you To behold the Lambe of God who taketh away the sinnes of the world and so by the grace of Christ thou shalt vnderstand the loue of God thou shalt perceiue his wisedome power Maiestie sweetned and tempered to thy capacitie thou shalt finde the saying of Paul to be most true that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge that Christ in our iustification is all in all and therefore good reason he should haue the first and most place in this argument that his grace should be named first and last The loue of God is the fountaine of all goodnes as Diuines speake gratiarum gratia from which originallie proceeds euery perfect gift and grace For almightie God hath not elected vs in regard of our works or other worth but coÌ„trariwise because God loued vs we do that which is acceptable in his sight I obtained mercie of the Lord saith Paul to be faithfull Vt fidelis essem non quia fidelis eram as Lombard aptly The nature of this short treatise will not endure that I should wade farre into this Abyssus I remember Pauls exclamation O the deepnes of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waâ—es past finding out And the glosse of Augustine Volentes disputare de deâ— profundo mersi sunt Or as other Versi sunt in profundum I come therefore to the Communion of the holy Ghost a point more comfortable then ordinarily felt and yet more felt then can be disputed It is said Gal 4. 6. God hath sent the spirit of his Sonne crying in our hearâ—s Abba father he said not calling but crying and Rom. 8. 26. hee calleth this crying vnspeakeable groaning When a man is tempted and afflicted hee feeleth the strength of his enemies and the weaknesse of his flesh he feeleth the fierie darts of Satan the terrors of death the wrath of God all these cry out against him horribly so that the perplexed soule sees nothing but sinne threatning heauen thundering the diuell roring the earth trembling hell mouth open and ready to swallow him vp But yet in the midst of all these Gods holy spirit crieth in our hearts and this cry doth outcry the clamors of the law the bellowes of hell and howlings of infernall fiends it pearceth the clouds and ascends vp to the eares of God insomuch that the blessed Angels seeme to heare nothing else but this cry The spirit helpeth our infirmities and the strength of Christ is made perfect through our weaknesse For Christ is most powerfull when as we are most fearfull euen when we can scarsely groane marke the words of Paul The spirit maketh intercession for vs in our temptation not with many words or long praiers he crieth not aloud with teares haue mercie on me O God but only giues a little sound and a feeble groaning as ah father this is but one word yet notwithstanding comprehends all things Indeed the mouth speaketh not but the good affection of the soule crieth aloud after this manner O Lord God of compassion and father of mercies although I am grieuously vexed on euery side with affliction and anguish yet am I thy child and thou art my father in Christ. This little word or rather no word but a poore thought conceiued aright passeth all the flowing eloquence of Demosthenes and Tully yea Tertullian and all the Orators that euer were in the world for this matter is not expressed with words but with groanings and these groanings are from the blessed Spirit Thus you see the large extent of Pauls affection in regard of the thing wished vnto the Corinthians The grace of Christ the loue of God the communion of the holy Ghost The second extension is in regard of the persons be with you all for the Pastor must wish well not only to the best or to the worst but this praier ought to be made for euery one as well as for any one There is none so bad but hath receiued some grace none so good but hath need to receiue more grace Wherefore pray we still that the grace of Christ may be with vs all The Church of England addes a third extension in regard of the time for euermore the which is implied in the text also for the Corinthians as we reade in the former epistle were Saints by calling and so doubtlesse had receiued already the grace of Christ and had tasted of the loue of God through the fellowship of the holy Ghost He doth therefore now desire that the good worke begun in them may be perfect that the grace receiued may continue with them and increase daily vnto the end and in the end that the loue of God which cannot be greater secundùm essentiam may be greater secundùm efficientiam appearing growing abounding in them more and more for euermore Amen Amen is vsed in holy Scripture three waies as Gabriel and Gerson speake Nominaliter Aduerbialiter Verbaliter As a nowne for truth Apoc. 3. 14. These things saith Amen the faithfull and true witnesse and so it is added in the conclusion of euery Gospell and of the whole Bible as a seale to confirme that which is written In the beginning is the first Amen the last word of holy writ a stately beginning a strange ending For what is more stately then antiquitie what more strange then truth Hereby teaching vs that the Scriptures haue vetera and vera which are not together in any other writing For in humane learning many things are vncertainly true and more certainly vntrue onely the word of God is sealed with Amen Secondly as an Aduerbe for verily so Christ often ii the Gospell Amen Amen dico vobis Thirdly as a Verbe signifying so be it Deut 27. 15. Dicet omnis populus Amen and so it is vsed in Pauls praier expounded before and in all our Collects insinuating our earnest desire that those things which we haue faithfully asked may be effectually obtained And this custome of answering the Minister in the Church Amen is ancient as it appeareth in the 1. Cor. 14. 16. Iustin Martyr Apolog. 2. Hieron prolog lib. 2. in epist. ad Galat. Augustin epist. 107. Vsum respondendi Amen antiquissimum esse patet saith Bellarmine lib. 2. de Missa cap. 16. Here is open confession I would the Church of Rome would make open restitution also For if the people must answere the Priest Amen then the Priest must pray to the peoples vnderstanding and how shall they vnderstand except common praier be said in a common tongue A conclusion agreeable not onely to the Scriptures as Bellarmine acknowledgeth and to the practise of the Primitiue Church as Iustin Martyr and Lyra report and to the paternes of other Liturgies in South India Moscoâ—ia Armenia but euen to their owne constitutions and Masse booke for their owne Clement and their owne Missale giue order that
humble comportment while they pray Magna cum Ceremonia attentione sacris suis intersunt Turcae nam si vel digito scalpant caput perisse sibi precationis fructum â—rbitrantur quid eâ—im si cum Bassis sermo tibi habendus ergo multo magis si cum Deo Thinke of this yee that forget God hee will not bee mocked his truth is eternall heauen and earth shall passe but not one â—ot of his word shall passe if an Angell from heauen or diuell on earth if any priuate spirit shall deliuer vnto you rules of behauiour in the Church contrarie to this Canon of Gods owne spirit let him be accursed Anathema Let vs sing let vs worship let vs who feare God and honour the King fall downe and kneele before the Lord our maker Thus much of Dauids exhortation to praise God The reasons why we should praise follow Set downe First briefly God is our Creator therefore let vs worship and fall downe and kneele before the Lord our maker vers 6. He is our Redeemer therefore let vs sing vnto the Lod let vs heartily reioyce in the strength of our saluation vers 1. Secondly more at large from his Mercies in generall vers 3. 4. 5. Iudgements For the Lord is a great God Most mightie almightie able to doe whatsoeuer he will and more then he will too See the Creed In himselfe so great that the heauen of heauens cannot containe him much lesse any barren braine inwombe him and therefore Dauid here being not able to set downe the least peece of his greatnes in the positiue degree comes to the comparatiue shewing what he is in comparison of other A great King aboue all gods As being more excellent and mightie then any thing or all things that haue the name of God Whether they be Gods in Title Angels in heauen Princes on earth Opinion As gold is the couetous mans god bellicheere the Epicures god an Idoll the superstitious maÌ„s god Now the Lord is the King of all gods in title for he made them of all gods in opinion for he can destroy them Angels are his messengers and Princes his ministers all power is of the Lord. The manner of getting kingdomes is not alwaies of God because it is sometime by wicked meanes yet the power it selfe is euer from God and therefore stiled in scripture the God of gods as the Wise man saith higher then the highest for religion and reason tell vs that of all creatures in heauen an Angell is the greatest of all things on earth an Emperour is the greatest but the Lord as you see is greater then the greatest as being absolute Creator of the one and maker of the other Quantus Deus est qui Deos facit How great a God is hee that makes gods yea marres them too at his pleasure surely this is a great God a great king aboue all gods And therfore in what estate soeuer thou be possesse thy soule with patience reioyce in God be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might feare no man no diuell no other god he y â— is greater theÌ„ al these shal be thy defence he will performe whatsoeuer in his word he did promise concerning this life the next In his hand are all the corners of the earth A reason to proue that God is a great King aboue all gods he is a great God because a king of gods and he is a King of gods because in his hand are all the corners of the world subiect to his power and prouidence The most mighty Monarch on earth is king as it were but of a molehill a Lord of some one angle but in Gods hand are all the corners of the earth and the strength of the hils i. of most puissant potentates in comparison of whoÌ„ al other are low valleyes I say the strength height of the hils are his Antichrist doth extoll himselfe aboue all that is called God and the Pope doth make himselfe Lord of Lords vsurping the whole world for his diocesse yea hee hath a triple kingdome according to his triple crowne Supernall extended to heauen in canonizing Saints Infernall extended to hell in freeing soules out of Purgatorie Terrestriall extended ouer the whole earth as being vniuersall Bishop of the Catholique Church But alas vaine man hee is but a â—ox in an hole many corners of the earth are not his England God be praised is not his Scotland Holland Denmarke not his a great part of France the greatest part of Germany none of his many thousands in Portugall Italy Spaine none of his the great Cham the Persian the Turke the least whereof is greater then himselfe none of his And albeit all the Kings of the earth should be drunken with his abomination yet should he bee pastor vniuersall of the Church but as the diuell is prince of the world not by his owne might but by others weakenesse as Saint Paul said He is our master to whom we giue our selues as seruants to obey So likewise the gods of the superstitious HeatheÌ„ haue not all the corners of the world for as themselues ingeniously confesse some were gods of y â— water only some of the wind some of corne some of fruite Nec omnia coÌ„memoro quia me piget quod illos non pudet As Heretikes haue so many Creeds as heads so the Gentiles as Prudentius obserued had so many things for their god as there were things y â— were good Quic quid humus pelagus coelum mirabile gignunt id duxâ—re Deos colles freta flumina flammas So that their god is not as our God euen our enemies being Iudges Other hold some parcels of the earth vnder him and some lay claime to the whole by vsurpation But all the corners of the world are his by right of creation as it followeth in the next verse The sea is his for hee made it An argument demonstratiue to shew that all the world is subiect to his power and therefore in the Creed after Almightie followeth instantly Maker of heauen and earth If any shall demaund why Dauid nameth heere first and principally the Sea before all other creatures answere may be giuen out of Plinie God who is wonderfull in all things is most wonderfully wonderfull in the Sea Whether we consider as Dauid elsewhere The 1. Situation of it 2. Motion 3. Innumerable creatures in it 4. Wonderfull art of sailing on it Yet God in the beginning made this vnruly foaming fuming beast and euer since ruled it at his becke for hee stilleth the raging of the Sea and the noise of his waues hee shutteth vp this barking curre in the channell as in a kennell he laieth vp the deepe as in a treasure house saying to the waters Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall it stay thy proud waues
is not only present with his elect but also makes them sensibly perceiue it as Simeon here did and therefore his mourning was turned into mirth and his sobs into songs Againe sometime God is present but not felt and this secret presence sustaines vs in all our troubles and temptatations it intertaineth life in our soules wheÌ„ as to our iudgment we are altogether dead as there is life in trees when they haue cast their leaues And therefore let no man bee dismaied howsoeuer dismaied for God doth neuer leaue those whom he doth loue but his comfortable spirit is a secret friend and often doth vs most good when wee least perceiue it Esay 41. 10 c. 43. 2. According to thy word If God promise we may presume for he is not like man that he should lie neither as the sonne of man that he should repent This should teach vs to be hoiie as God our Father is holy being followers of him as deare children As he doth euer keepe his word with vs so let vs euer keepe our othes and promises one with another It is well obserued that aequinocation and lying is a kind of vnchastitie for the mouth and minde are coupled together in holie mariage Matth. 12. 34. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh And therefore when the tongue doth speake that which the heart neuer thought our speech is conceiued in adulterie and hee that breedes such bastard children offends not only against charity but also against chastitie Men say they must lie sometime for aduantage but it is a good conclusion both in religion and common experience that honestie is the best policie and truth the only durable armour of proofe The shortest way commonly the foulest the fairer way not much about Lord who shall dwell in thy tabernacle or who shall rest vpon thine holy hill euen he that speaketh the truth from his heart he that vseth no deceit in his tongue hee that sweareth vnto his neighbour and disappointeth him not For mine eyes haue seene thy saluation I haue seene the Messias in whom and by whom thy saluation is wrought and brought vnto vs. As Simeon saw Christs humanitie with the eies of his body so he saw Christs Diuinity long before with the pearcing eies of faith He knew that the little babe which he lulled in his armes was the great God whom the heauen of heauens could not containe and therefore beleeuing in the Lord of life hee was not afraid of death but instantly breakes forth into this sweete song Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace for mine eyes haue c. Death is vnwelcome to carnall men as Aristotle said Of all Terribles the most Terrible They crie out vpon the miseries of life and yet when death commeth they doe as little children who all the day complaine but when the medicine is brought them are nothing sicke as they who all the weeke runne vp and downe the house with paine of the teeth and seeing the Barbor come to pull them out feele no more torment as tender bodies in a pricking plurisie call and cannot stay for a Surgeon and yet when they see him whetting his lancet to cut the throte of the disease pull in their armes and hide them in the bed And the true reason hereof is want of faith because they doe not vnfainedly beleeue that Christ Iesus hath led captiuitie captiue that he hath swallowed vp death in victorie by his death and opened vnto vs the gates of eternall life The blessed theefe vpon the Crosse died ioyfully because hee saw Christ and beleeued also that he should passe from a place of paine to a paradise of pleasure S. Stephen died ioyfully because he saw the heauens open and Christ standing at the right hand of the Father Here Sâ—meon departed ioyfully because his eyes saw the saluation of the Lord. As there are two degrees of faith so two sorts of Christians one weake another strong The weake Christian is willing to liue and patient to die but the strong patient to liue and willing to die That a man may depart in peace two things are requisit 1. Preparation before death 2. A right disposition at death Both which are procured onely by faith in Christ. If a man were to fight hand to hand with a mightie Dragon in such wise that either he must kill or be killed his best course were to bereaue him of his poison and sting Death is a Serpent and the sting wherewith he woundeth vs is sinne so saith S. Paul The sting of death is sinne Now the true beleeuer vnderstands and knowes assuredly that Christ Iesus hath satisfied the law and then if no law no sinne and if no sinne death hath no sting well may death hisse but it cannot hurt when our vnrighteousnes is forgiuen and sinne couered Christ both in life and death is aduantage Philip 1. 21. Faith also procureth a right disposition and behauiour at death for euen as when the children of Israel in the wildernes were stung with fierie Serpents and lay at the point of death they looked vp to the Brasen Serpent erected by Moses according to Gods appointment and were presently cured so when any feele death draw neere with his fiery sting to pearce the heart they must fixe the eye of a true faith vpon Christ exalted on the Crosse beholding death not in the glasse of the Law which giueth death an vglie face but in the Gospels glasse setting foorth death not as death but as a sleepe only Faith is the speare which killeth our last enemie for when a man is sure that his redeemer liueth and that this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortall immortalitie well may he sing with old Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace and triumph ouer y e graue with Paul O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victory The sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the law but thanks be giuen vnto God which giueth vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. And thus much of the reason why Simeon was not afraid of death namely for that he did hold in his armes and behold with his eyes the Lord Christ who is the resurrection and the life he could say with a true heart vnto God thou art my God and his soule did heare God saying vnto him by his word I am thy saluation Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people The second part of this Hymne concerning the generall good our Sauiour brought to the whole world Wherein two points are to be noted especially 1. What are his benefits 2. To whom they belong The benefits are saluation light and glorie So that the world without Christ lieth in damnation darknesse and shame Iesus is a Sauiour neither is there saluation in any other he is the light
nemo suum A man may transgresse this Commandement in being a theefe To himselfe in spending Too much Too little To other Too much Wasting more then he should in gameing diet brauery such are arrant cutpurses vnto themselves Getting lesse then they should Ignaui prodigi sunt fures saith Melancthon As a spend-all so a get-nothing is a theefe to his estate Pouertie comes vpon him as an armed man Prouerbs 24. 34. An idle person is pouerties prisoner if he liue without a calling pouerty hath a calling to arrest him Hee that spends too little on himselfe as the couetous wretch is a robber of himselfe also Corpus extenuat vt lucrum extendat He keepes his belly thin that his purse may be full he cannot afford himselfe so much as an egge lest he should kill a chicke whereas a poore man doth want manie things a rich miser wants euery thing like Tantalus vp to the chin in water and yet thirstie The which as Salomon calles it is an euill sicknesse Eccles. 6. 2. To other Openly which is plaine robbery so little practised or so much punished in King Alfreds raigne that if a man had let fall his purse in the high way he might with great leisure and good assurance haue come backe and taken it vp againe Secretlie which is properlie called stealing And this offence is manifold for there is not onely theft of the hand but of the heart and tongue Couetous greedines is theft in heart for howsoeuer it be a maxime in our law Voluntas non reputabitur pro facto nisi in causa prodâ—tionis sed exitus in maleficijs spectatur non voluntas duntaxat yet it is a breach of this law couetously to desire that which is not ours albeit wee seeke not to get it wrongfully Their hearts saith Peter are exercised in couetousnes and Chrysostom plainly The couetous man is a very theefe fur latro The fathers of the law write that theeues are called felones of our ancieÌ„t word fell or fierce because they commit this sinne with a cruell fell and mischieuous minde teaching vs hereby that a felonious intent is a principall in theeuerie There is also theft of the tongue by lying flatterie smoothing c. So we reade that Absolon stole the hearts of the men of Israel and so false Ziba stole the goods of his master Mephibosheth So flatterers and parasites are great theeues in Court and Countrie not only dominorum suorum arrisores sed etiam arrosores and therefore let a flatterer bee in your Pater noster but not in your Creed pray for him but trust him no more then a theefe Fraudes in buying and selling are reduced to stealing because hee that vseth such deceits secretly taketh of his neighbour more then his due but oppressions and vniust extortions are reduced by Diuines vnto robberie because the cruell tyrant exacteth more then his owne manifestly not to pay debts is reduced vnto both vnto robbery when a man to the great hindrance of his neighbour can and will not vnto stealing when hee partly will and cannot I say will partly for if he desire wholly with all his heart to pay the vtmost farthing God assuredly will accept of votall restitution aswell as of actuall and it is not a sinne though it be a sore The 9. Commandement NExt the prohibition of iniuries in deede follow the wrongs against our neighbour in word Thou shalt not beare false witnesse and that fitly because lying is cosen germane to stealing Da mihi mendacem ego ostendam tibi furem If thou wilt shew mee a liar I will shew thee a theefe This precept condemnes all manner of lying for albeit one is worse then another yet all are naught The mouth that speaketh lies slaieth the soule Wiâ—d 1. 11. And Psal. 5. 6. Thou shalt destroy them that speake leasing See Gospell Dom. 15. post Trinit Beside lies euery thing whereby the credit of our neighbour is impaired especially those three sins of the tongue Contumely Detractation Cursing A contumely is an iniurious word spoken with an iniurious mind to the dishonour of our neighbour I say with an iniurious intent otherwise when it is vttered by way of aduice to direct or correct as a father sometime speaketh to his childe or a master to his scholler or a Pastor to his people as Paul Ye foolish Galathians out of some heat but yet not out of any hate then it is no contumelie or sinne Or in merriment not in malice There is a time to laugh and so by consequence a time to iest when a wittie conceit may profit and administer grace to the hearer He that said the Duke of Guise was the greatest vsurer in France because he turned all his estate into obligations hereby gaue this honest aduice that if he should leaue himselfe nothing but only haue many followers bound to him for his large gifts in conclusion he should finde a number of bad debtors He that called his friend theefe because he had stollen away his loue did not wrong but commend him It is lawfull also to iest at the vanities of irreligious men enemies to God and his Gospell as Elia did at the soppish idolatry of Baals Priests A friend of mine said of an vpstart gallant in Court with a gingling spur that he had a Church on his backe and the bels on his heeles Euery lay Papist must beleeue as the Church beleeues albeit he know not what the Church beleeueth he must also worship the consecrated bread and yet knoweth not whether it be consecrated or no for to the consecration of the host the Priests intention is required which no maÌ„ knowes but God and himselfe So that if a man tell his popish acquaintance that he is a blinde buffe to worship and beleeue he knowes not what it were no contumelie because it did proceed out of zeale to God and loue to him only to rectifie his error and not to vilifie his person The second fault reduced to false witnes is detractation in speaking euill of our neighbour and it is done by reporting that which is false and sometime by telling that which is true but secret whereby the credit of our neighbour is lessened with those to whom his sinne was not knowne before for as a man may flatter in absence namely when either the vertue is absent or the occasion and so the praise is not kinde but forced either in truth or in time so likewise a man may slander his neighbour in speaking the truth vnseasonably without discretion out of time and place A tale tossed from mouth to mouth in creaseth as a snowbal which being little at the first groweth to a great quantitie Now the backbiter is bound in reason and religion to restore the good name of his neighbour which hee by detraction hath taken away and that is exceeding hard for a mans honest
fame is like the Merchants wealth got in many yeeres and lost in an houre Wherefore speake well of all men alwaies if it may bee done with truth and when it cannot then bee silent or else interrupt euill detractation with other meere and merrie communication as Sampson at his mariage feast propounded a riddle to his friends hereby to stop the mouthes of backbiters and to occupie their wits another way Bernard excellently The tale bearer hath the diuell in his tongue the receiuer in his eare The theefe doth send one only to the diuell the adulterer two but the slanderer hurteth three himselfe the partie to whom and the partie of whom hee telleth the tale Ter homicide saith Luther vno ictu tres occidit vâ—us est qui loquitur vnum tantum verbam profert tamen illud vnum verbum vno in momento mulâ—itudinis audientium dum aures inficit animas interficit The third fault is malediction a grieuous offence when it is spoken with hatred and a desire that such euill come vpon our neighbour but when it is vttered vpon some sudden disdaine without regard to that we speake it is lesse euill yet for all that alwaies euill because from the mouth of a Christian who is the childe of God by adoption nothing ought to passe but benediction The 10. Commandement THe former precepts intend thoughts and desires aswel as act and practise for the Lawgiuer is a spirit and therefore must be worshipped in spirit yet lest wee should pretend ignorance God in this Commandement giueth especiall order for them Or as other The former precepts did condemne the setled thought to doe mischiefe but this euen the first inclination and motion to sinne though a man neuer consent but snub it in the beginning Rom. 7. 7. Thou shalt not lust or desire Now we sin three waies in this kinde 1. By coueting y e goods of our neighbour Immoueable as his land and house Moueable as his oxe and asse c. 2. By coueting his wife 3. By plotting treason and murther To couet his goods is against his profit which is deare to him to couet his wife is against his honor which ought to bee more deare to couet his bloud is against his life which of all wordly things is most deare Whereas it is obiected that desire of murther is not forbidden in particular as the desire of theft and adulterie for the Commandement saith Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife but it is not said Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours bloud Answere is made that a man doth not desire any thing principallie but that which bringeth him some good at least in appearance And so he desireth adulterie because it bringeth delight hee desireth theft for that it bringeth profit but murther bringeth no good at all and therefore it is not desired for it selfe but only to attaine to theft or adultery or some such designement So that God hauingeÌ„ forbidd expresly the disordinate desires of delectation and gaine comequently forbad desires of murther which is not coueted bâ—t for vnlawfull profit or pleasure Thus perfect righteousnesse is fulfilled when we wrong not our neighbour either in deed or in word or desire but contrariwise doe good vnto all speake well and thinke charitably of all Now the reason why the Church appoints the Decalogue to be read at the Communion is euident namely because the law is a schoolemaster vnto Christ teaching vs to know sinne and by knowing of sinne to know our selues and knowing our selues to renounce our selues as of our selues vnable to doe any thing and so come to Christ who doth strengthen vs to doe all things Almighty God saith Luther hath written his law not so much to forbid offences to come as to make men acknowledge their sinnes already past and now present that beholâ—ing themselues in the lawes glasse they may discerne their owne imperfections and so flie to Christ who hath fulfilled the law and taken away the sinnes of the whole world For as the reformed Churches of Scotland and Geneua speake the end of our comming to the Lords table is not to make protestation that wee are iust and vpright in our liues but contrariwise we come to seeke our life and perfection in Iesus Christ being assuredly perswaded that the Lord requireth on our part no other worthinesse but vnfainedly to confesse our vnworthinesse So that our enemies being Iudges it is well ordered that the Commandements are rehearsed in the ministration of this holy Sacrament Let the Nouelists here blush who calumniously censure our Church for omitting in the proeme of the Decalogue one halfe line when as themselues in their owne Communion bookes haue left out all the whole law This indeed occasioned me to remember an obseruation of Cominaeus vpon the battell of Montlehery that some lost their offices for running away which were bestowed vpon other that fled ten leagues further Hypocrite first cast out the beame out of thine owne eye and then shalt thou see cleerely to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men c. THe Lords Supper is called a sacrifice by the learned ancient Doctors in foure respects First because it is a representation memoriall of Christs sacrifice on the crosse 1. Cor. 11. 26. As often as yee shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew the Lords death vntill he coâ—e So S. Ambrose Christ is daily sacrificed in the mindes of beleeuers as vpon an altar Semel in cruce quotidie in sacramento saith Lombard Secondly because in this action we offer praise thanksgiuing vnto God for the redemption of the world and this is the sacrifice of our lips Heb. 13. 15. Thirdly because euery Communicant doth offer and present himselfe body and soule a liuing holy acceptable sacrifice to the Lord Rom. 12. 1. The which excels the sacrifices of the Priests in old time for they did offer dead sacrifices but we present our selues a liuely sacrifice to God Fourthly because it was a custome in the Primitiue Church at the receiuing of this blessed Sacrament to giue large contribution vnto the poore a sacrifice well accepted of God Heb. 13. 16. Now the Church allowing and following this good old custome stirres vp the people to giue cheerfully by repeating some one or two choice sentences of scripture best fitting this occasion as Matth. 6. 19. Matth. 7. 12 c. 5. 10 These kinds of oblation are our Churches offertorie and vnbloudy sacrifices offred by the whole congregation vnto the Lord so farre differing from popish sacrificing as S. Pauls in London is from S. Peters in Rome 1. Cor. 11. 28. THe sum of the Ministers exhortation before the Communion is contained in these words of Paul Let a man therefore examine himselfe and so let
mentis not so toothsome as wholsome not corporall meate but spirituall Manna The Lords Supper in three respects 1. Because it was ordained by the Lord 1. Cor. 11. 23. 2. Because it was instituted in remeÌ„brance of the Lord Luk. 22. 19. 3. Because it was in the Primitiue Church vsuallie receiued on the Lords day Acts 20. 7. It is called a Communion in respect of the common vnion among our selues hauing at that time more specially perfect peace with all men or a Communion in respect of the publike participation as being a common messe not a priuate Masse proper to one as the Popish priests vse it or a Communion as being a signe and seale of our communion with Christ for his graces are conueied vnto vs by the preaching of the Word and administration of the Sacraments Hence the Sacraments as Paschasius obserues haue their name Sacramenta dicuntur à secreto eò quòd in re visibili diuinitas intus aliquid vlâ—ra secretius efficit In the words of our Church Sacraments are visible signes of inuisible grace ordained of God as badges and sure witnesses of his good will towards vs. It is meete euery Christian should vnderstand these and the like plaine principles of holy faith but exact knowledge to discusse controuerted points about the Sacraments is not required according to that of Chrysostome The table of the Lord is not prepared for chattering â—ayes but for high towring Eagles who flei thither where the dead bodie lieth It is not for subtle Sophisters but for simple beleeuers ascending vp to Christ vpon the wings of faith and therefore the Communicant must not only know but applie that in particular which he beleeueth in generall as that Christs body was crucified for him and his bloud shed for him Hee that vnderstands and beleeues and applies these things examineth his faith as he should In our repentance we must examine two points especially to wit our Contrition for sinne past Resolution to preuent so farre as we can all sinne to come For the first Poenitentia est quasi punientia Poenitere saith Augustine is poenam tenere Wee must therefore weepe with Peter and water our couch with Dauid and put on sackcloth with Nineueh nay we must rent our heart For a broken spirit is an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord. O magnum donum quod in poenam dedit in salutem vertit peccatum tristitiam peperit tristitia peccatum contriuit As the worme bred in the tree deuoures the tree so sorrow brought into the world by sinne doth ouerthrow sinne so good is God to turne curses into blessings and griefe into grace If thy heart be not throughly touched for sinne become sorrie because thou art no more sorrie resolue to be more resolued For as one wittily factum infectum si non sit cor affectum If Ioseph of Arimathea wrapped the bodie of Christ in cleane linnen how darest thou receiue it with an vncleane soule If thou wilt not kisse a Princes hand with a foule mouth eate not the Lords bodie with a foule minde Let a man therefore examine him selfe c. And so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this 〈◊〉 Hauing thus examined examination I come now to the participation And so let him eate c. Of which words I purpose to speake first ioyntly then seuerally Considered ioyntly they confute three popish conclusions as first the reseruation eleuation circumgestation adoration of the bread Our Apostle saith here plainly that the bread must be taken and eaten Ergo not to be reserued nor carried about not lifted vp nor kept in a box to be worshipped Secondly to take to eate to taste to drinke to doe this in remembrance of Christ are actions of the liuing only pertaining to the liuing and therefore the Papists are deceiued holding the Masse to bee a propitiatorie sacrifice both for the quick and the dead How can the dead eate or drinke taste or take Ergo neither the dutie nor the benefit belongs vnto them but only to those aliue who first examine themselues and after eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. Thirdly the coniunction of these two Let him eate of this bread and drink of this cup abundantly proues that both parts of the Lords Supper ought to be ministred vnto all Ergo the Papists in denying the cup vnto the Laitie wrong both God and his people by defrauding them of this comfort As euery one must examine so euerie one both eate and drinke not onely drinke and not eate or eate and not drinke but both eate and drinke Christ foreseeing this Papisticall error said in his first institution Drinke ye all of it he tooke the bread and said only take eate indefinitely but when he tooke the cup he did adde an vniuersall note Bibâ—â—e omnes Drinke ye drinke all ye We conclude therefore with Cyprian Adulterum est impium est sacrilegum est quodcunque humano furore instituitur vt dispositio diuina violetur Christ is the truth and the way to the truth Ergo non aliud fiat à nobis quà m quod pro nobis prior fecit Thus much of the words iointly Now of euery one seuerally And so Let there be first preparation and then participation when a man is thus examined let him thus eate Let him eate The which are not words of permission only leauing it to his choice whether he will eate or not eate but they are words of Pauls commission insinuating that hee must eate necessarily not vpon custome but vpon conscience For it is not said here let him if hee haue no let at home or occasion of absence abroad if he be neither displeased with his Pastor nor angry with the people but let him without all let examine and then let him without all let eate of this bread Eate Christ in his first institution hath take and eate First take then eate take not onely into your mouthes but into your hands hereby representing the soule and faith for the taking of the bread and wine into our hand sealeth our apprehension of Christ by the finger of faith Ioh 1. 12. As many as receiued him to them he gaue power to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeued in his name Eating of the bread and drinking of the wine sealeth our application of Christ incorporated into vs mystically 1. Cor. 10. 16. For by the strength of faith wee chew the cud as it were and make Christ our owne Yet herein obserue a great difference betweene corporall food and this heauenly bread for the one digested is made like vs but the other receiued into our soule maketh vs like it This action then of taking is very significant and therefore I see no reason why the Priest altering Christs ordinance should giue the bread into the peoples mouth only not into their hand First the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉