Transubstantiation EXAMIN'D and CONFUTED IN TWO SERMONS ON The Lords Supper Preach'd in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth By H. Smith sometime Preacher at St. Clement Danes Licensed June the 12th 1688. LONDON Printed by J. Wallis and are to be sold by most Booksellers 1688. THE FIRST SERMON ON THE Lord's Supper 1 Cor. xi 23 24. The Lord Jesus in the night that he was betrayed took Bread And when he had given thanks he brake it and said take eat this is my Body which is broken for you this do ye in remembrance of me THE Word and the Sacraments are the two Breasts wherewith our Mother doth nurse us Seeing every one receiveth and few understand what they receive I thought it the necessariest Doctrine to Preach of the Sacrament which is a witness of Gods promises a remembrance of Christs death and a seal of our adoption therefore Christ hath not instituted this Sacrament for a fashion in his Church to touch and feel and see as wee gaze upon pictures in the Windows but as the Woman which had the bloody issue touching the hem of Christs garment drew vertue from himself because she believed so Christ would that we touching these signs should draw vertue from himself that is all the graces which these signs represent Therefore as the Levites under the Law were bound to prepare their brethren before they came to the Passeover So preachers of the Gospel should prepare their brethren before they come to the Supper of the Lord. For which purpose I have chosen this place to the Corinthians which is the clearest and fullest declaration of this Sacrament in all the Scripture The Lord Jesus in the night c. The summe of all these words is the Institution and use of the Lords Supper First Paul sheweth the Author of it the Lord Jesus then the time when it was instituted in the night that he was betrayed then the manner how he did institute it he took Bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave unto his Disciphes c. then the end why he did institute it for a remembrance of his Death Touching the Author he which is signified by it was the Author of it The Lord Jesus hath bid us to supper I am not worthy sayth John to loose his shoe so we are not worthy to waite at his trancher and yet he will have us to sit at his Table To him belongeth the power to ordain Sacraments in his Church because he fulfilled the Sacraments of the Law. When Christ came the Passeover ceased because he is our Passeover that is the Lamb by whose blood we are saved When Christ came Circumcision ceased because he is our circumcision that is the purifier and clenser of our sins Now these two Sacraments are fulfilled he hath appointed two other Sacraments for them in stead of the paschal Lamb which the Jews did eat he hath given us another Lamb to eat which John calleth the Lamb of God that is himself upon whom all do feed whosoever do receive this Sacrament with an assured faith that Christ died to possess them of life The breaking of the Bread doth signify the wounding of the Body the powring out of the Wine doth signify the shedding of his Blood. The eating of the Bread and drinking of the Wine doth signify that his Flesh and Blood do nourish in us life eternal as the Bread and Wine do nourish the life present In stead of Circumcision which began at Abraham he hath ordained Baptisme which began at John a more lively representation of the true Circumcision of the Heart because it representeth unto us the blood of Christ which washeth our souls as the water in Baptism washeth our bodies Touching the time in the night saith Paul therefore this Sacrament is called the Lord's Supper because it was instituted at night when they used to sup But what night Even that night saith Paul when he was betraied that night which he should have cursed as Job did the day of his birth if he had suffered against his will that night when he should have thought to destroy men as men conspired to destroy him That night saith Paul this Sacrament of grace and peace and life began Even that night when we betraied him Many nights did he spend in watching and praying for us and is there a night now for us to betray him That was a dark night when men went about to put out the Sun which brought them light Who can but wonder to see how Christ and they for whom Christ came were occupied at one time when they devised mischief against him and sought all means to destroy him then he consulted how to save them and instituted the same night this blessed Sacrament to convey all his graces and blessings unto them Even that night when they betraied him The reason why this action was deferred until night is because that was the time appointed by the Law to eat the pass-over which was like a Predecessor of this Sacrament The reason why he deferr'd it untill his last night was because the passeover could not be ended before the fulness of time and the true paschal Lamb were come to be slain in stead of the other Therefore how fitly did Christ end the Pass-over which was a sign of his sufferings so presently before his suffering And beside how sweetly did he confirm his Disciples faith when as they should see that the next day performed before their eyes which over night both in the Pass-over and in the Sacrament was so lively resembled unto them if any man from this do gather that we ought to eat the Lords supper at night as Christ did he must understand that we have not the same cause to do so which Christ had because of the Passover And therefore the Church which hath discretion of times and places hath altered both the time and the place using the Temples in stead of the chamber and the morning in stead of the evening for indifferent things are ruled by order and decency Touching the manner He took Bread and when he had geven thanks he brake it and gave it unto them He would not eat it not break it before he had given thanks to God. What need he which was God give thanks to God but to shew us what we should do when we eat our selves In all things give thanks saith Paul whereby we declare that all things come from God but the wicked believe easier that God doth take than that he doth give and therefore they never pray heartily unto him for any thing nor feelingly thank him for it For which the Lord complaineth saying I have loved you yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us Shewing that we are worse then the Ox which knoweth his feeder And if that we acknowledg all things from God yet we do like Lot Is it not a little one saith he
well then yet it is Bread when he had broken it then he gave it what did he give the Bread which he break well then yet it is Bread when he had given it they did eat it what did they eat the Bread which he gave them well then yet it is Bread when they did eat it then he said This is my Body what did he call his Body the Bread which they did eat well then yet is it Bread. If it be Bread all this while when he did take it and bless it and break it and gave it and they did eat it when is it turned into his Body here they stand like the Sadduces as mute as Fishes Now that ye may see that not we only say it is Bread and Wine after the Consecration in the 27. verse Christ himself doth call it Bread and Wine after he had given it as he did before And in Mark he saith I will drink no more of the fruit of the Vine Here Christ saith that it was the Fruit of the Vine which he drank but his Blood is not the Fruit of Vines but Wine therefore Wine was his drink and not Blood. Beside if you would hear Paul expound Christ he sheweth that all our Fathers had the same substance of Christ in their Sacraments that we have in ours for he saith They all did eat the same spiritual meat and all drank the same spiritual drink Straight he saith that this meat and this drink was Christ. Mark that he saith not onely They did eat the same meat that we eat but he saith that this meat was Christ and not only so but to shew that Christ is not a corporal meat as the Papists say he saith he is a spiritual meat as we say therefore you see that we do not eat him corporally no more then our Fathers but that as they did eat him spiritually so do we for spiritual meat must be eaten spiritually as corporal meat is eaten corporally Again for the signs to be turned into the thing signified by them is utterly against the nature of a Sacrament and makes it no Sacrament because there is no Sign for every Sacrament doth consist of a Sign and a thing signified the Sign is ever an Earthly thing and that which is signified is a Heavenly thing This shall appear in all examples As in Paradise there was a very Tree for the Sign and Christ the thing signified by it in Circumcision there was a cuting off of the Skin and the cuting off of Sin in the Passover there was a Lamb and Christ in the Sabbath there was a day of rest and eternal rest in the Sacrifice there was an offering of some Beast and the offering of Christ in the Sauctuary there was the holy Place and Heaven in the Propitiatory there was the Golden covering and Christ our cover in the Wilderness there was a Rock yielding Water and Christ yielding his Blood in the Apparition there was a Dove and the holy Ghost in the Manna there was Bread and Christ in Baptism there is very Water which washeth us and Christ's Blood washing us so in the Supper of Christ there is very Bread and Wine for the sign and the Body and Blood of Christ for the thing signified or else this Sacrament is against the nature of all other Sacraments Again there must be a proportion between the Passover and the Lord's Supper because this was figured by the other Now the Jews had in their Passover Bread and Wine and a Lamb So our Saviour Christ instituting his last Supper left Bread and Wine and a Lamb the which name is given to himself because he came like a Lamb and dyed like a Lamb. Again if Christ's very Body were offered in the Sacrament then it were not a Sacrament but a Sacrifice which two differ as much as giving and taking for in a Sacrifice we give and in a Sacrament we receive and therefore we say our Sacrifice and Christ's Sacrament Again every Sacrifice was offered upon the Altar Now mark the wisdom of the holy Ghost least we should take this for a Sacrifice he never names Altar when he speaks of it but The Table of the Lord. Therefore it is no doubt but the devil hath kept the name of Altar that we might think it a Sacrifice Again if the Bread were Christ's Flesh and the Wine his Blood as these two are separate one from the other so Christ Flesh should be separate from his Blood but his Body is not divided for then it were a dead Body Again that which remaineth doth nourish the Body and relish in the Mouth as it did before which could not be but that it is the same food which it was before Again I would ask whose are this whitness and hardness and roundness and coldness None of them say that it is the whitness and hardness and roundness and coldness of Christ's Body therefore it must needs be the whiteness and hardness and roundness and coldness of the Bread or else qualities should stand without substances which is as if one should tell you of a House without a foundation Again as Christ dwelleth in us so he is eaten of us but he dwelleth in us onely by faith Ephe. 3. 17. Therefore he is eaten onely by faith Again none can be saved without the Communion of the Body of Christ but if all should communicate with it corporally then neither Infants nor any of our Fathers the Patriarchs or the Prophets should be saved because they received it not so Again Christ saith not This Wine but This Cup and therefore by their conclusion not only the Wine should be turned into Blood but the Cup too Again Paul saith They which receive unworthily receive their own damnation But if it were the Flesh of Christ they should rather receive salvation than damnation because Christ saith He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath life everlasting John 6. 54. Again if they would hear an Angel from Heaven when Christ's Body was glorified an Angel saith to the Woman He is risen and is not here Mat. 28. as if he should say his Body is but in one place at once or else he might have been there though he was risen Again why do they say in receiving this Sacrament ever since the Primitive Church Lift up your Hearts if they have all in their Mouths To end this controversy here we may say as the Disciples said to Christ Whither shall we go from thee I mean we need not to go to any other expositor of Christ then Christ himself therefore mark what he saith at first when Christ said that he was the Bread of Life and that all which would live must eat him they murmured until he expounded his words and how did he expound his words Thus He that cometh unto me hath eaten and he that beleeveth in me hath drank After when he instituted this Sacrament in like words
Sacrament to be used for it Christ I say called the Lamb the Passover and yet the Passover was this an Angel passed over the Houses of the Israelites and struck the Egyptians this was not a Lamb and yet because a Lamb was a Sign of this Passover as the Bread and Wine is of Christ's Body therefore Christ called the Lamb the Passover as he calleth the Bread and Wine his Body Again Circumcision is called the Covenant and yet Circumcision was nothing but the cutting away of a Skin but the Covenant is In Abrahams seed all Nations shall be blessed I will be their God and they shall be my people I will defend and save them and they shall serve and worship me This is not Circumcision and yet as though Circumcision were the Covenant it self it is called the Covenant because it signifieth the Covenant so Bread and Wine are called Christ's body because they signifie Christ's body Again Baptism is called Regeneration and yet Baptism is a dipping of our bodies in water but Regeneration is the renewing of the mind to the image wherein it was created This is not Baptism and yet as though Baptism were Regeneration it self it is called Regeneration because it signifieth Regeneration so the bread and wine are called Christ's body because they signifie Christ's body Again the Cup is called the New Testament and yet the Cup is but a piece of mettal filled with Wine but the New Testament is He which believeth in the Son shall be saved This is not a Cup and yet as though the Cup were the New Testament it self it is called the New Testament because it signifieth the New Testament so the bread and wine are called Christ's body because they signifie Christ's body They which knew that the Lamb is not the Passover though Christ called it the Passover that Circumcision is not the Covenant though God calleth it the Covenant that Baptism is not Regeneration though it be called Regeneration that the Cup is not the New Testament though Christ called it the New Testament could they not as well understand that the Bread and Wine were not Christ's body though Christ called them his body As they understood these speeches so they understood this speech therefore they which say that the Bread and Wine are Christ's body because Christ saith This is my Body may as well say that the Lamb is the Passover because Christ calleth it the Passover that Baptism is Regeneration because Paul calleth it Regeneration that this Cup is the New Testament because Christ calleth it the New Testament If every Sacrament was called by the thing which it signified and yet never any Sacrament was taken for the thing it self what reason have they to take this Sacrament for the thing it self more than all the rest It is the consent of all Writers that a Sacrament is a sign therefore not the thing signified no more than the Bush at the Door is the Wine in the Seller If I call the Prince a Phoenix the University a Fountain the Court a Peacock the City a Sea the Countrey an Hermite why can the Papists understand me and not understand Christ What a dark and strange and intricate and incredible speech had this been for them to understand grosly and literally Would they think that they did eat Christ's body when his body stood before them and he had told them before that his body was like their body Nay this would have required more words and made them come again with Master what is the meaning for they were not so instructed yet before the Resurrection to believe every thing without questioning if it were contrary to sense and reason but as they asked who had given him any meat then he said that he had meat and they could see none so they would have asked what meat is this which we see not How can every one of us eat his body and yet he hath but one body and that body is whole when we eat it Loe he standeth before us and saith that his body is like unto ours and yet he takes bread and breaks it and gives it unto us to eat and when we eat it he saith This is my body and yet his body stands before us still If his body be like ours as he saith how can it be eaten and be there for ours cannot Thus they would have questioned if they had not been used to such phrases but as they could understand him when he called himself a Stone a Rock a Door a Window and a Vine so they pickt out his meaning when he had said that Bread was his body for he had told them before that he was the Bread of Eternal Life Now the bread of Eternal Life is not eaten with teeth for the body cannot eat spiritually no more than the Soul can eat corporally and therefore he is such a Bread as is eaten with Faith and so himself saith in the Gospel of St. John. Mark this eating by Faith and all the strife is ended Flesh and Blood indeed need not faith to chew them for the teeth can chew them well enough Therefore if the Bread and Wine were the body of Christ then we need not faith to eat it but all those which have teeth might eat Christs body yea the Mice might eat it as well as Men for they eat the same Bread that we do as well after it is consecrated as before If this bee not enough to batter the ruines of this upstart Heresie I will come to Interrogatories and see whether they have learned it by rote or by reason If they ground their Transubstantation upon these words of Christ This is my Body which he spake to his Disciples I ask them whether they receive that body which was mortal or that body which is glorified because one of these bodies they must needs receive either his mortal body or his glorified body If they say that it is his mortal body the mortal body will not profit them for you see that mortal food is but for this mortal life neither hath Christ a mortal body now to communicate unto them because it is changed to an immortal body therefore they cannot receive the mortal body because Christ hath not a mortal body to give unto them If they say that they receive his glorified body then they must fly from this Text for at that time Christ had not any glorified body When this Sacrament was instituted and Christ said This is my Body his body was not glorified because the Sacrament was instituted before his Death and his body was glorified after his Resurrection Therefore if they receive the same body which the Apostles received as they say they do they cannot receive a glorified body because then Christ had not a glorified body to Communicate unto them Thus the Rocks and Sands are of both sides them they receive a body neither mortal nor immortal If
or damnation like the word the next lesson is to examine your selves before you Receive lest you Receive like the son of perdition which swallowed the Bread and the Devil together Therefore let a man examine himself and so let him eat that is let him examine first and receive after for if we should receive the bread of the Earth reverently how should we receive the bread of Heaven When Jehonadab came to Jehu his Chariot he said Is thy heart upright as my heart is towards thee So when we come to the Lords Table he would have our hearts upright to him The Golden Ring sitteth highest at our Table but the Wedding Garment sitteth highest at this Table It is safer eating with unwashed Hands than with an unwashed Heart The Jews were taught to choose the Lamb of the Pass-over on the Tenth Day of the First Month in which Month they came out of Egypt And the Fourteenth day after they were taught to eat him so they had four Days respite between the choosing and the killing to prepare and sanctifie themselves for the Pass over which was a Sign of the Lords Supper This admonished them that the matter now to be performed was very weighty and therefore they were deeply to consider it for now was the action and sum of all Salvation in handling If they did prepare themselves so before they did receive the figure of this Sacrament how should we be prepared before we receive the Sacrament it self Therefore as Josiah commanded the Levites to prepare the People so Paul adviseth the People to prepare themselves that is to examine whether they have Faith and Love and Repentance before they come to this Feast By this all may see First That Paul would have every Lay-man skilfull in the Scripture that he be able to examine himself by it for this admonition is not to them which minister the Sacrament but to all which receive the Sacrament And the rule by which we must examine our selves is the Law by which we should obey therefore if the Rule be unknown the Examination must be undone Our Doctrine must be examined by the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles our Prayers must be examined by the Sixth Petition of Christs Prayer our Belief must be examined by the Twelve Articles of Faith our Life must be examined by the Ten Commandments of the Law. Now he which hath this Touch-stone may try Gold from Copper but he which hath it not takes one for the other Therefore before Paul's Examine you had need to learn Christ's Search Search the Scriptures and they will lighten you to search your selves This is the Doctrine with which I will end and the necessary Point for which I chose this Text to teach if I could that Christian Art how to examine your selves Let a man examine himself before he eat Here is first an examination Secondly an examination of our selves Thirdly an examination before we come to the Sacrament Touching the first here Paul saith Examine your self but in 2 Chron. 13. he doubleth his charge Prove your selves and again at next word Examine your selves as if he should say this work must be done whon it is done because it is never throughly done and therefore we must double our Examination as Paul doubleth his Counsel If a man suspect his Enemy he will try him with a Question if that will not search him he will put sorth another if that be spyed he will move another like one which putteth divers Keys into a Lock until it open So he which examineth must try and try prove and prove search and search for the Angel of Darkness is like an Angel of Light and we have no way to discover him but that of John Try the Spirits God examineth with trials the devil examineth with temptations the world examineth with persecutions we which are thus examined had need to examine too If any man skill not what Examining meaneth the very word Examine is so pregnant that it prompteth us how we should examine for it signifieth to put our selves unto the Touchstone as if we would try Gold from Coper Therefore one saith that Examination is the Eye of the Soul whereby she seeth her self her safety and her danger and her way which she walketh and her pace which she holdeth and the end to which she tendeth she looks into her glass and spieth every spot in her face how all her graces are stained then she takes the water of life and washeth her blots away After she looks again and beholdeth all her gifts her faith fear love patience meekness and marketh how every one doth flourish or whither If they fade and decay that she feeleth a consumption then she takes preservatives and restoratives of prayer and council and repentance before the sickness grow Thus every day she letteth down a bucket into her heart to see what water it bringeth up least she should corrupt within and perish suddenly To hear and read and pray and sast and communicate is a work of many but to examine those works is the fashion of few and therefore Jeremie complaineth No man saith what have I done as if he should say No man examineth himself And therefore in all the Scripture it is said but of one That he feared all his works as though he durst not think nor speak nor doe any thing before he had examined what it was from whence it came and whether it went so the more precious treasure is deeper hid in the ground The second point is to Examine our selves Paul saith Try all things much more should we try our selves The good sower doth sow his own ground but the bad sower doth sow another mans ground as the devil did The Disciples of Christ said Master Is it I not Master is it he The Disciples of John asked Master what shall we doe not Master what shall they do We must obey some and hear others and admonish others and love all but examine our selves That which we apply unto others the Apostle applieth unto our selves for when we speak of an examiner we intend one which examineth other when we speak of an accuser we intend one which accuseth other when we speak of a Judge we mean one that judgeth others but the Scripture crieth Examine thy self accuse thy self judg thy self that is be not curious to search a mete in thy brothers eye but pull out a beam which is in thine own eye This doth shew that they which sit in Gods chair to judg others commonly have greater fault themselves than they whom they use to judge and therefore Christ calleth their fault a beam and the others a moat This made David say Examine thy heart thy heart is thine own heart therefore thou must examine whether thou pray whether thou watch whether thou sast and not whether he pray whether he watch whether he fast