to mee a sinner And if our hearts cannot in the meditation of these things be touched with remorse the earth which trembled the rockes which rented the graues which opened shall one day rise vp in iudgement against vs. Againe the meditations of these things may bee a notable meanes to stirre vs vp to thankefull obedience Christ hath shewed the greatest loue that may bee in dying for vs. For greater loue can no man shew then to lay downe his life for his friends Ioh. 15.13 Yet I may say with Bernard Bern. de passi Dom. Etiam tu Domine maiorem habuisti O blessed Lord thou hast had greater for thou hast layd downe thy life for thine enemies Therefore should euery one that lookes for an interest in this extraordinary fauor say with the Kingly Prophet My soule praise thou the Lord Psal 103.1 and all that is within me praise his holy name Let all that is within me and without mee magnifie him for his mercies let all that I haue and am be deuoted to his seruice As Christ hath thought nothing too deare for vs no not his bloud his life as hee hath thought no paines too great not his bloudy agony his torments on the Crosse so let vs thinke all the cost wee can expend and all the paines we can take exceedingly too little to bee employed in his seruice Againe here is matter of much comfort Let no man think it strange that these contrarie streames of ioy and sorrow should arise both out of one fountaine For wee must come to the Sacraments Mat. 28.8 as the Maries came from the Sepulchre with feare and much ioy As wee must sorrow that our sinnes were the cause of Christs death so must wee reioyce that Christs death is the meanes to eternall life Hence we obtain victorie ouer Satan 1. Cor. 15.57 Heb. 2.14.15 Heb. 9.17 death and hell Hence wee haue tendred to God full satisfaction for our sinnes Hence wee haue an interest in the legacy of eternall life and for pledge of this legacie wee haue the blessed Sacrament Here is soueraigne plaister for euerie penitent heart Esa 53.5 Hee was wounded for our iniquities hee was smitten for our transgressions the chastisement of our peace was vpon him and by his stripes we are healed As Saint Paul saith 2. Cor. 8.9 Christ was poore that wee might be rich So I may say He was humbled that wee might be exalted hee was disgraced that wee might be honoured he was wounded that we might be healed he was condemned that we might be acquited he ware a crown of thornes that wee might haue a Crowne of glory hee complained that he was forsaken that we might be assured our God will neuer forsake vs he was numbred among the wicked that wee might enioy the society of Saints Angels for euer Therefore my brethren let this bee the solace of your soules and the ioy of your hearts against all the afflictions of this life the terrors of death and the torments of hell THE SIXT Sermon The danger of vnworthy receiuing of the Sacrament 1. COR. 11. v. 27 28 29. Wherefore whosoeuer shall eate this bread and drinke the cup of the Lord vnworthily shall be guilty of the Body and bloud of the Lord c. WHen I first began to handle this Scripture I shewed that it containes three principall points 1. The time of Instirution 2. The Causes of constitution 3. The care that is to be had for the due celebration of the Sacrament The two former I haue handled and now the third remaines to bee considered in these words VVherefore whosoeuer shall eate this bread and drinke the cup of the Lord vnworthily shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord c. Wherein the Apostle sheweth 2. things 1. The danger of vnworthy receiuing 2. The meanes to preuent this danger The danger is great in a twofold respect First he that receiues the Sacrament vnworthily sinnes hainously against our Sauiour for he is guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord. Secondly hee sins fearefully against his owne soule for hee eateth and drinketh his owne damnation Now to auoyd this Scylla and Charybdis of iniury to Christ and misery to our owne soules this is the meanes Let a man examine himselfe The Prophet Dauid in the fifteenth Psalme propounds this question Lord Psa 55.1 who shall dwell in thy Tabernacles who shall rest vpon thy holy mountaine Hauing handled the doctrine of the Sacrament this question is very necessary Lord who shall be admitted to thy Table who shall be partakers of thy blessed body bloud Aug. in Ioh. tract 62. For as St. Austin saith We must as well consider who may receiue as what is to be receiued As the Oracle from heauen answers to the Prophets demand Hee that walketh vprightly and worketh righteousnesse c. So the Apostle here doth satisfie my question shewing that he only who receiues it worthily For he that receiues it vnworthily shall be guiltie of the bodie and bloud of Christ From whence I obserue that the Sacrament is no banquet for wicked and vnworthy receiuers As a stranger to the Common-wealth of Israel might not eat the holy things in the time of the Law Leui. 22.10 so a stranger from the life of God may not taste of the holy Sacrament in the time of the Gospell The Lord was strict concerning them who were to appeare before him at Mount Sinai as wee read in the ninteenth of Exodus Exo. 19.13 in so much that if a beast did touch the mountaine hee must be stoned to death And shall not those who dare approach into Christs presence and come to his Table with beastly affections be lyable to his iudgements Yes surely 1. Reg. 5.51 As Salomon said of Adoniah If he shew himselfe a worthy man there shall not a haire of him fall to the earth but if wickednesse be found in him though he take hold of the hornes of the Altar he shall die So he that comes worthily to the blessed Sacrament shall bee free from danger nay hee shall finde much comfort but if he come wickedly and vnworthily his soule shall surely smart for it Mar. 14.15 The Chamber was trimmed wherein the Passeouer was celebrated and the Supper instituted and so should the chamber of euery Christian soule be cleansed from profanenesse and adorned with grace that is to receiue Christ Iesus in the Sacrament Ioh. 14.2.4 The Disciples feete were washed before they did partake of the Supper doth not that call for a cleansing of our hearts before we communicate It is very remarkeable that when Christ did institute the Eucharist hee admitted onely the eleuen Disciples For I confidently hold that wicked Iudas was sent away packing with a Quod facis fac citò what thou dost Ioh. 13.27 Hilar. de Tri. lib. 8. doe quickly Neither are there wanting amongst the Fathers and Schoolemen
Thou didst elect mee to life and glory before the foundations of the World were layd thou didst create me after thine owne Image wheras thou mightest haue made me the vilest of thy creatures And when thine Image was defaced thy fauours forfetted my selfe becom the bondslaue of sinne and Satan it pleased thee forth of thy exceeding mercy and compassion to send thy Sonne to be my Sauiour Redeemer and hast with him giuen mee all things belonging to life godlines Thou hast continually preserued me from those infinite dangers into which I haue cast my selfe by the demerit of my manifold offences Thou hast let me liue in these happy dayes of grace and peace wherein the sight of thy Gospell shines most brightly Thou hast vouchsafed mee many temporall blessings whereby my life might be cheerefull to me and my selfe carefull in thy seruice But when I remember thy vnspeakeable loue in that great gift of thine the Sonne of thy loue Christ Iesus and when I consider that thou makest him mine bringest him home to my heart in a wonderfull manner by participation of the blessed Sacrament it makes me say with admiration VVhat is man O Lord that thou art so mindfull of him What am I sinfull wretch that thou shouldest vouchsafe to make me partaker of so great mercies And now O blessed GOD what shall I render to thee for all thy vnspeakeable fauors I haue nothing Lord but the sacrifice of my vnworthy praise and thanks which I desire may be perfumed by the merits and offred vp to thee by the hands of my Sauiour Christ I will euer say to my soule which is all that I can say My soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within thee praise his holy Name Lord make me able willing to offer vp my selfe an holy and acceptable sacrifice to thee Lord pardon my great vnthankfulnesse make me daily more and more thankfull to thee and giue me grace to expresse my thankfulnesse by my obedience that I may walke worthy of thy mercies and liue as one that hath beene brought vp in thy house and fed at thy Table Lord let me finde the power of thy sauing and sanctifying grace by vertue of thy blessed Sacrament whereof through thy mercy I haue at this present beene made partaker Let my Sauiour bee vnto me as a good Corrosiue to eate out my corruptions that the power of sin may be daily weakned and the graces of thy blessed Spirit quickened and strengthened in me that my affections being wayned from the loue of this euill world they may mount vp to heauen and heauenly things that so in this life I may haue fruition of thy fauour and in the life to come be partaker of euerlasting blisse and glory and that through the merits and mediation of Iesus Christ my all-sufficient Sauiour and Redeemer So be it good Lord. So be it A Iustification of the gesture of Kneeling in the Act of receiuing the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ROM 14.19 Let vs follow after the things which make for peace and wherewith we may edifie one another LONDON Printed by ELIZ. ALLDE for Robert Allot 1631. To those who oppose and dislike the gesture of kneeling in the act of receiuing the Sacrament WHen our blessed Sauiour ascended he left this legacie to his seruants Ioh. 14.27 My peace I leaue with you Pacem dedit iturus pacem dabit venturus Aug. in Ioh. tra 77. my peace I giue you At his departure hee bequeathed to his Church peace spirituall and at his returne hee will giue to it peace eternall And for better conseruation of this rich legacie he gaue the blessed Sacrament as a badge and bond of vnity Is it not therefore lamentable to see this rich legacie neglected and that sacred ordinance which should be the bond become the bane of our peace But behold my brethren as it is the excellent worke of God to bring light out of darknesse and good out of euill so is it the malicious endeuour of Satan to bring darknes out of light and euill out of goodnesse For he beeing the first peace-breaker in the World labours continually to vexe the Church of God by raising vp the stormes of contention about the blessed Sacrament not onely betweene opposites who differ in substance but euen amongst brethren onely for matter of circumstance And albeit our gracious Soueraigne who if euer any a meere man may fitly be stiled a King of peace hath by excellent courses seconded that great Peace-maker yet alas through mens contentious dispositions his iust expectation hath beene frustrate and his worthy indeuours haue beene too fruitlesse which might discourage any man for entering into these lists yet when I see Hebrewes striuing together I cannot be silent but say to him that doth the wrong Why fmitest thou thy fellow Exo. 2.13 Not forth of any pragmaticall disposition or loue to contention as all that know me can witnesse but forth of a heart vnfainedly affecting the peace of Sion and desirous by appealing to your better cogitations to effect it That worthy fact of Master Caluin hath euer affected mee much who seeing some take offence at the Wafer cakes vsed in the Church of Geneua Beza in vita Caluini perswaded them not to raise vp any contention about that which was indifferent and shall not I doe so in a matter of like nature Bethinke your selues my Brethren what distractions these diuisions doe cause and can these diuisions be without great thought of heart Iudg. 5.15 whilst we stand like Cato and Scipio in the Senat with mihi videtur mihi non videtur The one approues the other reiects the ordinances of the Church The godly are grieued the weake are troubled the wicked are strengthned yea as Nazian speakes Cur hosti cōmuni gladios porrigimus Nazi aduer Eunoni Oratio Non quia vera sed quia sua est wee by our contentions doe put a sword into the hand of our common enemy Remember I pray you that as Saint Austin saith There is some man who defends his opinion not because it is true but because it is his owne for so selfe-loue doth draw men into error Consider that opinions though grounded on error through time become strong resolutions Bethinke your selues carefully what holds you in opposition Is it a doubt that yeelding may disparage your persons or discredit your Ministery Consider that the Ancients haue neuer gained more honour then in retracting their errors Or is it zeale to Gods glory Consider then I pray you how this affection hath transported diuers very excellent and eminent members of the Church of God and this will make you looke rather how safely then how speedily you sayle Ponder I beseech you seriously how many faithfull and famous seruants of God yea some of which haue layd downe their liues for the testimony of Iesus haue aduisedly and willingly yeelded to this ordinance of the Church And hath it not
yet is it said in the seuenty eight Psalme that they remembred not his hand Psa 78.42 nor the day that he deliuered them from the enemy and who doth not condemne their ingratefull forgetfulnesse of so great benefits But if we cause our cogitations to retire vpon our selues and consider the vnspeakable mercy of Christ in deliuering vs from eternall condemnation aad his gracious goodnesse in ordaining this memoriall of our deliuerance I doubt not but we shall find greater cause to tax our selues for our vnkind forgetfulnesse whilst it may be said of vs as the holy Historian saith of Pharaohs Butler Gen. 40.23 yet did not the chiefe Butler remember Ioseph but forgat him When our Sauiour told Peter that he would deny him Mat. 26. Peter promised confidently that he would not but afterwards hauing through humane frailty done it when the Cocke did crow he remembring the words of Iesus went foorth and wept bitterly Behold my brethren haue not we as iust cause to mourn for our shamefull forgetfulnesse who notwithstanding these remembrances doe neglect these great mercies which we should locke and lay vp in our hearts like rich Iewels and keepe them safe as soueraigne preseruatiues If a King hauing ransomed a captiue should giue him a peece of plate and wish him when he drinks therein to thinke vpon the fauours hee had done him how vnworthy were that captiue of this fauour if hee should forget him Loe here our King of Peace hath deliuered vs from a miserable captiuity and hath giuen vs the Cup of saluation requiring vs when we drinke thereof to thinke vpon him Oh how vnworthy are we of this great mercy if we will not remember him We may well say in the Psalmists words Psa 137.5 6. If I forget thee O my Sauiour let my right hand forget her cunning Yea if I doe not remember thee in thankfulnesse let my tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth Iustin li. 5. The Athenians enacted Legem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a law of obliuion but here Christ hath ordained Legem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a law of remembrance We should oft times haue Christ in remembrance but especially when we come to the Sacrament hee should be the matter of our meditation Lâ—k 22.42 Lord remember mee when thou commest into thy Kingdome saith the penitent malefactor and Christs answere is This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise So let vs carefully and fruitfully remember Christ when we come to the blessed Sacrament and then we may be assured he will remember vs now he is in his Kingdome But how shall we remember him fruitfully Not by oathes and blasphemies not by execrations and cursings not to cherish presumption in our selues for thus onely doe some remember Christ Some alas haue the name of Christ very sildom in their mouthes but when they sweare by him some sildome haue him in their minds but when they do vainely presume vpon him But miserable wretched men they are who thus doe turne the grace of God into wickednesse Which take boldnesse to sin Rom. 6.1 because grace hath abounded and so make a poyson of a Mithrydat But let vs so remember Christ that the remembrance of him may be a preseruatiue against sinne by considering how deare it cost him to redeeme vs and if wee haue fallen through frailty that it may be a restoratiue by remembring that hee is a gracious Aduocate 1. Ioh. 2.1 and the propitiation for a penitent sinner Let vs remember the basenesse of his birth to humble vs the painefulnesse of his life to make vs diligent in his seruice and the bitternesse of his death to confirme our patience Let vs depend vpon him both in health sicknes in life and death In health let vs remember him as a mercifull Redeemer in sicknesse let vs thinke vpon him as a gracious Comforter In health let vs say with the Spouse in the Canticles Can. 1.7 Shew me thou whom my soule loueth where thou feedest for why should I be as one that turneth aside to the flocks of thy companions In sickenesse let vs with Bartimeus cry vnto him Mar. 10.48 Iesus thou Sonne of Dauid haue mercy on mee And in the houre of death let vs with blessed Steuen commend our soules into his hands saying Lord Iesus receiue my spirit Act. 5 9 Loe this is a fruitfull this is a blessed remembrance of Christ And so much for the end in generall now to the end in particular verse 26. For as oft as you eate of this bread and drinke of this cuppe you shew the Lords death till he comes These words as oft are here twice vsed and there may be diuers reasons for the same First to put a difference betweene the Passeouer and the Supper The Passeouer was celebrated but once a yeere and at one certaine time of the yeere but the Supper of the Lord may be administred many times and at any time of the yeere And herein also this Sacrament differs from Baptisme which is only once administred and not iterated and reason for as it is sufficient that we be once borne into the World but necessary that wee be often fedde so is it sufficient that wee doe once receiue Baptisme the Sacrament of our new birth but very expedient that wee oft receiue the Eucharist the food and nourishment of our soules Secondly as these words may serue to distinguish betweene this and the other Sacraments so may they also very aptly carry with them an intimation of receiuing often First in that the Apostle saith not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how oft soeuer which implyes an itteration Again the word being before vsed and here againe repeated cannot but import an often receiuing of the Sacrament But here it may bee questioned how oft a man is to receiue the Sacrament Chrys in Tim. hom 5. For answere whereunto I might say with Chrysostome The Apostle hath not limited this Sacrament with any obseruation of time But for further resolution we will consider First the practice of Antiquity Secondly Hier. ad Lucin Ambr. de sacr li 5. c. 4. Chrys in 1. Cor hom 28. Aug quaest dogm q. 53. the rules of Direction grounded on reason We read that in the Primitiue Church both the East and Westerne Congregations vsed to celebrate and receiue it euery day afterwards euery Lords Day to the which practice S. Austin or whosoâ—uer was Author of the Dogmaticall questions doth exhort Afterwards it came to once a moneth but deuotion waxing euery day colder then other P. Lumb sen 4. dist 12. it was decreed that euery one should receiue it thrice a yeâ—re which was somewhat tolerable But Rome who brags of hâ—r renowned neuer-failing Faith doth in this particular shew a glimpse of her Apostasie and giues euident demonstration of her want of zeale deuotion For the Councell of Trent is faine to come