repentance for they that bee whole neede not the Physition but the sick I humbly therefore beseech thee O Lord by thy holy spirit to worke that in my heart which I cannot worke in my selfe of my selfe though I can try for my belly meat from meate and for my pursse coyne from coyne yet can I not proue and try my conscience so full of blindnes and selfe-loue am I yet this tryall is required and must be had of true Communicantes I beseech thee therfore giue me grace that afore I presume to come to the participation thereof I may examine my selfe by calling my sinnes to mind searching out my waies and confessing my sinnes I may by harty repentance returne vnto thee my Lord least otherwise by concealing my sinnes with Iudas the traitor I eate but the bread of the Lord against the Lord. Power into mee a true and liuely faith that I neuer mistrust thy word annexed to thy Sacraments which promiseth vnto mankind the remission of sinnes for to eate and drinke with the mouth only is to no purpose But faith must come thereunto and apprehend the word with the promises annexed for they are the grounds and principles of this Sacrament O Lord strengthen my faith and helpe me so to vse thy holy Sacraments that my weaknesse may be helped true loue and charity increased my sinfull life amended my soule comforted through Christ my Sauiour to whome with the father and the holy spirit bee ascribed all honour power and glory for euer Amen A thanksgiuing after the receiuing of the holy Communion especially to be vsed in thy Chamber priuatly AS thou hast O Lord giuen me the pledges of thy loue euen thy holy Sacraments and as thou hast giuen me faith effectually to receiue them so good Lord giue me thy blessed spirit grace to be hartily thankfull least I be like the nine vnthankful leapers which our Sauiour clensed But rather let me follow the wise counsell of Iesus the sonne of Sirach Aboue al things giue thanks to him that made thée and hath replenished thée with his goods and what are these goods euen all that I haue or may haue either tēporall or eternal either wtin me or wtout me aboue or beneath me all is the Lords of his mercy I haue them for this blessed meate which thou hast in thy great mercy left to thy Church and to me as one of thy members doth truely witnes that my body sprinkled with the vertue of thy quickning flesh as it were with celestiall dew shall rise againe vnto immortality and euerlasting glory O most pretious and heauenly treasures more to be desired then all the faire gold and pearles in the world Let me neuer doubt of the forgiunes of my sinnes which thou assurest me of by thy body and bloud in thy holy couenant concluded in thy last supper by the breaking of bread and giuing forth the cup to thy chosen disciples and by them to as many as are incorporated into thy Church So that no tribulation nor anguish nor persecution neither hunger nor nakednes neither perils nor sworde neither death nor life may seperate me from my heade whereupon beeing made fast by this holy sacrament receiued I as a liuing member do depende And I beseech thee O Lord at my resurrection from death appoint me a place at thy heauenly table where I may tast the new wine in the kingdome of thy father abiding with thine elect Angels and blessed Saints for euermore Amen FINIS
seales to strengthen and confirme this my faith in that his mercy promised and offered in his sonne namely his word and two Sacraments Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord. The seauenth degree of knowledge In the seauenth place by examination I must find my selfe to know before I presume to come vnto the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper that in a Sacrament two things are to be considered The first is a visible and outward signe the second an inuisible and inward grace signified thereby And in the sacrament of baptisme the visible and outward signe to be water sprinckled vpon the bodie of the partie baptized to the washing away of the filthines of the bodie The inuisible or inward grace signified thereby to bee the bloud of Christ sprinkled vpon the soule by faith wrought by the holy Ghost whereby the spirituall filthines of the soule is washed away and forgiuen the righteousnes of Christ imputed vnto the partie the olde man of sinne mortified and slaine the new man of righteousnes raised vp and reuiued answerable vnto the death and resurrection of Christ by which Sacrament the Lord first of all doth admit vs into his Church and family Also in the Sacrament of the Lords supper the visible and outward signes therein to bee First bread broken and eaten secondly wine distributed and drunke the inuisible and inward Grace signified thereby to be First the Body of Christ broken and crucified Secondly the bloud of Christ shed for to pacifie Gods wrath and to satisfie his iustice for my sinnes Againe that thereby is signified a full satisfaction of Gods iustice and a perfect saluation purchased without any thing wanting because not onely bread is broken signifying his body crucifyed but also wine is distributed signifying his bloud shed Thirdly that thereby is signified the violence of Christes death his soule being drawne and seperated from his bodie because there is seene breaking and diuision of bread Fourthly That thereby is signified our Vnion vniting and growing into one bodie and nature with Christ receiuing him by faith euen as surely and as certainely as the bread and wine which wee eate and drinke in the Lordes Supper are vnited and grow into one bodie nature with vs. And that therefore séeing so by faith we become the true members of Christ Bone of his bone and fleshe of his fleshe and doe growe into one bodie with him euen as Eue being formed and taking of the substance of the bodie of Adam her husband became as it were parte of him nay one fleshe with him That therefore I say it must needes follow of necessitie Christ his Members must needs liue by his spirit that wee must take life from and bee gouerned by one and the selfe same spirit of Christ as all the members of one body take life from Iohn 6. Iohn 15. and are gouerned by one and the same soule Wherupon if followeth necessarily againe the so many as haue not a godly care in their liues conuersatiōs to expresse the fruits graces of the holy spirit but do stil delight slauishly to serue Satan sinne so many do in vaine flatter themselues that they are the members of Christ and that they haue receiued Christ in his holy supper his death and passion to the forgiuenesse of their sinnes Because Christ cannot bee drawne from his spirit neither receiued without his spirit but he that eateth his body and drinketh his bloud truly by faith must needs eate and drinke his spirit also and so consequently expresse the fruits of the same spirit in a regenerate life Secondly because I say who so doe eate the bodie and drinke the bloud of Christ crucified and shed vpon the crosse truely by faith to the forgiuenes of their sinnes they are members vnited vnto Christ they are grafted into Christ they dwel in Christ and Christ in them And they that are grafted into Christ must néeds take part of and liue by the spirit and life which is in Christ euen as the branches which are grafted into the wine do participate and liue of the sap and life of the vine In the fift and last place by examination of my selfe I must find my selfe to know that whereas we doe feede not of sundry kindes of bread and drinke not of sundrie cuppes but al of vs of one bread and one cup in regard of the institution and Sacrament hereby is taught and signified our vnity and communitie one with another also that we ought to be of one bodie that we ought mutually to loue one another as members of one bodie and as those which are fed and nourished by one bodie by one meate by one drinke Here in this Sacrament all are one and one is all All come to one and one is made of all For in an other respect we see of many graines of corne is made one bread of many grapes is made one wine whereby is signified further that an especiall end and drift of this Sacrament is of the multitude of the faithfull as of many members to make one bodie and to knit them togither in one mutuall relation and loue It is reported by Salust a noble humane Historiographer that they which conspired with Catiline against Rome dranke all of them aforehand mans bloud whereby they would all make as it were a Consanguinity and affinitie among themselues whereby they would all bind themselues to will one thing all to meane and doe one thing and not any one to open the conspiracie or to disagree one from another in any sort therein they iumped ioyned together euen vnto the death Now can the drinking of a mortall mans bloud so inuented by mans malice in a wicked practise of a multitude of men make one man of many men make one body one mind one will one consent one heart and bring all to an vnity And shall not the drinking of the bloud of Christ by faith nay the eating of his fleshe also found out by the endles wisedōe goodnes of God for mans redemption make all one First with Christ secondly one with another make all one body make one mind one will one consent one heart and bring all to an vnity in Christian loue mutuall affection and brotherly charitie one with another which is the sūme and whole scope of all christian Philosophie and wisedome Surely light cannot agree with darkenesse nor the spirit of God with the spirit of Belial No more can diuision and discord agrée with vnitie This Sacrament is a Sacrament of vnity therefore it cannot abide neither admit a clouen heart diuided from his brother And thus as by the Sacrament of Baptisme our God doth admit vs into his house and family not as seruants but as children So likewise by this Sacrament of the Lordes Supper as a prouident Father doth hee féede and nourish vs in the same with the liuing breade of his deare sonne vnto a true and blessed immortalitie And this is the
knowledge briefly for which euery one must examine themselues before they presume to the Lords supper Obiect But you said in the beginning of our speech that this examination doth consist in three thinges In the first place you haue well and necessarily placed knowledge I pray you therefore proceede vnto the second Ans Faith is the second thing for which we must examine our selues before wee come to the Lords Supper I said that the second thing for which euery one must examine themselues before they do eate and drinke the Lords supper is faith And surely faith comes as necessarily in the second place as knowledge came in the first For as there can bee no faith without knowledge so again to bare knowledge can be to no purpose without faith that is except one do beléeue that hee knoweth in Gods word Obiect Explaine it I pray you a little more plainely what faith doe you meane Answ I meane not an Historical faith which is but only a bare knowledge of the historie of those things which are contained in Gods booke Faith Historicall assenting also vnto the truth of them which faith the very diuels haue and would gladly haue it vtterly extinct and put out Iames 2. I meane not a Temporarie faith which steps a step higher that is which doth not only know and giue assent vnto the truth of Gods word Faith temporarie but doth also profes the same yea and ioy thereinto yet it is but for a small time as saith our Sauiour and not because it hath any hartie and liuely feeling of Grace offered in the word neither but for other by causes as vaine glory Mat. 17. 1. Cor. 13. worldly profit and such like I meane not a miraculous faith Faith by Miracles whereby through diuine reuelation a man may be surely perswaded that through diuine power hee can remoue mountaines or worke other miracles Faith iustifying and a true difinition thereof But I meane that sweet Iustifying faith which doth not onely know giue consent and profes But which is further a grounded and resolued assurance of Gods frée promise of Grace in Iesus Christ which being sealed in my heart by the holy Ghost through the meanes of the Gospell works of necessitie my regeneration conuersion from the old Adam vnto a new creature from the workes of darkenes vnto the works of light righteous obediēce Obiect Your meaning is now plaine Before one presumeth to bee partaker of the Lordes Supper hee must examine himselfe First for Knowledge Secondly for a Iustifying faith But by your leaue good sir a word If this Iustifying faith doth alwaies shew forth the fruits of regeneration conuersion and righteous obedience in that partie whomesoeuer it doth posses what needs then any further examination I meane what needes a man examine himselfe for a third point namely whether hee findeth in himselfe a resolute purpose to practise according to that his knowledge faith in the rest of his life Ans I answere you thus Too too many do blindly hypocritically imagine that the outward profession of their beliefe namely the Apostles créed wtout all respect had vnto life maners is a true iustifying sauing faith which indéed is but a dead carkas of faith as a dead man wanting both life spirit is no true man but a dead carkas of a man now therfore least any man examining himselfe for faith should deceiue himself with such a faith againe because euery one should haue vnto himselfe and also shewe vnto others a sure marke and euidence of a iustifying faith without all deceipt I haue added hereunto this third poynt of examination Namely that euery one should examine themselues also whether they come vnto the Lordes Supper in sinceritie and singlenes of heart all hypocrisie laid aside with a resolute purpose in the rest of their liues to practise and liue according to the same their knowledge and faith that is with a resolute purpose to abhorre and flie sin and to embrace godlinesse throughout their whole life For to this end the Apostle Iames Iames 2. reasoning very diuinely seemeth to make a double iustification of man the one from God the other from man him selfe God apparantly sées knowes as all things else visible inuisable spiritual earthly so the iustifying faith of uery man how it is seated in his heart without any helpes markes or tokens for it selfe and in it selfe without all other respects iustifying the man But to man this faith being purely spirituall cannot without his faithfull markes and fruites be séene and knowne with flat resolute assurance no not to him that hath it Therefore as God doth iustifie a man by his faith so a man must iustifie himselfe by his workes that is his faithfull actions and workes must resolue him and proue vnto him that he is possessed of a true iustifying faith allowed and approued of God least otherwise he be deceiued with a shadow visard of faith Iames 2. The wordes of the Apostle are plaine first hee saith shew mee thy faith by thy works I wil shew thee my faith by my workes Secondly was not Abraham our father iustified by workes That is knowne by his workes before men to haue a iustifiing faith before God when he offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar Thirdly ye sée that a man is iustified by workes and not by faith onely namely of man By which places of the Apostle it is clearer then the noone day that his iustifying faith cannot be known vnto man but by his workes That I say his resolute purpose to leade a godly and a Christian life indéed the due execution of the same must shew and make it euident both vnto himselfe and vnto others that his soule is possessed of a iustifying faith before God that in this his examination of himselfe he is not deceiued so consequently that he eateth and drinketh the Lords supper worthily vnto Gods glory and his owne euerlasting comfort Obiect This also nowe is very plaine This third point of examination is doubtlesse as necessarie as the other two and comes me thinks in a comely and diuine order I haue but one demand more good sir for a full conclusion Ans Say on I pray you Obiect I do heare your selfe and other preachers of the word daily teaching and I beleeue assuredly that you teach truly that a true iustifying faith doth alwayes bring foorth the fruits of regeneration newnesse of life and righteous obedience and doth alwayes declare it selfe outwardly by workes in the partie whom it doth possesse I know also that that notable instrument of Gods glory the Apostle Paul in his Epistles obserueth the like order and teacheth the very same who after that he hath first of all soundly layd downe the doctrine of faith and strongly proued that by only faith in the merits of Christ a man is iustified and saued Then next of all he commeth