Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	religion_n	true_a	7,548	5	5.1593	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10036	The doctrine of the sacrament of the Lords Supper handled. And plainely layd open out of the 1. Cor. 11. 23.24. &c. Wherein the nature of this sacrament is faithfully discussed, the matter of it, together with the necessity of often receiuing, truly declared; the words of consecration embowelled, and errours with the cauills of papists soundly confuted. By Richard Preston preacher of Gods word at Rushden in Northamptonshire.	Preston, Richard, d. ca. 1624.	1621 (1621)	STC 20283; ESTC S115177	102,646	398

Text if I be not much mistaken is truely and faithfully embowelled and withall so thorowly applied that Gods Church and people may thence reape much benefit Whatsoeuer it is I thought good to publish it and ●id many respects me mouing to commend the protection of it to your Ladiship 1. In respect of your zeale and loue to the truth therein imitating that patterne of piety the vertuous godly and holy Gentlewoman Mistris Mary Pemberton your husbands mother whom the whole countrey as I haue beene tolde hath highly esteemed for the soundnesse of true religion and for her cōstant perseuerance therein 2. In respect of your conuersation which I speake to Gods glory is such as may be accounted a mirror of vertue for to your greatnesse you ioyne goodnesse to your worthinesse good workes to your knowledge Christian kindnesse and benignity c. Besides your care to bring vp your sweet children the Lords blessings and his rich inheritance in the awe of the Lord is so great and continuall that no day ouer-slips you to sanctifie them Other godly and heauenly carriages wherby you haue adorned your holy profession and wherein you haue excelled many daughters that haue done vertuously shall praise you in the gates 3. In respect of your singular loue to al Gods Messengers welcoming them like Angells though but strangers into your house hereby a good euidence is ministred to your owne heart that you are translated from death to life 4. Lastly in regard of your countenance good will and fauour to mee which on my part is euery way vndeserued I must needes confesse that I am so deepely obliged vnto your Ladiship that the signification of my thankefulnesse doth in equity belong vnto you These are the motiues that drewe on this my presumption to dedicate this my poore labour to your Ladiship In publishing it I am sure to meete with the censures of carping readers who will taxe me much of rashnesse Yet let such consider that at the making of the first Tabernacle not only such as brought blew silk and purple and scarlet but euen the poorest sort that brought Goates haire and Rammes skinnes were accepted How meane soeuer it be if it may any way benefit Gods Church especially if it may be any small meanes to further you to the right vnderstanding of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to build you vp towards the Kingdome of heauen I shall gaine that I most desire Thus crauing pardon for my boldnesse I commend your Ladiship to the Grace of God who protract your dayes and yeares according to his graces bestowed on you and prosper and finish the good work that he hath begunne by adding that which is yet lacking to your faith and graces till he haue fitted you vnto and filled you with glory and immortality Amen Your Ladiships in all Christian duty to be commanded RICH. PRESTON Rushden March 19. 1621. The Epistle to the Reader CHristian Reader although I make little doubt but thou hast often either from thy owne experience beene brought to consider or by the mouthes of Gods Ministers hast bin instructed how wise wee are in casting for our temporall commodities and how carelesse on the other hand in the matters appertaining to God and our owne peace Yet suffer thy selfe once againe to be admonished of this point which may so beneficially be thought vpon A motiue whereunto I will not fetch any farther then from what thy eies looke vpon and thy hands handle Here is a Treatise the very title whereof doth draw thy respect to it as dealing in a Theme so weighty and needfull as is the meditation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper This somewhat affecteth thee yet neuerthelesse thou are not ouer willing to part with thy siluer to purchase it vnlesse thou maist haue some good ground to buy a good penny-worth Well I discommend not thy temporary warinesse but wish thee sutable circumspection in spirituall businesses Sticke not gentle Reader to bestow two or three groates vpon a booke bandling so worthy a subiect as this present Tractate doth Let no preiudicate opinion fore-possesse thee when cursorily ouer-looking it as buyers vse to do thou findest not the margent and bottom of the leaues taken vp with quotations of old and new writers as if forsooth therefore it were of no worth Euery laced and garded robe is not the substantiallest neither is euery booke be painted with allegations most sound materiall The Author is farre hence as I am informed and wanteth opportunity to contriue his Epistle to the Reader My selfe requested by the booke seller according to the truth of my apprehension will say a little of the booke Thou shalt therefore Christian Reader if I bee not much deceiued finde a portion of Scripture familiarly and soundly opened by way of doctrine backed with reasons pressed on the conscience with applications able to moue affections if the fault bee not thy owne Thou shalt find a great aime according to the seuerall matters on seuerall occasions to build thee vp in holinesse and to plucke thee off from yeelding to such corruptions as thy own euil heart or the wicked times may too much incline thee to In a word thou shalt meete with signes of some graces and directions to other Christian practises and which I would not forget euery where where occasiō is offered thou shalt perceiue a true Protestant spirit breathing as if the times too much charitablenes toward Popery had by a certaine antiperistasis inkindled the godly Authors deuotion against it so much the more The numbers of men of which temper the Lord increase granting for one such tenne and for tenne an hundred that many hands pluckking a● and shaking the lofty Tower of Babylon at length it may fall downe 〈◊〉 deserued ruines and desolations Thus not making any greater preface to no great booke I recommend thee and al thy waies to our Lord Gods mercifull blessing in Iesus Christ Thine in the Lord Ez. Ch. March the 19. 1621. A Table of the principall Doctrines contained in this booke DOct. 1. Things amisse either in Church or in the course of our liues may be redressed and amended by the word of God page 2. Doct. 2. Gods Ministers receiue their orders from the Lord. page 24. Doct. 3. God alone is the Author of the Sacraments page 36. Doct. 4. Ministers are Gods stewards page 37. Doct. 5. People are to receiue that which is taught them as from God p. 46. Doct. 6. God is careful that the Sacraments should continue in his Church page 65. Doct. 7. Treason is an odious sinne page 71. Doct. 8. It is the property of wicked men to obserue secret times for their wicked practises page 78. Doct. 9. A Sacrament is an outward signe representing an inward grace page 85. Doct. 10. Christ is the bread of life page 92. Doct. 11. Christ is a full Redeemer page 98. Doct. 12. Christ is full and perfect nourishment page 104. Doct. 13. The outward

Christ hath it not to giue thē If it be a glorified body then he is not in heauen he hath left his seate at his Fathers right hād is vpō earth which would crosse the word of truth As touching his glorified body the Scripture saith that Christ was receiued vnto heauen Mar. 16.19 Col. 3.1 and now sitteth at the right hand of God In another place Christ departed from his Disciples Luk. 24.51 and was carried into heauen Act. 1.9.11 Againe Christ was taken vp into heauen Therefore this body cannot be in the Sacrament The Papists may well stumble here when they can receiue neither mortall nor immortall body 9. If the flesh of Christ should bee in the Sacrament then it would bee seene felt and receiued as flesh yea it would taste as flesh but in this matter euery mans owne mouth and palate must be his Iudge 10. If bread be changed into Christs body then it is changed into such a body as hath neither breath nor beeing and wan●eth a soule which is but a dead body This will do them but little good if there were such a body seeing it wanteth life 11. If Christs body be in the Sacrament then as many Sacraments as there bee so many bodies Christ should haue which were to make Christ a monster nay Christ shold haue a thousand bodies at one and the same time because the Sacrament may bee receiued in a thousand places vpon the same day but this is a monstrous conceite and sauoreth of Antichrist and wee may conclude against it that Christs body is but in one place and that place is heauen Act. 3.21 The heauen must containe him till all things be restored 12. If bread should be made flesh then surely many Papists would sinne against themselues by eating flesh vpon dayes prohibited as Lent Fridayes and Saturdayes euenings before festiuall dayes c. For doubtlesse vpon some such dayes as these they eate the Sacrament and then as they say they eate the flesh of Christ 13. If bread bee turned into Christs body then it shold nourish nothing but the body a corporall substance is the nourishment onely of that which is corporeall the soule findeth small sweetenesse in drossie substances 14. If bread after words of consecration should bee made Christs body then a Priest by speaking certaine words might make bread a liuing substance at least his God and so doe the people thinke For so soone as the Priest hath consecrated the bread the people take it to bee their God yea they beleeue it to be Christ Iesus perfect God and perfect man as appeareth by their kneeling vnto it knocking their breastes lifting vp of their hands and worshipping it 15. If bread be changed into Christs body then to what substance doe the Accidents as they say remaine belong if the accidents belong to bread as they hold then must the substance of bread be in the Sacrament for the Accidents of one substance cannot bee sayd to be the same Accidents of another substance as this whitenesse in my hand cannot be called the same whitenesse in a tree or a stone Substantiae accidentia obueniunt Accidentia semper insunt subiecto Againe either must bread be in the Sacrament or else the Accidents may stand without a subiect which can neuer bee for that is contrary to all rules of Logicians 16 To conclude if bread bee changed into Christs body why doth the Massing Priest say to the people Lift vp your harts when as they haue al God Christ flesh and blood in their mouth at once c. To these reasons making against transubstantiation might be annexed the sayings of diuers Authors Fathers neotericall Writers and their owne men as that of Peter Lombard in his fourth booke Magister sententi lib. 4. dist 1 In sentent dist 11. lib. 4. quaest 3. and first distinction That of Ioannes Scotus a subtile Doctor who confessed that the article of transubstantiation was neither expressed in the Apostles Creed nor in any other of the ancient Creedes but onely set out by the Church meaning surely the Church of Rome That of Cameracensis In Decret desum et fide Catho c. firmiter plainly disputing that it is more agreeable to the truth if we affirme that in the Sacrament of thankesgiuing there remaine true bread and true wine Eucharistia and not the accidents onely And that saying of Biel may not bee forgotten In canon Missae Lect. 40. It is to bee noted saith he that although it bee plainely taught in Scripture that the body of Christ is truly contained vnder the kindes of bread and wine and receiued of the faithfull people yet how the body of Christ is there whether by conuersion of any thing into it or without conuersion it beginneth to bee the body of Christ with the bread the substance and accidents of bread remaining still it is not found expressed in the Canon of the Bible Other Authors I leaue to them that deale more copiously in such a large cause these be sufficient to make against their error for my purpose But the Papists will obiect Ob. 1 It is a miracle to turne the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ Sol. It is true indeed Sol. when the bread is once made the body of Christ there is a miracle but bread is neuer made the body of Christ 1. Besides there is neuer a miracle but it hath a signe with it which shewes it to bee a miracle and therefore if bread should be made the body of Christ they might see how it is miraculously changed and turned But here is nothing seen 2 Miracles in the time of the Gospell are extraordinary things for God worketh not by miracles but by the powerfull Word of Grace but they make them ordinary things for as often as they say Masse which is euery day they worke miracles 3 If it had bene a miracle to turne bread into flesh then the Euangelists and S. Paule wold haue counted it a miracle but they speake not a word of any such matter Mat. 24.24 Luk. 17.23 2. Thes 2.9 they all speake of lying miracles and without question this is one of them Ob. 2 If bread had not bene made flesh Ob. 2 why did Christ say This is my body Sol. I answer Christ spake figuratiuely Sol. as was answered before and may be gathered by the words following This is my body which is broken for you his body was not broken neither had he suffered as then but his meaning was this bread broken is a signe that my body shall be broken The bread could not bee his body for then his body should haue beene broken when the bread was broken Thou hast an obligation in thy hand Thou saiest I haue here twenty pounds I say againe there is nothing but paper inke and waxe Oh but thou tellest me here is that which wil bring me in 20. p. and that is

there is some darkenesse many Papists and vnskilfull men haue bin deceiued therein take this as a more fuller definition A Sacrament is an ordinance of God whereby Christ al his benefits in certain visible signes external rites are represented sealed and most certainly conuayed to euery Christian beleeuer I say that a Sacrament is the Ordinance not of man but of God in which by certaine visible signes and externall rites Christ his benefits are shewed to euery Christian For looke as Gods Word is his owne ordinance to beget Faith in our hearts whereby Christ and all his benefits as by a hād may be apprehended and conuayed vnto vs Euen so Sacraments are speciall Ordinances of God whereby our Faith beeing ingendered and begotten by the operation of Gods Spirit and the ministery of the Word may bee further increased confirmed and strengthened to the end we may bee made more fully partakers of Christ and all his benefits to our saluation for Christ and his benefits are offered to vs in both the difference only standeth in this the word offreth Christ to our eares that we may heare of him and his redeeming of Mankinde but the Sacraments offer Christ to our senses Seeing Feeling Tasting As by the ministerie of the word we heare of Christ with our eares so by the Sacraments we may as it were see Christ with our eyes feele Christ with our hands and taste of Christ with our mouthes Againe I adde in the last place that as Christ and his benefits are represented to our senses so he is also sealed and most certainely conuayed to euery true beleeuer Heere wee may see three most notable ends of a Sacrament 1 That it is an outward signe to represent and set before our eyes Christ and his merits as circumcision to the Iewes was a signe of that couenant God made with them in his Sonne Christ namely that hee would be their God and they should be his people c. So baptisme and the Lords Supper are much more euident signes to vs that are dull of conceite not onely of the couenant but also of the Mediatour of the couenant Christ Iesus himselfe 2 The Sacrament serueth to be a seale to confirme our faith and to take away all doubtings and therefore it is called the seale of the Righteousnes of faith Rom. 4.11 because it certifies a man thereof and putteth him out of all doubts As when his Maiesties Highnesse sends forth his letters Patents if wee heare them read yet see not the broad seale we are in some doubt but if we aske for the seal and see it then we are confirmed Euen so our highest Prince hath sent vs his letters patents from heauen notwithstanding oftentimes we haue refused them and called them in question but now in that hee hath together with thē sent vs his broad seale yea his great seales the Sacraments we may then very well rest our selues and be confirmed 3 The Sacrament is also an Instrument to conuey Christ his benefits to vs for wee like Thomas that wold not beleeue are not contented till wee see and feele Christ and therefore the Sacrament is a meanes to bring him to vs if wee haue the hand of faith to receiue him Heere wee are taught in the feare of God Vse not onely to esteeme highly the Sacraments but to labour for a true vse of them that by the meanes hereof wee may fully and assuredly bee made partakers of Christ See the vnspeakeable goodnesse of God toward vs how desirous he is if we had grace and hearts to consider it that wee should not perish but beleeue and so come to be saued Hath God contented himselfe onely with speaking or sending vs his word from heauen that he will be reconciled to vs if we beleeue and repent though this had bin sufficient hee beeing our King and Prince and therefore ought not once to call his Word in questiō No verily but to shew his desire of our good and to take away all excuse from vs if we doe not imbrace his mercy he hath caused this Word to be written in a booke for our learning preserued it in his Church and conuayed it from hand to hand from one generation to another and now at last it is come to vs so as daily wee may reade and heare of Christ And to take away all doubts touching the truth of this word he hath put to it his broad seals with the inscription and Image of Christ that euery way wee might bee made partakers of Christ by Hearing Seeing Tasting feeling and smelling In so much that if wee doe not repent and beleeue God may iustly complaine of vs as sometimes he did of the Iewes Isai 5.4 What is it that I should do that I haue not done already to this people Hauing laid downe the definition of a Sacrament what it is wee will in the next place speake of the things whereof the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is instituted and they are Bread and Wine resemblances and signes of the body and bloud of Christ He tooke bread here is the element of bread first mentioned to signifie to vs the Body of Christ Quest Quest But why did Christ take bread and chuse it for this purpose rather then any other sustenance or any other Creature Sol. Sol. Bread comprehendeth vnder it and signifieth all manner of prouision and necessary meanes as meate rest sleepe Physicke recreation c. Gen. 43.25 Exod. 18.12 Deut. 8.3 Mat. 4.4 Marc. 3.20 Luk. 11.3 2. Bread of all other Creatures is most wholesome other meates may haue compositions and mixture but this is called panis Azymus Azymus because it is without leauen and cleane yea pure and good 1. Cor. 5.7 3. It is the easiest and soonest come by many people could scarce bee made partakers of other Creatures either through their owne wants or scarcitie of the thing when as this is ready at all times 4. It is quickly broken and when it is broken soone it may be deliuered and handsome to bee carryed in the hand and showne to the Congregation it is not so with other creatures that require cutting or pulling 5. Christ thought good to take the name of bread to himselfe and to bee called Bread Ioh. 6.32.33.50.51 c. 6. The vse of bread in the Law was holy 1. For the consecration of the high Priest Exod 29.23 Ezek. 44.7.2 For the offering of first fruits of Corne 2. King 4.42 and 3. For the high Priests owne eating Leuit. 24.5.9 This Bread was called the face or shewbread Exod. 25.30 Because it was alwayes in the presence of God It was a type of the true bread Iesus Christ that came downe from heauen and also shadowed forth the Eucharist of the New Testament 7. There can bee no full banquet where bread is wanting though there bee much cheere but where bread is though other things bee wanting there may be a full feast 8. Bread