is ceas'd also together with the Law and in stead thereof a Sacrament more sutable to the Gospel is instituted in Bread and Wine which of all sensible substances here below are the most pure and so the fittest to set out the spirituall service of the Gospel The consideration whereof should teach us that live under the Gospel not to rest our selves in any bodily or outward observations as if they were the onely or principall duty of the Gospel but to use them as helpes onely the better to enable us for the due performing of our spirituall services which is the perfection the Gospel cals us to and without which all other performances like a hungry and barren soyle will yeeld but little solid fruite or comfort to our soules And so I passe from the more sensible and earthy part of this Sacrament to the spirituall and heavenly part to wit the Body and Blood of Christ which is imported in the Emphasis of the Articles here This Bread and This Cup. Where before we come to the Emphasis and what it imports give me leave to observe First that the Apostle here cals the Sacramentall Elements Bread and Wine and that after the words of Institution and Consecration So they retaine their nature and substance still and remaine Bread and Wine even after this great advancement And here you may see upon what a sandy foundation the Church of Rome hath built that most dangerous and destructive doctrine of Transubstantiation Saint Paul calls the Elements Bread and Wine after consecration the Church of Rome saith they cease then to be Bread and Wine their very substance is converted into the substance of the naturall Body and Blood of Christ by a new way of their owne fancying which Biell a prime Doctor of theirs confesses is not to be found in the Canon of the Bible * Biel Lect. 40. in Can. Missae for which they have sutably invented a new Name of Transubstantiation And I call it a destructive Doctrine and that most justly and in many Regards For first it destroyes the nature of the Elements of Bread and Wine by a totall Conversion of them into the substance of Christs Body and Blood Secondly it destroyes the nature and properties of Christs Body by ascribing Infinitenesse and Omnipresence not onely to the Person of Christ but to his naturall Body which was borne of the Blessed Virgin Thirdly it destroyes the Peace of Christendome or at least it hath a great share in it as being boldly and rashly defin'd by the Church of Rome and presumptuously impos'd as an Article of Faith to be beleev'd upon Necessity of Salvation Fourthly it is notoriously knowne the denyall of it hath destroy'd the Lives of many of Gods faithfull Servants both here and in other parts of the Christian world Fifthly and Lastly to adde no more it 's destructive of Piety and Devotion in diverting the Soule from devout and usefull Meditations and drawing it aside to subtleties of wit and empty speculations To this purpose Master Hooker * Eccles. Poliâ— lib. 5. sect 67. excellently observes that the Discourses of the Romanists concerning Transubstantiation are hungry and unpleasant full of tedious and irkesome labour heartlesse and without Fruite whereas the Discourses of Ancient and Later Writers concerning the Mysticall presence of Christ the use efficacy and benefit of the Sacrament are heavenly and devout their words sweete as the Honeycombe their tongues melodiously-tun'd Instruments and their sentences meere Consolation and ioy The second thing which I will observe from this part is that Saint Paul doth not call the Consecrated Elements bare Bread and Wine and no more but Bread and Wine with an Emphasis This Bread and this Cup of which it was said before in the words of Christ This is my Body which is broken for you and this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood How the Bread and Wine in this Sacrament are the Body and Blood of Christ is a great Mystery to unfold Master Calvin in his fourth Booke of Institutions Calv. lib. 4. Instit cap. 17. sect 7. Cap. â—vij calls it sublime mysterium cui nec mens plane cogitando nec lingua explicando par esse potest A Mystery so sublime that the minde of Man is not able to comprehend it much lesse the tongue to unfold it Quod ergo mens nostra non comprehendit concipiat fides so hee goes on excellently in the same Chapter Sect. 10. What therefore our Reason cannot comprehend let Faith conceive Christ hath said it this is my Body let us therefore beleeve the Truth of the thing But hee hath not said the manner how let us not therefore search into that which is not written For mine owne part saith the same Authour * Lib. 4. Instit c. 17. sect 19. Caeterum his absurditatibus sublatis quicquid ad exprimendam veram substantialemque Corporis ac sauguinis Domini communicationem quae sub sacris Coenae symbolis fidelibus exhibeÌ„tur facere potest libenter recipio atque ita ut non imaginatione duntaxat aut ment is intelligentia percipere sed ut re ipsa frui in alimentum vitae aeternae intelligantur his absurditatibus sublatis set aside the absurdities which boldly and falsely define the manner of the presence of Christs body and blood in the Lords Supper Hee meanes Consubstantiation and Transubstantiation whatsoever may be said to expresse the Communication of the true and substantiall Body and Blood of the Lord which are exhibited to the Faithfull under the holy Symboles of the Supper J willingly admit and that in such sort that this participation may be understood not in Imagination onely and Apprehension of the minde but a Reall Fruition to nourish the body and soule to eternall Life Thus that Reverend Author and much more to the same purpose in that place With the same wisedome and sobriety the Church of England speakes of this great Mystery shee does not as the Church of Rome unjustly charges us exclude Christ out of the Sacrament and make it a bare signe and Figure of his body and blood shee indeed denyes their Carnall and Corporeall presence of Christ in the Sacrament and acknowledges onely an heavenly and spirituall presence without any farther defining of the manner in particular But for the Truth of the thing it selfe shee beleeves and acknowledges expressely That to such as rightly worthily and with Faith receive the same the Bread which we breake is a partaking of the body of Christ and likewise the Cup of blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ in the * Art 28. relig 28. Article of Religion and more fully in the * Doctr. of the Sacraments Catechisme The body and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken of the Faithfull in the Lords Supper I goe on to the Sacramentall actions which are likewise two answerable to the parts of this Sacrament to wit Eating of this Bread
and Drinking of this Cup. First we must Eate this Bread There is a fourefold benefit which wee receive by our bodily Eating Nourishment Society Delight and Physicke You know there is a Meale for Nourishment a Feast for Society a Banquet for Delight and a Medicine for Physicke This fourefold benefit wee receive to our soules in a farre more eminent manner by this Sacramentall Eating and for this fourefold benefits sake we must taste and eate this Sacrament and we shall find it if we prepare our selves aright before we eate it to be through the Grace of Christ First Coelestis Refectio an Heavenly Repast to nourish us up to eternall Life Secondly Sacrum Convivium a holy Feast to mainetaine the mysticall society betwixt Christ and his members and to be a bond of Love and Vnity amongst Christians Thirdly Spirituale Epulum * Cal. lib. 4. Instit c. 17. sect 1. a spirituall Banquet for inward and unspeakeable Delight Fourthly and lastly to be Medicina animae as * Medicina enim spiritualis est quae cum reverentia degustata purificat sibi devotum Ambr. tom 5. Oper. in Epist ad Cor. cap. 11. Saint Ambrose calls it i. e. to them that are rightly prepared and through the grace of Christ Soveraigne Physicke for the Soule Secondly wee must Drinke the Sacramentall Cup as well as Eate the Bread For as oft as ye eate this Bread and drinke this Cup too saith the Text. They are joyned together in the Text and they may not be severed in our Practice And that for these three reasons First propter Perfectionem Repraesentationis that in this Sacrament there may be a perfect resemblance and representation of Christs Passion on the Crosse for there the Blood was severed from the Body and therefore here to keepe the resemblance perfect the Wine which resembles the Blood must bee taken severally from the Bread which resembles the Body Secondly propter Perfectionem Refectionis That the Lords Supper may bee perfect Nourishment to us For as in bodily sustenance Meate doth not nourish well without Drinke a Meale cannot be perfect without Meate and Drinke So is it likewise in this spirituall Refection wee must Eate and Drinke too else no perfect nourishment to the Soule Vtrumque enim est de perfectione hujus Sacramenti For both Eating and Drinking too are required to the perfection of this Sacrament So much Aquinas * Aquin. Com. in 1 Cor. 11.26 himselfe a prime Schooleman amongst the Papists acknowledges in his Comment on my Text and hee gives these two forenamed reasons for his acknowledgement So that by his owne confession the Church of Rome however she may be more indulgent to her Clergy yet shee is very scanty to the People and halfes out to them but an imperfect Sacrament Thirdly I will adde a third and maine reason for this Sacramentall Action and that is propter perfectionem Obedientiae that our Obedience may be perfect for you see we have Christs Command for both drinking the Cup as well as eating the Bread not onely his Practice as in administring it after Supper but we have his practice and command too for sub utraque specie for the Communion in both Kindes which makes this obligatory to us though not the other according to that excellent rule of Saint Cyprian * S. Cypr. lib. 2 ep 3. quae Christus fecit docuit sunt perpetuae observationis what Christ both did and also taught or commanded must be perpetually observed in the Church The boldnesse therefore of the Councell of Constance was very great in declaring the administring of the Communion in both Kindes to the People to be no more obligatory to us then the administring of it after Supper but their presumption is much more intolerable in establishing the Romish halfe communion with a non obstante in terminis to the Institution of Christ as you may read in the 13. Session of that Councell * Tom. 7. concil edit per Bin. I have done with the Sacramentall actions The third and last particular in the first generall concernes the circumstances of these actions And the first circumstance is of Time As oft Semel nascimur saepius vero alimur we are borne but once into the world and so we receive Baptisme but once which is the Sacrament of our New-birth But we stand in need of often Nourishment and therefore wee are often to receive the Lords Supper which is the Sacrament of our spirituall Nourishment and growth in Christ Accordingly if wee looke into Church story wee shall finde that the first and best ages of the Church and as many of the after ages as desired to conforme to those first and best were all of them for frequent Communions In the times of the Apostles * Acts 20.7 we read of a Communion once every weeke upon the first Day of the weeke which is the Lords Day In the times next to the Apostles Saint Cyprian * Eucheristiam quotidie ad cibumsalutis accipimuâ— S. Cyp. de Orat. Dominica tells us of an every-dayes Communion Every day the Christians lookt for Death in those times of violent persecution and therfore every day they would be provided of this Viaticum In Saint Augustines time which was 400 yeares after Christ some Churches communicated every day some onely upon the Saturday and the Lords day others onely upon the Lords day as we read in his 118. Epistle After that Devotion decaying the Communion was administred generally onely thrice in the yeare at the three great Feasts of Easter Whitsontide and Christ mas and of later yeares under Pope Innocent the Third in the Lateran Councell propter iniquitatis abundantiam refrigescente charitate multorum so * Aquin. Sum. par 3. q. 80. Art 10. ad quintum Aquinas himselfe renders the reason of it By reason of the abounding of Iniquity the Charity and Devotion of many waxing cold in the Roman Church the people were upon this bound onely to receive once in the yeare to wit at Easter But the Liturgy of the Church of England to reforme us neerer to the Piety of the Ancient Church of Christ though it sets not downe a generall Rule to bind every particular Person to Communicate more then Thrice in the yeare which was done no doubt upon most prudent Considerations Because the variety of Cases in regard of the different understandings and imployments of particular persons in regard of the different Capaciousnesse and Receipt of Places and Parishes and divers other Circumstances considerable make the prescribing of a certaine Rule for Particulars in this kinde fittest for private advice and resolution upon due preparation of every Communicant Yet in the Rubricke after the Communion a Communion is enjoyned every Sunday at the least in Cathedrall and Collegiate Churches except they have a reasonable cause to the contrary And in the first Exhortation before the Communion all the People are most pathetically moved and exhorted
come to the Holy Table of the Lord to shew forth his Death with a thankfull Commemoration what else is this but to stand laughing under our Saviour's Crosse as it were to make ourselves merry with his Agonies and to triumph prophanely in his bitter sufferings with the wicked Souldiers it is to crucifie him afresh and to put him again to an open shame In stead of an honourable and gratefull shewing forth of his death This were to make ourselves guiltie of his death Guiltie of the bodie and blood of our Lord as the Apostle speaks Wherefore that wee may shew forth the Lord's Death as wee ought Let us first set up the Crosse of Christ in our owne hearts Let us fasten ourselves to it and conforme ourselves there to the sufferings of our Head Let us willingly suffer shame and ignominie in the due acknowledgment of our sins Let us suffer pain in a true sorrrw and Compunction of soule for them Let the Remembrance of them be as Thorns in our Temples and as a Spear at our very hearts Let us so subdue and chasten our Flesh and Revenge our selves upon Our selves as the Scripture * 2 Cor. 7.11 speaks by severe and strict Mortification that the Old Man may languish and die daily in us And let us so Compose and settle our Desires and Affections even as men that are hanging upon the Crosse with our Blessed Saviour and ready to depart this World Let us make our peace with God and all the World Let us wean our selves from the Earth which wee are leaving and set our Affections on Heaven and the things above whither wee are going Let us no longer make provision for the Flesh to fulfill it in the Lusts thereof * 13. Rom. 14 But let us put on the Lord Iesus Christ and thus shew forth the Lords Death till hee come And at his Comming wee shall by his Infinite Mercie Live and Raigne with Him for ever in the Kingdome of his Glorie Thus you have the Orthodox interpretation of these words the true and onely way of shewing forth Christ's Death in this Sacrament according to the Doctrine of the Church of England and of approv'd Antiquitie But the Church of Rome not content with this way doth in the Councell of Trent * Concil Trid. Sess 22. Can. 3. denounce an Anathema against all those that will acknowledge no other sacrifice in the Eucharist then by way of Remembrance and Commemoration of that one onely true and proper Sacrifice of Christ's Bodie and Bloud offer'd upon the the Altar of his Crosse once for all And therfore if you wil believe her she wil tel you of a more excellent way of shewing forth Christ's Death in the Sacrament to wit by way of Iteration or a new and daily Oblation of the very Same naturall Bodie and Blood which was offer'd unto Death upon the Crosse onely with this Difference in the Manner of the Offering That Christ's Bodie upon the Crosse was offer'd after a bloodie but here upon their Altars after an unbloody Manner And from this Fountaine of Corrupt Doctrine there flow divers streames of very dangerous Errours I 'le instance but in two for our present purpose First upon this Ground they define this Sacrisice in the Eucharist to be a true proper and propitiatorie Sacrifice to be every way equall with the Sacrifice of Christ upon the Crosse and their Altars to be as true and proper Altars which doubtlesse is a very high derogation from Christ and his Sacrifice let them mince and excuse it the best they can Secondly From hence they teach most perilously that the same Adoration which is due to Christ is due to this Sacrament And certainly to give that Adoration which is due to Christ to any of the Creatures can amount to no lesse then Idolatry Neither will Bellarmine's evasion which hee uses * Lib. 4 de Euchar cap 29. §. Sed haec mera calumnia est c. acquit the Papists of Idolatrie herein though hee pleads not Guiltie because they hold not the Consecrated Bread and Wine to be any longer Bread and Wine but to be transubstantiated into the very naturall bodie and blood of Christ so he pleads they worship not the bread but Christ alone But a false perswasion as we have proved this to be in the former part of the Sermon hath not the power either to nullifie a sin or to alter the species of it either to make a sin no sin or to be any other then it is in the kind of it The most charitable Construction that can be made in this Case is That perhaps to Men so perswaded as some of the Romanists are their Adoration of the Sacrament is not in them wilfull Idolatrie yet in it self Idolatrie still for all their perswasion However for our selves that by the infinite blessing of God to us are better taught and perswaded for us I say not to renounce and detest this Abomination of the Popish Adoration of the Sacrament would be most wilfull Idolatrie without the least cloak for our sin For mine owne part therefore as becomes a true Protestant of the Reformed Church of England I doe here solemnly protest against all Popish Errours and in speciall against the manifold and dangerous errours in the Doctrine and Practice of the Popish Masse against their pretended Oblation of the very naturall bodie and bloud of Christ against their Propitiatorie sacrifice in that intended Oblation and theirs or any other sort of men their true proper Altars and against their Idolatrous Adoration of the Sacrament and acknowledge onely one true and proper Sacrifice and Altar that is the Sacrifice of Christ himself offer'd uppon the Altar of the Crosse once for all And give me leave here also solemnly to professe my Opinion concerning the Lord's day and the sanctification of it I hold that according to God's holy will and pleasure the Lord's day ought to be celebrated both in Publike and in Private in the Church and out of the Church in the Forenoon and in the Afternoon by hearing the Word of God read and taught by Publike Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments by holy Meditations Private Prayer Reading and calling to Mind what we have read or heard by work 's of Charitie to our Neighbour and the like And I hold it to be our Dutie in speciall that are God's Ministers to teach exhort and incourage the People by all means to such a sanctification of the Lord's day And for mine owne part I heartily honour a conscientious man who hath a Carefull Regard to yield Obedience to all Gods Commandements as far as humane frailtie will permit I honour such a man the more the more strict hee is in a Religious Observation of the Lord's day And further I hold that this great Holyday which we Christians now celebrate upon the first day of the Week though the Scripture and so the Proper name of it be the Lord's Day yet
the New Testament in my Blood This Bread and This Cup that do Sacramentally exhibite the Body and Blood of our Saviour are here specially design'd 2. Ye have The Sacramentall actions and they are in like manner two Eating and Drinking answerable to the parts of the Sacrament eating this Bread and drinking this Cup. First wee must Eate It is not enough to purpose or desire to be Guests at this heavenly Table neither may wee be present onely as spectators and beholders to see and to gaze but we must tast and eat Secondly wee must Drinke the Cup too as well as Eat the Bread these two are joyn'd together by Christ in the Institution and they may not be sever'd by Man without manifest impiety 3. The Circumstances of the actions which make the third particular in this first generall they are likewise two The first is of Time Baptisme is to bee received once onely but this blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper often both out of a gratefull obedience to our Saviour and out of a carefull regard of our owne spirituall advantage by it As oft as yee eate this Bread and drinke this Cup. It is not barely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how oft soever which implyes a frequency The second circumstance is of the Persons Communicating Ye First Ye in the plurall number for this Holy Sacrament is a Communion may not be received by one alone Ye againe that are Members of the Church Ye are to eat of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. For he that is not entred into the mysticall body of the Church by Baptisme is no fit subject as yet to partake of these high and holy mysteries And these are the severals in the first generall part of the Text to wit the Service of the Communion In the second generall part which is the Meaning of this service ye have three particulars likewise each of them sutable to the three particulars in the former part of the Text wherein you have the speciall meaning of each part of the service declared First ye have the meaning of the Sacramentall bread and cup to wit the death of Christ Secondly ye have the meaning of our eating this Bread and drinking this Cup namely the shewing forth of Christs death Thirdly ye have the meaning of our often eating this Bread and drinking this Cup to wit the perpetuation of our Saviours memory so long as he is corporally absent from us here on Earth even till he come againe in his glorious presence to judge the quicke and the dead As oft as yee eat this Bread and drinke this Cup yee doe shew the Lords Death till be come Here 's a large field of matter I can but gather here and there an eare of corne as I passe along without making any long stay upon any particular I begin first with the Parts of this Holy Sacrament which is the first particular under the first generall and first with the Earthy part or outward Elements which are Bread and Wine The outward senses of Man are the windowes or gates of the soule nothing enters into the soule but by them wee understand nothing we know nothing whilst wee are here in the body but the eare or the eye or some one or more of the senses present it first to the soule and the more senses there are that present a matter to the soule the soule understands it the more cleerely and beleeves it the more strongly even as the opening of many windows le ts in the more light into the house God knowes our mould in this and considers it graciously and accordingly he vouchsafes not onely to instruct and perswade us by the Eare in the hearing of his word but by the Eye Taste Touch in the outward elements of this Sacrament which we may see handle and taste for our further instruction and confirmation If any man therefore presuming upon I know not what spirituall Revelations and Seraphicall raptures shall neglect the hearing of Gods Word for his instruction or if any other resting in the bare hearing of the Eare shall neglect this blessed Sacrament wherein God farther manifests himself to the faithfull Soule by the doore of the rest of the senses if there be any such presuming spirits they very much forget themselves that they are yet in the body Yea they forget God too and his gracious condescent herein to our corporeall weaknesse who best knows whereof wee are made and how best to consider it That there is an earthy and sensible part in the Sacrament therefore ye see great reason for it But what is the reason of the choice of Bread and Wine to be the sensible part in this Sacrament Was not the killing of the Paschall Lamb and the striking of the blood therof upon the lintell and side-posts of the doore a more sensible and cleere Resemblance of the shedding of the blood of the immaculate Lambe of God Why then was the Passeover abrogated and Bread and Wine in the place thereof substituted as the sensible part of this Sacrament To omit many other most proper Analogies and aptitudes in the Elements of Bread and Wine serving for this purpose I will only give you an account of this change thus in briefe The Old Testament you know is abrogated I meane in regard of the manner of Administration of it by the Leviticall and Ceremoniall Law and the New is now in force the Testator himselfe having confirmed it by his owne precious Death and Blood-shedding Hence the shedding of the blood of the Paschall Lambe is justly ceas'd For after so soveraigne an expiation by the Blood of Christ himselfe no shedding of blood is now necessary Heb. 9. 10. ch as the Apostle argues in the Epistle to the Hebrewes and hence this Sacrament of the New Testament in the breaking of the Bread and powring forth of the Wine most fitly succeeds in the place thereof as being the most apt and vive expression of blood already shed without new blood-shedding Besides though our heavenly Father knowes that even under the New Testament we have need of these outward and sensible things and that for the strengthening of our Faith whilst we are here in the body and therefore as ye read but now God in his infinite Wisedome and Goodnesse to us hath instituted Sacraments for us in the New Testament as well as in the Old which consist of an outward and sensible as well as an heavenly and spirituall part Yet there is a very observable difference of degrees at least betwixt the Sacraments and Services of the Old and New Testament even in this regard Those of the Law and Old Testament were more sensible and earthy but these of the Gospel and New Testament more pure and spirituall the Law being as it were the body to the Gospel and the Gospel being the spirit and life of the Law Thus the Passeover which was a more crasse and corporeall Sacrament
to frequent receiving And I would to God there were no need of such an Exhortation but alas it 's too usuall for many to make excuses for absenting themselves from the Lords Table * â— Luke 14. as the unworthy guests in the Gospell did I will briefly shew the vanity of these Excuses and so passe over this circumstance And I will go no farther for Evidence against them than to the Grounds already laid You have read that this Blessed Sacrament is Heavenly Food for our Nourishment A Holy Feast to mainetaine Love and Vnity amongst Christians A Spirituall Banquet for Delight and Soveraigne Physicke for the Soule First then an unworthy guest pleades multiplicity of worldly businesse and therefore hee cannot come so frequently to the Sacrament But hee should consider that this Sacrament is Heavenly Meate for his Nourishment and as Meate hinders not our Businesse so neither must our Businesse hinder our Meate in the seasons of it whether for Soule or Body A Second is not in charity with his Neighbour and therefore hee holds himselfe excus'd which is Excusatio accusatione digna as Salvian speakes in a like Case an aggravation no excuse thus to cover one sinne with another This man considers not that the Communion is a Holy Feast instituted by our Blessed Saviour to mainetaine Love and Amity amongst Christians A Third alledges he findes no rellish in this Manna and this discourages him But Oh! taste and see how gracious the Lord is prepare thy Taste aright before thou commest and thou shalt find this blessed Sacrament to be an Heavenly Banquet for Delight such Delight as is most glorious and unspeakeable in comparison whereof all that is called Delight here below is but meere anity and vexation of spirit * Hanc Dei gratiam recolens qui de Sacro caline bibit amplius sitit ad Deum vivum erigens desiderium ita singulari fame ille uno appetitu teneturut deinceps fellea peccatorum horreat pocula omnis sapor delectamentorum carnalium fit ei quasirancidum radensque palatum acutae mordacita tis acetum S. Cypr. de Coena Domini sect 17. A Fourth and last pretends his manifold sins the sense whereof deterres him from often approaches to this Holy Table But if he account sinne a disease indeed and desire unfeignedly to be cured why does he neglect the Remedy which is by Faith and Repentance to prepare himselfe for this blessed Sacrament The whole have no need of the Physitian but the sicke saith our blessed Saviour * Mat. 9.12 This man considers not the vertue of this Sacrament in such as are so prepared That through the Grace of Christ it is with these preparations a soveraigne Physicke against all Diseases of the Soule The second circumstance is of the Persons Yee First Yee in the plurall number for this Holy Sacrament is a Communion and therefore may not bee received by one alone as the name it selfe imports A Communion that is a Common union of Ministers and People together Thus much Cassander one that liv'd and dy'd in the Communion of the Roman Church acknowledges That it cannot be properly call'd a Communion unlesse there be a Plurality of Communicants * Communio proprie ditinon pâ—test tisiplures participent c. CassaÌ„ Consultat de solitariiâ— missis The private Masses therefore in the Roman Church where the Priest Communicates without the People are rather excommunications of the People then Communions as Goulartius wittily calls them in his Notes upon Saint Cyprians Tract on the Lords Prayer * Vid. Calvin lib. 4 Instit c. 18 § 7. Aditus missis privatis est patefactus quae Excomunicationem quandam magis reservent quam coÌ„munitatemillam à Domino institutam c. Concil Trident. Ses. 22. cap. 6. I am not ignoraÌ„t that the Councel of Trent * Vid. Calvin lib. 4 Instit c. 18 § 7. Aditus missis privatis est patefactus quae Excomunicationem quandam magis reservent quam coÌ„munitatemillam à Domino institutam c. Concil Trident. Ses. 22. cap. 6. wishes that the people would coÌ„munic ate alwayes with the Priest and acknowledges it to be the more profitable for the peoples soules but this blanches the matter only but mends it not the private Masse is a bitter Almond still for all the blanching so long as the people are not injoyn'd to Communicate with the Priest Nay so long as the Priest is by that Church allowd nay injoyn'd to celebrate though without distribution to the people Ye again that are Members of the Church by Baptisme Ye and Ye onely must eate this Bread and drinke this Cup. For the Grace which we have by the Holy Eucharist doth not begin but continue life No man therefore receaveth this Sacrament before Baptisme because no dead thing is capable of nourishment That which groweth must first live saith Reverend Hooker in his fift Booke of Ecclesiasticall * 5 Lib Ecc le polit §. 67. init Policie Besides wee must first bee receav'd as members into Christs Family before we may be admitted to his Table The Childrens bread must not be given to strangers But I hasten to the second Generall and main part of my Text which is the Meaning of this service of the Holy Communion in the last words Yee doe shew forth the Lords death till hee come The principall verbe which beares the waight of this part of the Text is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Translation renders it most fitly Ye shew forth which expresseth the latitude of the word and the meaning of the Sacrament more fully then Annuntiate in the Latine which properly is but a verball declaration Now in this Sacrament Christs death is shewne forth three wayes especially First by way of Representation and Resemblance so signes and figures of things doe shew forth the things that are represented and resembled by them Secondly by way of Evidence and Confirmation so the Testators seale set to a Testament and his delivery of it as his deed doth shew it to bee his Will and Testament Thirdly and lastly by way of Commemoration or memoriall so a feast appointed in remembrance of a Benefactor doth shew forth his benefits to us Therefore Beza translates the verbe here Commemoratis yee Commemorate Christs death Now as oft as wee cate this Bread and drinke this Cup wee doe all these wayes shew forth the Lord's death both in the end and meaning of the service and wee ought to doe it in obedience and duty for so the verbe here used may be taken either Jndicatively Ye do or Imperatively Doe yee or Ye ought to doe and so I shall follow it First Then we doe shew forth Christ's death in the Sacrament by way of representation and resemblance and that not naked without attendance but solemnly accompany'd with the causes and effects of it Christ and Christ Crucified is here evidently set forth before our eyes * Neque tamen
in regard of the due sanctification of it in that it ought no lesse to be kept holy for the Exercise of the works of Pietie and Charitie in it then the Iewish Sabbath in this regard by way of Allusion it is and may be fitly call'd a Sabbath and the Christian Sabbath And now to come to the End of my Comming hither at this time The Right Honourable the Lords Spirituall and Temporall in the high and Honourable Court of Parliament now assembled by an Order bearing date the twelfth of March last have injoyn'd mee to make a Sermon in this Place upon this day and in my Sermon to make a confession of my errour in Licensing and approving of two Books made by Doctor Pocklington the one called Altare Christianum the other Sunday no Sabbath which Books by their Lordships Censure are justly commanded to bee burn'd And here that I may give the fuller satisfaction I have receiv'd from my Lord Bishop of Lincolne a Copy of some mayn erroneous and offensive passages in the said two Books and the places pointed out in the Margin upon most whereof their Lordships proceeded in their just Censure and Condemnation of those Books and all which I am by order from their Lordships here to disapprove as I willingly doe all these passages following The Assertions of ALTARE CHRISTIANVM disapproved by Doctor Bray the Licencer of that Book ⧠At Saint Margarets in Westminster the eleventh of Aprill 1641. 1. THe verie Title is offensive Preface because there is no Christian Altar but the Crosse of Christ 2. He saith in scorn Pag 4. and detestation of Lectures that Master Cotton was never Parson Vicar nor Curate but Lecturer of Boston which is false for he was always Vicar of that place and no Lecturer 3. When he proves out of Saint Ambrose de Sacramentis lib. 4. cap. 3. That the Christians were more ancient then the Iews To fetch in the Antiquitie of his Christian Altar he leaves out Saint Ambrose his qualification Sed nos in praedestinatione illi in nomine That Christians were first in Gods Predestination but not in Compellation Which is not fairly done And forgets that Pag. 32. he meant to say That Christianitie began but in the Raigne of Tiberius 4. Hee falsly interprets that place of the 1 Cor. 9.13 Pag. 6. of the Priests in the new Testament which are to live by the Altar which is spoken clearly of the Leviticall Priest that cuts up and divides the Legall Sacrifices 5. He saith Pag 9. That Christians are in a miserable case that think they can offer as good and effectuall spirituall Sacrifices to God as the Priest Which is false and Popish for all true Christians are Priests in regard of most spirituall Sacrifices And he confesseth it himselfe Pag. 127. 6. He teacheth falsly Pag. 14.15 that in the Christian Church there are materiall and proper and not Metaphoricall Altars only 7. He saith Pag 28. that close and exalted Pews are prophane and were detested by the Church of God Which is but his foolish and fond conceit And expounds that place of Heb. 13.10 Wee have an Altar of the Lords Table which place is not to be so interpreted literally but of Christ himself as hee confesseth in the next Page 8. He saith we have true reall earthly Pag. 9. 72. and materiall Altars VVhich is false 9. Hee quotes a passage out of the Letter Pag 30. which is not there but in Bishop Iewels works to prove there were no materiall Churches in the Primitive times VVhich is but a base and unworthy dealing and great Arrogancie for a private man to confute a booke recommended by authoritie to all the Churches of England and to say it maintains a falshood Pag. 34. 10. He saith that we were miserable Pag. 50. if the now Archbishop of Canterbury could not derive his Succession from S. Austin meaning Austin the Monk Austin from Gregory and Gregory from S. Peter And a little before he saith that if in Cathedrall Churches there were no materiall Chaires for Bishops to be Inthronized there were no Succession in Faith and Doctrine from the Apostles Which is both false and foolish 11. He broacheth two points of Popery Pag. 65. not maintained by the Church of England First That nothing in Baptisme is rightly done unlesse we adde thereunto the signe of the Cross Secondly that men are not full Christians unlesse they be Confirmed by the Bishop VVhich is Popish and erroneous 12. He scandalizeth our Church as having Lecturers Pag 71. which never take Orders and falsly quotes the Letter for that which speaks not a word Pro or Con. in that Matter 13. Hee wrests Saint Cyprian and all Antiquitie to say Pag. 75.76 174 that where there is no Altar there is no Eucharist or Communion VVhich in it self is altogether untrue 14. Hee cals his Altar the Holy of Holyes Pag. 83. which smels of Iudaisme 15. He boldly corrects the Rubrick Pag. 86. that appoints the Communion Table to stand in the Chancell or bodie of the Church And denies a power to the Ordinary to place it in the body of the Church VVhich is a high offence against the Rubrick and the Act of Parliament that confirmes the same 16. Hee saith Pag. 89. that Bishop Iewels works against Harding differ from the Articles and Canons of our Church Which is scandalous especially when it is not shewed wherein 17. Those VVriters Pag. 114. who attest the truth of the Reformed Religion this man averres to be called by Illyricus the VVitnesses of the truth with reproach of truth and of Christian Religion VVhich is neare unto blasphemie And in the same place Iohn Fox his Calendar or an Extract thereof is said to be full of Traitours Murtherers Rebels and Hereticks And no better Saints then Penty Hacket and Legat. VVhich is a base and unworthy expression And whose Martyrs hee points at you may see Pag. 135. 18. He saith Pag. 120 121. 169. the Bishop of Lincolne did order the setting of the Lords Table Altar-wise Which that Bishop utterly denies 19. He saith untruly Pag. 136. that if there be no Christian Altar in our Church as there is none in our Liturgie or Canons wee have neither Priest nor Deacon in our Church no Liturgie nor Act of Parliament that confirmes it VVhich is a wilde and inconsequent Assertion 20. Our Saviours institution saith he of the Pag 162.163 Sacrament of the Lords Supper at a Table doth not binde us to the name of a Table VVhich is a bold Assertion thought not so bold as that which followeth That Saint Paul crossed the order in that Sacrament used by Christ Which tends to blasphemy if we remember by what Spirit Saint Paul was guided 21. He saith boldly Pag. 165.166 that howsoever our Saviour calls it a Table Luke 22.21 Yet was it rather a floore wherein he instituted the