in couenants he secondly requireth on our part faith Ioh. 3.16 with repentance and newnesse of life according to the tenour of the Gospell Repent and beleeue Mat. 3.2 Mark 1.15 This being the couenant faire drawne and largely written in the word of God God thirdly annexeth his Seale hereunto to ratifie what he hath promised and to confirme and strengthen our faith in his promise as also he enioyneth vnto vs the vse of the Sacraments whereby we for our parts first shewing our selues needfull of his mercies both promise to to performe what he requires that is to repent and beléeue and also by taking the Sacrament binde our selues in seruice God that we will forsaking all others and renouncing the deuill the world and the flesh Gods and our maine enemies beléeue his promises depend on his mercies and serue him constantly to our liues end in all holy obedience This is first done in Baptisme by which wee haue our admission into the true Church of God sealed vnto vs and where first this couenant is confirmed and sealed on both parts Gods and ours This same couenant is renued in the Lords Supper so often as we partake of it for God thereby nourisheth and preserueth vs in the true Church after our admission into it by Baptisme confirms and seales vnto vs the same promise of the Gospell and requires like conditions of faith and repentance from vs. And that we may better know the nature of this Sacrament we must consider that each Sacrament being a signe each thing action and circumstance is appointed to signifie and bring to our mind some other spirituall thing or action As therefore in Baptisme the water signifieth the bloud and spirit of Christ whereby our sinnes are washed and purged so in the Lords Supper 1 The Bread and the Wine are now set apart from the common vse of féeding our bodies to represent and signifie vnto vs the body and blood of our Sauiour Christ Secondly The Minister setting these apart to this vse and consecrating them signifies how God the Father in his eternall Decree hath set apart Christ our Sauiour for the worke of our redemption and consecrated Him therevnto Thirdly The breaking of the Bread and powring out of the Wine signifie the death of our Sauiour whereby his Body was broken and a separation made for a while of the soule from the body and the sheading of His precious blood by which he satisfied Gods wrath for beleeuers and paid our debt which was death When the Minister offers and giues the Bread and Wine we must conceiue that God to vs that beleeue doth offer and giue as hee promised in his Word Christ his Sonne with all the benefits of his death and Passion which are forgiuenesse of sinne reconciliation with God and life eternall Our receiuing of these from his hands and feeding on them signifie our Faith which is as the hand mouth and stomacke of our soules whereby wee receiue Christ and all these benefits now offered vnto vs and feed on him spiritually to life eternall all which beeing done with others put vs in mind of charity Now all these we must well know vnderstand before we come to the Lords Table CHAP. 4. Of Faith BVt moreouer it will not auaile vs onely to know these things but wee must also bring Faith with vs and beleeue the promise of the Gospell the necessity whereof appeares from that which hath beene said The promise is made onely to them that beleeue Ioh. 3.16 Now this Sacrament is a seale of that promise and of the Couenant of Grace and therefore can seale vnto vs no more nor no otherwise than is promised Thee is nothing promised in the Word to the vnfaithfull and vnbeleeuers and therefore there is nothing sealed to them in this Sacrament Such then receiuing this Sacrament receiue onely a Seale set to a blancke or piece of white paper wherein there is nothing written or promised and such men receiue the Sacrament to their hurt and not to their good because they prophane the holy ordinance of God CHAP. 5. Of Repentance GOD besides our faith doth also looke for our repentance and newnesse of life For in this Sacrament we professe our selues to forsake our sinnes and lusts and the Deuill and to become new men and that wee will hereafter walke with God in new obedience all our seruice and sacrifices else will not be accepted of God the Lord reiecteth all outward seruice and ceremonies though they were ordained by himselfe when they are not accompanied with the conuersion of the heart and innocency of life See Esa 1.13 14 15 16. 66.3 Therefore the Lord biddeth when wee appeare before him saying Esa 1.16 17. Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your wayes cease to do euill learne to doe well c And Dauid saith Psal 26.6 I will wash mine hands in innocencie so I will compasse thine Altar This is especially necessary in this Sacrament wherein we shew forth the Lords death till he come 1 Cor. 11.26 which we can doe no better then by dying vnto sinne our selues which is called mortification which belongs to the first part of repentance and must bee seconded with viuification or newnesse of life which belongs to the second part of repentance The dueties then heere to be performed are First diligently and seriously to examine our owne consciences and to find out our sinnes both originall and actuall against both Law and Gospell that so we may returne to God by repentance Psal 119.59 Lam. 3.39 40. Without this sight of sinne wee cannot repent as seeing nothing that hath turned vs from God and repenting wee shall not be accepted without this turning first into our own hearts Deut. 30.1 2. 1 King 8.47 especially we must labour to find out our speciall sinnes vnto which we are most of all inclined and which most of all wound our consciences to this end we are carefully First to obserue the checks of conscience Secondly to obserue our thoughts on what especially they runne most Thirdly to make vse of some faithfull friend who may faithfully tell vs wherein they obserue vs to offend seeing wee our selues are naturally blinded with selfe-loue to this end obserue what sinnes GODS Word preached or read condemnes yea obserue because malice is quick-sighted what thine enemies obserue in thee and do cast in thy teeth But aboue all fourthly looke thy selfe and thy face in the Glasse of Gods Law and bring thy selfe to the Ballance and Touch-stone of Gods Word both Law and Gospell examine thy selfe by each Article of thy Créede and by each Commandement apart according to the true meaning of each Commandement which binds the inward man and thine affections as well as thy words and workes and so thou maist find thy sinne to this end make vse of that direction which is set downe in Master Perkins Booke of Repentance and in the Booke called the True Watch first Part and also the second
deede of gift whereby thou giuest and sealest vnto all beleeuers eternall life O Lord now I may see and that without doubting that indeed my name is written in the Lambs booke of life When wee take and apply the Bread and Wine to our selues then must wee stir vp our selues to take hold on Christ Esa 64.7 and be put in minde of the speciall act of faith which is to apply and bring Christ home to the inmost closet of our hearts relying our selues and putting our whole affiance wholly and onely on him for saluation stirring vp our faith and by it féeding on our Sauiour more and more crying also Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe When we eat and drinke then also must we meditate first on our strait vnion with Christ whereby we become one with him and he with vs euen as the Bread and Wine turne to our nourishment and become one substance with vs one flesh and one bone and what straighter vnion can there bee then this Then rouze vp thy spirit say O my blessed Sauiour be thou vnto mee Bread and water of life for euermore let this vnion once made by thy Spirit my faith neuer again be dissolued but fasten me vnto thée by the bond of my faith and fasten and vnite thy selfe vnto me by the bond of thy Spirit and that for euermore Let nothing dissolue this knot let not my sinnes euer hereafter separate betweene thee and me Esa 59.2 But O Lord let thy most precious and pure and holy body and blood clense and sanctifie my body and my soule and either keepe them that they sinne not against thee at any time presumptuously or if they sinne that by thy precious bloud they may be forthwith purged from sin 1. Ioh. 1.7 Yea O Lord let me walke on in the strength of this spirituall foode this liuing Bread and Water of life euen to eternall life according to thy gracious promise and Word whereby thou hast said Whosoeuer eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Bloud hath eternall life and if any man eat of this Bread he shall liue for euer Ioh. 6.51 54. Let mee therefore hence be assured that neither death nor life nor any thing else shall bee able to seperate me from this loue of thy Father which is in thee his sonne my Sauiour Iesus Christ Rom. 8.38 39. Heere also must we thinke of our participation of all the benefits of Christ both by imputation concerning our iustification and also by infusion concerning our sanctification seeing Christ neuer comes alone but as the married wise though she marry with the man himselfe and not with his lands or goods yet being partaker of him she partakes of them too Why then O Lord need I distrust thy goodnesse for any blessing spirituall or temporall seeing thou hast giuen me thy Sonne Christ and in him interest in all things 1. Cor. 3.22 23. If thou sparedst not thy Sonne but gauest him for me to death and now giuest and appliest him spiritually vnto me how shalt thou not with him giue mee all things also Rom. 8.32 I will henceforth therefore neuer distrust thy goodnesse Lastly when thou seest in this holy action others also rich and poore of all sorts without difference eat of the same Bread and drinke of the fame Cup bee put in minde of loue and charity to all wee see where men familiarly conuerse one with another and liue together in one house sitting and feeding at the same table there is mutuall loue knowledge and familiarity else it is very vnusuall and vnnaturall yea very beasts by drawing together in the same Yoke grow familiar one with another and shew loue in their kinde what louing respect therefore owe I euen to the meanest of my fellowes and brethren and to the least of the Saints of God seeing wee all that are many are one bread and one body because we all are partakers of one Bread 1. Cor. 10.17 and wee all haue beene made to drinke into one Spirit 1. Cor. 12.13 Surely then because I see there is one body and but one one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptisme yea one onely communion of Saints one God and Father of all I will therefore endeuour to keepe the vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and with all humblenesse of minde and meeknesse with long suffering support others through loue as the Apostle exhorts me Ephesians 4.1 2 3 4 5. And because I here see my Sauiour makes no difference and hath no respect of persons so they feare God Act. 10.34 35. but alike admits all to his Table of all sorts rich and poore noble and ignoble c. and communicates himselfe to all I will henceforth despise none of GODS Saints not the least member of Gods Church whom God and Christ so loues and hath done so much for 1. Cor. 11.22 Mat. 18.10 With these or such like meditations should our thoughts be taken vp during the time of the celebration of the blessed Sacrament at which time especially wee are to make conscience of our thoughts CHAP. 9. Of duties to be performed after this action is ended AS before we should presume to this Table we must set our selues and our thoughts by meditations a part by times some two or thrée daies that we may come prepared after the example of the Passeouer Exod. 12.3 6. So after this Sacrament is solemnly celebrated in the Church each man and woman particularly should doe well to set apart some fit and conuenient time to consider well what is done what God hath done for them and what they haue promised and ought to doe for God And here First each one for himselfe must in particular be thankfull for the high fauour vouchsafed him that God would admit him to his Table being in himselfe vnworthy so much as to gather vp the crums that fall from it The forme of thanks may either be performed as it shall please God by his Spirit to helpe our infirmities Rom 8.26 or helpe may be had from the order of the Church and from diuers good bookes of deuotion in this kinde Now to this end each for himselfe must well remember what he hath made promise and profession of Here we haue renued our promise and vow made in Baptisme to forsake the deuill and haue taken the Sacrament vpon it and receiued as it were presse-money from God to fight valiantly constantly and faithfully vnder his banner against all his and our enemies after which it is high treason against his Maiestie to reuolt or giue ouer resolue therefore now of constancie to hold out to the end whatsoeuer come of it whatsoeuer opposition wée finde from our traiterous and rebellious flesh from the scoffes of the world from the assaults and slie suggestions of Satan And as thou lookest that God should make good what he in his word hath promised and in this Sacrament hath sealed vnto thée so looke that thou performe all thy vowes to God else this
DIRECTIONS FOR THE WORTHY Receiuing of the Lords SVPPER With some few Questions to the same purpose By ROBERT IENISON Batchelor in Diuinity and Minister of Gods Word at New-Castle vpon Tine 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate c. LONDON Printed for Iohn Harrigat and are to be sold at the Holy Lambe in Pater-noster Row 1624. TO MY CHRISTIAN Hearers of the Parishes of S. Nicholas and All-Saints in New-Castle vpon Tine especially to the yonger and ruder sort of them R. I. wisheth a competent measure of the Spirit of Wisedome and vnderstanding of the Spirit of Knowledge and of the feare of the Lord. WHat I now in heart and euer in my hearty and dayly Prayers vnfaynedly wish on your behalfe right deare beloued Brethren I am not as you know neither shall I euer God assisting be awanting to further by my dayly and best endeuours for you whether it bee by my Preaching or by my Pen though this latter finds enough to doe to prepare matter for your eares not eyes To which end as also for the publike good of many others I haue not beene vnwilling at the requests of some that these few directions following which nigh seuen yeeres since were at the earnest intreaty of a neere friend summed vp in haste should after they had also sounded in your eares see the light and passe euen rudely as at first when there was no purpose of publishing them they were written without any alteration vnder the publike censure of the world hoping yea earnestly desiring men would bring rather humble and hungring hearts than curious and catching heads to the reading of them that so they may indeed truely profite by them As I shall vnderstand these ruder older and hastier Meditations are accepted of I shall bee encouraged to greater further and fresher paines in publishing soone after what I hope will not bee vnprofitable to the Church of GOD whose Seruant I doe professe my selfe as also Yours in the Lord Robert Ienison From my House in New-Castle vpon Tine Ian. 12. 1623. To the Christian and carefull READER THou soule-sicke Christian solace gather hence Who art exil'd in sense from Cana'ns Land Lo heer 's a Briefe of that true Euidence Which God hath pen'd with his most holy Hand And lest some doubt possesse thy silly Soule That seale-lesse Blancks those Copies proue to bee Take comfort for th' inspir'd and sacred Roule Of Gods great Booke is sealed vnto thee With Graces rich inclos'd both more and lesse If thou to practise This thy selfe addresse Ad eundem Pacis Sacramenta licet signacula fiant Non nisi sint sacrâ mente recepta simul C. F. A BRIEFE DIRECTION FOR THE WORTHY RECEIVING OF THE Lords Supper CHAP. I. Three sorts of dueties are to be performed of euery worthy Communicant and three things especially are to be looked vnto THere must be an antecedent disposition in the receiuer and a performance of such duties as may prepare him There must bee a right behauiour in the performance of this holy action There are duties to be performed after CHAP. II. Of such graces as are needfull in euery worthy Communicant THis Sacrament being a most holy ordinance of God belongs not of right indifferently to all but to such onely as God doth accept and account as worthy in his Sonne Iesus Christ We are all of vs in our selues and by our corrupt nature altogether vnworthy to partake of any mercy and especially of that grace which is both offered and sealed vnto vs in the Sacrament Yet God in his Sonne Christ our Sauiour is ready to accept vs if we come clothed with the wedding garment of his righteousnesse putting it on vs by faith Faith then of necessitie is required in euery worthy Communicant Now true Faith as it is grounded vpon sound and sauing Knowledge so it is and must be accompanied with true Repentance and with the fruits thereof especially Charitie These foure graces then are necessary in euery worthy Communicant 1 Knowledge 2 Faith 3 Repentance 4 Charitie Neither must we onely haue them but we must know so much which knowledge is got by examination CHAP. III. Of Knowledge GOd would haue vs offer vp to him reasonable seruice as an acceptable sacrifice Rom. 12.1 And not like shéep each follow other without knowledge and consideration what we doe Knowledge is the beginning of all grace Prou. 19. 2. Acts 26.18 1 Tim. 2.4 And Ignorance is highly displeasing vnto God In this Sacrament knowledge is required that we may examine our selues 1 Cor. 11.28 The Rule of examination is partly the Law of God by which we are to examine our selues our repentance and obedience and partly the Gospell by which we must examine our faith These two as being the rules of our triall must therefore first be knowne We must then know what the Law will tell vs that howsoeuer we were made at the first in our first parents Adam and Eue in righteousnesse and holinesse according to Gods image yet now we are all of vs by our first birth corrupt children ouer-spred with the leprosie and leauen of sinne vnapt to conceiue or doe any thing truly good prone and readie to doe all euill and that accordingly we dayly bring forth and multiply the bitter fruits of Sinne by our actuall trangressions not doing what good we should doe and doing the euill we should not doe and that therefore in this regard we are all naturally as the slaues of Satan who rules in our hearts by Sinne so the children of death and heires of damnation The iust reward of our sinne being the wrath and curse of God and death of body and soule euerlastingly Yet we must further know what the Gospell reueales namely that Gods will is not such is his loue that we all should perish as we most iustly deserue but that we should be saued and come vnto the knowledge of the truth 1. Tim. 2.4 That is that all of all sorts beléeuing the Gospell should be saued the tenour and substance of the Gospell being comprised in these words Iohn 3.16 God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting For the confirmation of which promise to vs wee must further know that God hath annexed and added seales which we call Sacraments whereof it is fit also we should haue some generall knowledge Sacraments therefore are outward and visible signes and seales of some inward inuisible grace Or they are holy signes ordained of God whereby the couenant of grace betweene God and the partie receiuing these signes is solemnely sealed confirmed and ratified This couenant of grace is that whereby God on his part First promiseth to be our God that is all in all vnto vs Gen. 17.7 and that we shall not perish as we had deserued but haue euerlasting life through and by Christ Iesus which none of vs deserues But withall as
in grace thus differing from Baptisme which is the Sacrament of our first birth or regeneration as bread therefore is for the sustenance of man and preseruation of naturall life in him so is Christs body and bloud spiritually for the encrease and nourishing of our faith and of Gods graces in vs. For thus in decay of grace we come to get assurance and féeling of it againe Christ is therefore called the bread of life Iohn 6.35.51 herein differing from common bread that it onely preserues life where life is once begun but Christ begins life in vs being set before vs in the preaching of the Gospel called the childrēs bread Mat. 15.26 And he is eaten by faith spiritually Ioh. 6.56 He also continues and preserues life in vs as bread eaten by the same faith sacramentally Consider bread and wine are also for our comfort and to make glad the heart of man Psalm 104.14 15. so also this Sacrament and therefore in our faintings and in our afflictions we are to haue recourse hither this bread being like that meale which Elisha cast into the pot to make the pottage wholesome whereof it was said before death is in the pot 2. Kings 4.40 and 41. When we sée both bread and wine consider that Christ is our perfect Sauiour and Redéemer both bread and water of life vnto vs so that we néed not saluation in whole or in part of any other 4 Consider hence also the necessitie of this Sacrament especially of the thing signified by this bread and wine for as without bread and wine or other moysture we could not possibly liue whereas we may well spare many vnnecessary dainties so without this body and blood of Christ and the merits thereon depending it is impossible for any either to liue the life of grace here or of glory hereafter When we sée the Minister set apart by prayer and consecration these Elements from a common to an holy vse which signifies Gods eternall decrée in sealing Christ to the worke of our redemption and saluation Iohn 6.27 Then further consider and meditate on God the Fathers excéeding great loue Who so loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne Christ to redeeme it Ioh. 3.16 Which loue God setteth forth séeing that first of himselfe vnsought to Secondly he the partie offended should prouide a Sauiour and giue thirdly his onely beloued Sonne for vs Fourthly before we were Fifthly whom he foresaw to be vnable to helpe our selues yea Sixtly to be enemies vnto him Rom. 5.8 Oh wonderfull loue of God! how did Abraham loue God when for his sake he was ready to offer in sacrifice his onely sonne Isaak yet that was his duty God so requiring it How much more doth God loue vs that fréely yea contrary to our deseruings giues to death his onely Sonne Christ one ten thousand times better then Isaack And thinke if God so loued me how ought I to loue him againe how ought I for his sake to part with my dearest and darling sinnes c. When we sée the bread broken and the wine powred out then thinke on the death and passion of Christ and on those intolerable paines which he suffered both in body and also much more in soule not for himselfe but for vs and here also more specially meditate First on Christs speciall Loue to vs who would so willingly become our suretie and pay our debt to God which is death which we were neuer able to haue endured For greater loue then this hath no man when any man bestowes his life on his friends Ioh. 15.13 But Christ is that good shepheard who giueth his life for vs his sheepe Ioh. 10.11 How then must I meditate should this inflame my heart with the loue of this my Sauiour c. And how may I now rest assured that I shall be vndoubtedly saued for if when I was a sinner Christ died for me much more then being now iustified by his blood shal I be saued from wrath throgh him c. Rom. 5.8.9.10 Secondly considering his grieuous suffering and pangs for vs his hands and his féet boared his side pearced with a speare himselfe mocked and now sustaining in soule the wrath of his Father due to our sinnes meditate Didst thou swéet Sauiour suffer such torments for me and shall not I endure an euill word for thée and for the profession of thy Name Diddest thou on the Crosse taste Vineger and Gall for me and shall I liue in pleasure and delicacies faring deliciously euery day and so please my palate with excesse in delicious meates and wines Diddest thou die for me and shall not I die to sinne and thus shew forth in my selfe thy death Yea diddest thou die for me and shall not I be ready to lay downe my life for thy Names sake c. Thirdly consider also the cause of all this his suffering which was not any sinne of his but our sinne 2. Cor. 5.21 and thinke and say Lord when I looke vpon thée whom my sinnes haue pierced how should I lament for thée as one that mourneth for his onely Sonne and bee sorry for thée as one is sorry for his first borne Zach. 12.10 Nay how should I rather mourne for mine owne sinnes and hate them with a deadly hatred whereby I crucifie thée againe so louing a Sauiour my sinnes being the speare that pierced thee and the nailes that lastened thée to the Crosse How weighty are my sinnes and how great the desert thereof which could not be borne by me nor satisfied for by any thing I am able either to doe or suffer but onely by thy precious death and bloud-shed of thée my deare Sauiour and my God blessed for euer Shall I now henceforth account any sinne light or little which deserued such infinite punishment Oh my Sauiour possesse my heart with thy loue teach mee to loue thee perfectly and to hate all sinne which cost thee so deare c. When the Minister representing the person of God the Father comes towards thée to offer and giue to each the signes this Bread and Wine then first meditate and pray and say with the Centurion Lord I am not worthy thou shouldest come vnder my roofe and as Elizabeth said to Mary whence commeth this to me that not the mother of the Lord but the Lord himselfe should come to me Luk. 1.14 And with the blessed Virgin Luk. 1.38 Behold the seruant of the Lord be it vnto thee according to thy word and here secondly assure thy selfe of Gods especiall loue to thée in particular and take these signes as speciall seales and pledges of Gods speciall loue towards thee and here raise vp thy thoughts with this or the like meditation Lord whereas in thy Word thou offerest Christ to all beleeuers though thou namest none now I see thou meanest euen me poore sinner as well as any thou appliest and assurest vnto me thy generall promise as if my name were recorded in thy Word and written in that