Christ saith When they tell you here is Christ and there is Christ beleeue them not So when they tell you that Christ is in heauen and that Christ is in earth in this place and that place beleeue them not for Elias ascention was a figure of Christs ascention when Elias was ascended yet some sought for his body vpon earth so though christ bee ascended yet many seeke his body vpō earth but as they could not finde Elias bodie so these can not finde Christs bodie although they haue sought 300. yeares But if his bodie were vppon earth as they say should wee handle it and touch it now it is glorified After his resurrection he sayd to Mary Touch me not because his bodie was glorified that is not to bee touched with fingers any more but with faith Therefore wee reade of none which touched his bodie after it was risen but onely Thomas to setle his faith Thus you see we need to suborn no witnesses for euerie worde in this text which they alleage for Transubstanciation doth make against Transubstanciation whereby if Antichrist doth signifie thē which are against Christ you see who may be called Antichrist There is no question in Poperie except Purgatorie the Popes publican tasker about which the Papists are at such ciuill warres among themselues as about this Transubstanciation They cannot tell when the chaunge beginneth nor what manner of chaunge it is nor how long the change continueth some hang one way and some an other like the Midianites which fought one against another And no meruaile though their consciences stagger about it for to shewe you the right father of it it was one of the dreames of Innocentius the 3. in the yeare of our Lord 1215. so many yeares passed before Transubstanciatiō was named and then a Pope set it first on foote so it came out of Rome the grandame of all heresies and for want of Scriptures hath been defended with fire and sword and swallowed more Martirs than all the gulfes of the Papall sea beside Now when the doctrines of men goe for scripture you shall see how many errours rush into the Church for graunt but this to Innocentius as the Papists doe that the bread and wine are changed into Christes bodie First it will follow that Christes bodie is not ascended vp to heauen because it remaineth vppon earth and so one of the articles of our faith shall be falsified which saith He is ascended into heauen or if he be ascended and descended againe an other article will be falsified which saith that he sitteth at the right hand of his father that is as Peter saith he abideth in heauen Secondly it will follow that Christ hath not a true body but a fantasticall body because it may be in many places at one time for if his body be in the Sacrament he must needes haue so many bodies as there be Sacraments nay he must haue so many bodies as there be bits in euery sacrament Thirdly it will followe that his body is diuided from his soule and consequently is a dead body because the bread is only changed into his body and not into his soule Fourthly it wil follow that the wicked and prophane and reprobat may receiue Christ as well as the godly because they haue a mouth to eate as well as the best Fiftly it will follow that Christes sacrifice once for all was not sufficient because we must sacrifice him againe and breake his body and shead his bloud as the Iewes crucified him vppon the Crosse. Sixtly it wil follow that the bread being turned into the body of our redeemer hath a part in our redemption as well as Christ. Seauenthly it will follow that Christ did eate his owne body for all the Fathers say that he did eate the same bread which he gaue to his Disciples Lastly it will follow that a Massing Priest shall be the creator of his creator because he makes him which made him all these absurdities are hatched of Transubstantiation Thus when men deuise articles of their owne while they strike vpon the handuill the sparkes flie in their face and they are like the man which began to builde and could not finish it When I see the Papists in so many absurdities for intertaining one error mee thinkes he seemeth like a Collier which is grimed with his owne coales Therfore as in manners we should thinke of Peters saying Whether is it meete to obey GOD or men So in doctrines wee should thinke whether it be meete to beleeue God or mē Thus you haue heard the author of this Sacramēt the Lord Iesus the time when it was instituted in the night that he was betraied the manner how it was instituted after thankes giuing the ende why it was instituted for a remembrance of his death and the discouerie of Transubstanciation one of the last heresies which Babylon hatched Now they which haue been Patrons of it before should do like the father and mother of an Idolater that is lay the first hand vpō him to end his life Thus I end Think what account ye shall giue of that ye haue heard In this Sermon leafe C. section 11. lin 3. for he spake them reade he spake to them A Treatise of the Lords Supper The second Sermon 1. Cor. 11. vers 25 26 27 28. 25 After the same manner also he tooke the cup when he had supped saying This cup is the New Testament in my bloud this doo as oft as ye drinke it in remembrance of me 26 For as often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew the Lords death till he come 27 Wherefore whosoeuer shall eate this bread and drinke the cup of the Lord vnworthelie shall be giltie of the bodie and bloud of the Lord. 28 Let a man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. HEre I am to speake of the second seruice as it were at the Lords Table of that preparation which is like the Wedding garment that euerie man must bring vnto this banquet These words are diuersly repeated of the Euangelists Heere it is sayd This cup is the new testament in my bloud In Mathew and in Marke it is sayd This cup is my bloud of the new testament This is the first mention which Christ makes of a Testament as though now his promises deserued the name of a Testament because the seale is set vnto them which before this Sacrament was not sealed but like a bare wrighting without a signet This word Testament doth imply a promise and therefore teacheth vs that the Sacrament doth confirme strengthen and nourish our faith because it sealeth the promise which wee should beleeue Heere is to be noted that Christ doth not only speake of a Testament but he calleth it a new Testament which words neuer met together before as
they aunswere then to that which exceedeth number and measure Therfore bee content with Iosephs brethren to take your money againe and say that you haue corne for nothing that is you are saued for nothing or els when you say I beleeue the remission of sinnes you lye vnto God because you do not beleeue the remission of sinnes but satisfactiō for sins like the papists It followeth As often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shall shewe the Lords death till he come Here are three inuincible arguments like the three witnesses vnder which euery worde dooth stand First wee are sayd to eate bread thē it is not flesh but bread Secondly wee are sayd to shewe the Lords death then it is but a shewe or representation of his death Thirdly it is sayd vntill he come if he be to come then he is not come if he be come how can we say vntill he come The effect of this verse was shewed in these words Doo this in remembrance of me for to say Doo this in remembrance of me and to say so oft as you doo this you shewe my death is much at one so that if you call this Sacrament a shewe of Christs death as it is called here then it is not Christ or if you call it a remembrance of Christ as it is called there yet it is not Christ but a shew or remembrance of Christ but this is such a shew remembrance that the next verse sayth Whosoeuer receiueth it vnworthelie is giltie of the body and bloud of Christ. Will yee knowe who receyueth vnworthilie In verse 29. Paule sayth hee discerneth not the Lords body that is which putteth no difference betweene this bread and other but eateth like a childe the meate which he knoweth not My sheepe sayth Christ knowe my voyce as they discerne Christes words so they discerne Christes bodie and therfore so often as they come to the Lords Table they seeme to come into the Lordes presence there they greete and kisse and imbrace one another with affectiōs which none can knowe but they that feele like Iohn which leaped in the womb so soone as Christ came neere him Will ye know beside what it is to be giltie of the bodie and bloud of Christ euen as Iudas was giltie for betraying him and Pilate for deliuering him and the Iewes for crucifying him so they are giltie which receiue this Sacrament vnworthely as Pilate and Caiphas and Iudas were If they be guiltie of Christes death they are guiltie of their owne death too as if they had committed two murders and therfore Paule saith after that many of the Corinthians died only for the vnworthie receyuing of this Sacrament As the word is the sauour of death to thē which receiue it vnworthily so the Sacrament is the sauour of death to thē which receiue it vnworthily it neuer goeth into their mouth but they are Traytors ipso facto and may say to Hell this day I haue taken possession of thee because I am guiltie of Christes bloud Therefore it followeth immediatly Let a man examine himselfe before he eate of this bread or drinke of this Wine as if he should say if he which receyueth this Sacrament vnworthely be giltie of Christs death like Iudas which hanged himselfe if these signes be receyued to saluation or damnation like the word the next lesson is to examine your selues before you receyue least you receyue like the sunne of perdition which swalowed the bread and the Diuell together Therefore Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate that is let him examin first and receyue after for if we should receyue the bread of the earth reuerently how should we receyue the bread of heauen Whē Iehonadab came to Iehu his chariot he said Is thy hart vpright as my hart is toward thee So whē we come to the Lords Table he would haue our hearts vpright to him as his heart is to vs for who feasteth his enemies mockers the golden Ring sitteth highest at our Table but the wedding garment sitteth highest at this Table It is safer eating with vnwashen hands then with an vnwashen heart The Iewes were taught to choose the Lambe of the Passeouer on the tenth day of the first moneth in which moneth they came out of Egipt and on the 14. day after they were taught to eate him so they had foure dayes respit betweene the chosing and the killing to prepare and sanctifie thēselues for the Passeouer which was a signe of the Lords Supper This admonished them that the matter now to be performed was very waightie and therefore they were deepely to consider it for now was the action and somme of all saluation in handling if they did prepare themselues so before they did receyue the figure of this Sacrament how should we be prepared before we receiue the Sacrament it selfe Therefore as Iosiah commaunded the Leuites to prepare the people so Paule aduiseth the people to prepare themselues that is to examine whether they haue faith and loue and repentance before they come to this feast By this all may see first that Paule would haue euery lay man so skilfull in the Scripture that he bee able to examine himselfe by it for this admonition is not to them which minister the Sacrament but to all which receiue the Sacrament And the rule by which wee must examine our selues is the law which we should obey therefore if the rule be vnknowne the examination must be vndone Our doctrine must be examined by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles our prayers must bee examined by the sixe petitions of Christs prayer our beleefe must bee examined by the twelue articles of faith our life must bee examined by the tenne Commaundements of the Lawe Now he which hath his Touchstone may trie gold from copper but he which hath it not takes one for the other Therefore before Paules Examine you had need to learne Christs Search Search the Scriptures and they will lighten you to search your selues This is the doctrine with which I will ende and the necessarie poynt for which I choose this text to teach you if I could that Christian arte how to examine your selues Let a man examine himselfe before he eate Here is first an examinatiō Secondly an examination of our selues Thirdly an examination before we come to the Sacramēt Touching the first here Paul saith Examin your selues but in 2. Cor. 13. he doubleth his charge Proue your selues and againe at next word Examine your selues as if he should saye this worke must be done when it is done because it is neuer thoroughly done and therefore we must double our examination as Paul doubleth his counsell If a man suspect his enemy he will try him with a question if that will not search him he will put forth another if that be spied he
solemnized it himselfe Then it is honourable for the time for it was the first ordinance which GOD instituted euen the first thing which he did after man and woman were created that in the state of innocencie before either had sinned like the finest flower which will not thriue but in a cleane ground Before man had any other calling he was called to be a Husband therefore it hath the honour of antiquitie aboue all other ordinances because it was ordained first and is the ancientest calling of men Then it is honourable for the place for whereas all other ordinances were instituted out of Paradise Marriage was instituted in Paradise in the happiest place to signifie howe happie they are which marrie in the Lord they doo not only marrie one another but Christ is maried vnto them so Mariage hath the honor of the place aboue all other ordināces to because it was ordained in Paradise As God the Father honored Mariage so did God the Sonne which is called the seede of the woman and therefore Mariage was so honored amongst women because of this seede that when Elizabeth brought foorth a sonne she said that God had taken away her rebuke counting it the honor of women to beare children and by consequence the honour of women to be maried for the children which are borne out of Mariage are the dishonor of women and called by the shamefull name of Bastards As Christ honoured Mariage with his birth so he honoured it with his miracles for the first miracle which Christe did hee wrought at a Mariage in Chanaan where he turned their water into wine so if Christ be at your Mariage that is if you marie in christ your water shall bee turned into wine that is your peace and your rest and your ioy and your happines shal begin with your Mariage but if you marrie not in Christ then your wine shall be turned into water that is you shall liue worse hereafter than you did before As he honoured it with miracles so he honored it with praises for hee compareth the kingdome of God to a Wedding and he compareth holines to a Wedding garment And in the 5. of Canticles he is wedded himselfe We reade in Scripture of three Mariages of Christ. The first was when Christ and our nature met together The second is when Christ and our soule ioyne together The third is the vnion of Christ and his Church These are Christs 3. wiues As Christ honoreth Mariage so doo Christs Disciples for Iohn calleth the Coniunction of Christ and the faithfull a Mariage And in Reuel 21. 9. the Church hath the name of a Bride whereas Heresie is called a Harlot Further for the honour of Mariage Paule sheweth how by it the curse of the woman was turned into a blessing for the womans curse was the paines which she should suffer in her trauaile Now by Mariage this curse is turned into a blessing for children are the first blessing in al the Scripture And therefore Christ saieth that so soone as the mother seeth a man child borne into the world she forgetteth all her sorrowes as though her curse were turned into a blessing And further Paule saith that by bearing of children if she continue in faith and patience she shall bee saued as though one curse were turned into two blessings For first she shall haue children and after she shall haue saluation What a mercifull God haue wee whose curses are blessings Who would haue thought that God had hid a blessing in his curse So hee loued our parents when hee punished them that hee could scarse punish them for loue and therefore a comfort was folded in his iudgement To honour Mariage more it is said that God tooke a rib out of Adams side and thereof built the woman He is not saide to make man a wife but to build him a wife signifying that man wife make as it were one house together that the building was not perfect vntil the womā was made aswell as the man therefore if the building bee not perfect now it must be destroyed againe Before God made the woman it is sayd that he cast the man into a sleepe and in his sleepe he tooke a rib out of his side and as he made the man of earth so he made the woman of bone while Adam was a sleepe This doth teach vs two thinges As the first Adam was a figure of the second Adam so the first Adams sleepe was a figure of the second Adams sleepe the first Adams spouse was a figure of the second Adams spouse That is as in the sleepe of Adam Eue was borne so in the sleepe of Christ the Church was borne as a bone came out of the first Adams side so bloud came out of the second Adams side As Adams spouse receiued life in his sleepe so Christs spouse receiued life in his sleepe that is the death of Christ is the life of the Church for the Apostle calleth Death a sleepe but Christ which dyed is called Life shewing that in his death we liue Secondly this sleep which the mā was cast into while his wife was created dooth teach vs that our affections our lusts our concupicenses should sleepe while wee goe about this action As the man slept while his wife was making so our flesh should sleepe while our wife is choosing least as the loue of Venison wan Isaak to blesse one for another so the loue of gentrie or riches or beautie make vs take one for another To honour Mariage more yet or rather to teach the maried how to honour one another it is saide that the wife was made of the husbands rib not of his head for Paule calleth the husbande the wiues head nor of the foote for he must not set her at his foote the seruant is appoynted to serue and the wife to helpe If she must not match with the head nor stoope at the foote where shall he set her then He must set her at his heart and therefore she which should lie in his bosome was made in his bosome and should bee as close to him as his ribb of which she was fashioned Lastly in all Nations the day of Mariage was reputed the ioyfullest day in all their life and is reputed still of all as though the Sunne of happines began that day to shine vpon vs when a good wife is brought vnto vs. Therfore one saith that Mariage doth signifie Merriage because a playfellow is come to make our age merrie Salomon considering al these excellencies as though wee were more indebted to God for this thā other temporall gifts saith House and riches are the inheritance of the fathers but a prudent wife commeth of the Lord. House and riches are giuen of God and all things els yet hee saith house and riches