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A69491 Gestus Eucharisticvs, or, A discourse concerning the gesture at the receiving of the Holy Eucharist or Sacrament of the Lords Supper by George Ashwell ... Ashwell, George, 1612-1695. 1663 (1663) Wing A3998; ESTC R16232 72,577 195

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at all with the Papists in worshipping at the lifting up of the Hoast or the carrying it about in Procession but contrarywise renounce Both cannot be said with Colour of Reason to confirm them in their Errour or misguided Worship by obeying the Decree of P. Honorius No more then they can be said to confirme them in their Doctrine of Transubstantiation by reteining those words This is my Body This is my Blood at the Celebration of the Sacrament on the misunderstanding of which that Doctrine was grounded Why may not we as justly reteine the Adoration in the receiving directing it to the proper Object Christ corporally present in Heaven and spiritually in the Sacrament The Sursum corda in the Communion-Service Lift up your Hearts unto the Lord which our Church hath borrowed of the primitive Age shewes evidently enough whither our Worship is directed Ob. 6. At the Sacrament we put on and act the persons of coheires and represent our sitting with Christ at his Table in his Kingdome of Glory which requires a gesture of familiarity and fellowlike equality kneeling then is very unsuitable for it as being a Posture of Inferiority Subjection Humility Besides it crosseth the assurance of our Coheirship with Christ because it implies an unfellow-like and inferiour Condition in our future state of Glory and deba●●s us from sociall admittance and entertainment as Guests at his Table Answ 1. If these Patrons of Non-conformity did not openly professe a sound beliefe in the Holy Trinity and the Godhead of our Saviour I could not imagine this objection could have proceeded from any other than some of those monstrous Apostates in Poland who revolted to Photinianisme other Blasphemous Sects so much pride presumption it hath in it and so manifest a Tendency to the imbracing of their opinions Neither hath it more Reason than Religion in it as being a Complication of Errours and Absurdities and groundless supposals It supposeth 1. that we have a kind of equality with Christ by our priviledge of Coheirship whereas there is a vast Distance between us He is Heire of all Things by Nature we be Heires by his free Donation Heaven was his possession from all Eternity It is but prepared for us to be possest after the Resurrection it is his Inheritance by purchase ours by Promise We are but Heires in Hope depending upon favour for Actuall Admission He is actuall Lord and Possessour and hath the Disposall of this Kingdome at his Command And however by taking our Nature upon him he became of kin to us and is not ashamed to call us Brethren yet considering our present vilenesse and his Height of Majesty methinks we should be ashamed afraid too not to acknowledge him such an elder Brother as is our Lord Prince who hath the spirit without measure annointed with the oyle of Gladness above his fellowes the supream head of his Church far exalted above all Angels as well as men And all this as Man How much vaster a Distance is there between us him being considered as the Son of God who thinks it no Robbery to be equall unto his Father as such we consider him when we kneel to him in the Sacrament 2. That our communicating at the Sacrament represents our future estate of Glory exprest by our Saviour under the similitude of eating and drinking with him at his Table in his Kingdome Whereas our Saviour clearly tels us that we are to celebrate it in cōmemoration of his Passion that is past not of our preferment that is to come This is my Blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Mat. 26 28. The Apostle tels us the same This is my Body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me 1 Cor. 11. 24. As often as ye eate this Bread drink this Cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come v. 26. 3. That a Gesture of Humility such as kneeling is crosseth and hindreth the assurance of our Coheirship Whereas if we will believe the Scriptures there is no vertue which better assureth our Interest in Christ and the Promises which are made to us in him than Humility which if it be not layd very deep as the foundation of all other Graces the whole structure will soon come to Ruine The first lesson which our Saviour gave his Followers was to deny themselves without which they could neither beare his Crosse nor follow him Mat. 16. 24. And Christs own Humility it is which the Apostle would have us set before our eyes as a Patterne to follow because thereby he obteined his Glory Phil. 2. 5-9 The deep Humility of the Centurion and woman of Canaan very well consorted with an extraordinary Faith and high Confidence in our Saviour whereof the one thought not himself worthy that Christ should honour him so far as to come under his Roof Mat. 8. 8. And the other as humbly took upon Her the disgracefull name of a Dog Mat. 15. 27. Yet both their Faiths are so highly commended by our Saviour as none else seemed to come neer them O Woman great is thy Faith Be it unto thee even as thou wilt said our Saviour to the one Mat. 15. 28. I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat. 8. 10. saith he to the other 4. Christs advancing our Nature by exalting it to his Fathers right Hand his assuming us into a kind of Fraternity and Coheirship with himselfe should serve to make us the more humble to confess our unworthinesse and to keep a geater Distance not to puff us up and make us presume upon our Priviledges It was the Guise and Character of the Pharisees to presse for the highest Roomes Mat. 23. 6. Whereas Christ chargeth his own Disciples to sit down in the lowest withall telling them that whosoever exalteth himselfe shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted Luk. 14. 7 10 11. This effect the high Favours of God wrought in the Blessed Virgin and John the Baptist When the one heard from the Angell Gabriel that she should be the Mother of the Son of God She replyed Behold the Handmaid of the Lord. And humbly thanked God in her Song that he had regarded the low estate of his Handmaiden Luk. 1. 38 48. And when Christ came to the other to be Baptized he refused saying I have need to be baptized of Thee and comest Thou to me Mat. 3. 14. Yea he counted himself unworthy to stoop down and unloose his shoe-latchet Mark 1. 17. How much fitter then were it for us who come so farre short of these two eminent Patterns either with the Prodigall in the Gospell to come unto our heavenly Father with the like humble Confession I have sinned against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son Luk. 15. 18 19 21. Or with the penitent Publican to stand at a Distance cast down our Eyes and
No Preacher may kneel when he enters the Pulpit whilst the People in the meane time are busied in singing of the Psalme Yea Hannah shall be condemned for praying at the Tabernacle the Place of publick worship when she privately importuned God to look on her Affliction and give her a Son It appeares by King Solomons Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple that the Israelites put up their private occasionall petitions in the house of Prayer 1 King 8. 38 39. 41 43. S. Pauls practise shews the same Act. 22. 17. When the Priest offered up the Sacrifices which were of severall sorts the severall Parties which brought them offered up withall their particular Devotions whether Confession Prayer or Praise according to the nature of the Sacrifice and the condition of the Supplicant When Zacharias offered Incense in the Temple the People were praying without and for ought the Text tels us every one singly by himself during the time of the publick Service which was performed in the name and behalfe of the whole This also condemnes the practise of all those who stand at the receiving of the Communion as many of the Non-conformists did and many whole Churches now do whom they will be loth to condemne whilst the maine of the Congregation who yet keep their Seats or are newly returned to them are imployed in meditation reading or singing of Psalmes The like is done in greater Congregations where they sit one Company after another So that what ever Gesture is used there must be place left for private Devotions 3. As for the meaness of the Elements which is pretended in prejudice of kneeling at the Receipt of them it is an Argument which savours of too much folly and profanenesse For if we consider the Elements in themselves they are the Best the most necessary and the most excellent of Foods Bread the staffe of life and strengthner of mans Heart Wine the chief Refresher and Reviver of the Spirits But if we look on them in their use and Designation as they are to be looked on in the Sacrament they are called by our Saviour himselfe who best knew what they were his own Body and Blood that is sacred and efficacious Instruments of conveying his Body and Blood unto us with all the vertues merits of his Death Passion And whoever call or esteem such as these mean and vile are most unworthy Blasphemers who as little deserve to receive benefit from Christ as they regard his Ordinances 4. Joy Thanksgiving very well sute with Humility and a lowly Gesture What prudent or sober Person can judge it unfit to abase himselfe when he receives an high favour from a person of honour or to bend his knees when he is dignifyed by his Prince If we consider as we ought either Gods Majesty or our own meanness the more we are honoured by him the more we shall humble our selves confessing with Jacob that we are lesse than the least of Gods Mercies with Abraham that we are Dust and Ashes and with the Centurion in the Gospell that we are not worthy to receive Christ under our Roof No sooner had the Psalmist told us that God had set his Sonne Christ upon his holy Hill of Sion but he presently admonisheth all of their Duty viz. To serve the Lord with Feare and rejoyce with Trembling Psalm 2. 11. And least any should presume to plead a Priviledge of Exemption he calls upon the Greatest to performe this Service Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the Earth v. 10. If those of the highest Rank must allay their Joy with feare and Trembling methinks none of us should think our selves so over-wise great or holy as to neglect this instruction of the royall Psalmist but to expresse our Humility at so solemne a Service as that of the Eucharist and abate somewhat of the swelling conceit of Coheirs by remembring that we are Children of this everlasting Father as the Prophet Esay stiles our Saviour Isa 9. 6. and 8. 18. with Heb. 2. 13. and Subjects of this universall Monarch whom God hath ent●roned upon his holy Hill and put all Creatures under his Foot that so they might honour and obey him and be absolutely subject to his Disposall FINIS ASHWELL'S PRIMITIVE GESTVRE At The COMMUNION