Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A15779
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A treatise, shewing the possibilitie, and conueniencie of the reall presence of our Sauiour in the blessed Sacrament the former is declared by similitudes and examples: the latter by the causes of the same.
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Wright, Thomas, d. 1624.
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1596
(1596)
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STC 26043.5; ESTC S111546
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105,764
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270
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winges and he from thence gaue answere vnto Moses and the Priests to all that they demanded of him that thereby the people might enioye a perpetuall sensible obiect to stirre more deeply in their mindes a more liuely conceite of the presence of God then they coulde imprint without it Besides this corporall presence helpeth vs greatly in praier to recal vs when we are distracted for such is the imperfection of our meditations that we cannot prosecute theÌ„ but by corporal imaginations the which wee proue to be so wauering incoÌ„stant that if we fix not our mindes fully vpon some corporal sensible obiect our selues will be wandring in al the coasts of the world But by this presence of Christ our imagination keepeth at home as soone as it beginneth to range this Sacrament with a silent voice but a crying maiesty admonisheth him of his duty that talking with so soueraigne a king he must not but speake to the purpose attend what he answereth Thirdly it causeth vs to humble our selues the which is most necessary for â—eel 25. Luke 18. praier because oratio humiliantis se nubes penetrabit the praier of him that humbleth himselfe wil pierce the cloudes And the publicane for this cause obtained his petition wheras the Pharisie was reiected and what can enforce a man more truly profoundly to humble himselfe before God then this food where the son of god doth humble yea abase himselfe so low for maÌ„ Fourthly in the Arke as S. Paul witnesseth Heb. 9. were the tables of the law the rod of Aaron wherwith he did so many miracles in Egypt and a vessell of Manna that god rained in the desart For god would haue them to set perpetually before their eyes the memories of his admirable benefites he had bestowed vpon theÌ„ And haue we not most liuely represented al these three in the Eucharist who vieweth but the tabernacle wherin our sauiour resteth and remeÌ„breth not the new testament subrogated for the old Christ for Moses the law of grace for the law of feare the two precepts of charity like the two tables foulding the x. commaundements who seeth this sacrament presently recordeth not what woonders Christ wrought in earth how he conducteth the faithfull through the red sea of his pretious bloud wherein are drowned all infidels for their incredulity being made to the one petra scandali a Rom. 8. 1 Pet. 2. stumbling stone to the other lapis angularis the corner stone finally who beholdeth here the presence of Christ imediatly may not easily see the vessel of maÌ„na the foode of his chosen people in the desart of his life the foode of Angels discended from heauen the food that finally must conduct theÌ„ to the land of promise The seuenteenth cause to abolish veniall sinnes IF we were arriued to the hauen of eternall life and ascribed citizens of that celestiall Ierusalem whence there is neither Eph. 5. macula ruga nec spot nor wrinckle that is neither sinne nor inclination to sinne we needed no remedy to wash away our sins but since our habitation for a while must be cum habitant Cedar in a worlde subiect Psa 119. to temptatioÌ„s of SathaÌ„ euill examples of the vngodly allurements of the flesh infinite occasions of offences since we are seduced by so many extraordinary passions blinded in iudgement and feebly in affection prone to vice and slowe to vertue Lac. 3. therfore the very iust doe vtter these voices In multis offendimus omnes in manye things â— 10. 1. things we offende all and si dixerimus quod peccatum non habemus nosipsos seducimus Prou. 24. If we shall say that we haue no sinne we seduce ourselues and septies in die cadit iustus the iust falleth seuen times a day Neuerthelesse the iust are planted Psa 1. by the riuer side if some little imperfection staine them if some mudde cleaue vnto them these cristal streames wil wash it away this blessed Sacrament beeing their dayly foode will scoure their dayly defects For we know well that dayly meate supplies dayly wants and that which either sunne or labour consumeth that meate repaireth so in the Sacrament it befalleth wherewith the soule is nourished that those defects which either by worldly mallice or carnall delights were contracted by this consuming fier are released If Dauid coulde say asperges me domine Psa 50. hisopo mundabor lauabis me super niuem dealbabor Thou shalt purge â—mee O Lord with isope I shal de clensed thou shalt wash mee and I shall be made whiter then snowe If the bloud of kiddes or calues sprincled with isope could wash him so from sinnes which drew all their vertue from this Sacrament so that hee should become whiter then snow how white then shal become those soules from the spots of sinne whose heartes soules are sprincled with the blood of Christ I must confesse with Saint Augustine that Christ washed his disciples feete before he made them pertakers of his table the which did signifie the spirituall washing from veniall sinnes for none ought to powre downe this pretious liquor but Tract 56. in 10. into a challice most pure and neate Yet what if after some indifferent diligence made or for some other present occasion one come to this Sacrament with some veniall sinnes shall not wee thinke that our bountifull Sauiour will like the sunne consume those little cloudes of ignorance like an Ocean sea drowne those sparkes of concupiscence like a magnificent king taking possession of his crown and kingdome I meane the soules of his seruants forgiue those little faults committed and say as he saide to Zacheus Luke 14. Quia salus huic domui facta est This daye saluation is made to this house For if wee consider but the qualities of veniall sins and the nature of this Sacrament wee shall finde such correspondence of perfection in the one opposite to the imperfections of the other that none can deny but that this foode of life to veniall sinnes is a present death venial sins are not main but light offences of god but this sacrament yeeldeth extreame contentation to God wherein his sonne who comprehendeth all his loue is contained Veniall sins dispose to mortall and consequently tend to damnifie the soule to death but this sacrament is life bringeth life and encreaseth life Veniall sinnes coole the feruer of charitie and this Sacrament enflameth charitie Veniall sins cause some blemishes in the soule and consequently distemper the beautie therof by a little disgracing the exact figure and similitude of the Trinitie this Sacrament deifieth adioyneth new colours and repaireth the portraite againe For who can better do it then he that came of purpose to refine it The eighteenth cause to be a perpetuall Sacrifice Priest Sacrifice Religion are so linked together that it is imposible to finde one without the other for there can be no Priest that hath
lilfe Meate helpeth nature to disgest many ill humours and this sacrament is not onely a meate but also a medicine And as Saint Cyprian saith extinguisheth sinne Meate causeth growth and whosoeuer participateth De coena Domini 5 this foode encreaseth in spirit for by receuing the life of charity and grace the soule cannot but grow in vertue and perfection as hee that commeth nearer the sunne participateth more light and heate For these resemblances of meate with the blessed sacrament we may per ceaue the reason why our blessed Sauiour instituted it vnder the formes of bread and wine thereby to teach vs by these externall signes that as bread and wine feede our bodyes so Christs fâ—lesh and bloud our soules But for all these perfections or commodities of temporall meats they haue adioyned as many imperfections and defects the which this blessed foode of life wanteth For corporall meats if they delight vs the more we eate of them our delight is lesse and at last wee come to loathe them but this meate Qui comedit adhuc esurit qui Ecde 24. bibit adhuc sitit hee that eateth of it is the more hungry and hee that drinketh the more thirsty and none we see so much desire it as those who most frequent it Corporall meates cannot cause a body that is dead to returne againe to life but this spirituall foode giueth life vnto the dead Qui manducat me ipse viuet propter me Io. 6. he that eateth me the same also shall liue by me Corporall meate although it repaire our forces lost yet the continuall alteration and disguising of it diminisheth our naturall heat because Omne in agendo repatitur euery agent in doing suffereth againe so that at last euen meat it self would extinguish our outward facultie if we had no other cause of death But he who eateth at this table of life Non gustabit Io. 6. mortem in aeternum non morietur he shal not tast of death for euer he shall not dye For as the soule can neuer dye except it leese the grace of God and that it cannot leese of necessitie but of free will so the grace of God can neuer be consumed but by a peruerse wicked will and therefore in aeternum for euer of it selfe it conserueth the soule in life because in very deed it is life Corporall meates faile in force for they alwayes cause not the body to encrease in strength or quantitie but after certaine yeares the body doth not only cease to grow but also it begins to decay and in fine declineth to death But such is the vertue of this holye Eucharist that euery time it is eaten it addeth a new degree of growth yea and for most part when a man declineth most in body and commeth nearer his death in spirit soul he encreaseth most because he then hath most heat of grace todisgest this sacred foode for which admirable effects Dauid wel say in persoÌ„ of those that receiue this Psal 22. heauenly refection Dominus regit me nihil mihi deerit in loco pascuaeibi me collocauit Out Lord doth gouerne me I shall want nothing in the soile of his pasture he hath placed mee For all pastures in respect of this are barren desarts all repasts compared with this leaueth soule euer fainting These pastures are alwaies greene with grace enameld with flowers of vertues watered with the heauenly dewe of Gods assistance and finally haue the pasture continually attending his sacred flocke The twenty ninth cause to effect the resurrection of our bodies BY the vniuersall preuarication of Adam 1. Cor. 15. all his posterity incuâ—red in particular the death of soule and corruption of body whereunto they onely are subiect who discende from him by naturall generation Because that God had so decreed that as from him we were to draw our nature so by his good demeanour froÌ„ him we should receiue our grace But through his transgression by communicating vnto vs a part of his substance poisoned with the sting of originall sin hee imparted together the mortall woundes of body and soule Our Sauiour Christ whose substaÌ„ce was vnspotted with crime or offence pretending as life to destroye death communicated vnto vs his diuine substaunce to giue the soule the life of grace and the body immortality of glory For who can wonder if Christs body touching the bodies of good souls which receiue him with deuotion resuscitate them to life againe since the touche of Elizeus bones had vertue to restore the 4. Reg. 3. vitall spirit to a dead carcasse If seede sowne in the field although it die in the ground retaine vigour virtue of spring so liuely againe which was communicated vnto it by the roote why shall wee not imagine that our bodies keepe a certaine vertue a relation to this sacrament the onely roote of immortality For if the soule receiue grace the body concurreth it is an instrument and therefore if it bee compartner in paine why not in gaine And if Christs soule sanctifie our soules shall not this bodye glorifie our bodies Yea both his body and soule will immortallize both our bodies and soules and therefore hee saide Hic est panis de caelo Iohn 6. descendens vt si quis ex ipso manducauerit non moriatur this is the breade that descendeth from heauen that if anie man eate of it he die not For although hee die corporally yet by vertue of this food by the touch by the relation to the soule whose instrument it was Christ will raise it vp againe Without doubt it standeth greatly with the prouidence of God that Christs body should cause their resurrection who receiue deuoutly this sacrameÌ„t because as wee saide aboue in this hoast Christ is sacrificed and those that participate it woorthily in affection suffer and die with him therefore reason requireth that as they die with him so they shall rise with him Si compatimnr conregnabimus Rom. 8. if we suffer with Christ we shall be also glorified with Christ And more plainely Reformabit corpus humilitatis nostrae Phil. 3. configuratum corpori claritatis suae Hee will reforme the body of our humillitie configured to the body of his glory For if we mortifie our bodies to make them like his body by crosses and pains Doubtlesse he wil reuiue them with delights glory causing them to be his like his body in eternall ioy For which cause we must for a while intreate our bodies not to groane vnder the burthen of Christs commaundements not to repine at fasting not to murmure at mortification not to loathe long prayers not to grudge to liue in prisons depriued of many false pleasures the worlde affoordeth for all these will passeonce When death comes our conscience will reioyce But when our Sauiour after death shall iudge vs and see our crosses conformable to his our pains for his glory our tribulation for his confession Hiems Cantie