Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	faith_n	life_n	4,599	5	4.3959	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41720	The communicants guide directing the younger sort, which have never yet received, and the elder, and ignorant sort, which have hitherto received unworthily, how they may receive the sacrament of the Lords Supper to their souls comfort together with a treatise of divine truths, collected out of ancient and moderne divines / by R. Gove ...	Gove, R. (Richard), 1587-1668.	1654 (1654)	Wing G1452; ESTC R17638	26,688	79

and passion of Christ A. By observing carefully what is done by the Minister that doth administer it and himselfe that doth receive it Q. What doth the Minister do A. He doth consecrate and set apart the Bread and Wine whereby of common and ordinary Bread and Wine it is made the Sacrament of the Body and Bloud of Christ He doth also breake the Bread and poure out the Wine and having so done doth deliver it to each of the Communicants Q. What is he to meditate on when hee seeth the Minister to consecrate the Bread and Wine by the Word of Christs Institution and Prayer to be the Sacrament of the Blessed Body and Bloud of Christ A. Hee is then to meditate how that God the Father out of his meere love to mankinde did set apart seale and appoint his only begotten Son to be the all-sufficient meanes and onely Mediatour to Redeeme us from sinne and to reconcile us to his grace and to bring us to glory Q. What is he to meditate on when hee seeth the Minister to breake the Bread and to poure out the Wine A. Hee is then to meditate that the Body of Christ was as truely crucified and his bloud shed for the Remission of his sinnes under the sense of Gods wrath due unto them as hee doth now see the Bread in the Sacrament to be broken and the wine to be poured out by the Minister Q. Lastly what is he to meditate on when the Minister commeth unto him and delivereth him the Bread and Wine thus Consecrated broken and poured out A. He is then to meditate that as the Minister doth now offer and deliver into his hands the Bread and Wine and bids him take it eate it and drinke it So doth Christ himselfe come unto him and offer and give unto his Faith his very Body and Bloud with all the benefits of his Death and Passion Q. And thus we see what the worthy Receiver must meditate on in the time of Receiving upon his sight of what the Minister doth tell me now next what he must meditate on upon the sight and sense of what he himselfe doth at that time A. When hee hath received the Bread and Wine at the Ministers hand and is Eating of the one and Drinking of the other he must then meditate and thinke with himselfe thus as I have now taken and doe eate this bread and drinke this Wine for the nourishment of my body and life temporall so I doe believe that the Body and Bloud of Jesus Christ being apprehended of mee by the hand of Faith and applied by Faith unto my Soule shall nourish it up unto life everlasting Q. And thus wee have seene how the worthy Receiver is to meditate in the time of Receiving upon the Death and Passion of Christ and the benefits which accrue to him thereby Tell me now next what are the duties which he is to perform to God and man therefore A. To God hee is to lift up his heart by way of thanksgiving for the great worke of our Redemption by the death of Christ and unto man hee is to extend his love by cleaving to his fellow-communicants in one Spirit as unto members of the same body and by shewing mercy to the poore members of Christs body in contributing to their necessities according to his ability Q. And thus we have also seene what is to be done by the worthy Receiver at the time of Receiving Tell me now in the last place what is required of him after he hath Received A. There is required Examination and Resolution Q. Wherein stands the Examination which must be in a worthy Receiver after he hath Received A. It stands in this to trie whether he hath gotten any good by the Sacrament or not Q. What if he finde little or no good by his Receiving A. He is then first to suspect himselfe that some miscarriage hath beene in him either in his preparation to or in his performance of the Duty and having found out what was the fault in either that hindred the efficacy of the Sacrament unto him he must judge himselfe and be seriously humbled for it And secondly hee must endeavour by after-paines in prayer and humiliation to quicken and awaken the efficacy of the Sacrament unto his Soule Q. But what if hee finde any good by his Receiving what is he to do then A. He is first to blesse God with all his heart therefore and to acknowledge with all thankfullnesse Gods gracious dealing with him therein and secondly he is to be carefull and watchfull that hee keepe up and maintaine that holy and gracious frame of heart in himselfe which he hath brought with him from the Sacrament Q. And thus have wee seene wherein the examination of a worthy Receiver consisteth after hee hath Received Tell mee now wherein standeth his Resolution A. It standeth in this that he be carefull and doe resolve to keepe touch with God and to expresse the power and efficacy of the Sacrament in making good and keeping his Vowes and Covenants which hee made to and with God of new obedience and amendment of life when he came to receive Q. Is there any great danger if we do neglect to do so A. Yes for first without this care and Christian resolution wee shall incur Gods heavy displeasure Secondly we frustrate and make voide all that we have formerly done in and at the Sacrament And thirdly we shall hereby bring our selves into a far worse condition than we were before we came to receive Q. How may we come then by power to do this A. By watching carefully over our wayes and courses by examining them by the Rule and Square of Gods Word and by hearty prayer unto God for his Grace to direct and assist us in all our wayes CERTAINE Cases of Conscience About the Receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper cleared and resolved I. Case WHether a man who after examination of himselfe findeth in himselfe much weaknesse and many defects in respect of those things which should be in a worthy Receiver may yet adventure to come to Receive Solution The weakenesse and defects which are in those that come to Receive are either such as are felt and thereupon are sorrowed for and striven against or they are such as are not felt and so can neither be sorrowed for nor striven against If our weakenesse and defects be of the former kinde wee neede not much to feare or doubt of Gods mercy and favour towards us if we doe come to Receive with such weaknesse and defects in us For first we must know that the Sacrament which we come to receive is ordained by Christ to be as well physick for the Recovery and strengthening of the sick and weake in grace as food to nourish the strong and healthy Secondly we must know that Christ even calleth such unto him and hath promised in his word not onely his gracious

which are made and pretended by Ignorant People for not Receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper so often as they should do but the chiefest of them and those that are most common in the mouths of the ignorant are these that follow I. Excuse They have no leisure HAve they leisure to fill their bodies every day and want they leisure to feede their soules Our Saviour in Ioh. 6. 27 gives them better counsell Labour not saith he for the meate that perisheth but for the meate that endureth to eternall life II. Excuse They want Cloathes IT is not outward apparell but the inward ornaments that make us gracious in the sight of God And therefore be our outward apparell never so meane if wee have on us the wedding garment of Faith made of the fleece of that Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the World lined inwardly with humility and trimmed outwardly with Charity God will bid us welcome to his Table III. Excuse They are not in Charity WHat is this but to excuse one sinne with another Our neglect or contempt of Gods Ordinance by our uncharitable affection to our brother and that is so farre from excusing us in the sight of God that it doth much aggravate our sin For why are they not in Charity What is the cause of it Is it not their owne rankorous heart their owne malitious and revengefull will and nothing else that keepes them from it And because their neighbour hath wronged them will they rather than they will forgive their Neighbours wrong more wrong God and their own soules IV. Excuse They are not prepared ARt thou prepared to pray and art thou not prepared to receive the Communion The same things that make us unfit to receive the Communion make us as unfit to pray for except a man abandon the purpose of sinne Psal. 66. 18. and except he be in Charity Mat. 6. 14. hee is no more fit to pray than to communicate and therefore should abstaine from the one as well as from the other V. Excuse Their Wives are sick or lie in or their Husbands are from home or not well and therefore they will stay till they be returned or well againe and then they will come and receive together INdeed for matter of sicknesse of the one or other party where there is a necessity of our attendance on them there may be some excuse for I make no question but in this case God will have mercy rather than Sacrifice But where there is no such necessity I see not how we can be excused And as for the other viz. the Husbands or Wives being from home how that can excuse any from communicating when God calls them thereunto I know not For our Receiving of the Sacrament must not depend upon others Receiving of it albeit they be never so neere or deare unto us VI Excuse They use to Receive at Easter every yeare and they hope that it is sufficient THis Communicating once a yeare at Easter was hatched in Popery when ignorance prevailed in the Church and is by no meanes to be followed of us to whom God hath afforded better meanes of knowledge And indeed it were a shame that Protestants in profession should be Papists in opinion But what is it that makes them to put off their Receiving to this time If it were their respect and reverence to the Sacrament as fearing if they should receive it oftener they should not come so well prepared to it as they hope to be then that indeed were some though but a poore Excuse But that is not it it is rather either because they place more holinesse in that time above other and so thinke the better the day the better the worke which is meere popish superstition or rather because it is the custome and fashion so to doe which is prophane irreligion Whereas good Christians looke rather to Christs Command and their own necessity than to any thing else and because he commands it they doe it and their own need and necessity of it makes them to do it not once in a yeare but as often as it may be done VII Excuse They would come and Receive but their Ministers will not suffer them IF their Ministers doe hinder them without cause they shall beare their condemnation but if for want of Knowledge Repentance Charity and the like which their profession or practise doe witnesse he do stay them from it and be diligent and willing to teach and warne them and they continue still in their obstinacy and wickednesse their bloud shall be upon their own heads VIII Excuse That they are conscious to themselves of some great and crying sinnes which they have committed and of which they have not yet sufficiently repented and therefore they will stay till the next opportunity of receiving hoping by that time to have more fully repented of them and to be better prepared THis Excuse indeed might be the more tolerable if hee that hath committed such sinnes were sure of these two things First that he shall have longer time to repent in and Secondly that he shall have grace to repent having had such a time But of neither of these can any man for the present be assured of 'T is true God hath promised indeed to have mercy upon a Sinner at what time soever he shall truly repent and turne unto him but he hath no where promised to give him either time or grace to repent when he will And therefore if thou art wise or desirest to be wise for the everlasting good of thy Soule dispeede thy Repentance out of hand and take the present opportunity that God offereth thee as not knowing whether God will ever offer thee the like opportunity againe being also assured of this for thy comfort that God in all our graces and so in Repentance too looketh not so much at the measure of them as at their sincerity Plaine EXPRESSIONS OF Sacramentall Truths TO Uulgar Capacities By the helpe of which the younger and ignorant sort may easily understand and remember the most necessary things belonging to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper EXPRESSION I. Of this That the Sacrament of the Lords Supper doth truely and really exhibite to the worthy Receiver the Body and Bloud of Christ with all the benefits of his Death and Passion FOr it is here as it is in a Lease A Lord of a Mannor makes seales and delivers a Lease of a Farme to a Tenant containing two or three hundred Acres of Land butting and bordering thus and thus upon condition that the Tenant shall pay him such a Fine and so much yearly Rent The Tenant● receives the Lease and having it in his hand shewes it to his friend and tells him that he hath for two hundred pounds a yeare three hundred Acres of Land The Parchment Inke and Wax of the Lease have not the very Acres of Ground nor Trees nor other appurtenances thereunto belonging being and growing therein

and yet by vertue of that Parchment Inke and Wax made a Lease and sealed and delivered by the Land-lord the Tenant will possesse them all I demand then how it commeth to passe that this piece of Parchment and this Inke and Wax thus made a Lease and thus sealed and delivered hath power to conveigh really and actually this ground with his appurtenances to this Tenant To which the Answer is that the power it hath to performe this commeth not from the Parchment Inke and Wax but from the legall power and authority of the Law-giver who did decree and ordaine that a Deed conceived in such and such forme of words and thus sealed and delivered should be effectuall and powerfull to give a Tenant reall possession of such Lands and all the appurtenances thereof And just so is it in the Sacrament for by it Christ doth give us his very Body and Bloud his Merits and his Righteousnesse by it he passeth over unto us a Deede of all the joyes of Heaven he Seales unto us a pardon of all our sinnes and of all the Punishments belonging unto them but upon this condition still that wee doe truely pay unto him his Rent to wit true Repentance for all our sinnes true Charity towards our Neighbours true Faith in his Bloud and a new and sincere obedience to his Commandements So that when we receive this Sacrament after this manner we may say Here have I the Body and Bloud of Christ my Saviour here have I Remission of all my sinnes and the Kingdome of Heaven passed over unto mee And yet that bit of Bread which I have eaten hath not the Kingdome of Heaven lying in it nor the Body of Christ moulded up in it or converted into it neither hath the Wine which I have drunken the Bloud of Christ within it or is converted into it Whence then have they this power In their owne nature they have it not whence then can they convey all this to mee I answer the power which they have comes from the Law-giver Jesus Christ who Decreed Instituted and Ordained that those Elements of Bread and Wine received in his manner and on his conditions should be powerfull and effectuall to convey unto me and make me partaker of his blessed Body and Bloud and of all the benefits of his Death and Passion EXPRESSION II. Of this That a wicked man and an unworthy Receiver may at the Sacrament Receive the outward Elements of Bread and Wine without receiving any benefit by the Body and Bloud of Christ FOr it is here as in the usance of a conveyance Now we know that if a conveyance made to Peter lying upon a Table be given to Richard or to any other person to whom it doth not belong or which Richard or any other person fraudulently taketh away it doth them no good at all by reason the Covenant was not made with any of them but with Peter onely So the unworthy Receiver being not the party to whom the promise is made of receiving Christ with the benefis of his Death and Passion receives onely the bare outward Elements and not the things signified thereby EXPRESSION III. Of this That the consecrated Bread and Wine are not to be taken as common Bread and common Wine FOr it is with this as it is with Wax stamped with the great Seale for as that in substance differs not from other Wax but yet in value is farre more excellent and may not be abused or unreverently used without contempt or great wrong offered to the King or State whose the Seale is So the Bread and the Wine in the Sacrament though in substance it differ not from other Bread and Wine yet concerning the use to which it is now put and designed it is much more pretious than any other Bread or Wine in the World being now appointed by God to be a Signe and Seale and an exhibiting instrument of the Body and Bloud of Christ and therefore cannot be profaned or abused without contempt of Christ Jesus and his holy Ordinance EXPRESSION IV. Of this What a shamefull thing it is to come unprepared to the Lords Table IT were a matter of foule shame for a Man to come and sit downe at a great Mans Table in rags and in nasty and filthy cloathes and in such a case how apt would every one be that sees him to take him up and say Art thou not ashamed to come to such a Mans Table in so base a fashion What an uncivill fellow art in such a garbe and pickle to come into such a presence And is it not then a matter of fouler shame to come rudely unpreparedly and in so unbeseeming a manner to the Lords Table EXPRESSION V. Of this That the receiving of the Lords Supper without those graces that are to be in a worthy Receiver will do us no good FOr what is this but the having of a Seale to a blanke And what is a Man the better for that What is a Man the better for having the Broade Seale to a piece of Parchment that hath nothing written in it He hath nothing but a piece of Parchment and Wax hee hath neither Land nor Living sealed and conveyed unto him thereby And just so it is in this case EXPRESSION VI Of this That ignorant persons though they pretend never so much their good meanings and their good minds cannot be worthy Receivers IGnorant persons use to plead for themselves that they have not the knowledge and understanding that others have and cannot answer as others doe yet they hope they have as good meanings and come with as good minds as the best But alas how sillily is this spoken for 't is as if one should say though I have a blinde Eye yet I have as good an Eye as he that can see farthest For wherein lieth the goodnesse of the Eye but in the sight and the goodnesse of the minde but in the knowledge of God Prov. 19. 2. EXPRESSION VII Of this That without Faith we can be no worthy Receivers FOr he that will receive Christs Body and Bloud for his Soules Comfort must have an Eye to see Christ and his Worth must have a foote to come unto him must have an hand to receive and lay hold upon him and must have a mouth to feed on him Now Faith is all these to a worthy Receiver It is the Eye of the Soule John 8. 56. Esay 17. 7. 2 Chron. 20. 12. It is the foote by which we come unto Christ John 6. 35. It is the hand by which we receive him John 1. 12. Yea it is the mouth by which we feede on him John 6. 53. Now can a man see without an Eye Come without a foote Receive without an Hand Feede without a mouth No surely he cannot No more can we see Christ in the Sacrament without the Eye of Faith come unto him without the foote of Faith receive him without the hand of Faith or feed on him without the mouth

of Faith EXPRESSION VIII Of this That impenitent sinners are not fit Guests for the Lords Table FOr it is here as it was at the Passeover there as we reade Exod. 12. 45. 48. no stranger no hired servant no uncircumcised person might eate thereof Now an impenitent sinner is all these 1. He is a stranger to God Psal. 58. 3. Eph. 4. 18. 2. He is a servant of sinne Iohn 8. 34. hired for the vaine pleasures profits and preferments of this World to doe the Devill service 2 Pet. 2. 19. 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. And 3. he is an uncircumcised person Acts 7. 51. Ierem. 6. 10. And therefore 't is no wonder that an impenitent person is so unfit a Guest for the Lords Table EXPRESSION IX Of this That impenitent persons comming to the Sacrament in their sinnes instead of doing themselves good doe themselves a great deale of harme FOr it is here as it is in an unwholesome and diseased stomach now we know that an unwholsome and diseased stomach what ever foode it receives it so alters it that it rather nourisheth the Disease than the body and turnes all the wholsome nourishment it takes to the increasing of that rather than of any health or strength to the body So an impenitent Soule comming to Gods Ordinance in its sinnes doth turne the wholesome nutriment of the Sacrament to the feeding of its diseases and the increasing of its own sorrow and mischiefe EXPRESSION X. Of this That no Man can grow thrive or be nourished by the use of the Sacrament that is not in Charity when he cometh to Receive FOr the whole Church is a body and every Christian is a Member of that body Now a member we know that will grow in the body and thrive must necessarily be united to and conjoyned with the body If a member be separated from the body it cannot be nourished nor grow an Hand or an Arme rent or cut off from the body cannot be nourished nor grow Nay though a part of the body be not separated from the rest yet if there be but a dislocation of a part so that it be onely out of joynt it cannot thrive and prosper till it be set in joynt againe So it is in the body mysticall it is a growing body every member thereof growes and increases Colos. 2. 19. as long as it is joyned to the rest of the members in love Eph. 4. 16. but being disunited from the rest or out of joynt by reason of want of Love and Charity it can be neither nourished nor thrive nor increase with the rest of the body though it receive this spirituall food of the Sacrament never so often EXPRESSION XI Of this That they that would be partakers of the Body and Bloud of Christ in the Sacrament must come thereunto with Hungring and Thirsting desires after Christ and the benefits of his Death and Passion FOr it is here as it is at a Feast or Banquet let the Feast be replenished with never so many dainty Dishes and Cates and the Banquet with never so many delicates yet if the parties that be to eate of it have formerly filled themselves with other Meates they care not much for the Cates of the one nor the Delicates of the other Proverbs 27. 7. But let one that is almost hunger-starved or is almost ready to die for thirst come to such a Feast or Banquet because he feeles the paines and pinches of emptinesse in his stomach you shall not neede to perswade him to fall to it the very sense of his owne wants and the refreshing which hee hopeth to finde by that repast will be to him an Argument sufficient to make him to doe it So 't is in receiving of the Sacrament if a man come with thoughts of his own worthinesse and fulnesse of grace and goodnesse in himselfe he cannot get any good by his Receiving for he feeles no want of Christ nor his Merits but let a poore hunger-starved Soule who feeles his want of Christ and seeth in what a miserable estate hee is without him and knoweth the Riches Excellencies and All-sufficienices that are in him let such a one I say come to the Sacrament and hee shall surely be replenished and finde the benefit and comfort thereof See Esay 55. 1 2. Iohn 7. 37. Revel. 22. 17. Math. 5. 6. Luke 1. 53. EXPRESSION XII Of this How that Gods Admeasurements of grace and spirituall good in the Sacrament are suitable to the inlargements of Mens hearts and their hearty desires for grace therein THere are three things we know that fit a vessell to receive a great measure of liquor The first is when it is of large capacity A small Vessell may be filled but yet a small Vessell cannot have so much poured into it as a Vessell that is of larger capacity The larger the Bucket is that is let downe into the Well the more Water it brings up The second is when it is an open Vessell For though a Vessell be of never so great capacity yet if the Mouth of the Vessell be shut and closed up though it be throwne into the Sea where there is Water enough yet it fills not Thirdly when the Vessell is wide open For though the mouth of a Vessell be open yet if it be not wide open it doth not fill so readily Take a Bottle or narrow-mouth'd Glasse and dowse it under the Water yet it may be pulled up againe with little or no Water in it though it be of great capacity because the narrownesse of the mouth hinders the ready and quick passage of the Water into it Whereas a wide-mouth'd Vessell as a Paile or Bucket is no sooner under Water but it is instantly filled because the wouth of the Vessell is wide open and broade And just so it is in the Sacrament if we desire a liberall largenesse of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits we must come thereunto with hearts inlarged with Hungring and Thirsting desires after Christ and his Righteousnesse and the more our hearts are inlarged herewith and the more open and ready they are to receive it the more shall the Sacrament empty it selfe with abundant blessing upon our Soules EXPRESSION XIII Of this That a worthy Receiver ought to be as carefull of his behaviour and demeanour at the Sacrament as of his preparation before he commeth to it FOr as it is not enough for a Man to dresse and trim up himselfe in his handsomer apparell before he comes to a great Mans Table but there is a great care also to be had of that carriage and behaviour that beseemes such a Mans Table and person For though a Man come handsome and cleanely apparel'd to a great Mans Table yet he may there carry himselfe so rudely unmannerly and uncivilly that he may give great offence So is it with one that is to Receive the Communion 'T is not enough for him to get his heart into an holy and fitting frame before he comes to Receive but