vengeance of the Lord against them declared in the threatninges of the Law and execution of the iudgements of God against the wicked and namely against our Sauiour Christ who putting vpon himselfe our wickednesse suffered Hell paines for it and specially an information and meditation of those both sinnes and punishmentes which the present time and persons doe giue occasion of And thus farre touching the first part of the inwarde vertues in Fasting standing in the casting downe of our selues before the Lord. There followeth the other part which is a profession of our Fayth that wee shall be lifted vp as high through the grace of the Lord our God in Iesus Christ as the conscience of our sinnes doth cast vs downe and that wee shall obtaine the remoouing of the euilles tending to our destruction through the woorthinesse of our Sauiour Christ which either presently presse vs or hang ouer our heads through our owne vnworthinesse For as true repentance casting vs downe with one hand both in sorrowe for our sinnes confession of the same leaueth vs not in our downfal but through faith reacheth vs the other hand to lift vs vp againe so this solemne profession of our repentance carying vs first to the valley of trouble afterward bringeth vs backe againe to the gate of hope In which respect wee alwayes finde in the holy Scriptures * Ezra 9.5 Nehe. 1.4 Dan. 9 3. Iudg. 20.26 Luk. 5.33 1. Cor. 7.7 that Fasting is ioyned with praier * 2. Chron. 20.6 Iames. 1.6 Iohn 16.23 which can neuer be truly made without hope of obtaining the grace that is praied for But for as much as prayer is a dayly and ordinarie exercise of Gods children it is manifest * Ionas 3.8 Esay 58.4 that by the prayer which is coupled with Fasting there is vnderstanded a speciall or peerelesse kinde of Prayer both in zeale and strength of Prayer as also in continuance of the same Whereby appeareth that here is an other vse of the outwarde abstinence that it might be as it were a wing wherewith the Prayer that otherwise through earthly affections creepeth vpon the ground might the easier flee vp into heauen and that it might be a Grindestone to make a poynt of it that it may pierce and to set an edge that it may cut both the visible and inuisible enimies which wee pray against And therefore the outward abstinence that pulleth downe the body helpeth to lift vp the minde and crucifying the flesh it quickneth the spirite and maketh it more liuely to this exercise Where yet againe the Popish Fast is founde insufficient which vpon the dayes of their Fastes had no extraordinarie exercises of prayer more then other dayes which were not fasted To the better performance also of this part is annexed an information and meditation of the gracious promises of God especially such as may serue for reliefe of the present occasions Wherein the better to correct our dulnesse heauinesse to this so holy an exercise let vs remember that it is to obtaine some speciall grace at the hand of the Lord. Whereby it is giuen vs to vnderstand that vpon due holding of this Fast vnto the Lord there be excellent promises and a most singular rewarde Ioel. 2.13 19.20 Whereof the place of Ioel as it spake before for the commaundement of all the Fastes which the people of God vsed so will it vndertake for the promises which the Lord hath made to all those which submit thē selues to the obedience thereof The truth of which promises is so manifest in the Scriptures as the Sunne at noone dayes can be no clearer For let all the Fastes of the holy Churches and of godly men layd out in Scripture both of the old and new Testament be * Iudg 20.23 Ezra 19.6 Hest 4.16 2. Chron. 20.3 turned ouer and it shall be seene that the ende of their Fast which kept it in any measure of trueth and simplicitie was a Feast and the issue of their mourning great reioycing Dan. 9.20 Ionah 2.10 For albeit the ordinarie Prayers of the faithfull returne not empty vnto them againe yet hauing regarde vnto these which are ioyned with this Exercise Act. 12.5 Act. 13.2 they may worthily seeme to be barrē which are otherwise fruitfull and to be blasted which otherwise seeme full cared Yea the Fast of the wicked king Achab 1. Regū 21.27 ioyned with no true repentaunce nor so much as with any true knowledge how to serue the Lord but performed in some sort onely in keeping of the outward and bodily ceremonie went not vnrewarded from the Lord. For euen by the very shadow of his exercise the execution of that iudgment which was awarded against him touching his vtter rasing from the kingdome of Israel was deferred vntill his sonnes dayes Now if the comming within the shadow of this exercise doth heale some diseases what will it doe if wee come to touch the body thereof And if the leaues of it haue some vertue to preserue men from the vengeance of God how soueraigne is the fruite to deliuer vs from the wrath to come And if the ordinarie obedience of the children of God goeth not emptie and vnrewarded from the presence of God this extraordinarie obedience exercise in the worshippe of God must needes receiue speciall and extraordinarie blessinges from his hand 1. Regum 20.29 When Benhadab the Syrian King ouercome by Achab king of Israel was out of hope of any safety at the length by the aduice of his seruantes he put him selfe and his company in Sackcloth 1. Reg. 20.31 to 35. with Ropes about their neckes thinking by humbling themselues before the King to obtaine pardon which came to passe accordingly If therefore men in hope of obtaining pardon will humble themselues to them of whom they haue no promise that they shall obtaine any thing how much more ought wee to doe it which haue so sure Promises of good successe And if mercie was obtained of men in whom there is scant a droppe of that pittie and compassion which is sea-full in the Lord we may be well assured that wee shall not misse of it at his hand And if one enimie can looke for it at the hand of an other wee may with greater assuraunce looke for it at the hande of the Lord to whom we are alreadie reconciled by the blood of his Sonne Therefore if the authoritie of the Lord should not compell vs yet the most liberall and certaine promises should allure vs to this exercise Which if wee doe not what remayneth but that such as will not Fast with the children of God must eate and drinke of the furious wrath of God with the wicked they that will not weepe with the one must howle with the other And finally they that will haue no part in the obedience of the commaundement giuen hereof to both the peoples vnder the Law and vnder the Gospel must haue no part in the
the eye of mans reason and vnderstaÌ„ding yet we know that this is sensibly set foorth vnto vs by seuerall meanes and instrumentes some outward as the Elementes in the Sacrament and some inwarde as the spirituall Grace represented thereby For we are not Angels but men consisting of bodie and soule and therefore the Lord by the vse of his Word and Sacramentes hath prouided for both partes as the Word for our Eares and our Eares for hearing of the same that so Fayth might be wrought in our heartes Rom. 10.17 and the Elementes in the Sacramentes for our taste sight feeling c. and yet our soules to be nourished not with any or all of these outward thinges for how can outward and corruptible things nourish inward and immortall substaunce but onely with the spirituall graces offered vnto vs therein this also to be wrought in vs though our Sauiour be in Heauen in respect of his body and wee heere as Pilgrimes and Strangers on the Earth by the wonderfull vnsearchable working of his holy Spirite in vs and by the meanes of a liuely and assured Fayth both which being knit togeather doe easily ioyne togeather things that be as farre asunder in respect of distaunce of place as one ende of the earth is from the other and as farre asunder as heauen and earth them selues are or else how could we either beleeue the holy Catholike Church and feele the communion of Saintes seeing it commonly falleth out that the members of that holy fellowshippe are sundered one of them from an other in respect of great distance of place or be assured that Christes righteousnesse is become ours seeing he is in heauen wee on the earth if by Fayth we did not take hold of the same and apply it vnto our selues Besides if men should imbrace this sacramentarie opinioÌ„ what were it but to euert as the trueth of Christes promises so the certaintie and assurednesse of his word who in plaine tearmes calleth this holy Sacrament His bodie 2 The second extreamitie is that of consubstantiation some affirming that there is deliuered to the people and they receiue togeather with the substance of Bread the yery substance of Christes very naturall body so that there is as it were an intermingling of both the substaunces in the action of the Supper This opinion is iustly to be disliked and reproued not onely because of the absurdities which it hath common with the heresie of transubstantiation whereof wee will speake in the next place but also because it is quite and cleane contrarie to common sense and reason confounding and iumbling togeather two seuerall and distinct substances and making the lesse to witt the substance of bread to comprehende the greater that is Christs humaine body yea euen his verie Godhead which heauen and earth is not able to containe Besides it doth vtterly take away an essentiall propertie of Christes body for if Christ in respect of his humanitie be like vnto vs in all thinges sinne onely excepted and we know by the light of reason and vnderstanding that God hath bestowed vpon vs yea by verie experience that our bodies are circumscriptible and tyed to a place it must needs follow that Christ in respect of his Manhood or Christ as he is Man is and must be tyed to a place and not be in euery place as he must be if these mens assertions be true which is nothing els indeed but vtterly to destroy Christes body which I proue against them thus Whosoeuer taketh away the essentiall propertie of any thing taketh away the thing it selfe this Proposition is prooued by this Maxime in Logike If the definition of a thing which chiefly consisteth of the essentiall propertie of euerie thing be taken away then the thing defined it selfe also falleth As for example If a reasonable liuing creature which is the definition of a man be taken away what shall become of man or where shall he appeare which is the thing defined But these men take away the essentiall propertie of a thing to witte of a body which is to be circumscriptible or tyed to a place which is indeed an essentiall propertie of the body of man and therefore of Christes body as he is man If any will denie this it may easily be prooued both by the definition of a body which is a quantitie that may be deuided according to the threefold measuring receiued amongst men that is length breadth thicknesse and also by the description of a place which is defined to be a nighnesse or touching of the thing containing and the thing conteined The conclusion therefore is that in taking away place from the body of Christ which they doe whilest they place it in euerie place whereas in the nature thereof it can be but in one place at one time they doe vtterly destroy the body or humanitie of Christ or at the least confound it so with the Godhead as Eutyches did that they make a confusion whereas in all trueth and vprightnesse there should remaine a distinction of the proprieties of either nature in his blessed person But of this ynough in this place because it is somewhat philosophicall and because also in the next â—ection we shall haue occasion to deale with the like 3. The third extreamitie is that of transubstantiation maintained altogether by the Romish Catholikes which hold that the Bread and Wine the substance thereof vanishing away and nothing being left but the accidentes or qualities thereof as roundnes whitenesse rednesse moysture c. are changed and that by the power of certaine wordes spoken by the Priest as they cal him ouer the Elements they are turned into the verie naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour Concerning this point and the branches thereof I will speake particularly and first for the name Transubstantiation I fear not to affirme that it is verie new and neuer heard of before the dayes of Pope Innocent the third who was about the yeare of our Lord 1205. much lesse was it confirmed as an article of faith before the Councell of Constance a Citie so named in Germanie in the dayes of Pope John the xxiii which was about the yeare of our Lord 1415. and therefore by the Popish reason of reiecting new thinges easily ynough reiected for the noueltie thereof 2 That there is a change I doe not deny but this is not in respect of the nature of the thinges themselues but in respect of the vse and ende whereunto they are applyed because that they are by the Lordes institution separated from the common vse yea and from common Bread and Wine and applyed not onely to a holy vse but dedicated also to a holy ende that is to be sure seales and pledges of holy things to witt of Christs body and bloud and of the effectes that by his death and passion we receiue But that this change should be wrought by any wordes I am so farre off froÌ„ allowing it as true that I am verily perswaded
that it sauoureth very strongly of a Magicall incantation and I am so much the more confirmed in this because the Papistes reioycing as Inchaunters and Sorcerers doe in their odde numbers haue added one word that is enim to the wordes of institution saying Hoe est enim corpus meum as may appeare in their Missall or Masse booke 3 The grosse and palpable absurdities which follow this opinion of Transubstantiation are sufficient and strong inough of them selues to make it out of credite with al persons indued with holie wisedome and vnderstanding to cause them to esteeme of it not onely as a thing false and erronious but very vngodly and blasphemous also To reckon vp all or largely to discourse vpon the particulars it is not my purpose but onely to touch some shortly yet so as the vanitie and falsehood of this great corruption may thereby easily appeare 1 First I say that this doth vtterly destroy the nature of a Sacrament which must euer consist of two partes to wit of visible elements and inuisible graces which can not be if so be it that the nature and substaunce of the elementes be either chaunged or vanish away and the things represented by the same come in their place because that the one part of the Sacrament to witt the visible signe is then and there wanting 2 Secondly I affirme that it is iniurious to the glorified bodie of our Sauiour not onely while it bringeth him from heauen the place of all blessednesse into earth the place of all miserie wretchednesse but also whilest it maketh it to be rent and torne in peeces not onely with the teeth of good men a matter which Nature abhorreth but with the teeth of the wicked and vngodly yea with the teeth of Mise Dogges and other vnreasonable creatures yea whilest it maketh it which is immortall in immortal glorie subiect to putrifaction corruption and Wormes by reason of the long reseruation thereof and at the last to consuming in the fire a fact of horrible crueltie if it were Christes flesh because it may not otherwise be made away as they them selues confesse if it be ouertaken with horinesse moldinesse or any such like 3 Thirdly I say that by a consequent it doth wonderfully confound if not vtterly destroy the humanitie of our Sauiour with his Godhead whilest that which is proper and peculiar to his eternall Deitie to witt to be euery where is attributed and ascribed to his humanitie which as hath been before shewed and shall be more plainely prooued hereafter is and must of necessitie since his ascension be circumscriptible and tied to a place For otherwise if the glorification of Christes bodie haue taken away that propertie of tying to a place then the like shall be perfourmed in all the bodies of the faythfull because he shall change our base and vile bodyes that they may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body Philip. 3. 21. But to say that our bodyes shall be euery where were a beastly and blasphemous assertion because it should ascribe that vnto vs which is proper and peculiar onely to God For vnto him alone it pertaineth to fill heauen earth and all places Therefore this assertion concerning Christes glorified body must of necessitie be such likewise 4 Fourthly it doth destroy all the Articles of our Fayth which concerne Christes ascension in heauen sitting at the right hand of the Father and his comming againe together with all the places of Scripture that confirme those most holy comfortable and necessarie poyntes For if he be heere in respect of his bodily power presence how can he be iustly said to haue ascended in respect of his bodie into heauen and to sit there at the right hand of his Father making continuall intercession for vs Or how can it be affirmed that from thence hee shall come with great power and glorie to iudge the quicke and the dead seeing he is heere on earth already Let men of the world deeme what they list this is the truth that God hath sanctified vnto vs in his word and doe steadfastly beleeue it in my heart and will through Gods goodnesse and strength alwayes confesse the same with my mouth that from the time of his ascension the heauens must containe Chistes naturall bodie vntill the time that all thinges be restored Actes 3.21 that is euen to the worldes end 5 Fifthly I say that this opinion doth depriue vs of all the spirituall graces and comforts that God the father in his sonne Christ by sending the holy Ghost the third person in the Deitie hath bestowed vpon the whole Church generally and euery particular member thereof For doeth not our Sauiour Christ say Iohn 16.7 I tell you the trueth It is expedient for you that I goe away for if I goe not away that Comforter will not come vnto you But if I depart I will sende him vnto you Either this then must be true that we haue the holy Ghost by the bodily absence of our Sauiour Christ giuen to the Church as before is sayd or else if Christ be heere bodily present the holy Ghost is not yet come which you may see plainely ouerthrowne Act. 2.1.2 6 Sixthly this assertion accuseth Christ of manifest lying and vntrueth For he himselfe hath said Math. 26.11 The poore yee haue alwayes with you but me ye shall not haue alwaies And yet this people dare affirme that wee haue him continually not in respect of his spirituall power and presence onely in which respect he filleth all places both in heauen and in earth and is sayd to be with the beleeuers euen vnto the end of the world Matth. 28.20 But in respect of corporall and bodily presence then the which nothing can be more absurde as hath been before shewed But heere arise vp three speciall obiections to be answered two whereof are taken for the wordes of the text of holy Scripture the third from the omnipotencie almightie power of our Sauiour Christ common thinges indeede and might as easily be reiected as obiected but yet both for the strengthening of them that stand for the satisfying instruction of them that be weake and ignoraunt I will in a word or two as it were make a short yet a sound sufficient and true answere I hope to euery one of them seuerally and by them selues The first place obiected were these wordes out of Iohn 6.13 Except yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood yee haue no life in you Wherevnto I answere first that neither these wordes neither the rest of the Chapter can properly be vnderstoode of the Lords supper because that was not at that time instituted and ordeined but rather of our communication or partaking with Christ by the meanes of fayth apprehending the worde and applying particularly vnto our selues all the gracious and sweete promises that the Lord hath made and offered vnto vs therein which may appeare partly because hee persisteth by a
We acknowledge the debt cancell therefore the Obligation let not the multitude of them preuaile against vs but where our sinne hath abounded let thy grace more abound and as we haue multiplyed our sinnes so wee pray thee to multiply thy mercies and although we haue by continuance in them so soaked our selues that thereby we are not onely lightly stained but also haue gotten as it were the Scarlet and Purple die of them yet let them all wee pray thee beeing washed in the blood of thy deare Sonne be made as white as the Snow in Salmon as the Woolle of the Sheepe which come from washing And to conclude as our sinnes haue magnified thēselues in an infinite length breadth depth and height so let thy mercies which passe all vnderstanding of all sides and all assaies out-reach them Therefore also wee most humblie desire thee ô Lord that the sinne being pardoned thy wrath which is alreadie declared may be appeased towardes all the Churches of our profession and especiallie towardes vs that the manifolde breaches of the Churches and Common wealthes may bee made vp that those being receiued into the bosome of the Church which belong to thy election the rest of the Papistes Heretikes may be vtterly rooted out and that the enimies in religion being slaine we may to the vttermost thinke all one thing in the honest and peaceable gouernement of the Common wealth Vpon which vniting of vs in all trueth and honestie the curses of the Plague and barrennesse being remooued a way may be made to thy blessinges which as the Hilles doe the Vallies may make our land holesomely fruitefull And that not onely the wrath which is alreadie kindled may be quenched but that which hath been lately threatened may be caused to retyre For the graunt wherof vnto vs we beseech thee to remember that how vnworthy soeuer yet are we thy people the Sheepe of thy pasture whō thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood watched ouer with a carefull eye defended with a mightie hand despise not therfore ô Lord the works of thy handes And seeing thou hast loued vs when we hated thee visited vs when we desired thee not then acknowledged vs when we knew not thee now that there be a number of vs which loue thee desire thine aboade and acknowledge thee hold on thy loue still depart not from vs deny vs not ô thou God of trueth which art the God that changest not And if thou wouldest or couldest forget vs calling vpon thee yet what should become of thy great name which is called vpon by vs And therefore for thy glories sake and for thy blessed names sake which in our destruction should be rent and runne through spare vs spare vs good Lord according to the vsuall dealing which thou hast euer kept with those which in prayer haue had recourse vnto thee and according to the old and vnchangeable nature of a mercifull kind sparing and long suffering God Which mercie wee doe not ô Lord desire to the end that wee should tumble and wallow our selues in our accustomed neglect and contempt of thy holy word but togeather with mercie for our sinnes and the rewarde of them wee most humblie craue vpō the knees of our heartes that for the time to come how long or how short soeuer wee with deniall and detestation of our selues and of our wicked lustes may offer vp vnto thee in Iesus Christ our selues our bodies and soules to be seruantes at thy holy commaundement in that reasonable seruice which the high reason of thy holy word doth prescribe and to be weapons or instrumentes of righteousnesse and holinesse as they haue been heretofore of the contrarie All which thinges as whatsoeuer thou knowest to be further needfull for vs or for any of the Churches we pray thee as our Sauiour hath taught c. A Confession of Sinnes with Faith and Repentance O Mercifull and heauenly Father we thy seruantes doe humbly prostrate our selues before thy Maiestie ackowledging heere in thy sight our hainous offences committed against thy Maiestie seeing beholding thy heauie wrath against them We feele our selues laden ô Lord our God with a huge companie of horrible sinnes wherof euen the very least being but conceiued in thought is sufficient in iudgement to throw vs down to the euerlasting burning lake Our owne consciences ô Lord doe beare witnesse against vs of our manifolde transgressions of thy blessed Law of our securitie and sencelesse blindnesse running headlong to destruction cōmitting sinne after sinne although not notorious to the world yet horrible before thine eye The thoughtes of our hearts rise vp in iudgement against vs the vanitie of our talke before thy Maiestie condemneth vs the wickednesse of our deeds from thy sight reiecteth vs all our wicked thoughtes wordes and deedes with the inwarde corruption of our nature doe altogeather as it were a whole lumpe and load of sinne lie heauie vpon vs and with their intollerable weight doe euen presse vs downe to Hell We doe daily grone vnder the burthen of them inwardly lamēting our owne follie so greedily running into them In heauen earth or hell we see none able to sustaine the weight of them but euen thy dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ who in mercie infinite and compassion endles hath sustained and ouercome that endlesse punishment due vnto them in him therefore in him most mercifull Father and through him wee come to thee beeing fully assured according to thy promise that thou wilt accept and take that full recompence which hee thy deare Sonne hath made for vs as a iust ransome for all the sinnes of all those who with a true fayth take hold on him In him therefore we see thine anger towardes vs appeased thy wrath satisfied our debts paied Increase in vs good Lord we beseech thee this liuely and feeling Fayth for we feele it oftentimes in vs very weake and troubled with many doubtes increase it in vs ô Lord that we may through thy holy spirite be assured that the punishment of our sinnes is fully in thy Sonne discharged Make vs ô Lord our God to feele this same in our soules and consciences that Iesus Christ is ours and all that he hath done that we are grafted into his body and made one with him and therefore fellow heires with him of euerlasting life Let vs not onely haue these wordes in our mouthes good Lord but through thy holy spirit let vs feele the comfort of them in our heartes fully sealed and setled in vs that wee feeling our selues inwardly before thy iudgement seate discharged and our consciences towardes thee appeased may be swallowed vp with an vnfaigned loue toward thy heauenly Maiestie and towardes our breathren for thy sake Make sinne to die in vs dayly more and more that wee may hate detest and vtterly abhorre all sinne wickednesse in all men but especially in our selues that we may strongly through thy holy spirite set our selues in open warre