And we finde by lamentable experience in Iudas that he bringing vnto this table though neuer so much shew of pietie knowledge honestie and goodnes yet for that he came as an hollow hearted hypocrite in a purpose to goe on with the treason that for wages he had vndertaken the Deuill immediately vpon his beeing there entred into him and so he neuer ceased vntill he had accomplished his wicked purpose and after by desperate murdering of himselfe had shewed himselfe to be the childe of perdition as we may read most plainely in the storie of the Gospell Iohn 13.27 c. Howe therefore with anie reason may we thinke that we can come vnto the Lordes table there by receiuing of this Sacrament to growe in vnion and communion with Christ and yet be in such palpable ignorance and darkenesse and in such loue with errour and iniquitie as very many that come thither both by their liues before after shew themselues to be If the sonne and heire of our Prince at any time though but in his swathing cloathes should be offered vnto vs to holde in our armes whatsoeuer we had in our handes we woulde readilie let fall to doe that seruice and so to be honoured how much more to put on the Lord Iesus the onely begotten Sonne of God the King of all kinges yea to receiue him into our verie selues to be one with vs should we hastily cast away and lay aside the world the flesh and the deuill and all the wicked lustes and fruites of these If Dauid therefore Psal 24.9 in spirite foreseeing that the Arke which was but a signe and figure of Gods presence amongst the Iewes shoulde one day be brought in by the doores of the Temple to be placed therein before the Temple beganne to be built did crie as he did Lift vp your heades ye gates and lift vp your selues ye euerlasting doers and the king of glorie shall come in let me vpon iuster and greater occasion cry and call vpon euerie one that woulde that Christ shoulde enter into them receiuing this Sacrament lift vp your heartes and be lift vp your selues from all the fruites of the fleshe that this King of glorie may enter in indeede Paule for the sectes and factions and namely for their eating and drinking in the Idoll Temples of meate sacrificed vnto them howsoeuer otherwise they seemed to detest idolatrie and for their lacke of loue that they shewed towardes the poore in their loue-feastes in not tarrying for them gaue the Corinthians to vnderstand that they did so vnworthily eate of this bread and drinke of this cup that they made themselues guiltie of the bodie and blood of Christ are and dranke their owne damnation and that many slept and were weake amongst them as by conference of the tenth and eleuenth chapters together of the first Epistle written vnto them it appeareth How can we then but tremble at the consideration of Gods iudgementes due vnto vs for our vnworthie partaking hereof there beeing such contentions and varieties of opinions amongst some of vs as there bee and besides such a number of other farre grosser sinnes amongst vs then these of the Corinthians were Let vs therefore take Paules remedie that is iudge our selues for this and doe no more so that so we may escape the iudgement of the Lorde 1. Cor. 11.31.32 Yet I would not haue you take me so It is oft to be receiued as though my drift or meaning herein were eyther quite to discourage you from comming or at least to driue you not to come but verie seldome for feare of vnworthy comming For I am not ignorant that Paules saying As often as ye shall eate this breade and drinke this cup ye shewe the Lordes death vntill he come 1. Cor. 11.26 sheweth that it standes very well with the will and pleasure of God that men should often be partakers thereof And therefore it is well knowne it was the fashion of the Primitiue Church vsually euerie Sabbaoth day to communicate And there are great reasons which he that would be accounted a Christian indeede and so to haue faith and knowledge fit for this businesse should not dare to refuse to receiue when he may For to be inuited vnto this table â—o be bid to the mariage of the Kings Sonne the refusall to come whereunto vpon what minde or pretence soeuer we finde so dangerous Math. 22. that both destruction heere and perpetuall exclusion on shutting from the mariage feast is threatned them Vers 7. c. And euerie one may see it is to refuse a most notable meanes to strengthen our faith wherof the strongest in faith stand neede or at least it is plainely to bewray our selues to be such as for want of charitie or for some other grieuous sinne that we know by our selues we think not our selues fit to come So to see our sinnes and to iudge our selues for the same is not altogether to be condemned But yet dearely beloued you must vnderstand that if withall we be heartilie sorie for these our sinnes and purpose vnfainedly amendment and are willing according to the nature and qualitie of our sinnes to giue vnfained testimonie thereof eyther particularly and priuately if that be enough or more publikly if the case so require that is no sufficient reason to keepe vs from this table For the more we see our wants and imperfections yea our faultes and sinnes if withall we rightly repent therof hauing knowledge faith in Christ Iesus right sound though weake and imperfect yet it is verie fit and necessarie that we come to this table so to grow on in all these For it is prepared for hungrie and thirstie soules after Christ and not for proud Pharisies that are puft vp with a conceit of their owne righteousnesse and worthinesse The impenitent and vnbeleeners eate not nor drinke the bodie and blood of Christ at al Indeede they that are destitute of all sound knowledge and faith and shew it by their continuing and going on in errour and impietie and hypocrites that haue none of the things they should haue but in shew are simplie vnworthie to be admitted and they whensoeuer they come make themselues guiltie of the bodie and blood of Christ for refusing it or not hauing wherewith or whereby totake it and so eate the bread drinke of the cup to their damnation And my speach tendes therefore eyther to prouoke such to be repentant and to become new creatures in Christ Iesus or else vntill indeed and trueth by examining of themselues they finde themselues to be in the faith so therby in Christ Iesus lamenting their miserable state and condition there whiles to abstaine For as the couenant belongs not to such whiles they are such so no more doth the feale of the couenant For them therefore by comming to snatch at the seale hauing nothing to doe with the couenant they as much as in them lies prophane the couenant and the author
accidentall form for that God the father hath none such but his very essence substance And this his being in the same forme with his father likewise cuts the throte of Gentilis of al Tritheites for it most strōgly sheweth one form or essence to be one self same most perfectly to distinct persons therin lastly the cōparisō equality betwixt him his father set down in the other words for asmuch as such comparisō could not be if he his father were but one persō named onely by diuers names is as pregnant for euer to confounde Sabellius and Praxeas But the lordes name be blessed praised for it if these words wernot plain inough to proue this doctrine of the son of God to be most cleare against these heretiques we haue else where in the scriptures the same most plentifully and plainelie taught For what can be plainer to this purpose then these words of Iohn Cap. 1.1 and 2. In the beginning was the worde and the word was with God and the word was God For the first clause shewes his existence and being from euerlasting the second his distinct existence and being in person from his fathers and that last his vnitie in essence with him Plaine also to this ende is that which we read Heb. 1.2.3 For there the Apostle cals him the sonne of God whom his heauenlie father hath made heire of all things and by whome he made the world and he termeth him the brightnes of his glorie and the ingraued forme of his person bearing vp all thinges by his mighty worde For herein his being before the world was the distinctiō his of person from his fathers and yet the vnitie of effence betwixt them in most forceable words is aduouched let these therefore be sufficiente for this pointe Now if we would know what he became and is by his incarnation in person further as I said before the rest of the wordes of faint Paule before alleadged out of his 2. Chapter to the Philliplans most notablie lay that also down before vs. For the Apostles purpose being to shew the Phillippians how Christ humbled and abased himselfe for the good of his Church that he doth in shewing them how first he did it by taking vpon him the forme of a seruant and by beeing made like vnto men and by beeing found in shape of a man so setting down the misterie of his incarnation and after by telling them howe beeing so become man he humbled himselfe to be obedient euen vnto the death for them to purchase their redemption Note therefore diligentlie welbeloued and marke religiouslie the wordes of the Apostle before alleadged to expresse the mysterie of his incarnation First he faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we english but he abased himselfe and made himselfe of no reputation which wordes teach vs that though it be moste true that we haue heard of him before that voluntarily yet to shewe his obedience to the will of his father and his loue towards his Church when the time appointed of his father was come he was content though not to cease to be that which he had alwaies beene before which was impossible yet so to haue the glorie and shining brightnesse wherein alwaies thither vnto he had beene in with his father for a time darkned obscured and hid as that in comparison thereof he might be said and thought euen much to haue abased himselfe yea to haue made himselfe of no reputation Nowe to shewe vs more particularly and speciallie wherein this abasing of himselfe laie and how he did it the Apostle sayeth he did thus euen himselfe abase himselfe by taking the forme of a seruant c. thereby vnderstanding the verie nature of man withall the properties and naturall infirmities thereof sinne onely excepted as we are taught to vnderstand it Heb. 2.17 7.26 where the Apostle most plainelie teacheth that in all things he in his manhood was made like vnto his brethren but that he was without sinne And these three wordes forme shape and similitude vsed by the Apostle heere himselfe make it euident that he had a purpose as substantially as might bee to expresse as much Yea the word seruant shews further that voluntarily also he became amongst men to deliuer men from seruitude euen the cōmon seruant of men to serue vnder the burthen of their sins as one in whom there was neither forme nor beauty who was reiected and despised of men as in that respect the prophet Isayah discribs him 53.2.3.54 The Apostles meaning is therefore heereby to teach that Christ being frō euerlasting very God with his father though a distinct person from his father that at he was not thus abased against his wil for that beeing so he thoght it no robery to be equal to his father but that he himself most freely willingly was cōtent thus to strip himself or to empty himself of that glory equality which he had naturally with his father in taking vnto himselfe as he was is in the second person in the trinity the whole nature of man with all the sinles harmles and naturall properties therof both in body soule and in vniting the same immediately in the creation thereof yea in the very same instant and moment with himselfe as he was the sonne of God personally that so as he was before in that he was the sonne of God almighty infinite incomprehensible and eternall so he might bee as he was the soune of man weake finite comprehended and mortall The better yet once againe to make you see that the Apostles meaning in these his wordes stretch thus farre besides that which I haue noted already therin obserue and marke further that he saith not the forme of God eyther abased it selfe tooke the forme of a seruant or was made in the likelihoode or similitude of men but he the which was in the forme he made himself of no reputatiō was made so and found also in the shape of a man to teach vs if we will speake like the Apostle and so accordingly beleeue we must not say nor beleeue that nature tooke nature but the person of the sonne tooke vnto himselfe the nature of man and so that as he was created so it was immediately vnited vnto that person to haue togither with that person a personall vnion and neuer to haue first any existence or beeing a part by or in it selfe For then the Apostle would haue said aswell that the thing assumed was he that was in the forme of a seruant as he had said that the assumer was he that was and had a beeing in the forme of God which he doth not The assumer thefore was the second person in the trinity the sonne of God and neyther father nor holie Ghost nor yet the bare essence of God but as in it this second person had his existence and being and the assumed was not a person of a man first beeing and existing a part but
natures together to the constitution of a man as they doe though infinitely it come short of the reaching to the excellencie of this mysterie that we now speake of may truely be said in diuerse respectes to be a heauenly creature and an earthly mortall and immortall heauenly and immortall in respect of his soule and earthlie mortall in regard of his bodie and diuerse thinges that are proper to the bodie are yet saide of the soule and contrarie they which are speciall to the soule are affirmed of the bodie as for example we say somtimes the soule of man awaketh or sleepeth which are properly saide of the bodie and we say the bodie heareth seeth or vnderstandeth when as in deede the body can doe none of these but by the soule and yet as wee thinke they destroy the nature of man that eyther for the vnion or coupling of these two together to make a man or for any of these phrases woulde eyther turne the one of these into the other confounde one of these with the other or inuest the one nature reallie with the properties that be speciall and peculiar vnto the other so holde we it most firmely in this case that it is plainely hereticall to doe the like These things therfore thus weied and considered we haue iust cause to say and thinke with the Apostle That great is the mysterie of Godlines namely euen this that God is manifested in the flesh and yet iustifyed in the spirit seene of Angels preached vnto gentiles beleeued on in the worlde and receiued vp into glorie 1. Tim. 3.16 And by these thinges we may so clearely see our Christ in person to be verie God and verie man and yet for all that but one person as that both with the Apostle Paul we may call him The mightie and blessed God for euer 2. Tim. 2.13 and the man Christ Iesus 1.2.5 and yet still speake of him as but of the one person as hee doth in both these places And to conclude this pointe heereby also euen sufficientlie we may see and heare all the heretiques and their heresies confuted that euer yet haue sette themselues against anie pointe or parte of the trueth of this doctrine of his person For heereby againste Ebion Cerinthus and Photinus denying his Godheade that hath beene a duouched and against Marcion confessing that and denying the truth of his manhoode that hath beene likewise plainely prooued and consequently Arrius that held rightly of neyther affirming that in respect of the one he was but a created spirit and in regard of the other a bodie onely without any other soule then his created Godhead and Apollinaris that denied that he had the minde or reasonable soule of a man howsoeuer he granted him the sensitiue and growing soule are confounded also especially remembring further that Christ himselfe as plainely to teach them by his wordes that he had a verie soule of a man as by experience they sawe and found he had the very body of a man said not onely that his soule was heauy vnto death Math. 26.38 but dying as Luke reporteth 23.46 cryed with a lowde voyce Father into thy handes I commend my spirit And Nestorius that helde the two natures in him only to be vnited by consociation and assistance and that therefore he had stil a Godhead and a manhood not onely distinct in their natures but also so that in him the sonne of God was one and the sonne of the virgin an other as he was condemned in the counsel of Ephesus for one that was led by the spirit of Antichrist for his so loosing or dissoluing of Iesus so hath the Apostle directly confuted him in this place to the Phillipians and Iohn also as I haue shewed in setting downe plainely that he that was in the forme of God whome Iohn called the worde so tooke vnto himselfe the forme of a seruant that he was made very man or flesh Eutiches also who to ouerthrowe Nestorius taught that the two naturs are so vnited after the incarnation that howsoeuer they were two before after they are but one cannot stand with the apparant distinction that Paule hath made betwixt the assumer and assumed nature both before in and after the assuming of the one by the other vnto himselfe And whereas if this opinion of his were true it should thereupon follow that then eyther the Godhead shoulde be turned into the manhoode or the manhoode into the Godhead for that of the commixtion of both a third thing should growe Euerie one of these absurd consequentes Paule hath refelled also by teaching vs both to remayne without eyther turning of the one into the other or confounding one of them by anie commixtion or otherwise one with an other as we haue hearde And consequentlie heereby both the Lutherans and Papistes who for the maintenance of their grosse reall presence and mouth eating of Christ both God and man doe most eagerlie striue and contende to entitle the manhoode of Christ with the peculiar properties of the Godheade as to be muisible incircumscriptible c. are most plainly prooued to teach heerein hereticall and damned doctrine for that thus confounding the properties with Eutiches in deede and trueth they confounde the natures themselues and therefore let them as they may iustly take the condemnation of Eutiches in the councell of Calcedon to bee also directly their condemnation Vnder this same condemnation come the heretiques 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so called because Eutiches being condemned they durst not say whom they followed though with him they hold but one nature after the incarnation to remaine and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thought the diuine nature was turned into the humaine and that therfore they might say that it suffered and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also which holding that there was nothing lefte but the diuine nature and that the other was absorpte of that yet helde that that nature was ignoraunte of manie thinges and the Aphterdoxitae who helde that the humaine nature was impassible for the coniunxion that it had with the diuine and also the Monothelites who therefore taught that there was but onelie will in the person of Christ For all these stumbled and fell with Eutiches in vrging so the vnion of the two natures that they in effecte one waie or other ere they had done eyther by confounding the natures or the properties left but one in effecte Let vs therefore whatsoeuer heretiques eyther olde or newe haue thought or doe or shall thinke to the contrarie moste constantlie holde this as the verie rocke and foundation whereupon if we bee builte and stande faste the verie gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against vs that Christe Iesus in person is verie GOD the seconde person in the trinitie and also verie man the sonne of the blessed virgine Marie and therefore that both these two are so personally vnited in him that he is one person and that without any conuersion of the one nature into
to be in Christ Iesus indeede in all true holinesse and righteousnesse God therefore of his infinite mercie for our Sauiour Christ Iesus sake giue vs grace so to imprint all these thinges in our harts that to his owne glorie to the edifying of all others amongest whom wee shall liue and to the euerlasting comfort of our owne soules we may euerie one of vs that haue nowe hearde these thinges both vnfainedlie beleeue and liue alwaies accordinglie Nowe God the Father God the Sonne and God the holie Ghost three persons and one GOD to whome be ascribed all honour praise and glorie nowe and for euer be with all our soules and bodies to blesse preserue and keepe vs so in both this way that wee all of vs liuing and dying may keepe a steddie and streight course therein vntill hee vouchsafe to take vs all hence to be heires of his eternall and euerlasting kingdome Amen Amen FINIS Printed at London for Robert Dexter dwelling in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Brasen Serpent 1597. Faultes escaped Page 2. lin 1. for proue r. prouoke p. 1. l. 2. for afore to wards r. after or towards p. 15. li. 21. for 13. r. c. p. 22. l. 25. for on r. of p. 30. li. last for wheÌ„ r. euen before for make a p. 34. l. 6. for priuitie r. prauitie l. 22. next some put in sorte p. 37. l. 1â— for free r. fully p. 42. l. 24. for his r hee p. 49. for sound r. fond li. 10. p. 46. li. 1. for sible to be r. siblie be so li. 10. after they put in neither p. 52. li 14. for the r. this p. 53 li. 9. after now put to whereas and li. 8. for where r. what in the next line after man put in at p. 54. li last for where r. whereas put out told and r. to too p. 55. li. 1 for of r. and. and li. 6. for wherupon r. hereupon and li. 16. for countred r. controlled p. 56. li. â—1 or sinners r. sins p. 58. l. 15. for an r. and. 24 for hereby r. thereby p. 60. li. 13. for as r. is p. 61. l. 2. for end r. lend p. 62. l. 24. for countenance r. continuance p. 66 l. 5. for persons r. person line next but 2. for he r. so and line last but 6. for 10. r. 1. p. 68. li. last but 6. after after put in by an in the last line for the r. that p 70. li. last after tended put in so p. 72. l. 15. for his of r. of his p. 77. li. last but 6. for made r. make and last but. 4. for it r. him and after so put in p. 80. l. 27. for not r note p. 82. l. 9. after of put in he p. 87. l 10. after but put in one p. 88. li. 10. for though r. through p. 89. li. 21. for fruit r. finite r. 90. l. 7. for and nayled r. and hauing nayled p. 91. l. 21. for these read those p. 91. l. last but. 5. for their redemption r. in him their hope of redemption p. 92. l. 8. for the second as r. vs. p. 93. li 17 for speake r. seeke p. 25. to r. ho. p. 94. li. 22. after as r. by p. 101. l. 11. for he r. Nathan p. 104. li 5. for extram r. extreame p. 106. lin 5. put out so p. 109. l. 16. for that whey r. what they l. 18. for is r. are p. 11. l. 16. for mony so r. in any sort p. 115. l. 8. for effectually r. especially p. 122. li 1. for it is r. is it and li. 9. after who put in can 20. after suffred put by p. 130. l. 6. after cribed put in him p. 132. l. 9. for the r. that p. 134. for be r. to p. 141. li. 24. for 6. r. 9. p. 151. li. 1. for in r. into p. 158. l. 9. for my r. thy p. 161. li. 1. for containeth r. coÌ„tain p. 170. li. 24. for there r. theÌ„ p. 193. li. 21. for ment r. ments p. 200. li. 21. after to put in be p. 217. li. 9. for which r. why p. 234. l. 16. after is put in his p. 2â—8 l. last next put in a. 240. l. 4. for hir r. his p. 242. l. 8. for purpose propose p. 247. li. 24. for or impart r. nor import p. 249. li. last but 3. after in put in the. p. 251. li. 8. for the r. these p. 273. li. 12. for destruction r. distraction p. 275. li. 11. for must r. most li. 20. next vs put in saluation p. 276. l. 1â— for such r. so p. 284. on the margent for ConsubstantiatioÌ„ r. Transubstantiation p. 286. l. 4. for 48. r. 4. p. 288. li. 9. for of Valentileans r. of the Valentinians and li. 18. for inkling r. iugling p. 299. l. 19. for cannot r. can p. 303. li. 16. after vpon put in him p. 320. li. 16. for ame r. same p. 348. li. 5. put out in