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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	distinct_a	person_n	property_n	2,539	5	9.4838	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00731	A Christians preparation to the worthy receiuing of the blessed sacrament of the Lords Supper	Field, Theophilus, 1574-1636.	1622 (1622)	STC 10860; ESTC S118349	22,963	94

The Body desireth Sleepe in excesse This must bee punished with watching or if wee bee not able to watch all night yet as Christ saith to Peter Wee Mat. 26. 40. must force our selues to watch one houre with Christ and that houre is to be spent in holy Meditations in Prayer and Deuotion to God 2. The Flesh desireth to enioy a beautifull person This must bee punished by making a Couenant with our eyes not to thinke vpon Iob 37. 1. a woman 3 Worldly Sinnes are Couetousnesse Ambition Thirst after the outward commodities of the World And these must be punished by the Purse First by making restitution of whatsoeuer wee haue gotten contrarie to the law of God Secondly by being bountifull in deeds of Piety to the Priests of God and the Ministers of the Gospell Thirdly in being liberall in deeds of mercy to the poore members of Christ Now because euery one is not of Iudgment to know the right Quantum of all these ingredients to repentance how much hee must take of each therefore hee is to resort to some vnderstanding Priest who is to prescribe how much or how little will serue the turne for so the people did in the Old Testament and Saint Paul takes vpon him to doe it in the New for hee prescribes a Sufficit to the incestuous Corinthian 2 Cor. 2. 6. But here we are to take heed of a Common error which possesseth the most men of these times For many are perswaded that Repentance may bee performed in a moment of time But they are grossely deceiued for all these seuen forenamed duties cannot bee done in a moment but require some good space of time Therefore God saith Dedi illi tempus ad poenitendum I gaue her a space and time to repent in And as Apoc. 2. 21. there must bee a space to exercise the grace of Repentance in so there must bee a certaine place assigned to it for euery place is not fit for this exercise And therefore the Prophet Zachary would haue vs to separate Zachar● our selues from company when we goe about to set our selues in the state of Repentance And Saint Peter did put it in practise in his owne person for he went out from company first and then wept bitterly Math. 26. ●● And hee deliuereth the same in doctrine The Lord would haue no man to perish but 2. Peter 3. ● would haue men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to separate themselues to repentance I haue staied the longer vpon this point because as there is no saluation without Repentance so there can be no profitable accesse to the Lords Table without it But the Law is not onely a Looking-glasse but also our Schoolemaster to bring Galat. 3. 24. vs to Christ to the Gospell Therefore I proceed now to the Second matter concerning which wee are to make our Examination and that is Faith and it consisteth of two things Knowledge and Application Touching Knowledge euery Knowledge Communicant is bound to know three generall poynts of Christian Religion These as also the Summe of all which Christians are bound to beleeue are contained in the Creed which consisteth of three generall parts The first part whereof concerneth God the Father the second God the Sonne the third God the Holy Ghost The Maine part of the Creed Of Christ is that which concerneth Iesus Christ Wherein I am taught to beleeue with my heart That Iesus Christ is very God begotten of the Father from all eternitie before all worlds and the same Christ is True Man borne of Mary the Virgine This God-man and Man God is my Lord who when I was vtterly perished and damned redeemed mee from Death and from the power of Sathan not with Golde or Siluer but with his owne holy and precious Blood and by his vndeserued Death Passion that I might be His owne and might liue in his Kingdome and serue Him without seruile feare in perpetuall holinesse righteousnes of life euen as he rose from the dead and now liueth and raigneth for euer I beleeue that there is no Saluation but by him onely no fruition of God but through him He purchased Saluation and Redemption not for me onely but for the 1 Iohn 2. 2. whole world But the Benefit of Redemption Of the Sacrament is an vniuersall benefit and belongeth to all Mankinde yet all mankind are not partakers of it None doe ordinarily pertake of it but such as haue it passed vnto them vnder Seale The Seales which God vseth to apply vnto mee in particular that which Christ wrought for all the world in generall are the Two Sacraments Baptisme and the Communion of Christes Body and Blood And heere comes in the necessitie of Faith concerning the Sacraments for they are both of them Sacramenta Fi●●i Sacraments of Faith so called by the Fathers because the Mysteries in them contained are not to be iudged by our Senses nor discussed by Reason but to bee apprehended and receiued by Faith onely In Both the Sacraments there bee two things to be considered there is an earthly Thing which we see and feele with our outward Senses and there is an heauenly and spirituall thing or grace which wee cannot see but by Faith Both these parts are inseparably vnited and cannot be separated one from another He that is rightly fitted for the receiuing of the Sacrament doth receiue both these parts together namely the earthly with the heauenly and the heauenly with the earthly which are so inseparably conioyned by God in a Sacramental vnion that he that goeth about to separate them must needs run himselfe vpon a curse But as wee are not to diuide and disioyne one part from an other so wee must take heed that we doe not confound them one with another but keepe them distinct As for example We know that in the Person of our Sauiour Christ there are two seuerall Natures viz. the God-head and the Man-hood The Nature of Man is not the Nature of God nor is the Nature of God the Nature of Man The one is not turned into the other neither are they blended and mingled one Nature with the other but both remaine distinct in the same person yet are they so indissolubly vnited by personall vnion that Death was not able to sunder or separate them For howsoeuer at the death of Christ his Soule was separated from his Body and his Bodie sundered from his Soule yet euen when hee lay in the graue both the parts of his Humane Nature Body and Soule were as neerely vnited to his Godhead as they were at his Birth or are now in heauen So to restraine my speech to the Communion There are two distinct and seuerall things in the Sacrament an Earthly as Bread and Wine and an Heauenly sc the Body and Blood of Christ The Body of Christ is not turned into the Bread neither is Bread turned into the body of Christ Nor is the one blended or mingled

with the other but both remaine distinct in the same Sacrament yet though they be in themselues distinct they are so inseperably conioyned together by Sacramentall and mysticall vnion that hee that doth receiue the one rightly doth also necessarily receiue the other And as by vertue of the Personall vnion of the two natures in Christ it commeth to passe that there is a Communication of properties by reason whereof that which properly belongs to one Nature is attributed to the other as God is said to bee Borne and to dye and the Son of Man is said to bee in Heauen when he was on Earth God is Iohn 3. 13. by reason hereof said to bee Man and Man to be God and that really and truly So by vertue of the Sacramentall vnion that is betwixt the hallowed Bread and the Body of Christ in the Sacrament the Bread is truly called the Body of Christ and the Body of Christ the Bread The Fruite of this Sacrament is the participation of the Body and Blood of Christ There is no one sentence of holy Scripture which saith that wee cannot by this Sacrament bee made partakers of Christ his Body and Blood except they be first materially conteined in the consecrated Elements of Bread and Wine or the Bread and Wine be substantially changed the one into the Body the other into the Blood of Christ This is my body This is my Blood are words of Promise we doe beleeue that God is faithfull and true of his word and doth performe what hee doth promise Albeit we doe not vnderstand the manner how nor dare prescribe vnto him the manner which way he shall make it his Body to vs either by Transubstantiating or Consubstantiating it or else we will not beleeue him Still remember that it is a Sacrament of Faith and Faith hath relation to a word of promise The word of promise is this is my Body This word I beleeue to be true because God spake it who cannot possibly lye This promise I know certainely that God will performe in making it his Body to mee because God is faithfull in performing his promise I confesse I doe not know which way or after what manner hee will or doth performe it because he hath not shewed me If I knew the manner how God did make it his Body then the Sacrament were to me as matter rather of Reason and Knowledge then a Mysterie of Faith and beliefe I beleeue that Christ was conceiued in the wombe of Mary a pure Virgin which neuer knew Man but if you aske me the manner how I confesse I know not and if I knew the manner how then that Article of Christes Conception were to mee rather a matter of Knowledge then an Article of Faith Moreouer seeing these wordes This is my Body are words of Promise and seeing that both Protestants and Lutherans and Papistes doe all agree that by the Sacrament Christ doth really and truely performe in vs his promise what doth it profit vs to know whether he doth it by Consubstantiation or Transubstantiation or some other way best knowne to himselfe which is a thing which can no wayes either further vs or hinder vs howsoeuer it stand Therefore I aduise you to follow the counsell of a most iudicious and excellent Deuine Master Hooker who willeth Eccl. Polit. Lib. 5. you to take that wherein all sides both Protestants and Papistes and Lutherans doe agree and consent and then consider by it selfe what cause there is why the rest in question should not rather be reiected as superfluous then vrged as necessary It is on all sides confest First that the Sacrament is a True and Reall participation of Christ who thereby imparteth not onely Totum sui but Totum se Himselfe wholly euen his whole entire person as a Mysticall head vnto euery Soule that receiueth him and that euery such Receiuer doth incorporate or vnite himselfe to Christ as a Mysticall member of him yea and as a fellow member of all true Christian Soules liuing on earth or triumphing in heauen Secondly it is also agreed on That to whom the Person of Christ is thus communicated to them he giueth by the same Sacrament his holy Spirit to sanctifie them as it sanctifieth him which is their head Thirdly it is likewise confest that what Merit Force Vertue or Efficacie there is in the Sanctified Body and Blood of Christ we doe freely fully and wholly receiue it by this Sacrament Fourthly all sides say that the effect thereof in vs is a real Transmutation of our Soules from sinne to righteousnesse from Death and corruption to Immortalitie and Life Fiftly all sides confesse that because the Sacrament I meane the Bread and Wine being of it selfe but a corruptible and Earthly Creature must needs be thought an vnlikely instrument to worke so admirable effects in Man wee therefore are to rest our selues vpon Gods Omnipotencie vpon the strength of his glorious and vnresistable power who is able and will bring to passe that the Bread and the Cuppe which he giueth vs shal be really and truly that thing which he promiseth This is agreed on all sides and tbis is as much as is necessary to be knowne and beleeued touching our receiuing of Christ in the Sacrament to the comfort of our Soules The second thing to be considered in Faith is Application Therefore euery Communicant must not onely know but apply that in particular to himselfe which hee beleeueth in generall as that Christes Body was crucified for him and his Bloud shed for him Saint Paul teacheth it by his owne example I liue saith hee Galat. 2. 20. by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued mee and hath giuen himselfe for me And this Application cannot bee better performed then in Eating this Bread and drinking this Cup for so often as we eate this Bread and drinke this Cup we 1. Cor. 11. 26. doe Commemorate the Lordes Death Euery Communion is as it were a new Crucifixion of Christ Christ was crucified at Hierusalem but Saint Paul tels the Galatians that hee was crucified among them Not that Gal. 3. 1. hee suffered death in Galatia but because of the Communion which is a Commemoration and Representation of the Death and Passion of Christ Therefore when I kneele at the Lords Table to the ende that I more effectually apply Christ to mine owne Soule I am to set my selfe as it were at the very foot of Christ his crosse and to consider Him hanging there enduring the vnknown wrath and curse of God and shedding his most precious blood for me and for my sinnes That I was the cause why Hee was wounded rent torne and most shamefully vsed That my sinnes murdered the glorious and innocent Sonne of God that he suffered nothing for his owne sake but all for mine that he sustained his Fathers wrath to turne that wrath away from me and to make God and mee friends that hee was content to be made a