Church in the Supper of his continuing and increasing his benefits unto us In the mean time it is one and the same Christ who both regenerateth and nourisheth us to eternall life In manner of using In the manner of using them To the lawfull use of baptisme regeneration sufficeth therefore it agreeth to all whom the Church reputeth regenerate as all elder persons professing faith and repentance and infants born in the Church But the Supper requireth farther the triall of the faith of the receivers the remembrance of the Lords death and thanksgiving Luke 22.19 1 Cor. 11.18 Doe this in remembrance of me Shew forth the Lords death till he come Let a man examine himself Baptism therefore is due to the whole Church that is as well to infants as elder persons the Supper onely to elder persons who can prove themselves and shew forth the Lords death In order of receiving In the order of receiving them For baptism must goe before and the Supper follow that is the sacrament of the Supper must not be given but to them who are baptised and not to them neither presently after baptisme but after they have made confession of their faith and repentance Whereupon in the ancient Church after the sermon were dismissed such as were excommunicated likewise those that were possessed or troubled with an evill spirit and the Catechumens that is such as did not yet understand the grounds and principles of religion or were not as yet baptised So of old they who were not yet circumcised were not admitted to the sacrifices or ceremonies Now if they who were baptised before they have made confession of their faith and repentance are not as yet to be admitted unto the Supper much lesse are they who being baptised live after the manner of swine and dogs In order of receiving it selfe which of baptism is but once of the Supper often In the receiving it selfe Wee must often celebrate the Supper because we must often shew forth the Lords death for it was therefore instituted that in it should be made publick remembrance recounting and shewing of Christs death also the confirmation of our faith concerning the eternall continuance of the covenant which confirmation is by the Supper is often necessary and therefore the Supper is often to be reiterated as also the eating of the Paschal lamb prefiguring this Supper was for this cause yeerly reiterated But baptism is not to be reiterated but once only to be received in our life time even as circumcision of old was but once received and baptism is therefore not to be reiterated both because wee have no commandement to this purpose and also because it is a signe of our receiving into the Church and covenant of God for the covenant once made is not againe undone or made void to those that repent but remaineth ratified and firme for ever For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance and wee by repentance after our falls enter not a new league with God but renew and restore an old Hereof it is that Christ himselfe saith of the Supper Luke 22.19 1 Cor. 11.26 Doe this as often as yee shall drink it in remembrance of me And the Apostle As often as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup ye shew the Lords death till hee come Rom. 9.3 But of baptism the same Apostle teacheth As many as have been baptised into Christ Jesus have been baptised into his death And Christ pronounceth Mark 16.16 He that shall beleeve and be baptised shall be saved Quest 76. What is it to eat the body of Christ crucified and to drink his bloud that was shed Ans It is not only to imbrace by an assured confidence of mind the whole passion and death of Christ and thereby to obtain forgivenesse or sins and everlasting life a Joh. 6.35 40 47 48 50 51 53 54. but also by the holy Ghost who dwelleth both in Christ and us so more and more to be united to his sacred body b Joh. 6.55 56. that though he be in heaven c Col. 3.1 Acts 3.21 1 Cor. 11.26 and we in earth yet neverthelesse are we flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones d Ephes 5.30 3.16 1 Cor. 6.15 1 John 3.24 and 4.13 and as all the members of the body are by one soule so are we also quickned and guided by one and the same Spirit e Joh. 6.57 15.1 2 3 4 5 6. Eph. 4.15 16. The Explication THis question expoundeth and declareth the thing signified in the Sacrament The eating of Christs flesh and drinking of his bloud is not corporall What it is to eat the flesh of Christ but spirituall and compriseth 1. Faith of Christs passion and death 2. An apprehension of remission of sinnes and eternall life through faith 3. Our union with Christ by the holy Ghost dwelling in Christ and in us 4. The benefit of his quickning by the same spirit Wherefore to eate the flesh of Christ and drink his bloud is to be received into favour with God for Christs merit to receive remission of sinnes and be reconciled to God by the same faith to have the Sonne of God who assumed mans nature and united it personally unto him dwelling in us and coupling us unto himselfe and his assumed nature by pouring into us his Spirit through whom he regenerateth us and restoreth light in us righteousnesse and life eternall such as is eminent in his assumed manhood More briefly to eate is 1. To beleeve 2. To receive remission of sins by faith 3. To be united to Christ 4. To be made partakers of the life of Christ or to be made like and conformed unto Christ by the holy Ghost who worketh the same things in us and in Christ This eating is our communion with Christ which the Scripture teacheth and which we professe in the Creed namely a spirituall union with Christ as members with the head and branches with the vine Christ teacheth us this eating of his flesh John 6. and confirmeth it in the Supper by externall signes Thus did the ancient Fathers Augustine Eusebius Nazianzen Hilary and others expound the eating of Christs body as hereafter shall appeare Wherefore the opinions of Papisticall Transubstantiation of a corporall presence and of eating Christs body in the bread with the mouth which many defend are not grounded on the words of the Supper which promise the eating of Christs body Quest 77. Where hath Christ promised that hee will as certainly give his body and bloud so to be eaten and drunken as they eat this bread broken and drink this cup Ans In the institution of his Supper the words whereof are these a 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25. Matth. 26.26 27 28. Mark 14.22 23 24. Luk. 22.19 20 Our Lord Jesus Christ in the night that hee was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks hee brake it and said Take eat this
is my body which is broken for you this doe you in remembrance of me Likewise also hee took the cup when he had supped and said This cup is the new Testament in my bloud this doe as often as ye shall drink it in remembrance of mee For as often as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup ye shew the Lords death till bee come This promise is repeated by S. Paul when he saith b 1 Cor. 10 16 17. This cup of thanksgiving wherewith wee give thanks is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ For we that are many are one bread and one body because we all are partakers of one bread The Explication THe institution of the Lords Supper doth confirme unto us by evident reasons what is the true and saving communion of Christs body and bloud and therefore the true sense and meaning of the words of the institution is diligently to be considered The holy Evangelists Matthew Marke and Luke do most especially of all others describe the institution of the Lords Supper and besides them the Apostle so declareth it no lesse plainly in his Epistle to the Corinthians The words of them all are these Matthew Chap. 26.26 c. As they did eat Jesus took the bread and when hee had given thanks hee brake it and gave it to the disciples and said Take eat this is my body Also hee took the cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it For this is my bloud of the new Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sins Mark Chap. 14.22 c. As they did eat Jesus took the bread and when hee had given thanks he brake it and gave it to them and said Take eat this is my body Also hee took the cup and when hee had given thanks gave it to them and they all drank of it and hee said unto them This is my bloud of the new testament which is shed for many Luke Chap. 22.19 c. And hee tooke bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave it to them saying This is my body which is given for you doe this in remembrance of mee Likewise after supper hee took the cup saying This cup is the new Testament in my bloud which is shed for you Paul 1 Cor. 11.23 c. I have received of the Lord that which also I have delivered unto you to wit that the Lord Jesus in the night that he was betrayed took bread And when he had given thanks hee brake it and said Take eat this is my body which is broken for you this do yee in remembrance of mee After the same manner also he took the cup when he had supped saying This cup is the new Testament in my bloud this doe as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me For as often as yee shall eat this bread and drink this cup yee shew the Lords death till he come The words of the Apostle wee will briefly expound and then wee will demonstrate our opinion in this point by true and firm arguments in the Question of Catechisme immediatly following The Lord Jesus This is the Authour from whom it is intituled the Lords Supper wee must therefore observe what the Lord did Lib 2. Epist 3. said and prescribed as Cyprian well warneth us If christ alone be to be heard wee must not attend or regard what any man before us hath thought meet to be done but what Christ who is before all first did perform In the night that hee was betrayed This circumstance is specified by the Apostle to give us to understand that Christ would at the last Supper of the Passeover institute this his Supper to shew 1. That now an end was made of all the old sacrifices and hee did substitute a new Sacrament which should succeed and should from henceforth be observed that Paschal Sacrament being finally abolished and which should signifie the same thing difference onely of time excepted For the Paschal lamb signified Christ which should come and should be sacrificed The Supper Christ already sacrificed Object But when the Supper was instituted Christ was yet to be sacrificed Answ But then was at hand the offering up and sacrificing of Christ For a few houres after hee was sacrificed and the Supper was from that time forward to signifie Christ sacrificed 2. That hee might stirre up in his disciples and in us greater attention and marking of the cause for which hee did institute it and that wee might understand how earnestly Christ would have this Supper to be commended unto us seeing hee did nothing before his death but that which was of most weight and moment Therefore did hee in the very point or instant before his death institute it to be as it were the testament and last will of our Testatour Briefly this clause Paul addeth that we may know that Christ instituted this Supper for a memoriall of himself now ready to die He took bread That is unleavened or not leavened bread which then they did eat of at the table in that feast of the passeover which admitted no leavened bread The institution of the Supper and unleavened bread did concurre then together and fall our by an accident and therefore this circumstance properly pertaineth not to the Supper as neither the evening doth at what time it was instituted neither can a necessity of unleavened bread for this use be hence inforced neither would Christ hereon prescribe any certain manner of baking bread for the Lords Supper Yet notwithstanding the bread of the Lords Supper differeth in use from common bread because this is taken for the nourishment of the body but that for the food and nourishment of the soul that is for the confirmation of our faith and union with Christ And here we are to note that hee is said to have taken bread from the table to wit with his hand hee took not his body therefore neither took hee his body in the bread with the bread or under the bread save only sacramentally for his body lay not on the table but sate down thereat Blessing and thanksgiving are all one in the Supper When hee had given thanks Matthew and Mark say of the bread When hee had blessed of the cup When he had given thanks Luke and Paul say of the bread When he had given thanks Wherefore To blesse and to give thanks both signifie one thing neither can the mystery of Popish magicall consecration be cloaked under these termes Christ therefore blessed that is he gave thanks namely to his Father not to be bread for spirituall blessings I meane for the satisfying of soules that his office being now performed and finished on earth his last act yet remaining to be done the time of his dying for the redemption of the elect was at hand that thus it had pleased the Father to redeem mankind or that the typicall Passeover was
bread and much lesse when both of them say My invisible body contained under this form or under this bread is my body For both of them do not only manifestly decline from the letter to a glosse of their own but shamefully pervert Christs words in the former glosse as if it were written My body is under this and in the later they father on Christ a childish tautologie or repetition of the same thing as if he had said My body is my body Which was given for you 5. Christs body which we eat in the Supper was delivered to death and crucified for us But bread was not given and crucified for us Therefore bread is not properly and really the body of Christ This cup is the new Testament 6. As the cup is the new Testament so the bread is the body of Christ The cup is the new Testament sacramentally as before hath been shewed and now may be farther proved by this reason The new Testament properly is not drunk with the mouth but beleeved with the heart but the cup is drunk with the mouth therefore the cup cannot properly be the new Testament Therefore the bread is Christs body in the same sense to wit sacramentally 7. If the bread be properly Christs body and the cup his bloud it must needs be that in the first Supper the bloud was separated from Christs body and that now both of them be given us apart as they are signes apart But neither in the first Supper was the bloud then without the body neither is the body now given without bloud for then Christ was not yet dead and now he dieth no more Therefore the bread is the body and the cup the bloud of Christ not properly but sacramentally 8. That which Christ himself did eat and drink was not properly his body and bloud else should hee have eaten and drunken himselfe But hee did eat of that bread and drink of that cup for he saith I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine Mark 14.25 and Chrysostome commenting hereon saith Hee also drank of the cup Hom. 83. in Mark. lest hearing those words they should say What Doe wee then drink bloud and eat flesh and so be troubled For when hee first made mention of this kind of eating and drinking many took offence for the words sake onely Therefore lest this should then also happen hee himselfe first did eat and drinke that so hee might lead them with a quiet reposed mind to the communion of the mysteries The bread therefore and the cup are not properly Christs body and bloud but sacramentally Doe this in remembrance of mee 9. Remembrance is not of things corporally present but of things absent Christ instituted this sacrament to be celebrated in remembrance of him Therefore Christ is not corporally present in the bread or sacrament Doe this 10. Either Christ with his body is not substantially in the bread or forme of bread or the Supper is not to be any more celebrated For the Apostle biddeth us eat of this bread and drink of this cup and shew forth the Lords death till he come But questionlesse the celebration of the Supper is not yet to be intermitted but ought to be continued unto the end of the world Christ therefore is not yet come neither is he corporally in the bread or form of bread 11. As the bread was the body of Christ in the first Supper and the disciples did eat Christs body so and no otherwise the bread is now Christs body and wee eat Christs body for our Supper is no other then the Supper of the disciples was But in the first Supper the bread was not essentially Christs body neither did the disciples eat Christs body with their mouthes in the bread or in the form of bread for Christ corporally and visibly sate at the table with his disciples and suffered no change the whole action throughout Therefore now also the bread is not essentially Christs body neither do we eat Christs body with our mouthes in the bread or in the form of bread 2. The second sort of arguments which are taken from the nature of the Sacraments 1. THe very manner and form of speaking yeeldeth us a firm and strong argument Bread is the body of Christ But bread is not in his own proper substance his body for by reason hereof have they invented Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation Therefore it is a figurative speech even such a one as is usuall unto sacraments and is afore declared in the institution of the Supper 2. In all sacraments when the name or properties of the things signified are attributed unto the signes there is not signified the corporall presence of the thing in the signes but first a similitude of the things with their signes and a sealing of them by their signes then a conjunction and union of the things with their signes in the right use But in this Sacrament Christ attributeth the names of the things signified his body and bloud to the signes the bread and wine saying This is my body This is my bloud Therefore there is not thereby signified a corporall presence of his body 3. The nature of all sacraments is that the signs be understood and taken corporally that the things signified must be understood and taken spiritually and that the visible things be not the things signified but only signes and pledges of them 4. Sacramentall phrases and termes are sacramentally to be understood These words of the Supper This is my body This is my bloud are sacramentall phrases for they signifie the Sacrament and attribute the names of the things signified to the signes Therefore they are to be understood sacramentally Object There is no figurative speech expressed in the words of the Supper Therefore wee may not so interpret them Answ The Antecedent is false for Christ himselfe adjoined a sacramentall declaration immediately on them saying Doe this that is eat this bread and drink this cup in remembrance of me that is that therby ye may be certified and assured that my body was given and my bloud was shed for you and given to you to be meat and drink unto life eternall Again This cup is the new Testament in my bloud that is the seale of the new Testament and promise of grace now fulfilled in my bloud 5. Whatsoever is not promised in the Gospel that cannot be sealed unto us by the Supper for sacraments confirm exhibite promise seal no other thing then the word doth whence they are termed visible promises and visible words In the Gospel is promised no corporall eating Joh. 6.62 63. nay it is peremptorily reproved and condemned by Christ in the Gospel by two arguments 1. Because not long after hee would exalt his body into heaven and remove it far from the Jews mouthes 2. Because the corporall eating of his flesh profiteth nothing Neither doth he there distinguish the eating of him into a grosse and a
faith whilst we distinguish and separate that which is divine from that which is humane and joyning them againe after their separation confesse one God and man yea we our selves are made his body by this Sacrament and knit and united to our head by the thing signified by the Sacrament De divina mensa Et quod The Canon of the Nicene Councell Againe here also is the Lords Table Let us not childishly cleave to the bread and wine set before us but lifting up our minds on high by faith let us consider that on that Table is set the Lamb of God taking away the sinnes of the world which is offered of the Priests without killing and let us truely receiving his precious body and bloud beleeve that they are SIGNES of our resurrection For therefore we receive not much but little thereby to acknowledge that it is not received to satisfie In Litur de Trin. l. 8. Orat. de pas but to sanctifie us Basil We have set on the Table the figures of the sacred body and blood Hillarie The bread and wine received and drunke effect and worke that both we are in Christ In 1 Cor. 11. and Christ in us Gregory Nazianzene The figures of the precious body and bloud of Christ Ambrose Because we are delivered by our LORDS death being mindfull thereof in eating and drinking wee Signifie or Represent the flesh and bloud that were offered up for us De Sacr. l. 4. c. 5. Cont. Adim cap. 12. In Psa 3 Epist 23. ad Bonisac Againe This oblation is the FIGVRE OF THE BODY AND BLOVD of our LORD Jesus CHRIST Augustine Our Lord doubted not to say This is my body when he gave a TOKEN of his body Againe The Lord admitted Judas to that banquet wherein he ministred and gave to his disciples the FIGVRE of his body and bloud The same Father saith Vnlesse Sacraments had a certaine likenesse of the things whereof they bee Sacraments without question they were no Sacraments And in consideration of this likenesse oftentimes they beare the names of the things themselves As therefore the Sacrament of the body of CHRIST is AFTER A CERTAINE MANER the body of Christ and the Sacrament of Christs bloud is his bloud so the Sacrament of faith is faith In senten Prosper de ause dist 2. c. Hoc est Againe As then the celestiall bread Christs flesh is IN SOME SORT called Christs body whereas indeed it is a Sacrament of Christs body namely that visible palpable and mortall body which was nailed on the Crosse and the sacrificing of his flesh done by the hands of the Minister is called Christs Passion death and crucifying NOT IN THE TRVTH OF THE THING but in a mysterie SIGNIFYING it So the Sacrament of faith by which is meant Baptisme is faith Serm. ad infant Also These my brethren are therefore called Sacraments because in them one thing is seene another understood That which is seene hath a bodily forme that which is understood hath a spirituall fruit or benefit In Mat. Hom. 83. Chrysostome This is my bloud which is shed for the remission of sinnes which Christ said to shew that his Passion and Crosse was a mysterie and to comfort his disciples Dialog 1. Theodoret Our Saviour verily changed the names of the signes and the things signified and gave the same name to the body which is proper to the signe and that to the signe which is proper to the body The cause of this change is manifest to them that are entred into the first principles of divine mysteries For he would that they who use the Sacraments should not bend and set their minds on the nature of the things which are seene but for the alteration of the names should beleeve that alteration which is made through grace For he who tearmed that by name of corne and bread which is by nature a body and called himselfe a vine he honoured the signes which are seene with the title and name of his body and bloud not by changing the nature but by adding grace to the nature Macarius the Monke hath a famous saying to this purpose Hom. 27. Bread and wine are a correspondent type of his flesh and they who receive the bread which is shewed eate the flesh of Christ spiritually Other testimonies for briefenesse sake we omit Of Transubstantiation NOw it is easie to see what we are to think of Transubstantiation even that it is an impious invention and device of the Papists which also we will shew and prove briefly by divers reasons But first we must declare in a word what the Papists properly meane by their Transubstantiation They suppose that by force of Consecration that is of uttering these words upon the creatures of bread and wine This is my body This is the cup of the new Testament in my bloud the bread and wine is substantially converted or turned into the body and bloud of Christ the formes onely or accidents of bread and wine remaining namely the shape or figure the heat the taste the weight c. They therefore call these words of Consecration operatorie and effective able to work and effect the conversion and change and they say that the change is fully accomplished in the very last instant of uttering the syllable * The Latine particle was UM hoc est corpua me VM which I chose rather to resemble by the English forme of Consecration DY This is my boDY and then there is no longer bread and wine but the body and bloud of Christ is present and is contained under the forms of bread and wine and is eaten and drunk in the Eucharist or Supper by the mouth of the Communicants Concerning the manner of the change it is not agreed on by all Some say that the substance of bread and wine is by Transsubstantiation changed into the substance of Christs body and bloud so that the bread and wine is essentially made the very body and bloud of Christ the externall formes only remaining and this they terme a substantiall change or change of the substance What the Papists call a substantiall change Others are of opinion that the substance of bread and wine is not changed but vanisheth by annihilation or by being brought to nothing and that then the substance of Christs body and bloud succeedeth in place thereof so that the substance of Christs body and bloud after the consecration cometh under these formes and accidents under which before was the substance of the bread and wine And this they call a formal change or a change of formes Lombard in his Sentences expoundeth both these opinions What they call a formall change Li. 4. di 11. Tho. Aqui. p. 3. q. 78. a. 5. and seemeth to approve the former alone Howbeit they call both these changes by the name of Transsubstantiation They affirm also that the particle This in the words of consecration doth note some indeterminate
his body to dogs to wit to the wicked contrary to his own doctrine Give not holy things to dogs nor cast pearles to swine August lib. 21. c. 25. de Civit. Dei in lo. tract 26. 59. in senten Prosp c. 3.39 Ambros Serm. de coena 8. From the authority of Fathers who have preached the same doctrine Austine and Prosper Ambrose saith Although the Sacraments or signes suffer themselves to be taken and touched by the unworthie yet these men cannot be partakers of the spirit whose infidelity or unworthinesse contradicteth so great holinesse And a little after But as for those who in word only with dry hearts and minds that is without affection and without understanding are present at these sacred mysteries or further be partakers of the gifts therein they indeed lick the rocke but they neither suck honey thence nor oyle because they are not quickned with any sweetnesse of charity or fatnesse of sanctity of the holy Ghost they neither judge themselves nor discerne the Sacraments but unreverently frequent and use these his holy gifts and blessings as common meats and impudently intrude themselves into the Lords Table in a filthy garment for whom it had been better with a milstone about their neck to have been drowned in the sea then with an uncleane conscience to have taken one morsell at the Lords hands who to this very day createth sanctifieth blesseth and divideth to godly receivers his true and sacred body The causes for which the wicked are said to cate unto themselves damnation Now for these causes the wicked eat unto themselves and draw on themselves damnation 1. Because they profane the signes and by consequent the things signified by laying hold on those things which are not instituted for them but for the Disciples of Christ 2. Because they profane the Covenant and Testament of God by taking unto themselves the signes and tokens of the Covenant They will seeme to be in league with God whereas they are in league with the Devill and not with God whom by this meanes they would as much as in them lieth make the Father of the wicked 3. Because they discerne not the Lords body and tread under foot the bloud of Christ His benefits indeed are offered unto them but they receive them not with faith and so mock God while they professe that they receive the benefits of Christ when as they doe or minde nothing lesse and adde this new offence to their other sinnes 4. Because they condemne themselves by their owne judgement For approaching unto the Lords Table they professe that they accept of this doctrine and doe beleeve no salvation to be without Christ and yet in the meane season are conscious unto themselves that they are hypocrites and so condemn themselves Therefore false is their objection who say thus The wicked eat damnation unto themselves Therefore they eat Christs body Ans Nay rather the contrary followeth They eat damnation Therefore not Christs body For To eat Christ and To eat damnation are contraries which cannot stand together Repl. 1. They eat unworthily Therefore they eat Answ I grant they eat but they eat not Christ For the text saith expresly Whosoever shall eat this bread unworthily 1 Cor. 11.7 Repl. Christ is not a Saviour only but a Judge also Answ Hee is a Judge not of them by whom he is eaten but of them of whom hee is despised and rejected For of them which eat he saith He which eateth mee shall live by mee John 6.57 But of them which despise him he proclaimeth Depart from me all ye that work iniquity Matt. 7.23 As therefore the Gospel being beleeved is the savour of life unto life and being despised is the savour of death unto death So Christ being eaten quickeneth but being contemned judgeth the eater But he is then despised when in the word and sacraments he is offered to the unfaithfull but is refused or rejected through infidelity Repl. 3. They are guilty of Christs body Therefore they eat it Ans The cause of their guilt is not the eating of Christ but the eating of the bread without Christ because it is said Hee that eateth of this bread unworthily The abuse then of the signe is the contempt of Christ as the defacing of the Kings Charter or Seal is an injury to the Prince himself and a matter of treason Repl. 4. But how eat the wicked damnation unto themselves seeing it is a good work to receive the Sacrament Ans It is a good work by it self but not unto the wicked The receiving of the Sacrament is a good work when the true and right use is adjoyned otherwise it is made not a commanded but a forbidden work as also God saith He that killeth a bullocke Isa 66.3 is as if he slew a man So likewise Paul This is not to eat the Lords body And again 1 Cor. 11.20 Rom. 2.26 If thou be a transgresser of the law thy circumcision is made uncircumcision Else might wee thus conclude The receiving of Christs body is a good work Therefore the wicked by that receit cannot be made guilty of Christs body 3. What the right and lawfull use of the Supper is THe right and lawfull use of the Supper is When the faithfull receive in the Church the Lords bread and his cup and shew forth his death to this end that this receiving may be a pledge of their union with Christ and an application of the whole benefit of our redemption and salvation It consisteth in three things 1. When the rites and ceremonies instituted of Christ are retained and observed yet so that they be not observed of one or two privately buâ— in a convenient and lawfull assembly of the Church whether great or small and the rites instituted are That the Lords bread be broken distributed and received and the Lords cup given to all that communicate in remembrance of Christs death 2. When the rights are observed of those persons for whom Christ did institute them that is when the bread and wine is not distributed and received of others then of whom the Lord would have it received namely not of his enemies but of his â—isciples which are the faithfull For the observing of the rite without faith and repentance is not the use but the abuse of it 3. When the Supper is received and the whole action directed to the right end appointed by Christ which is in commemoration and remembrance of the Lords death and for confirmation of our faith and to shew our thankefulnesse Quest 82. Are they also to be admitted to the Supper who in confession and life declare themselves to be unbeleevers and ungodly Ans No. For by that means the Covenant of God is profaned and the wrath of God is stirred up against the whole assembly a 1 Cor. 11.20 34. Isa 1.1 c. 66.3 Jerem. 21. Psa 50.16 c. wherefore the Church by the commandement of Christ
and his Apostles using the keyes of the kingdome of heaven ought to drive them from the Supper till they shall repent and change their manners The Explication Who are to be admitted to the Supper THey are to be admitted of the Church to the Lords Supper 1. Who are of a fit age to prove themselves and to re-call to minde and meditate on the Lords death according to that commandement Do this in remembrance of me Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of this bread Shew forth the Lords death till he come Luke 22.19 1 Cor. 11 2â— 28. Therefore the infants of the Church though they be reckoned among the faithfull yet they are exempted from the use of the Sacrament 2. Who are baptised and by baptisme made members of the Church For in the Supper the covenant plighted with God in baptism is renewed Therefore in old time none might eat of the Passeover except hee were first circumcised So that Turks Jewes and other aliants from the Church are to be debarred of the Supper 3. Who in words and deeds professe true repentance and faith or they who expresse and shew a profession of faith and repentance in the actions of their life whether they doe this truly and sincerely or of secret and hidden hypocrisie For of things concealed the Church judgeth not Therefore it admitteth all whom it may judge to be Christs members that is whom it heareth and seeth professing faith and repentance in publick confession and outward actions whether they be truly godly or hypocrites not yet unmasked But they are not to be admitted whosoever simply do avouch that they beleeve all things and yet live wickedly for hee that saith he beleeveth and hath not works is a liar and denieth in deed that which he affirmeth in words according to that of the Apostle Tâ—â— 1. â—6 They professe that they know God but by their works they deny him and are abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate So S. James sheweth James 2.20 Why they onely who professe faith and repentance are to be admitted to the Supper That faith which is without works is dead The reasons why they are to be admitted onely who both by their profession and life professe faith and repentance are these Profaning of Gods covenant What it is to profane Gods covenant Gods covenant two wayes profaned Because the Church should profane Gods covenant if it should admit unbeleevers and men impenitent For he that doth a thing and he that consenteth unto it are both obnoxious to the same law To profane the Covenant of God is to commend and acknowledge them for the confederates or friends and fellows of God who are Gods enemies and so to make God such a one as hath entered a covenant and is in league with hypocrites and wicked men Now the covenant of God is two wayes profaned namely as well by communicating and imparting the signe of the covenant to them unto whom God promiseth nothing as by receiving and using the signes without faith and repentance For not only they profane the covenant who being as yet impenitent take the signes of the covenant unto them but they also who wittingly and willingly give the signes unto those whom God hath shut from his covenant They make therefore God a fellow and friend of the wicked and the sons of the divell they make the sons of God whosoever reach the signes to the wicked Fear of Gods wâ—ath They are not to be admitted to the Supper who professe not faith and repentance both in life and confession because If such should be admitted the Church should stir up the anger of God against her self as of whom wittingly and willingly this should be committed Now that by this means the wrath of God is stirred up against the Church 1 Cor. 11.31 the Apostle sufficiently witnesseth saying For this cause many are weak and sick among you and many sleep For if we would judge our selves we should not be judged God therefore is angry with the consenters or winkers at the profanation of the Sacrament and so punisheth them because he punisheth the wicked whom they consenting thereto admitted for by both the Supper of the Lord is alike profaned Christs commandement Christ hath commanded that the wicked be not admitted And if any deny that any such commandement is extant yet the substance and tenour of the commandement shall be easily proved For Christ instituted his Supper for his disciples and to them alone he said Iuke 22.15 17 19 20. I have earnestly desired to eat this passeover with you Take this and part it among you This is my body which is given for you This cup is the new Testament in my bloud which is shed for you Wherefore the Supper was instituted for Christs disciples only all others for whom Christ died not are excluded To these three reasons we may here adde a fourth 4. This is an evident demonstration They who deny the faith are not to be accounted for members no not of the visible Church But all that refuse to repent deny the faith according to that saying of the Apostle They professe that they know God but by works they deny him Tit. 1.16 and are abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate Therefore they who refuse to repent are not to be reckoned members no not of the visible Church and therefore are not to be admitted to the Sacraments of the Church but to be secluded as aliants from them untill they repent and change their evill manners But yet for all this those hypocrites are to be admitted together with the godly unto the Supper who are not as yet manifested because they professe in confession and outward actions faith and repentance But none ought to approach thither but true beleevers for these only excepted all others yea even those hypocrites which are not as yet manifested eat and drink unto themselves damnation and profane the Lords sacred Supper Object The Church profaneth the covenant if it admit the impenitent Answ To the Antecedent we answer that the Church sinneth not in admitting hypocrites to wit as yet concealed and not unmasked to the view of the world seeing the Church is forced to acknowledge them for sincere members who confesse with their mouthes and counterfeit repentance It should sin indeed if wittingly and willingly it admitted open and professed hypocrites which in word or deed deny faith and repentance Rep. But many impenitent persons intrude themselves and profane the covenant especially where excommunication a part of Church discipline flourisheth not and these the Church admitteth without sin Therefore it offendeth not in admitting others which deny repentance Ans The Church herein sinneth not not because it is no sin to admit the unrepentant but because it admitteth them without knowledge that they are such But the impenitent persons themselves who presse unto this table profane the
in remembrance of him and to shew forth his death 7. That Christ in his Supper doth not command and require a dissembled and hypocriticall remembrance of him and publishing of his death but such as imbraceth his Passion and death and all his benefits obtained by these for us by a true and lively faith and with earnest and ardent thankfulnesse and applieth them unto those which eat and drinke as proper unto them 8. That Christ will dwell in beleevers only and in them who not through contempt but through necessity cannot come to the Lords Supper yea in all beleevers even from the beginning of the world to all eternitie even as well and after the same manner as he will dwell in them who came unto the Lords Supper They disagree in these points 1 THat one part contendeth that these words of Christ This is my body must be understood as the wordes sound which yet that part it selfe doth not prove but the other part that those words must be understood sacramentally according to the declaration of Christ and Paul according to the most certain and infallible rule and levell of the Articles of our Christian faith 2. That one part will have the body and bloud of Christ to be essentially In or With the bread and the wine and so be eaten as that together with the bread and the wine out of the hand of the Minister it entreth by the mouth of the receivers into their bodies but the other part will have the body of Christ which in the first Supper sate at the table by the Disciples now to be and continue not here on earth but above in the heavens above and without this visible world and heaven untill he descend thence again to judgement and yet that we notwithstanding here on earth as oft as we eat this bread with a true faith are so fed with his body and made to drink of his bloud that not only through his passion and bloud shed we are cleansed from our sins but are also in such sort coupled knit and incorporated into his true essentiall humane body by his Spirit dwelling both in him and us that we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones and are more neerly and firmely knit and united with him than the members of our body are united with our head and so we draw and have in him and from him everlasting life 3. That one part will have all whosoever come to the Lords Supper and eat and drink that bread and wine whether they be beleevers or unbeleevers to eat and drink corporally and with their bodily mouth the flesh and bloud of Christ beleevers to life and salvation unbeleevers to damnation and death the other holdeth that unbeleevers abuse indeed the outward signes bread and wine to their damnation but that the faithfull only can eat and drink by a true faith and the fore-alledged working of the holy Ghost the body and bloud of Christ unto eternall life Quest 83. What are the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven ON THE 31. SABBATH Ans Preaching of the Gospel and Ecclesiasticall discipline by which heaven is opened to the beleevers and is shut against the unbeleevers Quest 84. How is the Kingdome of heaven opened and shut by the preaching of the Gospel Answ When by the commandement of Christ it is publikely declared to all and every one of the faithfull that all their sins are pardoned them of God for the merit of Christ so often as they imbrace by a lively faith the promise of the Gospel but contrarily is denounced to all Infidels and Hypocrites that so long the wrath of God and everlasting damnation doth lie on them as they persist in their wickednesse a John 20.21 22 23. Mat. 16.19 according to which testimony of the Gospel God will judge them as well in this life as in the life to come Quest 85. How is the Kingdom of heaven opened and shut by Ecclesiasticall discipline Ans When according to the commandement of Christ they who in name are Christians but in their doctrine and life shew themselves aliens from Christ b Rom. 11.7 8 9. 1 Cor. 12.28 after they have been some time admonished will not depart from their errours or wickednesse are made knowne unto the Church or to them that are appointed for that matter and purpose of the Church and if neither then they obey their admonition are of the same men by interdiction from the Sacraments shut out from the Congregation of the Church and by God himselfe out of the Kingdome of heaven And againe if they professe and indeed declare amendment of life are received as members of Christ and his Church c Mat. 18.15 16 17. 1 Cor. 5.3 4 5. 2 Thes 3.14 15. 2 John 10.11 2 Cor. 2.6 7 10 11. 1 Tim. 5.17 The Explication SEeing it hath bin shewed in the Treatise next going before who are to be admitted by the Church unto the Lords Supper very commodiously and fitly shall this doctrine follow concerning the power of the keyes wherein besides other things this chiefly is taught How they who are not to be admitted must be restrained and excluded from the Sacraments lest approaching unto them they profane them The chiefe questions are 1. What the power of the keyes given unto the Church is and what are the parts thereof 2. Whether Ecclesiasticall discipline and excommunication be necessary 3. To whom that power is committed against whom and in what order to be used 4. To what ends it is to be directed and what abuses therein are to be avoided 5. What that power of the keyes committed unto the Church differeth from the Civill power 1. What the power of the keyes given to the Church is and what are the parts thereof THe power of the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven which Christ gave to his Church is the preaching of the Gospell and Ecclesiasticall discipline whereby heaven is opened to the beleeving and shut up against the unbeleeving and unfaithfull Or it is the office or charge imposed on the Church by Christ of denouncing by the preaching of the Gospell and Church discipline Gods will and even of declaring the grace of God and remission of sins unto the penitent that is to them who live in true faith and repentance but of denouncing unto the wicked the wrath of God and exclusion or banishment from the Kingdome of Christ and of casting such out of the Church as long as they shall shew themselves in doctrine and life estranged from Christ and of receiving them againe into the Church when afterwards they shall repent It is called the power of the keyes by a Metaphor or borrowed speech taken from the Stewards of mens houses Why this power is called the keys to whom the keyes are delivererd in charge and the keyes import a Steward-ship by a Metonymy or change of names between the signe and the thing signified thereby as we use to say The Scepter
is the other Sacrament of the New Testament instituted by Christ by which he testifieth to us who receive the consecrated bread and wine with a faithfull remembrance of his death that he feeds us with his bodie which was given for us and with his bloud which was powred out for us and that hee quickneth d us that with him and amongst our selves we may grow up into one e bodie and that the covenant begun with God in Baptisme may remaine f ratified to us for ever Testimonies of Scripture a 1 Cor. 10.16 The cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ the bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ b 1 Cor. 11.26 As often as you shall eat of this bread and drink of this cup you shall declare the Lords death untill he come c Matth. 26.26 Mark 14.22 Luke 22.17 1 Cor. 11.21 While they were eating he took bread and blessed and brake it then gave it to his disciples and said Take eat this is my body d John 6.54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath life eternall and I will raise him up at the last day e John 6.56 Who eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud he abideth in me and I in him 1 Cor. 10.17 Because there is one bread we being many are one bread and one body for we all partake of that one bread 1 Cor. 12.13 We have all drunk into one spirit f 1 Cor. 11.25 This cup is the New Testament in my bloud II. We say also that this Sacrament consisteth of externall signes and of the promises of grace in the word annexed to the a signes and consequently of a twofold food and a twofold eating or taking to wit an externall of bread and wine which is done by the mouth of the bodie out of the hand of the Minister as our sense witnesseth and an internall spirituall of Christs bodie and bloud which is by faith out of the hands of God himselfe and by the externall it is both signified exhibited and sealed in the lawfull use of the Sacrament as the promise annexed to the Symboles b witnesseth Testimonies of Scripture and of others a Apolog. August Confes tit De use Sacram. c. And because in the Sacraments there are two things to wit the signe and the word the word in the New Testament is the promise of grace added to the signe The promise of the New Testament is the promise of the remission of sins as this Text saith This is my body which is given for you This is the cup of the New Testament with my bloud which is shed for many to the remission of sins The word then offers remission of sins and the ceremony is as it were the pledge of the word or feale as Paul calls it shewing the promise b Matth. 26. c. III. For whereas all Sacraments are seales of grace promised in the a Gospel it is not to be doubted but these words of promise in the Supper This is my body which is given for you This is my bloud which is powred out for you c. are the very same Evangelicall promise in b John The bread which I will give you is my flesh which I will give you for the life of the world for my flesh is meat indeed and my bloud is drinke indeed being covered with the sacramentall ceremonie and confirmed with a symbolicall eating for the greater safetie or assurance but that it speaketh of the spirituall food of Christs bodie and bloud which is by faith is c manifest Testimonies of Scripture and of others a Rom. 4.11 And he received the signe of circumcision the seale of the justice of faith received in the fore-skin Apolog. August Confes tit De usu Sacram. c. The word in the New Testament is the promise of grace as above b John 6.5 I am that living bread that came downe from heaven if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever But the bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world c John 6.35 I am that bread of life he that cometh to me shall not hunger and he that beleeveth in me shall never thirst IV. Christ never promised in the Gospel any orall manducation of his flesh but by expresse arguments rejected a it and therefore never established it by the Sacrament of his Supper And doubtlesse they sin grievously who at this day disturb the Church with their orall manducation which to acknowledge is no waies necessary to salvation to any but rather pernicious to many Testimonies of Scripture a John 6.61 62 63. When Jesus knew in himselfe that his disciples murmured at it he said unto them Doth this offend you What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life V. The particle This as we teach and beleeve doth demonstrate the bread which Christ brake and that it is the true bodie of Christ not by conversion into the bodie nor by any reall co-existence with the bodie but by a sacramentall way because it is the Sacrament of Christs bodie or a sacred signe of it So the Apostle interprets Christs a meaning when he calls the cup The New Testament that is the Sacrament of the New Testament the bread The communion of Christs b body that is the Sacrament of that communion So c Austine The Lord saith he doubted not to say This is my bodie when he gave the signe of his bodie So d Prosper saith The bread is after a manner called the bodie of Christ and the sacramentall action is called the passion death and crucifying of Christ not in a reall veritie but in a signifying mysterie Testimonies of Scripture and of others a 1 Cor. 11.25 This cup is the New Testament in my bloud b 1 Cor. 10.16 The bread which we break c. c August cont Adimant cap. 12. d Prosper in Decret de Consecrat dist 2. cap. Hoc est VI. And whereas Christs bodie neither in the bread nor under the species of bread but rather in the word of promise is exhibited to us to be eaten by faith the wicked indeed eat the signes to their owne condemnation by abusing of which they sin against Christ himselfe but being destitute of faith they receive not his bodie Of which notwithstanding by the Apostles testimony they are guilty not that they receive it which by their infidelitie they tread upon but because they unworthily eat that bread which is the symbole or a signe of it Testimonies of Scripture a 1 Corinth 11.27 29. Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. Also Who eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe
fruit also which we have triall and experience of in this life Heretofore it hath been said All sins mortall in their own nature but pardonable by the grace of God Psal 32.5 Pro. 24.16 That all sins are in their owne nature mortall Against this sentence some oppose that which is said I will confesse my wickednesse unto the Lord and thou forgavest the punishment of my sin And A just man falleth seven times and riseth againe Whence they gather that there are some sinnes the committers whereof continue still just and therefore deserve not eternall death But they reason amisse from that which befalleth to sinne but by an accident to that which is by it selfe in sin For it is true indeed that there are many sins for which the Saints doe not lose holiâ—â—sse and righteousnesse neither become obnoxious to the wrath of God But this cometh to passe not by the smalnesse or nature of the sin whatsoever it be but by the grace of God who doth not impute neither will punish with eternall death those sins which yet in their owne nature deserved it This doth the Prophet most evidently shew in the same Psalme Psal 143.2 when he saith Blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiven Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall none that liveth be justified Object 2. Mat. 5.22 It is said Whosoever is angry with his brother unadvisedly shall be culpable of judgement And whosoever saith unto his brother Racha shall be worthy to be punished by the Councell And whosoever shall say Foole shall be worthy to be punished with hell fire Whence they conclude Seeing Christ himselfe maketh degrees of punishments and sins so that of these former hee threatneth hell fire but unto the third onely therefore there are some sins smaller then those which deserve eternall punishment But the answer unto this is manifest out of the words themselves which is that Christ doth not speak of civill judgements and punishments when he mentioneth Judgement and a Councell For he doth not here speak of the civill order but disputeth against the corruptions of the Pharisees concerning the true meaning of Gods Law and concerning the judgement of God against both inward and outward sins For neither can nor ought to be punished by the Magistrate with corporall punishment either such gestures as signifie some bitternesse or contempt or bad affections if they have not accompanying them an endevour to doe any man injury Now whereas in the third place hee nameth hell fire hee doth not exempt the other two kinds of sin from eternall punishments but signifieth that the third shall receive a sharper punishâ—â—nt at Gods hand then the other Object 3. It is said Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men Mat. 12.31 but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men neither in this world nor in the world to come Hence they will gather That some sinnes are forgiven in this world some in the world to come that is in Purgatory and some are never forgiven of which these be Mortall but the others Veniall in their owne nature Answ 1. But Neither here neither else-where doth Christ teach that some sins are forgiven in the world to come Sins are remitted in this world only For that all other sins are forgiven not in the world to come but in this world both Christ signifieth in this place and the Scripture else-where teacheth because it is certain that sins are not remitted but only to those who repent No sin which may not be remitted except the sin against the holy Ghost But hee denieth that the sinne against the holy Ghost is remitted either in this world or in the world to come that he might more significantly expresse the deniall of pardon to it 2. Whether they say forgivenesse to be in this world or in the world to come yet this standeth immoveable that it cometh not of the nature or corruption of the sin but of free mercy for Christs sake And if every sinne be so grievous that it could not be purged but by the bloud of the Son of God then doubtlesse they doe great despite and contumely unto that bloud who so extenuate any sin as to deny that it deserveth eternall punishment unto which the death of the Son of God is equivalent 3. Even by their owne confession there are many mortall sins which notwithstanding are forgiven in this life Wherefore either they must make all these to be even in their owne nature Veniall or they will never prove out of this place that the â—â—nalnesse of the sin is the cause of forgivenesse Object 4. It is said The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse Rom. 1.17 And Know yee not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6. â— Out of these and the like places they gather that seeing they are mortall sins which shut men out of the Kingdome of God and all sins do not so therefore there are some sins which in their owne nature are not mortall But they conclude more then followeth by force of reason For that some sins are Veniall there is no doubt All sins shut men out of the Kingdome of God were they not remitted by the grace of God 1 Cor. 3.15 but that cometh by grace remitting those sins which without remission would shut men doubtlesse from the Kingdome of God Object 5. It is said If any mans work burne he shall lose but he shall be safe himselfe neverthelesse yet as it were by fire Therefore say they some sins cast men into fire that is into some punishment but not eternall This also we grant not in respect of the nature of sin but in respect of pardon which befalleth to those who hold the foundation which is Christ For to build on the foundation wood and stubble that is to patch the Word of God with unnecessary questions humane opinions and traditions which often are occasions of Schismes in the Church and often of Idolatry and errors it is not so light a sin as they deem it who doit but deserveth eternall malediction except remission be made by the Son of God as it is declared in the Revelation Chap. 22. Object 6. It is said A high Priest taken from among men is bound to offer for sinnes Heb 5.1 as well for his owne part as for the peoples Ans This place sheweth that the sins of the Priest are not Veniall by themselves or of their owne nature but for the sacrifice of Christ which was signified by the typicall sacrifices and therefore it quite and cleane overthroweth the opinion of our adversaries For if all sins even of a righteous Priest are in the sight of God so great that they cannot be purged but by the death of the Son of God it necessarily followeth that they of their owne nature deserved everlasting death Ob. 7. It is said
the will of God of set purpose doth expresly against the same Or it is a sinne committed of those who wittingly and willingly sinne as David wittingly committed adultery and murder contrary to the Law Sin not against the conscience Sin not against the conscience is that which we either not willing or not witting commit or which is indeed acknowledged to be sinne and is lamented of by the offender but cannot perfectly be avoided in this life such as is Originall sin and many sins of omission ignorance and infirmity For we omit many good things and commit evill being suddenly overcome and overtaken by infirmities as Peter of infirmity in imminent danger is overcome and denieth Christ wittingly indeed but not willingly therefore hee weepeth bitterly and loseth not utterly his faith according to Christs promise I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not It was not reigning sin Luk. 22.32 much lesse the sin against the holy Ghost because he loved Christ no lesse when he denied him then when he bewailed his offence though that affection did not at that time for feare of imminent danger shew it selfe Such sin Paul acknowledgeth in himselfe and lamenteth it I doe not the good which I would but the evill which I would not Rom. 9.1 that doe I c. His blasphemy also and persecution and violence against the Church was a sin of ignorance For I did it ignorantly saith he therefore God had mercy on me 1 Tim. 1.13 This third division of sin and the definition of both sins Christ hath expresly delivered saying The servant that knew his Masters will and prepared not himselfe The proofe of this division of sin neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes but hee that knew it not and yet did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes Luk. 12.47 The fourth division of sin THere is sinne unpardonable or a sinne against the holy Ghost or a sin unto death What unpardonable sin or sin against the holy Ghost is There is also sinne pardonable or not against the holy Ghost or not unto death This distinction is deduced out of Matthew 12.31 Mark 3.29 1 John 5.16 Sinne unpardonable or sinne against the holy Ghost and unto death is a deniall and oppugning of the knowne truth of God and his will and workes of which mens consciences and minds are fully ascertained and convicted by the testimony of the holy Ghost not of feare or infirmity but of set purpose and hatred of the truth and of a despitefull malicious stomacke conceived against the same which sinne whosoever commit they are punished of God with a perpetuall blindnesse Perpetuall blindnesse an effect of it Why it is called unpardonable that they can never returne to God by true repentance in this life and by consequent can obtain no pardon It is called unpardonable not that by the grievousness thereof it exceedeth the worth of Christs merit but because he who offendeth herein is punished with sinfull blindnesse and hath not the gift of repentance For because it is a peculiar kind of sin a peculiar kind of punishment is also inflicted thereon namely finall blindnesse and impenitencie And without repentance Mat. 12.32 Mar. 3.29 there is no remission Whosoever shall speak against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come And Whosoever blasphemeth against the holy Ghost shall never have forgivenesse but is culpable of eternall damnation Why it is called thy sin against the holy Ghost It is called sinne against the holy Ghost not as if the holy Ghost might be offended by any man and not the Father also and the Son but by an eminent significancy of speech because it is in a speciall manner committed against the holy Ghost that is against his proper and immediate office or operation which is the enlightning of their minds Why it is called a sin unto death 1 John 5.16 It is called sin unto death by John not that this alone is mortall or deserveth death but by an emphaticall significancy of speech because it especially deserveth death and all they who commit this sin assuredly die therein because none of them repenteth of it Therefore John will that we pray not for it because forsooth in vaine the remission thereof is craved at Gods hands The Scripture elsewhere speaketh of this sin as Hebr. 6.4 5 6 7 8. chapt 10.26 27 28 29. and Tit. 3.10 11. Certaine Rules to be observed touching the sin against the holy Ghost It is not in every reprobate The sin against the holy Ghost is not found in every reprobate person but in those only who are lightned by the holy Ghost and convicted in conscience of the truth as Saul Judas c. Object Every unpardonable sin is a sin against the holy Ghost because Christ saith The difference between other sins pardoned and this sin against the holy Ghost that the sin against the holy Ghost is unpardonable but finall perseverance in whatsoever sin without repentance is remitted to no man And therefore it is a sinne against the holy Ghost and by a consequent all that perish sinne against the holy Ghost Answ The ambiguity of unpardonable sin maketh foure terms in this Syllogism For in the Major it signifieth that kind of sinne which is never remitted to any because whosoever commit it whether at the end or before the end of their life they persevere in it even to the end without repentance But in the Minor it signifieth not a certaine kind of sinne but all their sinnes who repent not which indeed are not remitted to them because they persevere in them to the end without repentance and they are unpardonable not before the end but in the very end of their life yet are they remitted to others who persevere not in them but repent For perseverance in sin is nothing else then the sinnes themselves which are continued unto the end and therefore this is the meaning of the Minor Sins in which men persevere without repentance unto the end are not pardoned them who persevere in them but now all men doe not persevere in them as they persevere in the sin against the holy Ghost even whosoever once fall into it And Christ in this speech sheweth not for what sins men are punished with everlasting death For it is certaine that it befalleth for all sinnes of which men repent not but he sheweth what sinnes are such as whosoever doe commit them they doe never repent This he affirmeth of no kind of sin but onely of blasphemy against the holy Ghost It is not every Reigning sin Every sin against the holy Ghost is Reigning sin and sin against conscience but not contrariwise every Reigning sin sin against the holy Ghost For it may fall out that some man either ignorantly or else wittingly and willingly may patronize some errours
the Will verily doth worke freely but it is carried to evill only and can doe nought else but sin The reason is because the privation of the knowledge of God in the understanding ensued on the fall and the want of inclination in the heart and will unto obedience in whose stead blindness and aversnesse from God succeeded which man cannot shake off unlesse he be regenerated by the holy Ghost Briefly it is the fitnesse and pronenesse in man after his fall being unregenerate to chuse only evill Of this blindnesse and corruption of mans nature after the fall it is said Genes 6.5 Jer. 13.23 Syrac 17.14 Mat. 7.18 Ephes 2.1 3. 2 Cor. 3.5 All the thoughts of man are only evill Can the Blackmoore change his skin c. Every man from his youth is given to evill and their stony hearts cannot become flesh A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit We were dead in our sins by nature the sons of wrath Wee are not able of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves With these testimonies concurreth every mans experience and the weary sense of conscience which proclaimeth that we have no liberty and pronenesse of will to doe that which is good but too great freedome and readinesse to practise evill Jer. 31.18 unlesse we be regenerate as it is said Convert thou me and I shall be converted Wherefore there is no love of God in us by nature and therefore we have by nature no readinesse to obey God The liberty which is in man now after his fall and not yet regenerated and recovered is the very bondage of sin Rom. 6.16 This liberty of the unregenerate is the most wretched servitude of sin and very death in sins whereof the Scripture teacheth in many places Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin Know ye not that to whomsoever ye give your selves as servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether it be of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousnesse Promising unto them liberty and are themselves servants of corruption Object 1. Nothing more easie saith Erasmus then to keep a mans hand from stealing Againe Socrates Aristides and many others have shewed and exercised many vertues Therefore they had free-will to doe good before regeneration Answ This is an ill definition of a good worke and free-will to doe good which is a power of yeelding obedience pleasing to God 2 Pet. 2.19 Free-will to outward good actions without an inward faith and obedience is not free-will to good The unregenerate steale within by their lust and desire though not by outward fact that the unregenerate containe their hands that is observe outward discipline this is also Gods benefit who by his generall providence governeth also the hearts of the wicked and bridleth their in-bred wickednesse that it break not forth and affect that which it would But hereof it followeth not that it is easie to begin inward obedience or that to containe their hands from stealing is simply a good worke Neither are these good workes before God that is pleasing unto God which have not joyned with them faith and inward obedience But faith and inward obedience could not be in them because they were not regenerated Repl. 1. The workes of the Law are good Heathen men did the workes of the Law Therefore the works of the Heathen were good And by consequence Heathen men also or unregenerate had liberty of doing good We answer to the Major by a distinction The outward actions good in themselves are made evill by want of an inward faith The workes of the Law are good true by themselves but they are made ill by an accident and so are the works of the Law made ill by an accident of the unregenerate because they are not done by them for that end and after that sort which God commanded Repl. 2. There remaine also many true notions in the minds of the unregenerate concerning God and his will and the right ordering of their life Wherefore the Will working according to these notions and the direction of true reason doth not sin but worketh well Ans 1. Those legall notions whether they belong to the first The remnants of spirituall life in the unregenerate are not sufficient to make their workes good or to the second Table of the Decalogue they are not perfect and sufficient And therefore God cannot be rightly worshipped according to these remaines or reliques of spirituall light except there come thereunto the knowledge of God and his divine will out of the Word of God which is delivered to the Church 2. Men not brought up in the Church doe patch many false things with these true imprinted notions of nature and do heap sins upon errours 3. Such is the frowardnesse of the will and affections even against the judgement of rightly informed and ruled reason that they obey not so much as those naturall notions much lesse those which are to be adjoyned out of the Word of God Wherefore also are those complaints even of the Heathen I see the better and I like them but I follow the worse and that accusation of the Apostle Rom. 1.18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men which with-hold the truth in unrighteousnesse wherefore those notions without the grace of the holy Ghost do not engender true godlinesse in them The praise and commendation which is given of God to our good works doth not prove that they proceed frâ—m our selves but rather are his gifts Rom. 9.30 Object 2. God commendeth us for good workes Therefore good workes are in our power and will Answ This is a fallacy concluding of that which is no cause as if it were a cause God commendeth our good workes not because they are or can be performed of us without our renewing by the holy Ghost but because they are agreeable unto his Law and good and pleasing unto him yea because they are his own gifts and effects in us and we his instruments unto whom he communicateth himselfe and his blessings according as it is said Whom he predestinated them also he called Repl. Who doth not in such sort work well as that it is in his owne power to doe either well or ill hee deserveth neither commendation nor reward but those good things which men doe are not in their power and arbitrement Therefore they deserve not either commendation or rewards for their vertues Answ If the question be of desert we grant the whole argument For it is true that no creature can deserve or merit ought at Gods hand neither ought the praise or commendation or glory be given to us as if the good which we do were of our selves it being God which worketh whatsoever is good in all But if they say that neither reward or commendation is justly given more is in the conclusion then was in the premisses For God to testifie that righteousnesse pleaseth
1.42 Rom. 1.3 9.5 Coloss 1.22 1 John 4.2 and Abraham the fruit of Maries womb Also when he is said to be made of the seed of David according to the flesh to have a body of flesh to have come in the flesh Hitherto belong all those places which attribute unto Christ things proper unto man as to grow to eat to drink to be ignorant of some things to rest to be weary to be circumcised to be baptized to lament rejoyce c. 3. That two natures in Christ make one person Hither are referred the places which by the communicating of the properties of each nature attribute those things to the person of Christ which are proper to either his divine or humane nature The Word was made flesh He was made partaker of flesh and bloud God purchased the Church with his bloud Before Abraham was I am John 1.14 Heb. 2.14 Acts 20.28 John 8.25 Matth. 28.20 Heb. 1.1 1 John 4.3 Rom. 9.5 1 Cor. 2.8 I am with you alwayes unto the end of the world He spake unto us by his Son by whom he made the world Jesus Christ is come in the flesh Who is God over all praised for ever Had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory 6. Whether there may be moe Mediatours There can be but one Mediatour because there is but one naturall Son of God THere is only one Mediatour between God and man the reason is because the Son only is Mediatour and can perform the office of the Mediatour And there is but one only naturall Son of God Object The Saints also make intercession for us therefore they are Mediatours Answ There is great difference between the intercession of Christ and of the Saints who live in the world and pray for themselves and others yea for their persecuters and enemies for the Saints depend upon the merit of Christ Christ on his own merit and Christ only offered himself a surety and a satisfier sanctifying himselfe for us that is presenting himself in our stead before Gods judgment seat which thing can no way be said of the Saints Object Where are many means there is not one Mediatour But there are many means of our salvation Therefore there is not one only Mediatour Ans The Major proposition we deny For it is one thing to be the means another thing to be the Mediatour of our salvation Of the COVENANT of God IT was said that the Mediatour is a person reconciling parties which are at variance to wit God and men Now this reconciliation in the Scriptures is termed The Covenant and Testament which is the Correlative that is hath a mutuall respect to the Mediatour for every Mediatour is the Mediatour of some covenant and a reconciler of parties who are at enmity Wherefore the doctrine which treateth of the Covenant of God is linked with the Place concerning the Mediatour The chief Questions hereof are these 1. What a Covenant is 2. Whether it can be made without a Mediatour 3. Whether there be but one and the same Covenant or more 4. In what the old and new Covenant agree and in what they differ 1. What a Covenant is What a Covenant in generall is A Covenant in generall signifieth a mutuall contract or agreement of two parties joyned in the Covenant whereby is made a bond or obligation or certaine conditions for the performance of giving or taking something with addition of outward signes and tokens for solemn testimony and confirmation that the compact and promise shall be kept inviolable Hence we easily collect the definition and nature of Gods Covenant What Gods Covenant with us is For it is A mutuall promise and agreement between God and men whereby God giveth men assurance that he will be gracious and favourable to them remit their sins bestow new righteousnesse his holy Spirit and life eternall for and by his Son our Mediatour And on the other side men bind themselves to faith and repentance that is to receive this so great a benefit with true faith and to yeeld true obedience unto God This mutuall compact between God and men is sealed and confirmed by outward badges and tokens Sacraments the signes of the Covenant A Testament which we call Sacraments that is sacred signes testifying Gods good will towards us and our thankfulnesse and obsequious dutifulnesse towards him A Testament is the last will of a Testator whereby hee at his death disposeth of his things what hee would have done concerning them Testament and Covenant of like signification In Scripture the name of Covenant and Testament to expresse significantly this Gods Covenant are used and taken alike for one and the same thing for both of them shew our reconciliation with God or the mutuall agreement between God and man Why our reconciliation is called a Covenant This agreement and reconcilement is called a Covenant because God promiseth unto us certain blessings and on the other side demandeth of us as a pledge our obedience using withall certain solemn ceremonies to the confirmation and strengthening of the contract Why it is also called a Testament It is called a Testament because this reconciliation was made by the death of the Testator Christ coming betweene that so it might be firme and ratified or because Christ hath purchased this our reconcilement with God by his death and hath left it unto us even as parents at their decease deliver their goods unto their children This reason is alledged in the Epistle to the Hebrews Heb. 9.15 16 17. For this cause saith the Apostle is he the Mediatour of the new Testament that through death they which were called might receive the promise of eternall inheritance For where a Testament is there must be the death of him that made the Testament For the Testament is confirmed when men are dead for it is yet of no force as long as he that made it is alive For while the Testator liveth he retaineth a right to change detract or add any thing The Hebrew word Berith only signifieth a Covenant not a Testament yet the Interpreters translate it by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word with the Greeks signifieth both a covenant and testament whence it is gathered that that Epistle was not written in Hebrew as some think but in Greek Acts 20.28 Obj. A Testament is ratified by the death of the Testator But God cannot die Therefore his Testament is not ratified or at leastwise this reconcilement may not be called a Testament Ans The Minor is to be denyed because God is said to have redeemed the Church with his bloud therefore he died but he died according to his humanity for Christ is the Testator who is both God and man but he died according to his humanity only 1 Pet. 3.18 The same is called an intercession in respect of Christ who by intercession worketh it and reconciliation in respect of us who are
working and effecting any thing is so in God onely that there is not the least ability or efficacy of any creature but what he continually imparteth and preserveth at his pleasure and therefore the power of God is to be considered of us not as being idle but as creating sustaining moving and ruling all things The reasons are 1. God is the first cause of all things therfore he hath all things in his power and their ability is so much as he giveth unto them 2. He doth such things as can be done by no created and finite power as are the creation and governing of all things the preservation of common-weals the deluge the delivery out of Egypt and all his miracles 3 Hee is unchangeable therefore in him to be able to do and to do is the same which to will and so of the contrary But although all men affirme God to be omnipotent yet there is a double difference between the sacred doctrine of the Church Two differences between the doctrine of the Church and Philosophy in conceiving of Gods omnipotency and Philosophy concerning Gods omnipotency For 1. Without the doctrine of the Church men only know the universall and generall power of God whereby hee createth preserveth and governeth the whole world but they know not that power whereby he saveth men and restoreth the world by his Son gathering and preserving an everlasting Church and delivering it from sin and death and endowing it with life and glory everlasting by which works God especially sheweth forth his power as it is said Yet a little while and I shall shake the heavens and the earth and the sea Hagg. 2.7 and the drie land 2. Neither do they professe of the generall power of God so much as is sufficient for albeit they are enforced to confesse that God is the author and preserver of the world yet are they not able to say that all things were created of nothing by the word of God alone and forasmuch as they are ignorant of the cause of sin and confusion they cannot affirm all things so to be administred and governed by Gods omnipotency as that all which is good is done by the powerfull working of Gods will but they attribute many things to chance fortune and humane wisdome or vertue and so imagine the power of God to be idle in these and doing nothing Furthermore That God cannot either sin or will and allow of sin or be changed or diminished or suffer any thing or make things done undone or will things flat repugnant and contradictory or create another God or some nature equall to himselfe or be perceived by bodily senses or do other things proper to a created or finite nature or admit the same into himselfe this doth not diminish or weaken but rather augment and strengthen his power For that is the greatest and most perfect power which can neither be destroyed nor weakened nor diminished and that none sustaining it but only by it selfe But contrariwise to be able to be corrupted and impaired is a token of imbecility and imperfection Gods exceeding wisdom whereby both he knoweth all things perfectly and is the fountain of all knowledge and understanding Of exceeding and immense wisdome That wee may rightly and with profit and commodity know the power of God it is necessary not to consider it but as it is joyned with his immense wisdome and goodnesse which moderateth it Further of his divine wisdome we learn 1. That God doth of himself in one act or view under stand and behold perpetually and most perfectly in marvellous manner and that unknown to us himselfe and the whole order of his minde declared in the nature of things and in his word and what agreeth therewith and disagreeth and all his works and all the works of all creatures past present and to come and all the causes and circumstances of all things 2. That all Angels and men have no more knowledge of divine and humane matters then God doth work and maintain in their mindes for among other things the most beautifull and sightly order which is in the nature of things the ends and uses of all things the signification of future events arts and sciences the everting and overturning of those devices which the divell and wicked men have most craftily contrived against God and all the godly doe enforce all men to confesse that these things could not proceed but from a most wise artificer and author Wherefore also the Scripture it selfe willeth us to consider the wisdome of God shining in these his works Eccles 3.11 Isa 44.7 God hath made every thing beautifull in his time Who is like mee that shall call and shall declare it and set it in order before me since I appointed the ancient people He taketh the wise in their craftinesse Job 5.13 and of these it concludeth that the wisdome of God is immense and unconceivable Psalm 147.5 Rom. 11.33 as His wisdome is infinite O the deepnesse of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! But here again is to be observed a difference between Philosophy and the word of God 1. That even in the creation the known or legall wisdome was darkned and maimed in men through sin and therefore needeth a renewing by the word delivered to the Church 2. That men without this heavenly doctrine are altogether ignorant of the especiall wisdome of God revealed in the Gospel whereby hee saveth the Church gathered from amongst mankind by the Son as it is said I give thee thanks O Father because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of understanding Matth. 21.25 and hast opened them unto babes Good Six significations of the goodnesse of God in Scripture Psalm 106.1 143.10.1 John 1.5 The goodnesse of God signifieth sometimes his bountifulnesse as Praise the Lord because he is good sometimes all the vertues and whatsoever is spoken of the nature of God as Let thy Spirit lead me through the right way That which also is meant by the name of holinesse or sanctity and light So in this place by the name of goodnesse are understood 1. All those things which are attributed to God in his word and are represented and resembled in his image as those things which are termed good in Angles and men as life power wisdom joy righteousnesse c. For such is the nature of God as it hath manifested it self in the Law and Gospel and the goodnesse of the reasonable creature is an image of the divine goodnesse and therefore here also differ Philosophy and the Scripture in that Philosophy attributeth onely to God that his goodnesse which was opened in the Law and yet neither that wholly but of his goodnesse revealed in the Gospel it is altogether ignorant 2. By reason of the great and huge difference between the Creator and the creature we understand those good things to be in God which are agreeing to his divine nature
sharp and bitter one thereby to recall him from making his expedition to war and to punish him for not obeying by delivering him to be seduced by the divell the false Prophets fore-told victory to flatter him the divell to destroy him and to die Why chastity is one of Gods properties Chaste There is made also mention of Chastity in the former description of God because amongst his especiall and most notable differences whereby he may be discerned from divels he will have truth to be and chastity for as God will be acknowledged to be true and will have truth loved of us that it may certainly appear that hee is and what he is and that men may think and speak the truth of him and through his knowledge be partakers of everlasting life so the divell attempteth to fill the world with lies that hee may both darken the glory of God and by forging lies of God destroy mankind Whereupon the holy Ghost is called the Spirit of truth John 8.44 but the divell a lyar and murtherer from the beginning and the father of lyes And as God both by reason of the exceeding purity of his nature Ephes 5.23 Ezek. 16. Hos 2. as also because hee will have the spousall love and conjunction of marriage to be the image of the unspeakable love and spirituall conjunction between him and the Church will therefore have it accounted sacred and holy amongst men and as in these respects hee is the lover and author of chastity and doth most severely detest and punish all uncleannesse both internall and externall which is repugnant to this order as the examples of the Sodomites of the tribe of Benjamin and others of all other ages and nations testifie So the divell both for his impurity and also because whatsoever God would have held most holy and venerable that for the hatred he beareth to God hee studieth most to deprave and most foulely to deform endeavoureth with obscenity and filthinesse horribly to pollute mankind and to withdraw them from God Therefore it is said This is the will of God even your sanctification 1 Thess 4.3 4. and that you should abstain from fornication that every one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour Arguments of the mercy of God in preserving his creatures Mercifull The mercy or favour and inclinable will of God to preserve his creature and especially mankinde the Scripture proposeth unto us opened by these degrees 1. That hee taketh delight in the salvation of all but in the destruction of none As I live saith the Lord God I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live 2. That he deferreth mitigateth Ezek. 33. and taketh away punishments inviting all men by his long-suffering to repentance if not one way yet by the testimony of their conscience hereof hee is said to be slow to anger Exod. 35.6 3. That he debaseth himself to relieve our infirmity both by inward and outward supplies as by his Spirit word oathes sacraments and miracles 4. That hee imbraceth with singular love his chosen so that hee saveth and delivereth them for ever from sin and all evils and comforteth them also in afflictions Repl. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Rev. 7.17 21.4 Isa 49.15 Though a woman should forget her child yet will I not forget thee 5. That he chose rather to bring to passe this our delivery even by the incarnation and death of his only begotten Son then that all mankind should perish So God loved the world John 3.16 that he gave his only begotten Son 6. That he promiseth and performeth all these things of his own free goodnesse I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy Exod. 33.19 Isa 43.25 and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion I even I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sins 7. That hee doth these things towards sinners who not onely were unworthy of them Rom. 5.10 but also who are his deadly enemies When wee were enemies we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son They also of the wiser sort which are out of the Church are compelled to attribute mercy unto God because they see him so mercifully to spare sinners â—am 3.22 whereupon Jeremie saith It is the Lords mercie that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not But because the perfectnesse of Gods justice and the privity of their own sins doth not permit them to conceive any firm perswasion of Gods mercy towards them neither know they ought concerning the salvation of men by the death of his Son therefore are they not able either constantly or wholly to agnise Gods mercy Object 1. Mercy is a kinde of griefe or sorrow Therefore there is sorrow and griefe in God Answ The names of affections when they are attributed unto God by an Anthropopathy they do not signifie any passion or change in God but an unspeakable either dislike or liking of the objects God therefore is said to be mercifull 1. Because he is against the destruction of his creature 2. Because he doth those things which mercifull men are wont to do Isa 1.24 Prov. 1.26 Object 2. God seemeth sometimes to rejoyce in revengement Ans He rejoyceth not in the revengement or punishment but in the executing of his own justice Isa 27.11 Object 3. It seemeth in some places of Scripture that Gods mercy doth not extend it selfe unto the wicked Ans This is to be understood of that degree of mercy wherewith he imbraceth his chosen And yet he spareth also the wicked neither rejoyceth at their destruction Object 4. But yet he saveth not all whereas hee is able to doe it Therefore he is not exceeding mercifull neither mercifull towards all Answ He doth not save all for most just cause for his mercy is so to be exercised that it hinder not the execution of his justice Object 5. He doth not take mercy on any or receive any into favour without the satisfaction of his Son Therefore hee doth it not freely Answ That which is concluded doth not follow because God of his free grace giveth this satisfaction it selfe and applyeth it unto us Now hee giveth a thing freely who giveth the price of a thing for which the thing it selfe is given In what the boundtifulnesse of God is seen Bountifull God is also called bountifull 1. Because hee createth and governeth all things 2. He is the only fountain of all good things 3. which befall to all creatures 4. Yea to the wicked 5. Of his goodnesse love and free mercy towards all creatures 6. But especially towards mankind which he hath made according to his image and for whose sake he hath created all other things 7. But in them also chiefly towards his Church to whom hee hath opened himself
and his will 8. And in this his Church towards his chosen Angels and men to whom by his Son he giveth life and glory everlasting And further whom he is angry with and on whom he inflicteth punishment he is not angry with their substance or nature which himself created but with that corruption which came by other means to his divine work Rom. 1.18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse Object No creature visible is subject to so many evils as man Therefore he is not bountifull towards men Answ He is subject to these evils by an accident that is because of sin but withall he is enriched above other creatures with great blessings even when hee is out of the Church but is most happy and blessed if he repent For what cause God is said to be most free Most free God also alone is most free because he alone by nature is such 1. That no fault or misery can fall upon him 2. Neither can he be constrained of any 3. Neither is he bound to any 4. Neither is he subject or tyed to the rule or lore of another Wherefore whatsoever he willeth and doth that hee willeth and doth himselfe most freely when as much and in what manner he will and what he will that is most good and just But here chiefly is considered the freedome of will or liberty from constraint which is the power and ability whereby God without any necessity hath from everlasting decreed the whole order of creation preservation and rule of all things and doth accomplish the same not being constrained or tyed to other causes yet so that he never swerveth from his rightnesse To this bear witnesse his miracles and many examples of deliveries and punishments and many places of Scripture as Whatsoever pleased the Lord that did hee in the heaven and earth Psal 135.6 in the sea and in all the depth It is not hard to the Lord to save with many or with few 1 Sam 14.6 Object 1. That without which second causes which worke necessarily cannot worke doth it selfe also work necessarily Without the first cause which is God second causes which necessarily worke cannot work Therefore the first cause also which is God worketh together with them necessarily Answ The Major is true of such causes as work with absolute necessity but it is false of such as work only of a conditionall necessity that is because it so pleased God who notwithstanding could move them otherwise or else at all not move them or not so much as make them that they should work and should worke after that manner which they do work Therefore all second causes depend on the first but not the first any way on the second Object 2. God is unchangeably good Therefore not freely good Ans This unchangeablenesse doth not diminish but establish the liberty of Gods will for it is not the unchangeablenesse of a nature but constraint and coaction which is contrary to liberty and so much the more freely the will chuseth with how much the greater and surer force and motion it is carried unto her object Object 3. It is said also of particular events that God can only will those things which are best But only those things which he hath decreed are best Therefore he cannot will other things But answer is made to the Minor What things God hath decreed those are best not before but after his decree for Gods will being the rule and square of rightnesse therefore are all things good because hee willeth them Wherefore if hee would have from everlasting had any other thing that then should have been best As that Joseph should be sold and made lord of Egypt and give sustenance to his fathers family was best because God would so Now if God would have any other way exercised Joseph and taken vengeance on his brethren that should then have been the best It followeth therefore that God willeth no other thing after he hath once decreed what he will have done but that hee was able from everlasting to have decreed some other thing for whatsoever he would that from everlasting he would most freely Object 4. Some places of Scripture seem to intimate that the will of God may be sometimes hindered by his creatures as I desire not the death of the wicked Ezek. 33.11 Mat. 23.37 How often would I have gathered thee and thou wouldest not Answ These and the like places only shew with what God is delighted and to what he inviteth and calleth all but not what by his mercy and Spirit he hath purposed to work in every one Wherefore this doctrine of the liberty and free will of God let us diligently maintain that both the glory of God may be vindicated from Stoicall blasphemies and in us faith hope invocating on God and sedulity and earnestnesse in performing our duty may be established if acknowledging God most freely to govern all his creatures we be neither secure in prosperity nor in adversity doe cast away hope and good endeavours The anger of God against sin Angry and wroth with sin Lastly in the description of Gods nature is put That he is angry and wroth with offences and sins which horrible anger and wrath of God whereby hee detesteth and punisheth all sins although all the wicked at length too late perceive and have experience of when they rush into eternall despaire yet such his displeasure and indignation as God will have to be knowne they cannot so much as conceive who are without the Church seeing they neither judge all those evils to be sins which God in his law threatneth hee will punish with everlasting torments neither know the death and punishment of the Son of God then which God could not shew a greater token and argument of his anger against sin The elect and chosen alone are throughly moved by a right and saving knowledge thereof gathered out of Gods punishments and threatnings to conversion and the fear of God But the greatnesse of it no man can fully conceive according as it is said Psal 90.11 Who knoweth the power of thy wrath An Admonition to the Reader CHristian and courteous Reader whereas in the conference of the two copies I found in the former a large Paraphrase delivered by Uâ—sinus on the description of God and in the latter a brief Abstract thereof collected by David Pareus I judged it meet to retain the Paraphrase for help of weaker understandings and to adjoyn the Abridgement for help of weaker memories If on this advertisement thou advisedly peruse both the one and the other I hope the fruit of both will be neither to thee nor me lost labour A briefe Epitome or Abridgement of the former large Explication of the description of God GOd is an essence That is a thing which hath his being from none but himself and is preserved and sustained of none but subsisteth by himselfe and is the only cause unto
that as touching it we look for Christ to come from heaven whom as touching the Word we beleeve to be in the earth with us Wherefore according to your opinion either the Word is contained in place with the flesh or the flesh is every-where with the Word whereas one nature receiveth not any contrary or divers thing in it selfe and it is a thing diverse and far unlike to be circumscribed in place and to be every-where and seeing the Word is every-where and the flesh is not every-where it is apparent that one and the same Christ is of both natures and is every-where as touching the nature of his God-head but is not every-where as touching the nature of his man-hood is created and hath no beginning is subject to death and cannot die the one he hath by the nature of the Word whereby he is God the other by the nature of his flesh whereby the same God is man Wherefore that one Son of God and the same made the Sonne of man hath a beginning by the nature of flesh and hath no beginning by the nature of his God-head was created by the nature of his flesh and was not created by the nature of his God-head circumscribed in place by the nature of his flesh and not contained in any place by the nature of his God-head is lower also then the Angels by the nature of his flesh and is equall with the Father according to the nature of his God-head died by the nature of his flesh and never died by the nature of his God-head This is the Catholike faith and confession which the Apostles delivered the Martyrs established and the faithfull hitherto hold and maintaine ON THE 15. SABBATH Quest 37. What beleevest thou when thou saiest He suffered Answ That he all the time of his life which he led in the earth but especially at the end thereof sustained the wrath of God both in body and soule against the sin of all mankind a Esay 53.4 1 Pet. 2.24 3.18 1 Tim. 2.6 that he might by his passion as the only propitiatory sacrifice b Esay 53.10 Ephes 5.2 1 Cor. 5.5 1 John 2.2 Rom. 3.15 Heb. 9.28 10 14. deliver our body and soule from everlasting damnation c Gal. 3.13 Colos 1.13 Heb. 9.12 1 Pet. 1.18 19. and purchase unto us the favour of God righteousnesse and everlasting life d Rom. 3.25 2 Cor. 5.21 John 3.16 9.51 Heb. 9.15 10.19 The Explication NOw have we in few words expounded those Articles of the Apostolike Creed which intreate of the person of Christ and have withall declared in the exposition thereof those things which are necessary for us to know both of the Divinity of Christ and of his humane nature which was taken by the Word of the seed of David united personally with the Word by the vertue of the holy Ghost and begotten in marvellous manner of the Virgins substance The course of order requireth that now consequently we expound and declare those Articles which treat of the office of Christ and first of all of his Humiliation or humbling which is the former part of Christs office whereunto belong these Articles He suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried He descended into hell After we have expounded these we will come unto the rest of the Articles which speak of his Glorification which is the other part of Christs office The Passion of Christ doth follow next his Conception and Nativity Two causes why Christs passion followeth his nativity immediatly in the Creed The fruits to be gathered out of the story of Christs life 1. Because in his Passion and Death consisteth our salvation 2. Because his whole life was a continuall passion suffering and calamity Yet notwithstanding many things may and ought to be profitably observed out of the story of the whole race of his life on earth set downe by the Evangelists For that doth shew 1. This person to be the promised Messias seeing in him concurre and are fulfilled all the prophecies 2. That story is a consideration or meditation of that humility or obedience which he performed unto his Father Hither belong those things which are especially to be considered in Christs Passion 1. The history it selfe of Christs Passion agreeing with Gods sacred Oracles and Prophecies 2. The causes or fruits of Christs Passion 3. His example that we are also to enter into eternall life heavenly glory by suffering death as did Christ But for fuller explication these foure Questions touching Christs Passion are to be considered 1. What is understood by the name of Passion or what Christ suffered 2. Whether he suffered according to both natures 3. What was the impellent cause of Christs Passion 4. What the finall causes or ends and fruits thereof 1. What is meant by the name of Passion or what Christ suffered BY the name of Passion is understood the whole humiliation or the obedience of Christs whole humiliation all the miseries infirmities torments ignominies paines and griefs unto all which Christ for our sakes was subject and obnoxious as well in soule as in body from the point of his nativity untill the houre of his death and resurrection For the chiefe part of his paines and dolours were the torments in his soule wherein he felt the ire and wrath of God against the sin of mankind But principally by the name Passion is signified the last part of his humiliation even the last act of his life Mat. 26.38 27 46. Esay 53.4 6 10. Christs sufferings wherein he suffered extreme torments of soule and body for our finnes My soule is very heavie even unto the death My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Surely he hath carried our sorrowes The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all The Lord would break him and make him subject to infirmities What then did Christ suffer He suffered 1. A privation and want of incomparable happinesse joy and all other heavenly blessings which he should have injoyed 2. All the infirmities of mans nature sinne onely excepted he hungred thirsted Mat. 8.17 John 4.7 19.28 Hebr. 4.15 was weary was stricken with sadnesse and griete c. 3. Extreme need and poverty The sonne of man hath not whereon to lay his head 4. For infinite injuries contumelies slanders layings in wait for him back-bitings reproaches blasphemies annihilating Luke 9 58. Mat. 12.24 and contempt I am a worme and not a man He hath neither forme nor beauty when we shall see him there shall be no forme that we should desire him Psal 22 7. Esay 53.4 5. The temptations of the Devill He was in all things tempted in like sort yet without sinne 6. The death of the body and that reproachfull and contumelious even the death of the Crosse 7. The most grievous torments of soule that is Hebr. 4.15 he found the sense and feeling of the wrath of God against the sins
felt and buried that men might know it to be a dead crops Hither belong some parts of the story penned by the Evangelists as that Christ was pierced with a lance that he was taken down from the Crosse that he was annointed and wrapt in linnen cloathes c. For these are good evidences of the truth of his death We therefore by his buriall are ascertained of his true death and by his death assured of our redemption For our salvation consisteth in his death the testimony whereof is his buriall 2. That the last part of his humiliation whereby hee did debase himselfe for our sakes might be accomplished For buriall was a part of the punishment curse â—â—n 3.19 and ignominy which we had deserved as it is said To dust shalt thou returne A dead body is indeed void of sense and feeling but yet notwithstanding ignominious it was for the body to be committed to the earth as any other dead corps As then Christs resurrection from the dead and death is a part of his glory so his buriall that is the debasing of his body to be in the same state with other dead carkases is a part of that humiliation which he sustained for our sakes 3. Hee would be buried that we might not be affraid of the grave but might know that our head Christ had sanctified our graves by his buriall that now they are no longer graves unto us but chambers of quiet repose untill we be raised againe unto life 4. That it might be apparent or manifest as concerning his resurrection that hee had truely overcome death in his body that by his own power and vigour he had shaken off death from himselfe and that his resurrection was not imaginary but a resurrection of a reviving corps 5. That he might confirme in us an hope of the resurrection to wit that the time shall once come when we after his example shall be buried and by his power shall rise again knowing that Christ our head hath laid open the way unto us by the grave and death to celestiall glory and therefore shall wee be raised out of the grave though we die and give up the Ghost 6. That we being spiritually dead that is to sin might rest from sin We are buried with Christ by baptisme into his death Rom. 6.4 that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father so we also should walke in newnesse of life 7. That the truth might be answerable to the type of Jonas and the prophecies might be fulfilled concerning the buriall of the Messias Thou Psal 16.10 Esay 53.9 shalt not leave my soule in hell He made his grave with the wicked Quest 42. But since that Christ died for us why must we also die Answ Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins a Mar. 8.37 but the abolishing of sin and our passage into life everlasting b Phil. 1.32 John 8.24 Rom. 7.14 The Explication HEre is answer made unto that objection If Christ died for us why then die wee too For hee should not die for whom another hath already died otherwise the satisfaction would seem double Answ Hee for whom another died should not die as thereby to satisfie that is so that his death should be any merit or satisfaction but there are other causes why we must die For wee die not to satisfie the justice of God but by death as a meane to receive those gifts which Christ by his death hath merited for us For this our temporall death What our temporall death is is 1. An admonition of the remnants of sin in us 2. An admonition of the greatnesse of sin 3. A purging and cleansing of us For by death are purged out the reliques and remaines of sin in us 4 A translating into eternall life For by corporall death is the passage of the faithfull made into eternall life Repl. If the cause be taken away the effect is taken away but the cause of death in us which is sin is taken away by Christ therefore the effect also which is death it selfe ought to be taken away Ans Where all cause is taken away the effect also is taken away but in us all cause of death is not taken away As concerning the purging out of sin albeit it be taken away as touching the remission of sin Or we may answer unto the Minor proposition that sin is indeed taken away as touching the guilt but it is not taken away as touching the matter of sin which as yet remaineth to be purged by little and little that we might be exercised in prayer and repentance in this life untill in another life we be perfectly discharged from the reliques of sin Quest 43. What other commodities receive we by the sacrifice and death of Christ Answ That by the vertue of his death our old man is crucified slain and buried together with him a Rom. 6.6 that henceforth evill lusts and desires may not reigne in us b Rom. 6.6 12. but we may offer our selves unto him a sacrifice of thanksgiving c Rom. 12.1 The Explication THis Question concerneth the fruits and commodities of Christs death Here also the end of Christs death and the fruits of the same are all one thing as we have before shewed in his Passion considered with diverse respects For those ends which Christ proposed unto himselfe in dying they become fruits unto us in receiving and apprehending them The fruit therefore and commodity of Christs death is the whole work of our Redemption Justification or remission of sins Justification or remission of sins because the justice of God requireth that God should not punish a sinner twice but he hath punished our sins in Christ Therefore he will not punish again the same in us The bloud of Jesus Christ purgeth us from all sin 1 John 1.7 as well originall as actuall as well of fact or doing what we should not as of omission or not doing what we should So then we are justified that is we are freed from the guilt as well of punishment as of crime by the death of Christ The cause of this effect is the death of Christ The gift of the holy Ghost and regeneration The gift of the holy Ghost and through his working regeneration and a new life because Christ by his death hath not onely obtained for us pardon of our sin and reconciliation with God but also the gift of the holy Ghost that by his working and vertue the old man might be crucified with Christ that is that by the holy Ghost through the efficacy of Christs merit and our engraffing into him our corrupt and as yet not regenerated nature might be abolished in us and that of the contrary righteousnesse might be begun in us the image of God destroyed by the Divell in us might be restored and we by the same spirit moved to shew and yeeld all thankfulnesse for so great
the place and state of the blessed where both of us shall be free from these paines that is he speaketh of felicity and liberty which is not in hell for his meaning is both of us who now suffer shall this day be in Paradise a place of everlasting salvation or happinesse where being delivered from all torments we shall injoy most pleasant quiet and repose But Paradise is neither hell nor in hell which is the place of torment Whereupon also it is cleere that Christ spake this to the Thiefe not of his God-head but of that which suffered which was his soule For the God-head was not with the Thiefe neither did Christ suffer or was elivered as touching his God-head but as touching his soule 2. If Christ did locally descend into hell Because there was no cause why Christ should descend Joâ—â— 39.30 he descended either to suffer or to deliver the Fathers thence as the Papists affirme But he descended not to suffer because now all things were finished on the Crosse as Christ himselfe also hanging on the Crosse said It is finished Hee descended not to deliver the Fathers 1 1. Not to suffer 1. Because hee did this before in suffering for them on the earth 2 2 Not to tree the Fathers out of the Limbo Wisd 3.1 Luke 16.26 2. He did the same by his power and efficacy of his God-head from the very beginning of the world not by the descension of his soule or body into hell The Fathers were not in Limbo Therefore they could not be delivered thence as it is said The soules of the just are in the hand of God Between you and us there is a great gulfe set so that they which would goe from hence to you cannot neither can they come from thence to us And in the same place Lazarus dying is said to be carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome not into Limbus Patrum Some thinke that Christ indeed descended not into hell either to suffer 3 3. Not to triumph over Death and the Divell and affright them 1 Pet. 3.19 or to deliver the Fathers thence but to shew there the Divell and death his victory and to strike a terrour into them But that Christ descended for this cause is no where found extant in Scripture They object unto us first that place of Peter By the which he also went and preached unto the Spirits that are in prison which were in time passed disobedient Answ Peters meaning in this place is not as these men conjecture but is on this wise Hee saith Christ went that is being sent from the beginning of the Father unto the Church By his Spirit that is by his God-head To the Spirits that are now in prison that is in hell He preached in time passed When as yet they lived and were disobedient namely before the Floud For then hee preached to the disobedient when they were disobedient But they were disobedient in the time of Noah Therefore Christ preached by Noah and by the Fathers inviting the disobedient to repentance Farther if Peter here spake of the descension into hell yet this was not their opinion who pretend the broaching of it but the Papists who affirme and teach that Christ preached in hell unto the Fathers and delivered them 1 Pet. 4.6 They bring another place of Peter The Gospell was also preached unto the dead Answ That is unto those which are now dead or were then dead when Peter wrote this and who then lived when the Gospell was preached unto them They wrest and misconstrue also a place of Paul Ephes 4.9 Christ descended into the lowest parts of the earth Answ Into the lowest parts of the earth that is into the earth which is the lowest part of the world For one part of the earth is not opposed unto another but the earth is opposed unto heaven and the humiliation of Christ is thereby signified This interpretation is proved by the scope and drift of the Apostle who maketh in that place an opposition of Christs great glory and his great humiliation So on the other side Christ ascended into the highest paris of heaven that is into heaven into the highest part of the world These places therefore make nothing for the descension of Christ into hell and were it so that these places alledged to establish this opinion were to be understood of a locall descension of Christ into hell yet would they not make for them but rather for the Papists who teach that Christ preached unto the Fathers in hell and thence delivered them Now if these testimonies help not the Papists much lesse will they help them For it is certaine that it cannot be thence proved that Christ descended into hell to strike a terrour into death and the Divell This opinion indeed is not impious or ungodly and is approved by many of the Fathers so that we are not to contend maliciously with any therein yet I leave it because it is not grounded on any firme reasons neither can be gained by witnesse of Scripture and contrary reasons are at hand easie to be had For 1. After his death when he had said It is finished the soule of Christ rested in the hands of his Father into which he had commended it And 2. If hee descended to triumph this Article should be the beginning of his glorification but it is not likely that Christ took the beginning of his glorification in hell For it is apparent by the opposition of the Article following that Christs descension was the lowest degree of his humiliation And yet I confesse withall that Christ strook a greater terrour into the Divels but that was by his death whereby hee disarmed and vanquished the Divell Sin and death and without doubt the Divell perceived himselfe conquered by the death of Christ Hell signifieth in this place the terrours and torments of the soule What meaneth then this Christs descension into hell It signifieth 1. Those extreme torments straights and griefes which Christ suffered in his soule namely the wrath of God against sinners and that such as the damned feele partly in this life and partly in the life to come 2. The exceeding and extreme ignominy and reproach which Christ suffered That Christ suffered these things is proved by the testimony of David before alledged The griefes of hell caught mee Psal 116.3 which is said of Christ in the person of David There are other the like sayings whereby the same is proved The Lord would breake him and make him subject to infirmities Esay 53.10 Mat 26.31 My soule is very heavie even unto the death The same doe those his vexations also shew in the Garden when he sweat bloud because The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all Luke 22.44 Esay 53.6 Therefore he crieth out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee The same is also proved by these reasons 1. Christ was to redeeme not only our bodies
effect likewise is taken away The wages of sinne is death Further Rom. 6.23 if he hath abolished death and that by a sufficient satisfaction for our sins which satisfaction he hath shewed and declared by his resurrection to be sufficient it is certain that his resurrection is a most certain testimony of our resurrection for he having performed a sufficient satisfaction for the sins of his members the members cannot remain in death But the resurrection of Christ the head is an argument of the perfect satisfaction for the sinnes of his members Therefore Christs resurrection is also an argument of the perfect resurrection of his members 3. As the first Adam received the blessings for himselfe and all his posterity and lost the same from all So Christ the second Adam received life and all other gifts for himselfe and others and therefore also will communicate eternall life with us 4. Seeing the same spirit dwelleth in us which did in Christ he shall work also the same in us which in our head he did For the spirit is alwayes alike neither could he work in the head and sleep in the members Therefore seeing Christ hath raised himselfe up by his spirit from the dead he will verily also raise us up If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you Rom. 8.11 he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his Spirit dwelleth in you 5. Because Christ is man and our brother for except he were man we should have no hope of the resurrection of our flesh For 1 Cor 1â— 11 by man came the resurrection Therefore for his tender love and affection he will not leave us in death and so much the rather in regard of his power and glory For if he being dead raised himselfe much more being alive shall he be able to raise us up and if in the time of his humiliation he had power to raise himselfe much more may he raise us out of the grave now he reigneth in glory aâ— the right hand of his Father Object 1. Then the wicked shall not rise againe because Christs resurrection is neither an argument nor the cause of the resurrection of the wicked but of the godly onely Answ There be other causes for which the wicked shall rise againe even for the just judgement of God whereby he hath appointed them to eternall paines For the same thing may have moe effects and diverse causes Object 2. These are the benefits of his death therefore not of his resurrection Ans They are of his death as by it he deserved them of his resurrection 1. In respect of the manifestation of them for by his resurrection he declared that those benefis were purchased for us For by escaping from this punishment he made plaine proofe of his full and perfect satisfaction for sinne 2. In respect of the application of them Because by his resurrection he applieth his benefits unto us 2 Cor. â— 9 He being rich was made poore and being poore was made rich againe that he might enrich us Object 3. The effect is not before the cause The cause of these benefis which is his resurrection was not before the first resurrection therefore neither the effect that is the benefits themselves Answ The resurrection was not as touching the accomplishment thereof but in the counsell of God and in efficacy and vertue it was in the Old Testament For then also were men received into favour they were indued with the holy Ghost and received the other benefits but for and by the Mediatour which was in time appointed to be humbled and glorified Knowledge that Christ is the prophecied Melâ—ias By Christs resurrection we know him to be the Messias as in whom the prophecies were fulfilled Assurance that he is the Mediatour By it we are assured that he now executeth the office of the Mediatour that he applyeth unto us the benefit of redemption that he preserveth us perpetually in that righteousnesse which he hath applied unto us that he beginneth in us a new life and so doth also assure and ascertain us of the consummation and accomplishment of eternall life all which he could not doe except he had risen againe Affurance that he will alwaies defend his Church Seeing he now liveth and reigneth for ever we are certaine that he will preserve and defend his Church The consummation of all his benefits The last though not the least fruit of Christs resurrection is The consummation and perfecting of all his benefits and the glorifying of his Church For Christ did therefore die and is therefore risen and hath therefore perfectly delivered us from sin that we may be joynt heires with him of his kingdome and glory Col. 1.18 Rom. 8.17 He is the first-borne of the dead We are the heires of God and heires annexed with Christ He shall conforme and make us like unto himself because we live by the same spirit whereby he doth And this spirit is not unlike himselfe Rom. 8.11 If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirit dwelleth in you John 14.3 I will come againe and receive you unto my selfe that where I am there may ye be also The summe of the fruits of Christs resurrection is that seeing Christ is risen it is manifest that he is declared to be the Son of God and as touching his humanity is endowed with that glory which becometh the nature of the Sonne of God and further that he endueth us also with his spirit regenerateth us by the vertue of his spirit and will at length consummate and perfect the new life begun in us and make us co-partners of the same his glory felicity and everlasting life The meaning of the Article He rose againe from the dead Now what is the meaning of this Article I beleeve in Christ which rose againe the third day from the dead Answ The meaning hereof is that I beleeve 1. That Christ did truly recall his soule into his dead body and quickned it 2. That he retained a true soul and true body but both now glorified and free from all our infirmities 3. That he rose by his owne vertue and power 4. That he rose to this end to make me a partaker of his righteousnesse sanctification and glorification which he had purchased for us by his death Quest 46. How understand you that He ascended into heaven Answ That Christ his Disciples looking on was taken up from the earth into heaven a Acts 1.9 Marke 16.19 Luke 24. â—1 and yet still is there for our sakes b Hebr. 9.24 4.14 Rom. 8.34 Col. 3.1 and will be untill he come againe to judge the quick and the dead c Acts 1.11 Mat. 24.30 The Explication CHrists ascension into heaven is a
testifie that he doth in a lawfull and right use of them bestow the thing promised and so may confirme our faith or that he may instruct us of his will by his Sacraments and by them exhort us to receive and imbrace the blessings purchased by Christ and further seale by those Sacraments these benefits and blessings of Christ unto us Now the Sacraments seale these benefits and blessings unto us 1. Because Sacraments are signes 2. Because they are pledges having a promise Therefore by these signes and pledges of Gods favour towards us the holy Ghost effectually moveth our hearts no lesse then by the Word The second end is the distinguishing of the Church from Painims 2. To distinguish the Church from others and all other Sects whatsoever For God will have his Church to be beheld in the world and to be knowne by these sacred signes as souldiers are knowne by their military tokens and sheep by those marks which their shepheard seareth seareth in them He willeth the Jewes to be circumcised and Christians to be baptized he interdicteth aliens and strangers and excludeth them from eating of the Paschall Lamb. God will have his Kingdome discerned from the Synagogue of Sathan for these two causes 1. For his owne glories sake 2. For our comfort and salvation For as he will not have himselfe shuffled and mingled with Idols so neither will he have his people shuffled and mighled with the Kingdome of the Devill The third end is the profession and testification of our thank fulnesse and duty towards God 3. To prosesse and testifie our thankfulnesse which is the bond whereby we are obliged unto Christ to be his people as he is our God to shew true repentance to beleeve in him and to receive of him his benefits offered unto us The fourth is the propagation and maintenance of the doctrine 4. To propagate and maintain the doctrine because God will not have the use of his Sacraments to be without the Word and application thereof The fifth is an occasion thereby given to the yonger sort to inquire what these things meane 5. To give an occasion to the younger to inquire and learne the things by them signified Exod. 13.14 and so an occasion also of explicating and preaching the benefits of Christ unto them As also the Lord saith unto his people When thy son shall aske thee to morrow saying What is this Thou shalt then say unto him With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt out of the house of bondage The sixth and last end is that they may be bonds of mutuall dilection and love because they 6. To unite us in mutuall love and affection who are entred into an association or confederacy with Christ the head of the Church ought not to be at difference among themselves By one spirit are we all baptized into one body In like manner the Sacraments are the bonds of publike meetings and congregations in the Church When ye come together to eate tarry one for another For we that are many are one bread 1 Cor. 12.13 11.33 10.17 Ephes 4.5 and one body because we are all partakers of one bread One God one Faith c. But we cannot settle among us this communion neither maintaine and continue it being once settled neither profitably annunciate and shew sorth the death of the Lord as long as we dissent and jarre among our selves contentiously about the institution of the Sacraments For the Sacraments are pledges of that communion which Christians have first with Christ and then between themselves In what Sacraments differ from Sacrifices WE must hold and observe a difference betweene Sacrifices and Sacraments that we may know what to doe when we come unto the Sacraments and not make Sacrifices of Sacraments that is present our owne workes imagining that they please God for the very work done and deserve remission of sinnes as Papists doe Now the difference betweene these consisteth especially in two things In their kind and nature In their kinde and nature For Sacraments are onely ceremonies witnessing unto us Gods will Sacrifices may be ceremoniall and morall works also as our Sacrifices of thanksgiving of praise and thankfulnesse the calves of our lips our almes c. are morall works whereby we yeeld unto God due obedience and honour without any ceremony In their principall end In their principall and chiefe end In the Sacraments God offereth unto us his benefits but Sacrifices are testimonies of our obedience towards God This appeareth out the definition of both A Sacrament it a work wherein God giveth us something to wit the signes and the things signified A Sacrament A Sacrifice and wherein he testifieth of his offering and bestowing his benefits upon us A Sacrifice is a work wherein we yeeld unto God obedience or the worship which he hath commanded us Or it is our work done in faith and to this end principally That God may have his due honour and obedience They differ then as these two To give and To take differ For God giveth Sacraments unto us and he receiveth Sacrifices of us Howbeit the same rite or ceremony may be in diverse respects both a Sacrament and a Sacrifice A Sacrament as it is given of God A Sacrifice as it is used by the godly performing to God their obedience and yeelding him tanks Therefore a Sacrament and Sacrifice are often one and the selfe-same thing The same thing or work may be a Sacrifice and a Sacrament in a diverse respect but still they differ in respect All Sacraments then in respect of us are Sacrifices also but those onely Eucharisticall and of thanksgiving not propitiatory For there is but one onely Sacrifice propitiatory to wit the ransome of Christ offered for us on the Crosse Hence we easily may answer unto that objection Object The Passeover and other ceremonies of the Old Testament were both Sacrifices and Sacraments Therefore the Sacraments doe nothing differ from Sacrifices Ans More is in the conclusion then in the premisses because this only followeth That the same thing may be a Sacrament and a Sacrifice So Baptisme and the Lords supper are Sacraments and Sacrifices in a diverse manner and respect They are Sacraments and that principally because they are the work of God who giveth us something in them and doth therein testifie his gift unto us For in them he reacheth unto us certaine symbols and tokens by his Ministers as also by his Ministers he speaketh as by his mouth unto us according as it is said Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me So therefore every Minister reacheth with his hand the Sacraments unto us and we receive them at their hands as at the hands of God if so we take them with reverence but much more God giveth and as it were reacheth with his hand unto us in the lawfull and right use of the Sacraments the things themselves which are
offer our obedience unto God 18. Wherefore also one and the same ceremony may be considered both as a Sacrament and as a Sacrifice as whereby God in giving us visible signes testifieth his benefits towards us and we in receiving them testifie again our duty towards him And this testification of our faith and thankfulnesse dependeth of that testification of Gods benefits towards us as of the chiefe and proper end and use of the Sacraments and is thereby raised in the minds of the faithfull The confirmation of such of the former conclusions as most require it THe confirmation of the second conclusion The definition therein delivered of Sacraments is expressed Genes 17.11 Exod. 20.20 Exod. 31.14 Thou shalt keep my Sabbaths Now that Sacraments are rites commanded and prescribed to the Church by God is apparent by the institution of them as also that they are rites adjoyned unto the promise as visible signes and tokens thereof Deut. 30.6 Heb. 8.9 10. because all Sacraments are necessary duties towards God But chiefly and principally they are Gods benefits towards us as Circumcision did portend and shew remission of sinnes and mortification Neither onely doe we signifie them in confessing and celebrating them but chiefly God himselfe doth signifie them unto us testifying and confirming them unto us by the ceremonies of Sacraments For the Ministers as well in the administration of the Sacraments as in the preaching of the Word beare the person and possesse the place of God in the Church Teach and baptise all Nations Mat. 28.19 John 4.1 2. Jesus did baptise when yet not he himselfe but his Disciples did baptise So of the signe and ceremony of inauguration or annointing one to be King it is said The Lord hath annointed thee 〈◊〉 Sam. 10.1 when yet Samuel was sent to annoint Saul They further are therefore said to confirme our faith because the Scripture witnesseth them to be the signes and tokens of the muâ—uall and everlasting Covenant betweene God and the faithfull which God signifieth unto us in the bestowing of his benefits promised us in the Gospel But God is alike to be beleeved whether by signes or by words which signifie his will because not onely our sacrifices and obedience but also the signes of grace delivered to us by God have in their right use the promise of grace adjoyned unto them As He that shall beleeve and shall be baptized shall be saved And lastly because the Scripture to signifie the receiving or want of the thing signified alledgeth the receiving or want of the signes Psal 51.7 Deut. 30.6 Rom. 3.6 2 Cor. 10.16 As Purge me with hysope and I shall be clean The Lord will circumcise thy heart All we which have beene baptized The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ And hereof also follow the other ends specified in the definition in the second conclusion As That the Sacraments discerne and sever the Church from other Sects This is manifest both by effects and by restimonies A stranger shall not cate thereof Exod. 12.45 What is the profit of Circumcision Much every manner of way Rom. 3.1 Ephes 2.11 because unto them are committed the Oracles of God Yee being in times past Gentiles and called Vncircumcision of them who were at that time without Christ and were aliants from the Common-wealth of Israel and were strangers from the Covenant of promise Genes 17.11 and had no hope and were without God in the world It shall be a signe of the Covenant betweene me and you and it shall be my Covenant in your flesh Another end is that that they preserve the memory of Gods benefits As often as yee shall eate this bread ye shew the Lords death untill he come 1 Cor. 11.26 Exod. 12.14 Deut. 6 8. Luke 22.11 This day shall be unto you a remembrance Thou shalt binde them for a signe unto thy hand and they shall be as signes of remembrance betweene thine eyes Doe this in remembrance of me Lastly They are also bonds of love because they who are confederated with God Ephes 4.5 1 Cor. 10.17 are united also among themselves One Lord one faith c. We being many are one body The confirmation of the fourth conclusion The distinction there delivered is manifest in it self The receiving of the signs is corporal and external But the things especially signified are not received without faith because they are promised to beleevers onely And the signes are no otherwise true then the promises unto which they are annexed Againe The signes declare the same to the eyes which the promise declareth unto the eares As therefore the promise is but an empty sound without faith so also are the ceremonies vaine spectacles Againe the things signified are the communion of Christ and all his benefits but this can no man have otherwise then by faith either in the use or without the use of the Sacrament The confirmation of the sixth conclusion Such is the conjunction of all signes with their things signified as that they represent the things signified and confirme the acceptation of them For the pledges or tokens and symboles testifying other things are though not in the same place yet together with the things testified and signified The reason is Because To make one thing a signe of another thing is not to include or tye the thing with the signe as that they should be in one place but to ordaine the signe to signifie the thing the signe being in the same place with it or in some other place Againe the nature of the things signified by the Sacraments doth not admit the locall union For some are subsisting formes some accidents not inherent in the sacramentall signes but in the minds of men as the gifts of the holy Ghost Some are corporeall and in one place onely and not locally existent wheresoever the Sacraments are used as the flesh and bloud of Christ The confirmation of the seventh conclusion The Scripture speaketh thus of the Sacraments Circumcision is the Covenant the Lamb is the Passeover the bloud of the Sacrifices the bloud of the Covenant the expiation of the Sacrifices the Sabbath the everlasting Covenant the mercy-seat of the Arke Baptisme a cleansing or washing Bread and Wine the body and bloud of Christ And so the Scripture expoundeth it self when Circumcision is called the signe of the Covenant the Paschall Lamb the signe of the Passeover the Sabbath a perpetuall signe of grace and sanctification the ceremonies types and shadowes of true things the beleever and baptized shall be saved and of the signes and symbols of the Lords Supper it is said that they are to be received of our reconciliation The confirmation of the tenth conclusion The signes of the Covenant confirme nothing unto them who keep not the Covenant or who referre them to another end But the Sacraments are signes of the Covenant whereby God bindeth himselfe to give unto us
in the Supper 8. Who are to come to the Supper 9. Who are to be admitted to the Supper The three former of these belong to the 75. and 76. Questions of the Catechism the fourth to the 77 78 79. the fifth to the 80. the sixth seventh eighth and ninth to the 81. and under them they shall be placed and handled 1. What the Supper of the Lord is The names given to this Sacrament and the reason of the names FIrst we will see by what names the Supper of the Lord is called then we will in few words define what it is This action or ceremony or rite instituted by Christ a little before his death is called The Lords Supper It is called 1. The Lords Supper from the first institution of it that is in respect of the originall or first beginning of this rite or in respect of the time wherein this ceremony was instituted which circumstance of time the Church for her liberty in case of this quality hath changed For it was a matter of casualty that this ceremony was instituted of Christ rather in the evening at supper time then in the morning or at noon day to wit because of the eating of the Paschal Lamb which by the law was to be celebrated in the evening and was afterwards to be abolished by this new Sacrament It is called of S. Paul 2. The Lords Table The Table of the Lord. It is likewise called Synaxis that is a covenant 3. A covenant of assembly in respect of the assembly and convent of the Church because some either few or many must assemble and meet together in celebrating of the Supper for in the first celebration the disciples were present to them it was said Take this and divide it among you Wherefore it must needs be that there was some number there which also appeareth by the Apostle repeating the first institution where in the end he addeth 1 Cor. 11.20 35. When ye come together to eat tarry one for another And further that moe ought to come together to celebrate the Supper this end of the Supper doth evidently enough shew in that it was instituted to be a token and even a bond of love For wee that are many 1 Cor. 10.17 are one bread and one body It is called also the Eucharist 4. The Eucharist because it is a rite and ceremony of thanksgiving Last of all 5. A Sacrifice it is called also a Sacrifice not propitiatory or meritorious as the Papists dream but gratulatory because it is the commemoration of Christs propitiatory sacrifice And at length it was also called Missa from the offering or from the dismissing of the rest who might not communicate after the Sermon which went before the celebration was finished We retain the name left in Scripture and call it The Lords Supper Now let us come to define the Lords Supper The definition of the Lords Supper The Lords Supper is a ceremony or Sacrament instituted and appointed of Christ unto the faithfull for a memoriall of him whereby Christ doth certainly promise and seal unto me and all the faithfull first That his body was offered and broken on the crosse for mee and his bloud shed for me as truly as I see with mine eyes the bread of the Lord to be broken unto me and his cup distributed And moreover That hee doth as certainly with his body crucified and his bloud shed feed and nourish my soul unto everlasting life as my body is fed with the bread and the cup the Lord received from the hand of the minister which are offered to me as certain seals of the body and bloud of Christ It may be also more briefly defined on this wise The Lords Supper is a distributing and receiving of bread and wine commanded of Christ unto the faithfull that by these signes he might testifie that hee hath delivered and yeelded his body unto death and hath shed his bloud for them and doth give them those things to eate and drink that they might be unto them the meat and dâ—ink of eternall life and that thereby also hee might testifie that hee would dwell in them nourish and quicken them for ever And again That of the other side he might by the same signes binde them to mutuall dilection and love seeing Christ spareth not to give his body and bloud for us This is confirmed not only by Christ in the Evangelists but also by Paul who expresly saith The cup of the blessing which wee blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ Moreover The signe and things signified in the Lords Supper the signes in the Sacrament are bread and wine bread broken and eaten wine distributed and taken The things signified are 1. The breaking of the bodâ— and the shedaing of the bloud of Christ 2. Our union and conjunction with Christ by faith so that wee draw life everlasting from him and are made partakers as of Christ himselfe so also of all his benefits as the branches are made partakers of the life of the vine Wee are advertised of this our union and communion with Christ 1. By the proportion which the signes have with the things 2. By the promise which is adjoyned And the proportion doth chiefly propose and shew two things unto us 1. The sacrifice of Christ 2. Our communion with Christ because the bread is not only broken but is also given us to eat Breaking of the bread a part of the ceremony Now the breaking of the bread is a part of the ceremony because unto it a part of the thing signified doth answer namely the breaking of Christs body of which signification of this signe Paul doth testifie when he saith 1 Cor. 11.24 This is my body which is broken for you Here receiving and eating is part of the ceremony whereunto doth answer the thing signified to wit the eating of Christs body Now this divine and spirituall thing namely the breaking and communicating of Christs body is signified and confirmed by this ceremony which is the breaking and receiving of bread for two causes 1. Because Christ commandeth these rites unto which we ought to give no lesse credit then if Christ himself did speak with us 2. Because he annexeth a promise that they who observe these rites with a true faith must be assured and certain that they have communion with Christ. Wine is added that wee should know the perfection and accomplishment of our salvation to be in his sacrifice and that there was nothing which could be further desired The wine is severed from the bread to signifie the violence of his death because the bloud was sundered from his body 2. What are the ends of the Lords Supper THe ends for which the Lords Supper was instituted are Confirmation of our faith That it might be a confirmation of our faith that is a most certain testification of our communion and union with Christ
abolished and the signified Pasteover was now exhibited and a memoriall of him was to be signed to the Church or lastly hee gave thanks for the admirable and wonderfull gathering and preserving of the Church Hee brake it That is hee brake the bread which hee took from the table and distributed the same being one among many not any other invisible thing hidden in the bread He brake not his body but the bread as Saint Paul saith The bread which hee brake c. Now he distributed the bread being one among many because wee that are many are one body But the cause for which he brake this bread was to signifie 1. His passion and the separation of his body from his soule Two things signified by the breaking of the bread 1 Cor. 10.16 2. The communion of many with his own body and their bond of union and mutuall love The bread which we breake is it not the communion of Christ For wee that are many are one bread and one body Wherefore the breaking of bread is a necessary ceremonie both in respect of the signification Poure causes why this ceremony is to be retained and in respect of the confirmation of our faith and therefore is this ceremony also to be retained 1. Because Christ hath commanded it Doe this 2. Because of the authority and example of the Church planted in the Apostles time which from the rite of breaking termed the whole action Breaking of bread 3. For our own comfort that we may know the body of Christ to have been as certainly crucified for us as we see the bread to be broken unto us 4. That the opinions of Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation may be pulled out of mens minds Take eat This commandement belongeth to the disciples and to the whole Church of the new Testament Whence it is cleer and manifest 1. That the Popish Masse wherein the priest giveth nothing to the Church to be taken and eaten is not the Supper of the Lord but a private supper of him that sacrificeth and a meer stage-play 2. That wee must not be idle beholders of the Supper but religious receivers of it 3. That the Lords Supper is not to be celebrated but in an assembly or congregation where there are such as receive and eat 4. That the Supper is a signe of grace in respect of God reaching out unto us his benefits to be apprehended with a strong faith even as we receive the signe with our hand and mouth This is my body This that is this bread Object Then should it have been said * These Greek pronouns cannot be expressed with the like English particles because the words BREAD and BODY being of divers genders in Greek the Greek pronouns also are divers when as in English our particle THIS serveth for words of all genders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as if he had said This thing which I have in my hand now that was bread And that it is so to be understood is proved by these reasons 1. Christ took nothing but bread he brake bread and gave bread to his disciples to eare 2. S. Paul saith expresly The bread which he brake is it not the communion of the body of Christ 3. Of the wine it is said This cup is the new Testament in my bloud Wherefore after the same manner it is said This that is this bread is my body which is broken and delivered unto death for you The literall sense if it be properly taken can be no otherwise understood then thus The substance of this bread is the substance of my body But so to understand it is an undoubted absurdity for bread is a masse without life baked of corn and not united personally to the Word but the body of Christ is a living substance born of the Virgin and united personally to the Word Christ therefore calleth the bread his body meaning Cont. Adim c. 12. the signe of his body by a sacramentall Metonymie attributing the name of the thing signified to the signe because he appointeth this bread to be signe and sacrament of his body as Augustine himself interpreteth The Lord doubted not to say This is my body when he gave the signe of his body Wherefore far be it from us that we should say that Christ took bread visibly and his body invisibly in the bread For it is to be observed that he saith not In this is my body Or This bread is my body invisible But This bread is my body true and visible which is given for you Moreover these are the words of the promise added to this sacrament to teach us what the bread is in this use to wit the body of Christ that is what Christ exhibiteth and imparteth to the receivers of this bread and beleevers of this promise even his body or that flesh which in the Gospel hee promised to give for the salvation of the world For this is no diverse promise from that hee delivered in the sixth of John John 6.51 but every way the same concerning his flesh quickning us and the eating thereof profitable to salvation Only here the sacramentall rite is adjoined wherewith the promise is adorned and sealed as if he should say In the Gospel I promised life eternall to all that eat my flesh and drink my bloud now I confirme and ratifie this my promise with an outward ceremony that henceforth they which beleeve this promise and feed on this bread may undoubtedly be perswaded and assured that they verily eat my flesh which was given for the salvation of the world and have life eternall By this promise therefore this bread is made the sacrament and signe of Christs body and Christs body is made the thing signified by this sacrament The union of the signe the thing signified in the Sacrament and these two I mean the signe and the thing signified are united in this sacrament not by any naturall copulation or corporall and locall existence one in the other much lesse by transubstantiation or changing one into the other but by signifying sealing and exhibiting the one by the other that is by a sacramentall union whose bond is the promise added to the bread requiring the faith of the receivers Whence it is cleer that these things in their lawfull use are alwayes jointly exhibited and received but not without faith of the promise viewing and apprehending the thing promised now present in the Sacrament yet not present or included in the signe as in a vessell containing it but present in the promise which is the better part life and soul of the sacrament For they want judgement who affirme that Christs body cannot be present in the sacrament except it be in or under the bread as if forsooth the bread alone without the promise were either a sacrament or the principall part of a sacrament Which for you my disciples that is for
Supper therefore is often to be iterated and celebrated 1. Because of the words of the institution 2. In respect of the end and purpose of the institution because it must be done in remembrance of Christ Shew the Lords death That is beleeve that Christ dyed and that for you and then professe it also publickly before all Till he come Therefore it must be observed unto the worlds end neither is any other externall form to be looked for untill the day of judgement The words of the institution which have been hitherto expounded 1 Cor. 10.16 may be made more plain and cleer by these words of the Apostle The cup of blessing which wee blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ The cup of blessing That is the cup of thanksgiving which is received namely to this end that we may yeeld thanks to Christ for his death and passion The communion of the body likewise the communion of the bloud is to be made through faith partakers of Christ and all his benefits the same spirit being in us which is in Christ John 15.2 â—phes 5. 1 John 1.6 and working the same in us which he worketh in Christ Or it is a spirituall fellowship of the faithfull with Christ as of members with the head and branches with the vine Bread and wine is the communion that is it is the signe and testimony of our communion with Christ But this our communion as the Apostle briefly declareth consisteth in this that wee who are many are but one body Whence it is most easie to collect That this communion of Christ is not a corporalleating For it is wrought only by faith and the holy Ghost Christ is the head and we the members and all wee who are members have also a communion of all Christs benefits Therefore the head is common the benefits common and so the members also common among themselves wherefore their love and dilection is common and mutuall Quest 78. Are then the bread and wine made the very body and bloud of Christ ON THE 19. SABBATH Ans No verily a Matt. 26.29 Mark 14.24 But as the water of baptism is not turned into the bloud of Christ but is only a signe and pledge of those things that are sealed unto us in baptism b Ephes 5.26 so neither is the bread of the Lords Supper the very body of Christ c 1 Cor. 10.16 11.26 although according to the manner of Sacraments and that forme of speaking of them which is usuall to the holy Ghost d Gen. 17.10 11. Exod. 12.11 13. 13.9 Titus 3.5 1 Pet. 3.21 1 Corinth 10.4 the bread is called the body of Christ The Explication THe Papists Transubstantiation under which also Consubstantiation maintained by the Ubiquitaries and others is comprehended is in this Question of the Catechisme consuted and rejected and the sacramentall kind of speech which we use with the true sense of those words of Christ This is my body examined and unfolded We will first intreat of that forme of speech which we use and of the true meaning of Christs words then will wee handle the controversie of Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation That therefore which hath been heretofore spoken in generall of sacramentall phrases and termes must be restrained to this Sacrament For thus Austine himself descendeth from the generall rule of sacramentall termes unto a particular instance of eating Christs flesh Eâ—ist 23. ad Bonifâ—â— This saith he is the only way to find whether a phrase be proper or figurative That whatsoever in Gods word cannot properly be referred to some point of morall duty or to the truth of faith you may be assured that it is figuratively spoken And a little after hee produceth this example Except yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drink his bloud yee have no life in you Hee seemeth saith Augustine by these words to injoyne us some hainous crime It is therefore a figurative speech instructing us that wee are to partake of Christs passion and joyfully and fruitfully to recall to mind how his flesh was crucified and wounded for us Wherefore as of Baptisme as hath been already declared so of the Lords Supper also the Scripture speaketh sometimes properly and sometimes figuratively The speech is figurative when Christ saith of the bread This is my body and of the cup This is my bloud Likewise when Paul saith This cup is the new Testament in my bloud For in these the name of the thing signified is attributed to the signe Paul also then speaketh figuratively when he saith This is my body which is broken for you because he attributeth the property of the signe which is to be broken to the thing signified Thus Cyprian must be understood When we drink of the cup we cleave to the crosse Serm. de Coena Hom 24. in 1 Cor. 10. Hom. 27. wee suck Christs bloud and lay our tongues in our Redeemers wounds Thus Chrysostome is to be interpreted when he saith Christs bloud is in the chalice Christs body which is in heaven is presented on earth to our view and is not only seen but touched of us nor touched only but eaten also he is held bitten and eaten of us in token of love as sometimes wee bite at him whom we love and touch his flesh with our tongue These sentences are not truly spoken or understood of the body of Christ but by a trope and figure usuall in sacraments Now the speech is proper when Christ saith Doe this in remembrance of me and when the Fathers every where say The breaking of bread is a memoriall a lively shadow of Christs sacrifice The bread signifieth the body of Christ It is a figure a signe a sacrament of the body of Christ Of the controversie concerning the words used in the Supper NOw whereas our adversaries the Papists and others deny that Christs words are sacramentally spoken and say we are to keep the letter wee must here adde something touching the controversie of the letter and meaning of the letter The Papists bear us in hand that by the vertue and force of consecration there is made a transubstantiation or changing of the bread into the body of Christ the accidents only remaining Others tell us of a consubstantiation or co-existence of Christs body in or with the bread The Transubstantiaries The Transubstantiaries and Consubstantiaries relie not on the simple meaning of Christs words together with the Consubstantiaries doe boast and glory that they understand the words of Christ simply and aright But neither perform that which they brag and boast of for that is the true simplicity and property of the word whereunto for the just understanding and interpretation thereof nothing is to be added neither ought to be taken from it neither any thing altered But as many as hold that the body of Christ
is with in or under the bread they adde unto the words of Christ and depart from true simplicity For if that which Christ said is simply to be retained and that not to be admitted which he said not then may we not say The bread is both bread and the body of Christ but simply this only The bread is the body of Christ For he said not My body is with or in or under the bread or The bread is both bread and my body together neither addeth he as these adde of their own really substantially corporally but he uttereth these bare words of the bread This is my body Neither have the Transubstantiaries their opinion drawn from the words of Christ simply understood namely that of the bread is made the body of Christ or the bread is changed into the body of Christ for this is their own forgery and invention For Christ said not that the bread was now made or was a making or should be made but simply said The bread is my body where no change could come between so that the words of Christ be simply understood Therefore falsly do they perswade the people that they simply rest on the propriety of Gods word when as manifoldly and most farre they swerve and depart from it The true interpretation of Christ words We Protestants retain the words of Christ without adding or altering to wit that the bread is the body of Christ and indeed the true and visible body which was given for us But because these words literally taken would admit a sense repugnant to the truth of Christian faith for if bread were properly Christs body it would follow that bread was crucified for us therefore we affirm that in Christs words a convenient meaning must be inquired after that is Christs words must be understood sacramentally namely that the bread is called Christs body because it is a signe of Christs body the cup or wine in the cup is called Christs bloud because it is a sign of Christs bloud the cup is also called the new Testament because it is a signe of the new Testament even as baptism is termed a washing away of sins and a laver of new birth because it is a signe of both these which are wrought properly by the bloud and spirit of Christ The true sense therefore and naturall interpretation of Christs words is This is my body which is given for you that is This bread broken by me and given to you is a signe of my body delivered to death for you and an authentick seal of your conjunction with me so that he which shall beleeve and eat this bread he truly and really after a sort eateth my body Here therefore to the signe is attributed the name of the thing signified both for the conjunction which the thing signified hath in the right use of the Supper with the signe and also for the proportion which the signe hath with the thing signified In this exposition we are not led and over-ruled by Philosophy and humane reason as our adversaries traduce us and bear the world in hand we are but we observe those rules by which in the joint consent of all sound wise men wee are to censure the interpretation of any Scripture whatsoever namely by the analogie and rule of faith by the nature of the thing or subject by the testimonies of Scripture which teach the same thing Three rules wâ—ereby we may judge of the interpretation of Scripture For by help of these three rules the naturall sense of Scripture is wont to be examined as often as necessity driveth us from the letter to the sense and meaning 1. That no interpretation be received dissonant from the rule of faith or repugnant to any article thereof or any commandement of the Decalogue or any expresse testimony of Scripture for the spirit of truth is not contrary to it self 2. That the sense derived out of words signifying any thing have a congruity with the nature of the thing signified by the words as in this present subject of the Supper whereon wee insist when any question or doubt is moved therein we are to enquire seeing it is a Sacrament how the Scripture else-where speaketh of Sacraments and of the Supper it selfe 3. That other like places be weighed and considered by which it is either manifest and granted or may be demonstrated by some circumstance that they contain the same doctrine concerning the same thing which is contained in the place in controversie For if we be fully resolved of the meaning of any cleerer and uncontroversed place we shall also be resolved of the sense of the place in controversie if the same thing be delivered in both So then it is out of doubt that that meaning of the words of the Supper which is agreeable with these rules is true and those untrue which disagree from them But this our construing and interpretation which indeed is not ours but the doctrine of Christ himself his Apostles and all orthodox or right-beleeving antiquity doth every way sute with these rules wherefore undoubtedly it is most true and best beseeming the truth of the Gospel Now let us come to the arguments by which wee prove our interpretation to be true they are of four sorts 1. Some are taken out of the text it self and circumstances of the institution of the Lords Supper 2. Some are taken from the nature of the thing or subject that is by understanding the speech as the thing it self doth bear and suffer namely according to the nature of all Sacraments 3. Some are drawn from an analogie of the articles of our faith or from a conference of places or parts of Christian doctrine 4. Some are taken from other like places of Scripture where the same thing is delivered in such words as are manifest and whereof there is no controversie 1. The first sort of arguments taken out of the text and circumstances of the institution of the Lords Supper He sate down 1. CHrists humane nature at the first celebrating of the Supper by a corporall kind of placing sate in his proper place at the table and now is in heaven wherefore then it was not neither is it now corporally in the bread or in the place of the bread He took bread 2. Christ at the first Supper took not into his hands nor brake his body but bread wherefore bread is not properly and really the very body of Christ This is my body 3. Christs body was born of a virgin But bread is made of meal therefore it is not really Christs body 4. Christ said of the visible bread being broken This is my body and of the visible cup being distributed unto his disciples This cup is the new Testament in my bloud Therefore the Papists retain not the letter when they say My body is contained under the forms of bread and wine nor the Ubiquitaries when they thus speak My body is in with under this
and through the doores is no where expressed in Scripture and therefore we deny it The rest of the prerogatives are there expressed indeed but they abrogate not the truth of humane nature For Peter also walked on the waters and we shall be transformed and lifted up but ubiquity and presence of Christs flesh in all or many places is no where extant in Scripture and it suffereth not Christs flesh to be any longer a creature much lesse a true body For to be every-where or in divers places at once in its owne substance is the property of the unmeasurable Deity alone but every creature is finite God only is every where because he is infinite and by his finitenesse is discerned from his Creatour Now that which is finite cannot be in moe places then one Hence it is that the Scripture and and Doctors of the ancient Church produce this property of presence in many places as a certain argument of true and sole Divinity as Christ himselfe speaking of himselfe saith The Son of man John 3.13 which is in heaven And Dydimus saith The holy Ghost himself if he were a creature Lib. 1. Cap. 1. de Spiritu sancto should at least have a circumscribed or limited substance as all things else which are made For although the invisible creatures be not circumscribed in place yet they are finite in the property of their substance But the holy Ghost being in many hath no circumscribed or limited substance Tertullian also saith If Christ be man only Lib. de Trin. how then is he present wheresoever he is called on sith this is not the nature of man but of God To be present in every place Our adversaries therefore thus reasoning that those prerogatives are the cause of his presence every-where or in many places which verily are no causes hereof commit the fallacy of alledging a false cause For indeed the reason of those prerogatives and the ubiquity are very diverse 3. From the Article of the communion of Saints 1. Such is the communion of Saints with Christ now as it was of old ever since the beginning and shall be ever hereafter as well of those who use the Sacraments as of them who are by necessity excluded from them 1 Cor. 10.3 4. Ephes 4.4 Rom. 8.9 1 Cor. 6.17 1 John 4.13 John 15.5 Ephes 1.22 Ephes 4.15 Ephes 5.30.31 Ephes 4. 1 Cor. 10. Rom. 8. For there is but one only communion of Saints with Christ because we are all one body with Christ But this communion of Saints with Christ was alwayes spirituall as the Apostle doth shew He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit He is the Vine we are the branches He is the Head we are the members He is the Bridegroome and we with the whole Church are his Spouse Or the argument may be thus formed All the Saints have the same communion with Christ both in the Old and New Testament as well they who have power to approach and partake of the Supper as they who have not and we cannot eat Christ any otherwise then his Disciples did eat him in the first Supper But they did eat him spiritually Therefore we eat him also spiritually Out of the selfe same Article we thus argue 2. Such is our eating of Christ as is his abiding in us But this is spirituall Therefore our eating of him is spirituall The Major is out of question because he is therefore eaten that he may remaine in us and we in him not that being once eaten he should forthwith vanish away John 6.56 He which cateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud abideth in me and I in him The Minor namely that Christs abiding in us is spirituall is sufficiently proved and perceived by this in that such is his abiding in us as is his Fathers John 14.23 If any man love me he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and will dwell with him But how doth the Father dwell in us or abide with us Truly by his holy Spirit Therefore Christ also so abideth with us or dwelleth in us 1 John 4.13 Hereunto belong those sayings By this we know that he dwelleth in us and we in him because he hath given us of his Spirit That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith I am the Vine ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him Ephes 3.17 the same bringeth forth much fruit 3. Christ abideth in us perpetually Therefore that abiding or presence is not corporall because as touching his humane nature John 15.5 he saith Me ye shall not have alwayes Therefore he is not eaten of us corporally nay he cannot be eaten of us corporally except he be in us corporally and that also perpetually 4. From the Article of remission of sinnes If Christ be corporally in the bread and be reached out and delivered unto us by the hand of the Minister then we are to crave remission of sinnes at Gods hands for his sake who is in the bread and whom the Minister handleth whether the bread still remaine together with him or no. For remission of sinnes is most especially to be craved then when we celebrate the Supper So then every communicant must thus pray I beseech thee O heavenly Father to be gracious and mercifull unto me for this thy Sonnes sake who is here present in this bread and whom the Minister handleth and whom I eat with my mouth But this is that horrible Idolatry which is practised in the Popish Masse which without doubt is so abominable in the sight of God that it were better for us to suffer a thousand deaths then once commit the same For the Gospel teacheth us to begge of God remission of sinnes not for that Christs sake who is in the bread and is carried about in the Ministers hands and eaten with mens mouths but for that Christs sake who suffered and died for us who is now in heaven at the right hand of his Father and maketh intercession for us So then thus we reason That which establisheth the horrible Idolatry of the Masse is to be avoided of the true professors of the Gospel But the corporall presence of Christ and the eating of him with our mouths in the bread establisheth the horrible Idolatry of the Masse Therefore it is to be avoided by all true professors of Christs Gospel 5. Unto the former may be adjoyned also arguments taken from the sacrifice and adoration of Christ. Wherefore Christ is present corporally whether it be after a visible or invisible manner there he is so to be adored to wit by our minds and the motions of our bodies converted and turned thither But he is not thus to be adored in the Supper Therefore he is not present in the Supper corporally either in the bread or
not to the Latine Church but by the Greeke Church and those words are found in the Greeke Testament when first it was written in Greeke And therefore wee have no Hebrew words derived unto our Church which the Greeke Church had not before us If also wee seek the Greeke Fathers the word Missa will never be found to have been used by them Therefore I think not that the word Missa was taken from the Hebrewes but Missa which doubtlesse is a Latine word by originall seemeth to have taken from the Fathers who used Remissa for Remissio as Tertullian Tertul. lib. 4. cont Marc. Cypr. debono patient Epist 4. lib. 3. Wee have spoken saith hee of a De remissa peccatorum remissio of sinnes And Cyprian Hee that was to give b Daturus remissam peccatorum remission of sins did not disdaine to be baptised And again he useth the same word Hee that blasphemeth against the holy Ghost hath not c Remissam peccatorum non habet remission of sins Wherefore as they say Remissa for Remissio so they seem also to have said Missa for Missio But herein againe they much vary For some will have the word Missa to be used as it were Missio from an ancient custome of Ecclesiasticall rites and actions which came from the Greeke Churches to the Latine because Sermons and Lectures being ended before the Communion a Deacon did send forth that is did command the Catechumenes the possested with spirits and the excommunicated persons to depart crying with a loud voice If any Catechumene be yet abiding within the Church let him depart and so the word Missa seemeth to be used as it were a Mission or sending away because it was the last part of divine Service Others will have it to be so called from a Dimission or from the manner of dimissing the congregation because Service being ended a Deacon dimissed them with these words Ite missa est that is Goe you may depart Or as others interprete it Go now is the collection of almes which they will have to be called Missa of the sending it in as we may so speake or throwing or casting it in for the poore Lombard hath a new conceit hereof Lib. 4. dist 15. It is called the Masse saith hee because an heavenly Messenger cometh to consecrate Christs quickning body according to that prayer of the Priest Almighty God command that this be carried by the hands of thine Angell into thine high Altar c. Therefore unlesse an Angell come it cannot rightly be called a Masse Loe the folly of the man Againe The Masse is so called either because the host is sent whereof mention is made in that Service whence it is said Ite missa est that is Follow the host Lib. 4. dist 24. which is sent up to heaven trace yee after it Or because an Angel cometh from heaven to consecrate the Lords body by whom the host is carried and conveyed to the heavenly Altar Whence it is also said Ite missa est Goe it is sent Wee reject both the name and the thing For this word the Masse doth not agree to the Lords Supper because the Lords Supper hath nothing common and agreeing with the name of Missa albeit it was used of the ancient Writers Moreover we have no need of this name for wee have other words for this purpose extant in Scripture where it is called The Lords Supper The Lords Table Breaking of bread c. Now let us see the differences of the Supper and the Masse and those most contrary one to another and such as in respect whereof the Masse ought to be abolished They are especially three and are desciphered in the Catechisme 1. The Lords Supper testifieth unto us That wee have full remission of sinnes and justification freely by faith for Christs one and onely sacrifice finished on the Crosse according to these sayings of Scripture The bread is the body of Christ given for us Heb. 7.27 Heb. 9.12 26. The cup is the bloud of Christ shed for us for remission of sinnes Doe this in remembrance of mee Shew forth the Lords death till hee come That did hee once when hee offered up himselfe By his owne bloud entred hee in once into the holy place and obtained eternall redemption for us For then must hee have often suffered since the foundation of the world but now in the end of the world hath hee appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 10.10 12 14. By the which will wee are sanctified even by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once made This man after hee had offered one sacrifice for sinnes sitteth for ever at the right hand of God With one offering hath hee consecrated for ever them that are sanctified Contrariwise the Masse denieth that both quicke and dead have remission of sins by and for Christs oblation except also he be daily offered by the Massing-Priests to God his Father For thus hath that their Canon which they call the lesse Holy Father Almighty and Eternall God receive this immaculate host or sacrifice which I thy unworthy servant offer to thee my living and true God for my innumerable sinnes offences and negligences and for all that stand about me here present yea and for all faithfull Christians quick and dead that it may be profitable to me and them to everlasting salvation And their greater Canon hath Remember Lord thy servants and handmaids N. and all here present whose faith and devotion is well knowne unto thee for whom we offer or who offer unto thee this sacrifice of praise for themselves and all that are theirs for the redemption of their soules for the hope of their safety and salvation What need was there that Christ should offer himselfe at all if the oblation of a petty Masse-Priest may serve for the redemption of soules 2. The Lords Supper witnesseth unto us That Christ according to the Articles of faith as concerning his humanity is in heaven at the right hand of his Father and is not shrouded under the bare accidents of the elements or signes in the Supper and that he exhibiteth unto us in the Supper his body and bloud to be eaten and drunken by faith and that he ingraffeth us into himselfe by his holy Spirit that we may abide in him and have him abiding in us as it is said He that is joyned unto the Lord 2 Cor. 6.17 10.16 Heb. 1.3 8.1 4. is one spirit The bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ We have such an high-Priest that sitteth at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the heavens For he were not a Priest if he were on earth Contrariwise the Masse teacheth us That bread and wine by force of consecration is changed into Christs body and blood and that this his body and bloud in the act of consecration
him come and observe it and he shall be as one that is born in the land For no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof 3. The allegories or resemblances between Christ and the Paschal lamb FOr confirmation and illustration of the principall end of the passeover the consideration of the resemblances of such rites as God prescribed to be observed in the killing and eating the Paschall lamb may much availe A Collation of the type and the thing signified by the type THE TYPE WAS THE THING SIGNIFIED IS 1. A Lamb out of the flock 1. Christ very or true man Isa 53. John 1. 2. Without blemish set apart 2 Without sin Isa 53. Heb. 7. 3. To be slain and rosted 3. Who suffered and died 1 Cor. 5. 4. Without breaking any bone 4. Without having his bones broken John 19. 5. About evening 5. In the end of the world Heb. 1. 9. 6. The posts were to be sprinkled witâ— his bloud 6. His satisfaction was imputed unto us Isa 53. Rom. 3. 7. That the Destroyer might passe over the Israelites housâ—s 7. That we might be delivered from everlasting death Heb 2. 8. He was to be eaten and that in every family 8. There must be in man an applying of this death of Christ to himselfe by faith Rom. 1. John 6. 9. He was to be eaten all 9. This application must be according to all the Articles of faith 2 Tim. 3. 10. Without leavened bread 10. Without hypocrisie 1 Cor. 5. 11. With sowre herbs 11. With patience of the crosse Matt. 10. 12. Hastily and in the habit of travellers 12. With a desire of profiting and expectation of an heavenly life Matth. 13. Heb. 13. 13. Of the Circumcised alone 13. The regenerate onely eat him and hee is profitable to them alone and they onely take not the Sacraments to their condemnation Joh. 6. Heb. 13. 1 Cor. 11. 4. Whether the ancient passeover be now abrogated THat the ancient passeover is now by Christs coming abrogated with all other types whatsoever prefiguring the Messias to come is cleer 1. Out of the whole disputation of the Apostle to the Hebrews touching the abolishment of the legall shadowes Heb. 7.12 which abolishment is now performed in the New Testament If the priesthood be changed then of necessity must there be a change of the law In that he saith a New Testament hee hath abrogated the Old 2. From the fulfilling and performance of those legall shadows These things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled Not a bone of him shall be broken John 19.36 Christ our passeover is sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5.7 3. From the substituting of the New Testament in place thereof For Christ when he was ready to die and to sacrifice himselfe as the true Passeover ended the ceremony of the Paschall lamb with a solemn banquet and thenceforth instituted and ordained a Supper to be observed by his Church in place thereof I have desired to eat this passeover with you before I suffer Luke 22.15 19. Doe this in remembrance of mee Where hee commandeth that we celebrate and solemnize the supper in memory of him not the ancient passeover As then Baptism succeeded Circumcision so the Lords Supper succeeded the Passeover in the new Testament Certain conclusions of the Supper 1. THe Supper of the Lord is a sacrament of the new Testament wherein according to the commandement of Christ Bread and Wine is distributed and received in the assembly of the faithfull in remembrance of Christ which is that Christ might testifie unto us that he feedeth us with his body and bloud delivered and shed for us to eternall life and that we also might for these his benefits give solemn thanks unto him 2. The first and principall end and use of the Lords Supper is That Christ might therein testifie unto us that he died for us and doth feed us with his bloud and body unto everlasting life that so by this restification he might cherish and increase in us our faith and so consequently this spirituall food and nourishment The second end is thanksgiving for these benefits of Christ and our publick and solemn profession of them and our duty towards Christ The third is the distinguishing of the Church from other sects The fourth that it might be a bond of mutuall love and dilection The fifth that it might be a bond of our assemblies and meetings 3. That first end and use which is the confirmation of our faith in Christ the Supper of the Lord hath because Christ himself giveth this bread and drink by the hands of his Ministers to be a memoriall of him that is to admonish and put us in remembrance by this signe as by his visible word that he died for us and is the food of eternall life unto us while he maketh us his members both because he hath annexed a promise to this rite that he will feed those who eat this bread in remembrance of him with his own body and bloud when he saith This is my body and also because the holy Ghost doth by this visible testimony move our minds and hearts more firmly to beleeve the promise of the Gospel 4. There is then in the Lords Supper a double meat and drinke one externall visible terrene namely bread and wine and another internall There is also a double eating and receiving an externall and signifying which is the corporall receiving of the bread and wine that is which is performed by the hands mouth and senses of the body and an internall invisible and signified which is the fruition of Christs death and a spirituall ingraffing into Christs body that is which is not performed by the hands and mouth of the body but by the spirit and faith Lastly there is a double administer and dispenser of this meat and drink an externall of the externall which is the Minister of the Church delivering by his hand bread and wine and an internall of the internall meat which is Christ himself feeding us by his body and bloud 5. Not the body and bloud of Christ but the bread and wine are the signs which serve for confirmation of our faith for the body and bloud of Christ are received that we may live for ever But the bread and wine are received that we may be confirmed and assured of that heavenly food and daily more and more injoy it 6. Neither is the bread changed into the body of Christ nor the wine into the bloud of Christ neither doth the body and bloud of Christ succeed in their place they being abolished neither is Christs body substantially present in the bread or under the bread or where the bread is but in the right use of the Lords Supper the holy Ghost useth this symbole as an instrument to stir up faith in us by which he more and more dwelleth in us ingraffeth us into Christ and maketh us through him to be just and righteous and to draw eternall life from
him 8. Now when Christ saith This that is This bread is my body and This cup is my bloud the speech is sacramentall or metonymicall because the name of the thing signified is attributed to the signe it self that is it is meant that the bread it the sacrament or signe of his body and doth represent him and doth testifie that Christs body is offered for us on the crosse and is given to us to be food of eternall life and therefore is the instrument of the holy Ghost to maintain and increase this food in us 1 Cor. 10. as S. Paul saith The bread is the communion of the body of Christ that is it is that thing by which we are made partakers of Christs body And else-where he saith We have been all made to drink into one Spirit The same is the meaning also when it is said that the bread is called Christs body for a similitude which the thing signified hath with the signe namely that Christs body nourisheth the spirituall life as bread doth the corporall life and for that assured and certain joint-receiving of the thing and the signe in the right use of the sacrament And this is the sacramentall union of the bread which is shewed by a sacramentall kind of speaking but no such locall conjunction as is by some imagined 9. As therefore the body of Christ signifieth both his proper and naturall body and his sacramentall body which is the bread of the Eucharist so the eating of Christs body is of two sorts one sacramentall of the signe to wit the externall and corporall receiving of the bread and wine the other reall or spirituall which is the receiving of Christs very body it self And to beleeve in Christ dwelling in us by faith is by the vertue and operation of the holy Ghost to be ingraffed into his body as members to the head and branches into the vine and so to be made partakers of the fruit of the death and life of Christ Whence it is apparent that they are falsly accused who thus teach as if they made either the bare signes only to be in the Lords Supper or a participation of Christs death only or of his benefâ—â—s or of the holy Ghost excluding the true reall and spirituall communion of the very body of Christ it self 10. Now the right use of the Supper is when the faithfull observe this rite instituted by Christ in remembrance of Christ that is to the stirring and raising up of their faith and thankfulnesse 11. As in this right use the body of Christ is sacramentally taken so also without this use as by unbeleevers and hypocrites it is eaten sacramentally indeed but not really that is the sacramentall symboles or signes bread and wine are received but not the things themselves of the sacrament to wit the body and bloud of Christ 12. This doctrine of the Supper of the Lord is grounded upon very many and those most sound and firm reasons All those places of Scripture confirm it which speak of the Lords Supper and Christ calling not any invisible thing in the bread but the very visible and broken bread it selfe his body delivered or broken for us which whereas it cannot be meant properly himselfe addeth an exposition that that bread is truly received in remembrance of him which is as if he had said That the bread is a sacrament of his body So likewise he saith The Supper is the new testament which is spirituall one and everlasting And Paul saith It is the communion of the body and bloud of Christ because all the faithfull are one body in Christ who cannot stand together with the communion of the divels Likewise he maketh one and the same ingraffing into Christs body by one spirit to be both in baptism and in the Lords supper Moreover the whole doctrine and nature of Sacraments confirm the same all which represent to the eyes the same spirituall communion of Christ to be received by faith which the word or promise of the Gospel declareth unto the ears Therefore they are called by the names of the things signified and in their right use have the receiving of the things adjoined unto them The articles also of our faith confirm it which teach that Christs body is a true humane body not present at once in many places as being now received into heaven and there to remain untill the Lord return to Judgement and further that the communion of saints with Christ is wrought by the holy Ghost not by any entrance of Christs body into the bodies of men Wherefore this sentence and doctrine is of all the purer antiquity of the Church with most great and manifest consent held and professed 13. The Supper of the Lord differeth from Baptism 1. In the rite and manner of signifying because the dipping into the water or washing signifyeth a remission and purging out of sin by the bloud and spirit of Christ and our society and fellowship with Christ in his afflictions and glorification But the distributing of the bread and wine signifieth the death of Christ to be imputed unto us unto remission of sins and our selves ingraffed into Christ to become his members 2. They differ in their speciall use because Baptism is the testimony of our regeneration and of the covenant made between us and God and of our receiving into the Church But the Lords Supper testifieth that we are ever to be nourished by Christ remaining in us and that the covenant made between God and us shall ever be established and ratified unto us and that we for ever shall abide in the Church and body of Christ 3. They differ in the persons to whom they are to be given Baptism is given to all those who are to be accounted for members of the Church whether they be of yeers and understanding or infants The Lords Supper is to be given to them only who are able to understand and celebrate the benefits of Christ and to examine themselves 4. They differ in the often celebrating of them Baptism is to be received but once only because the covenant of God being once made is alwayes firm and of force to the penitent But the Supper is often to be received because an often renewing and recalling of that covenant to our remembrance is necessary for our faith 5. They differ in the order which is to be observed in the use of them Because Baptism is to be given before the Supper and the Supper may not be given unto any except he be first baptised 14. They come worthily to the Lords Supper who examine themselves that is are endued with true faith and repentance They who find not this in themselves ought neither to come without it lest they eat and drink their own judgement not to defer repentance wherewith they should come lest they draw upon themselves hardnesse of heart and eternall pains 15. The Church ought to admit all those unto it who professe themselves to imbrace the
they presse this reply may we overthrow their own interpretation because Sathan also slayeth no man that his soule might be saved Obj. 8. If he would have had him excommunicated he would have expressed his intent more plainly Ans We are not to respect only the plainnesse of any speech but the purpose force and vigour thereof Here greater perspicuity needs not because the Corinthians understood what he meant else had he unjust reproved them Object 9. Whom Paul had willed to be noted by a letter 2 Thess 3.15 him he willeth the Thessalonians to account of as of a brother and therefore will not have him to be excommunicated This consequence or sequele is proved thus Contraries cannot stand together But to excommunicate one and account him for a brother are contraries Therefore if he be to be accounted for a brother he is not to be excommunicated That these are contraries is also thus proved To excommunicate is Not to account one for a brother But Not to account one for a brother and To account one for a brother are contraries Therefore also to excommunicate one and account him for a brother are contraries and so cannot stand together except Not to account and To account for a brother should be all one Ans There is an ambiguity and diverse understanding of these words To account for a brother seeing there are degrees of brother-hood Wherefore the contrariety is not here of force for all men are brethren both Christians and Turks But Christians neverthelesse though they account Turks for their brethren and neighbours and desire their salvation yet do they not account them for Christian brethren If then they are to account Turks for their brethren then much more must they account them and seek their salvation who were before-time brethren that is Christians 2. It is a fallacy of taking that simply and wholly to be true which is true but in part Account him for a brother that is in love desire and hope of saving him but not in reckoning him amongst the sons of God and members of the Church until he repent 3. He saith not * * Habete Account him for a brother but * * Monete Admonish him as a brother that is as him who sometimes was a brother and who if he repent must again be reputed a brother For they are not altogether deprived of all hope of salvation who are excommunicated but that they may return again by repentance and be included under the same hope Now Paul useth this phrase because he would that love and hope of amendment should be the rule of reproofe For a brother admonisheth a brother friendly and to a good end Object 10. What Paul did that are not we to follow 1 Tim. 1.20 Paul did excommunicate Hymenaeus and Alexander without the Churches consent Therefore wee must excommunicate no man Ans The Major proposition is false if it be generally understood Repl. The Major is thus proved What Paul did by his Apostolick authority that are not we to follow But he did this by his Apostolick authority Now the Minor is proved by Pauls words I have delivered saith he Hymenaeus and Alexander unto Sathan But our Ministers and Pastours of Churches cannot do this Therefore it must needs be that Paul did it of speciall authority Ans This whole reason I grant We must not follow his example if he did it alone But hereof it followeth not Therefore we may not excommunicate for so more is in the conclusion then in the premisses And again the Minor may be denied because in the text alledged it is reported only that Paul did it not in what sort and what manner he did it whether alone or with others THE THIRD PART Of Mans Thankfulnesse AFter the Treatise of mans Misery and of his Delivery thence by Christ the doctrine of Thankfulnesse hath his necessary place 1. Because it concerneth Gods glory seeing the principall end of our Redemption is our thankfulnesse that is our acknowledging and magnifying of Christs benefits 2. For our comfort which consisteth in our delivery and deliverance pertaineth not but to those who desire to approve themselves thankfull 3. That hence we may yeeld unto God his due and lawfull worship for God condemneth all mans will-worship We must therefore declare out of Gods word the nature of true thankfulnesse which is the due worship of God 4. That we may know that all our good works are thankfulnesse and not merits Now What thankfulnesse is in generall in generall Thankfulnesse is a vertue acknowledging and professing the person of whom wee have been interessed and the greatnesse of the benefits wee have received with a desire of returning and performing again to our benefactors all honest and possible duties It comprehendeth in it truth and justice Truth because it acknowledgeth and testifieth the benefits that are received Justice because it endeavoureth to render condigne thanks for good deserts What Christian thankfulnesse is So then Christian gratitude which is here handled is an acknowledgement and profession of our free redemption from sin and death by Christ and an earnest desire to decline and avoid sin and all displeasure of God and to order our life after his will to crave expect and receive all good things by true faith from him alone A connexion of the Common places of this third part by resolving gratitude into his parts and to render all possible thanks for benefits received at his hands Two parts there are also of this gratefulnesse Truth and Justice Truth acknowledgeth and testifieth the benefit of free redemption and yeeldeth thanks unto God for it Justice offereth up unto God such recompence as hee requireth which is nought else but a true worship of him obedience and good works Unto truth belongeth the doctrine of prayer and the doctrine of good works is referred to justice Now the fountain of all these is Mans conversion unto God for the works of the regenerate only are good and acceptable to God and Gods law is the rule of good works Wherefore in this third part of Catechisme Mans conversion to God and The law of God is largely handled So that these four Common places principally appertain to this part Of Mans Thankulfulnesse The Common place of Mans conversion of Good works of Gods law and of Prayer The order and coherence of these Common places may be gathered also on this wise Out of the diverse and manifold doctrine of the two former parts we have learned Another connexion by compounding gratitude of all his parts that we are not through any merit of ours but of Gods meer grace by and for Christ redeemed from sin and death and even from all evill both of crime and pain whereof it followeth that we should be thankfull for this exceeding benefit bestowed by Christ upon us But we cannot shew and approve our selves thankfull to God except we be truly converted for whatsoever is done by them
de veritate mat Art 26. q. 7. An. Christi 1270. The sufficiency of Christs merit is equally extended to all but not the efficacy thereof which comes to passe partly by free-will partly by Divine election by which the effect of Christs merits is conferred in mercy on some and in Gods just judgement it is with-drawn from some Idem in cap. 5. Apocal. We may speake two wayes of that Redemption which was performed by the suffering of God Either according to sufficiency and so his suffering redeemed all because he delivered all so far as concerned him for he is sufficient to save and redeeme all although there were infinite worlds as Anselme saith lib. 2. Cur Deus homo c. c. 14. or according to efficacy and so he redeemed not all by his suffering because all do not adhere to the Redeemer and therefore all have not the efficacy of redemption Peter Lombard l. 3. dist 22. Christ offered himselfe for all to God the Trinity in respect of the sufficency of the price but only for the Elect in respect of efficacy because he effected salvation only for the predestinated Peter Galatinus de arcanis Cathol veritatis l. 8. c. 14. on that place of Esay cap. 53. My just Servant shall justifie many Though the suffering of Christ is sufficient to blot away the sins of all men yet it was not to blot them all away but of those only who were to beleeve in him and were to repent for that cause he saith And he tooke away or â—are the sins of many IX Thus besides the Schoole-men the Orthodox Fathers also teach So Prosper Aquitanicus in the yeare of Christ 460. Resp ad object Vincent object 1. Whereas it is rightly said that our Saviour was crucified for the redemption of all the world for undertaking the affaires of humane nature and for the common losse in Adam yet it may be said that he died only for these to whom his death was profitable And Cyril on John l. 11. c. 19. saith That Christ is an Advocate for the sins of all the world that is not only for the Jews but also for other Nations or for all who being called by faith attaine to righteousnesse and sanctification so that the benefit of a Mediatour not without cause belongs only to them whose Mediatour and High-Priest he is X. But of all men Austin speakes most clearely whose opinion because it is altogether ours I thought to set in opposition to some Sycophants Thus he speaks If we consider * Tom. 1. ad Art falsò imp Art 1. the greatnesse and power of the price and that it belongs to the only cause of mankinde the bloud of Christ is the redemption of the whole world but they that passe out of this life without faith and the Sacrament of regeneration they are not partakers of redemption Whereas then by reason of that one nature of all and the one cause of all undertaken by our Lord truly all are said to be redeemed and yet not all are delivered from captivity doubtlesse the propertie of redemption is in them out of whom the Prince of this world is ejected and now they are no more the vessels of Satan but the members of Christ Whose death is not so spent upon mankinde that they also who are not regenerated should appertaine to his redemption but so that what by one example is done for all by a particular Sacrament should be celebrated in each one for that cup of immortality which was composed of our infirmity and of our verity and of divine verity it hath in it selfe that which may benefit all but if it be not drunke it doth not cure A monition of PHILIP PARRY to the Reader THis doctrine of the efficacy of Christs death D. Parry handled more at large in the first part of the golden Ladder of salvation where he wrote a particular Exercise of it As also in the Epitome of Arminianisme or The examination of the five Articles of the Remonstrants in the Netherlands As also in the Body of Christian doctrine to the 40. Question Edit posthumae Also Collegio 18. disp 23. of Christs death for all And lastly in that peculiar Speech which we placed among the Orations declaimed in the University Tom. 2. oper Theol. D. Parry In which Writings he defends and retaines that distinction of the Schoole-men and Ancient Fathers of sufficiency and efficacy with other Orthodox Divines But the good old man a little before his death when he understood that in the Provinciall Synod of Dort this was called into question unwisely by some brethren under Parries name and authority he began to think more seriously of it supposing that it was not altogether so necessary whereas without it these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or seeming contradictions of Scripture may seeme to be fitly reconciled XI We therefore with all our heart reject the Epicurean blasphemies of the late Pelagians namely Huberus Puccius and such like by which the foundation of Christian faith is utterly overthrowne as 1. That Christ so died for all men that by his death truly and undoubtedly all men are freed from all sin and condemnation whether they beleeve or not 2. That by Christs death God was reconciled to all mankind and that he hath truly received into his favour the whole race of mankinde whether they be Turks Jews or Epicures 3. And that he hath also received them to mercy who before his death were in hell For Huberus in his 66. These saith That Christ died effectually for them 4. That remission of sins is given equally to all Idem Thes 270. Puccius de â—ffiâ— pag. 7. Idem lâ—b MS. cap. 24. 5. That the pardon of sin is generall 6. That the Reprobates were as well saved by Christ as others 7. That all and every one by the bounty and universall grace of God the Father in Christ are saved 8. That as Christ was the Creator so he is the Redeemer of all and every one One Egge is not liker to another then Huberus is to Puccius they both build upon one foundation to wit upon the generall redemption pardon and salvation by Christs death without any particular faith from which notwithstanding Infidels fall away here is only the difference that what is covertly and sophistically spoken by Huberus is roundly professed by Puccius to wit Pelagianisme necessarily resulting thence as is shewed in Margarita Aurea that there is no originall sin seeing that by the power of Christs death all men and every one are borne as they are men according to Huberus as they are redeemed men according to Puccius in the state of grace and salvation saith he in the bosome and grace of God saith this and therefore in the state of blessednesse so they procure not their owne destruction by infidelity Let the Church yea let God judge betweene these two and betweene Osiander with what conscience he can deny that there is any controversie about this to wit
is performed by God washing the soule inwardly for I saith the Baptist baptise you with water Christ baptiseth you with the holy Ghost And Ambrose With water the body is washed by the Spirit the soul is cleansed from sin Testimonies of Scripture and of others a Augustine in Joh. Tract 8. de Catechis c. 3. b 1 Pet. 3.21 Baptisme also saveth us not as if by it the filth of the flesh were done away but the answer of a good conscience toward God c John 1.33 He it is who baptiseth you with the holy Ghost Ephes 5.26 Christ sanctifieth his Church having purged her through the washing of water in the Word d Ambrose in Luc. lib. 2. cap. 3. III. Yet we do not for this make a double Sacrament of Baptisme when we name the washing of water and of the Spirit or externall and internall but we say there are two parts of one Baptisme that we may distinctly teach what is done by man the Minister and what by God the Authour Neither did Paul divide the Sacrament of Circumcision into two when he distinguished the circumcision of the flesh and of the a heart which distinction whosoever takes away either they leave nothing or surely lesse to God in the Sacrament then to the Ministers allowing to God onely the internall parts but to the Ministers both externall and internall Testimonies of Scripture a Rom. 2.28 29. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter IV. In the lawfull use of Baptisme the internall is signified by the externall and is truly exhibited and sealed according to the promise He that beleeveth and is baptised shall be saved As for hypocrites and Infidels when they are dipt in water they are not baptised by the Spirit because the holy Ghost flies from a counterfeit man and he dwels not in a body subject to sins Hom. 5. in Mat. operis impers and therefore he cannot be the child of God as Chrysostome most truly saith V. Baptisme then washeth away sins it regenerates it saves c. not by any secret force annexed or imprinted in the water nor by the work wrought but by a Sacramentall phrase because there is a neere conjunction of both the washings in the lawfull use that is attributed to the externall which is proper to the internall or by a Synecdoche that is given to the whole which belongs to the part VI. Whereas Baptisme hath succeeded Circumcision that it might be the Sacrament of initiation in the new Covenant it ought not to be iterated although it hath beene unworthily received or before conversion because it remaines alwaies ratified to those that are converted as the promise of the Gospell is and the Covenant but to those that repent it is both ratified and it is saving and the use thereof before unlawfull is now made lawfull to them to which purpose Austine saith If he that receiveth the Sacrament Contra Crescent l. 2. c. 28. had never received it is not so cut off but is acknowledged which of it selfe was hurtfull to him that is amended will be profitable Testimonies of Scripture Jerem. 3.1 Thou hast gone a whoring after many lovers but returne to me saith the Lord. Ezek. 16.59 60. I will even deale with thee as thou hast done which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant Neverthelesse I will remember my covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant VII The Church should conferre Baptisme as Christ hath commanded upon all that are in yeares professing the faith of Christ and a repentance and upon Infants also borne in the Church or who with their parents are come into the Church because to these also the promise and covenant b appertaine and these are to be brought to c Christ which should be done by the ordinary Ministers not by women or other persons having no calling to the Ministeriall d function the administration of which is a part of the e Sacrament Testimonies of Scripture and of others a Mat. 28.19 Teach all Nations baptising them b Mark. 16.16 He that beleeveth and is baptised c. Gen. 17.7 I will be thy God and the God of thy seed Acts 2.38 39. Repent and be baptised every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are a far off even as many as the Lord our God shall call c Mat. 19.14 Suffer these little ones and forbid them not to come to me for to such belongs the kingdome of heaven d Mat. 28.19 Mark 16.16 e Concil Carthag 4. Canon 100. Let not a woman presume to baptise for that addition Except necessity urge is not in the Canon of the Councell but is foisted in by the Pope Decret dist 4. de consecr C. Mulier against the meaning both of the Councell and the command of Christ which cannot without sin be violated except some other speciall command from God should be given VIII These contrary doctrines we impugne 1. That Baptisme is no signe of grace but onely a badge or marke by which Christians are discerned tying them to faith and to the Crosse 2. That water and the Word are not the essentiall parts of Baptisme but water and the person of the holy Ghost included in the Word 3. That there is annexed and affixed a secret vertue which confers upon the baptised the grace of the holy Ghost 4. That the holy Spirit with his effects are tied to Baptisme 5. That the effects of the holy Spirit and of Baptisme are alike or equall 6. That baptised Hypocrites and Infidels as Judas and Simon Magus c. are regenerated in Baptisme by the holy Ghost no lesse then the faithfull 7. That Ministers baptise not onely with water but also with the holy Ghost and so they do more in baptisme then Christ himselfe did 8. That the Infants of the Church are not to be baptised that the baptised are to be re-baptised 9. That the Infants of the Church before Baptisme are spiritually possessed by Satan and therefore are to be exorcised with certaine words and crossings 10. That the children of the Church before Baptisme do no more belong to the Covenant of God then the children of Turks and that there is no difference at all betweene Turkish and Christian children 11. That in case of necessity Mid-wives or any other that have no calling do duely baptise ARTICLE X. Of the Lords Supper I. WE beleeve the holy Supper to be the communion of the bodie and bloud of Christ which is by taking the bread broken and the cup being a blessed in memorie of Christs death till he b come that is to say that it
two or three parts of our justice are either three perfect justices of Christ every one of which apart satisfieth the Law or they are so many imperfect justices concurring to make up one perfect righteousnesse If they are imperfect do they not manifestly derogate from the death of Christ If perfect how is not God unjust who for one fault demands two or three perfect satisfactions whereas his justice requires but one 8. If a part of our justice must be sought for here a part there a part in the death a part in the actuall Antecedent obedience and a part in the naturall holinesse of Christ is not our faith dangerously distracted and our comfort undermined 9. Lastly that which chiefly with-holds me is that I reade no-where in Scripture such a tripartite or bipartite division of our justice I reade no-where that Christs humane holinesse is imputed to us that either it or any part of it is our righteousnesse If any man hath read it I intreat him to shew it that I may also reade and beleeve it Neither do I reade this any-where of actuall obedience nor do the five testimonies which they bring prove any such thing which I briefly shew thus Out of that saying Rom. 5. they conclude more then followes for the consequence will not hold We are justified by Christs obedience ergo by his active obedience The Apostle sets in opposition Christs obedience and Adams disobedience not as action against action but as satisfaction against the fault as the remedy against the disease otherwise the sinnes of omission were not transgressions but Adams sin was not onely a perpetration of evill but the omission of good also Now the obedience which he understands here in another place he doth more expresly declare saying He was made obedient to death even the death of the Crosse But this was the obedience of his exinanition and of death and of the same obedience Theophylact interprets both places Therefore we deny that in this other place which they object the second time any mention is made of two obediences for the text sheweth that the Apostle speakes of his continuated obedience Even to the death of the Crosse Phil. 2. which began when he assumed a servile condition and ended with his death Gal. 4. Neither doth that place Gal. 4. availe any whit to the active obedience for how Christ for us was made subject to the Law the Apostle himselfe explaines cleerely chap. 3. He redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham may be extended upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus But this is understood of Christs voluntary humiliation even to the death appointed by the Law for our sins How notwithstanding this place may be understood of the servitude to the whole Law I will speake hereafter In that saying to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1. the Apostle joyneth foure things but not as parts of imputed justice for who will reckon among these wisdome or redemption it selfe but as the chiefe heads of Christs benefits of which some do helpe us onely by imputation as justice others by reall participation also in this life inchoatively in the other life perfectly as all the rest Hence then no partition can be proved In that place to the Romans is the fallacy of Figura dictionis Rom. 8. for there The Law of the Spirit of life doth not signifie life or Christs active obedience much lesse his formall holinesse but it signifieth the doctrine or quickning grace of the Gospell The place is somewhat obscure but by the scope the simple meaning may be knowne that the remainders of the flesh condemne not godly men if so be they make resistance against them by the helpe of the Spirit What the Apostle said in the first verse he proves in the second by supposing his owne person from the effect of the Gospell The Law saith he of the spirit of life that is the doctrine or grace of the Gospell which is the ministery of the Spirit of life or of that which makes us live in Christ Jesus hath made me free that is hath absolved me and all the faithfull and pronounceth us free from the law of sin and of death that is from condemnation with which the Law threatneth sinners therefore the Apostle opposeth here the law of the Spirit and the law of death as he opposeth the ministery of the Spirit and the Ministery of condemnation 2 Cor. 3.8 as if he would say Although that killing law endeavoureth to condemne those that are justified in Christ Jesus because of the remainders of sin in them with which as yet they wrestle yet the Law of the Spirit of life that is the living doctrine and grace of the Gospell doth absolve them from damnation notwithstanding these remainders of sin seeing these also are pardoned them through Christ for The bloud of Jesus Christ purgeth us from all sin and from all remainders of sin This without prejudice to other mens judgements seems to me to be the genuine meaning of the Apostle But this by the way I hasten to the other Arguments To the sixth wee have already answered Christ wholly quickneth us but one way as he is the efficient another way as he is the matter of righteousnesse And neverthelesse he all justifieth although his passion or death is onely said to be imputed for he all suffered and dyed Neither is his active obedience excluded from merit or justification though it is not said to be imputed which is that the seventh Reason would have For how can the efficient cause or that which is called sine qua non be excluded from its effect Truly both the obediences as well the active as the passive were required in the Mediatiour for our justification but after a divers way that as the cause sine qua non or without which the effect cannot be produced as also his naturall holinesse this as the matter In the eighth Reason we deny the Antecedent For it was never heard that the Law did oblige both to obedience and punishment at the same time but every law obligeth dis-junctively not copulatively either to obedience or to punishment For so long as obedience is performed the Law obligeth no man to punishment that is it pronounceth no man guilty of punishment but promiseth life but when obedience is violated then the Law obligeth the sinner to punishment This is generally true both of divine and humane lawes Therefore their suppositions which they here assume are untrue and repugnant to Gods justice 1. That Adam before his fall at once was tyed to obedience and punishment 2. That man after his fall and so the Mediatour for man was obliged both to fulfill the Law and to suffer punishment When obedience indeed is violated the sinner is bound to make satisfaction by punishment this being performed he is no more a sinner and he is tyed to obedience not to that for the violation
to obedience and punishment together for it were great iniquitie to oblige them to punishment that obey the Law but dis-junctively either to obedience of his humane justice with the Law as the chiefe perfection of the person of the Mediatour without which he could not be our High-Priest and Saviour so the justice of his merit or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not onely the bloud and death but comprehends also all the obedience of his humiliation from the minute of his conception even till the death of the Crosse For the whole life of Christ being full of miseries and sorrowes what else was it then a perpetuall suffering and punishment for our sins For by the order of divine justice whereas Christ was most just his life should not have been miserable and calamitous but altogether sorrowlesse fortunate and happy but in that it was miserable it was by reason hee suffered and satisfied for our sins 4. Therefore when the Scripture points out to us justice in the bloud crosse and death of Christ he doth not speak exclusively as if the sufferings that went before his death did nothing belong to his merit but synecdochically comprehending under the complete finishing of our redemption all the antecedent degrees also that is the beginning encrease and consummation The beginning was in his Incarnation when having assumed the forme of a servant hee became poore c. for us The encrease was throughout all his life which he led in perpetuall miseries tentations and dangers being subject to Gods wrath for us Lastly the consummation was in his crosse and death when giving up the ghost he cried out It is finished All these the Prophet conjoynes in the price of our redemption which Christ paid for us He did truly beare our infirmities Isa 53. and took upon him our sorrowes he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and with his stripes we are healed So the Apostle 2 Corinth 5. When he was rich be became poore for us that we by his poverty might be rich So Herb. 2. He was made somewhat inferiour to the Angels by suffering of death But chiefly Phil. 2. Being in the forme of God he emptied himselfe taking the forme of a servant and he humbled himselfe being made obedient even to the death of the Crosse Nor will their cavill availe in saying that the Apostle speaks not here of the matter of our justice it is enough that he here extends Christs obedience which elsewhere he shewed was our justice to his whole humiliation Neither is that place Hebr. 9.22 against us Without shedding of bloud there is no remission It onely followes from hence that the shedding 〈◊〉 bloud is not excluded from the cause of remission but that it is the cause sine qua non of this But it will not follow that it is the onely cause or that death which followed or the antecedent sufferings are excluded Therefore to Christs death belongeth the whole obedience of his humiliation even to the death of the Crosse 5. But why the Scripture ascribes merit which Christ hath purchased for us in all the course of his obedience to his death as if it were peculiar onely and proper to that the reason is because the sufficiencie of merit consisteth in the death of Christ alone for had hee not dyed the obedience of his humiliation had not been absolute neither had the wrath of God in threatning death to Adam been satisfied Therefore all the rest of Christs obedience without dying had been an insufficient merit and unprofitable to us But they who attribute the merit of justice to his active obedience or naturall holinesse they make void doubtlesse the death of Christ This explication true and consonant to Scripture being observed it will appeare 1. That there is something amisse in both sides of the controvertents in the former because they confound the justice of the person with the justice of merit and by dividing merit into many heterogeneall parts they doe not onely disturbe our faith and comfort but also against Scripture they separate justification from Christs death In the later because from the justice of merit they exclude the whole life of Christ with his humility and sufferings that went before his death And they oppose the exclusive particle Alone in their phrases as when they say The death of Christ alone justifieth His bloud alone purgeth to his life and antecedent obedience whereas it is opposed in meritorious or materiall causes partly to personall justice partly and chiefly to mens merits and all other externall causes except they restraine this particle Alone to sufficiency of which wee have said in the fifth position Againe it will appeare that this will be an easie way to reconcile the controversie if all of them will agree to urge against the Papists and mens merits all these common passages in which as I said already they agree concerning free justification of faith by Christs imputed justice and that they would not use scrupulous disputations concerning this justice or the matter of imputative justice before the people in their Sermons but that they would use Scripture phrases and be content that we are justified not by workes but by faith not by our owne righteousnesse but by anothers obedience to wit by the bloud and death of the Son of God imputed to us and applyed by faith c. For these are sufficient to beget true comfort to all and to refute humane merits As for the controversie it selfe if it must at all be handled in the Schooles it is needfull for a tolerable reconciliation to beware on both sides that the Disputants minds may not be too much alienated The later sort are offended at the partition of merit into so many divers pieces because they see many absurdities spring from thence and the Scripture to be wronged On the other side the former are offended by restraining merit to the death of Christ because they feare lest his life and antecedent obedience be excluded against the Scripture What shall be done then It is needfull that the one forbeare to divide the matter of merit into two three or foure as they use and that they doe not separate the merit of justice from Christs death nor justification from remission of sins That the others restraine not merit to the effusion of bloud upon the Crosse or to the three dayes death and that they exclude not his life and antecedent obedience And both must distinguish with the Scripture personall justice from merit as the efficient cause or sine qua non from the materiall seeing many inconveniences must arise of confusion by which the sense of Scripture is overthrowne the consciences are disturbed and occasion of cavilling is ministred to Papists as we shewed in the first and second Position 2. Let the personall justice of the Mediatour be rightly limited according to the third Position 3. Let the justice of merit be rightly defined and let the Synecdoche
with exciting grace I had a will to co-operate I received it not By which blasphemous lye shall not man cast himselfe headlong with Satan into hell But if faith and perseverance and our salvation shall be built upon our will how can free justification stand And whereas nothing is more mutable then mans will shall not our whole salvation stand upon the sand and all the assurance and comfort of a Christian be reduced to nothing And so much of this other high phrase 3. There is also an equivocation in the words Out of the lapsed and sinfull race of mankinde By the lapsed race of mankinde the Scripture and Catechise do understand man as he is lost in originall sin by Adams fall that is not onely dead in sin but also so viciated and corrupted that he is altogether unfit to do any good thing and bâ—nt to all evill till he be regenerated by the holy Ghost as God decreed to propagate and as in time he gathered for himself so from eternity he appointed to gather for himselfe that is he hath elected an eternall Church in Christ They understand indeed that man is fallen and subject to originall sin of which they have not yet declared themselves as likewise to actuall transgressions yet that he is not so depraved but that hee can freely both will and choose good and evill heare God calling on him open to him knocking either resist or assent or co-operate with exciting grace which interpretation is repugnant to Scripture and truth Who hath separated thee We are not fit of our selves 1 Cor. 4.7 2 Cor. 3.5 Rom. 8.7 c. The wisdome of the flesh is enmity against God 4. There is also a notable Cothurne in the relative them which we with the Apostle Rom. 8.30 understand of certaine individuall men as of Peter of Paul c. predestinated by God not onely to salvation and glory but also to the antecedent meanes of salvation and to the qualities required in those that shall be saved to outward and inward calling to faith and justification to conversion and perseverance to the end according to the Apostles saying Whom he predestinated them he called whom he called them he justified whom he justified them he hath also glorified Whose number saith Austin is so certaine there can be none added to it De correp grat c. 13. Act. 13.48 Hom. 30. Phil. 1.6 Mat. 24.24 nor diminished from it To whom alone it is given infallibly that they beleeve and persevere and that they cannot perish as it is said They beleeved so many as were ordained to life eternall that is as Chrysostome expounds it They that were predestinated by God And Who hath begun a good work in you will perfect it against the day of Jesus Christ It is impossible that the elect shall be seduced Now they understand not certaine men but whosoever casually will beleeve or certaine men but in the species onely not in the individuall beleevers before their election predestinate not to faith and perseverance but after faith to salvation casually if they persevere More briefly we understand them whom election and predestination makes beleevers and perseverers but they meane those whom election finds beleeving and persevering Rom. 11.7 Most briefly thus We understand those that were to beleeve or beleevers consequently or after election they such as were to beleeve or beleevers antecedently or in order before election to wit after the same manner that the chariot drawes the horse for if faith cannot be before vocation which is after election and predestination how can it be before election But the Apostle on the contrarie He hath chosen us that we might be holy not when we were holy Ephes 1.3 But faith is the beginning of our sanctification Act. 15.9 5. Much like is that Cothurne in the words In Christ We understand with the Apostle that God before the foundation of the world elected us in Christ consequently that is that by Faith and the Spirit we might be engraffed in Christ as members in the head and that we might be in Christ after election for the Apostle declares shortly after ver 4. Hee hath predestinated us into adoption by Jesus Christ But adoption is by faith John 1.12 But they understand that God elected us in Christ antecedently that is existing in Christ before election by fore-seen faith but how could the elect have faith in order before the election Had they it by Gods grace No surely for the Apostle makes grace posteriour to election and predestination saying He elected and predestinated us to the praise of the glory of his grace Is it not then of free will This of necessitie they must hold with Pelagius See August de praedest Sanct. c. 19. 6. In the words By Christ and for Christ it may be doubted whether a cothurnall phrase lyeth not hid We simply in and for Christs satisfactorie ransome but they think and speak otherwise of Christs satisfaction For 't is knowne that Vorstius with whom they draw the same cord disputed long since scandalously many things out of Socinus the Samosatenian of Christs satisfaction as if it had been either none or halfe full or not necessarie 7. A notable high straine is couched up in the word Grace which though elsewhere it hath divers significations yet in the question concerning the cause of faith of conversion perseverance and of our salvation grace properly is an effectuall motion and drawing of Gods mercie in the minds and hearts of the elect working by an unspeakable way faith perseverance and conversion Of which Christ saith John 6.44 De gratia Christi cap. 24. No man can come to mee except the Father who sent mee draw him And Austin Let the Pelagians reade and understand behold and confesse that not by the law and doctrine sounding from without but by an internall and occult a marvellous and ineffable power God worketh in the hearts of men not onely new revelations but good wills also But they understand the grace of outward calling by the Word and of inward morall perswasion by the Spirit but indifferent which is in the power of mans free-will to determine well or ill to receive or refuse therefore they call it Resistible as shall appeare Artic. 5. which opinion derogates from Gods glory and makes man proudly sacrifice to his owne net that is grow proud against God and shakes the certaintie of salvation and our comfort in life and death as was shewed cothurno 2. 8. Likewise in the word Beleeve and in the Noune Faith they doubtlesse delude us for to beleeve with us is not onely to assent to the whole word of God but chiefly and properly to be confident in the promise of the Gospel concerning grace and remission of sins by the bloud of Christ Mar. 5.26 Onely beleeve for confide And it hath this meaning chiefly in the phrase to beleeve in God in Christ John 14.1 John 9.36 c. If you beleeve
doe understand For where is that of the Apostle Who hath separated thee What hast thou which thou hast not received But 1 Cor. 4.7 Jerem. 17.5 if thou hast received why dost thou brag as if thou hadst not received it Cursed is he that maketh flesh his arme So they in this Article concerning a generall obtaining of reconciliation of all men with God by Christs death make shew of enlarging the grace of Christs death indeed they doe the very same that the former did And while they think to overthrow the Apostolicall Predestination which discriminates those that shall be saved from them that shall not be saved they go about to bring in their own eventuall predestination of those that spontaneously beleeve and persevere or who determine themselves to faith and perseverance after faith and perseverance which indeed is rather to be called Postdestination then Predestination And while they endeavour to make mens will the mistresse of resistible grace and expose to mans will reconciliation by Christs death they evacuate the faith of grace and weaken that comfort which we have by Christs death Now they think as the former did that Predestination is hence everted thus If God gave his Son to the world and would have him dye not onely for some but equally for all men and Christ according to his Fathers will did dye for all men alike God therefore hath not by his predestination elected some only to life eternall and rejected others neither can Christ be said to dye onely for some or for the elect alone But eternall Predestination is not hence prejudiced for notwithstanding it God would have his Son dye whom he gave to the world and Christ did dye according to his Fathers counsell otherwise indeed or in another sense for all men alike whether they be elected and faithfull or reprobate and infidels but otherwise or in another sense for the elect onely and faithfull That this may be the better understood and demonstrated the Article is to be examined more accurately and it hath foure parts 1. A proposition that Christ dyed for all and singular which is ambiguous 2. A Glosse that hee hath obtained for all reconciliation and remission of sins which is equivocall and false 3. A Condition that none but the faithfull enjoy really this reconciliation which is true it limiteth the Proposition and overthrowes the Glosse 4. A Proofe by the two alledged places of Scripture which directly doe not concerne the Proposition for in neither of the alledged places is there any mention made of Christs death for all and singular so that I wonder how the Authours could not call to mind fitter places yea the later member of the first compells them to limit the Proposition and refells their Glosse therefore some true passages are mixed with ambiguities and falshoods I say 't is true That no man really enjoyes the remission of sins but the faithfull man For he that beleeveth not the wrath of God abides on him not remission or reconciliation except that under these words really enjoy there seemes to lye hid the buskin of the two-fold fruition of remission of sins or reconciliation The one reall by faith proper onely to the faithfull which onely is true The other not reall without faith common to all even to Infidels which is fictitious and nothing Hence is gathered that Christ properly dyed for all and onely the faithfull for none of the unfaithfull and so he dyed not absolutely for all and singular for to dye for one is properly by death to free one from death or to dye in the stead of another that he may live as is plaine 2 Sam. 18.33 Would to God I had dyed for thee that is in thy stead that thou mightst live And of Christ Rom. 5.6 8. He dyed for us when we were wicked and sinners that is in our stead that we being delivered from sin and death may live to righteousnesse or may have life eternall So 1 Cor. 5.15 1 John 3.16 and 4.9 John 15.13 c. The Proposition is ambiguous because imperfect Our Saviour Jesus Christ dyed for all and singular If you adde For beleevers the Proposition will be cleere and true If For men it will remaine ambiguous for it may be understood either of the greatnesse of the merit of Christs death sufficient to all men for reconciliation or of the efficacie thereof in reconciling all men In the former sense the Proposition is true for Christs death in respect of its greatnesse and power is a most sufficient remedy to expiate the sins of all and of every one neither is any thing wanting for a reall reconciliation to all and every one that receives it by faith In this sense Christ may be said to dye for all and every one as for example the Physician when the whole Citie is infected preparing a sufficient antidote for all the sick may be said to prepare it for all and in this sense these sayings in Scripture 1 Tim. 2.6 Hebt 2.2 1 John 2.2 where Christ is said to dye for all To have tasted death for all To be a propitiation for the sins of all the world are commonly not unfitly understood although they may be taken more strictly In the later sense concerning the fruit or efficacie of that most sufficient remedie which is a reall reconciliation with God and a restitution from death to life the Proposition is false for to say that Christ dyed so for all and singular that he hath reconciâ—ed to God all and singular promiscuously faithfull and faithlesse who either know not Christ or oppose him is to contradict the Gospel which with great consent challengeth the efficacie of Christs death for all beleevers only For proving of which that one saying of our Saviour Christ alledged in the Article John 3.16 That all c. is sufficient for he faith not that all and singular men may have life eternall but That all who beleeve in him may not perish but may have life eternall according as the reall fruition of the remission of sins is limited in the Article Whence in the fore-alledged sayings 1 Tim. 2.6 Hebr. 2.9 1 John 2.2 c. when they are understood of the efficacie of Christs death the universall All is necessarily to be restrained to the universalitie of beleevers and of the elect of which universality Prosper writes finely Lib. 1. de vocat Gent. c. 3. In the elect saith he and in them that are separated out of the generality of all men there is accounted a speciall kind of universality that out of all the world all the world may seem to be delivered and out of all mankind all men may seem to be assumed With these two truths the Remonstrants are evidently held 1. That Christ in respect of the sufficiencie of his price and merit dyed for all and singular and would dye and according to his Fathers counsell should dye 2. In respect of the fruit and efficacie of his death
for it doth not say That he might obtaine the grace of God justice and life eternall but that he might acquire it Then if it should use the same word obtained this would helpe nothing the cothurne for it doth not say for all but that to us to wit beleevers of whom the question is What beleevest thou when thou sayest he suffered Grace c. he might acquire But the Catechisme evidently tieth them with a contradiction For it speakes of the reall acquisition of grace or restitution into the state of grace Acts 20.28 with which Christ is said to have purchased the Church of God with his owne bloud that is to have restored her into the state of grace If then he purchased be all one with he obtained it follows that to obtaine is all one with to restore into the state of grace which they deny and to obtaine reconciliation for all is the same that to restore into the state of grace by denying of which in the Conference they tye themselves againe with the knot of contradiction Coll. p. 497. Nor can they free themselves of this knot by objecting that in the same Answer Christ is said to have sustained the wrath of God against the sins of all mankinde for these words will not suffer themselves to be thus glossed upon and wrested That Christ by his death hath reconciled all mankinde or hath impetrated reconciliation and remission of sins to all mankinde for to whom he purchased this or as they speake hath impetrated the subsequent words teach that by his passion c. But they declare and amplifie the cause and matter of his passion to have beene this to wit The sense and induring of Gods wrath kindled against the sins not of some men but of all mankinde from whence is made an universality of sin and of Gods wrath suffered by Christ against sin but no wayes an universality of reconciliation obtained or restored to all for the impetration or restitution of reconciliation declares the end and fruit of the passion but these words speake not of the end and fruit but of the efficiency and matter of the passion The knot then remaines and in vaine do they seeke a pretext for their buskin in the Catechisme Lastly Coll. p. 171. I finde in the Conference one cunning trick devised to elude the contradiction where they write That the passion and death of Christ doth in order precede both faith and infidelity and therefore the Remonstrants thinke it an absurdity that Christ died for the faithfull and Infidels as Infidels and that they assented he did die for all men of whom afterward some became Infidels some beleevers for they discerned betweene the state of a sinner before his infidelity and in it and so they thinke they have sufficiently salved this contradiction Christ died for all and singular and Christ died not for Infidels whereof there be many but indeed they loose not the knot with these subtleties and new tragicall phrases but they lay open the hidden ulcer of their mindes and the mystery of the new prophesies Therefore let us examine the particulars 1. Though we grant that Christs death and passion do in order precede faith yet 't is false that it goeth before infidelity in order for infidelity in order goeth before mans sin and his enmity against God as in order the cause precedes the effect but sin and mans enmity against God in order precede the passion and death of Christ as the Apostle witnesseth For Christ when as yet we were without strength in his owne time he died for the wicked Rom. 5.6 8 9. also When as yet we were sinners and enemies we were reconciled by the death of his Son therefore infidelity in order precedes the passion and death of Christ Againe there is no consequence Christs death in order precedes faith and infidelity therefore it is absurd to say that Christ died for the faithfull and unfaithfull as they were such for they delude us under the fallacy of non causa for whatsoever becomes of the order of faith and infidelity to Christs death it is most true that Christ died for beleevers and unbeleevers as they were such removing the hidden equivocations Of unbeleevers we have shewed out of the Apostle testimonie for if it be most true that Christ died for sinners and enemies as they were such to wit antecedently that is who in order were sinners and enemies before Christs death then it is most true that Christ died for Infidels as they were such to wit antecedently that is who in order before Christs death were Infidels after ceased to be wicked unbeleevers enemies by reason of their faith The same is also most true of beleevers and that whether Christs death be absolutely considered in it selfe or in relation to Christs intention and the Fathers counsell If we absolutely consider Christs death as in order it goeth before faith we conclude that it is absurd to say that Christ died for the faithfull as such antecedently that is whose faith in order went before Christs death for so beliefe must goe before the thing beleeved which is absurd whereas in such relatives beliefe is posterior to the thing beleeved as knowledge to the thing knowne the sensitive act to the sensible object according to Aristotle But it is no absurdity if we say In Categ c. 8. that Christ died for the faithfull as such consequently that is whose faith looking on Christs death and applying it to themselves might attaine the fruit and efficacy thereof for in this sense our Saviour Christ plainly saith Joh. 17.19 20. John 15.13 John 10.51 that he prayeth and sanctifieth himselfe for those that should beleeve in him that he layeth downe his life for his friends and sheepe to wit consequently who in order after the beliefe of Christs death should be beleevers friends and sheepe But relatively to our Saviours intention and his Fathers counsell if we speake of Christs death as in this Question we ought to speake and understand the phrase to die for another is the most proper signification as was said above it is most true that Christ died and that he would and should die onely for the faithfull as they are such that is for such as should make his death by faith their owne not for Infidels as they are such that is for such as by infidelity should neglect and contemne his death On the contrary it is absurd to say that Christ in that most proper sense did not die nor would nor should die onely for the faithfull but also that he died and that he should and would have died for Infidels as they are such For that this is not onely repugnant to holy Writ and to the event by which we ought to judge what our Saviours will and his Fathers counsell was but that it implies also a manifest contradiction the Remonstrants owne conscience will tell them 3. In that they assent that Christ died for
that being inserted and engraffed into the masse of his Son that is his humane nature we may for ever be carried of it 1 Cor. 15.21 and out of it draw life By man came death by man also came the resurrection of the dead For these causes it was necessary that Christ should rise againe that is that his soule which was laid down from the body should be againe joyned with the same body What resurrection is For resurrection is nothing else than a conjunction or re-uniting of the same body with the same soule 4. What are the fruits of Christs resurrection THe questions are divers Wherefore Christ rose and What fruits Christs resurrection bringeth unto us For all the causes of Christs resurrection are not fruits of his resurrection and after a diverse manner are the causes and the fruits of his resurrection considered and moreover the benefits of Christ bestowed by his resurrection are one way considered as causes of Christs resurrection to wit in asmuch as it was necessary that he should rise from death to bestow them on us and otherwise as fruits of the same namely in asmuch as by the power of his resurrection he bestoweth them on us Furthermore the fruit of Christs resurrection is of two sorts the one respecting Christ Rom. 1.4 the other us For first as the Apostle saith He is declared by the resurrection to be the Sonne of God even the only begotten and wel-beloved Sonne of God who is also God himselfe For he revived by his owne power which is the property of God alone John 1.4 5.26 In him was life As the Father hath life in himselfe so likewise hath he given to the Sonne to have life in himselfe Againe Christs humane nature also was by his resurrection adorned with heavenly gifts immortality and that glory which becometh the nature of the Sonne of God God wrought according to the working of his mighty power in Christ Eph. 1.20 21 22. when he raised him from the dead and set him at his right hand in the heavenly places farre above all principality and power and might and domination and every name that is named not in this world onely but also in that which is to come And hath made all things subject under his feet and hath appointed him over all things to be the head of his Church The fruit of Christs resurrection which respecteth us is of many sorts But to speak in generall All the benefits of Christs death are also the fruits which we receive by his resurrection For Christs resurrection maketh that his death hath his effect Christ by his resurrection doth apply unto us those benefits which he merited for us by his death and by this meanes the same are the benefits both of his death and resurrection which are otherwise merited for us than they are bestowed on us For it was not necessary that the very act of meriting and deserving should dure all the time both of the old and new Church but onely the act of bestowing or applying the same and therefore it was necessary also that the Mediatour should be continually that he might bestow alwayes those benefits on the Church which he was once to merit For this cannot be done without a Mediatour and therefore neither can the Church be for one moment without a Mediatour In the old Church Christ the Mediatour did bestow on the Fathers the benefits of his death to come by the force and efficacy of his resurrection to come now he bestoweth them on us by the efficacy of his resurrection already past The fruits of Christs resurrection are 1. A testimony of his perfect satisfaction and of the application of his benefits It remaineth now that we in speciall reckon the chiefe fruits which the resurrection of Christ bringeth unto us First then by the Resurrection of Christ from the dead We are confirmed and warranted 1. Of his merit That he hath fully and perfectly satisfied for our sinnes For one onely sinne not being satisfied for had with-held Christ still in death He was cast into such a prison as that except he had paid the utmost farthing he had never been let go But he was let go and dismissed therefore he paid the utmost farthing In regard therefore of this his merit we have remission of sinnes and are justified before God 2. We are confirmed of the application of Christs benefits which could not have been bestowed if he had not risen For as was said before it was necessary that the self-same Mediatour being man should merit and bestow gifts and therefore should rise againe Whereas then he is risen we are assured not only that he hath merited for us but also that he is able and doth bestow on us the fruit of his merit Wherfore well saith Saint Paul Rom 4.25 That Christ is risen againe for our righteousnesse that is to conferre and apply righteousnesse unto us The giving of the holy Ghost A fruit of Christs resurrection is the gift of the holy Ghost by whom Christ regenerateth us and giveth us eternall life It behoved him first to shake off death from himself and afterwards from us it behoved us to be engraffed into him as into our head that from him the holy Ghost might be derived unto us Wherfore after his resurrection he obtaineth the holy Ghost for us and bestoweth it on us and by the holy Ghost engraffeth us into himselfe regenerateth and quickneth us Before time the godly were also endued with the holy Ghost and regenerated but more sparingly than now in the New Testament and yet both by the force and vertue of his resurrection which was then to come For the holy Ghost by whose vertue and operation only we are regenerated cannot be given but by the resurrection and ascension of Christ into heaven The holy Ghost was not given because that Jesus was not yet glorified John 7.39 Our resurrection Five reasons hereof The resurrection of our bodies is a fruit of Christs resurrection For Christs resurrection is a pledge for our resurrection 1. Because Christ is our head and we his members Now it is expedient for the heads glory that the members be glorious Christ indeed should be by himselfe though he had no members or if his members continued in death but he should not be head because he is not head but in respect of his members neither should he be a King without a kingdome according to the nature of correlatives whose very being dependeth upon necessary relation which one hath to the other and according to the nature of correlatives a glorious head doth require glorious members and such as are correspondent unto it 2. Because if Christ be risen he hath also abolished sinne If he hath abolished sin either he hath abolished his owne sinne or ours but not his owne therefore ours If he hath abolished our sin he hath abolished death also For if the cause be taken away the
hell or in the greatest matter of all others impiously to blaspheme if this be not The second Argument THe blasphemie of Samosatenus Arrius and the late Anti-trinitaries is this That Christ-man is not properly and by nature God but onely by an accidentall participation of Divine properties majesty honour power and vertue The Ubiquitaries also maintaine the same consideration of the God-head of Christ-man while they define the personall union by his communicating alone of properties whereby the flesh of Christ is made omnipotent and every where So that now that man is and is called God not that hee is properly and by nature God but because in finite power majesty and glory is given him from God and all the gifts of the holy Ghost are bestowed on him without measure Now this accidentall bestowing of the God head and all the properties doth not make Christ to be properly and by nature God but only by divine grace or God unproperly so called because it is not the very essentiall God-head of the Word but a certain participation thereof in vertue and efficacy And therefore the sounder Fathers objected unto the Arrians that they took away the true and eternall God-head of Christ when they made him a God not by nature but by grace b participation onely of dignity and majesty Therefore seeing the Vbiquitaries also equalling our Immanuel with God by participation of properties onely take away his true and eternall God-head wee doe disclaime and accurse this their doctrine as blasphemous and hereticall And that they doe this their own words and opinions witnesse Brentius in recog p. 20 Anar Thes 10. â—â— p. Tubin Thes 25 26. and Apol. â—agr 29. as Brentius and Jacobus Andraeas and others of them in their writings Whence we conclude that the Ubiquitaries hold the same opinion with the Artians and the Anti-trinitaries of the God-head of Christ-man that is that all esteeme him for God not by nature but onely by grace of participation new temporary created adopted If these things be true Christ shall not be God and man Lib. 1. de Trinita but a divine man such as the Ubiquitaries repute him who as Servetus hold this opinion That God can communicate the fulnesse of his God-head give his divinity majesty power and glory unto man But wee execrate and detest the same blasphemy of both The third Argument NEstorius taught That the union of God the Word with man was wrought by the participation only of equality as touching majesty honour power vertue and operation Neither doth hee make the difference of the dwelling of the Word in mans nature which himselfe tooke and in other Saints to consist in any other thing than in those gifts and graces bestowed by God on man The selfe same also doe the Vbiquitaries teach because they cry that there is no difference between the inhabiting and dwelling of the God head in Peter and in Christ except it be taken from the communication of the gifts or properties of the God-head and they contend that by this meanes this man which was taken by the Word is God because the Word doth nothing without him but all things by him This is nothing else than to make Christ man onely God by an accident Wherefore the doctrine of Vbiquity is altogether the same with Nestorius his heresie Tert. lib. de Trin pag. 6. 10. Tertullian saith If Christ be man onely how then is he present every-where being called upon and invocated seeing this is not the nature of man but of God to be able to be present in all places By this testimony is refuted the Ubiquity of the humane nature in Christ Object But the union of the divine and humane nature in Christ is unseparable Therefore wheresoever the divine nature is there is also the humane nature Ans It is true which is said that the union is unseparable The Word never forsaketh the nature once assumed and taken But the Word is not in the humane nature as the soul is included in my body Wheresoever my body is there must my soule needs be neither is my soule at the same time without my body But the Word is not so in Christ-man But hee is so unseparably and personally in the humane nature as that he is together also without the humane nature in all the parts of the world as he filleth all and in holy men and Angels by his speciall presence The personall union of both natures doth not evert the generall action and working of his presence and majestie neither doth it let or hinder the speciall working of his presence because the Word is effectuall and worketh forcibly in the regenerate The generall points wherein the Churches which professe the Gospel agree or disagree in the controversie concerning the Lords Supper THey agree in these points 1. That as well the Supper of the Lord as Baptisme is a visible pledge and testimony annexed by Christ himselfe to the promise of grace to this end chiefly that our faith in this promise might be confirmed and strengthened 2. That in the true use of the Supper as well as in all other Sacraments two things are given by God unto us and are received of us namely earthly externall and visible signes are bread and wine and besides these also heavenly internall and invisible gifts as are the true body of Jesus Christ together with all his gifts and benefits and heavenly treasures 3. That in the Supper we are made partakers not only of the Spirit of Christ and his satisfaction justice vertue and operation but also of the very substance and essence of his true body and bloud which was given for us to death on the Crosse and which was shed for us and are truly fed with the self same unto eternall life and that this very thing Christ should teach and make known unto us by this visible receiving of this bread and wine in this Supper 4. That the bread and wine are not changed into the flesh and bloud of Christ but remain true and naturall bread and wine that also the body and bloud of Christ are not shut up in the bread and wine and therefore the bread and wine are called the body of Christ his body and bloud in this sense for that his body and bloud are not only signified by these and set before our eies but also because as often as we eat or drink this bread and wine in the true and right use Christ himself giveth us his body and bloud indeed to be the meat and drink of eternall life 5. That without the right use this receiving of bread and wine is no Sacrament neither any thing but an emptie and vaine ceremony and spectacle and such as men abuse to their owne damnation 6. That there is no other true and lawfull use of the Supper besides that which Christ himself hath instituted and commanded to be ketp namely this that this bread and this wine be eaten and drunken