in their Doctrine and fellowship breaking of bread and praiers Christs sufferring once is sufficient for ever Once he appeared in the end of the World to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Heb. 9.26 But his Supper that signifieth his suftering is often to be iterated The Sacrifices under the Law were the daly Figures of his Death to the people till he came into the World So ought this Sacrament to be since he suffered till he comes again at the end of the World 2 Cor. 11 26. As oft as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord you shew the Lords death till he come Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as oft implies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an often and not a seldom receiving This did the Apostles daily at first make ready this Feast for their Congregation Acts 2.12.46 For they continued daily with one accord in the Apostles Doctrine Communion breaking of Bread and Prayers where breaking of bread is not meant of Common but consecrated Bread by the common consent of Interpreters Calvin's Reason amongst the rest gives good satisfaction St Luke here relates those things saith he quibus publicus Ecclesiae status continetur Acts 2. wherein the publique state of the Church consists Imo hic quatuor not as exprimit ex quibus vera genuina facies Ecclesiae dijudicare queat Nay here the Evangelist fets down Four Markes or Notes whereby the true genuine Face of the Church may be discerned that is Apostolicall Doctrine Communion among the Members the breaking of Bread in the Sacrament and publike praiers in the Church Hic nobis ad vivum depicta est Ecclesiae imago Here is set out to the life the Image of Christ's Church What face of a Church is there then in all Conventicles and many Congregations where the essential marks of Apostolical Doctrine and Sacraments are wanting Acts 20.7 These two as they met at often in the week-day as to their daily bread so chiefly on the Lords-day as to their Sundaies meal Upon the First day of the week which is the Lords-Day when the Disciples met together to break Bread St. Paul preached unto them The two principall duties of Religion wherewith a Christian Sabbath is Sanctified we find they there exercised the ministry of the Word and the administration of the Sacrament The primitive Christians after them in times of persecution made their breakfast of this bread wine every morning call'd it their Viaticum their wayfaring fâ—re to strengthen the inward man for the long journey in case they chanced that day to die and depart this World into another This Sacrament saith Tertullian commanded of God to all Decoron-Militis we take in antelucanis coetibus in our meetings before Day at the hands of none but the President of the Congregation In Epist And in times of Peace they made it their Sunday dinner and took it every Lords-Day St. Basill saith they communicated in his time foure daies in the week 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the Lords Day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the Wednesday 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the Friday and on the Saturday which was the Jews Sabbath however before his time he saies they received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every Day in the Week St. Augustine's judgement upon the Case of often communicating is worthy to be followed Quotidie Eucharistiam accipere nec laudo nec vitupero to receive the Holy Eucharist every day I neither praise it nor dispraise it Omnibus tamen diebus Dominicis communicandum hortor But I advise that there be a Communion every Lords-Day Qui vero in Natali Domini in Paschate Pentecoste non communicaverint vix catholici credantur But they which shall not communicate at Easter Pentecost and Christmas are scarce to be counted good Christian Catholickes Our Protestant Church of England following the steps of the Primitive had formerly a Communion service for every Lords day in the year and injoyned every Communicant to appear before the Lord at his Table 3 times a year at least in most great Congregations it was made ready 12 times a year and so held as a monethly Feast Monthly Weekly Daily in former ages and better times it was made ready And great reason is there for the frequent participation Reasons if we consider hut the Prerogative of this Feast and the Privileges we have by it First for Prerogative it is above all Feasts Civil Legal or Evangelical that ever were being all way since the first institution accounted the highest and holiest part of Divine service in the Church and had in greatest Honour and Reverence of all Christians for that it sets forth unto us the great Mystery of our Redemption lively representing before our eies that great and effectuall Sacrifice whereof all legal Offerings before were but types and shadows even the suffering of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ upon the Crosse for our sins The breaking of whose Body there is figured in the breaking of Bread here and the effusion of his Blood there expressed in the pouring out of the Wine here His Death and Passion all wholly represented in the Sacramental actions To which to be admitted though upon our knees we eat it is greater honour than to sit at meat with a King or Emperour The high prerogative of this Feast is one special motive to stirre up the devout servants of the great King to prepare it another is the happy Privileges we have by it As first the neerest Communion with God the King and his Son Jesus Christ and the Saints and Angells that can be here on Earth Contemplare obsecro adstat mensa Regia adest Rex ipse adsunt Angeli ministri tu oscitabundus adstas Consider and behold the Royall Table is before thee God the King is there present with thee the Angells waiting on him and thou poor hungry Soul art admitted to eat among them O cogita quali sis insignitus honore quali mensa fruaris O do but think then what honour thou hast to be admitted to feast at a Table with Jesus Christ Secondly Diet for our dying Souls My Flesh is meat indeed and my Blood is drink indeed saith our Saviour and he that eateth my Flesh Iohn 6.55 and drinketh my Blood shall live for ever And there is no such ready way to do that as to eat and drink in this Sacrament where the outward Elements are not only Figures to present but also Instruments which the Lord hath ordained to convey the things signified Christ and all his benefits Thirdly a renewing the Copy of our Pardon We daily sin and had need of a Pardon and that is here offered to be signed and sealed to our Souls and Consciences by the Blood of Jesus Christ Fourthly increase of Grace Faith is here strengthened Hope enlarged Charity confirmed Patience relieved Temperance prooved Chastity corroborated and all other vertues
THE KINGS CENSURE UPON RECUSANTS THAT Refuse the SACRAMENT of the Lords Supper Delivered in three SERMONS CONTAINING A Refutation of some dangerous common errors And a Remonstration of the Duties of Administration and Participation of that Holy Sacrament Proving the Necessity of receiving it Reproving the Neglect and contempt of it Disproving the Exceptions and excuses alleged against either the giving or taking of it Set forth to publick view for the hungry and thirsty Souls sake that desire to be satisfyed By Thomas Marshal Minister of the Doctrin and Sacraments of the Gospel 6. Ioh. 53. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud ye have no life in you 22. Luke 19. This do in remembrance of me LONDON Printed for Francis Cowles in the Old-Baily 1654. To the antient standing Clergy of our Church Presbyterians Independents or by what other Names and Titles else they be distinguished Reverend and Beloved Brethren LEt it not offend you if after so many years distraction and contention to find out a Reformation of things in the Church I mind you to return again to your selves and enter into serious consideration how little good we have done in that and with what ill success we have managed our undertakings whereby through our manifold divisions we have brought contempt upon our persons almost to the levelling of the Ministerial function disolv'd the Unity and defaced the Beauty of the fairest of all the Reformed Churches even in the judgement of * Florētissima Anglia ocellus Ecclesiarum peculium Christiani singulare c. Horrore toti concutimur ad versam hanc pulcherrimam Ecclesiae inter vos faciem c. in the Letter penned by Dr. Deodate to the late Assembly of Divines 1 Cor. 11. Geneva from whence we were to take our pattern exposed the essential marks of the Church to be shot at and beaten down The Doctrine which was pure obscured with many errors The Sacrament which were rightly and duly administred to be many ways abused and disused even those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those reverend mysteries as the antients tearmed the Elements in the Eucharist to be undervalued and vilified by some as Christs bloud and the chalices given by Constantine were by that unhappy Foelix which God avenged with vomitting bloud night and day until he dyed These things as they cannot but sadly afflict the Souls of all good Christians so should they excite all faithful Ministers in their several places to endeavour their Reformation according to the Primitive pattern and institution more particularly for redress of things amiss in and about the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper which is the subject of this ensuing discourse to look to the first Institution as St. Paul did in the same case of our Saviour wherein he straightly charged his Apostles and their Successors hoc agere to do this in remembrance of him In which word he gave us a Commission for two things Immitation and Intention Imitation of all his Sacrament alactions blessing taking breaking giving eating and drinking the Bread and Wine and the Intention to do these in remembrance of him or to continue a memorial of his death and passion This was our Lord and Saviours last Will and Testament at his death thus to give himself body and bloud to poor hungry and thirsty Souls under the figures of Bread and Wine and shall we his Ministers take on us to be his Executors and not perform the will of him that dyed profess our selves his Stewards of whom as St. Paul says it is required that they be men faithfu and not dispense the Bread he gave to his family in due season 1 Cor. 4.2 Or shall we take on us to be Christs Amanuenses his Secretaries to draw the Articles of the Covenant betwixt him and his people which we do in our daily Preaching and not confirm it to their souls and consciences if we administer the Gospel without the Sacraments which are the Seals as too many do we give the hand-writing of the Covenant cancelled and defraud the people of their right This they do which follow not the example of his Sacramental actions And besides these others fail in the main Intention Christ bids do this in remembrance of him or of his death and passion which they simply do not which give the Sacrament to none but Proselites of their own Schism and faction and so use the Seal of the Covenant as a badge or cognizance to distinguish the members of their own gathered Churches or Conventicles If both the one and the other he that fails in the action and he that diverts the intention would impartially communicate this holy mystery of Christs Body to the Body of Christs Congregation our rents and Schisms would be sooner drawn up together and the people return to a better union in points of Religion which is the chief scope and endeavour of this following tractat which I present you with to peruse and submit to your impartial censure besecching him that gave the encrease to what Paul planted and Apollos watered to crown your studies with such happy success that you may by them knit the peoples hearts again in the union of Religion and the Communion of Christian love and affection that the Doctrin every where may from the leven of error and Heresy be refined the Sacraments to the right use and administration be restored the rod of Discipline may like Aarons blossom again and be replanted and the face of the Church which is now clouded and obscured may appear again in perfect beauty and be presented without spot or wrinckle at the day of our Lord and Masters second comming to whose Grace at that great day and always he commends you who is Your Brother in all Christian service and love Tho. Marshal The Bridegrooms Invitation to a Wedding Supper c. Matth. 22.8 And he said unto his servants Truly the wedding is ready but they that were bidden are not worthy THE word of God comes to us in Parables 1 Kings 14 3. like Jeroboams wife to the Prophet Ahijah with Cracknells and Hony But disguised and hard to be known There is in them sweetness of Speech but difficulty of Sense So that as none could expound Sampson's Riddle 14 Judges 18. but they that had plowed with his Heifer so it is given to none to expound Christs the antityped Sampsons Parables but them which have set their hand to his plough from which a looking back makes unfit for the Kingdom of God 13 Mat. 11 13. To you saith he it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven but to them all things are spoken in Parables that seeing they may see and not perceive Now by the general sentence of them that expound these Mysteries 1 Tim. 1 17. The Parable of the King that made a marriage-feast for his Son is this The immortal invisible and only wise God is the King His Son
now shall the Apostles Successors under a pretence of Reformation teach onely and not feed Understand all these pasce's of feeding Ore with the Doctrin of the mouth none of them opere with the example of the works or if that None re Sacramenti with the Sacrament of Christs body and blood which is the onely proper feeding indeed Such Pastors are Ministers of Gods word onely and not of the Sacrament at least not of the supper of the Lord. They have forgotten one part of their function these twelve years together whereby they starve the souls they have taken in Charge The Lord amend it that it be not laid to their charge in the day of judgment THE THIRD SERMON IN my last I made known the good pleasure of God the King to have the marriage feast of his son or the Sacrament of his body and bloud duly made ready for his people according to the practise of the Primitive Church in the purest times After which I made my address to those Ministers that neglect or refuse to make ready this feast and answered their plea on their peoples behalf Now I shall have the opportunity my beloved in Christ to make my application to you You have heard what the readiness of the wedding requires at the Ministers hands 2 Use to the Communicants Now more briefly say what will be expected from thence of you the Communicants And that is a readiness also in you that are called to come to the feast The King said unto his servants Tell them that are bidden I have prepared my dinner and all things are ready come to the marriage ver 4. A readiness there must be of mind to accept his kindness without running another way to the farm on Merchandice And more then that too There must be a Dressing and making of your selves ready answerable to the solemnity of the wedding The King overlooks the guests when they are come in and finding one there without his wedding Garment checks him for it How camest thou in hither not having made thy self ready 11. with thy wedding Garment 12. Nay more then checks condemns him to be manacled and fettered 13. and so cast into utter darkness where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth The heaviest censure that can be pronounced to be excommunicated and cast out into that horrid place of hellish torments No porticipation no presentation ought to be at this feast without due and fitting preparation Gen. 41.14 Joseph changed his garments when he came out of prison to appear before Pharoah King of Egypt put of his sorded habit and put on sweeter So must they do that appear at this banket before the King of Glory They must deponere aponere put off and put on put off the forded habits of their sins and put on a resolution of reformation of life Ephes 4 22.24 or as St. Paul hath it put off the Old man with the deceiveable lusts and by faith put on the new man Christ Jesus which is after God created in righteousness and holiness Colos 3. 12. Put off all these sayes he anger wrath malice 13 and filthy Communication out of your mouths 14. and put on as the Elect of God the bowels of mercy tenderness humbleness of mind meekness long suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another but above all things put on Charity which is the bond of perfection Of which vertues and graces the wedding Garment of Sanctification is woven and wrought though some frame it of Charity and some of faith onely yet the most make it the ornament of the spirits vertues and graces in the conversation without joined with a good conscience cleansed from sin within When God was to come down uppon mount Sinai Exod. 19. to give the Law he commanded Moses to sanctifie the people two dayes before and charge them to wash their cloaths and to be ready on the third day So when the Lord comes to make us a feast of sat things and refined Wine in mount Sion his Evangelicall Church They that set in Moses chair are to teach the people to sanctifie themselves by prayer and examination and charge them to wash themselves by tears of repentance and contrition and so be ready against the time which if they do accordingly they shall not be Shent for coming without their wedding garment As guests thus must we all fit and prepare our selves and not only so but more precisely than ordinary guests Every soul is here at this wedding to present it self as a Bride ready trimmed to meet with her Bridgroom decked with the costly ornaments of Christs active and passive merits which he hath given it and with those pretious Jewels of the spirits gists and graces In a word adorned we must be with the righteousness of Justification and Sanctification But without these how disguised and disfigured do people appear in Gods sight when they come before him with ulcerous sores uppon their consciences and in the uncleanly raggs of their own unrighteousness And if they shall come as men go now adayes with the halting feet of Newtrality eyes blinded through errors and ignorauce ears dear to Gods truth tongues dumb in his prayses with the wry-neck of aversness black-mouths through blasphemy blew-teeth of envy hands full of bloud and bribery They must look for no better welcome than the five foolish Vergins to whom the Bridegroom said Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity I know you not Or the guest here that wanted his wedding garment whom the King commanded to be bound in chains and cast into utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth But I would be loath to tire out your Attension with a matter of such ordinary Observation you are not unacquainted with the danger of unworthy Receiving which there is no way to prevent but by preparation before you come not by Renegation when you are called They that do so and absent themselves to prevent the danger of unworthiness in Receiving fall into another as bad and incur the Kings censure of unworthiness for Refusing who said unto his Servants the wedding is ready but they that were bidden were not worthy Which leads to the third partition of the text where the King sits in Judicature upon the Recusants Of whom there is The third Partition Observation how dangerous it is to refuse the grace offered in the word preached Zach. 7. Querela Censura The Kings Complaint and his Censure His complaint is that they were biden intimating that they came not or else why should he complain that they were biden when God sends to call us he looks we should come is grieved if we come not The son of God sighed that the tender of his Grace was not accepted Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem that killest and stonest the Prophets how oft would I have gathered thee as an hen doth her chickens under her wings and they would not come
is angred and offended at Recusancy 11. 12. They refused to harken pulled away the shoulder and stopped their eares that they might not hear and it follows Therefore came great wrath from the Lord of hosts 13. who scattered them with a wherlwind among the nations Numb 16.12 Yea so provoked when murmurring and insurrection against his Messemgers is joyned with it 14. that wrath comes out from the Lord for it against Corah and his confederats that said we will not come up 40. which consumed part of them with strange fire that came out from the Lord and the rest the earth swal owed up alive for an example to all seditious Separatists And though in our dayes it be free for any so long as there is no penalty to mock Gods messengers Cron. 2.36.16 despise his word and abuse his Prophets yet for this the wrath of the Lord arose against his people Israel till there was no remedy but a ruine of their nation To resuse the grace and abuse the means and not come when called is dangerous though counted among us but a thing indifferent God give you all the understanding to consider it But that I aime at chifly at this time The danger of refusing the Sacrament Sam. 1.20 is to shew the danger of denying grace offered in the Sacrament God expects they should come that are bidden to it You see that in the Text he misses them that absent themselves from it and makes their empty seats as Saul did Davids at the feast And as he put the Question here Quomodo huc intrasti how camest thou in hither to him that came unready without his wedding Garment So will he inquire for him that absents himself from his presence there as he did for Adam Gen. 3.9 for that sault in the garden when he said Adam ubi es Adam where art thou God takes notice of mens absence at this feast Nor is that all the prejudice but a further danger for if we look into the text we shall find they were but dead men that denyed and came not when they were bidden They made light of it v. 5.6 and went one to his Farm another to his Merchandize and evilly intreated the servants that were sent such usage as many of us have found at Recusants hands But when the king heard of it he was wroth and sent forth his men of war and slew those murderers and burnt up their City whereby appears Gods anger and their danger who either out of neglect or contempt come not when they are called to that Sacrament Judge in your selves brethren If a King as in the text or great states-man shall prepare a costly feast for his poor neighbours send out his servants that wait on his person first to invite then again to call them at the hour and they slight him and his cheer will it not be taken as an Indignity to him and a just cause of indignation against them So is it when you are bidden to the Supper of the Lord if ye accept not the Grace there is indignity done to that and indignation to be feared against you ver 7. Nay more than Indignation The men that made light on 't and went another way were put to fire and sword for it and that was Execution And the fathers for this feared more than that too more than a temporall death and destruction even eternall death and damnation Joh. 6.53 for they understanding the saying of our Saviour Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud ye have no life in you not simply of a spirituall eating and drinking but which is more safe to do of a Sacramentall also for it is a figurative speech sayes St. Augustin commanding in passione Pomini communicandam mente suaviter recondendum Lib. 3. de doct Christiana to communicate in the Lords passion and to lay up in our memories how Christs flesh was Crucified for our sakes And therefore held they it necessary for all to takes it Sacramentally uppon pain of death and damnation which to prevent Cypre de lapsis They gave it for a sureness to sucking children and infants And indeed what man that is wise unto Salvation will hazzard his soul on his spirituall eating by saith onely and from time to time neglect to eat Sacramentally with the mouth also which is a fruit of that faith that must save and a means to increase it and without which it can hardly be counted any other but a dead faith for faith without the work is but dead Jam. 2.26 But a lively faith will make this effectuall application to thy soul to bring thee hither and say when the Minister gives warning to prepare for a Communion he is the servant of the great King sent to invite the guests to the marriage feast of his Son shall I not make ready and go and at the time of administration say Christs flesh and bloud with all the benefits of his Passion are now offered under the Elements of bread and wine shall I not taste and take the copy of my pardon is there to be renewed signed and sealed to my soul and conscience shall I not accept it The earnest of Salvation is there given and shall I refuse it If I do I may not have the like opportunity again and so resolve with thy self to come when thou art bidden that the King complain not of thee among the rest which for none appearance are censured not worthy The recusants plea for absence answered Luk. 14.18 But before we come to that to the Censure It is fit we hear the Recusants plea or give them leave to speak for themselves St. Luke sayes They all with one consent began to make Excuses to the Servant that invited them one said I have bought a Farm and goe to see it 19. I pray thee have me excused 20. another I have bought five yoak of Oxen and I goe to prove them The excuses of them in the not I pray thee have me excused a third I have married a Wife and cannot come Sr. Matthew in short sales They made light on 't and went their way one to his Farm Vërs ◠another to his Merchandize Bad excuses all and not satisfactory For shall the marrying of a carnal Wife stay thee from the wedding of thy Soul to Christ Shall the Conjugal Society in House or Family be preferred before the comfortable communion with the Bridegroom of thy Soul in the Sacrament Or shall the Country-farm be prized above the Kingdome of Heaven And a company of Oxen Horses and Swine be more desired than the communion of the Saints and Angels God calls thee to come to him then Et post ponitur Deus Bovibus qui te aequavit Angelis And shall God be served after the Oxen and Beasts that hath made thee equal with the Angels Or will your Merchandize answer
the Table for such are daigned worthy that come so though not simply and absolutely in which sense the Saints acknowledge their unworthiness yet in respect of Divine acceptance and mercy For to your comfort I tell you There is in the Book of God a threefold worthiness or dignity 1. There is Dignitas meriti the same the Schoolmen call Meritum condigia a worthiness of merit And such a worthiness of Christ in the Sacrament no Saint on Earth ever had Jacob Gen. 32.10 whom God loved and with whom he so familiarly wrestled confesses himself not worthy of the least of his mercies much less is any worthy of this the greatest of all his graces and favours 2. Dignitas Congruitatis which they call Meritum Congrui a worthiness of fitness or Congruity when though a Man be not worthy of himself yet hath fitted and prepared himself meet for this Solemnity Col. 1.10 Eph. 4.1 Phil. 1.27 In this sense St. Paul saies Walk worthy of the Lord worthy of your Calling worthy of the Gospel of Christ and that is so near as you can walk worthy of these or as it becometh them and in this acception you may be worthy Guests at this Feast 3. Besides these there is Dignitas dignationis Divinae the worthiness of Divine acceptance when a Man counts not himself worthy dignitate sua by his own merit and worth but dignationem Divina by God's mercy and favour God proveth the righteous saith Salomon and findeth them dignos seipso worthy of himself Wisd 3.5 They that laboured in the Vineyard but one hour had wages alike with them that bare the burden and heat of the day not for that they were so worthy but 't was their Lord's will Mat. 20.12 I will give to this last as unto thee And 't is the good will and pleasure of God to account them worthy and make them welcome that labour truly to make themselves ready with them that have lead a life more strict and holy Come to the Marriage then and bring with you the worthiness of fitness and convenience and God will vouchsafe you the worthiness of welcome and gratious acceptance I have delivered the message of my Text Application and invited you to the Marriage Know now that all things are ready and the King expects your company Do not make light of this Lesson and so soon as I have made an end of speaking forget all you have heard and so go your way one to his Farm another to his Merchandize but come to the Marriage Neglect not the opportunity like the five foolish Virgins that wanted Oil in their Lamps and went out to buy while the Bridegroom came and for their long tarrying were answered when they called to enter with a fearfull Decedite the Bridegroom saying to them Mat. 25. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not Trim up your Lamps with the Oil of Faith and Repentance have your Lights burning your Devotion to God and Charity to Man burning and your Light of Good Works shining and now the Bridegroom of your Souls is ready to descend into the Sacrament Go in with him But one thing more before I let you go Behave your selves there with all the reverence that may be towards God and that holy Mysterie God looks for an awfull regard to his Majestie in all places but most of all when we come before the Figures of his Presence such as the burning Bush was to Moses Exod 3.2 5. wherefore God bid him put off the shoes from his feet for the place where he stood was holy ground and the Tabernacle and Temple to the Jews wherefore he commanded to reverence them Levit. 19.30 But most reverence of all is expected when we approach near the Figure of his Presence the Table of the Lord to touch and tast the sanctified signs of his Body and Blood which is the highest mysterie of our Christian Religion and the nearest presence and Communion we Sinners can have with God in our Flesh O cast down your selves there then as becometh you with greatest humility of heart and the reverentest gesture of body that may be And so go your way 2 Sam. 24.23 and the Lord your God as Araunah said to David going to sacrifice accept you all that appear before him and that for the merit and worthiness of his Son Jesus Christ the Bridegroom of your Souls To whom with the King his Father and the Holy Ghost the Comforter be all glory and honour thanks praise and prayer now and for ever Amen FINIS