Durand Ratio li. 4. ca. 4. Maldonat in Mat. 26. who affirme that Iudas was absent So that Maldonat was too nice in saying hee could willingly be of that opinion but that the contrary hath many fauourers Wee may be confident especially when the Euangelist himselfe saith plainely Ioh. 13.30 For that this sop was no part of Supper that so soone as Iudas had receiued the sop hee went immediatly out So that from this our Sauiours practice in not admitting Iudas I may say with Chrysostome Nullus assistat Iudas Chrys ad op Ant. hom 60 Psa 50.16 Let no Iudas bee present or approach this holy Table If the Lord expostulate thus with a wicked man for medling with his Word VVhy dost thou take my Couenant into thy mouth whereas thou hatest to be reformed Will he not be prouoked to anger with him who takes this Sacrament into a prophane mouth If he who did eat the Peace-offering Leuit. â— 20 hauing his vncleannesse vpon him was cut off from his people as we read in the seuenth of Leuiticus What shall become of him who comes vnworthily to take this holy Sacrament the memoriall of that wonderfull Peace-offering which Christ tendered to his Father vpon the Altar of the Crosse whereby he reconciled all things to God both in heauen and earth Col. 1.20 There are two especiall reasons of this doctrine First in regard of the difference betweene the Sacrament and the Communicant For what fellowship hath light with darknes what agreement betweene the holy Sacrament and a profane heart who will put precious waters into filthy vessels or wholesome wine into soule caskes This is the ground of Ioshuaes speech to the children of Israel Ios 24.19 You cannot serue the Lord for he is a holy God that is whilest they were wicked the righteous Lord who loueth righteousnesse Psa 11.7 would not accept of their seruice Almighty God hath euer carefully required a correspondence betweene his holy ordinances those who were to bee partakers of the same Thus the Shew-bread was appointed onely for Aaron and his sonnes because they were holy Exo. 29.33 Thus the Trespasse-offring must bee eaten in the holy place Leuit. 7.6 because it is most holy Therfore as the Lord saith 1. Pet. 1.16 Be you holy because I am holy so may it be said to the Communicant Be you holy because the Sacrament is holy This was the caueat giuen to the Communicants in the Primitiue Church when one of the Deacons holding vp the Sacrament in the view of the people Chrys ad pop Ant. hom 61. cryed with a lowd voyce Sancta sanctis Holy things belong to the holy And where there is no holinesse to entertaine these holy things there in stead of comfort the heart is more more corrupted For as the Spider gets strength of poyson from the sweetest hearbes and flowres so the profane and impenitent heart is strengthened in wickednesse by receiuing this holy and heauenly food The Word of God hath many excellent Encomiums in sundry places of Scripture It is the sincere milke of the VVord 1. Pet. 2.2 Psal 12.6 Psal 19.10 It is more purer then gold seuen times refined It is sweeter then the hony and the hony-combe Yet we often finde by lamentable experience that it becomes to some the sauor of death vnto death 2. Cor. 2.16 and so to the Sacraments which were ordained to be the seales of our saluation the comfort of our hearts the strength of our soules being vnworthily receiued becomes the seale of condemnation the bane and poyson both of soule and body for euer A second reason why the wicked and vnworthy must not meddle with the Sacrament is the danger that thereby is incurred When Almighty God deliuered the Law vpon Mount Sinai Exo. 19.12 as he did fence the mountaine with markes and bounds so did he the Commandements with comminations and threatnings Aboue other the third Commandement hath a dreadfull threatning The Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine Exod. 26.7 Now when the Sacrament is profaned the name of God is taken in vaine in a high degree Let him therefore take heed to himselfe who by vnworthy receiuing doth profane this holy Sacrament The temporall iudgements that haue seazed vpon men for laying profane hands vpon holy things are left to vs as a warning to auoyd the like dangers 1. Sam. 5.6 The hand of God was heauy vpon them of Ashdod for meddling with the Arke Baltazar was â—roâ—ght into a maruelous trembling and astonishment receiued a dolefull doome by the handwriting on the wall Dan. 5 3-6 for quailing and carowsing in the holy vessels And the Apostle here would haue the Corinthians take notice of the wrath of God vpon diuers of them for receiuing the Sacrament vnworthily For many were sicke and weake amongst them Verse 30. and many slept Seeing then that weakenesse sicknesse and death also did befall those profaners the same should make euery profane and irreligious receiuer of the Sacrament to tremble as being lyable to the like iudgements The Iraelites had quails at their desire but when the meate was yet in their mouthes the wrath of God fell vpon them Psal 78.30 And this surely was a great iudgement He that is an vnworthy receiuer may iustly feare lâ—st the wrath of God in some such fearefull manner fall vpon him whilest the cup is in his hand and the bread in his mouth It is true that as fathers chastise their children that are come to ripe yeeres in another fashion then they did when they were little So God hath another kinde of discipline vnder the Gospel then hee had vnder the Pedagogie of the Law as St. Chrysostome saith Hee doth not so often scourge offenders with the rods of temporall chastisements but rather reserues for them eternall torments Magnum ac quirit tormeÌ„tum Aug. in Ioh. tract 62. so that Whosoeuer receiueth the Sacrament vnworthily procures to himselfe a great torment Yet who doubts but that the hand of God is vpon many vnworthy Communicants euen by sorrow sicknesse death and sundry other temporall chastisements But let vs obserue the dangers of vnworthy receiuing as they are laid downe by the blessed Apostle The first is Hee becomes guilty of the body and bloud of Christ That is hee is guilty of offering contumely iniury and indignity to him Saint Paul when he disswades husbands from offering violence to their wiues Ephe. 5.29 giues this for a reason No man euer yet hated his owne flesh And may not I reason thus Lâ—t no man offer iniury to Christ because he is flesh of our flesh Yea hee is our head and a wound or maine giuen to the head is more odious and dangerous then to another part To offer violence to an ordinary person it is a fault to strike a Magistrate a greater but to wound a King who
is the Lords anointed is a sinne in the highest degree O what a heynous sin it is then to offer violence and as much as in vs lyes to strike and wound the Son of God Reu. 19.16 1 Cor. 2.8 the King of kings and the Lord of glory To be guilty of the death and sheading of the bloud of any innocent man is a fearefull sinne and this made Dauid cry out in the bitternes of his soule Psa 51.14 Deliuer mee from bloud-guiltinesse O God Oh how fearefull is it then to be guilty of the body bloud of Christ Yea the iniury and indignity is greater then is obuious to euery eye if wee consider the double vnion in Christ not onely the two substances the body the soule but the two natures the diuine and humane Whose heart is not moued with indignation against the Iewes when he heares or reades their villanies and violence done to our blessed Sauiour But take heed saith Chrysostome Chrys ad pop Ant. hom 60 lest thou be guiltie in the like kind by vnworthy receiuing of the blessed Sacrament Hee that defiles the Kings garment and he that teares it offend both alike the Iewes did teare it thou defilest it here indeed are diuersa peccata Chry. hom 41 in Joh. but par contumelia some difference in the sinne no difference in the disgrace Ioseph and Nicodemus their pious deuotion in begging and embalming the body of Christ is worthily recorded and commended to all generations Mary Magdalen Iohn 19.38.40 by bestowing that boxe of precious oyntment vpon his holy head hath gained to her selfe endlesse honour in stead of her former infamy in somuch that Wheresoeuer the Gospell shall bee preached in the whole world Mat. 26.7 that her reuerend and religious act shall bee spoken of for a memoriall of her Beloued if we receiue the Sacrament vnworthily oh wretched men that we are For we ioyne with Judas and the Iewes being guilty of the body and bloud of Christ but if we receiue it worthily how happy are wee For we communicate with honorable Ioseph and penitent Mary Magdalen our memories shall be blessed and our soules receiue vnspeakeable comfort The next danger which is also a consequence vpon the former is this Hee that eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth and drinketh his owne damnation It is indeed an ineuitable consequence For he that is guilty of the body and bloud of Christ how can hee but incurre the danger of condemnation The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some would qualifie as though it did import onely some temporall punishment but that acception is too short For as the word is more large in signification so the dependance it hath vpon a heynous sinne must needs imply a correspondent iudgement And so indeed it doth import not onely a temporall punishment but also eternall condemnation both of soule and body And reason Heb. 20-28 29. for if he that despised Moses Law dyed without mercie vnder two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment shall hee be worthy which treadeth vnder foote the Sonne of God counteth the bloud of the new Testament as an vnholy thing and so despites the Spirit of grace This is a fearefull thing to be in the state of the damned and is not therefore to be passed ouer slightly Our blessed Sauiour comparâ—s a damned soule to an offender bound hand and foot and cast into some wofull prison where there is nothing but wayling weeping Mat. 22.13 and gnashing of teeth And surely the comparison is good if we consider the nature and adiuncts of the place For the place is a place of maruailous horror being as it were a dungeon of compacted darknesse Iude v. 13. Reu. 21.8 and a Lake that burnes with fire and brimstone The company there are wofull soules and wretched hellish spirits powring forth nothing but woes execrations vpon themselues There is the worme of conscience gnawing the soule there is the mercilesse fire tormenting the body Will you haue a resemblance of the darknesse of Hell Thinke vpon the palpable darkenesse of Egypt Exo. 10.22 Will you behold an Idea of that vlolent fire Meditate vpon the hote Fornace prepared by Nabuchadnezer for Shadrach Dan. 3.19 Mishach and Abednego Will you view the dolefull state of the Damned Looke vpon Diues tormented in those cruell flames of fire Luk. 16.24 and not afforded one droppe of water to coole his tongue Yea suppose you saw one vpon some tortouring rack with a greedy Vultur euer gryping at his heart and yet consider that all these come too short to set forth the dolefull condition of the damned No tongue is able to expresse no heart is able to conceiue the woe and miseries the tormented soule is subiect to in hell which are as endlesse as easelesse But these things I doe onely touch in briefe In my threefold Resolution hauing else-where handled them more largely And here by the way I obserue the forme of the Apostles phrase He that eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth and drinketh his owne damnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the new translation hath it both more literally and more significantly eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe In wich St. Paul doth so appropriate the danger to the particular Communicant that hee seemes to exclude any other And indeed to hold that the Sacraments are polluted or profaned to the worthy Communicant by the vnworthy receiuer is an absurd conceit Gala. 6.5 Ezech. 28. For euery man must beare his owne burthen and the soule that sinneth must dye the death Yea it is a very vncharitable error For what comfort could any man haue in receiuing the Sacrament if this conceit were currant Were a man neuer so well prepared himselfe yet not knowing how the case stands with others it must needes make him come with more doubting concerning others then hee could haue comfort in himselfe But leauing this erronious opinion which hath come in the way like the body of Amasa â— Sam. 20.12 I come to the reasons why the vnworthy receiuing of the Sacrament becomes so dangerous The Rhemists do giue this for a reason Rhem. Anno. in hunc locuÌ„ namely because Christ is locally present receiued by the wicked For say they They could not bee guilty of that which they receiue not And it cannot be so heynous an offence to receiue a piece of bread or a cup of wine c. And this they call an inuincible proofe of the reall presence 1. Reg. â—0 11 But let not him that puts on his Armor boast like him that puts it off This Romish Argument is like the Spanish Armado 1588. which they called the Inuincible Nauy Thus mens conceits make those things seeme which are not So the Philistims thought their Champion Goliah an inuincible Combatant which caused them to insult but as Goliah brought with him a sword to strike off his owne
concealed from him 2. King 5. whose eyes are like flames of fire Reue. 1. Gene. 3. In vaine it is for Adam to hide himselfe amongst the trees of Paradise Ionas 1. Gen. 18. for Ionas to lurke in the side of the Ship for Sarah to laugh bâ—hind the Tent dore It is neither Captiuity for remotenesse Carmel for height Amos 9. the Sea nor Hâ—ll it selfe for the depth can secure or shroud an vnworthy Communicant from God Psal 7.9 who searcheth the heart and the reines When the Lord falls to his examination hee will set mens sinnes before their eyes in order Psa 50.21 If they will not examine themselues and set their sins before their eyes for their compunction and conuersion the Lord will set them before them to their vtter confusion and condemnation The Rhemists in their notes vpon these words doe strangely collect the necessitie of auricular Confession It is something against them Bell. de â—aeni li. 3. c. 3. 4. that their great Goliah hauing gathered what places of Scripture hee could to this purpose and some of them absurd enough had no power to touch vpon this Coast It is more that the ancient Fathers in their exposition of these words haue flatly contradicted the Rhemists collection For Athanasius saith Atha vel quâ—squis suit author eorum Commentar T it tui ipsius arbiter â—sio I would propound no man for thy Iudge but thy selfe Theodoret saith Bee thou thine owne Arbiter and examiner But most of all that the place it selfe makes directly against them and is rather a Canon to batter then a Bulwarke to support their Auricular Confession For when the Apostle saith Let a man examine himselfe he sends no man to the Priest but rather referres and restraines this examination to a mans owne care and conscience There is a maruailous difference betweene Examination and Confession and it is impossible to conclude the one from the other And albeit I deny not but the faithfull and skilfull Pastor may when occasion is offred be helpefull to a man in the examination of himselfe by resoluing of doubts informing the iudgement and quieting the troubled conscience yet to make that absolutely necessary which is onely accidentally expedient neither sorts with reason or Religion But leauing that erronious collection we may from hence inferre directly that forasmuch as euery one who comes to the Sacrament must examine himselfe children fooles and madmen and all those who are altogether disabled by nature for this examination are by no meanes to bee admitted to the Communion Againe this doctrine serues to lash those lazie Communicants who hauing sufficient abilitie either vtterly nâ—glect or very negligently practise this waighty duty of examination before they come to the Sacrament This is one principall cause why many doe receiue the Sacrament vnworthily to the dishonour of God and the danger of their owne soules It fareth with some as with bankrupts who cannot abide to behold their decayed estate and therefore it is irksome to them to turne ouer their bookes of account And many there are who of meere negligâ—nce are wanting to themselues in this behalfe Were they to vndertake some matter of life death it would make them vigâ—â—ant diligent and albeit they heare that this is matter of saluation or condemnation yet are they very carâ—lesse negligent But let our practice my Brethren be an Eccho to the Apostles precept Let euery one of vs with all diligence examine our selues Let vs as Ieremy speaks search our hearts try our wayes Lam. 3.40 Io. Buxdorf synag Iuda cap. 12. As the Iewes sought euery corner of their houses lest any leauen might remaine there when they celebrated the Passeouer So let vs seeke euery corner of our hearts as St. Austin exhorts lest any leauen of iniquity Omnes animae latebras Aug de temp Serm. 2. Gen 44.12 hypocrisie vanity doe lurke there when we come to the Lords Supper And as Iosephs officers sought his Brothers sacks from the eldest to the youngest for the Cup so let vs search our soules and examine our liues from the first to the last for our corruptions that either the view of our guiltinesse may humble vs or the consideration of our innocencie may giue vs comfort And to that end we shall doe well to acquaint our selues with the word of GOD and to make it the Lydius lapis and rule of our direction For it will be as a light vnto our feet Ps 119.105 a lanthorne vnto our pathes It will bee as a looking-glasse to discouer the errors of our liues Iam. 1.23.25 and an exact guide for our effectuall imagination We read that the Shipmen in the seuen and twentith of the Acts Act. 27 28 29. did diligently sound those troublesome Seas wherein they were tossed that so they might preuent those perils which incountred them in that dangerous voyage So must we take the Word of GOD for our sounding plummet in this our examination As they doubting to fall into some quicksands strake sayle so must we Verse 17. to auoyd the quicksands of this guiltinesse pawse and deliberate before we come to the Sacrament And lastly as they fearing lest they should fall vpon rocks Verse 29. did cast foure ankers out of the sterne So we if we will auoyd this dangerous rock of condemnation must haue our foure ankers to cast out The matter wherof our examinatioÌ„ doth consist The first is knowledge the second faith the third repentance the fourth charitie And these foure ankers may fitly be called foure Interrogaâ—ories whereupon eâ—ery one must diligently examine himselfe 1. Knowledge The first Anker and the first interrogatory in this our examination is knowledge which is as the eye to the body the Sunne to the world the Pilot to the shippe The shippe is not troubled or tossed saith St. Ambrose wherein prouidence sayleth No Christian duty can yeeld good performance or obtaine good acceptance at the hand of God without knowledge Some seruices may be performed to a King by a man meanely qualified but some require much iudgement Behold here one of the greatest seruices we tender to the King of Kings and doth it not therefore require a correspondent knowledge and iudgement The Lord neuer appointed a blinde sacrifice and he will not accept blinde and ignorant seruice What is zeale without knowledge but a rash precipitation what is deuotion but vaine superstition what are mortall actions but glorious transgressions Knowledge giues a good tincture to all vertues therefore St. Peter exhorts 2. Pet. 1.5 Ioyne with your vertue knowledge It is dangerous to set foot within the Lords sanctuary or to approach neere to his Table without the guidance of this Lampe Most men are desirous to get humane knowledge whereby they are inabled to discourse and conuerse with others but few study to bee wise to saluation And Satan whose workes are opposite