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A10232
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The communicants duty set forth in eight sermons / preached at Kings-Lynne in Norfolke by Thomas Purchas ...
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Purchas, Thomas.
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1639
(1639)
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STC 20509.3; ESTC S1282
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68,428
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342
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THE COMMVNICANTS DUTY SET FORTH IN EIGHT Sermons preached at Kings-Lynne in Norfolke By THOMAS PURCHAS Master of Arts. 2 CHRON. 35. verse 6. Sanctifie your selves and prepare your brethren that they may doe according to the Word of the Lord. LONDON Printed by JOHN NORTON for Walter Edmonds dwelling at the signe of the Crowne within Lud-gate 1639. To The Right Worshipfull and his worthy friends Mr. Thomas Milner Major Mr. Thomas Grimell Alderman Mr. Ioshuo Greene Alderman with all the Society of that ancient Incorporation of Kings Lynne Grace and Peace c. Right VVorshipfull THat of Artaxexres King of Persia was never too highly set and prised which said that it was of no lesse kingly bounty and humanity to accept of little things then to give great I have received great things from you and now what have I to offer unto you but even these poore Meditations which if it shall please you to accept you shall more enrich and fill my desire by this receaving then by giving For to an honest minde it is sweeter to be regarded then rewarded and what greater reward can be given unto him that striveth to bee thankfull then to finde himselfe accepted in that in which he seeketh most to please Accept them I pray you favourably and censure them charitably for my part I intend especially though I be of all men most unworthy to further Christs Kingdome which if it may I have my desire howsoever I shall leave it to the blessing of God and your worthy Patronage Now the God of all consolation according to the riches of his mercy blesse you and yours with all externall internall and eternall blessings of his spirit that all your actions may bee prosperous your troubles few your comforts many your life long your death blessed your elections sure and yur salvations certaine Amen Yours in the Lord JESVS Tho. Purchas To The Reader CHristian Reader you have in the eight Sermons the Communicants Duty set forth at large now for the helpe of their memories who desire to attaine to a particular and distinct knowledge of the heads delivered I have collected the summe of them out of the former Sermons and here set them downe by themselves they are truths which every Christian should indeavour to make his owne bee perswaded therefore to use a little diligence in these things which are matters of so great moment First study them to get a particular and distinct knowledge of them committing them to memory Secondly be well grounded in the truth of them by infallible testimonies of holy Scripture Thirdly make that use of them in thy life as God in his word directeth thee that so thou mayst be happy as well in doing as in knowing Thou seest what is thy taske Arise then and bee doing and my prayers shall be that the Lord would be with thee that thou mayst increase in wisedome and abound in the mysteries of godlinesse and in all holinesse Thine in Christ Jesus Tho. Purchas The First SERMON 1 Corinthians 11. CHAP. 28. VERS But let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drinke of that Cup. THE blessed Apostle St. Paul perceiving what was in the Corinthians In this Chapter reproves them very sharply as may bee read from the beginning of it unto the 17 vers In the verses following he insistes upon the Doctrine of the Sacrament and their carelesnes in not preparing of themselves to come unto it This corruption of theirs he First propoundes Secondly confutes In the propounding of it he taxeth them with two vices First want of Charity in the 18 vers a 1 Corin. 11. 18. When you come together in the Church I heare that there be divisions among you and I partly beleeve it There were divisions among them even then when they were to aproach unto the table of the Lord this did he heare and partly beleeve Secondly he taxes them not onely for the want of Charity but also of Sobriety and Temperance in the 21 vers in eating saith he every one taketh before other his own Supper and one is hungry and another is drunken b 1 Cor. 11 21. Now the blessed Apostle having propounded their vices he cometh in the second place to confute them and in this he sheweth a dislike of their curses saying Have yee not houses to eate and to drinke in or dispise yee the Church of God and shame them that have not what shall I say to you shall I prayse you in this I prayse you not c 1 Cor 11 22. Now in his confuting he takes an occasion to put them in minde of the first institution of the Lords Supper I have received saith he of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed tooke Bread d 1 Cor. 11. 23. And heere hee sets down two things First what the Sacrament is 1 In the substantiall parts of it 2 In the simple actions 3 In the relative actions 4 What the end is e 1 Cor. 11. 24. 25 26. Secondly In the second place hee sets down what is to be done before they come to the Table of the Lord they must examine themselves f 1 Cor. 11. 28. but let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drinke of that Cup. So that wee may now see who they bee that are to be admitted to the Table of the Lord even those who after good examination and tryall have found themselves fit In the words there is a double injunction to a double duty First touching examination Secondly touching our participation after examination In the first injunction there is First the duty that is injoyned Examination Secondly the party nominated A man Let a man saith the Text examine A man this notes the fitnes a man that hath discretion A mans selfe this the propriety of the action In the second injunction for the matter of participation So let him eate of that Bread and drinke of that Cup you have three things First the note of dependency in the word so Secondly the actions Eating and Drinking The words being divided let us come to the sense and meaning of them Let us see First what it is to examine Secondly why it is said let a man examine Thirdly why a mans selfe Fourthly why so let him eate and so let him drink Quaest What it is to examine Resp The word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is sometimes taken in the best sense for a good tryall sometimes in the worst sense for a bad tryall First when in the worst sense it is used for a bad tryall it is in our English tongue properly called tempting Now Tempting is an using of an evill meanes to effect an evill end that is to try if men will thereby be perswaded to doe that that is evill And thus was CHRIST led by the Spirit into the
our heart Now to love God withall the heart is to love him with all our affections joying and delighting in none but in him for hee loves not God that delights in any What it is to love God with the heart S. Aug. thing more then God as S. Augustine saith truly Minus te amat qui aliquid tecum amat quod non prop ter te amat hee loves thee not who loves any thing with thee which hee loves not for thee Secondly we must love God must bee loved with all the soule God with all our soule induring rather a separation of the soule from the body than that our soule should bee separated from God who is the Soule of the soule and the comfort both of soule and body Thirdly God must be loved with all our mind so that our cogitations must be fixed upon him and ruled by him his word should direct our Reason our Reason rule our Wills that so wee may say with the Apostle wee live not but God doth live within us A Christians chiefest care should be how to performe this duty to God how to love him as the Church said I am full of love I am sick of love n Cant. 5. 8. All owe this debt to God This is that all men should doe this they owe to God but few pay it or if they doe it is with Crackt mony not currant in Gods Exchequer for our love to God is cold Mans love to God cold and dead yea plaine dead and that appeareth in the breach of the first Table wee are bankrupts both in piety towards God and charity towards men we love the World and our pleasures more then God we worship not God in spirit and in truth we sweare and blaspheme the name of God we prophane and pollute the Sabbaths of God wee come seldom to the house of God how can we say that wee love God the love of God standeth Love stands in keeping the Commandements in the keeping of his Commandements so saith our Saviour hee that hath my Commandements and keepeth them is he that loves mee and againe if any man love me hee will keepe my Word and my Father will love him and wee will come unto him and dwell with him and againe he that loveth me not keepeth not my words o John 14. 21. 23 26. He speaketh positively and privatively The blessed and undivided Trinity will dwell with that man who loveth God truely but till wee serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse till wee pray diligently heare his Word attentively receive the Sacraments penitently keepe the Lords day 's religiously use his name reverently let us bee ashamed to say that wee love God nunc regnum dei non est in verbis sed in vertute the Kingdome of God is not in word but in power Many Christians are mutilated and lame either they want an eare and cannot heare God or they want a tongue and cannot praise God or they want an heart and cannot love God These Atheists are a disgrace to Religion a Moth in the garment of the Church monsters in nature divels in shape of men as CHRIST said of Judas hollow Trees not holy Trees Beloved it is a most honorable thing An honorable thing to love God to be a lover of God it was one of Abrahams greatest titles of honour to bee called the friend of God it is a most blessed thing to be a lover of God they that love the Lord shall bee as the Sunne that riseth in his strength There is nothing in the Nothing can give rest to the soule but God World that can give rest unto the soule but God the heart of man is like the needle of the cumpasse that trembleth still untill it come at the Pole The soule of a wicked man is in a sling now that which is in a sling is violently tossed about so is the soule when it is not upon the proper object God It was the saying of the rich gluttan soule take thy ease thou hast goods laid up for many yeeres and David cryed returne my soule to thy rest p Luke 12. 19. 116. Psal 7. The first put his soule from the right object but the second when he said returne my soule to thy rest hee put it up on the right object Now a question may be asked Quaest Whether God is to bee loved for his benefits or for himselfe Resp God is to bee God is to be loved for himselfe loved for himselfe benefites in respect of our infirmities may bee motives to stirre us up to love God but hee is to be loved for himselfe Hypocrites serve God for gaine what shal it profit us say they if wee pray unto him they measure all their Religion by profit it is vaine they say to Job 21. 15 serve God and what profit is it that wee have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournefully before the Lord of Hosts q Mal. 3. 14 These are like unto little children who will not say their Prayers unlesse you promise them their breakfast and to these men gayne is godlinesse A second question to be propounded is Quest Whether the hatred of God or the ignorance of God be the greater sinne Res In divers considerations the hatred of God may bee a greater sinne then the ignorance of God and ignorance againe a greater sinne then the hatred First That is the greatest sinne that is most opposite to the great God now hatred of God being opposite to the Love of God must needs be the greater sinne Secondly If yee will consider ignorance as opposite to the vision of God wherein our blessednesse consisteth then the ignorance of God is a greater evill then the hatred of God for to see God is a more excellent thing then to love him though in Termino they cannot bee severed The End of the Seventh SERMON The Eighth SERMON 1 Corinthians 11. CHAP. 28. VERS But let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drinke of that Cup. WEE heard in the former Sermon that whosoever would come worthily to Gods Table must examine himselfe narrowly before he comes examine hee must his Knowledge his Faith his Repentance his Obedience and lastly his love Foure of these I have insisted upon at large entrance hath been made into the last which is Love Love to God Love to man For the Love to God that wee have finished now it remaines that we spend some time on our love to man Now every receiver Love to man must be examined must examine this Knowledge concerning this for Wee all come to one Table All eate of the same Bread drinke all of the same Cup. Baptised all into the same baptisme Branches all of the same Vine Sheep of the same Shepheard Children of the same father Fellowes of the same houshold Heires of the same kingdome Members of the same body Professors of the same faith Obtainers