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A77288
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A sermon of the blessed sacrament of the Lords Supper; proving that there is therein no proper sacrifice now offered; together with the disapproving of sundry passages in 2. bookes set forth by Dr. Pocklington; the one called Altare Christianum, the other Sunday no Sabbath: formerly printed with licence. By William Bray, Dr. of Divinity. Now published by command.
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Bray, William, d. 1644.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing B4316; Thomason E157_8; ESTC R22819
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22,195
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69
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is ceas'd also together with the Law and in stead thereof a Sacrament more sutable to the Gospel is instituted in Bread and Wine which of all sensible substances here below are the most pure and so the fittest to set out the spirituall service of the Gospel The consideration whereof should teach us that live under the Gospel not to rest our selves in any bodily or outward observations as if they were the onely or principall duty of the Gospel but to use them as helpes onely the better to enable us for the due performing of our spirituall services which is the perfection the Gospel cals us to and without which all other performances like a hungry and barren soyle will yeeld but little solid fruite or comfort to our soules And so I passe from the more sensible and earthy part of this Sacrament to the spirituall and heavenly part to wit the Body and Blood of Christ which is imported in the Emphasis of the Articles here This Bread and This Cup. Where before we come to the Emphasis and what it imports give me leave to observe First that the Apostle here cals the Sacramentall Elements Bread and Wine and that after the words of Institution and Consecration So they retaine their nature and substance still and remaine Bread and Wine even after this great advancement And here you may see upon what a sandy foundation the Church of Rome hath built that most dangerous and destructive doctrine of Transubstantiation Saint Paul calls the Elements Bread and Wine after consecration the Church of Rome saith they cease then to be Bread and Wine their very substance is converted into the substance of the naturall Body and Blood of Christ by a new way of their owne fancying which Biell a prime Doctor of theirs confesses is not to be found in the Canon of the Bible * Biel Lect. 40. in Can. Missae for which they have sutably invented a new Name of Transubstantiation And I call it a destructive Doctrine and that most justly and in many Regards For first it destroyes the nature of the Elements of Bread and Wine by a totall Conversion of them into the substance of Christs Body and Blood Secondly it destroyes the nature and properties of Christs Body by ascribing Infinitenesse and Omnipresence not onely to the Person of Christ but to his naturall Body which was borne of the Blessed Virgin Thirdly it destroyes the Peace of Christendome or at least it hath a great share in it as being boldly and rashly defin'd by the Church of Rome and presumptuously impos'd as an Article of Faith to be beleev'd upon Necessity of Salvation Fourthly it is notoriously knowne the denyall of it hath destroy'd the Lives of many of Gods faithfull Servants both here and in other parts of the Christian world Fifthly and Lastly to adde no more it 's destructive of Piety and Devotion in diverting the Soule from devout and usefull Meditations and drawing it aside to subtleties of wit and empty speculations To this purpose Master Hooker * Eccles. Poliâ— lib. 5. sect 67. excellently observes that the Discourses of the Romanists concerning Transubstantiation are hungry and unpleasant full of tedious and irkesome labour heartlesse and without Fruite whereas the Discourses of Ancient and Later Writers concerning the Mysticall presence of Christ the use efficacy and benefit of the Sacrament are heavenly and devout their words sweete as the Honeycombe their tongues melodiously-tun'd Instruments and their sentences meere Consolation and ioy The second thing which I will observe from this part is that Saint Paul doth not call the Consecrated Elements bare Bread and Wine and no more but Bread and Wine with an Emphasis This Bread and this Cup of which it was said before in the words of Christ This is my Body which is broken for you and this Cup is the New Testament in my Blood How the Bread and Wine in this Sacrament are the Body and Blood of Christ is a great Mystery to unfold Master Calvin in his fourth Booke of Institutions Calv. lib. 4. Instit cap. 17. sect 7. Cap. â—vij calls it sublime mysterium cui nec mens plane cogitando nec lingua explicando par esse potest A Mystery so sublime that the minde of Man is not able to comprehend it much lesse the tongue to unfold it Quod ergo mens nostra non comprehendit concipiat fides so hee goes on excellently in the same Chapter Sect. 10. What therefore our Reason cannot comprehend let Faith conceive Christ hath said it this is my Body let us therefore beleeve the Truth of the thing But hee hath not said the manner how let us not therefore search into that which is not written For mine owne part saith the same Authour * Lib. 4. Instit c. 17. sect 19. Caeterum his absurditatibus sublatis quicquid ad exprimendam veram substantialemque Corporis ac sauguinis Domini communicationem quae sub sacris Coenae symbolis fidelibus exhibeÌ„tur facere potest libenter recipio atque ita ut non imaginatione duntaxat aut ment is intelligentia percipere sed ut re ipsa frui in alimentum vitae aeternae intelligantur his absurditatibus sublatis set aside the absurdities which boldly and falsely define the manner of the presence of Christs body and blood in the Lords Supper Hee meanes Consubstantiation and Transubstantiation whatsoever may be said to expresse the Communication of the true and substantiall Body and Blood of the Lord which are exhibited to the Faithfull under the holy Symboles of the Supper J willingly admit and that in such sort that this participation may be understood not in Imagination onely and Apprehension of the minde but a Reall Fruition to nourish the body and soule to eternall Life Thus that Reverend Author and much more to the same purpose in that place With the same wisedome and sobriety the Church of England speakes of this great Mystery shee does not as the Church of Rome unjustly charges us exclude Christ out of the Sacrament and make it a bare signe and Figure of his body and blood shee indeed denyes their Carnall and Corporeall presence of Christ in the Sacrament and acknowledges onely an heavenly and spirituall presence without any farther defining of the manner in particular But for the Truth of the thing it selfe shee beleeves and acknowledges expressely That to such as rightly worthily and with Faith receive the same the Bread which we breake is a partaking of the body of Christ and likewise the Cup of blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ in the * Art 28. relig 28. Article of Religion and more fully in the * Doctr. of the Sacraments Catechisme The body and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken of the Faithfull in the Lords Supper I goe on to the Sacramentall actions which are likewise two answerable to the parts of this Sacrament to wit Eating of this Bread
A SERMON OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SUPPER Proving that there is therein no proper sacrifice now offered Together with the disapproving of sundry passages in 2. Bookes set forth by Dr. Pocklington the one called Altare Christianum the other Sunday no Sabbath Formerly printed with Licence BY WILLIAM BRAY Dr. of Divinity Now published by Command LONDON Printed by T. and R. C. for Henry Seile and are to be sold at his shop in Fleetstreete over against St. Dunstans-Church 1641. A SERMON OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT OF THE LORDS SVPPER 1 COR. 11.26 For as oft as ye cate this Bread and drinke this Cup yee doe shew the Lords Death till hee come THe Prophets are Comments upon the Law in the Old Testament and the Epistles upon the Gospels in the New My Text is part of the Epistles and it Comments upon that command of our Saviour to his Disciples Doe this in Remembrance of me Which is a part of the Gospell of the Institution of the Holy Communion For that command is repeated in the 25. Verse of this Chapter and then followes my Text immediately as a Comment upon that Command a Glosse upon that Evangelicall Law For as oft as ye eate this Bread and drinke this Cup ye doe shew the Lords Death till he come And if you observe it well my Text as a cleere and full Comment explaines all the doubts and difficulties of that Text in the Gospell Doe this in remembrance of me For first there 's no time exprest when this is to be done or celebrated so the doubt is First concerning the frequency of Celebrating whether once or more then once This doubt the Comment cleeres in the first words of my Text As oft so it is to be done againe and againe and that often A second doubt is concerning the duration of this blessed Sacrament How long whether temporary or perpetuall this the Comment likewise cleeres in the last words of my Text Till he come so it is to continue in the Church till our Saviours second comming Againe it is not cleere in the Gospell whither these words are to be referr'd Do this for they are mentioned onely in Saint Luke * 22 S. Luke 19. and they are mentioned after the Institution and Consecration of the Bread onely and not of the Cup so the doubt here is Whether they referre to the Bread alone or to both Bread and Cup but the Comment here directs you to referre them to both For as oft as ye eate this Bread and drinke this Cup too saith the Text ye doe indicatively or doe ye imperatively that is doe both and doe this in both Besides we doe not understand out of the Gospel the latitude of this Command Doe this what it comprehends within it whether the action of the Receiver onely or of the Minister onely or both that is Totam Sacramentalem actionem the whole Sacramentall action here 's another doubt And here againe we must have recourse to the Comment in my Text for direction and that expounds it of both First Doe this that is eate this Bread and drinke this Cup here 's the action of the receiver in expresse termes But that 's not all for what our blessed Saviour did by way of Preparation before his Disciples Communicated I meane not for all Circumstances but for Essentials as taking and blessing the Bread and the Cup and the like that must the Ministers of Christ in all ages also doe by vertue of this Command Doe this And this is cleere also in the Comment of my Text though not expressely as the action of the Receiver yet by evident consequence and that from the Emphasis of the Greeke Articles before the Bread and Cup 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Bread and this Cup for without the action of the Minister in taking and blessing the elements the Receivers may indeed eate and drinke common bread and wine but they cannot bee so well assured that they eate and drinke this Sacramentall Bread and Wine so call'd here by way of Eminence and speciall reference Yet farther my Text doth cleerely expound the end of that command of our Saviour Doe this in remembrance of me First in remembrance that is nor a bare and naked remembrance lockt up onely within the closet of our owne memories but such a remembrance as is withall a Remembrancer of it to and with others a Commemoration whereby in a joynt Communion together wee proclaime and shew forth our Saviours Love As oft as ye eate this Bread and drinke this Cup ye doe or shall shew forth saith my Text. Lastly in remembrance of me saith the Command in the Gospell of me that is not so much of my Incarnation life miracles doctrine resurrection ascension as especially and expressely of my death and Passion ye doe shew the Lords Death saith the Comment in my Text. I have done with the For in the beginning of my Text which connects it with the verse precedent whereof it is a comment and a confirmation as you see To draw neerer to the Text it selfe wherein you may observe these two generall parts Our service to God in the use of this blessed Sacrament in the former part As oft as yee eate this Bread and drinke this Cup And the meaning of this service or the Res Sacramenti the thing signifyed by it in the latter part Ye doe shew the Lords Death till he come 12. Exod 26.27 In the 12. of Exodus God enjoynes the people of Israel that when their children should aske them concerning the Passeover What meane you by this Service that they should say It is the Sacrifice of the Lords Passeover who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses In the like manner Saint Paul having receiv'd it of the Lord delivers unto us the meaning of this Service of the Evangelicall Passeover It is the Memoriall of our Saviours Sacrifice offered upon the Crosse once for all which we celebrate in remembrance of him to shew forth his bitter death and Passion But to proceed in the first generall part which is the Service we are to performe to God in the use of this blessed Sacrament you have these three particulars contained 1. The parts of this Sacrament 2. The Sacramentall actions 3. The circumstances of those actions 1. The parts of this Sacrament and they are two Res terrena et Res Coelestis as * Iren. lib. 4. aduersus haeres cap. 34. Irenaeus cals them the Earthy and the Heavenly part The earthy part is here exprest bread and wine the heavenly part is the body and blood of Christ here imported in the Articles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Bread and This Cup which hath an Emphaticall reference to the verses immediately precedent where it is said of the bread and cup after our Saviours blessing them that This is my Body which is broken for you and this Cup is