But alas our lothsomnesse and disdaine is growen to such an height that truly I am moued to belieue firmly that the Lord hath concluded that we shal not enter into his rest that onely for the great contempt of his mercy and grace which is now so richly offred For why God can not deale otherwise with vs then hee dealt with our fore-fathers the Israelites for the negligence of his vvord vvhich was but then obscurely preached for then it was farre from the incarnation of Christ and the farther that it was from his incarnation the vvord was euer the more obscurely preached vnder darke types and shadowes Yet notvvithstanding the Fathers that heard that word preached and belieued it not they perished all in the Wildernesse except two as ye haue sometime heard out of this place And if they for the contempt of so dark a light perished much more must yee that are their children perish for the contempt of the sunne of righteousnes who is risen so plainely and shineth so cleerely now in the preaching of the Gospell except the Lord in his mercy preuent you and except ye preuent his Iudgements by earnest seeking and except ye seeke a feeling and seeke inward senses that ye may see feele the grace that is offered craue againe that he will sanctifie your harts by repentance that yee may repent you of your sinnes and lead an honest a godly conuersation in all time to come that both body and soule may be saued in the great day of the Lord. The Lord worke this in your soules that ye may seeke mercie and seeking mercy yee may obtaine mercy and in mercy ye may lay hold on Christ and that for his righteous merits To whom with the Father and the holie Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE FIFT AND last Sermon vpon the preparation to the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.28 Let euery man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup c. IN the doctrine of our triall and due examination the Apostle as ye haue heard vvel-beloued in Christ Iesus gaue vs a speciall commaund that euery one of vs should try and examine narrowly our selues that is that euery man should condiscend and enter into his owne conscience try and examine the estate of his own conscience in what estate he findes it with God and in what estate he findes it with his neighbour Hee inioynes this triall to our selues and coÌ„mands that euery one of vs should take pains vpon the true examination of our consciences Hee inioynes this work to vs why Because no man knoweth so much of me as I doe my selfe because no man can be sure of the estate of my conscience but I my selfe because no man can so diligently nor so profitably try my conscience as I my selfe Therefore chiefely it behooueth euery man and woman before they enter to the hearing of the word before they giue their eare to the vvord or their mouth to the Sacrament it behoueth them to try and examine their owne consciences Not that the Apostle vvould seclude the triall of other men for as it is lawfull for mee to try my selfe so no doubt it is lawfull for my Pastor to try mee It is lawfull for other men that haue a care ouer mee to try and examine me but no man can doe this so profitably to mee as I my selfe And though wee had neuer so many tryers and examiners all is nothing if wee try not our selues So whether there be a second or a third tryer and examiner let our selues be one and the first And no doubt the Apostles minde was this To let vs see clearlie that hee that commeth to that Table and hath not that knowledge â—or is not of that ability to try him-selfe is a profane commer coÌ„meth vncleanly and therefore must needs come to his owne destruction Let euery man therefore growe in knowledge growe in vnderstanding growe in the spirit that hee may be the more able to try and examine his owne conscience To the end that ye may goe forward proceed in the worke of this triall with the better speed and with the better fruits in this examination we laid down this order First of all I shewed what that is which we call a conscience and what is meant thereby Next I declared for what causes yee should put your consciences to this triall and narrow examination And thirdlie so farre as time suffered I entred into the points wherein euery one of you should try and examine your owne consciences As for conscience that yee may call that definition to your memory I will resume it shortlie We call a conscience a certain feeling in the hart resembling the righteous Iudgement of GOD following vpon a deed done by vs flowing froÌ„ a knowledge in the mind A feeling accompanied with a motion in the hart a motion either of feare or ioy trembling or reioycing I leaue the opening vp of these parts to your memories and I pray God that they may be well sanctified I come next to the causes wherefore euerie one of you should bee carefull in trying and examining your owne consciences The first cause is because the Lord of heauen hath his eye continually vpon the conscience the eye of God is neuer from the conscience and heart of man as I proued to you by diuerse places Next because this God hath chosen his lodging and hath set downe his throne to make his residence in the conscience Therefore that hee may dwell in cleanenesse yee ought to haue a regard to his dwelling place Thirdly he is the Lord yea the only Lord of this conscience who hath power onely to controle who only hath power to saue or to cast away therefore that it may doe good seruice to thy owne Lord thou oughtest to take heed to thy conscience And last of all in respect that the health of thy soule standeth in the estate of thy conscience and if thy soule be in good health thy bodie cannot bee ill Therefore in respect that the soule and bodie depend vpon the estate of the conscience euery one of you should carefully looke to your consciences I will not amplifie this but leaue it to your memories how the health of the soule and welfare of the soule should be kept Next I come in the third and last place to the points in the which euerie one of you should trie and examine your consciences And as yee may remember I set downe two points wherein ye ought to put your consciences in triall First to know whether your consciences were at peace with God or not Secondly whether your consciences were in loue in charitie and in amitie with your neighbour or not In these two points cheefly yee must trie and examine your selues To know whether ye bee at peace with God or not ye must first trie whether yee be in the faith or not as the Apostle
bloud chiefely is the thing signified in the Sacrament of Baptisme and why because that by his bloud hee washeth away the filth of our soules because that by the vertue of his bloud he quickneth vs in our soules with a heauenly life because that by the power of his bloud hee ingrafteth and incorporateth vs in his owne body For that Sacrament is a testimonie of the remission of our sinnes that is of the cleanenesse of our consciences that our consciences by that bloud are washed inwardly It testifieth also our new birth that wee are begotten spiritually to a heauenly life It testifieth also the ioyning of vs in the body of Christ As it is a testimony so it is a seale it not onely testifieth but sealeth it vp in our harts and maketh vs in our harts to feele the taste of that heauenly life begun in vs that wee are translated from death in the which wee were conceiued and ingrafted in the body of Christ Marke then Christ in his bloud as hee is the washing of our regeneration is the thing signified in Baptisme In this Sacrament of the Lords Supper againe this same Christ is the thing signified in another respect to wit in this respect that his body and bloud serue to nourish my soule to life euerlasting for this Sacrament is no other thing but the image of our spirituall nourishment GOD testifying how our foules are fed nourished to that heauenly life by the image of a corporal nourishmeÌ„t So in diuerse respects the same thing that is Chr. Iesus is signified in Baptisme and is signified in the Lords Supper In this Sacrament the fruits of Christes death whereof I spake the vertue of his sacrifice the vertue of his passion I call not these fruits vertues only the thing signified in the Sacrament of the L Supper but rather I call the thing signified that substance that person out of the which substance this vertue these fruits do flow and proceed I grant and it is most certain that by the lawfull vse participation of the Sacrament thou art partaker of all these fruites yet these fruites are not the first and chiefe thing whereof thou art partaker in this Sacrament but of force thou must get another thing first It is true that no man can be partaker of the substance of Christ but the same soule must be also partaker of the fruites that flowe from his substance yet notwithstanding thou must discerne betwixt the substance and the fruites that flowe from the substance and thou must be partaker of the substance in the first roome then in the next place thou must bee partaker of the fruites that flowe from his substance To make this cleere in Baptisme the fruites of Baptisme are remission of our sinnes mortification the killing of sinne and the sealing vp of our adoption to life euerlasting The substance out of the which these fruite doe flowe is the bloud of Christ Ye must heere of force discerne between the bloud vvhich is the substance and betweene remission of sinnes washing and regeneration which are the fruites that flow from this bloud so in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the fruits of that Sacrament are the growth oâ— faith the increase in holiness The thing signified is the substance that is the body bloud of Christ is the substance out of which this growth in faith and holinesse doth proceed Now see ye not this That you must discerne betweene the substance and the fruites and must place the substance in the first place So that the substance of Christ that is Christ himselfe is the thing signified in this Sacrament For your owne experience will make this plaine vnto you Before your stomack be filled with any foode yee must eate the substance of the food first before you be filled with bread yee must eate the substance of the bread first before your drouth bee quenched with any drinke yee must of necessitie drinke the substance of the drinke first Euen so after this maner before the hunger of your soules be satisfied the thirst thereof quenched yee must eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his bloud first and that by faith So consider the one by the other looke to what vse bread and vvine serue to thy body to the same vse the body and bloud of Christ serue to thy soule and he that appointed the one to serue for thy body the same God appointed the other to serue for thy soule So looke how impossible it is for thee to be fedde with that foode that neuer commeth into thy mouth or to recouer health by those drugges which neuer were applyed it is as impossible for thee to be fed by the body of Christ to get thy health by the bloud of Christ except thou first eate his bodie and drinke his bloud Then yee see that the thing signified in the Lords Supper is not the fruites so much as the body and bloud and Christ Iesus which is the fountaine and substance from which these fruites doe flowe and proceed Then I say suppose Christ The thing signified in both the SacrameÌ„ts is one the signes are not one who is the thing signified remaine alwaies one and the same in both the Sacraments yet the signes whereby this one Christ is signified in the Sacraments are not one nor of an â—quall number For in Baptisme the thing that representeth Christ is Water In the Lords Supper the things that represent Christ are Bread and Wine Water is appointed to represent Christ in Baptisme because it is meetest to represent our vvashing with the bloud of Christ for what is fitter to wash with then water so there is nothing meeter to wash the soule then the bloud of Christ In this Sacrament he hath appointed Bread and Wine why Because there is nothing more meet to nourish the body then bread and vvine so the Lord hath not chosen these signes without a reason As the signes in the Sacrament are not alwaies one so the same in both are not of one number for in Baptisme wee haue but one element in this Sacrament wee haue two elements Now what is the reason of this diuersitie that the Lord in the one Sacrament Why in Baptisme there is but one signe and in the Lords Supper two hath appointed two signes and in the other but one signe I will shew you the reason He hath appointed onely one signe in Baptisme to wit Water because Water is sufficient enough for the whole If Water had not been sufficient to represent the thing signified hee would haue appointed another signe but in respect that water doâ—â— the turne and representeth fully the washing of our soules by the bloud of Christ what need then haue we of any other sign Now in this Sacrament one signe will not suffice but there must be two And vvhy Wine cannot be sufficient alone neyther can Bread be sufficient alone for he that hath Bread onely and
whereby they are receiued is visible and corporall The thing signified by the bread and wine is not receiued by the mouth of the body no the Scripture denieth that plainly but it is receiued by the mouth of the soule Then there are two mouthes that bread and that wine which are the signes are receiued by the mouth of the body Christ vvho is the thing signified is receiued by the mouth of the soule that is by a true faith Then bring not to the Lords Table one mouth onely for if yee bring the mouth of your body onely it auaileth nothing but bring with you also the mouth of your soule a constant perswasion in the death of Christ for that is availeable Novv concerning the manner hovv the signes are receiued and the manner how the thing signified is receiued yee may easily knowe that these corporall naturall signes must be receiued after a corporall and naturall maner they must be taken with the hand or mouth of the body Againe a supernaturall thing must be receiued after a supernaturall manner A spirituall thing must be receiued after a spirituall manner So as the signes are corporall and receiued after a corporall manner with the hand or the mouth of the body In like manner the thing signified is spirituall and receiued after a spirituall manner with the hand and mouth of the soule which is true faith Thus yee haue briefely deliuered vnto you the whole preparation that is necessary for the vnderstanding of this Sacrament Now what doctrine gather I from this Of this last point vvhere I say that Christ is the thing signified and cannot be preceiued but by faith cannot be receiued nor digested but by a faithfull soule what kinde of receiuing confirme I in this Sacrament I establish no kind of receiuing of Christ What kinde of receiuing Christ is established in the Sacrament but a spiritual receiuing he can not be perceiued nor receiued but by faith and faith is spirituall Therefore in this Sacrament I establish onely a spiritual taking of Christ not a carnall or fleshly receiuing This is the ground Novv let vs see what inconuenience can follow vpon this ground Inconueniences cast in by the Papists against the spirituall receiuing of Christ in the Sacrament The Papists say that vpon this ground this inconuenience shall follow If there be no receiuing of Christ but a spirituall receiuing then say they your Sacrament is in vaine this Sacrament of the Lords Supper was instituted to no end And what is their reason If there be no way to receiue Christ say the Papists but by faith what need you then a Sacrament Yee receiue Christ by faith in the word by the naked and simple preaching of the word ye get faith So the simple word may serue the turne What need haue ye of a Sacrament if ye get not some new thing in the Sacrament which yee could not get in the word This is their Argument whereof ye see their conclusion to be this Wee get no other new thing in the Sacrament First inconuenience That the Sacrament is superfluous then we doe in the vvord if there be no receiuing but spirituall Ergo The Sacrament is superfluous VVee admit the Antecedent to bee true vvee get no other thing nor no new thing in the Sacrament but the same thing which we got in the word I would haue thee deuise and imagine vvith thy selfe what new thing thou vvouldest haue let the hart of man deuise imagine and wish he durst neuer haue thought to haue such a thing as the Sonne of GOD hee durst neuer haue presumed to haue pearced the clowdes to haue ascended so high as to haue craued the Sonne of GOD in his flesh to be the foode of his soule Hauing the Sonne of God thou hast him who is the heire of all things who is King of heauen and earth and in him thou hast all things What more then canst thou wish What better thing canst thou wish Hee is equall with the Father one in substance with the Father true GOD true man vvhat more canst thou wish Then I say vvee get no other thing in the Sacrament then wee had in the vvord content thee vvith this But suppose it be so yet the Sacrament is not superfluous But wouldest thou vnderstand what new thing thou obtainest what other thing thou gettest I will tell thee Refutation of the first Inconuenience Suppose thou get that same thing which thou haddest in the vvord yet thou gettest that same thing better What is that better Thou obtainest a greater and surer hold of that same thing in the Sacrament then thou hadst by the hearing of the vvord That same thing which thou possessedst by the hearing of the word thou doost possesse now more largely it hath larger bounds in thy soule by the receiuing of the Sacrament then other-wise it could haue by the hearing of the word onely Then wilt thou aske what new thing wee get I say wee get this new thing we get Christ better then before we get the thing which we had more fully that is with a surer apprehension then we had it before we gette a greater hold of Christ now For by the Sacrament my faith is nourished the boundes of my soule are enlarged and so whereas I had but a little hold of Christ before as it were betweene my finger and my thumbe now I get him in my whole hand and still the more that my faith groweth the better hold I get of Christ Iesus So the Sacrament is very necessary and if it were no more but to get Christ better and to get a faster apprehension of him by the Sacrament then vvee could haue before Now if it were true that the Sacrament is superfluous by the same reason it shold follow also that the repetition of the Sacrament is superfluous For when yee come to the Sacrament the second time ye get no other thing then yee did the first time vvhen ye come vnto the Sacrament the third time yet get no other thing then yee did the first time and yet no man will say that the third and second comming is a superfluous thing And vvhy Because by the second comming my faith is augmented I vnderstand better I growe in knowledge I growe in apprehension I grow in feeling and in getting the growth of all these as oft as I come there is no man will say that the oft comming to the Sacrament is superfluous if it were euerie day once So their first inconuenience auailes not Wee get no new thing in the Sacrament Ergo the Sacrament is superfluous Thus farre for the first Then there depends another thing on the same ground If Christ be not perceiued but by faith then say we no wicked body can perceiue him hee that lacketh faith cannot perceiue him He that lacketh faith may perceiue that Sacrament of that bread and that vvine and may eate of that bread and drinke of
Christ which was locally present with the rest of his disciples was not glorified yet the body which hee exhibited in the bread was glorified They might as well haue held their peace and say nothing For marke the words of the text as they are written Luke 22.19 where it is said And he tooke the bread and when hee had giuen thankes hee brake it and gaue to them saying This is my bodie which is giuen for you and Saint Paul 1. Cor. 11.24 hath these words Take eate this is my bodie which is broken for you This relatiue which is relatiue to the bodie which was exhibited in the bread for according to their owne confession those words are pronounced vpon the bread directed vnto it But that same bodie was giuen and broken for vs that is to say crucified and broken with anguish and dolors Then I reason after this sort To be crucified and broken with anguish and dolors canne no waies agree and conuene with a glorified bodie But the bodie that Christ exhibited in the bread is said of the Euangelists to be crucified and broken for vs Ergo that bodie was not glorified Now last of all they are not yet content but say Christ can make the bread his bodie And therefore his bodie is really present That Christ can make the bread his bodie wee grant for Christ being God canne doe whatsoeuer hee will onely let them shewe That Christ will make of reall bread his reall flesh and then this controuersie will ende Christ indeede makes the bread his bodie not really but Sacramentally For Christ hath not a bodie made of bread his bodie was made once of the pure substance of his blessed Mother Another bodie then this or oftner made then once hath hee none wherefore all doctrine that teacheth Christs body to be made of bread is impious hereticall The Papists doctrine of reall presence teacheth That Christs bodie in the Sacrament is made of bread by changing the bread into his bodie through consecration wherefore we may boldly and and truly conclude That their doctrine of reall presence is both wicked heretical Now to cōclude this head I beseech them seeing that reason fails thē That they fight not against God for maintenance of a lie how old soeuer it bee for the diuel is olde enough yet he could neuer change his nature But let them rather glorifie God in cōfessing these speeches to be Sacramēetal Then what is the reason ground wherefore the Papists pull downe the substance of the body of Christ and the blood of Christ and make the verie substance to be corporallie The reason that moues the Papists to thinke that Chr. bodie cannot be present in the Sacrament except it be really carnally and substantially present reallie and substantially in the Sacrament The reason is this Because they cannot see by their naturall iudgement nor can vnderstand by their natural wit the truth of this to wit how Christs flesh and blood can bee present in the Sacrament except hee bee present to their corporall hand to their corporall mouth and stomacke If they had the light to informe them That Christ might bee present in the Sacrament and not to the hand to the mouth or stomack they would neuer thinke of such a monstrous presence as they imagine to be there But beeing destitute of the spirituall light they follow their naturall reasons make a natural Obseruation carnal presēce So that ye haue this lesson to note from hence There is no man that hath not the spirit of God to vnderstand this word This is my bodie but out of question hee will doe as the Papists doe that is hee will vnderstand it carnally And so they mis-knowing the right meaning of it it is no maruaile though they and we differ in this matter For will you aske of a Papist first if the true bodie of Christ be there or if the true flesh and blood of Christ be there hee will say it is there The diuerse opinions concerning the presence of the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament will you aske him wherein hee will say in and vnder the accidents of the bread wine vnder the hew and roundnes of the bread will you aske him againe by what instrument it is receiued Hee will tell you by the mouth and stomacke of the bodie So this is their grosse vnderstanding of the bodie and blood of Christ Will you aske of the Vbiquiter if the true bodie of Christ be present hee will say it is will you aske if it it be in with or vnder the bread hee will answere it is in the bread contentiuè that is the bread containes it will you aske him to what instrument it is offered hee will answere that the bodie of Christ is offered to the mouth of our bodie and that the blood of Christ is offered to the mouth of our bodie as the Papists doe Will you knowe of vs how Christ Iesus his true bodie and blood is present wee will say that they are spiritually present really present that is present in the Lords Supper and not in the bread wee will not say that his true flesh is present to the hand or to the mouth of our bodies But we say it is spiritually present that is present vnto thy spirit and faythfull soule yea euen as present inwardlie vnto thy soule as the bread and wine are present vnto thy bodie outwardly Will you aske then if the bodie and blood of Christ Iesus bee present in the Lords Supper Wee answere in a word They are present but not in the bread and wine nor in the accidents nor substance of bread and wine And wee make Christ to be present in this Sacrament because hee is present to my soule to my spirit and fayth Also we make him present in the Lords Supper because I haue him in his promise This is my bodie which promise is present to my fayth and the nature of fayth is to make things that are absent in themselues yet present And therefore seeing he is both present by fayth in his promise present by the vertue of his holy spirit who can say but that hee is present in this Sacrament But yet the word would be explained How a thing is said to be present and absent what we mean by the word present how a thing is said to be present absent And knowing this yee shall finde all the matter easie I say things are said to be present as they are perceiued by anie outward or inward sense as they are perceiued by any of the senses so are they present the further they be perceiued the further present and by what sense any thing is perceiued to that sense it is present As if it bee outwardly perceiued by an outward sense that thing is outwardly present As for example if it be perceiued by the outward sight of the eye by the outward hearing of the eare
the body of our Lord concerning the Sacrament onely that is concerning the Elements onely Last of all they tooke it not only for the Elements but for the things signified by the Elements And after this manner Irenaeus saith that a Sacrament standeth of two things the one earthly the other heauenly The ancient Diuines then taking the word after these sorts no question all these waies they tooke it rightly But leauing the ambiguitie of the word I take the word Sacrament as it is taken and vsed this day in the Church of GOD for a holy Signe and Seale that is annexed to the preached word of God to seale vp and confirme the truth contained in the same vvord so that I call not the seale separated from the vvord a Sacrament For as there can not bee a seale but that which is the seale of an euidence and if the seale be separated from the euidence it is not a seale but looke what it is by nature it is no more So there cannot bee a Sacrament except it bee annexed to the euidence of the vvord but looke what the Sacrament was by nature it is no more Was it a common peece of bread it remaines common bread except it be ioyned to the euidence of the vvord Therefore the vvord onelie cannot be a Sacrament nor the element onely cannot be a Sacrament but the vvord and element coniunctly must make a Sacrament And so Augustine said well Let the vvord come to the element and so yee shall haue a Sacrament So then the vvord must come to the element that is the vvord preached distinctly and all the parts of it opened vp must goe before the hanging to of the sacrament and the Sacrament as a seale must follow and so be receiued accordingly Then I call a Sacrament the vvord and seale coniunctly the one hung to the other It is without all controuersie and there is no doubt in it that all Sacraments are signes Now if a Sacrament be a signe as the signe is in a relation in that Category for so wee must speake it so the Sacrament must be placed in that same Category of relation Now euery relation againe must stand of force betwixt two things for one thing cannot bee the correlatiue of it selfe but in a lawfull relation of force there must be two things which two haue euer a mutuall respect the one to the other therfore in euery Sacrament that hath a relation there must be two things which two haue euer a mutual respect the one to the other Take away one of these two things from the Sacrament ye lose the relation losing the relation ye lose the Sacrament Confound any of these two with the other make either a confusion or permixtion of them ye lose the relation and losing the relation ye lose the Sacrament Turne ouer the one into the other so that the substance of the one starts vp and vanisheth in the other yee lose the relation and so yee lose the Sacrament Then as in euery Sacrament there is a relation so to keepe the relation yee must euer keepe two things seuerally in the Sacrament Now The heads to be entreated in this Sermō for the better vnderstanding cōsideration of these two diuerse things which are relatiue to others wee shall keepe this order by Gods grace First I will let you see what is meant by a signe in the Sacrament Next I wil let you vnderstand what is meant by the thing signified Thirdly how they two are coupled by what power and vertue they are conioyned from whence this power and vertue floweth Fourthly and last of all I will let you vnderstand whether one and the selfe same instrument giues the signe and the thing signified or not whether they be giuen in one action or two whether they be offred to one instrument or two or if they be giuen after one manner or two to both the instruments Marke these diuersities the diuerse manner of the receiuing the diuersitie of the Instruments and the diuersitie of the giuers and yee shall finde little difficultie in the Sacrament Now to beginne at the signes seeing all Sacraments are signes The signes in the Sacrament what call wee the signes in the Sacrament I call the signes in the Sacrament whatsoeuer I perceiue and take vp by my outward senses by mine eye especially Now ye see in this Sacrament there are two sorts of things subiect to the outward senses to the eye especially yee see the Elements of Bread and Wine are subiect to mine eye therfore they must be signes Yee see againe that the rites and ceremonies whereby these Elements are distributed broken and giuen are subiect to mine eye also Then I must make two sorts of signes one sort of the Bread and the Wine and we call them Elementall another sort of the rites ceremonies whereby these are distributed broken and giuen and wee call them ceremoniall Be not deceiued with the vvord Ceremonie thinke not that I call the breaking of the Bread the eating of the Bread and drinking of the Wine Ceremonies thinke not that they are vaine as yee vse that word Ceremonie for a vaine thing which hath no grace nor profit following after it No although I call them Ceremonies there is neuer a Ceremonie which Christ instituted in this Supper but it is as essentiall as the Bread and Wine are and yee cannot leaue one iot of them except yee peruert the whole institution for what euer Christ commaunded to be done what euer he spake or did in that whole action it is essentiall and must be done and yee cannot leaue one iot thereof but yee vvill peruert the vvhole action The reason wherefore I call them signes Why they are called signes is this I call them not signes by that reason that men commonly call them signes because they signifie onely as the Bread signifies the body of Christ the Wine signifies the bloud of Christ I call them not signes because they represent onely but I call them signes because they haue the body and bloud of Christ conioyned with them Yea so truly is the body of Christ conioyned with that Bread and the bloud of Christ conioyned with that Wine that as soone as thou receiuest that Bread in thy mouth if thou be a faithful man or woman so soone receiuest thou the bodie of Christ in thy soule and that by faith and as soone as thou receiuest that Wine in thy mouth so soone thou receiuest the bloud of Christ in thy soule and that by faith In respect of this exhibition chiefely that they are instruments to deliuer and exhibite the things that they signifie and not in respect onely of their representation are they called signes For if they did nothing but represent or signifie a thing absent then any picture or dead Image should be a Sacrament for there is no picture as the picture of the King but at the sight of the picture the King
these three or doe it in the name of any one of the three persons onely ye lose the essentiall form of Baptisme In the Lords Supper if yee leaue out the least ceremonie ye lose the essential form and so it is not a Sacrament I speak of the essentiall forme in respect of the Papists who keepe the essentiall forme in Baptisme though they haue brought in trifles of their owne and mixt with it yet in respect they keepe the substantiall forme it is not necessary that they who were baptized vnder them be rebaptized Indeed if the vertue of regeneration flowed from the person it were something but in respect Christ hath this to giue to whom when he pleaseth the essentiall forme being kept it is not necessary that this Sacrament be reiterated Now what are the faults in the person that peruerts the Sacrament The fault may be either in the person of the giuer or in the person of the receiuer I speake not of those common faults which are common to all but of such faultes as disable the person of the giuer to be a distributer of the Sacrament taketh the office from him so when the person of the giuer is this way disabled no question it is not a Sacrament Then again in the person of the Receiuer the faults may be if their childreÌ„ be not in the couenant but out of it they get not the SacrameÌ„t Indeed if the Parents afterward com to the couenant the children thogh they be gotteÌ„ out of the couenant may be receiued Euen so in the L. Supper if a man be laden with any burthen of sin without any purpose to repent hee ought not to receiue it So then if ye come without a purpose to repent ye lose the vse of the Sacrament it is onely this purpose to repent that maketh me who receiue the Sacrament to get the fruit effect therof therefore euery one who goeth to that Sacrament must looke what purpose he hath in his hart Hast thou a purpose to murder to continue in adultery or to commit any other vile sin that is in thy hart and art not resolued to repent In shewing thee to be without repentance thou shewest thy selfe to be without faith and consequently thou commest vnto thy condemnation not to thy saluation take heed then what your purpose is for if with a dissolute life yee haue a dissolute purpose yee come vnto your euerlasting perdition I had thought to haue entred particularly into the handling of this Sacrament CoÌ„clusion with an exhortation but because the time is past and some of you I doubt not are to communicate onely this Remember that yee addresse not your selues to that Table except ye finde your harts in some sort prepared The first degree of preparation standeth in contrition in sorowing for sinne in a feeling of your sins wherein ye haue â—ffended so gracious a God If ye be able as that woman was by the tears of a contrite hart to wash the feete of Christ humbly to kiss his feete and to get hold of the foote of Christ though yee dare not presume so high as to get him whole ye are in a good case but if thou want all these and hast them not in some measure thou wantest all the degrees of preparation therefore let none come to this Table except hee haue these in some measure But vvhere there is a displeasure for sinne a purpose to doe better an earnest sobbing and sighing to get the thing that thou wantest in that soule where God hath placed this desire of Christ it is the vvorke of Gods spirit Christ will enter there And therfore though that soule be farre from the thing that it should be at let him not refuse to goe to the Lords Table but let him go with a profession of his owne infirmitie weakenesse and with a desire of the thing that he wants Euery one of you that findeth himselfe this way disposed let him goe in Gods name to the Lords Table and the Lord worke this in euery one of your harts that this ministerie may be effectuall in euery one of you at this time and that in the righteous merits of Iesus Christ To whom with the Father the holy Ghost be all honour praise glorie both now and for euer Amen THE SECOND Sermon vpon the Lords Supper in particular 1. Cor. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to vvit that the Lord Iesus in the night that hee vvas betrayed tooke bread c. WE ended the consideration of the Sacraments in generall in our last Exercise welbeloued in Christ Iesus now it remaines that we proceed to the consideration of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper in particular Of the Supper of the Lord in particular And that yee may the better attaine vnto the knowledge and consideration of the great varietie of matter that is coÌ„tained in this Sacrament of the Lods Supper I shall endeuour Heads to be intreated of as God shall giue me grace to set downe certaine things for the easier vnderstanding of it And first of all I vvill let you see what names are giuen vnto this Sacrament in the Bible and I will shew you some names that are giuen to this Sacrament by the Ancients Next I will let you vnderstand for what chiefe ends respects this Sacrament was instituted and appointed by Christ Iesus Thirdly I will come to the things that are contained in the Sacrament how these things are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued And last of all I will answere certaine obiections which may be obiected to the contrary of this doctrine and as God shall giue me grace I will refute them and so end this present exercise Now First head generall we finde sundry names giuen vnto the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in the booke of God and euery name carries a speciall reason with it Of the names giueÌ„ vnto this Sacrament both in the Bible and by the ancients Wee finde this Sacrament called the body and bloud of Christ This name is giuen vnto it no doubt because it is a heauenly spiritual nouriture it containes a nouriture of the soule that is able to nourish and traine vp the soule to a life spiritual to that life euerlasting for this cause it is called the body bloud of Christ It is called also the Supper of the Lord to put a difference betwixt it a profane supper for this is the Lords Supper a holy supper not a profane or common supper a supper appointed for the increase of holiness for the food of the soule in holiness to feede the soule vnto life euerlasting Not a supper appointed for the belly for he had ended that Supper that was appointed for the belly or euer he began this supper which was appointed for the soule A supper no doubt hauing respect to the circuÌ„stance of
yee must bee borne in the bodie of Christ his spirit must quicken you This is called the quickning and liuing spirit of Christ by Iohn And so soone as this spirit cometh what doth it It chaseth away darknesse out of the vnderstanding whereas before I knewe not God now I see him not onely generally that he is a God but that he is my God in Christ what more doth the holy spirit It opneth the heart as well as the minde and what doth it there Those things whereon I bestowed the affection of my heart and imployed the loue of my soule are by the working of the holy spirit made gall to mee he makes then venome to mee and to bee as deadly hated of mee as poyson Hee worketh such an inward disposition in my soule that hee makes mee to turne and flie from those things whereon I imployed my loue before and to imploy it vpon God This is a great perfection Alwayes in some measure he makes mee to loue God better then anie other thing Hee changeth the affections and inclinations of my soule he changeth the faculties and qualities of my soule And though our hearts minde be made new yet the substance of them is not changed but onely the faculties and qualities are changed in respect of the which change wee are called new creatures except you be found newe creatures Conclusion with an exhortation yee are not in Christ Now to come to the poynt This secret Coniunction is brought to passe by faith and by the holy spirit by faith wee lay hold on the bodie and bloud of Christ And though wee bee as farre distant as heauen and earth are the spirit serues vs as a ladder to conioyne vs with Christ As the ladder of Iacob which reached from the ground to the heauen to the selfe same vse serueth the spirit of God to conioyne the bodie of Christ with my soule Then obserue the whole in a word what makes you to haue anie right or title to Christ Nothing but the spirit Nothing but faith What should bee your studie then Seeke by all meanes possible to gett faith That as Peter Acts the 15.9 sayeth your hearts and consciences may be sanctified by faith And if you endeuour not as well to get faith in your hearts as in your mindes your faith auaileth not What auaileth the faith that fleeteth in the fantasie and brings a naked knowledge without the opening of the heart and consent of the will So there must be an opening of thy hart and consent of thy will to doe that thing that God commandeth or else thy faith availeth not Then striue to get faith in your hearts and mindes and doing so yee doe the duties of Christians This is not done without the diligent hearing of the word and diligent receiuing of the Sacrament Then be diligent in these exercises and be diligent in prayer Praying in the holy Ghost that hee would nourish your soules inwardlie with the body and bloud of Christ That hee would increase faith in your hearts and mindes and make it to grow vp more and more daily vntill you come to the full fruition of that blessed immortality Vnto the which the Lord of his mercie bring vs and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whome with the Father and the holy Ghost bee all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE THIRD Sermon vpon the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that hee was betraied tooke bread c. WE haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus in our last exercise what names were giuen to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in the Scriptures as by the Auncientes of the Latine and East Churches wee hearde the chiefe ends wherefore and wherevnto this holy Sacrament was at first instituted wee heard the things that were contained in this Sacrament what they were how they are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued wee heard also some obiections that might bee obiected to the contrarie of this doctrine wee heard them propounded and as God gaue the grace refuted wee heard how the faythfull soule is said to eate Christs bodie and drinke Christs blood Wee heard the manner how Christ is or canne bee receiued of vs And we concluded in this poynt That Christ Iesus the Sauiour of mankinde our Sauiour cannot bee perceiued nor yet receiued but by a spirituall way apprehension Neyther the flesh of Christ nor the bloud of Christ nor Christ himselfe can bee perceiued but by the eye of fayth can bee receiued but by the mouth of faith nor can be layd hold on but by the hand of fayth Now faith is a spiritual thing for fayth is the gift of God poured downe into the heartes and mindes of men and women wrought in the soule of euery one and that by the mightie working and operation of the holy spirit So the onely waie to laie holde on Christ being by faith and faith of it owne nature beeing spiritual it followeth therefore that there is no waie to lay hold on Christ but a spirituall way there is not a hand to fasten on Christ but aspirituall hand there is not a mouth to digest Christ but a spirituall mouth The Scriptures samiliarly by all these tearmes describe the nature and efficacie of faith How we are said to eate the flesh and drinke the blood of Christ Wee are said to eate the flesh of Christ by faith and to drink his bloud by faith in this Sacrament chiefely in doing of two things First in calling to our remembrance the bitter death and passiof Christ the blood that hee shedde vpon the crosse the Supper which he instituted in remembrance of him before he went to the Crosse The commandement which hee gaue Doe this in remembrance of me I say wee eate his flesh and drinke his bloode spiritually First in this poynt in recording and remembring faithfully how hee died for vs how his blood was shedde vpon the crosse This is the first poynt a point that cannot be remembred truly except it be wrought by the mightie power of the holy spirit The second poynt of the spirituall eating standeth in this That I and euerie one of you beleeue firmly that he died for mee in particular That his bloud was shedde on the crosse for a full remission and redemption of me and my sinnes The cheefe and principall poynt of the eating of Christ his flesh and drinking of his blood standeth in beleeuing firmely that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sinnes that that blood of his was shedde for the remission of my sinnes and except euerie soule come neere to himselfe and firmely consent and agree and bee perswaded that Christ died for him that soule can not be saued that soule cannot eate the flesh nor drinke the blood of Christ Then the
sanctifying they call whispering And the whispering of those fiue words they call the consecratiō of the elements And whē the words are after this manner whispered they presuppose such a secret mōstrous vertue to be inclosed in the syllables That the vertue power which floweth from the words is able to chase away wholly the substance of the bread so that the very bread substance of it is altogether destroied by this power Secondly that this power which floweth from these words is able to fetch pull downe an othersubstance to wit the flesh blood of Christ Iesus that fitteth at the right hand of his father is able to put it within the compasse of that bread This is a strange and a great vertue that not only wil ouerthrowe that substance but put it within the compasse of that bread The same fiue words whispered in this maner haue such a monstrous operation say they that they are able both to chase a way the one substance to pull downe an other and to put it within the compasse of that bread We altogetheir denie That there is such a vertue in these words for as I haue said before wee denie not that the word hath a vertue but denie that there is such a vertue inclosed in the words wee denie the qualitie of the vertue or that it floweth from such a fountaine For we grant that the word hath a vertue there is neuer a word that God speaketh heere but it hath a vertue ioyned withit but wee deny that this vertue is inclosed in the syllables in the whispering or pronouncing of the words for if there were such avertue and power inclosed in the syllables by the same reason it should follow that there were avertue in the figure and shape of the letter that makes vp thewords Now there is noman wil think that there is any vertue in the figure or shape of the letter and there is as little vertue in the syllables or pronouncing of the words themselues So wee denie that there is anie vertue inclosed in the syllables or resident in the word But wee say that there is a power conioyned with the word and this power is not resident in the word but is resident in the eternal word in the essential Word wherof Iohn the Euangelist makes mention Cap. 1. The word which was from the beginning that is the sonne of God Christ Iesus wee say there is not a dram weight of this vertue and power resident in any creature that euer God created but it is onely resident in Christ Iesus And therefore there floweth no vertue from the sillables nor from the words that are spoken but from Christ and his spirit who giues the vertue to those words So wee differ in this we say that there is not anie vertue resident in the sillables wee say that the sillables and pronouncing of the sillables work nothing but wee say that the vertue is resident in the person of the sonne of God and heeworkes by his owne word Now wee say that there cannot be such a monstrous change as to say the whispering of so manie wordes should change the owne substance of the bread pull down the substance of the bodie of Christ and put his bodie in so narrow a compasse wee say that cannot bee And this I shall proue by these three rules namely Refutation of the doctrine of trāsubstantiation by 3. sorts of arguments By the veritie of the flesh of Christ Iesus By the articles of our Beliefe And by the true end of the institution of this Sacrament And so we shall see by Gods grace the infinite absurdities that follow vpon their opinion The first principle that I lay is this The first sort of argument Seeing that Christ Iesus the Sonne of GOD in the time appointed tooke true flesh of the wombe of the Virgin and vnited himselfe with our nature in one personall vnion to the end that our nature which fell altogether from integritie in the first Adam might recouer the same in the second Adam yea not onely the same but so much the greater as our second Adam excells the first in all de grees And in respect hee tooke on him a body like vnto ours in all things sinne excepted of necessity it must follow that the definition of a true body and the inseparable properties therof must be competent to him But these are the inseparable properties namely to be in one certaine place to be finite circumscribed visible and palpable for all these concurre quarto modo as the Logicians say to a body so that they cannot be separate from the subiect without the distraction thereof Then Treason on this manner A true humane body is in a certaine place Christ Iesus body is a true humane body therefore it is in a certaine place I call a place a certaine condition of an instrumentall bodie whereby it commeth to passe that where-euer the body be of necessitie it is limited within that place and vvhile it is there it cannot bee elsewhere If you would haue the probation of my Proposition from the Doctors read Augustine to Dardanus speaking of this same body of Christ Take avvay a certaine roome from the bodies and they shall be in no place and if they be in no place they are not The same Augustine writing vpon Iohn in his 30. Treatise saith The body in the which the Lord did arise of necessity must be in a place but his diuine efficacie and nature is diffused euery where And in his third Epistle he saith How much soeuer the body be or how little soeuer the body be it behoues to occupy the bounds of a place And besides these the history of the Acts proueth most euidently Christ his body to be in a certain place as Acts 3.21 the words are these Whom the heauens must containe vntill the time that all things be restored vvhich God had spoken by the mouth of all his holie Prophets Though I need not to insist in the probation of these things yet I proceede Secondly then I reason after this manner A humane body is finite and circumscribed but the body of Christ is a humane body What warrant from the Doctors haue I for this I leaue many purposely will alleage onely Augustine who writing to Dardanus Belieue saith he Christ to be euery where in that he is God but onely to be in heauen according to the nature of a true body And in his 146. Epistle I belieue saith he the body of Christ to be so in heauen as it vvas on the earth vvhen hee vvent vp to heauen But it was circumscribed in a certaine place on the earth Ergo it is so in the heauen And consequently it cannot be in the Masse-bread and in heauen both at one time The last reason is this A humane bodie is visible and palpable but Christ hath a humane body and hee is corporally present as they say therefore Christ his body is
admit also the other Therefore if they looke vvell about them they shall finde the beame to bee in their ovvne eye for they peruert both the lawe of GOD and the law of Nature by a nevv inuented physick of their owne For whatsoeuer he be that attributes to one and the selfe same body naturall and vnnaturall properties vvhich directlie fight against themselues I say that man peruerts both true Theology and Physick But they to one and the selfe same body of Christ Iesus attribute naturall vnnaturall properties therefore it is they that peruert both the vse of true Theologie and the order set downe and established in Nature Would you knowe the reason of my Proposition I say it behoueth as well in Theology as in Physick of necessity one of the contrary enunciations to be false But once to make an end vvith them I will aunswere their last refuge Thus they reason A glorified body is not subiect to physicall rules but Christ his body is glorified therfore it is not subiect to physicall rules First of all before wee answer directly wee must consider wherein standeth the glorification of a body and then the answer will be easie The Apostle Paul 1. Cor. 15.42 speaketh after this manner So also saith hee is the resurrection of the dead The body is sowen in corruption and is raised in incorruption It is sowen in dishonour and is raised in glorie It is sowen in weaknesse and is raised in power And a litle after This corruption must put on incorruption and this mortalitie must put on immortalitie By this cleare Antithesis Paul plainly describeth the glorification of a bodie for he opposeth these two the vnglorified and the glorified bodie And to the vnglorified bodie hee ascribeth corruption ignominie infirmitie carnalitie and mortalitie To the glorified bodie hee attributes incorruption glorie power spiritualitie and immortalitie Of this opposition we may gather easily what the resurrection and glorification brings to the bodie In a word by them wee see That the bodie is onely spoyled of corruption shame infirmitie naturalitie and mortalitie And it becomes onely spoyled of all the infirmities of our nature that it may be clothed with a more glorious apparell as with incorruption power glorie spiritualitie and immortalitie Wee see then That this glorification imports a chaunge indeed but I beleeue no man will bee so mad as to thinke this change to bee made in the substance for if that were so the old substance behoued to decay and a new should arise but wee heere no such thing in this discription and as little is the change made in the quātitie for wee find no word eyther of augmentation or diminution of any substāce which behoued to be if it were in the quantie The most that we can perceiue This mutation consistes in the qualities by the which the bodie casteth off the old coate of infirmitie and cloatheth it selfe with the coate of glorie for Christ after hee did arise hee both went and came was seene and touched Of the things before deduced it cleerely followeth That in respect the glorie of the bodie of Christ hath wrought nothing in his nature and substance and consequently in his naturall dimensions neyther yet in any other essentiall propertie That therefore the glorification of his bodie freeth it not frō the rules of Physick For so long as that nature of a true bodie remaines there are no supernaturall gifts whereby it may be glorified were they neuer so high so farre as they may be gathered out of the scriptures that may hurt eyther the nature or the naturall propertie of it For there is no gift nor qualitie that may hurt nature but that gift that is against nature But the supernaturall gift is neyther vnnaturall neyther yet against nature Therefore it cannot hurt nor impaire nature And my reason is this Those gifts that decore and beautifie nature they cannot hurt nor impaire nature But all supernaturall gifts beautifie and decore nature Therefore they cannot take away neyther nature nor yet the naturall property They leaue vs not so but out of this doctrine of Paule concerning the glorification of the bodie they drawe an obiection to presse vs withall Paul grants that a glorified bodie is a spirituall bodie but a spirituall bodie is an inuisible bodie Therefore a glorified bodie is inuisible and by consequence the bodie of Christ is inuisible Though the argument be not formall yet to be short I denie their assumption for if there were no more but that word bodie that word might be an argument that the spiritual bodie is not inuisible But yet to open the matter more cleerely according to the meaning of Saint Paul in that place Saint Paul in a word as it were in the 44. vers of that Chap. sheweth the change that shall be in the qualities of the bodie by the resurrection For he saith that our naturall bodies shall become spirituall bodies and then in the next verse immediately following hee expoundeth these two qualities for in the 45. verse That is called a naturall bodie sayeth hee which is maintained and quickned by a liuing soule onely such as Adams was And againe that is said to be a spirituall bodie which together besides the soule is quickned with a farre more excellent vertue to wit with the spirit of God which descendeth from Christ the second Adam vnto vs Then according vnto this ground I answere with Augustine ad Constantium As the naturall bodie is not a soule but a bodie Euen so the spirituall bodie is not said to bee a soule but a bodie And by consequent it is not inuisible For the further explaining of this head I will giue them onely one knot to loose and so ende this point Then I reason Yf therefore Christs bodie is naturally and really in the Lords Supper because that it is glorified It followeth consequently That when it was not glorified it could not bee really present But it was not glorified when this supper was first instituted Therfore it was not really present in the bread at Christs first Supper Yf his bodie was not really present in the bread at the first supper it cannot be naturally present now For whatsoeuer they vse now in the administration of their Supper or of their Masse call it as you will according to their owne confession they vse it according to the ordinance forme and maner that Christ Iesus himselfe vsed in his first Supper For they say plainely in their disputation at Poyssie and in all the rest of their works That Chr. Iesus first of all obserued that forme which they vse in their Masse left it to his Apostles and to their successours that they should doe the like And so by their owne words they haue intangled themselues and crucified their Masse what can they answere to this They will not stand dumbe I am sure for maintenance of their religion they must say some thing Thus they say That though the body of
by the outward feeling of the hands or taste of the mouth it is outwardly present Or if any thing be perceiued by the inward eye by the inward taste feeling of the soule this thing can not be outwardly present but it must bee spiritually inwardly present to the soul So I say euery thing is present as it is perceiued So that if you perceiue not a thing outwardly it is outwardly absent and if ye perceiue not a thing inwardly it is inwardly absent It is not distance of place that makes a thing absent nor propinquitie of place that makes a thing present But it is onely the perceiuing of any thing by any of thy senses that makes a thing present the not perceiuing that makes a thing absent I say though the thing it self were neuer so far distāt if thou perceiue it by thine outward sense it is present vnto thee As for example my body and the sunne are as farre distant in place as the heauen is from the earth and yet this distance stayeth not the sunnes presence from mee why Because I perceiue the sunne by mine eie and other senses I feele it and perceiue it by the heate by the light and by his brightnesse So if a thing were neuer so farre distant if wee haue senses to perceiue the same it is present to vs. Then the distance of place makes not a thing absent from thee if thou hast senses to perceiueit likewise the neerenesse of place makes not a thing present be it neuer so neere if thou hast not senses to perceiue it As for example if the sunne shine vpon thine eyes if thou bee blinde it is not present to thee because thou canst not perceiue it A sweete tune will neuer be present to a deafe eare though it be sung in the eare of that man because hee hath not a sense to perceiue it And a well told tale will neuer bee present to a foole because hee cannot vnderstand it nor hath no iudgement to perceiue it So it is not the neerenesse nor distance of place that maketh any thing present or absent but only the perceiuing or not perceiuing of it Now the word being made cleere How the bodie of Christ is present aske you how the bodie of Christ is present To giue our iudgement in a word as yee haue heard from time to time hee is present not to the outward senses but to the inward senses which is fayth wrought in the soule For this action of the Sacrament and of the Lords Supper is partly corporall and partly spirituall I call this action partly corporall not in respect onely that the obiects that is That bread and that wine are corporall but also in respect my mouth whereunto these things are offered the instrument whereby and the manner how these things are receiued are all corporal and naturall I call the same action againe partly spirituall not onely in respect of Christ Iesus who is the heauenly and spirituall thing of the Sacrament but also in respect of my soule whereunto Chr. is offered and giuen in respect the instrument whereby and the manner how hee is receiued are all spirituall for I get not Christ corporally but spiritually So in these respect I call this action partly corporall and partly spirituall Now confounde not these two sorts of actions The corporall and naturall signes with the spirituall thing signified thereby againe confound not the mouth of the bodie with the mouth of the soule Thirdly confound not the outwarde manner of receuing by the hand of the bodie with the spirituall manner of receiuing by the hand of the soule And so it shall bee exceeding cleere to see that each thing shall bee present to the owne instrument that is The bodie of Christ which is the spirituall thing signified shall be present to the spirituall mouth and hand and the bread and wine which are the corporall signes are present to the corporall mouth and hand Then how is any obiect present A corporall obiect is corporally present and an inward obiect is inwardly present Of what nature is the thing signified It is of an heauenly nature Then aske you how is he present He is spiritually and heauenly present to the soule and the mouth of the soule which is faith For it were a preposterous thing to make the thing signified present to thy belly or to the mouth or eye of thy body for if that were so it should not be spiritually present because euery thing is present as it agreeth in it owne nature Is it a bodily thing it is bodily present if it be a heauenly thing it is spiritually present So I thinke no man can doubt how the bodie of Christ is present hee is not carnally present but spiritually present to my soule and to faith in my soule Thus far concerning the manner of his presence Now the last part of our difference is this The last point in controuersie betwixt vs and the Papists wee haue to consider to whom the words ought to be directed pronounced For we the Papists differ in this last point we say that the words ought to be directed pronounced vnto the people to the faithfull communicants They on the contrary say that the words ought not to be directed nor pronounced to the people but to the elements not to be cleerly pronounced but whispered on the elements So that if they be spoken to the people or spoken openly their charme auailes not Now I say that as this holy action is peruerted by them in all the rest so they peruert it in this point also in speaking that to the dumbe elements which they should speak to the people of God For I shall proue it cleerely by three arguments taken out of the Scriptures that the words ought not to be spoken to the bread but to the people of God And first I say The promises of mercie and grace ought to be directed and pronounced to them in whom the Lord performs them makes them effectual But so it is That the promises of mercie and grace are performed and made effectuall not in bread and wine but in faythfull men women Therefore these promises should be directed to faythfull men women Now here is the promise of mercy grace This is my bodie which is broken for you and this promise is made to no other thing but to the faithfull and so to them onely it ought to bee directed Secondly wee haue to consider That this Sacrament seales vp a couenant of grace and mercie Now with whom will God make his couenant of mercy and grace will hee make a couenant with a peece of bread or any dumbe element There is no man will enter into couenant with his seruant much lesse will enter into couenant with a dumbe element So in respect this Sacrament seales vp a couenant this couenant of necessitie must bee made with a faithfull soule and in no wise with the
appointed to serue in the soule of man for many vses to wit he hath appointed euery one of your consciences to be a keeper a wayter on a carefull attender vpon euery action done by you So that that action can not be so secretly so quietly nor so closely conueied but will thou nill thou thy conscience shall beare a testimonie of it thy conscience shall be a faithfull obseruer of it and one day shall bee a faithfull recorder of that action So the Lord hath appointed thy conscience to this office that it attends and waits vpon thee in all thy actions Likewise the Lord hath appointed thy conscience and placed it in thy soule to be an accuser of thee so that when thou doost any euill deed thou hast a domesticall accuser within thine ovvne soule to finde fault with it Hee hath also placed it in thy soule to be a true and stedfast witnesse against thee yea the testimonie of the conscience resembles not onely a testimony or witnesse but the conscience is as good as tenne thousand witnesses The conscience also is left in the soule to doe the part of a Iudge against thee to giue out sentence against thee and to condemne thee and so it doth for our particular iudgement must goe before the generall vniuersall iudgement of the Lord at that great day And what more Hee hath left thy conscience within thee to put thine owne sentence in execution against thy selfe This is terrible hee hath left it within thee to be a very torture and tormenter to thy selfe and so to put thine owne sentence in execution vpon thy selfe Is not this a matter more then wonderful that one and the selfe same conscience shall serue to so many vses in a soule as to be a continuall obseruer and marker of thy actions an accuser tenne thousand vvitnesses a Iudge a Sergeant and Tormentor to execute thine ovvne sentence against thy selfe so that the Lord needs not to seeke a Sergeant out of thine owne soule to arrest thee for thou shalt haue all these within thy selfe to make a plaine declaration against thy selfe Take heede to this for there is neuer a word of this shall fall to the ground but either yee shall finde it to your comfort or to your euerlasting woe And this secret and particular iudgement that euery one of you carries about you abideth so sure and so fast within you that do what ye can if yee would imploy your whole trauaile to blot it out thou shalt neuer get it scraped out of thy soule If ye were as malicious and were becom as wicked as euer any incarnate diuell vvas vpon the earth yet shall yee neuer get this conscience altogether extinguished out of thy soule but will thou nill thou there shall as much remaine of it as shal make thee inexcusable in the great day of the generall Iudgement I grant thou maist blot out all knowledge out of thy minde and make thy selfe become euen as a blinde man I grant also that thou maist harden thy hart so that thou wilt blot out all feeling out of it so that thy conscience will not accuse thee nor finde fault with thee but thou shalt haue a delight in dooing euill vvithout a remorse but I deny that any degree of wickednes in the earth shall bring thee to this poynt that thou maist do euill without feare but still the more that thou doost euill and the longer that thou continuest in euill dooing thy feare shall bee the greater yea in despight of the diuell in despight of all the malice of the hart of man thy feare shall remaine And though they would both conspire together they shall not be able to banish that feare but that gnawing of the conscience shal euer remaine to testifie that there is a day of Iudgement I grant also that there shall be a vicissitude and that feare shall not alwayes remaine but shall be sometimes turned into securitie neyther shall that security alwayes abide but shal be turned againe into feare so that it is not possible to get this feare wholly extinct but the greater that the securitie is the greater shall thy feare be when thou art wakened Thirdly I grant that this feare shall bee blinde for from that time a man by euill dooing hath banished knowledge out of the minde and feeling out of the heart what can remaine there but a blind feare When men haue put out all light and left nothing in their nature but darknesse there can nothing remaine but a blinde feare So I grant that the feare is blinde for neither knowe they from whence that feare commeth vvhat progresse it hath whereunto it tendeth where nor when it shall end therefore they that are this way misledde in their soules or all men in the earth they are most miserable For as long as thou maist keep in thy mind a spark of this knowledge spirituall light in the which thou maist see the face of GOD in Christ wherein thou maist see a remedy in the death and passion of Christ wherein thou maist see the bowels of mercy offred in the bloud of Christ if thou haue anie sparke of this light albeit it were neuer so little to direct thee and albeit this knowledge were neuer so much wounded yet there is mercy enough for thee in Christ but if thou close vp all the windowes of thy soule and of thy hart and make them to become palpable darknes that thou neyther knowest frō whence the terror comes nor yet perceiuest any remedy that is the misery of all miseries We haue many things in generall to lament concerning the estate of this our Country Applicatiō wherein we liue Also particularly There is not one of you but haue great cause to take heed to your consciences now while yee haue time that yee banish not altogether this light which is yet offered vnto you and whereof some sparks yet remain For I see the most part of men runne headlong to banish the sparke of light that is in them and will not rest so long as there is any sparke of it left vntill it be vtterly banished And when they haue done so alas what can follow but a blinde and terrible feare in their consciences vvhich they can neuer get extinguished a feare vvithout remedie a growing feare and not a decaying feare a feare that will deuoure them wholly at the last Therefore euery one of you be carefull of this light that is within you take heede that the foule affections of your harts dravve not your bodies after them see at the least that those affections banish not this light And so long as the Lord offers you this light in time craue that of his mercy hee vvould giue you the grace to imbrace it to take a nevv course and yet to amend your liues vvhile time is giuen you The body shall leaue the soule and the soule shall leaue the bodie but the conscience shall neuer leaue the soule but
vvhether so-euer the soule goeth to the same place shall the conscience repaire and looke in vvhat estate thy conscience is when thou departest out of this life in the selfe same estate shall it meet thee in the great Day So that if thy conscience was a tormentor to thee at the time of thy death if thou gette it not then pacified it shall be also a tormentor to thee in that generall Iudgement Therefore this matter vvould bee vvell vveighed and euerie one of you should studie to haue a good conscience that vvhen the soule is seuered from the body leauing your conscience at rest and peace with God it may be restored vnto you meet you againe with as great peace and quietnes Thus farre concerning conscience what it is I beseech the liuing Lord so to sanctifie your memories that ye may keep these things and that euery one of these things may be so imprinted in your harts that ye may be mindful of them all your liues The second thing that we are to speake of is this We are to consider wherfore we should try our consciences for what causes we should examine our own soules and cōsciences I wil declare the reasons briefly It behooueth euery one of you to try your conscience Why Because the Lord will make his residence in no other part of the soule but in the conscience Hee hath appointed his dwelling to be in the hart of man and in the will and conscience of man and therefore it becomes you to make his dwelling place cleane to take heeed vnto your harts Next though the Lord of heauen made not his residence there yet in respect the eye of GOD is an all-seeing eye and able to pearce throgh the very thicknesse of mans flesh how darke and grosse soeuer it be and to enter into the very secret corners of thy conscience for vnto the all-seeing eye of GOD the most secret corner of the conscience is as cleare and manifest as any outward or bodily thing in the earth can be to the outward eye of the body In respect therefore that this eye is so pearcing and that hee casts his eye onely vpon our harts it behooueth vs to try our harts Thirdly hee is the Lord of the conscience There is no Monarch on earth that hath any soueraigntie or lordshippe ouer the conscience onely the GOD of heauen onely Christ Iesus King of heauen and earth is Lord of the conscience hee hath power onely to saue and lose Therefore vvhen thou commest to this Sacrament of the Lords Table thou oughtest carefully to looke vnto thy conscience to try and examine the state of it Last of all vvhich is a chiefe reason It behooueth thee to prooue thy conscience because the welfare and health of thy soule dependeth vpon thy conscience If thy conscience that is within thy soule be well if it be at peace and rest thy soule is vvell if thy conscience be in a good estate thy soule must needs be in a good estate if thy conscience bee in good health of necessity thy soule must be in good health for the good health happinesse of the soule dependes vpon a good conscience therefore it concerneth euery one of you to try well your consciences There vvas neuer any lavv made or deuised that forbade vs to haue a care of our healths it is lawfull for vs to seeke such things as may procure and preserue it but the health of thy soule standeth in the health of thy conscience and in preseruing thereof therefore by all lawes thou oughtest to attend thy conscience If thou keepe thy conscience wel thy soule is in health and if thy soule be in health let troubles come what will vpon thy bodie thou wilt indure them all but if thy soule be diseased with an euill conscience thou shalt not be able to beare out the least trouble that shall come vnto thy bodie vvhereas if the conscience were at rest and in good health that trouble could not happen vnto thy bodie but the strength of a good conscience vvould beare it out Then haue yee not reason and more then reason to take heed to your consciences to try and examine your consciences in vvhat estate and disposition they stand Now Certaine lessons to be learned by which a man may preserue health in his soule cōscience because it is a fruitlesse thing to tell you that health is necessarie and not to shew the vvay how this health may be obtayned and preserued therfore to keep your consciences in quiet good health I will giue you these few lessons First of all bee sure that yee retaine stedfast a perswasion of the mercie of GOD in Christ Iesus examine vvhen thou lyest downe and examine when thou risest vp in what estate thou art with God whether thou maist looke for mercy at his hands or not Art thou perswaded of mercy Assure thy selfe thy conscience is in a good estate thou hast health in thy soule for by the keeping of faith the conscience is preserued as saith the Apostle 1. Tim. 1.19 Keepe this perswasion preserue it vvhole and sound hurt it not bring not thy soule into doubting stay not nor hinder thy perswasion if thou desire to keep health in thy soule for if thou doubt or any way diminish thy perswasion and assurance assuredlie thy assurance cannot so soon be hindered nor diminished but at that very instant shall follow the diminishing of the health of thy soule yea it cannot be but in that very article of time shall follow the hurt of thy conscience for faith will not dwell but in a whole conscience Therefore at what time thou doost any thing against thy conscience at that very time thou losest a degree of thy perswasion of the mercy of God and vntill such time as thou fall downe at the feet of Christ and obtaine mercie for that wicked deed purchase peace at his hands and repaire thy persvvasion thou shalt euer doubt of mercie and vvant health in thy conscience Then this is the first lesson to keepe health in your soules To be perswaded of mercie The second lesson to keepe a good conscience or to keepe health in thy soule is this Yee must flie eschew and forbeare vvhatsoeuer may trouble the health of your soule whatsoeuer may trouble the quietnesse peaceable estate of your conscience cast it out forbeare it and eschew it This generall is good But let vs see vvhat it is that troubles the quiet estate of the conscience Onely sinne nothing but an euill nature Therefore vvee must of necessitie to keepe health in our soules forbeare and eschew sinne we must flie and auoyde sin It is not possible that ye can both keepe a good conscience and serue the affections of your hart therefore to keepe peace health in thy soule thou must take leaue of thy lusts thou must renounce the lusts and affections of thy hart and thou must not doe as thou wast wont
before hee beeing I say lost by this sinne and left in this desperate estate in himself what doth God The euerliuing God only wise whose waies are vnsearchable hath found out a way how that man this way lost yet hee may bee saued heerein hee sought counsell from whom Not from any creature but hee counselled with himselfe The persons of the Trinitie tooke counsell of them selues one God was moued to seeke counsell from himselfe only moued in himselfe for hee had not an externall principall without himselfe to induce him So he seeking this counsaile at himselfe and being moued in himselfe thereto As Ephes 1.9 what doth hee when all men should haue died for euer it pleased him of his infinite mercie to select out of all and to elect a certaine number out of the lost race of Adam that should haue perished for euer In this his counsell and decree moued I say of himselfe and seeking counsell from himselfe only he selects a certaine number out of this rotten race which certaine number hee will haue sanctified hee will haue iustified hee will haue glorified And therefore to bring to passe the worke of their saluation what doth hee hee appointes his owne naturall sonne for hee had but one naturall sonne hee appointes the second person of the Trinitie his owne naturall sonne God in power glory and maiestie as high as himselfe equall with God the father in all things hee appoints him to worke this worke to bring to passe this worke of our redemption and eternall saluation This is but the mysterie of it in some measure disclosed And therefore in the fulnes of time for hee dispenseth all things according to his wisdome at such time as hee appointed hee makes his sonne to come downe to seise himselfe in the wombe of the Virgin to take on our flesh to take on the likenes of sinne hee tooke not on sin but he tooke on the likenes of sinne what call I that likenes our flesh is the likenesse of sinne he tooke on our flesh and nature the likenes of sin which was perfectly sanctified the verie moment of his conception in the verie wombe of the Virgin Hee tooke on this flesh that in this flesh and nature sin might be banished and cast out of vs foreuer And whereas we should all of vs haue gone one way for there was no exception of persons by nature Chr. Ies our sauiour hath elected vs according as his father in his secret election before the beginning of the world had elected vs the same Chr. Iesus in his owne time calleth vs and maketh vs partakers of that saluation which he hath purchased he repaires not only that image which was lost in our forefather Adam he placeth vs not in a terrestriall paradise where Adam was placed at the beginning and what more could haue bin sought by vs but he giues vs a far more excellent image thē we lost he placeth vs in a more high in a more celestial paradise thē we lost For so much the more heauēly is the paridise which he giues vs as the 2d Adam is more excellent then the first and as the son of God God himselfe is farre aboue any creature that euer was man or Angell Therfore it comes to passe that by the benefit of the second Adam Chr. Iesus our Sauior the son of God whereas had we remained in that Image wherin our forefather was first created wee should haue settled our selues in the earth for euer wee could not haue craued a beter paradise then an earthly paradise for earthly Tabernacles By benefit of the sonne of God I say it commeth to pass that we are plucked vp out of the earth to the heauen to a heauenly paradise And what haue wee to doe with heauen Are wee not made of the earth to returne to the earth Becomes not an earthly paradise an earthly bodie yet the Lord in his mercy sendeth downe his sonne to draw vs vp out of the earth to the heauen This is so high a thing that it cannot bee easily considered For this drawing of vs to a heauenly paradise is a thing more then could haue beene thought on That wee should liue the life of Angels in heauen how could the heart of man thinke on this yet it pleased the liuing Lord in the great riches and bowels of his mercie and in the exceeding greatnes of the power of his mercie towards vs The Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians cannot get words enow to expresse this he knowes not how to begin nor how to end when hee speakes of the riches of that mercie And if yee looke well into that Epistle to the Ephesians yee shall finde more high and excellent stiles giuen to the riches of that mercy in that Epistle then in any other part of the Scripture It pleased him I say of his own mercy not to giue vs simply the Image which wee lost nor to leaue vs in this earth but it pleased him to giue vs a better Image and beside that to place vs in heauen there to remaine with him for euer Now resteth his mercie and grace heere No But that this saluation which hee hath alreadie purchased and brought about by his sonne our Sauiour Christ Iesus that it might be wholly accomplished hauing nothing wanting in it As hee redeemed vs in his owne person perfectly So he makes this same redemption to come to our knowledge and make vs sure of it in our consciences and to this end what doeth hee As by his death he purchased our full redemption so hee makes it knowen vnto vs hee intimates it vnto vs by our inward calling letting vs both finde and feele in our hearts what hee did in his bodie for vs. For our Lord when hee makes his seruants to proclaime this redemption and to intimate it to our consciences hee workes this Iewell of faith in our soules which assures vs that the son of God hath died for vs For what could it auaile vs to see our redemption to see our saluation and our life a farre off if a way were not found out a hand and meanes giuen vnto vs whereby wee may apprehend that saluation and applie it to our selues What can it auaile a sicke man to see a drugge in an Apothecaries shoppe except hee may haue it and apply it to his sicke bodie So to the ende that this worke of our redemption and saluation may bee fully and freely accomplished looke how freely hee hath giuen his onely sonne to the death of the crosse for vs as freely hath hee found out this way and meanes and offered vs this hand whereby wee may take hold on Christ and applie him to our soules This meanes to conclude is faith There is not a way nor an instrument in the Scriptures of God whereby we can applie Chr. to our soules but only the instrument of faith therfore fayth cannot be enough cōmended Turn to faith it will make thee
THE MYSTERIE OF THE LORDS SVPPER CLEERELY MANIFESTED IN FIVE SERMONS Two of Preparation and Three of the Sacrament it selfe BY A REVEREND AND FAITHfull Preacher of Gods word IOHN 6.54.63 Whosoeuer eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speake vnto you are spirit and life AT LONDON Imprinted for Thomas Man 1614. THE PRINTER TO THE READER I Present here vnto thy viewe good reader a learned and godly treatise wherein the Doctrine of the Lords supper is both plainely and fully handled A worke which heretofore hath beene in diuers mens hands yet not without some inconuenience for being at first borne in another soyle then our owne it was written in a language though but the same with ours in substance yet by reason of the peculiar dialect or propriety so often varying and more then sufficient to make them that are not throughly acquainted with the difference to mistake euen things that to our vnderstanding are much more familiar then the holy mysteries of our saluation The consideratiō of which incommodity did moue a worthy and truly religious Gentleman M. S. Michell to take the paines to peruse and polishe so good a worke to the end to publish it that so it might be profitable to all But hauing scarse finished and prepared it for the presse it pleased God to take him to himselfe before he could see a finall end of this and many other his religious and honest endeauors yet least the Church should haue lost so precious a Iewell his zeale of good doing continuing vnto the end he committed the execution of this so godly a desire to the speciall care of one of his good and trusty friends who being faithfull in the trust committed vnto him is a principal meanes that now it commeth safely to thy hands receiue it therefore and esteeme it as the most godly and iudicious haue euer done the best and most profitable treatise that euer hath bin published of this subiect and cease not to thanke God for raising vp so many meanes to procure thy good whose sole end in all their labours is Gods glory and the furthering of thy true happinesse Farewell Thine in Christ Iesus F. B. The first Sermon vpon the Sacraments in generall 1. Corin. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke Bread c. THere is nothing in this world nor out of this world more to be wished of euery one of you more to be craued and sought of euery one of you then to bee conioyned with Christ Iesus then once to be made one with the God of glory Christ Iesus This heauenly and celestiall coniunction is purchased and brought about by two speciall meanes It is brought about by meanes of the word and preaching of the Gospell and it is brought about by the meanes of the Sacraments and ministration thereof The word leadeth vs to Christ by the eare the Sacraments lead vs to Christ by the eye Two senses of all the rest which God hath chosen as most meet for this purpose to instruct vs and bring vs vnto Christ For that doctrine must be most effectuall mouing that wakeneth and stirreth vp most of the outward senses that doctrine that wakeneth not onely the eare but the eye the taste the feeling and all the rest of the outward senses must moue the heart most must be most effectuall and pearcing in the soule But so it is that this doctrine of the Sacraments moues stirres vp and wakens most of the outward senses therfore it must bee if wee come well prepared vnto it most effectuall to stirre vp the inward senses of the dull heart But there is a thing that yee must euer remember there is no doctrine neither of the simple word nor yet of the Sacraments if Christ abstract his holy spirit that is able to moue therefore when euer yee come to heare the doctrine whether it be of the Sacraments or of the simple word craue of God that hee would be present by his holy spirit or otherwise all the doctrine in the earth will not awaile you Alwaies this doctrine of the Sacraments stirres vp and wakens most of the outward senses and therefore there is no question but it is an effectuall and potent instrument to waken prepare and stirre vp our hearts Then to let you see what the word Sacrament meaneth The diuerse taking of the word Sacrament and to remoue the ambiguitie of it it is certaine and out of all question that the Latine Diuines who were most ancient did interpret the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word Sacrament and they vsed the Greeke word not onely to signifie the whole action of the Supper of the Lord and the whole action of Baptisme but they vsed the word Mystery to signifie whatsoeuer is darke and bid in it selfe and not frequented in the common vse of men as after this manner the Apostle calleth the vocation of the Gentiles a mysterie Ephes 3.9 Ephes 5.32 This coniunction which is begun heere betwixt vs and Christ is called a Mysterie and the Latine Interpreters call it a Sacrament and to be short ye will not finde in the booke of God a word more frequent then the word Mysterie But as for the word Sacrament wherby they interpret the Greeke word we finde not this word by the same Diuines to be taken so largely neither is it takē so largely in any part of the booke of God Alwayes the word Sacrament is very ambiguous in it selfe and there ariseth about the ambiguitie of this word many controuersies which are not yet ceased nor will not cease while the world lasteth whereas if they had kept the Apostles words and called them as the Apostle calleth them Signes and Seales all this digladiation strife and contention appearingly had not fallen out but where men will be wiser then God and giue names to things without warrant from God vpon the wit of man which is but meere folly all this stirre falleth out Well then to come vnto the purpose The ancient Diuines tooke the word Sacrament as we may perceiue in a fourefold manner Sometime they tooke it for the whole action that is the whole ministery of the Elements sometime they tooke it not for the whole action but for the outward things that are vsed in the action of Baptisme and of the Supper as they tooke it for the vvater and sprinkling of it for the Bread and Wine breaking distributing and eating thereof Thirdly againe they tooke it not for the whole outward things that are vsed in the action but onely for the materiall and earthly things the Elements as for Bread and Wine in the Supper and water in Baptisme And after this sort saith Augustine the wicked eate