appliest the meat to thy mouth If then the eating of the body be no other thing but the applying of meat to the mouth the eating of the soule is no other thing but the applying of the nourishment to the soule Then yee see what is meant by the eating and drinking of the soule no other thing but the applying of Christ to my soule and the applying of his death passion to my soule and this is onely done by faith therefore he that lacketh faith cannot eate Christ Thus farre for the eating and drinking of the soule vvhich are Sacramentall speeches There remaineth now of all these great things Obseruation and of all this doctrine which hath bin taught but this one lesson That thou learne to apply Christ rightly to thy soule Thou art a great Diuine if thou hast learned this wel for in the right applicatiō of Christ to the sick soule to the wounded conscience and diseased heart heere beginnes the fountaine of all our felicitie the wel-spring of all our ioy And I wil tell you what this application worketh Obserue what the presence of thy soule within thee suppose thou want Christ in thy soule doth to this earthly body to this lump of clay as by the presence of the soule it liueth it mooueth it feeleth as the soule giueth to the body life mouing and senses that same very thing dooth Christ vnto thy soule Hast thou once laid hold of and applyed him to thee As the soule quickens thy body so hee quickens thy soule not with an earthly or temporal life but with the life which hee liueth in heauē he makes thee to liue that same life which the Angels liue in heauen hee maketh thee to moue not with worldly motions but with heauenly spirituall celestiall motions Againe he inspires in thee not outward senses but heauenly senses he worketh in thee a spiritual feeling that in thine own hart conscience thou mayst find the effect of this word So by the coniunction of Christ with my soule I get a thousand times greater benefits then the body doth by the soule for the bodie by the presence of the soule getteth onely an earthly temporall life subiect to continual misery but by the presence of Christ in my soule I see a blessed life I feele a blessed life that same life takes daily more more increase in me Then the ground of all our perfection blessednes standeth in this coniunction suppose thou mightest liue Methushelaes yeeres and wert euer seking yet if in the last houre thou get this coniunction thou maist thinke thy trauel well bestowed thou hast gotten enough for if we haue obtained Christ wee haue gotten all with him Then the applying of Christ to my soule is the foūtaine of all my ioy felicitie Now let vs see how we get this coniunction This is a spirituall coniunction a coniunction hard difficult to be purchased obtained gotten of vs How then is this coniunction brought about which are the means of this cōiunction on Gods part which are the means on our part to get Christ to put Christ in our soules to make Christ one with vs There is one means on Gods part that helpeth vs vnto Christ there is another on our part On Gods part there is the holie spirit which offereth the body bloud of Chr. to vs and on our part there must be a means or else though he offer we will not receiue Therefore of necessity there must be faith in our soules to receiue that which the holy spirit offers to receiue that heauēly food of the body bloud of Chr. which she holy spirit offers Thē faith the holy spirit are the two means of this spiritual heauenly coniunction By these 2. means by faith by the holy spirit I get the body of Chr. the body of Chr. is mine he is giuen to my soule Now heer comes in the question How canst thou say that the body of Christ is giuen or deliuered to thee seeing the body of Christ is sitting at the right hand of God the Father look how great distance is betwixt heauen and earth as great distance is there betwixt the body of Christ and thy body how then say yee that the body of Christ is giuen to you The Papists
yee must bee borne in the bodie of Christ his spirit must quicken you This is called the quickning and liuing spirit of Christ by Iohn And so soone as this spirit cometh what doth it It chaseth away darknesse out of the vnderstanding whereas before I knewe not God now I see him not onely generally that he is a God but that he is my God in Christ what more doth the holy spirit It opneth the heart as well as the minde and what doth it there Those things whereon I bestowed the affection of my heart and imployed the loue of my soule are by the working of the holy spirit made gall to mee he makes then venome to mee and to bee as deadly hated of mee as poyson Hee worketh such an inward disposition in my soule that hee makes mee to turne and flie from those things whereon I imployed my loue before and to imploy it vpon God This is a great perfection Alwayes in some measure he makes mee to loue God better then anie other thing Hee changeth the affections and inclinations of my soule he changeth the faculties and qualities of my soule And though our hearts minde be made new yet the substance of them is not changed but onely the faculties and qualities are changed in respect of the which change wee are called new creatures except you be found newe creatures Conclusion with an exhortation yee are not in Christ Now to come to the poynt This secret Coniunction is brought to passe by faith and by the holy spirit by faith wee lay hold on the bodie and bloud of Christ And though wee bee as farre distant as heauen and earth are the spirit serues vs as a ladder to conioyne vs with Christ As the ladder of Iacob which reached from the ground to the heauen to the selfe same vse serueth the spirit of God to conioyne the bodie of Christ with my soule Then obserue the whole in a word what makes you to haue anie right or title to Christ Nothing but the spirit Nothing but faith What should bee your studie then Seeke by all meanes possible to gett faith That as Peter Acts the 15.9 sayeth your hearts and consciences may be sanctified by faith And if you endeuour not as well to get faith in your hearts as in your mindes your faith auaileth not What auaileth the faith that fleeteth in the fantasie and brings a naked knowledge without the opening of the heart and consent of the will So there must be an opening of thy hart and consent of thy will to doe that thing that God commandeth or else thy faith availeth not Then striue to get faith in your hearts and mindes and doing so yee doe the duties of Christians This is not done without the diligent hearing of the word and diligent receiuing of the Sacrament Then be diligent in these exercises and be diligent in prayer Praying in the holy Ghost that hee would nourish your soules inwardlie with the body and bloud of Christ That hee would increase faith in your hearts and mindes and make it to grow vp more and more daily vntill you come to the full fruition of that blessed immortality Vnto the which the Lord of his mercie bring vs and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whome with the Father and the holy Ghost bee all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE THIRD Sermon vpon the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that hee was betraied tooke bread c. WE haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus in our last exercise what names were giuen to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in the Scriptures as by the Auncientes of the Latine and East Churches wee hearde the chiefe ends wherefore and wherevnto this holy Sacrament was at first instituted wee heard the things that were contained in this Sacrament what they were how they are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued wee heard also some obiections that might bee obiected to the contrarie of this doctrine wee heard them propounded and as God gaue the grace refuted wee heard how the faythfull soule is said to eate Christs bodie and drinke Christs blood Wee heard the manner how Christ is or canne bee receiued of vs And we concluded in this poynt That Christ Iesus the Sauiour of mankinde our Sauiour cannot bee perceiued nor yet receiued but by a spirituall way apprehension Neyther the flesh of Christ nor the bloud of Christ nor Christ himselfe can bee perceiued but by the eye of fayth can bee receiued but by the mouth of faith nor can be layd hold on but by the hand of fayth Now faith is a spiritual thing for fayth is the gift of God poured downe into the heartes and mindes of men and women wrought in the soule of euery one and that by the mightie working and operation of the holy spirit So the onely waie to laie holde on Christ being by faith and faith of it owne nature beeing spiritual it followeth therefore that there is no waie to lay hold on Christ but a spirituall way there is not a hand to fasten on Christ but aspirituall hand there is not a mouth to digest Christ but a spirituall mouth The Scriptures samiliarly by all these tearmes describe the nature and efficacie of faith How we are said to eate the flesh and drinke the blood of Christ Wee are said to eate the flesh of Christ by faith and to drink his bloud by faith in this Sacrament chiefely in doing of two things First in calling to our remembrance the bitter death and passiof Christ the blood that hee shedde vpon the crosse the Supper which he instituted in remembrance of him before he went to the Crosse The commandement which hee gaue Doe this in remembrance of me I say wee eate his flesh and drinke his bloode spiritually First in this poynt in recording and remembring faithfully how hee died for vs how his blood was shedde vpon the crosse This is the first poynt a point that cannot be remembred truly except it be wrought by the mightie power of the holy spirit The second poynt of the spirituall eating standeth in this That I and euerie one of you beleeue firmly that he died for mee in particular That his bloud was shedde on the crosse for a full remission and redemption of me and my sinnes The cheefe and principall poynt of the eating of Christ his flesh and drinking of his blood standeth in beleeuing firmely that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sinnes that that blood of his was shedde for the remission of my sinnes and except euerie soule come neere to himselfe and firmely consent and agree and bee perswaded that Christ died for him that soule can not be saued that soule cannot eate the flesh nor drinke the blood of Christ Then the
eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of Christ standeth in a faithfull memorie in a firme beleefe and in a true applying of the merits of the death and passion of Christ to my owne conscience in particular Ther were sundry things obiected against this kind of receiuing I wil not insist to repeat them But beside all the obiections which ye heard obiected against this kind of spiritual receiuing by faith They say If Christ his flesh nor his blood be not perceiued nor receiued but by the spirit by fayth in the spirit Then say they yee receiue him but by an imagination If hee bee not receiued carnally nor corporally but onely by the spirit and by faith Then is hee not receiued but by way of imagination conceite and fantasie So they account faith an imagination of the minde a fantasie and opinion fleeting in the hearts of men I cannot blame them to think so of faith For as none can iudge of the sweetnesse of honnie but they that haue tasted of it So there is none can discerne nor iudge of the nature of faith but they that haue felt it and rasted in their hearts what it is And if they had tasted and felt in their soules what faith brings with it alas they would not call that spirituall Iewell and onely iewell of the soule an imagination They call it an imagination and the Apostle describing it Heb. 11.1 calleth it a substance and a substantiall ground Marke how well these two agree An Imagination and a substantiall ground They call it an vncertaine opinion fleeting in the braine and fantasie of man Hee callâ—th it an euidence and demonstration in the same definition See how directly contrarie the Apostle and they are in the nature of faith Vpon this they inferre that as it is true in generall hee can not be deliuered nor giuen but that same way that hee is receiued and looke what way any thing is receiued the same way it is giuen and deliuered So as they say hee being receiued by way of Imagination hee is also in their fantasie giuen and deliuered by way of Imagination For if hee bee not giuen say they to thy hand to thy mouth nor to thy stomach corporally hee cannot be giuen but by an imagination and fantasticall opinion The reason that moueth them to thinke that Christ cannot bee theirs nor giuen to them truly in effect and really except he be giuen carnally is this That thing which is so far absent and distant from vs as the heauen is from the earth cannot be said to bee giuen to vs nor to bee ours But by your owne confession say they to vs Christ his bodie is as farre absent from vs as the heauen is from the earth Therefore Christ his bodie nor his flesh cannot be giuen vnto vs except by way of imagination and so not truely nor in effect This argument framed in this sorte would at the first sight seeme to be of some force But let vs examine the proposition of it The proposition is this That thing which is so farre absent from vs as the beauen is from the earth cannot be said to be deliuered to vs to be giuen to vs or any waies to be ours Now whether is this proposition true or false I say this proposition is vntrue and the contrarie most true A thing may be giuen to vs may become ours though the thing in person it selfe be as far distant from vs as the heauen is from the earth And how proue I this What maketh any thing to be ours What maketh any of you esteeme a thing to be giuen vnto you Is it not a Title Is it not a iust right to that thing If yee haue iust right giuen vnto you by him who hath power to giue it and a sure title confirmed to you by him who hath the power though the thing that he giueth vnto you be not deliuered into your handes yet by the right and title which hee granteth to you is not the thing yours There is no doubt of it for it is not the neerenesse of the thing to my bodie and to my hand that maketh the thing mine for it may bee in my hand and yet not belong to mee Neyther is it the distance nor absence of the thing that makes it not to be mine but it may be farre absent from mee and yet be mine because the title is mine because I haue gotten a right to it from him who hath the power to giue it So then this ground is true It is a sure title and a iust right that maketh a thing though it be farre distant from vs to bee ours But so it is that a liuely and trew faith in the blood and death of Christ maketh vs to haue a sure title and a good right to the flesh and blood of Christ and to his merits look what he merited by his death and shedding of his bloud vpon the crosse all that together with himselfe also appertaineth to mee and that by a title and a right which I haue gotten to him of God which is faith And the surer that my title is the more sure am I of the thing that is giuen mee by the Title Now this Sacrament of the Lords Supper was instituted to confirme our title to seal vp our right which wee haue to the bodie and blood to the death and passion of Christ and so the bodie of Christ is said to be giuen to vs The blood of Christ is said to be deliuered to vs when our title which we haue of him of his death of his bodie blood is confirmed in our hearts For this Sacrament was instituted for the grouth and encrease of our faith for the increase of our holinesse and sanctification which fayth the greater that it is in our hearts the more sure are wee that Christ his death appertaineth to vs. I grant as I haue said that the flesh of Christ is not deliuered into my hands his flesh is not put into my mouth nor entreth into my stomacke Yet God forbidde that thou shouldest say Hee is not truly giuen although Christs flesh bee not put into thy hand nor mouth of thy bodie and wherefore should it Hath hee not appointed breade and wine for the nourishment of the bodie and may not that content you Are they not sufficient to nourish you to this earthly and temporall life Hath he not appointed Christ to bee deliuered to the inward mouth of thy soule to be giuen into the hand of thy soule that thy soule may feede on him and be quickned with that life wherewith the Angels liue wherewith the sonne of God and God himselfe liue So the flesh of Christ is not appointed to nourish thy body but to nourish thy soule in the hope yea in the growth of that immortall life and therfore I say though the flesh of Christ bee not deliuered into the hand of thy body yet it is deliuered to that part that it should
nourish the soule is that part that it should nourish therefore to the soule it is deliuered Yea that bread that wine are no more really deliuered to the body to the hand of the body then the flesh of Christ is deliuered to the soule and to the hand and mouth of the soule vvhich is faith therefore craue no more a carnall deliuerie nor thinke not vpon a carnall receiuing Thou must not thinke that eyther GOD giueth the flesh of Christ to the mouth of the bodie or that thou by the mouth of thy bodie receiuest the flesh of Christ For yee must vnderstand this principle in the Scriptures of GOD our soules cannot be ioyned with the flesh of Christ nor the flesh of Christ cannot be ioyned vvith our soules but by a spirituall band Not by a carnall band of bloud and alliance not by the touching of his flesh with our flesh but hee is conioyned with vs by a spirituall band that is by the power and vertue of his holy Spirit And therefore the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 12.13 That by the meanes of his holy spirit all wee who are faithfull men and vvomen are baptized into one body of Christ That is wee are conioyned and fastened with one Christ by the meanes saith he of one spirit not by a carnall band or any grosse coniunction but onely by the band of the holy spirit That same holy spirit that is in him is in euery one of vs in some measure and in respect one spirit is in him and in vs therefore wee are accounted all to be one body and to bee members of one spirituall and mysticall body And in the same verse the Apostle saith Wee are all made to drink into one and the selfe same spirit that is we are made to drink of the bloud of Christ And this bloud is no other thing but the quickning vertue and power that floweth from Christ and from the merits of his death we are made all to drinke of that bloud when wee drinke of the liuely power and vertue that floweth out of that bloud So there is not a band that can couple my soule with the flesh of Christ but onelie a spirituall band and a spirituall vnion And therefore it is that the Apostle 1. Cor. 6.17 saith Hee that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one spirit And Iohn saith That vvhich is borne of the spirit is spirit So it is onely by the participation of the holy spirit that we are conioyned with the flesh and bloud of Christ Iesus That carnall band vvhether it bee the band of bloud vvhich runnes throrough one race or the carnall touching of flesh vvith flesh that carnall band I say vvas neuer esteemed of by Christ In the time that hee was conuersant heere vpon earth hee respected nothing that band for as hee vvitnessed himselfe by his owne vvords hee neuer had that carnall band in any kinde of reuerence or estimation in respect of the spirituall band But as for the spirituall band whereby we are coupled with him by one spirit hee euer esteemed of this band in the time that he was conuersant on earth in his word he hath left the praise and commendations of the same To let you see how lightly he esteemed of the carnall band of bloud and alliance which wee esteeme so much yee may see in the eight of Luke 20.21 for there they comming to him say Master thy Mother and thy Brethren stand vvithout and vvould see thee ye shall heare his answere vnto them how little he esteemed of that carnall band in the 21. verse in a manner denying that band hee saith My Mother and my Brethren are those which heare the vvord of God and doe it As if he would haue said It is not that carnall band that I esteeme it is not that carnall coniunction that I reuerence it is the spirituall coniunction by the participation of the holie Spirit vvhereby wee are mooued to heare the word of God to giue reuerence to it and to obey it This carnall band was neuer profitable as that in the 8. of Luke doth plainly testifie for if the touching of Christes flesh had been profitable the multitude wherof mention is made in that chapter that thrusted and preased him had beene the better by their carnall touching But so it is that there was neuer any of them the better by their carnall touching therfore the carnall touching profiteth nothing Saith not Christ himselfe Iohn 6.63 to drawe them from that sinister confidence they had in his flesh onely My flesh profiteth nothing It is the spirit that quickneth To touch him by the holie Spirit and by faith in thy soule this touching by faith hath euer been profitable and wee haue a plaine example of it in the same chapter Euen so the poore vvoman that had long been diseased vvith a bloudie issue the space of twelue yeeres and had vvasted and consumed the greatest part of her substance in seeking remedie shee found no helpe by the naturall and bodily Physition at the last by vertue of the holie Spirit working faith in her heart shee vnderstands and conceiues that shee is able to recouer the health of her bodie and the health of her soule from Christ Iesus vvho came to saue both body and soule And vpon this perswasion which shee had in her hart that Christ could cure both body and soule shee came vnto him and as the Text saith shee preased thorough the multitude to come to him and when she was come it is not said that she touched his flesh with her hand in case the Papists would ascribe the vertue which came out of him to her carnall touching but it is said that she touched onely the hemme of his garment with her hand and with faith vvhich is the hand of the soule shee touched her Sauiour God and man And to let you vnderstand that shee touched him by saith hee saith to her at the last Goe thy way thy faith hath saued thee Shee touched him not so soon by faith but incontment there came a power out of him which power and vertue shee felt by the effect of it in her soule and our Sauiour felt it vvhen it went from him The effect vvhereby shee felt it was the health of her soule and the effect wherby he felt it was the going from him And so soone as hee felt it goe from him he saith Who is it that hath touched mee Peter who was euer most suddaine answereth and saith Thou art thronged and thrusted by the multitude and yet thou askest Who hath touched thee Our Sauiour answers againe It is not that touching that I speake of it is another kinde of touching There is one hath touched me who hath drawn a vertue and power out of mee the multitude takes no vertue from me The poore woman thinking she had done amisse and perceiuing that she could not be hid came trembling and said I haue done it Hee answered her at the last
vvhether so-euer the soule goeth to the same place shall the conscience repaire and looke in vvhat estate thy conscience is when thou departest out of this life in the selfe same estate shall it meet thee in the great Day So that if thy conscience was a tormentor to thee at the time of thy death if thou gette it not then pacified it shall be also a tormentor to thee in that generall Iudgement Therefore this matter vvould bee vvell vveighed and euerie one of you should studie to haue a good conscience that vvhen the soule is seuered from the body leauing your conscience at rest and peace with God it may be restored vnto you meet you againe with as great peace and quietnes Thus farre concerning conscience what it is I beseech the liuing Lord so to sanctifie your memories that ye may keep these things and that euery one of these things may be so imprinted in your harts that ye may be mindful of them all your liues The second thing that we are to speake of is this We are to consider wherfore we should try our consciences for what causes we should examine our own soules and cōsciences I wil declare the reasons briefly It behooueth euery one of you to try your conscience Why Because the Lord will make his residence in no other part of the soule but in the conscience Hee hath appointed his dwelling to be in the hart of man and in the will and conscience of man and therefore it becomes you to make his dwelling place cleane to take heeed vnto your harts Next though the Lord of heauen made not his residence there yet in respect the eye of GOD is an all-seeing eye and able to pearce throgh the very thicknesse of mans flesh how darke and grosse soeuer it be and to enter into the very secret corners of thy conscience for vnto the all-seeing eye of GOD the most secret corner of the conscience is as cleare and manifest as any outward or bodily thing in the earth can be to the outward eye of the body In respect therefore that this eye is so pearcing and that hee casts his eye onely vpon our harts it behooueth vs to try our harts Thirdly hee is the Lord of the conscience There is no Monarch on earth that hath any soueraigntie or lordshippe ouer the conscience onely the GOD of heauen onely Christ Iesus King of heauen and earth is Lord of the conscience hee hath power onely to saue and lose Therefore vvhen thou commest to this Sacrament of the Lords Table thou oughtest carefully to looke vnto thy conscience to try and examine the state of it Last of all vvhich is a chiefe reason It behooueth thee to prooue thy conscience because the welfare and health of thy soule dependeth vpon thy conscience If thy conscience that is within thy soule be well if it be at peace and rest thy soule is vvell if thy conscience be in a good estate thy soule must needs be in a good estate if thy conscience bee in good health of necessity thy soule must be in good health for the good health happinesse of the soule dependes vpon a good conscience therefore it concerneth euery one of you to try well your consciences There vvas neuer any lavv made or deuised that forbade vs to haue a care of our healths it is lawfull for vs to seeke such things as may procure and preserue it but the health of thy soule standeth in the health of thy conscience and in preseruing thereof therefore by all lawes thou oughtest to attend thy conscience If thou keepe thy conscience wel thy soule is in health and if thy soule be in health let troubles come what will vpon thy bodie thou wilt indure them all but if thy soule be diseased with an euill conscience thou shalt not be able to beare out the least trouble that shall come vnto thy bodie vvhereas if the conscience were at rest and in good health that trouble could not happen vnto thy bodie but the strength of a good conscience vvould beare it out Then haue yee not reason and more then reason to take heed to your consciences to try and examine your consciences in vvhat estate and disposition they stand Now Certaine lessons to be learned by which a man may preserue health in his soule cōscience because it is a fruitlesse thing to tell you that health is necessarie and not to shew the vvay how this health may be obtayned and preserued therfore to keep your consciences in quiet good health I will giue you these few lessons First of all bee sure that yee retaine stedfast a perswasion of the mercie of GOD in Christ Iesus examine vvhen thou lyest downe and examine when thou risest vp in what estate thou art with God whether thou maist looke for mercy at his hands or not Art thou perswaded of mercy Assure thy selfe thy conscience is in a good estate thou hast health in thy soule for by the keeping of faith the conscience is preserued as saith the Apostle 1. Tim. 1.19 Keepe this perswasion preserue it vvhole and sound hurt it not bring not thy soule into doubting stay not nor hinder thy perswasion if thou desire to keep health in thy soule for if thou doubt or any way diminish thy perswasion and assurance assuredlie thy assurance cannot so soon be hindered nor diminished but at that very instant shall follow the diminishing of the health of thy soule yea it cannot be but in that very article of time shall follow the hurt of thy conscience for faith will not dwell but in a whole conscience Therefore at what time thou doost any thing against thy conscience at that very time thou losest a degree of thy perswasion of the mercy of God and vntill such time as thou fall downe at the feet of Christ and obtaine mercie for that wicked deed purchase peace at his hands and repaire thy persvvasion thou shalt euer doubt of mercie and vvant health in thy conscience Then this is the first lesson to keepe health in your soules To be perswaded of mercie The second lesson to keepe a good conscience or to keepe health in thy soule is this Yee must flie eschew and forbeare vvhatsoeuer may trouble the health of your soule whatsoeuer may trouble the quietnesse peaceable estate of your conscience cast it out forbeare it and eschew it This generall is good But let vs see vvhat it is that troubles the quiet estate of the conscience Onely sinne nothing but an euill nature Therefore vvee must of necessitie to keepe health in our soules forbeare and eschew sinne we must flie and auoyde sin It is not possible that ye can both keepe a good conscience and serue the affections of your hart therefore to keepe peace health in thy soule thou must take leaue of thy lusts thou must renounce the lusts and affections of thy hart and thou must not doe as thou wast wont
peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ saith the Apostle Rom. 5.1 Now then this point commeth in That yee are to proue your selues whether ye be in the faith or not as the Apostle saith 2. Cor. 13.5 Proue your selues vvhether ye are in the faith Examine if your soules be seasoned with this faith for if ye haue not faith in Christ Christ is not in you and if Christ be not in you yee are in an euill state ye are in the estate of the reprobate and damned So euery one ought to looke carefully and see if he haue a beliefe in the bloud of Christ or not whether hee belieue to obtaine mercy by his merits and sanctification by his bloud or not For if thou haue no measure of this faith thou hast no measure of peace with GOD by reason our peace with God is ingendered and groweth dailie more and more by true faith in Christ Novv this faith vvhere it is true where it is liuely and couples the heart vvith GOD as I haue alreadie said it must breake foorth in voord and deede it can by no meanes bee held in but it vvill break forth It must breake out in word in glorifying the God of heauen who hath forgiuen vs our sinnes it must break forth in word by giuing a notable confession of those sinnes wherein vvee haue offended him It must breake out in deed in doing good works to testifie to the world that thing which is within thy hart to testifie to the world that thou who hast this faith art a new man that by thy good example of life and conuersation thou maist edify thy brethren the simple ones of the Church of God and that by thy holie life thou maist drawe sinners to repentance that they seeing thy good light may bee compelled to glorifie GOD in thee Then in the first poynt of triall let vs looke to these three to the hart to the mouth to the hand Take heed that there be a harmonie betwixt these three for if the hart be inwardly coupled with God there is no doubt but the mouth vvill outvvardlie glorifie him and if thy hart and mouth bee renevved and bee one of necessitie thou wilt expresse it in thy conuersation There must bee an agreement betwixt the heart and the hand thy conuersation must bee changed with the heart and be holy honest and godly as the heart is So that if thy conuersation be good it is a sure token that thou art at one with God but if thy conuersatiō bee not good speake what thou wilt thy heart is but defiled this true and liuelie faith hath no place in it Then wouldest thou know when thou art at one with God When thy conuersation thy heart and thy mouth say all one thing then without question thou hast the worke of fayth wrought by the holy spirit in thy heart which maketh thee to bee at peace with God This is the first poynt wherein yee should trie your selues The next point is loue yee must trie whether ye be in loue and charitie with your neighbours or not for as thou art not coupled with God but by the hand of faith so thou art not coupled with thy neighbour nor ioyned with any member of Christ in this world but by the hand of loue amitie and charitie Take away loue thou art not a member of this bodie for loue is the maister sinnowe and couples all these members of Christs bodie together and makes them to growe vp in a spiritual and mysticall vnitie loue is the onely marke whereby the children of Christ and members of Christs bodie are knowen from the rest of the world loue is that holy oyle that refresheth our soules makes vs like vnto God and the more we growe in loue the more God by his spirit dwelleth in vs for God is loue So that except in some measure loue towards thy neighbour dwel in thy heart thou canst haue no societie with thy neighbour and far lesse with God If the manners of men were examined by this rule wee should finde a multitude of godlesse people in this countrie who haue their hearts raging with malice one against another and where the diuell and the malicious spirite dwell there is no place for the holy spirit And although the Lord hath gone about by all meanes possible early and late to instruct them and to infuse into them this pretious loue and amitie towards God their neighbour and so to alter their conditions Yet they will not suffer themselues to be wakened vntil the great vengeance and malediction of God fal vpon them This loue this honest and godly conuersation floweth alwaies from the roote of fayth So that if thy heart haue faith in any measure be it neuer so little in that same measure thou must haue loue towards thy neighbour this loue is neuer idle but is vttering it selfe in one effect or other And in respect that faith is the ground whereupon all the rest dependes and in respect that this fayth is such a Iewell as without the which it is not possible for any of you to please God without which all your deedes are abhomination before him without the which you are in the greatest miserie w th miserie is so much the more terrible in that you are ignorant of it Is it not good reason that ye know and vnderstand how this faith is first wroght thē nourisht in your souls by the holy spirit that seeing how it is created the māner how it is brought about ye may examine your cōsciences see whether ye be in the faith or not My purpose was to haue insisted longer on this matter then this time will suffer Now therefore as time wil permit and GOD shall giue grace I will let you vnderstand how the H. spirit imployes his trauaile in the heart minde of man what paines the holy Ghost taketh in creating and forming this Iewell of fayth in your soules Yet before I enter this work to let you see the trauailes of the spirit of God in working of this fayth in your hearts It is necessarie and more then necessarie that yee vnderstand first your owne miserie and infirmitie and that yee knowe how the Lord was induced to recouer you out of your old estate and to recreate you who were lost by the fall of your father Adam Then to consider of this matter more deepely I offer to your remembrances this ground That man vniuersally and euery one particularly being corrupted being lost and that by our first fathers fall for if there were no more but that same first faulte and sinne of his wee are all of vs iustly condemned to a double death both of bodie and soule for euer Man thus vniuersally and particularly being vtterly lost without any hope at all of recouery left in his soule without any sense of the recouery of that fromer estate or repairing of that Image which hee had lost through sinne long
without great bitternesse and continuall remorse And these sparkles where they are will make the soule vvherein they dwell to vtter these speeches at one time or other once in the twenty-foure houres Alas I am dooing the euill vvhich I vvould not doe if I had power or strength to resist my affection and if I might be maister of my affections I would not for all the world doe the euill which I doe Againe if I had power to doe the good vvhich I vvould doe I vvould not leaue it vndone for all the vvorld So these sparkles though they haue not such force and strength presentlie aâ— to resist the affection and abstaine from dooing euill deedes yet perpetually in the hart they are finding fault with thy corruption and suffer thee not to take thy pleasure without paine but last of all force thee to vtter these speeches If I had strength to resist I vvould not doe the euill vvhich I doe Where these speeches are no question they are the words of a soule vvhich the Lord hath begunne to sanctifie and beeing once sanctified in despight of the diuell and of the corruption that is in vs this faith shall neuer perish but if the whole soule without contradiction vvith a greedie appetite and pleasure be carried to euill and hath no sorrow for it that soule is in an ill estate I can looke for nothing in such a soule but death except the Lord of his great mercy preuent it But where this remorse and sorrow and such speeches are in the soule that soule in the time that God hath appointed shall recouer strength The Lord shall neuer suffer those sparkles to bee vvholly taken away but in his own time he shall fortifie them and make them to breake out before the world in good works The Lord in his owne time will sanctifie them hee will scatter the ashes of corruption stirre vp the sparkles make them to breake out into a better life then euer they did before as ye may cleerely see that Dauids repentance hath done more good to the Church of God then if hee had neuer fallen Thus far concerning the effects Though the effects of repentance bee interrupted Similitudes shewing that the sparkles of faith thogh they be couered are not extinguished yet those sparkles are not extinguished For there is no man will thinke that the fire vvhich is couered with ashes is extinguished but beeing stirred vp in the morning it will burne as cleerely as it did the night before There is no man wil think the trees that now in the time of Winter want leaues fruit and externall beauty to be dead There is no man will thinke the Sunne to be out of the firmament though it be ouershadowed with a clowd of darknes and mist There is great difference between a sleeping disease and death for men are not dead though they be sleeping and yet there is nothing liker vnto death then sleep As there is great difference betwixt a drunken man and a dead man so there is great odds betwixt the faith that lieth hid for awhile vttereth not it selfe and the light that is vtterly put out When we breake not forth into outvvard deedes GOD forbid that vvee shold think that these sparkles are wholly extinguished Indeed the soule which is visited after foule and heinous backslidings from his calling and against his knowledge before this foule recouer the former beautie it is in a strange danger For if the Lord suffer thy corruption to get loose in such sort that it cary thee as it will and by all meanes possible maketh thee to labour to put out the sparkles of regeneration vvhen the Lord beginnes to challenge thee or to make thee render an account of this life past the soule of that man when it is challenged is in great danger So that no question when the Lord beginnes to lay to your charge your dissolute life the contempt and abuse of your calling assuredly your soules are so neere to the brinke of desperation that there can be nothing neerer For vvilt thou looke to GOD thou vvilt see nothing but his anger kindled as a fire against thee wilt thou looke to thy selfe thou wilt see nothing but sinne prouoking his anger thou wilt see the contempt and abuse of thy calling enlarging his anger thou wilt see nothing but matter of despaire And what is the best pillar and surest retreat whereupon such a soule that is so neere to the brinke of desperation may repose A sure retreat to repose on in highest tentations I will shew you the helpe whereupon When thou art assaulted by all the greatest tentations thou canst imagine when there is nothing before thee but death when thou seest the diuill accusing thee thine own conscience bearing him witnes against thee thy life accusing thee and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee whither shalt thou goe Looke back againe to thy forepast experience cast ouer thy memorie and remember if God at any time and in any measure hath loued thee if euer thou hast felt the loue and fauour of GOD in thy hart and conscience Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy hart that as hee loued thee thou louedst him hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember this and repose thine assurance on this that as hee loued thee once he will loue thee euer and will assuredly restore thee to that loue before thou departest this life The hart that felt once this loue of God shall feele it againe and looke vvhat gift or grace or what taste of the power of the world to come that euer the Lord gaue to his creatures in this life to that same degree of mercy hee shall restore his creature before it depart this life So the soule that is tossed with high assaults and great dangers where present things will not helpe it is necessary that it haue recourse vnto things past and keepe in memory the afore-past experience of mercy which the Lord hath freely shewed towards that soule This same memory shall be so pleasant to the soule that it shall stay it presently from desperation and vphold it vnto the time the Lord pacifie that hart giue comfort to that soule which beeing done that soule shall see that hovv-soeuer GOD was angry hee was angry onely for awhile I speake these things not that I think that euery one of you hath tasted of them and yet in some measure the seruaunts of GOD must taste of them and yee that haue not tasted of them may taste of them before yee die And therefore whether ye haue tasted or not tasted of them it cannot be but profitable for you to look vp this lesson in your harts and remember it faithfully that if the Lord at any time strike at your harts yee may remember and say with your selues I learned a lesson To looke backe vnto my fore-past experience A lesson and thereon to repose And though yee be not touched