in vs if we do not diligently and throughly try our estates and examine our selues Thus we see how we ought to examine our selues As Christ saith Take heed how ye heare so I say take heede how ye examine There is Luke 8. 18 an ill manner of hearing and an ill manner of examining he that will examine and try himselfe aright must not onely try by the right touch-stone but in the right fashion It wil not be here amisse to declare also the end why we must prooue our selues The end is two-folde principall inferiour The principall end is the glory of God which ought aboue all things to be sought for of all men in all their actions therfore Paul saith 1. Cor. 10. 31 Whether ye eat or drinke or whatsoeuer ye do do all to the glory of God The inferiour end is two-folde First that we might know our selues and the case we are in that so we might prepare our selues for the receiuing of the Lords supper SecoÌ„dly that we might confirme the good assurance or perswasioÌ„ that we haue of our good estate before God For true new obedience vnto the commaundments of God doth plainely demonstrate that the obeier is the childe of God the member of Christ within the kingdome of grace and an heir apparent of the kingdome of glory But obedience performed to this one commaÌ„dment of examination in the right manner which I haue before declared is true and new obedience is in him onely that is carefull to obserue all other commaundements which he knoweth to be Gods Therefore he that obeieth this one precept as he ought to do may assure himselfe that his state is good before God in this world and shal be glorious with God in the world to come And so much for the fourth generall point for the doctrine it selfe The vses thereof come now to be deliuered CHAP. 16. FIrst we are taught to take heed that we do not come to the Lords table without serious sound examination of our selues How can we know that we goe prepared if we do not proue ourselues And how can we know the depth of our hearts vnles we souÌ„d them to the bottome A man shall receiue very litle heat from the fire if he stay not at it but passe hastily by the hearth So we shall but ill discern vnderstand our hearts if we do but glance at them as by the way and search them onely superficially and not narrowly Who can know the nature and course of the sunne without serious search and study Euen so no man can rightly know the nature and course of his soule and the disposition and motions of his hart except he do very diligently seriously laboriously search examine them For mans heart is a mine of wickednes and a gulfe of deceit It is full of secret corners and winding staires and wil apeare often more glorious then indeede it is All is not currant mony which hath the Kings picture vpoÌ„ it neither are our hearts alwaies good mettall when they seeme good therefore if we will not be deceiued let vs search them truely and touch them throughly and neuer cease prouing them till we may with good warrant approoue them For as winde and fire gather strength in proceeding so the further we proceede in the diligent performance of this duery we shall be made more able to goe through-stitch with it And as naturall bodies the nearer they come to their places do moue so much the more swiftly so shall we in the course of this examination to our great comfort and commodity And thus by our carefull constant tryall of our selues we shal manifest our obedience vnto God we shall declare the care we haue of our owne welfare and welldoing and the more eager we shall make our selues vpon this duety and procure such an appetite affection to it as that we shall be more swift and nimble in performing of it and not easily driuen from it till we haue finished it in some honest and laudable manner Secondly as we must in examining our selues beware of the coÌ„mon custome of many which slubber ouer this and all other christian dueties or else passe by it without any regard therof at al so also we must take heed of the wily stratagems pleasant inchantments of Sathan and our owne Flesh which are false hearted and full fraught with fraud and subtilty Lastly we must beware that we do not conceiue of this sacrament and of those other things whereof we must examine our selues according to the sentence determination of the Romish Sinagogue which is the chaire of pestilence the throne of Antichrist Beware of the leauen of the Pharises take heede of her partie-coloured linsi-wolsi doctrines and because the Light oâ— word of the Pro. 20. â—7 Lord is the breath of man searcheth the bowels of the belly is a discerner Heb. 4. 12 of the thoughts intents of the heart and therefore the fittest touchstone Occultum nil esse sinit latebraâ—e per ovâ—nes intrat obstrusâ—â— explorat quâ—squeâ—â—eâ—ssus to try our selues withal it is meet that we should acquaint our selues with it The more we are ignorant in Gods word the more vnfit we are and vnable to performe this duety For it is the only true rule of our examination And as the Marigolde or Dazie doth open and shut with the day-light so should our examination begin and end with and in the word The loue of ignorance is the life of ignorance and the life of ignorance is the death of the ignorant for the wages of euery sinne is death yea an â—uer-liuing and an euerlasting death For Eze. 18. 31 Rom 6. 23 Is 66. 34 this death is life and that life is death a life of horrour and an horrible death a death of terror a terrible life Now what wise man would indanger his soule expose both soule and body to such infinite such inextricable misery by taking delight in ignorance in Gods word Men are carefull to shun small and momentary dangers were it any wisedome then to thrust themselues vpon this that is so great as it can neither be described with pen nor vttered with tongue no nor yet conceiued of the minde Many men bend their thoughts vpoÌ„ the search of naturall things and many spend much time in labouring to know the states and fashions of countries and kingdomes and to haue vnderstanding in liberall illiberall sordid yea and impious arts sciences and shall not we study to vnderstand the sacred scriptures which are the Oracles of God and his Law-booke by which we may see and sift our selues and learne to direct our feete to gouerne our very thoughts and to prepare dispose our selues for euery good worke whatsoeuer whether it concerne God immediately or our neighbour or our selues in speciall Those which affect the knowledge of things naturall and politique or ciuill
duety if we examine and prepare our selues before we receiue this sacrament yea that God if he pleased could finde matter enough for his iustice to worke vpon for the finall confusion of our soules out of our best preparation and strictest examination and that it is his grace and not our goodnes his mercy and not our merit that his wrath doth not kindle against vs while those creatures are in our mouthes and consume vs as it did against some of the Israelites whiles the flesh they coueted wâ—s yet betwene their teeth vnchewed as Nom. 11. 35 Moses hath recorded For our sins are great and grieuous and our worthines is worthy of no better CHAP. 12. THe sixt thing wherof we must examine our selues is thankefulnes For it is meete that we should thank God for ordeining his sonne to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 price of our redemption from sin Sathan and hel-fire Secondly we ought to praise his name for proffering and offering his son vnto vs in the Sacrament and inuiting vs to come and feede vpon him for the preseruatioÌ„ of our soules Tâ—irdly we must giue thankes to christ for giuing himselfe voluntarily to death for vs and for being content to be eaten or receiued of vs by faith for our spiritual reliefe as also for instituting this sacrament for the manifestation of his loue the memoriall of his death and confirmation of our faith Fourthly we ought to thanke the Lord for directing vs in his word how we may receiue the Sacrament aright and shewing how great the daÌ„ger is of vnworthy receiuing thatso we may be terrified from offending in this businesse by vnworthy receiuing and also prouoked to prepare our selues in some acceptable manner Lastly we must search 〈◊〉 selues whether we come with a purpose to be truely thankfâ—ll vnto God for his kindenesse and vnto christ for his loue after we haue receiued and to manifest our thankefulnes afterwards by the reforming of our liues and coÌ„forming our selues to the will of God reuealed in his word Vnthankefulnes is * Inâ—raâ—â—tâ— dâ—â—sâ— mâ—â—â— ruin metropoâ—s et â—â—â—ouâ— fasciculus a mother of much euill As the roote conueieth nourishment to the branches so doth ingratitude affoord food to many sins which are as branches o bowes thereof He that is not thankefull for the foresaide benefits is like the Hog that eats the mast but lookes not vp to the Oake makes himselfe vnworthy to receiue christ who hath done so much so many and so great things for him CHAP. 13. THe seuenth thing wherof we must make our examination is whether wâ— do seriously purpose to serue and obey God This obedience must be sincere not hypocriticall therefore Dauid praieth 2. Chrâ—â—121 Psa 119. 80. Let my heart be vp right in thy statutes that â—be not a shamed Secondly it must be speedy without delay Dauid saith I made bast and delaied not to keepe thy commaundements Psa 119. 60. Thirdly it must be performed willingly and with delight Dauid commands 2. Chro. 139. his sonne Salomon to serue God with a perfect heart and a willing minde Blessed is the man saith the Psalmist that delighteth greatly in Psa 112. 1 Gods commaundements Dauid saith I haue had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies as in all riches Psâ— 119. 14 Fourthly when it is once begun it must be performed with al diligence Dauid saith thou hast commaunded to keepe thy precepts Psaâ— 119. 4 dilligently Fiftly it must be vniuer sall and absolute to all the Luke 1. 6 commaundements of God walk ye in all the waies which I haue commaunded you Ier. 7. 23. Dauid saith Psam 119. 6. Then should I not be confounded when I haue respect vnto All thy commaundements Lastly it must be constant continuing the whole course of our liues Blessed are they that do righteousnes at al times Ps 106. 3 Gods loue is constant towards vs therefore our obedience ought to be constant vnto him It is a shame to begin in the spirit and to end in the flesh disobedience doth deserue death at all times and rebellion is alwaies as the sin 1. Sam. 15 23 of wich-craft The obedience of children to their earthly parents so farre as it is in the Lord must be constant therfore much more ought our obedience to be to God our heauenly father CHAP. 14. THe eight and last duety wherof we ought to examine our selues is our Loue. We must proue our selues whether we be in loue with all men yea or nay For he is vnworthy to receiue the head that hateth any of his members If a man be out of loue with his neighboure his loue is crazed towards God himselfe do we thinke that he loueth Christ that coÌ„temneth his seruants that derideth maligneth or hateth them doth not the SacrameÌ„t pict ture out the death of Christ doth not his death declare his loue and doth not his loue vnto vs deserue that we should loue one another yea and all for whome he dyed and whome he loueth Are not those then forgetfull of his loue vnmindefull of his death therefore vnworthy of the sacrament that are not in loue with their bretheren We must therefore repent of this sin and turne our hatred or non-louè into true loue if we meane to keep in Gods loue or if we desire to be guests for the Lords Table It is the only debt which God would haue Rom. 13. 8 vs owe one to another therefore we ought to be continually paying it as we must coÌ„tinually owe it Moreouer our Sauiour Christ saith Mat. 5. 23. 44. If thou bring thy guift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leaue there thy offering before the Altar goe thy way first be recoÌ„ciled to thy brother then come offer thy guift The like we must performe before we offer vp our spirituall sacrifices of praier and thanksgiuing vnto God which we vse to make at the receiuing of the Lords supper With what face can we desire God to forgiue vs our sinnes while we lye in any knowne sinne and will not leaue it How darest thou sue to God for his loue to thee whilst thou art out of loue with thy neighbor How dare any come to this banquet of loue and there present himselfe before God who is Loue it selfe carrying a cankered and rancorous hart towards his brother the image of God the work of God and the redeemed of Christ How dare we pray forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs if we shall with a spitefull spirit seeke to be reuenged of those haue iniured vs and will not forgiue them Let euery man therefore before he commeth to the Lords Table there to pray to God to praise him and to receiue the signes seales of Gods grace and Christs loue and the benefits proceeding from the same leaue lay down all hatred spleene and
in which regard flesh is likest to flesh but the strength or vertue to releiue and nourish which is greater in bread the staffe of life then in the flesh of any creature whatsoeuer By Cup the Apostle vnderstandeth the wine in the cup. Now Christ instituted wine to bee the signe of his blood for the resemblance that is between the properties and effects of wine and his blood For First as wine is a most sweete liquor comming out of the vine so the blood of Christ is a most delicate drinke for the soule hee is the Vine from whence it came Iohn 15. 1. and the Grape ouâ— of which it was squized Secondly as wine slaketh the thirst of the body so the merite of Christs blood quencheth the thirst of the soule Thirdly as wine maketh the Psal 104. 15. heart merrie so the blood of Christ receiued by faith doth coÌ„fort the soule and maketh the heart ioyfull Fourthly as wine warmeth the body and driueth away cold so the blood of Christ expelleth the coldnesse of charitie and heateth our hearts with zeale and loue Fiftly as Wine causeth the countenance to shine remooueth palenesse so the merite of Christes blood taketh away the palenesse of the soule and makes it looke fresh and faire as a rose It layeth the stormie windes of the conscience and makes vs seeme comely and amiable in Gods sight Whatsoeuer a man seeth through red glasse will appeare red â—o whatsoeuer God beholdeth through CHRISTES blood seemes louely faire and beautifull Sixtly as wine makes a man cheerfull stirring and actiue so the blood of Christ receiued by faith stirreth vp the soule and makes it cheerefull quicke and nimble about good workes Seuenthly as wine procureth speach and causeth the heart to breake out into Songs so the blood of Christ makes vs â—loquent and musicall in the confession and commemoration of his benefits conferred freely to vs. Lastly as wine stirreth vp the spirits and maketh men bold and hardie so the blood of Christ applyed by faith to the heart will make men stout valorours and constant and fill them with spirituall fortitude and magnanimitie By this Bread and this Cuppe the Apostle meaneth sacramentall bread and wine that bread and wine which is appointed and set apart to be the sacrament the signe and seale of the body and blood of Christ and to bee receiued of the Church in memoriall of his bloody death for the redemption of the Church This shall suffice for the explication of these words The Doctrines which remaine to bee collected from them and to bee propounded are especially two CHAP. 20. FIrst I conclude out of these wordes of PAVL that they Doct. 6 which eate the bread ought also to drinke of the cup in the Supper of the Lord bee they what they may be Ministers or others men or women of what state place or countrey soeuer without exception of any prouided alwayes that they bee baptized and do prepare prooue and approoue themselues as hath beene heretofore deliuered The Apostle expresly saith let him eat of this bread and drinke of this cuppe Hee will haue them to drinke as well as to eate Secondly the Greeke word which in the beginning of the verse is traÌ„slated Man is commune to both Sexes signifying women as well as men Thirdly the Apostles writeth to all Christians in Corinth and reprooueth the vnworthy receiuing of many and prescribeth a remedie to them all But the greater number were of the Laity or people and not ministers it was not a church consisting wholly of Pastors or Praelates and Ministers Therefore not onely Ministers but others also whether men or women may receiue the wine as wel as the bread and the bread as wel as the wine Yea when they doe receiue the one they must receiue the other not one onely but both For so they are commanded Christ saith Take eate Mat. 26. 27 drinke yee all of it And according to his commandement They All Mar. 14. 23. dranke of it Fourthly Christ instituted an entire Sacrament consisting of two signes kindes or parts to wit bread and wine and according to Christs Institution our Apostle prescribeth the receiuing therof vnder both kinds But it is horrible rebellion to repeale impugne the ordinances of Christ no small sin not to follow so great an Apostle in that wherein he followeth his Lord but to disobey his prescript and precept giuen vnto vs by Gods speciall inspiratioÌ„ Fiftly the new Testament remission of sins and the commemoration of Christes death doth belong not onely to Ministers but to Laye men and women also why then should they not be partakers of the cup or the wine in the cup seeing it is a signe and pledge of the newe Luk. 22. 20 Matth. 26. 28. Testament of his blood which was shed for the remission of the sinnes of many and doth notably resemble the effusion thereof vpon the Crosse Sixtly it was the * Communicating vnder both kindes was in the Church 1300. years The Cuppe was first by publike decree taken from the people in the counsell of Constance 1484 custome of the ancient Church to minister and receiue both the elements Chrysostome saith Non est apud nos vt in lege veteri vbi aliae partes ex b Hom. 8. â—ri Cor. 11. victimis dabantur Sacerdotibus aliae vero cedebant offereÌ„tibus sed nobis Omnibus idem Christi corpus proponitur atque idem poculum Vnto vs All is proposed the same body of Christ and the same Cuppe Ignatius saith to the Philadelphians One bread is broken to All 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one cup was distributed to All. Gelasius saith that the Diuision of one and the same mysterie cannot be made sine grandi sacrilegio without great sacriledge Licet Christus suis dâ—scipâ—lis administ rauer it sub â—traquâ— panis â—inâ— specie c. And the Councill of Constance though it tooke the Cup away coÌ„fesseth plainely that the Communion vnder one kind was neither instituted by Christ nor vsed in the Primitiue Chuch Therefore the Church of Rome committeth sacriledge in robbing the people of the cup and sheweth her selfe to be of a rebellious arrogant refractary spirit ill beseeming a loyall and obeent wife in ouerth warting and crossing the holy ordinance of Christ and the practise of the ancient Church Therefore â—et vs heerein giue care to him that saith Come out of her my people reu 18. 4 Her argumeÌ„ts are very feeble and ridiculous and cannot abide the touchstone of sound reason and the sun-light of the Lord. False Wares are not for light shops and a true Touchstone will discrie copper CHAP. 21. SEcondly in that the Apostle saith let him â—ate of this bread and drinke of this Cup I conclude Doct. 7 that the Bread and VVine in the Sacrament are not turned into the very body and blood of Christ but doe still remaine as they were before as touching their nature
and substance being changed onely in respect of their vse for so much as they are now consecrated to signifie and seale vnto vs the body and blood of Christ yea whole Christ with all his benefits For the confirmation of this conclusion wee haue first besides this other expresse phrases of Scripture secondly other arguments grounded vpon the word and vpon good reason thirdly the iudgement of the Primitiue Church for many hundred yeares together after Christ For the first Paul saith The cup of blessing which wee blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we breake is it not the Communion of the body of Christ For wee that are many are one bread and one body because we are all partakers of one bread 1. Cor. 10. 16. 17. And againe As often as yee shall eate this Bread and drinke of this Cup ye shew the Lordes death till hee come Wherefore whosoeuer shall eate this Bread and drinke the Cup of the Lord unworthily shall he guâ—â—tie of the body and blood of the Lord. 1. Cor. 17. 26 27. Here is not a word of any transubstantiating or turning the bread and wine into the substantiall and true body and blood of our Lord but a plaine distinction made betwixt the signes and the things signified without annihilation or corporall alteration And Christ himselfe saith at his last Supper after that he had blessed the cup I will not drinke hencefoorth Matth. 26. 29. of this fruite of the vine c. By which it is euident that hee and his disciples dranke true wine It is true I confesse that Christ saith expresly This is my body but Matth. 26. 26. Christs body is threefold naturall mysticall and Sacramentall without doubt his meaning was not that the bread was truely turned into his body For first it were very absurde to imagine that Christ did eate his owne bodie and therefore also as absurde to say that the disciples did eate it Now the bread is his sacramentall bodie that is the Sacrament the signe and seale this bodie and the word Iâ— is as much as signifieth as in Luke 8. 21. For he and they did eat of one thing Secondly there are other places of the Scripture like vnto this which shew that his speech was not proper but figuratiue and it is strange that they which stand so much vpoÌ„ figures could perceiue none heere Gen. 17. 10. Circumcision is the Couenant that is a signe of the couenant Ex. 12. 11. The Lambe is the Lordes Passeouer that is a signe and pledge thereof 1. Cor. 10. 4. The rocke was Christ that is a signe of Christ Thirdly wee must needes vnderstand a figure in the word Cup and a figure is granted of all euen of the Aduersaries of this doctrine wherefore then should it sound against reason to hold that speech to bee vnderstood by a figure For the second It is against common sense that Christs bodie which is finite and circumscriptible should bee in so many places together so farre distant one from an other and that accidents should remaine without a subject as if the whitenesse of the snow should continue when the snow it selfe is melted It is true indeed that the power of God is great but yet hee neither doth nor wil doe whatsoeuer he is able by his power for to doe He can of stones make children vnto Abraham hee can consume the world at one instant but hee doth not neither will doe And againe there are some things which God cannot doe He cannot lie he cannot deny himselfe hee cannot breake his promise and goe against his word Hee hath said that the heauen must containe Act. 3. 27. Christ till the time that al thngs be restored therefore he shall bee there aboue is not here below Yea further God cannot make one thing to be not to be at one instant He cannot make the aire to be wholly both fire and water at one moment God cannot make the body of Christ to bee both a true bodie and not a true bodie circumscribed not circumscribed to haue dimensions and to bee without dimensions to bee in heauen and vpon the earth also in a thousand distinct places at one and the same Article of time and to be as long as broad and as thicke in a peece of bread as it was when it hanged vpon the Crosse Secondly wee beleeue that Christes bodie was conceiued in the wombe of the Virgine Marie therefore sure it is not made of Bakers bread Thirdly the nature of a Sacrament requireth that there should be an outward visible and corporall signe as well as an inward and spirituall thing signified but the doctrine of Transubstantiation doth ouerthrow the signe Fourthly if wee allow of transubstantiation wee shall not receiue the body that was deliuered to death for vs but some other thing which an houre before was not a bodie but plaine bread Fifthly when a Mouse eateth hallowed bread what eates she doth shee eate the shadow the shape and likenesse of bread For those Alchimists hold that the substance of the bread is gone Now it were absurd to say that a mouse could feed vpon naked accidents or mere colours What theÌ„ doth she eate the body of Christ How absurde and impious were it to imagine It remaineth therefore that the substance of the bread doth still continue If the bread after Consecration bee burnt to ashes and the wine cast into the fire whence come the ashes And whence is the smoke hizzing Surely they cannot come of mere accidents as shape colour dimensions c. Therefore it is safest to hold the continuance of the Elements as touching their substance For the third we haue herein also the consent of the ancient Church Ambrose saith that the signes are the same Quaeerant which they were De sacra l. 4. c. 4. Theoderet saith that those mysticall signes do not goe from their nature after consecration Post sanctificationeÌ„ noÌ„ receduÌ„t a natura sâ—a Diâ— 2. Gelasius saith that the signes remaine in the propertie of their owne nature Gelas-contra-Eutye Augustine saith we cannot with the hand touch Christ sitting in the heauens but by faith we can touch and apprehend him In Ioh. Tract 1. Irenaeus saith that a Sacrament requireth two things the one earthly and the other heauenly Walefridus saith that Christ deliuered the Sacraments or signes and seales of his body and blood to his disciples In panis vini substantia in the substance of bread wine cap. 16. And because many stand vpon the bare words of Christ saying This is my body will admit no exposition but the literall acknowledging no figure in them let vs obserue the iudgement of two or three ancient Doctours Augustine saith that the Lord stucke not to say This is my body in so much as hee did giue the signe of his body Contra Adimant c. 12. Cyprian saith that the SacrameÌ„ts haue the names of those things