from his naturall corruptions and receiuing him into the number of the faithfull and to the service of a new master in whose name he is Baptised as it were a new creature vnto a new maner of being and liuing Rom. 6.4 1. Cor. 6.11 Colos 2.12 c. Tit. 3.5 birth vnto righteousnesse for being by nature borne in sinne and the Children of wrath wee are hereby made the Châ—lderen of grace Now sinnes being thus taken away or forgiuen vnto the Baptised through faith in the bloode of Iesus Christ they also themselues by the mouth of their Sureties professing and promising to renounce and forsake the workes of the Divell the covetous desires of the world the carnall desires of the flesh are from henceforth accounted as if sinne were dead in them and they to it so that they will not follow nor be lead by it And this death of sinne or rather to sinne is the spirituall and inward grace represented and assured vnto every true Christian and beleiver by the outward washing and Baptisme Q What is required of Persons to be Baptised A Repentance wherby they forsake sinne Mat. 2 7. 8.11 4.17 Mark 1.4.5 Acts. 2.38 and faith whereby they stedfastly beleiue the promises of God made to them in that Sacrament Mark 16.16 Acts. 8.37 c. Q Why then are Infants Baptized when by reason of their tender age they cannot performe them A Yes They do performe them Acts. 2.39 Rom. 11.16 by their sureties who promise and vow them both in their names which when they come to age themselues are bound to performe them that is both to repent and to beleiue in Christ Iesus and that this worke is acceptable and well pleasing to God done in the behalfe of Infant-children of the faithfull examples do testify Gen. 17.7 c. Mat. 19.14 Luk. 1.59 1. Cor. 1.16 Q Why was the Sacrament of the Lords supper ordained A For the continuall a Luk. 22.19 1. Cor. 11.24 c. remembrance of the b Heb. 5.7.7.25 c. Revel 5.12 sacrifice of the death of Christ offered vp to God vpon the Altar of the Crosse and the benefits which wee receiue thereby that is by that sacrifice of his blood and life made in our behalfe clensing vs from sinne and sanctifying and renewing vs vnto righteousnesse for which cause Sacrifices were figuratiuely in vse in the old Testament Lev 4.5.6 12.14 Ephe 2.13 c. Heb. 7. 1. Ioh. 1.7 Q What is the outward part or signe of the Lords supper A a These two things most fitly represent both Christ Crucified and also the spirituall benefits and blessings which belong to those who doe beleiue in him so crucified The resemblance of Christs body broken and mangled on the Crosse and of his blood shed is in the threshing grinding baking breaking and eating of the bread and in cutting pressing or treading of the grape powring out of the wine and drinking of it For as the corne and grape are so to be vsed before they become foode to them that eate or drinke thereof euen so Christs body first bruised and broken on the Crosse and his most precious blood pressed forth becomes spirituall foode to such as by faith eate and drinke thereof Bread and Wine which the Lord hath commanded to be receiued Mat. 26.26 c. Q What is the inward part or thinge signified A The body and blood of Christ Mark 14.22 c. Luk. 22.19.20 Ioh. 6.47 c. 1. Cor. 11. 23. c. which after an heavenly spirituall manner are verily and indeed taken and receiued of the a faithfull in the Lords supper A Faith or beliefe in the passion and death of Christ is the meanes the hand as it were to take the mouth to eate the stomack to receiue and digest the body and blood of Christ that so the beleiuer Christ may thereby be incorporated and vnited and after an heauenly and spirituall manner made one and the same body as the naturall body and the foode thereof eaten and digested becomes one and the same flesh Ioh. 6.35.55.56 1. Cor. 10.16.17 2. Cor. 13.5 Ephes 5.30 Q What are the benefits whereof wee are partakers thereby A The strengthening and refreshing of our soules by the body and blood of Christ a Wee may obserue and consider these two things in Bread and Wine receiued First there is a mutuall vnion and incorporation of them and the body they become one and the same flesh and bone and body Secondly the benefit of this vnion or incorporation namely the body is strengthned refreshed and preserued thereby so is it betwixt the beleiuer and worthy receiuer of the Sacrament and Christ first they are mutually vnited communicated or incorporated one into the other and are made the same flesh bone and body Ioh. 6.56.17.21 My beloued is mine and I am his saith the Spouse in the Canticles 2.16 and more plainely speakes the Apostle St Paule Ephes 5.30 We are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bone This is a great mistery or secret saith the Apostle too deep for our shallow vnderstanding to conceiue or our tonges to expresse how Christ and his Spouse the Church that is every true beleiuer becomes one flesh Yet so far forth as secrets are revealed wee may as Christ speakes of himselfe handle them and see how or what they be The stringes by which they are knit together or the hands by which they are as it were moulded one into the other and made one lumpe and bread are plainely named vnto vs in the holy Scripture and these are the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Christ and Faith His Spirit vnites and quickneth Ioh. 6.63 1. Cor. 6.17 Gal. 2.20 1. Ioh. 4.13 For as the Nerues or Sinewes passe into all parts of the body from the braine tye all together Euen so his spirit from him the Head descending is deriued into every one of his members 1. Cor. 12. and thereby the whole body by joyntâ— and bands hauing nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Colos 2.9 And againe as the soule diffuseth it selfe thorough the whole and every faculty and limbe of the body and giues life and motion proportionable to the condition and being of euery part In like sort his spirit goeth into euery member and quickneth it with the life of Christ according to the effectuall working in the measure of every part Ephes 4. 16. And thus we see what meanes Christ for his part vseth to vnite and quicken yet every man is not hereby vnited into his body and made a liuing member of him but only such as are fitted and disposed by Faith which is the pipe as it were and doore thorough which Christs Spirit doth descend and comes into mens harts quickens them with his life of grace and as it were moulds them into his body and makes them one flesh Ioh. 1.22 Rom. 1.17 Gal. 2.20 â—5 5 Ephes 3. 17. Heb. 3.14 And let
whosoever hath not from him shal be taken even that he seemeth to haue saith our Sauiour Christ I beseech you therefore beloued Parishioners and exhort you by the Lord Iesus Christ that yee labour to put of all Childishnes in vnderstanding and be strong in the word of God and in the knowledge of his truth and of your Christian dutie goe on from strength to strength from knowledge to knowledge from grace to grace and giue not over till you haue clothed your selues with the whole Armour of God Soe shall you approue your selues worthie of the vocation where with you are called in Iesus Christ and he will accept of your Godly endeauors and zeale and will add there-vnto of his spirit in more abundance and increase you with increase of God vntill he shall haue brought you to be perfect and compleat in himselfe who filleth all things to whome be honour and praise thankesgiuing now and for ever The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen MILKE FOR BABES Question WHAT is your Name Answere N. or M. Question Who gaue you this Name Answere My a Examples shew that Parents haue anciently vsed to giue names to their owne Children Gen. 21.3 1 Sam. 1.20 Luk. 1.63 Mat. 1.21 wherein at this day it is very reasonable that their desire and direction should not be altogether neglected by godfathers and godmothers Godfathers Godmothers in my Baptisme The Christian man wherin I was made a b Not by the bare sprinkling or dipping into the water without the Spirit of God Ioh. 3.5 Rom. 8.9 1 Cor. 12.12.13 by whome wee are properly quickned and made liuely members of Christ Iesus 2. Cor. 3.6 Gal. 4.6.7 Rom. 8. 11. Now faith and the works of a new life wil shew whether the Spirit of God did assist and ioyne with the worke of the Minister or not 1. Cor. 12.3 Gal. 5.16 1. Ioh. 4.2 member of Christ the Child of God and an inheritour of the kingdome of Heauen Q. What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you A. They did promise and vowe three things in my name Note that all the good and benefit in the former answere mentioned and which wee are to expect from Christ in our Baptisme sealed vnto vs is with condition namely if wee shall performe the promise made in our behalfs by our godfathers and godmothers Math. 16.27 Q. What doth your Godfathers promise A. First that I should forsake the Devill and all his workes the pompes and vanities of the wicked world His vowe and all the sinfull lusts of the flesh The reason hereof is because being by baptisme entered and enroled a seruant of God and receiued into his house and familie that is into his Church you are therefore to renounce all loue and obedience to these masters to which by nature you are subiect and to put your selfe in open defiance against his enimies which are the Deuill this world and your owne flesh Math. 6.24 Rom. 6.12 c. Eph. 6.11 c. Secondly that I should beleeue all the Articles of the Christian faith The reason hereof is because Christ hath inseperably tyed and annexed faith vnto Baptisme without which Baptisme profiteth nothing and saluation is not to be had Mar. 16.16 Act. 2.41.8.36.37.38 Thirdly that I should keepe Gods holy will and commaundements and walke in the same all the dayes of my life The reason hereof is because the faith of beliefe here required of such as are Baptized must be a working and a liuely faith openly shewing forth in the sight of God and men their obedience and loue in performing the will and commaundement of God and of our Lord Iesus Christ Math. 5.16 Luk. 1.74.75 Tit. 1.16 Iam. 2.17 2. Pet. 1.4.5 1. Ioh. 5.1.2 Q. Doest thou not thinke that thou art bound to beleeue and to doe as they haue promised for thee A. Yes verily and by Gods helpe so I will 1. Cor. 15.10 Iam. 4.15 and I doe hartily thanke our heauenly Father that he hath called me to this state of saluation through Iesus Christ our Saviour Ephe. 1.3 c. 2. Tim. 1.9 and I pray god to giue me his grace that I may continue in the same to my liues end Math. 24.13 Luk. 22.32 Q. Rehearse Rom. 10.8.9 Math. 10.32.33 1. His beleife Pet. 3.15 then the Articles or seuerall parts or pointes of thy beliefe or of those thinges which thou art to beleeue for the saluation of thy soule A. 1. I Beleeue in God the father Almightie maker of heauen and earth That is I a Act. 8.37 my selfe doe beleeue that God the first Person in the Godhead is the b Math. 3.17 Ioh. 1.14.18 father of our Lord Iesus Christ through him my c Math. 23.9 Ioh. 20.17 Ephe. 1.5 Iam. 1.18 Father also in whom I trust d Luk. 12.22 c. relie on his providence prouision of all things necessarie both for my bodie and soule in as much as he is e Gen. 17.1 Luk. 1 37. Rom. 9.19 able hath the might power to doe all things whatsoeuer he will that he f Ioh. 1.3 Coll. 1.16 Rev. 10. 6. created made the heavens earth all things therein g Eph. 1.11.12 2.10 me in particuler to his owne glory service to the obteining of that salvation which he hath promised to all that beleeue in his sonne Iesus Christ 2 And in Iesus Christ his only sonne our Lord. That is I my selfe doe beleeue that Iesus Christ the second Person in the Godhead is the a Math. 3. 17. Ioh. 1.14.3.16 Colos 1. 15.2.9 only naturall and proper sonne of God begotten from everlasting of the Father having and receaving from him the same nature substance and b Ioh. 5.26 as naturall Children begotten doe receaue from there naturall parents and that he is c Math. 11.27 Luk. 2.11 Rom. 6.23 Lord as well as his Father having power and dominion to rule and dispose of all things according to his owne will and pleasure not onely as he is our d Ioh. 1 1.2.3 Heb. 1.10 creator maker but more especially do I acknowledg him our Lord for as much as he hath e Luk. 1.74 75. Gal. 4.4.5 Rom. 6. 22. redeemed and sett vs free from the power of the Devill sinne and death made vs his servants to serue him in righteousnes and holynes all the dayes of our life 3 Which was conceiued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary That is I doe belieue that Iesus Christ the sonne of God was also a Iohn 1.14 Heb. 2.16 made man being b Gen. 3.15 Isa 7. 14 Luk. 1.35 conceiued of the seed of a woman the Virgin Mary by the holy Ghost after an vnspeakeable manner and in due time was borne of her a perfect man bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh in all things d Rom. 8.3 2. Cor. 5.21 Heb. 4.15 sinne
this suffice to be spoken of the vnion or rather Communion betweene Christ and the faithfull or belieuers he being by his spirit as truely and effectually made theirs and they members and branches of his body as the meate and drinke we receiue into our naturall bodies is made flesh of our flesh and liues by the same life as our whole body doth Now this Communion premised is the foundation of all those blessed promises made vnto the worthy Receiuers of the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ and the fountaine from whence all the benefits of his Passion Death Resurrection and Asscension issue and deriue themselues vpon the faithfull All are yours saith the Apostle to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 3.22 but how comes it to passe Why yee are Christs and Christ is Gods First there must be a vnion and partaking of Christ yea of God or the whole godhead Ioh 17.9 10.11.21 before we can be capeable of the blessings of God And thus it is First out flesh is taken and vnited into the second Person of the godhead that is Christ Iesus Ioh. 1. 14. Heb. 2. 14.16 Secondly by the Holy Ghost the third Person in the godhead we are vnited into Christs flesh and body and made one with him which is not a carnall but a spirituall vnion according to the meanes by which it is wrought 1. Cor. 12.13 Thirdly being thus vnited into Christ by his Spirit we haue hereby fellowship with the Father the first Person of the godhead and are made one with him Ioh. 17.22.23 1. Ioh. 1.3 The first vnion of our flesh with Christ Iesus is carnall naturall and corporeall for Christ is true man this was Necessary in that hee himselfe having suffered being tempted might bee able to succour them that are tempted and be a mercyfull and faithfull high Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people Heb. 2.17.18 The second vnion of our selues and all beleivers into Christ is altogether supernaturall and spirituall and this is Sufficient to make vs partakers of the benefits promised to the worthy receiuers of the Sacrament For as it sufficeth to make all men partakers in the Curse of Adam because they are of one and the same nature with him and his flesh by propagation though not any man is corporally and personally vnited vnto him so on the other side doth it suffice vs by a spirituall and not by any corporeall and carnall vnion into Christ Iesus to be made partakers of his Blesings 1. Cor. 15.20.21.23 And that no man should thinke a carnall and corporall vnion or Communion with Christ to be Necessary as the Papists at this day do teach that there must be a carnall vniting of Christ with every believer by eating and drinking his naturall flesh and blood he plainely tels vs Ioh. 6. 63. that the flesh that is his flesh eaten by the bodily mouth profiteth nothing that is it doth not make a man any whit the neerer vnto Christ and those benefits and blessings which he brings along with him Againe the Apostle Ephes 5.32 by comparing the vnion or coniunction of Christ and the Church or the faithfull vnto Marriage plainely speakes it not to be a corporeall and locall vnion or Communion For the man and the woman are truely vnited together by marriage though severall bodies and locally devided and they two are one flesh In like manner Christ the Husband and Head and the Church his Wife and the Faithfull his members although carnally and locally devided yet are truely One. And that this kind of vnion or Communion with Christ is sufficient profitable and effectuall to all purposes as well as if it were carnall we may easily gather from his owne words Ioh. 15. where vnder the parable of the Vine and the Branches either naturall or graffed in shewes the efficacie of the vnion or to speake in his owne phrase of the mutuall abiding of himselfe and the faithfull one in the other namely That as the branches doe partake of the same nature iuyce life and fruitfulnes with the stock and roote whereof they are branches so the spirituall bâ—â—nches that is the Faithfull and worthy receivers of the Sacrament do truely partake of their roote and stock that is Christ Iesus and from him receiue spirituall strength nourishment life growth fatnesse and fruitfulnes Consider wee therfore now what the stocke and roote is and that those heavenly blessings and benefits are a rising from thence such are the branches and such fruite they beare For if the first fruite be holy the lumpe is also holy saith the Apostle Rom. 15.61 if the roote be holy so are the branches Now Christ Iesus hath satisfied the debt of punishmeÌ„t due to our sinnes and hath borne our curse Gal. 3.13 and we in him haue done the like and now there remaâ—nes vnto vs no condemnation therefore Rom. 8. 1. Againe Christ Iesus hath fulfilled all righteousnes and in him wee shall bee found hauing the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Philip. 3.9 Rom. 3.22 Adde hether that he was without sin and so are we by imputation and there is nothing to be laid to our charge Rom. 8.33 being iustified by him in whome we haue redemption euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes Coloss 1.14 Lastly he by his owne power being dead and buried raised himselfe to life againe and ascended vp into heauen with the very same body and flesh as he went into the graue and there for euer liues and raignes And by the same power we also shall be raised from corruption the graue and death and made a liue againe 1. Cor. 15. and with these same bodies made like vnto his most glorious body Philip. 3.24 shall be translated into heaven Ioh. 14.3 and together with him shall liue and raigne for euer and euer Mat. 25.46 Iohn 11. 26 27. Revel 3.21.7.13 c. These are the benefits whereof we the members and branches are in Christ Iesus the head and roote made partakers as effectually truely as by Bread Wine receiued the body is strengthened refreshed these being the visible signes and seales by which God and Christ Iesus doth witnesse and confirme his word and promise made vnto every true Beleiuer worthy Receiver of the blessed Sacrament as our bodies are by the bread and wine Q What is required of them which come to the Lords Supper A To examine themselues whether they repent truely of their former sinnes stedfastly purposing to leade a new life haue a liuely faith in Gods mercy through Iesus Christ with a thankefull remembrance of his death and be in Charity with all men There be diverse things carefully to be obserued in this answere First the examination of our selues before we come to the Supper of the Lord and then the severall points or matter whereof we are to examine ourselues That we are to examine our selues the Apostle teacheth Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drinke of that Cuppe For he that eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe nor discerning the Lords Body 1. Cor. 11. 28.29 The principall matter wherein we are to examine our selues is touching our Faith whether we do indeed and sincerely beleiue in Iesus Christ as we make our profession and confession thereof in the Creed And this also the Apostle adviseth vs vnto 2. Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selues whether you be in the Faith proue your owne selues Now the meanes to knowe this much is by the works of true Faith Iam. 2.18 I will shew thee my Faith by my works The works are 1. Repentance which hath two parts The first is a Detestation sorrowe and comfession of former sinnes 2. Sam. 24.10 1. King 8. 33. c. 2. Chron. 33. 12. Iob 42. 6. Prov. 28. 13. Isai 1.16 Ioel. 2.12 Ionah 3. 8. 2. Cor. 7.11 1. Ioh. 1.9 The second is an Holy desire and purpose and labour after a new life Deut. 4.29 1. Chron. 7.14 Nehem. 1. 9. Ezek. 18.31 Loue of God which is shewen in a frequent remeÌ„brance and thankfulnes for the death of Christ Luk. 1.74.75 Mat. 16.16 1. Cor. 11.26 Gal. 3.1 of Men especially such as haue any way offended vs by laying aside all maliciousnes and revengfull desires and purposes and forgiving the iniury Mat. 5. 23.34.44.45.6.12 1. Pet. 2.1 c. Laus Deo FINIS